Le-Vel tried to sue me for the article below… , AND I WON! The court’s decision is here. Their conclusion states, “We decide in [Lazy Man’s] favor on his first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and tenth issues. We need not reach [Lazy Man’s] eighth and ninth issues.”
The court also ruled that Le-Vel must pay sanctions, which, in my understanding, is money they have to pay for bad behavior with their lawsuit. Score one for this blogger who was only giving his opinion on a reader’s question.
I have provided this information so that you can make an informed decision. I encourage everyone to look for sources that are not influenced by Le-Vel’s money.]
What is Le-vel Thrive?
About six weeks before I published this article, a regular reader, Jason, wrote me:
” [My neighbor] has started this ‘Thrive’ regiment with a patch, a pill, and perhaps some other lifestyle changes, and posts daily pictures of herself on Facebook to ‘document’ her progress with weight loss. To me, this looks to be just another one of the plethora of scams and schemes out there. What do you know about this ‘company’? Perhaps you’ve already written articles on it that I wasn’t aware of. If not… perhaps this could be one to look into and write about for future articles.
So let’s dig in and see what we can learn about Le-vel Thrive.
What is Thrive?
Thrive is a series of products from the Le-vel MLM.
THRIVE Premium Lifestyle DFT™ Patch
A few weeks before publishing this article, Talking Points Memo wrote a great article about MLM which featured a Le-vel distributor: How Utah Became a Bizarre, Blissful Epicenter for Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
This article gives an introduction to the Thrive patch:
“After a week of wearing the Thrive nutritional patch, Denise Holbrook discovered what seemed like superhuman strength. When her husband fainted outside of a hospital, she caught him. ‘How the hell am I holding up a 200-pound man by myself?’ she remembers thinking… In a post, she announced that she thought it would be selfish not to share the supplement, considering it had allowed her to stop taking anti-anxiety medication and stay awake after sleepless nights amid her husband’s deterioration.”
The article continues:
Still, few dietary supplements have the kind of negative reviews that Thrive does, and many have been evaluated with much more thoroughness by the scientific community. (Q Sciences, for instance, claims its products are backed by research at 15 universities.) So why do distributors choose Thrive, in spite of so many stories about sketchy side effects?
When pressed by the author, Denise Holbrook said, “It’s a lot of mind-over-matter.”
So much to process here:
- There’s the obvious adrenaline that would explain holding up a 200-pound man. Also, she isn’t picking the man off the ground – a majority of his weight was probably still supported.
- There are the typical unbelievable claims. MLM companies have unbelievable for more than years.
- The claims appear to violate the FTC endorsement guidelines of “Using Testimonials That Don’t Reflect the Typical Consumer Experience.”
- The claims may also violate the FDA rules of marketing supplements. I do not believe that Le-Vel Thrive Patch is an FDA-approved treatment for anxiety. These types of claims have gotten other MLMs like DoTERRA in trouble with the FDA.
That’s just the stuff from the first quote block. The second quote block highlights the bad reputation Thrive has. The ensuing quote about it being “mind-over-matter” seems to suggest that the Thrive Patch may be the same as the Dove Beauty Patch:
If you intend to watch the video, do it now because I’m going to give some spoilers.
It turns out that the Dove Beauty Patch has no ingredients. Yet all the women were going on and on about how “life-altering” the patch was and that they’d buy it. You can see their reactions on the Today Show as well.
Thrive’s website about the patch says: “The DFT™ formula supports the metabolic rate, promoting clean and healthy weight management without aiding in muscle breakdown or deterioration – like a majority of weight loss products available.”
I’m curious what “dirty” weight management might be if the patch is about clean weight management. Nonetheless, the FTC makes it clear how they feel about weight loss patches:
“Lose weight with our miracle diet patch or cream! You’ve seen the ads for diet patches or creams that claim to melt away the pounds. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing you can wear or apply to your skin that will cause you to lose weight.”
So don’t take my word for it, take the FTC’s.
The same Thrive website says, “Our all natural nutritional formula, combined with our DFT™ delivery system, infuses the derma (skin) with a THRIVE Lifestyle Formula, different than the Capsule & Shake formula. The result is a time released delivery and absorption rate superior to most consumable products.”
However, according to this Wall Street Journal article, you can’t really know if a patch is working without well-designed clinical trials. From a logical standpoint, I know ketchup is getting in my system when I eat it. A ketchup patch? Well, my confidence level in that is close to zero.
Of course, the patch alone would be too easy. Thrive website says, “Individuals using the THRIVE Premium DFT™, in conjunction with THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Capsule™, THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Shake Mix™, and the THRIVE 8 Week Experience™, will experience ultra premium results, unrivaled in regards to Nutrition, Weight Management, and Fitness.”
So let’s look at the Thrive Capsule and Thrive Shake Mix
What is the THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Capsule™?
Le-vel’s website on THRIVE M (the men’s capsule) says, “THRIVE M is a premium formula and a premium approach to your daily lifestyle. Developed from years of experience, science, and perfecting, THRIVE M is the only premium lifestyle capsule of its kind.”
For those keeping track that’s SEVEN uses of the word “premium” in only THREE quoted sentences (going back to the last heading). Someone get Le-vel a thesaurus. It’s easy to call something premium, but that doesn’t make it so.
Thrive M is essentially a multivitamin with a proprietary blend of ingredients which you can see here. The vitamins and minerals are unexciting. With only 11 vitamins and minerals with an RDA daily value, you can do better with many other products. They don’t even put vitamin C or vitamin E in it. You can do much better with Kirkland Signature Daily Multi Vitamins & Minerals Tablets (which provides more than 100% of each).
How much does thrive cost?
That Kirkland vitamin & minerals above costs around 4 cents a pill (at the time of article publishing). For a full year it would cost around $14.60.
In sharp contrast, Thrive M – Premium Lifestyle Capsules Mens is on Amazon for $62.50 for a 30 day supply. It seems that Thrive M isn’t on Amazon anymore, but I had sseen Ebay listings at around the same price. However, it looks like Thrive M is gone from there too. At the $62.50 price, Thrive M – Premium Lifestyle Capsules Mens is about $2.08 a day or $760.42 a year. Update: It looks like some MLM distributors are selling Thrive M 2.0 at $74.00 which would cost more for a year.
(If you want a gender-specific brand of vitamins, you can get Solimo Women’s One Daily Multivitamin Multimineral and Solimo Men’s One Daily Multivitamin Multimineral for about the same 4-5 cents a pill.)
So it appears you can spend about $15/year for a complete multivitamin… or you can spend more than $750/year for an incomplete one (in my opinion).
Reflect on that for a moment. You can spend 50 times more money and get less value by going with Le-vel’s product.
To make matters worse, it is scientifically proven that vitamin and mineral supplements are unnecessary for the general population. See this scientific journal article: Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements. As the article notes, vitamin and mineral supplements could even be harmful. The science has gotten exhaustive and it increasingly says that most people shouldn’t be buying supplements.
A strong case could be made that you shouldn’t buy either product. However, if you are going to buy one, the choice should be very obvious. I’d rather spend $15 over $750 any day.
I’m not being entirely fair in this comparison. Thrive M has a proprietary blend in addition to vitamins and minerals. Actually, in fairness, the Kirkland vitamins do as well (Ginseng at least from the description).
The problem with proprietary blends is that you don’t know how much of what you are getting. This isn’t like the Colonel’s secret recipe or Coca-cola’s recipe that are meant to taste good. This is your health. You should know what you are paying for. However, even if you knew how much you were getting of the ingredients, they may not benefit you. I didn’t see much in the proprietary formula that had the science behind it to show the FDA it had real benefits. That’s a list of approved health claims from supplements.
What is the Thrive Premium Lifestyle Mix™?
The third product is the Thrive Shake Mix. It seems that every MLM/pyramid scheme needs to have a shake mix nowadays. I’ve covered a few with Beachbody’s Shakeology, One24’s NutraBurst, and ViSalus’ Vi-Shake.
Thrive’s marketing of the mix shouldn’t surprise anyone: “THRIVE Mix, combined daily with the THRIVE Capsules and DFT™, completes a premium lifestyle, and a premium you.” I guess they had a few more “premium” mentions in there to get off their chest.
Thrive seems to want you to buy all three products. Fortunately, the shake has many of the vitamins and minerals that were missing from the multivitamin above. Or should I say unfortunately because then you have to buy two products to make up the void in one… and you still aren’t getting much vitamin C and vitamin E.
On Amazon, Thrive Premium Shake Mix costs $45 for 16 servings. That’s $2.81 a serving. That’s really, really expensive for a shake. You could get Spiru-Tein Shake which is about a dollar a serving and has many, many glowing reviews. It might not seem like much, but it is the difference between spending more than $1000 a year on a shake or $350. How many other articles have you read today that saved you $650 a year?
MLMs love shakes and it is easy to understand why. Supplement protein, fiber, and multivitamins are extremely cheap. You can get 24 grams of protein with Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein. At $0.77 a serving and nearly 10,000 awesome reviews on Amazon it seems to be a great value… especially considering that Thrive only has 15 grams of protein. For fiber, you can buy this Benefiber (switch to the 500 gram size). At $20, you’ll get 500 servings of 3 grams of fiber (1500 grams total). The 5 grams of fiber in Thrive shakes would cost you 6.6 cents (we’ll round up to $0.07).
Finally, there’s Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Supplement. I can currently buy 240 pills (80 servings) for $22.88 (my Subscribe and Save price) or $0.36 a serving. Opti-Men seems to blow away the vitamins and minerals in both of Thrive’s mix and the capsules put together. It even includes its own proprietary blend, just in case Thrive supporters wanted to play the card that there’s other stuff of value in the products.
Between the three products, you’d spend less than a dollar a day to replace about $5 a day of Thrive shake and capsules. That saves you around $1200 a year. Add in the savings of avoiding the patch and it’s nearly $2000 in your pocket every year!
What others are saying
In an effort to provide you with the best information, here are a couple of other sources worth reading.
Truth In Advertising
Truth in Advertising is one of my favorite websites because they, like me, highlight the bits of misleading marketing that consumers should be aware of. The non-profit is truly one of the great unbiased organizations out there looking out for consumers’ best interests.
They’ve twice written about Le-Vel Thrive and each is a great resource:
Registered Dietitian Abby Langer
Abby Langer writes a scathing review of Le-Vel. Here are some of the highlights:
“The greatest branding can’t hide a faulty product, even if you declare that product as ‘premium’… One thing I think you should know is that there has never been any research done to verify that THRIVE works… Wherever they came from, testimonials are really not worth the paper (or computer) they’re written on. What’s really worth something is some good solid research on the product. Search high and low, but you won’t find any on THRIVE. There is none…
I’m not sure what all natural, clean, and healthy weight management is, but congratulations to Thrive for using three huge, completely meaningless nutrition buzzwords in one paragraph! What a feat!…
So THRIVE’s claim is essentially meaningless…
I mean, if I was gullible and not well-versed in science, they might convince me to spend tons of money using this upselling, ‘go hard or go home’ tactic. But me being who I am, I just get a headache looking at the relentless ‘convince you to spend more and more of your money to get an even better result’ BS on the site.
Thrive’s Forslean® is basically a herb called Coleus Forskohlii, which has not been shown in any reputable studies to cause weight loss… What they’ve basically done is throw a bunch of ingredients together… But none of this evidence has been studied in trials using a patch delivery system. And neither has Thrive. Oh, I already said that. Just checking that you get that..no evidence!
The THRIVE shake is super low in calories and I can’t find anything in it of any value. What’s its purpose, anyway? I can’t figure it out. Eat real food.
There is really no compelling evidence that any of the ingredients in THRIVE cause weight loss.”
It’s tempting to quote the whole article, but I think this covers most of it sufficiently. I can see why Abby Langer writes for the Huffington Post with such great insight.
Iron Beaver Fitness
Iron Beaver Fitness writes: Scam DuJour: Thrive by Le-Vel. One of my favorite quotes is at the beginning when they quote Le-Vel’s website and come to the conclusion that the product is irrelevant:
“Le-Vel was created and envisioned with a greater purpose, a premium plan. This plan is not to create a product, or a product line, but to build a global brand, a new icon.” – Le-vel’s website (https://le-vel.com/brand/philosophy)
Le-Vel seems to have threatened them with a lawsuit for hosting images of the products’ ingredients. Clearly, an editorial is allowed to display such images by fair use, but it doesn’t stop Le-Vel from attempting to sue them.
Plant City Observer
Plant City Observer has an article on Le-Vel Thrive titled “Don’t waste your money on fitness fallacies.” Here are some notable quotes from sports editor Justin Kline:
“After spending part of my last summer in college convincing a roommate that his Vemma energy drinks were part of an illegal pyramid scheme (which was actually proven to be true last year), I thought I was in the clear. But on Friday, a good friend hit me up about some energy patches… A quick Google search will tell you that these patches are part of the THRIVE eight-week fitness system, an initiative of the Le-Vel company. And a quick look at the Le-Vel website shows that it’s a similar kind of multi-level marketing company that Vemma was sold through.
Add in the fact that you’re buying products for yourself, as well as to sell to others, and that these companies often ask you to travel and buy tickets to conferences, and you could easily end up losing more money than you make.
But, this isn’t a business column. The other reason I can’t stand things like this is because the science behind them often disproves them. Essentially, there’s a chance that you’re losing money on simple bandage patches, glorified Saran wrap and smoothies you could make from the grass in your back yard.”
Recent MLM Developments You Should Know (Update 4/10/2017*)
I believe that anyone considering a “business opportunity”, should spend a few hours of research. I think these are two great areas to research:
1. Must Watch: A Humorous, Detailed Analysis on MLM
HBO’s John Oliver covers MLM in great detail.
In my opinion, it’s a tremendous read for any potential customers, but I believe no one should be allowed to sign up as a distributor without viewing this video and signing a disclosure form that they did:
There’s a specific Le-Vel mention in that video. I don’t think you want to miss it.
(Full Disclosure: I wrote this article long before HBO decided to cover Le-Vel. HBO’s and their shows’ network’s opinions are obviously their own, but I do agree with the video cited here.)
Another view of the FTC on MLMs
The FTC Chairwoman recently gave some guidance to MLMs. I think it’s important information for anyone considering joining an MLM. View the FTC guidance here. It is a little technical because I believe the audience is MLM companies.
I believe you should ask any sponsor to provide you with a written statement on how that company complies with the FTC guidance. I don’t believe it should come from a sponsor unless it is officially endorsed by the MLM company and the exact language is clearly disclosed on their website. A salesman trying to get you to join may say that they are clearly in compliance with that guidance, but I believe you should have the whole company agreeing to the FTC guidance.
If the company (as opposed to a distributor) doesn’t state a notice of compliance in prominent view with that FTC guidance, I would personally walk away.
But What About the Business of Le-Vel?
Le-vel has a “refer 2 and you get yours for free” program. Given the financial information above, it seems to me that it is like convincing two people to buy a Honda Civic for $100,000 so that you can yours for free. Any company would happily do that because they are sending out $60K worth of cars to bring in $200,000 in cash.
This encourages people to throw two people under the bus financially to get free products for themselves. I think that’s pretty selfish.
These kinds of programs highlight how overpriced the products are. Obviously, the company couldn’t stay in business giving it away for free.
The rest of the Le-vel compensation plan looks like every other MLM/pyramid scheme that I’ve covered. There’s the requirement to be Qualified and Active, which means that you have to buy the product yourself or sell enough of it each month. As mentioned above, the pricing is banana pants crazy, which is one of a few reasons why no one would buy a MLM product from you. That means you are typically going to be left paying for itself, which makes it look like a Pay-to-Play scheme.
Le-vel seems to have the same car “bonus” as other MLMs. The specifics of the car bonus are left out of the compensation brochure. Typically an MLM company requires you to get a lease in your name and reimburses you as long as you maintain the level. However, as many ViSalus distributors found out, when the pyramid implodes they are left with an expensive lease in their name, no bonus from the company, and little income from the business. It’s a path to financial ruin
However, the most insane part of the Le-vel “reward” plan is the Waiting Room which you can find at the bottom of this PDF. You can place newly recruited people under other people you have recruited in the past. This is the kind of thing that only makes sense in the world of MLM.
If you recruit a person, they should go under you. You should get the rewards for that work. It simply doesn’t make sense to give away those rewards to someone else. Thrive’s brochure is extremely lacking in details (as you can see), and it wastes value space with women in bikinis, beaches, hot air balloons, etc. Instead the Rewards Plan suggests that this Waiting Room concept allows for “very strategic team building.” (Tip: whenever you see “team” in MLM, substitute the words “pyramid” to describe the recruitment hierarchy.)
The compensation plan clearly focuses the rewards on people with the most volume in their downline, not sales to outside people. According to these FTC guidelines, that focus would appear to make Thrive a pyramid scheme. Here’s what the FTC says,
“Not all multilevel marketing plans are legitimate. If the money you make is based on your sales to the public, it may be a legitimate multilevel marketing plan. If the money you make is based on the number of people you recruit and your sales to them, it’s not. It’s a pyramid scheme. Pyramid schemes are illegal, and the vast majority of participants lose money.”
If you need more information on this, this video is very helpful:
Le-Vel Manufacturing Facebook Popularity?
One of the things that most people seem to complain about is how overzealous Le-Vel distributors flood their Facebook. It’s one thing if people are genuinely interested and sharing a product they love. It’s another thing when they coordinate all their distributors to flood Facebook all at once.
Someone passed along their “Rise and Thrive” attempt coming on Dec. 10th at 8AM CST. See this:
(Click For Larger Version)
Of course the Le-Vel leaders want to keep this very quite so that it seems like it is naturally going viral. Overall, it’s pretty harmless, but I’m not a fan of secret cult manipulations.
Final Thoughts on Le-Vel Thrive
Between the extremely expensive products, dubious marketing, and what appears to be a pyramid scheme (see aforementioned FTC guidelines), I think it is clear that Le-vel Thrive is a scam. (For more on scams see: What is a Scam Anyway?)
I think consumers should make better use of $2000 or more a year… and certainly shouldn’t push others to spend that kind of money. Don’t try to convince yourself that a pyramid scheme is a legitimate business. Don’t try to convince yourself that you are helping people by inflicting a significant financial burden on them. If you are really interested in helping them, suggest some of the products that I mentioned in the article (or other equivalent ones from non-pyramid scheme companies) that are reasonably priced.
Finally, I’d like to make a special pleading for the FTC (SEC or other government agency) to look into Le-Vel and ensure all its practices are legal. In my opinion, they should have a statement page stating how they comply with with this FTC guidance. In the past I’ve found that the FTC simply works too slow in catching MLM/pyramid scheme fraud. For example, it took a decade and millions of lost dollars for the FTC to catch Fortune High-Tech’s MLM pyramid scheme. More recently it took nearly a decade for the FTC to halt Vemma for being a pyramid scheme which claimed to be a legal MLM. Finally, it took decades for the FTC to help Herbalife victims.
In each case, consumers found out years later that they were scammed out of hundreds millions of dollars (in aggregate). I agree with Former FTC Economist Peter Vander Nat, Ph.D. in calling for a federal pyramid scheme rule as the status quo is not effective in eliminating pyramid schemes. The damage is already done.
Consumers can and should in my opinion make a complaint with the FTC here.
Lawyer Stuff: Regarding Updates (Added 4/10/2017)
It’s disappointing to me that I have to cover my butt with disclaimers. I believe we (USA) have freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
The courts agreed that I published this article for you (at least in my reading.)
I STRONGLY IMPORE everyone to petition the government with your feelings about this as I have done. The official FTC Twitter account has instructions about how you can communicate your opinion of scams and help others avoid being scammed:
If you think you see a scam, talk with someone. Your story could help someone avoid that scam. Then report it to the FTC at https://t.co/gtPxXAxsek: https://t.co/PWFawyXejS
— FTC (@FTC) May 20, 2020
This article was originally published on June 26, 2015 (or earlier). It contains the best information I found at the time of publication. If anyone has factual information where I may be incorrect in my OPINION above, they are welcome to leave a comment for my own and public review. Readers with different opinions are always free to publicize those opinions elsewhere.
I strive to update this article, and all my articles, with the best information available to help consumers make an informed decision. I may not always achieve that goal due my other career and family obligations, but I do my best. If I’ve been informed publicly (such as Twitter) multiple times over 1-3 months it will probably get my attention. One easier way is to leave a comment.
Just to make it extremely clear to readers and MLM lawyers looking to sue me, the article above is my constitutionally protected opinion. It’s strange that I have to say it and cite the FTC above, but some lawyers act badly when they are offered a bunch of money by a company looking to bully a military family.
This was article originally published Jun 26, 2015 at 11:00
Amy B says
I got pulled into this by a really good friend because it worked wonders for her. My husband and I tried it and now I simply can’t afford to keep it up so am having to “wean” myself off all of these stimulants. Any advice would be GREATFULLY appreciated.
I also wanted to ask, my husband and I have both had lower back pain for years. My husband was the worst and now he is PAIN FREE for the first time in 2 years but now we have stopped the patch (stopping one thing at a time) his pain is coming back.
Could you recommend an alternative for whatever the hell has taken away our lower back pain that is in thrive?
Appreciate your help and will try keep an eye on this post :)
Thrive is overpriced, over stimulants that no human really needs to take!!!
Amy, the reduction in pain is coming from the white willow bark that is in their supplements. White willow contains salicin, which is an anti-inflammatory that has been proven to help with back pain. Willow bark has been used for 6000 years to treat pain, and works very similarly to aspirin but in far smaller doses. I would suggest that your husband looks into a willow bark supplement! You can also google “salicin sources” and find foods that naturally have them. You can get 3 months of white willow bark extract pills on Amazon for $15.
Good luck!
Thank you. Yes I looked into it and we have a natural pill called “Pain ease” and it has White Willow Bark in it among other things. Its working wonders ?
TJ said: “Amy, the reduction in pain is coming from the white willow bark that is in their supplements.”
Not likely. Remember that this is a topical patch, not an oral supplement, and the company doesn’t disclose how much white willow bark is in the patch. The safe assumption is that the amount provided by the patch is insufficient to do anything.
Amy B said: “I also wanted to ask, my husband and I have both had lower back pain for years. My husband was the worst and now he is PAIN FREE for the first time in 2 years but now we have stopped the patch (stopping one thing at a time) his pain is coming back.”
As far as I can tell, there are no ingredients in any of the Thrive patches that would relieve chronic lower back pain, nor are any of their products advertised for such a purpose. The inevitable conclusion is that you are making a mistaken causal inference.
Amy B said: “Could you recommend an alternative for whatever the hell has taken away our lower back pain that is in thrive?”
Yes, consult with a licensed medical professional instead of soliciting medical advice from strangers on a personal finance blog.
Allison Hanna said: “I am interested to know if you ever tried the product yourself.”
God no (because I’m not an idiot who burns money on ridiculous scammy products from pyramid schemers).
Alison Hanna said: “I have been using it for two weeks and it is everything it claims to be.”
What exactly does it claim to be? And why are MLM scammers always so needlessly vague? Rhetorical question BTW; we know why.
Alison Hanna said: “When a product is as effective as this one is, it is easy to jump in board spreading the word.”
Again, effective for what? Plungers and Drano are effective for clearing backed up toilets, but that doesn’t make me want to run out and become a plumber or a Drano salesman.
Alison Hanna said: “I am not expecting to get rich promoting Thrive…”
That’s good. Keeping your expectations at zero will ensure that you won’t be disappointed when you not only fail to become rich but actually become poorer; while alienating yourself from friends and family, which is inevitable.
Alison Hanna said: “…but I certainly am offended that you describe it as a scam.”
ROFL! Feigned outrage is the MLMers stock and trade. A convenient diversion from actually having to justify the product/company.
Alison Hanna said: “How is a product that does what it says, a scam?”
That question should be reverse engineered to begin with the premise that it is a scam; therefore, how could it possibly do anything? And what exactly do “they” say it does? Amy B says it relieves lower back pain. Is that what you’re talking about? Claims like that which have absolutely no logical basis or supportive evidence and are prohibited by law?
So I have read up a bit, I am sorry lazyman that you have a law suit against you.
Here is my 8 week “Thrive Experience”
I have put on 3kg (not lost weight)
I am EXHAUSTED by the end of day 2 without the shake.
I get jittery and a wired SPEED feeling a few minutes after having the shake….and that is about it.
When I stopped the patches I went almost numb to emotions…..kind of plateaued. I am generally a happy go lucky person but this knocked me for six.
When my husband stopped the patches….he went angry. MY lovely, caring, quiet, wouldn’t hurt a fly husband had 2 days of just being angry….WTF!!!
We are now both off the patches fully and happy.
NOW we have dropped to 1 pill a day instead of 2 and half a shake every 2 days instead of a whole one every 2 days.
OMG!! I have NEVER taken anything “Natural” that I have had to wean myself off. Why should I have to do this. I have stopped even talking about it.
My recommendation is that EVERYONE that even intends on becoming a promoter, do your bloody research before you start “Promoting” this product. I feel really bad for the couple of people I have signed up and have now told them that I am stopping and my reasoning as to why.
This stuff IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU!!!
You know how I know, PERSONAL RESEARCH on MY OWN BODY!! What are the long term effects of this stuff? Seriously, think of that before you take it!!!
I have never heard about anyone weaning themselves off of thrive .. or taking the product the way you explained. Sorry you have no clue what you are doing or talking about. Yes, I have gone off the product on a few occasions and the only side effect was I went back to being the tired run down person I was prior to thrive.
This is such a one sided article. What about all those people that feel great and lost a lot of weight with it? If it doesn’t work for you, then you taking it wrong, you have to talk to someone with the knowledge to see what you doing wrong and not immediately start bashing the company ant others. Not good
What about all those people who claimed to feel great drinking MonaVie a decade ago? It seems like they stopped feeling great when they weren’t being paid to recruit others to buy it and sell others on how great they feel.
Don’t place the blame on other people “taking it wrong” for supplements that don’t work. It’s been proven for years and years time and again that they don’t work for anyone… see just one example of the medical research.
You could just as easily claim that wearing cheese on your head helps you lose weight… and if it doesn’t work for you, you are doing it wrong, and should talk to someone with cheese wearing knowledge to see what you are doing wrong and not immediately start bashing a company selling cheese hats as weight loss aids.
I was using thrive on and off but this time send me to the hospital!!!! Yesterday I take the pill, patch and shake and my heartbeat was over a 178, I was not working out! I was heading to work and I start feeling short of breath, I never had any issue with breathing before, so Thrive is not good for you and I didn’t lose weight at all. I will not recommend this product. The worst part is expensive $200,00 a month sometimes they sell packages for $400 and other for $800.00!!
Sandrita said: “I was using thrive on and off but this time send me to the hospital!!!! Yesterday I take the pill, patch and shake and my heartbeat was over a 178, I was not working out! I was heading to work and I start feeling short of breath, I never had any issue with breathing before, so Thrive is not good for you and I didn’t lose weight at all. I will not recommend this product. The worst part is expensive $200,00 a month sometimes they sell packages for $400 and other for $800.00!!”
Sorry to hear that. You should report the adverse event to the FDA. It could save lives.
https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements/how-report-problem-dietary-supplements
Everyone’s body reacts differently. Thrive has changedd my life , I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Sydrome and Lupus and it has gotten me out of bed where I used to spend my days unable to work or play with my kids. So … speak for YOURSELF. Everyone has different levels of struggle and health challenges!!!
The caffeine levels in Le-Vel Thrive were discussed in the comments before. So it’s not surprising that caffeine would help with energy levels.
Oh I forgot to add.
The patch has White Willow Bark in it.
Aspirin is made from White Willow Bark. Why do Le-Vel need to put ASPIRIN into something that is taken every day!!! Totally unnecessary if you ask me. THIS is why we had lost our lower back pain. This is why people have such a great response when they have “pain” issues with joint and inflammation etc…. because they are taking a daily PAIN KILLER!!!!
Also don’t forget that it is a blood thinner.
Did I say, TOTALLY UNNECESSARY!!
And if you are already taking blood thinners then this is really a danger! Also in light of shaman and chris watts story I can’t help but think chris was over stimulated when he killed his wife. He had six patches on his body the day he was arrested!!
I knew Chris Watts was overstimulated with over dosing on the patch plus shake and pills!!!!! I thought of that immediately his whole system was overcharged!!! Thank you for commenting on Chris
Amy B said: “Oh I forgot to add. The patch has White Willow Bark in it. Aspirin is made from White Willow Bark. Why do Le-Vel need to put ASPIRIN into something that is taken every day!!! Totally unnecessary if you ask me. THIS is why we had lost our lower back pain. This is why people have such a great response when they have “pain” issues with joint and inflammation etc…. because they are taking a daily PAIN KILLER!!!!”
It’s reasonable to be concerned but very unlikely that the willow bark in the product would produce any systemic pain relief. The active component in willow bark is salicin, which is present in willow bark at a proportion of about 0.08 to 12.6% by weight.
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/willow-bark
The oral dose of salicin required to relive back pain is in the range of 120 mg to 240 mg.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-955-willow%20bark.aspx?activeingredientid=955&activeingredientname=willow%20bark
One would have to consume at least 1 to 3 g of white willow bark to achieve a therapeutic dose of salicin.
https://www.drugs.com/npc/willow-bark.html
The Thrive Patch lists willow bark as one of its ingredients but does not specify the amount.
https://media.le-vel.com/Documents/THRV004.pdf
The main problem with the premise that willow bark in the patch produces pain relief is that it is a virtual certainty that that patch does not contain enough bark extract to produce therapeutic salicin concentrations in the blood following topical dosing.
Omfg I have been on thrive for 2 weeks and have gained weight I can’t lose to save my life FML I fell for this damn scam I’m so pissed I hate this shit why scam on people who actually want to lose weight wtf!!!!!!!
Wow, that’s crazy. I tried a one month supply patches. And that was it, I stopped there. I don’t like the prices. I’ll just lose weight by exercising and eating healthy. Maybe then, I’ll also get my energy back. Because for some reason, the patches gave me little bit of energy and then other days, I’m tired and lazy. Plus they didn’t stick to my skin. :(
Thrive was never marketed as a weight loss product. Recently, the company has branched our in to the weight loss spectrum with things like Thrive Fit and Burn but when the company started never once did they market themselves for weight loss. They marketed for a premium (I definitely agree in the over use category here) nutrition product which offered things like joint support, mental clarity, and yes even weight management (not loss). If you were taking this product thinking it was some kind of magic pill that would make you lose 10 pounds a week by not eating right or exercising that’s on you, not the company. I do know an extensive amount of people who have used this product, yes myself included, who’ve had nothing but good things to say about it. A few have said they don’t like the shakes it gives them, or that the bowel movement that happens shortly after completing the third step is unnecessary or that the sticky residue from the patch is a pain in the ass or that they were glad they tried it but the product just wasn’t for them. It’s a vitamin, a multi vitamin meant to work in to the busy lives we all lead and that is a complete process in the first 20-30 minutes of your day. Yes there are things in it that are in other products that are cheaper and if that’s how you feel then don’t buy the product and go with the cheaper one. I’ve been using Thrive on and off for almost 2 years now. I’ve never had any type of withdrawal symptoms when I stopped taking it. My shit joints didn’t start throbbing in pain upon my first days of non product. I had noticeably less energy and didn’t sleep quite as well but it works the same way as anything else you take for long periods of time like aspirin helping with heart attacks. Dear Lord calm down LazyMan I’m not comparing Thrive to Aspirin what I am saying is that the body adjusts to anything after a long enough period of time. My 8 week experience was pretty alright honestly. You say we’re vague in our experiences and responses so explain this to me. Prior to starting my Thrive 8 week experience and after starting it I was(and still am) a runner. At least 5 miles 3-4 days a week with weight training and active rest days( still on the same schedule). My knees and joints were the bane of my existence, I suffered from chronic headaches and it was a miracle if I could sit down and focus on more than one thing at a time. I started taking Thrive and none of that changed. After a few days I noticeably started sleeping better, actually staying asleep through the whole night( which is a huge help with muscle regeneration and physical recovery). After a few more days I had more noticeable amounts of energy, I didn’t spend as many days getting tired half way through it and by the time I was done work I still had “juice” enough to complete my workouts and what not with no issues from being tired. After about week 4 it was even more clear to me that my joint pain was subsiding and I wasn’t in as much pain the morning after a long run as I had been previously. At the end of my 8 week experience I noticed that I’d dropped a few pounds but that wasn’t from the Thrive. That was from me putting in the effort to be physically active and make wise decisions when it came to food. The Thrive evened me out and gave me the vitamins and nutrition that wasn’t in my food. It filled in the gaps and made my entire routine whole. Yeah, I still take it. Just ordered some two days ago actually. It’s not a magic pill but the thing is I was smart enough to realize that at the start of my process with the product as is the majority of the products consumers.
How exactly is it that you can have such a strong opinion about a product when you know absolutely nothing about what it’s actual intentions are?
Except that weight loss was not EVER a promised s/e. Thrive is meant to help you feel better, there is no free rides people. You can’t just take a pill, drink a shake, slap on a patch and your life is fixed??? Seriously? People who use thrive regularly and find benefits from it are not scammed. Thrive only promises to fulfill your nutritional gaps with premium product. Now if you can factually disprove that then you get on with your bad self. Keyboard warriors are what is wrong with people today. Find a good cause to fight for. Get the email scam artist stealing money, or people who kidnap women for sex trafficking. Find something REAL to complain about. Believe it or not there are actually people taking Thrive because they like it not to become rich!
It seems there are a lot of people who are feeling worse. See the “adverse health effects mounting” section here: https://www.truthinadvertising.org/what-you-should-know-about-thrive/
I wrote about MonaVie more than 10 years ago, which made the same types of claims. Stuff like: people love it, it fills nutritional gaps, it’s a premium product. The company’s pyramid imploded. The FTC describes how that happens with MLMs – https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/993473/ramirez_-_dsa_speech_10-25-16.pdf, with it’s description of how everyone was buying into Burnlounge. The company claimed that people liked the product, but once the selling opportunity went away, no one was interested.
The only way to know if people really like Thrive is just to put online with no pyramiding business opportunity behind it. If people like it, they’ll continue to buy it.
MLM scams are a important cause to fight for. That’s why John Oliver’s video about them has over 15M YouTube views – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6MwGeOm8iI
Noteveryoneisavictim said “People who use thrive regularly and find benefits from it are not scammed.”
And which people would those be? Thrive’s ridiculously overpriced products have no overt benefits, so it’s reasonable to argue that such people don’t actually exist. Not to mention the fact that most people who take the product have a financial incentive that makes them susceptible to the placebo effect, or in just about every case, outright lying. Your comment also conveniently ignores the scads of people who used the products and experienced no benefits whatsoever (the overwhelming majority, no doubt), and the fact that everyone who has ever purchased the products was scammed by vastly overpaying for overhyped cheap mundane ingredients.
Noteveryoneisavictim said: “Thrive only promises to fulfill your nutritional gaps with premium product.”
They don’t even promise that. They don’t actually “promise” anything. And there’s no evidence whatsoever, or even the faintest reason to believe, that anything in Thrive products would qualify as “premium”. Quite the contrary. Simple economics and basic knowledge of the financial structure of MLMs make it clear that their products are ALWAYS either vastly inferior and/or vastly overpriced relative to products on the retail market. The overcharge is baked in to the MLM business model because it is required to keep the pyramid scheme afloat (ie, absurdly high overhead for paying out commissions to the scheme’s participants).
Noteveryoneisavictim said: “Now if you can factually disprove that then you get on with your bad self.”
Cracks me up when fossilized out-of-touch MLMers try to use 25-year old “street” lingo. ROFL!
Noteveryoneisavictim said: “We don’t need to disprove anything. The onus in on you to support your product claims with reliable evidence. You have none because the products are pretty close to worthless, at best. MLM products are akin to strangers offering candy to kids. To be avoided with extreme prejudice.
Noteveryoneisavictim said: “Keyboard warriors are what is wrong with people today.”
Says the warrior, immune to irony, while angrily typing on a keyboard. Pot meet kettle. How can someone be so obtuse?
Noteveryoneisavictim said: “Find a good cause to fight for. Get the email scam artist stealing money, or people who kidnap women for sex trafficking.”
Fighting against predatory MLMs is a great and noble cause, and there are enough hours in the day to tackle more than one of society’s ills at a time—people do it all the time. What kind of one-dimensional doofus would think that it’s an either or proposition? A dodgy MLMer reading verbatim out of their BS playbook, that’s who.
Noteveryoneisavictim said: “Believe it or not there are actually people taking Thrive because they like it not to become rich!”
You should never begin any proposition related to Thrive with “believe it or not”, because the rational default answer, based on experience, is overwhelmingly “NOT”! It’s unlikely that there are more than a handful of rubes who are naïve enough to believe that Thrive could possibly make them rich; most who participate probably set their sights on simply making poverty level wages, or at least not becoming poorer, but alas, even those very humble expectations are shattered in 99% of cases.
I am gaining weight on this product also and get very hungry. Something in it makes me very hungry and moody. Never felt good and did not have the energy they say will have. They keep telling me I am taking wrong which is not true. I believe the White Willow Bark irritates my stomach and keeps me hungry.
are you eating a healthy diet though? Thrive is an ADDITION to a already healthy diet and exercise regiment. It’s not a weight loss or meal replacement system. It’s to fill in nutritional gap with pharmaceutical grade vitamins
Science has spoken very conclusively in my opinion. Stop wasting money on vitamins.
Lots of USP (the gold standard) vitamins are available for only a few pennies each. There’s certainly no need to spend any more money than that.
*VERY IMPORTANT*
It is most definitely a pyramid scheme. Just because you have been able to make money from it, does not make it any less of a pyramid scheme. If you look throughout history at any and every other known reported pyramid schemes, the people involved also made money.. from the little man at the bottom, all the way up to the millionaires at the top.. but the fact that it is a pyramid scheme is not why I am commenting. I see comment after comment saying, “take it 1st and then give a review” we’ll, I have! And thogh, I am far from being a scientist, I would like to share my experience with you. Or a bit of it, perhaps. I was in a desperate frame of mind, sluggish, fatigue, and would have tried anything to lose weight. A friend of mine who had recently lost quite a bit of weight mentioned Level Thrive to me. (Yes, she lost weight, but she had also been dieting and exercising extensively!) She then gave me the contact information to someone who explained the process to me a little better, and I became less weary and more excited, especially when she offered me the 1st 8 weeks worth free! I mean, a company that let’s you try it free must be legit right!?? That was quite a bit of monies worth in product.. I will be 100% honest with you, i REALLY wanted to like this product. At this point, I was stoked, and I even continued to defend it as my mental and physically health deteriorated in those next few weeks to come! I have no reason to lie and am only giving my review because I don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else! Anyway, back to it.. So, the 1st couple days I felt no different. All was well really. Into the 2nd week, I felt sluggish and tired, more than usual. And by the 3rd week, it had gotten so bad that I reached out to my “sales rep” who decided to inform to me for the 1st time, that this was just my body detoxing. She went on to tell me that my body wasn’t use to having what it NEEDED and that this was normal, but that if I would just push through it for a little while longer, that I would feel better than I ever had! So, I did.. by the 4th week, I was in such a depressed state, that even my family had noticed and started expressing concern! But, I continued to take it as directed. 2 tabs in the morning, a shake, a patch, and lots of water.. I did everything I was suppose to do. And when I tried to find similar reviews, all I could find was wonderful things being said about it. I couldn’t understand why it worked so well for everyone else, but not me, that was until I stumbled across an article of a man who had killed his family while taking Level Thrive. When i reached out to my “sales rep” about this, she ensured me that this man had already had underlined mental health issues and that it had nothing to do with Thrive.. And of course, like an idiot, I continued to take it. By the 6th week, I was, for the 1st time in my life, legitimately suicidal. It was the absolute worst I had ever felt in my entire life, in every way, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone in the world. So, I decided to do a little deeper research, as I SHOULD’VE DONE TO BEGIN WITH, and had found several other articles, that were somewhat hard to find, concerning that same incident containing scientific opinions that said that they believed that Thrive contained a chemical in which our brains already produce and that some people’s brains produce more of it than others and when not properly distributed and monitored by a Dr, could be very bad for some people. I wish to God I could lead you to the exact articles I had read because, like I said before, I am THE FURTHEST THING FROM A SCIENTIST. I don’t even claim to be all that smart. I am merely just trying to share my experience because I wish to God I would have been able to find more reviews that I could relate to when I was going through this. But there wasn’t. Or at least, they weren’t easy to find. Now, years down the road, I do see more things like this being said that have helped me realize that it wasn’t just something going on with me, like some sort of bad effect that only I had experienced for whatever reason. Though, I am fully aware that a detox process isn’t always easy, this was much more than a detox process!
I work in a Starbucks and my god have all these pyramid scheme people been flooding our stores to use as their “office”. Pro tip: if your “boss” can’t afford to even buy a cup of coffee much less rent office space, you’re being duped. The positive side is that the amount of people has peaked and decreased… Thing about a pyramid is the bottom can only get so big before you run out of suckers. Overheard one person saying “don’t worry about the products, they sell themselves they’re high quality, let’s talk about getting more people on board”. What was it they say about a fool and his money?
Love your comments and this review! Thanks! I’m in Oz with a Thrivist from USA unsolicited trying to scam me right now through fbook. Hit on me outs the blue. Straight up wanted my email without giving me info. Seriously … Its no sale here…
Yougot Duped said: “I work in a Starbucks and my god have all these pyramid scheme people been flooding our stores to use as their “office”.”
I’ve seen the same thing. In fact, I can spot them from across the store as soon as I walk in. Ratty clothes, outdated laptop, brochures spread across the table, reek of desperation and failure. I’d feel pity were it not for the fact that they are ruthless liars and predators, the lot of them.
There is no MLM company that is worthy of their so called superior products. Only 1% make $. The rest loss an enormous amount of $ time and effort. They are the newest of cults and people are just flocking to them.
A promoter used my son, husband, and granddaughter in a advertisement for Thrive in that it helps with cancer. It was done without our consent. It’s a terrible scam for all involved. Le-Vel can only hurt your body, just read the ingredients! The stimulants can cause you harm.
Hello Toni. I am sorry to hear what happened to your family. They seem to be a pyramid scam, who are only interested in making money. Do you still have the advertisement where they claim it helps with cancer? I am a college student doing research into thrive and I hope to help other people but I need evidence. Thank you and I hope you and your family are doing well. :)
I have been on Thrive for 2 months now. I have lost 15 pounds, I am full of energy, I sleep better, my digestive system is on track for the first time in years. I know a woman with Lupus that has been taken off some of her medication because she no longer needs it thanks to Thrive. This product has helped so many people. And they never claim to cure anything. As a promoter, I’ve been trained and told, never tell someone that it heals anything, because that’s not what it was meant for. By giving you everything that your body actually needs, it makes you healthier, however that presents itself in your body is up to your body. The stimulants that you’re all making such a big deal about, is stuff like green coffee bean extract, you can find that in a refresher from Starbucks. And there’s about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. Almost anyone can make money selling Thrive. I put no effort into it, I get my Thrive for free, and I’ve made a couple hundred dollars. My upline and her husband sell Thrive for a living, their cars are paid for by the company, their house is paid for, they are financially independent, and Le-Vel has sent them on 6 free lifestyle getaways. Any product looks bad if you only look at the bad reviews. But the good experiences far outweigh the bad when it comes to Thrive.
Hmmm… “I know a woman with Lupus that has been taken off some of her medication because she no longer needs it thanks to Thrive. This product has helped so many people. And they never claim to cure anything…”
I still didn’t say it cures anything. I said that for her, specifically, she has been able to stop taking so much medicine because of thrive. I never said hey take Thrive because it cures lupus. It is an individualized experience, everyone reacts differently.
Hahaha….true Sara, you didn’t specifically say it cured your friend with lupus, you just implied it did. Its like if i were to say; “My credit card number got stolen yesterday and the last place i used it was at McDonalds”. Im definitely not saying an employee at McDonalds stole my credit card, but im letting the reader come to their “own” conclusions based on how I lead them…Its how magicians make a living…oh, and lying politicians. When in doubt, speak in ways that create deniability, yet still in a misleading way.
Good luck hocking this overpriced untested poison to your fiends and family.
Sounds like a distributor. Some of my friends are using it with awesome results they are distributors. I tried it for 7 weeks and quickly became tolerant to the stimulants and would have a horrible crash in the late afternoon. The patches don’t stick and the shakes are disgusting.
Are you referring to SW?
I spoke too soon with my review
Thrive is day generous and you promote should be making sure you DO NOT under an circumstances sell this to someone on antidepressants. Thrive black label put me into serotonin syndrome and I have been sick as a dog for weeks . I told my promoter I was on SSRIs and she did not tell me that black label contains high amounts of hydroxytryptophan which is super dangerous and should not be taken by people on antidepressants. I’ve never been so sick in my life. My digestive system has shut down and I cant stop throwing up . No wonder you people feel good its packed full of natural antidepressants!! Thrive almost killed me . I felt good the first few days and then everything changed. Thank God for Google or I would have been dead . I had normal blood pressure and mine skyrocketed to 150/110.Thers needs to be education here and warnings. I was a desperate single mom who just wanted energy to get through the day . I take back everything good I was saying about this product line . My bad.
I want to thank you for this article. I sincerely hope that you don’t get sued for such an informative piece. A couple days ago, I was approached by a promoter telling me that I was eligible to make $800.00 a month because I drove a white BMW (note how ass backward this claim was). I thought she meant putting an advertising wrap on my car, but oh no! She meant signing people up for thrive. I have yet to get any real information from her. She cannot produce any literature that spells out the compensation structure or the business plan. So I decided to research because I didn’t trust any of it. And I found it difficult to get any real info except on the links that were sited on this article. I appreciate this honest article more than you can know. And I feel happy with my decision to pass on the scam.
[Editor’s Note: I’ve added my responses to this comment in-line.]
The guy that wrote this article is a complete idiot ? For starters he’s saying it’s a scam and has never even tried it for himself…
[Editor’s Note: I don’t need to jump off bridge to know it’s not a good idea. As a salesperson you are the one who is biased.]
I can’t stand big headed men that think they know everything but actually know nothing at all. He’s basically bashing a company that he knows nothing about ?
[Editor’s Note: What about female Registered Dietitian Abby Langer? Is she a big-headed man too? Did you see all the women running Truth in Advertising. Do these people know nothing at all about their areas of expertise too? Maybe you shouldn’t jump to sexist conclusions before you know me?]
I’m mean there must be some underlying issue with this guy…
[Editor’s Note: Yes, I like to help people.]
Is his ex girlfriend on Thrive and now looking better than ever and is a lot happier now?
[Editor’s Note: I’ve been happily married for 10 years and I explained why I wrote about Thrive in the introduction. Did you read it?]
I thought this guy actually had some facts to share with us. Nope, I just wasted 10 minutes of my life reading it ???? If you haven’t tied it you shouldn’t even be able to write something like this and expect people to believe you.
[Editor’s Note: Nope, I had just had some opinions, some math that I think I got right, and links to other people’s opinions I trust. If that’s a waste of your 10 minutes why did you waste further trying to bash me for it?]
For those of you out there that read this entire column and haven’t tried Thrive yet. Don’t let this person block your blessing! How much is worth to you to feel amazing everyday and sleep like a baby at night..?
[Editor’s Note: Ahh, here’s the sales pitch. It’s “your blessing!” Wow. I’ve read some articles about all the caffeine in Thrive (which may have changed since then) and I think some commenters noted it as well. I have never read that helps improves sleep.]
I pay $12.99 a month because I only have to pay shipping.
[Editor’s Note: Is this because you’ve recruited OTHER people who overpay for the product? Or is this the standard price that everyone pays. Please be truthful about the costs that a new person is expected to pay.]
A one month supply consists of taking 2 capsules & drinking an 8oz shake that actually tastes good & then putting on your derma fusion technology patch. I’ve been taking it for 4 months now and I feel better now than I did 15 years ago! I obviously can’t make claims because the guy that created this page will probably come after me?
[Editor’s Note: Or maybe the FDA will, because they warn MLMs that medical claims are illegal and Le-Vel’s Policies and Procedures says you can’t. However, make me out to be the bad guy instead of your company and the government agencies protecting consumers. That seems fair.]
[Editor’s Note: I removed Jennifer’s contact information. This isn’t the place to try to sell Le-Vel products.]
Jennifer said, “The guy that wrote this article is a complete idiot ? For starters he’s saying it’s a scam and has never even tried it for himself…”
I wish I could understand why this logic makes sense to people in relationship to this topic. If scientists say patches and shakes don’t work, and there are no clinical tests that support the claims they boast, then do we still need to try the product? This isn’t someone saying they hate Geno’s cheese steaks, therefore everyone should avoid Geno’s. This is a product that fails to meet its intended purpose, period, and any research that suggests it doesn’t work will be far better than some biased salesperson’s opinion.
Jennifer said, “I thought this guy actually had some facts to share with us. Nope, I just wasted 10 minutes of my life reading it ???? If you haven’t tied it you shouldn’t even be able to write something like this and expect people to believe you.”
I’m curious as to what your definition of facts is. He uses solid references, such as the FTC and FDA, and yet you didn’t find them to be authoritative enough? I think we have entered an alternate reality.
We get it, you don’t think people should have opinions without trying something first. That logic was bad the first time you said, and it is bad this time as well.
Jennifer said, “For those of you out there that read this entire column and haven’t tried Thrive yet. Don’t let this person block your blessing! How much is worth to you to feel amazing everyday and sleep like a baby at night..?”
First of all, who should people trust more? A well-researched an unbiased author, or a random salesperson that tried to post their information at the bottom of the page? Second of all, “block your blessing!”? Are you kidding? The blessing is the time LM took to put together this article, fight against and win a lawsuit against this company, and continue to respond to insane brainwashed “distributors” such as yourself. Third of all, there have been multiple complaints about Thrive being high in stimulants and causing extreme problems with energy levels. The idea that it would help someone sleep at night is absurd.
Jennifer said, “I pay $12.99 a month because I only have to pay shipping.”
Interesting. You only have to pay for shipping, but what about the rest of the people that came after you? I’m not familiar with that sales strategy of giving product away to the “distributors” of an MLM, unless they have a certain number of people that are regularly subscribed below them. It sounds like you are confirming what most of us already know. Le-Vel, much like every other MLM, is a pay-to-play scheme that gives benefits to those that successfully recruit others.
Jennifer said, “A one month supply consists of taking 2 capsules & drinking an 8oz shake that actually tastes good & then putting on your derma fusion technology patch. ”
That is quite the regimen. You have to take 2 inert pills a day, drink a worthless shake and put on a skin patch. That’s a lot of magic elixirs. Why not just strap a horn to your head, put a cape on your back, and run around in your underwear? That probably has the same effect, and it will be much cheaper!
Jennifer said, “I’ve been taking it for 4 months now and I feel better now than I did 15 years ago! I obviously can’t make claims because the guy that created this page will probably come after me?”
Oh stop. Four months of this and you are suddenly an expert in health! Give me a break! You are a brainwash lunatic that is still in the honeymoon phase of MLM. Why would anyone take you seriously over people that have been trained for years to investigate this stuff, or members of the FDA that specifically say these potions don’t work?
Jennifer, do yourself a favor, take yourself off these ridiculous potions and go get some help.
Jennifer said, “I’ve been taking it for 4 months now and I feel better now than I did 15 years ago! I obviously can’t make claims because the guy that created this page will probably come after me?”
Lazy Man and Geoff already did a great job of eviscerating Jennifer’s silly post, but I’ve gotta say that this particular comment of hers really irked me. The reason why Jennifer can’t, or shouldn’t, make therapeutic claims about the product is because it is illegal to do so, not because the “guy that created this page will probably come after” her. As with all MLM distributors, the idea of following the law of the land seems alien to Jennifer, but clearly it shouldn’t. That this bothers her so much indicates that she/him/it has a cracked moral/ethical compass.
Going a step further, it’s not merely the letter of the law that matters, it’s the intent as well, and the intent in this case is to thwart people from potentially injuring the public with products that are promoted as therapeutic agents but in fact have no therapeutic properties whatsoever (i.e., bogus medicine/snakeoil). Preventing physical harm (as well as financial harm) is the law’s intent in this case. In other words, it protects people from shifty self-serving predators like Jennifer.
And what exactly is it that Jennifer fears “the guy who created this page” (i.e., Lazy Man) is going to do to Jennifer if she/him/it makes health claims? Forward the posts to the FDA? That’s really the only course of action he could take . So in reality, Jennifer resents the law and would gladly break it but the only thing that keeps Jennifer in check (at least here) is the fear of getting busted. I’d say then that it’s a pretty damn good law and it is doing what it was intended to do.
And not only does Jennifer resent the law, she seems to resent Le-Vel’s own Policies and Procedures that, by my reading, says she can’t make these claims. It’s bad enough to disrespect the law of the land, but it’s a special kind of disrespect the distributor she presumably signed.
I’m in a very distant last place of things she should be worried about when making claims.
I fully agree with SARA!!!! Thrive is a great product! Most people get to try it before they ever are asked to buy anything. If the person really likes the product they can buy and if not for any reason they don’t have to buy anything! Maybe the real scammer is you, just saying.
Barbara said: “I fully agree with SARA!!!!”
What did “SARA!!!” say exactly that you agree with? That it alleviated her unnamed friend’s lupus? I hope not, because we know that’s complete BS, all-caps shouting and multiple superfluous exclamation points notwithstanding.
Barbara said: “Thrive is a great product! Most people get to try it before they ever are asked to buy anything. If the person really likes the product they can buy and if not for any reason they don’t have to buy anything!”
So what you’re saying is that buying the product is optional for the consumer? Is that supposed to be a revelation? A selling point? How does that differ from any other product? It’s notable that what you said doesn’t even apply to the company’s distributors, who do not have the option of not buying the product (i.e., that pesky old monthly auto-ship requirement). The product is not “great”. It has no demonstrable benefits whatsoever. It is laughable inert BS used as the admission ticket to entice desperadoes and gullible people into joining a corrupt pyramid scheme.
Barbara: “Maybe the real scammer is you, just saying.”
Nope. You and you ilk are the scammers, and there’s no maybe about it.
My Thrive experience has been awesome!
The only qualms I had with the company is that they: (1) have no customer support number so we can’t talk to a service rep or billing department, and (2) they shipped my order and FED-EX screwed up the address because I live in a newer apartment complex and its not on GPS yet. FED-EX blamed Le-Vel because the package was returned to the vendor at the request of the shipper. I therefore paid for a product I never received until my wife, a promoter, sent them a message and they resent everything.
The issue was that because I never received anything initially I called my bank and had them reimburse me for the order. It didn’t affect Le-Vel because they still had their money, but I didn’t know that. So I tried to explain all of this, possibly prematurely, to them and then complained about them not having a billing department phone number so I could potentially pay them directly. In response to my criticism they cancelled my account.
I will not be ordering from them again. I tried to be nice, I don’t order things online too often, my wife is a promoter, and because of a little constructive criticism they cancelled my account without notifying me – Le-Vel has bad business practices and needs to come out of the stone age with their customer service.
I suspect that bad service is built into their business model on purpose. Not having an easy way to redress consumer issues is a great way to pocket people’s cash. If they simply ignore their dissatisfied customers, they don’t have to pay refunds (or pay for adequate customer service support staff). A win for the company; a loss for consumers.
And this isn’t an anomaly in MLM; its a cardinal rule.
I do have to say I agree with you on the aggravation with the lack of direct phone contact. I’ve had a few issues as a customer including an auto shop being sent after I’d cancelled it. I contacted customer support through the website, received a response with directions on how to get it returned, I followed the directions and had my money back 3 days later.
Sara is an idiot, that’s a fact. I feel like I’m a walking contradiction because I use and actually really like what Thrive has done for me and yeah I mean everyone has an opinion… something about them being like assholes or something, I just don’t push mine on everyone around me. My opinion, not my asshole. I guess in your standards I’m dumb for “falling for the scheme” but honestly, I got my very first week of Thrive for free and it was my choice to purchase it or not. I liked how it made me feel so I went for it. I have the money to purchase it so why not? It’s also the only multivitamin I’ve ever taken that hasn’t caused severe stomach issues so again, why not?
I do appreciate how angry everyone seems to be over something as small as an opinion.
LazyMan, I wouldn’t recommend jumping off any bridges.
Sara, you’re an idiot.
It’s America and people are free to choose. Your opinion is worth as much as an old shoe. You have failed to mention anything about how how the body absorbs nutrients. Those cheap vitamins are just sitting in your GI tract . They should sue you for this one-side, and poorly researched pile of garbage…
Mad Thompson said, “It’s America and people are free to choose.”
Absolutely correct! You are free to not absorb the information given in the post, and you are free to reject logic and wisdom. You are free to put your head in the sand, and you are free to believe in the boogie man!
Mad Thompson said, “Your opinion is worth as much as an old shoe.”
Given the history of comments on this article, I think it fair to assume his opinion is worth much more than an old shoe. I would classify it more as a fine wine, as the post gets more and more valuable to more people the longer it is left online.
Mad Thompson said, “You have failed to mention anything about how how the body absorbs nutrients. Those cheap vitamins are just sitting in your GI tract .”
Actually, most of them are flushed out, just like the expensive vitamins you are taking. There is no science to support one version of the vitamins is better than the other, and to this point, your view of paying more money for the same product is fundamentally flawed.
Mad Thompson said, “They should sue you for this one-side, and poorly researched pile of garbage…”
Your wish has already been granted…unfortunately. On the plus side, they are draining your assets to do it. Any money that you have been giving to Le-Vel has had a percentage taken out to perform bad lawsuits against people expressing their first amendment rights. However, much like the products and the company itself, it will ultimately a waste of money, and Le-vel will continue to have criticism online because of the structure of the business, the false health claims, and the deceptive marketing tactics utilizing unrealistic examples of wealth.
I would love to pint out that Thrive vitamins contain “synephrine” which is called bitter orange also. Look it up, this stuff acts like Ephedra which has been outlawed in the USA. The combination of synephrine, caffeine and a few other ingredients can be deadly for some who have previous problems. I’m actually disgusted how people have been drawn in by this stuff and don’t check the ingredients. I had a friend give me a three day trial. The first day I tried it, my heart was racing! I am a paramedic and I didn’t like how it made my heart feel. I checked my blood pressure and it was insanely high. 152/101. Day two, I took the vitamins and drank the shake but did not put the patch on. It still made me feel like crap, so I began researching the ingredients. Not good. When I posted my research on Facebook, I was attacked. One of the promoters put a note up saying that Level stated there was no ephedra in their product. I never said it had ephedra in it!!!! LOL Liars trying to deflect!
I agree thrive is a waste. However, many supplements are good. For example, I have noticed a big difference when taking selenium and brown seaweed (for iodine). It has helped my thyroid a great deal.
I find it funny doctors typically bash vitamins saying they don’t work and then prescribe prenatal vitamins. My dr. Told me that the generic target brand prenatal were just as good as prescription. If vitamins are crap, why bother telling pregnant women to take them?
When my dad was in ICU, the doctors made us go home and get his Ester-C and a few other supplements he was taking. Sorry, they aren’t all crap.
Lesley72, I think you have a few different arguments here. I will give you my opinion, but I think you should consult a doctor.
1. In case you missed the above, consult your doctor.
2. Please, please, please refer to #1.
I think that selenium supplements are under $10 a year. (I think they are under $5, but I want to be safe with the recommendation due to Le-Vel suing me.*)
In my experience, salt is typically iodized.
I think you could have all the salt and selenium for less than $10 a year. Again, I suggest you talk to your doctors and see what they say about it.
Lesley wrote, “I find it funny doctors typically bash vitamins saying they don’t work and then prescribe prenatal vitamins. My dr. Told me that the generic target brand prenatal were just as good as prescription. If vitamins are crap, why bother telling pregnant women to take them?”
There are very specific cases where vitamins will help. LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR!
Prenatal vitamins are not crap, but this isn’t a discussion about them. I can’t ask you more times to please listen to your doctor. They are very, very cheap in my experience… maybe a $10 for the entire pregnancy. If money is a factor, I’ll give you $10 via Paypal, just hit me up here: http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/contact-lazy-man/. Please use the same email address you left in this comment.
* As always, any comment that I make in the comments is my opinion at the time. It is a reaction to help readers. Lawyers citing any comments agree that they need to acknowledge in court that I’m attempting to help people. Lawyers also agree that to the full context of the comment.
Mad Thompson said: “It’s America and people are free to choose.”
It’s not a free choice when the MLM purveyors of BS snakeoil products lie to consumers. America is a land of laws, and the law forbids deceptive marketing of Thrive products, especially as medicinal agents. If, after being properly informed that your product is BS, someone still chooses to buy it, I would have no objection. I’d scratch my head the same way I would if someone chose to set $50 bills on fire. But no informed consumer would ever buy your product without the pyramid scheme and misleading product claims.
Mad Thompson said: “Your opinion is worth as much as an old shoe.”
Opinions supported with facts and logical arguments, like Lazy Man’s, carry a lot of weight. Your bitchy threadbare sniping, on the other hand, is utterly worthless.
Mad Thompson said: “You have failed to mention anything about how how the body absorbs nutrients.”
The article is about Thrive’s BS products, not a general discussion about how nutrients are absorbed. The only failure is with your unrealistic expectations.
Mad Thompson said: “Those cheap vitamins are just sitting in your GI tract.”
I’d ask which “cheap vitamins” you’re referring to but it’s not worth feeding a troll. Pretty much any inexpensive supermarket multivitamin is going to be absorbed just fine. It’s not rocket science; just very basic pharmacology. There’s no evidence that your MLM-For-Idiots brand of vitamins is absorbed any better than any retail brand; and the fact that your overpriced asinine product is being used as bait for a pyramid scheme guarantees that each and every claim about it will be unmitigated BS.
Mad Thompson said: “They should sue you for this one-side, and poorly researched pile of garbage…”
Hah! You should be paraded down Main Street in a dunce cap and pelted with tomatoes for that moronic post. Unlike this blog host, you didn’t bring any research to the table; you didn’t even make a single cogent argument about anything; just bitched like a petulant child.
Poor Vogel will have nobody to pick on anymore after this site gets shut down.
What are you gonna do with all your free time Vogel? Trip little kids on their way to school, kick over old woman in wheel chairs, steal pacifiers from babies? So many options for that twisted little brain of yours.
This critically-acclaimed website aimed at helping people achieve financial freedom through savings and investing is in no danger of getting shut down. I’m proud to have served 10 million over 10 years.
JillG said: “Poor Vogel will have nobody to pick on anymore after this site gets shut down. What are you gonna do with all your free time Vogel? Trip little kids on their way to school, kick over old woman in wheel chairs, steal pacifiers from babies? So many options for that twisted little brain of yours.”
That’s some pretty bizarre victim role-playing coming from a desperate parasite who tries to scam the most desperate and vulnerable members of society into buying worthless snakeoil products and joining a pyramid scheme.
The site doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon, so I’ll still be here kicking the crap out of lying immoral MLM scammers and snakeoil peddlers.
Your ill attempt at trying to put someone down does not make you look any better then the so called “MLM scammers and Snake oil peddlers.” This guy who wrote this research really did not have much to say aside from his own personal belief that this is a “pyramid scheme.” He never even tried the product himself, so how can he sit here and conduct his research when there is not much said about it to begin with????? Those of you who have not even tried this product have no room to speak on it. Put your foot in your mouth and go on about your lives. If someone wants to spend their money on a product that may or may not be legitimate then that is their own choice. MYOB!!!!!
If I didn’t have much to say then why did they spend (I think) hundreds of thousands of dollars to silence me.
There are lots of different types of breads that I’ve never tried. However, I can make an informed decision about the health from the nutritional label. Have you tried every wine that the world has ever created? Do you need to before you express your opinion about wine in general? Of course not!
Have you ever jumped off a bridge? Do you sit there and question gravity because you have never done so?
Mandii said, “Your ill attempt at trying to put someone down does not make you look any better then the so called ‘MLM scammers and Snake oil peddlers.'”
Oi vey. This comment couldn’t possibly have any hypocrisy after an opening line like that. It’s already clear Mandii has no intention of refuting the article and just wants to attack.
Mandii said, “This guy who wrote this research really did not have much to say aside from his own personal belief that this is a ‘pyramid scheme.'”
First of all, this statement makes no sense. If he wasn’t going to write about “his own” (weirdly rhetorical) opinions, then which beliefs was he supposed to share? Second of all, he provided plenty of resources to support his position. Interestingly, your comment has 0 resources to support yours, which leads me to think the research you have conducted is — non existent.
Mandii said, “He never even tried the product himself, so how can he sit here and conduct his research when there is not much said about it to begin with?????”
This article isn’t focused on the product, but rather the “business opportunity” associated with the product. It’s becoming painfully clear that you haven’t read the article, or your reading comprehension is extremely dismal. It would be nice if you focused on the article itself instead of attacking the author.
Mandii said, “Those of you who have not even tried this product have no room to speak on it.”
LM already did a good job addressing this, but I’d like to throw out one more example. I have never tried an abortion, therefore by your logic I shouldn’t be able to share a thoughtful opinion about it? This line of rhetoric only works on the laziest thinkers.
Mandii said, “Put your foot in your mouth and go on about your lives.”
Advice you should apply to yourself.
Mandii said, “If someone wants to spend their money on a product that may or may not be legitimate then that is their own choice. ”
Okay, two problems here. First, there is a problem with actual demand and proving it exists. Second, there is a morality to the situation that should be addressed.
In accordance to the first point, I will reference Vemma. Before Vemma was shut down, they were reportedly bringing in around $200 million dollars a year in 2013 and 2014 according to this article, https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2016/12/20/vemma-tempe-based-energy-drink-company-settles-feds/95667174/. After the shut down, Vemma was making less than 12 million dollars a year according to this article (they show 3 months of less than 1 million dollars in gross sales), https://www.truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Vemma-Quarterly-Report-6-20-16.pdf. Their sales dropped over 90% after the FTC stepped in and shut them down, which suggests there wasn’t a desire for the products without the “business opportunity”. This shows there isn’t a desire in the marketplace for overpriced MLM products.
In accordance to the second point, why would you want to support an illegitimate company or product? This lack of moral fiber seems to be spreading, and quite frankly, it isn’t helpful to your growth. Maybe I’m naive, but it would seem to be better if we supported corporations that increased the GDP, brought more jobs to our communities, and did not violate the terms of the FTC. The idea that people should be able to do whatever they want with their money is fine as long as it is within the confines of the law. I would think, logically anyways, that most people would want some government oversight to stop illegitimate businesses.
Mandii said, “MYOB!!!!!”
Again, advice you should apply to yourself.
Mandi said: “Your ill attempt at trying to put someone down does not make you look any better then the so called ‘MLM scammers and Snake oil peddlers’.”
How absurd! I was admonishing a Visi troll (JillG) who made a completely unprovoked attack against me, accusing me of having a “twisted little brain”, among other things. I responded more civilly than they did; yet you have nothing to say about the Visi idiot and instead condemn me? That’s indefensible. I have little doubt that you are either the same person using a new pseudonym, or another random Visi shill trying to provide cover for one of your partners in crime. Shame on you either way.
Mandi said: “This guy who wrote this research really did not have much to say aside from his own personal belief that this is a “pyramid scheme.” He never even tried the product himself, so how can he sit here and conduct his research when there is not much said about it to begin with?????”
That’s like asking how you can know plutonium is radioactive without having tried it yourself, or asking how an oncologist can understand cancer if they have never had a malignant tumor. In other words, your attempt to invalidate his argument on the basis that he hasn’t tried the product is, well, just plain dumb. It is also a mantra that is used ad nauseam by MLM shills when they are facing criticism that they can’t contest with reasonable counterarguments.
For the record, LazyMan did not merely express a personal belief. He has a pretty thorough understanding of pyramid scheme regulations and MLMs after writing about them for a decade, as do I, but more importantly he compared the company’s business model with the FTCs regulations to support his assertions. And he cited multiple sources to buttress each of his very detailed statements.
Everyone here, including you I would presume, can plainly see that Visi is a blatant scam, and given the obvious red flags, trying the products would be moronic.
Well you know, I’m not gonna get into it but it’d like to point out that without proof that you “could be sued” by this company and your having a go fund me… you could be scamming all of these people. ?
No, I HAVE been sued by the company. It’s a matter of public record if you want to investigate it.
I became a promoter about a month ago. I truly put effort into introducing the product to others because my husband and I actually love it.. I was brought in my a friend that was able to purchase my startup kit for me, so I got to start for free. Now, I have done nothing but spend money trying to make money(that is not how a job is supposed to work -first red flag).. My husband and I could never afford to purchase these products at the prices listed on the website so I tried hard to get two people to purchase a package a piece so we could get ours free. I truly believed in the product. It never happened, no one could afford it and I understood.. But now, I feel horrible for even trying to, like the article said “throw two people under the bus financially to get free product”. Im glad I didnt make a sale so that I didnt actually harm anyone financially.. But I genuinely feel bad for signing up a few others as promoters. They are counting on making money and changing their lives, and I seriously do not want to tell them “im sorry you guys, I got us into a scam”…
An MLM is a really good way to lose friends. Hopefully you can Salvage your friendships. I immediately put distance between myself and anyone involved in 1.
If this business is really killing it, like they say they are, then why are they meeting with growth capital investors and high interest rate lenders to finance the business?
I assume the owners are trying to get as much money out of the business before it tanks. If you look up both owners, they are professional MLM creators. They work the MLMs until the market gets saturated (or in the case of one of the owners, they get shut down for fraud) they then pack up, sell everything, screw over those involved in the business and move on to the next marketing catch phrase they can build pyramid scheme around. “YOU THRIVIN’, or just SURVIVIN’?
Lmfaoo I am dead okay!! @ “you thrivin’ or just survivin’”
You have some impressive data here. while some may agree with you. I can assure you; Thrive a scam? I THINK NOT. I have been a thriver for over a year now. with the super fast absorption rate the DFT’s provide me and the ingredients filling my bodies nutritional gaps , I feel better then ever. Thrive is not a weight loss supplement. from personal experience I can tell you the way it works . is though your metabolism. it put the nutrients into your body that you are lacking, getting your metabolism back on track. And as a result your body experiences. all day energy. weight support , joint support and much more. you can get all the proof you need by visiting Le-vels fan page at [Editor’s Note: Website redacted.]
Anecdotes are not evidence.
You are a sucker who will realize that you are being taken for a ride and hopefully nobody else is involved. You act like a cult member that is trying to push your nonsense onto others.
I do not pity you, nope, I laugh at your blatant stupidity for falling for something that does not work.
First of all Thrive is not meant to be used specifically as a weight loss supplement. It’s simply putting vitamins in your body. It has been proven to work and many celebrities even use Thrive! And second of all….people make their own choice to buy it just like anything else. Nobody can be forced to purchase it….it’s their own choice so nobody is getting thrown u dee the bus. Many people spend this much money way on shakes and vitamins and whatever other supplements they take…it’s no more expensive than anything else. Protein shakes cost just as much as the lifestyle shakes. Everyone had their own opinion and experiences and not everyone will like it….but most people do!!
Rebecca said, “First of all Thrive is not meant to be used specifically as a weight loss supplement. It’s simply putting vitamins in your body.”
According to Thrive’s website, “Whether your goal is to lose weight, get in the best shape of your life, or simply be the best you can be, we know the 8-Week THRIVE Experience will get you THRIVIN’ in all areas of your life! ” (https://le-vel.com/Experience).
Hmm if I didn’t know any better, I would think it was designed to help people lose weight…Maybe you should spend more time reading your corporate manifesto and less time listening to idiot salesperson spewing out garbage.
Rebecca said, “It has been proven to work and many celebrities even use Thrive!”
Wow, that’s incredible! I wasn’t aware celebrities were qualified in health nutrition and science…they must know much more than the FDA about this subject. For the record, TINA (Truth in Advertising) seems to completely disagree with it being “proven to work” https://www.truthinadvertising.org/what-you-should-know-about-thrive/
Rebecca said, “And second of all….people make their own choice to buy it just like anything else. Nobody can be forced to purchase it….it’s their own choice so nobody is getting thrown u dee the bus.”
You are absolutely correct! People make bad choices all the time, but Thrive does a great job of teaching their sales force to manipulate and deceive (give people bad or incorrect advice) in order to sell more product. Rebecca, if I asked you, “Would you shovel s*** for 2-5 years without pay and then be GUARANTEED $250,000 a year for life afterward”, would you honestly be able to say no to that? Let’s stop the charade, as we know your questions are as loaded as your excuses.
Rebecca said, “Many people spend this much money way on shakes and vitamins and whatever other supplements they take…it’s no more expensive than anything else. Protein shakes cost just as much as the lifestyle shakes. Everyone had their own opinion and experiences and not everyone will like it….but most people do!!”
Again, no resources and just flat wrong. MLM shakes are always more expensive than the rest of the competitors and LM does a great job of showing that your companies prices are extremely high. You making an unfounded blanket statement like “…not everyone will like it….but most people do!!” which clearly is unfounded and is worthless garbage without a resource. According to cursory searches on the web from sources that aren’t Le-Vel or Le-Vel reps, it would seem they have an overarching negative feedback. It may be time to pull your head out of the sand and actually read the article instead of postulating a bunch of crap.
Rebecca said: “It’s simply putting vitamins in your body.”
For something so simple, they try to make it sound like it’s as high-tech as a Mars landing. Putting aside the extremely awkward way you phrased that statement, if one’s goal is simply to put vitamins in their body, all they have to do is eat food. They could also take a vitamin supplement, which costs pennies on the dollar compared to the laughable overpriced BS you’re selling.
Rebecca said: “It has been proven to work and many celebrities even use Thrive!
Liar! It has not been proven to work.
And celebrities you say??? ROFLMFAO! How could that possibly go wrong? Oh yeah, like this…What a dolt!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Sciences_of_America
Rebecca said: “And second of all….people make their own choice to buy it just like anything else.”
So if I sell you something I’m advertising as cancer medicine and it turns out to be dog piss, oh well, caveat emptor? It’s not a fair choice when you lie your F-ing ass off, like you and every other MLM scammer does on a daily basis.
Rebecca said: “Nobody can be forced to purchase it….it’s their own choice so nobody is getting thrown u dee the bus.”
Au contraire. Somewhere upward of 95% of your participants get thrown under the bus, as they have been conned into joining an alleged business opportunity that has odds of paying off that are only slightly better than buying a lottery ticket. And many distributors don’t have much of a choice at all; if they stop buying the product on monthly auto-ship, they will no longer be eligible for commissions. That’s why so many waste so much money and fill their homes with worthless MLM products before they come to their senses and quit.
Rebecca said: “Many people spend this much money way on shakes and vitamins and whatever other supplements they take…it’s no more expensive than anything else.”
More BS! There isn’t an MLM in history that sells their products at a price that reflects their true market value. Markups are typically 10 to 25 times higher than comparable retail products. This feature is baked into MLM because paying out commissions to an inefficient distributor base inflates their overhead enormously.
Rebecca said: “Protein shakes cost just as much as the lifestyle shakes.”
WTF is a “lifestyle shake”? I dunno, but I think I might like to give you a vigorous one; might wake you up and knock some sense and basic decency into you.
A large container of most protein shakes cost about $30-$40. Which is about the same as the lifestyle shakes. I have used this product for months now and I do know what I’m talking about. I’ve looked into it, done my research….and know what I’m talking about. It is not a scam. It’s offering vitamins to your body. If that’s a scam then I guess anyone who sells vitamins must be running a scam??
Rebecca said, “A large container of most protein shakes cost about $30-$40. Which is about the same as the lifestyle shakes.”
First of all, nobody goes by the measurement of “a large container” there are servings, and you pay a certain amount per serving. Even if the ounces are the same, there may be a difference in price if one container has 30 servings and the other has 50. So, let’s do some math for lazy Rebecca since she again refuses to utilize a resource and is making bad scientific claims.
Thrive can’t be purchased on their website, therefore I have to use Amazon for this example. Le-Vel has a 16 serving powder for $50.00 according to this link: https://www.amazon.com/Level-Premium-Nutrition-Micronized-Thrive/dp/B00J870KN8/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1483654813&sr=8-1&keywords=thrive+shake. That means each serving costs approximately, $3.125
Orgain protein shake costs $21.11 for a 20 serving container according to this link: https://www.amazon.com/Orgain-Organic-Protein-Powder-Chocolate/dp/B00J074W94/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1483654970&sr=8-3&keywords=Meal%2Breplacement%2Bshake&th=1. That means each serving costs approximately $1.055.
That means your shake mix costs 300% more than the leading competitor. You don’t have to sign up for a monthly subscription, you don’t have to recruit others to try and get reduced cost on the product, and you don’t have to attend seminars or meetings. Sounds like lazy Rebecca’s research is about as useful as a bucket with a hole.
Rebecca said, “I have used this product for months now and I do know what I’m talking about. I’ve looked into it, done my research….”
Your research??? What research? All you have done is spout off nonsense with no resources and have continue to be incorrect about…EVERYTHING. Who cares if you have done something for months…you are the least reliable witness as you have a financial bias and an ineptitude for logic.
Rebecca said, “It is not a scam. It’s offering vitamins to your body. If that’s a scam then I guess anyone who sells vitamins must be running a scam??”
You sound like the moron from the movie Idiocracy. It’s got vitamins for your body and that’s what your body needs, makes about as much sense as plants needing electrolytes.
According to this valuable institution, The Mayo Clinic, (http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/multivitamins/bgp-20056285), vitamins are not very helpful and you can get them through your regular diet. LM has also done a good job of bringing in posts about vitamins being overrated/not useful.
Regardless of their effectiveness, the bottom line is this is a financial blog and you are arguing a tangent like the rest of the shills from your company. There is not a financial advantage to buying Le-Vel but rather a detriment. There is not a vitamin advantage, because vitamins are not an advantage. Shakes have been proven time and time again to be a gimmick at best and a complete failure at worst. They are sometimes a short term fix, but mostly end up being a waste of time and money.
Wow. Seriously no need to be so rude and nasty. I am not someone who goes around spreading lies and making money off people. I haven’t sold Thrive at all I am just a customer who is satisfied with the product and what it has done for me. And YES I have done research on it because I don’t just go around believing anything I see.
Rebecca said: “I have used this product for months now and I do know what I’m talking about. I’ve looked into it, done my research….and know what I’m talking about.”
Hey parrot, do you think that your BS is any more compelling when you say twice that you know what you’re talking about? You don’t know what you’re talking about. your sheer ignorance is painful to witness.
Rebecca said: “It is not a scam.”
Oh, in that case…ROFL! Fool!
Rebecca said: “It’s offering vitamins to your body.”
ROFL again. You sound dumber than a sack of hammers. Who talks like that other than MLM stooges?
Rebecca said: “If that’s a scam then I guess anyone who sells vitamins must be running a scam??”
Well vitamin supplements are useless for most people, and in some cases, harmful, but at least the folks at Centrum don’t charge absurdly astronomical prices for cheap mundane products like Thrive does. Nor do they lie and make outrageous promotional claims of any kind. I can get a good multivitamin on sale for an average price of about 7 cents a day. It may be useless — no more so than your products — but at least it’s not financially destructive and doesn’t subsidize a bunch of lying MLM predators. A no brainer.
Bull, I buy protein shake mix in a much bigger container for half the price and I get even better results. Also if you do not live in America, do the math hunny, the price including shipping and exchange rate! Very very expensive!
Rebecca said, “Wow. Seriously no need to be so rude and nasty.”
Strong language is the only way to penetrate someone’s skull that is as warped as yours. Not only are you claiming to only be using the products while leaving out the business opportunity, but you are also claiming that they work. You are either the worst kind of scummy manipulative liar, OR you are one of the dumbest members of society. Your pick.
Rebecca said, “I am not someone who goes around spreading lies and making money off people.”
Well then I’m not sure why you continue to spread lies about Thrive. You haven’t done research, you don’t know proper nutrition/health science, you don’t have a basic idea of which vitamins you are “putting in your body”, and you don’t have a clue about what Thrive is marketed to do.
Rebecca said, “I haven’t sold Thrive at all I am just a customer who is satisfied with the product and what it has done for me.”
I’m going to call BS on this one. No sane “customer” goes around to websites that post negative reviews about a product and write inflammatory reviews. If the product worked for you and you didn’t have a financial bias, then you wouldn’t be looking it up online or wasting your time trying to convince people it is good. You are either in denial or a heretic, and either way, you are a scummy person for continuing to associate yourself with and defend a company like Le-Vel.
Rebecca said, “And YES I have done research on it because I don’t just go around believing anything I see.”
Rebecca, you claiming to have done research is like a kid claiming they didn’t raid the pantry for chocolate. I don’t understand why you keep making this claim without any support. If you think the definition of research is lie and deceive, then yes you have done a lot of research. As far as I can tell, you don’t believe everything you see as we have given you REAL research, and you continue to ignore or deny it. You are worse than a gullible person, you are a hypocrite, a liar, and a cheat.
But you’ve done your research right?? Why are we suppose to believe you over anyone else?? You don’t know me, therefore you have no clue what I do and what I know. I came across this article because as I said….I do look things up and I do know what I’m doing! You call me a liar and cheat when you don’t even know me says an awful lot about the kind of person you are. If you knew anything about Thrive you would know that the Lifestyle shakes and Thrives brand of shakes that contain many vitamins that our bodies need. And like I said…I do not sell it I just use the product….yes people actually do that!!! It can be used without having to sell it imagine that!!!! Thanks for your rude and idiotic comments but they don’t mean anything to me because I don’t know you and I like you I’m not going to judge you based on a couple comments.
Wow, I think Lazy Man, Vogel and Geoff sound very angry…. I think maybe you would be more convincing in making your point if you weren’t so angry and rude… I don’t take Thrive myself but I’m definitely considering it… I know people that do and they love how it makes them feel! They are NOT promoters…Nothing you have said would change my mind….Why? Because I think you are to angry about what has happened to you regarding Thrive, to give an intelligent opinion… The way you are handling this issue is poor and unprofessional….It sounds like you are just trying to take this company down because you are so angry….I am Sorry that you had a bad experience..So ok, tell your story, however Let people make up their own minds.
I don’t think I’ve been rude. It’s very fair for me to have gotten angry at Le-Vel for their SLAPP lawsuit against me and letting Truth in Advertising get away with a lot worse criticism.
You should probably understand that my article didn’t change much with the lawsuit. So I don’t understand why you’d think I’d be angry. And again, I was simply answering a reader’s question, so it’s hardly the case where someone should side with multi-million corporation that has been criticized by dozens of organizations to single out my family. It certainly doesn’t show respect for how my wife has served and continues to serve our country.
You can’t just say, “sorry that you had a bad experience” like it was going to a bad movie. At least you can’t say that to me.
And of course people are allowed to make up their own minds. I’m not hunting them down and stopping transactions. However, perhaps they should note that Truth In Advertising has reported on adverse health events.
For any normal person, making up your mind should be easy.
Rebecca said, “But you’ve done your research right?? Why are we suppose to believe you over anyone else??”
Are those serious questions? I supplied you with facts, unbiased resources, and informed conclusions based on those resources. This is why my platform is credible and yours isn’t. You spout nonsense that is unfounded from twisted salespersons that told you how to present your philosophy, or worse, you just simply made your crap up. You have continuously failed to include any articles or resources (not even biased ones from Inc magazine, Le-Vel’s website, or the DSA), and yet you claim you know things. Your perspective is suspect at best, but quite frankly useless.
Rebecca said, “You don’t know me, therefore you have no clue what I do and what I know.”
But I do know you and the rest of the shills who support companies like Le-Vel. You are all the same, and as I continue to evolve and grow in this field, you people continue to stay stagnant with the same nonsensical programmed responses. You have the same English skills as a 3rd grader, you have the same cognitive abilities of a person with a low IQ, and you are incredibly gullible. You are the perfect target for a rip-off/scam like Le-Vel or any other MLM, because your ability to be rational or think critically is either limited or non-existent.
Rebecca said, “I do look things up and I do know what I’m doing! You call me a liar and cheat when you don’t even know me says an awful lot about the kind of person you are.”
Simply stating, “I do look things up and I do know what I’m doing!” is meaningless drivel, and continues to perpetuate the stereotypes of you being the description I listed above. Again, I do know who you are, you people are all the same.
Rebecca said, “If you knew anything about Thrive you would know that the Lifestyle shakes and Thrives brand of shakes that contain many vitamins that our bodies need.”
The denial has kicked into full force now. Both Vogel and I have proven lifestyle shakes and their vitamins are not what the body needs, and they continue to be an outlandishly expensive product that is not competitive in the market place. However, that does not seem to penetrate your thick skull as you continue to repeat yourself and your ridiculous unfounded philosophy in a pitiful attempt to have some kind of correctness. This is the last futile attempt from a limited person with limited cognition.
Rebecca said, “And like I said…I do not sell it I just use the product….yes people actually do that!!! It can be used without having to sell it imagine that!!!!”
Well, that is not something to be proud of either. That means you are a terrible shopper and you like supporting bad/corrupt businesses while spending way too much money for a generic product that is regularly available elsewhere. I’m not sure why you are using so many exclamation points as this is a really sad/pathetic statement.
Rebecca said, “Thanks for your rude and idiotic comments but they don’t mean anything to me because I don’t know you and I like you I’m not going to judge you based on a couple comments.”
It is quite clear that my comments mean nothing to you, because your mind is made up and evidence, facts, and logic will not penetrate your brain. Your head is so deep in the sand you may as well be digging to China.
Wow! English skills of a 3rd grader and a low IQ. Your rude comments say a lot about what kind of person you are. Just because I don’t throw a bunch of scientific words out there doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. And your nasty comments honestly make you look like an idiot yourself. As for Thrive….there are actually many many people who use the product without promoting it. Just like there are many many people who go to the store and buy vitamins. You don’t have to be a promoter to use the products. The comments you have made about that actually make you sound stupid not me. Anyone can buy anything they want and not be promoting it. Yes we can all get vitamins through what we eat but let’s be honest nobody eats healthy 100% of the time. We all have nutritional gaps that just can’t be filled with our daily eating habits which is why people take vitamins. With Thrive your getting vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants, plant extracts, protein, and fiber. Thrive helps with joint support, inflammation support, lean muscle support, digestive and immune support, cognitive performance, and weight management.
Anyways….I’ve got better things to do with my day than sit here and listen to your idiotic insults. Thrive is not for everyone if you don’t like it it’s simple….don’t use it!!!
bahahahaha… if it’s so great, and so “natural” and so perfect, why do they put shellfish in it and NOT make it clear and clearly marked??? anything that may be an allergen should be identified. just over 3 days use and I was so sick…. oh and of course the company would not take back the unused product
This really is entertaining. It IS clearly marked that it contains shellfish.
I spend my money on it because it works for me. There’s my input for the financial aspect of this conversation. My bank account is nobodies business but mine and my husbands. If I couldn’t afford the ridiculous price as you say, then I wouldn’t be buying it.
I have worked in the healthcare field in nursing for the past 15 years so I’m pretty sure I do know something about health. And yes our bodies do need vitamins. And there is not one single person who eats healthy everyday of their life.
It “may” be clearly marked now.. but it wasn’t when I tried it. Got the “3day trial” and the individual packets were not marked…took that while waiting for my $200 worth of products. I took one days out of that product before reading the very small print on the main package, not the individual packets handed to people to “try it”.
I’m glad you find my illness entertaining… for someone in the “healthcare field” you should be more understanding.
Is there some reason you are defending something that is obviously NOT for everyone? The website and pushers should tell people that it contains a possible allergen and that it is not just vitamins and nutrients.
Rebecca said: “Just because I don’t throw a bunch of scientific words out there doesn’t mean I’m an idiot.”
I agree wholeheartedly. That is not the reason why you’re an idiot. It’s everything else.
Rebecca said: “And your nasty comments honestly make you look like an idiot yourself.”
No, in fact Geoff’s comments were like a breath of fresh air in the midst of your stale threadbare misinformation about Thrive.
Rebecca said: “The comments you have made about that actually make you sound stupid not me.”
You obviously aren’t very self-aware. Geoff’s comments are articulate, thoughtful and substantial. You, on the other hand, really do sound like a 3rd grader, and now you’re just whining like a frustrated butt-hurt child; adding nothing to the dialog but crocodile tears.
Rebecca said: “Yes we can all get vitamins through what we eat but let’s be honest nobody eats healthy 100% of the time.”
People don’t have to “eat healthy 100% of the time” to get the vitamins they need. For anyone who chooses to take vitamins anyway, it would be insane to opt for Thrive because it is ridiculously overpriced and any money spent on the products feeds an exploitative pyramid scheme. The value proposition is a no-brainer.
Rebecca said: “We all have nutritional gaps that just can’t be filled with our daily eating habits which is why people take vitamins.”
Most people take vitamins because they mistakenly think doing so will compensate for a poor diet. But it doesn’t. It’s a foolish decision. But as far as foolish decisions go, the best value proposition is to not overpay for idiotic MLM products. A good quality retail multivitamin can be had for as little as about 7 cents a day.
Rebecca said: “Thrive helps with joint support, inflammation support, lean muscle support, digestive and immune support, cognitive performance, and weight management.”
“Lean muscle” as opposed to “fat muscle”? Dolt! There is no such thing as “lean muscle”; it’s just muscle. And you say it provides inflammation support??? The last thing I would want is a product that supports inflammation. You’re really staggeringly illiterate and uninformed in all matters nutritional and medical.
Rebecca said: “Anyways….I’ve got better things to do with my day than sit here and listen to your idiotic insults.”
Ha! No you don’t. Your time is worth about a dollar an hour. If you weren’t doing this, you’d be bugging friends and family members on Facebook to buy your laughably worthless shite! They must be thankful for the reprieve.
Rebecca said: “Thrive is not for everyone if you don’t like it it’s simple….don’t use it!!!”
Right, it’s not for everyone. It’s only for gullible idiots and desperadoes, and you won’t find any of them here. I don’t need your permission to not use it, nor to lampoon this moronic scam on a daily basis. See ya later scammer!
Lean muscle is a concept related to lean body mass, which is the content of the body minus fat. Lean body mass is used to calculate basal metabolic rate. Lean muscle is less of a scientific term and more a term of art that refers to muscle that is independent of, and not obscured by, fat.
So again tell me there’s no such thing as lean muscle? And again, how stupid I am? All I did was voice my opinion about this product…I DO NOT bug my friends and family to buy it so they didn’t need and reprieve from me. And as a mother of 3, one child with autism, a wife, a daycare provider, and previous nursing assistant for the VA, and current nursing student…my time is worth more than $1. The fact that you feel you need to spew all these insults at someone you don’t even know is sad and pathetic. Walk a day in my shoes then we will see what you think my time is worth. I will not stoop to your level of name calling.
Rebecca said: “I spend my money on it because it works for me. There’s my input for the financial aspect of this conversation. My bank account is nobodies (sic) business but mine and my husbands (sic). If I couldn’t afford the ridiculous price as you say, then I wouldn’t be buying it.”
Nobody gives a flying F about why you choose to make indefensibly stupid financial decisions, like buying horrifically overpriced vitamins from a bunch of degenerate pyramid schemers. You can choose to burn money with a blowtorch for all I care. The purpose of this site is to guide consumers to make better financial decisions. Your choice to make bad financial decisions serves as a cautionary tale, nothing else.
Rebecca said: “I have worked in the healthcare field in nursing for the past 15 years so I’m pretty sure I do know something about health.”
Ha! BS!!! You’re no nurse my dear. You don’t have the intellectual fire power to light a match, let alone get into nursing school. You MLM scammers are such horrifically bad liars. You’re so dumb you don’t even know what smart sounds like. But your impressions of what you think a smart person sounds like are truly hysterical to witness.
Rebecca said: “And yes our bodies do need vitamins. And there is not one single person who eats healthy everyday of their life.”
No one needs to eat healthy every day of their life to get the vitamins they need. The fact that you would say such a thing proves that you’re no nurse (either that or you’re the worst one in the history of nursing). And again, if someone wants to take a vitamin supplement, there isn’t a single valid reason why they should overpay for sketchy shit from a bunch of lying know-nothing MLM scammers.
Rebecca said: “Lean muscle is a concept related to lean body mass, which is the content of the body minus fat. Lean body mass is used to calculate basal metabolic rate. Lean muscle is less of a scientific term and more a term of art that refers to muscle that is independent of, and not obscured by, fat.”
No “lean muscle” is a misnomer used by ignoramuses who know nothing about physiology. It is an amalgam of “lean body mass” and “muscle mass”, and people parrot it because they are too ignorant to know the difference; for instance, the crap website Livestrong.com from which you cut-and-pasted that entire paragraph, without attributing it to its source, and presented as your own words. You did so because you are desperate to win an argument about something, even if it’s completely irrelevant to the topic at hand.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/339082-define-lean-muscle/
Rebecca said: “So again tell me there’s no such thing as lean muscle? And again, how stupid I am?”
OK. My pleasure. There’s no such thing as “lean muscle”; and again, astoundingly stupid.
Rebecca said: “And as a mother of 3, one child with autism, a wife, a daycare provider, and previous nursing assistant for the VA, and current nursing student…my time is worth more than $1.”
Huh? Just yesterday you tried to mislead us by saying:
“I have worked in the healthcare field in nursing for the past 15 years so I’m pretty sure I do know something about health.”
http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/le-vel-thrive-scam/comment-page-3/#comment-1355012
And now it turns out you’re not a nurse at all but rather a nurse assistant, the difference between which is night and day. A nursing assistant certification (assuming you even have that) can be obtained in as little as 6 weeks with only a high school diploma as a prerequisite.
http://cna-classes-online.net/how-long-does-it-take-to-become-a-cna/
So while its vaguely possible that you may be qualified to clean up vomit, change bed sheets, and wipe old people’s asses, you have no qualifications or credentials whatsoever in medicine, physiology, nutrition or any of the other the subjects you’ve been pontificating about. This explains why you’d use a misnomer like “lean muscle”, write like a 3rd grader, plagiarize other people’s work and present it as your own, mislead about your qualifications, and hype a ridiculous scam like Thrive.
Rebecca said: “Walk a day in my shoes then we will see what you think my time is worth.”
I already know what your time is worth – close to nothing – because that’s what bottom-feeder MLM scammers typically earn. I would also predict with a high degree of certainty that you would abuse your minor petty position as a nursing assistant to sell worthless Thrive products to unsuspecting naifs. That is, if I actually believed any of your BS background story – we’ll get to that next.
Rebecca said: “I will not stoop to your level of name calling.”
I wouldn’t mind if you called me names if the insults were accompanied by comments with substance, insight, and validity.
Now let’s get to the interesting part. Le-vel’s Facebook page contains 3 anonymous boilerplate testimonials from people all claiming to be nursing assistants.
https://www.facebook.com/LevelBrands/posts/643362172427992
https://www.facebook.com/LevelBrands/posts/796932970404244
https://www.facebook.com/LevelBrands/posts/801429126621295
These were not posted by actual Facebook user accounts but rather by the company itself. They are all virtually identical with the exception of the author names used: Kristina Hibbert, Megan Hart, and Amanda Encinas. One of them, Kristina Hibbert, even claims, just as you did, to be a mother of a child with special needs.
Predictably, a Google search for these names plus the word “nursing” turns up not a single nursing assistant. The only question I have is whether Le-vel buys these BS manufactured testimonials in bulk, or they have some little troll in their office whose job is to pen this crap every day and post it to Facebook.
So yeah, Rebecca, you’re full of shite. I don’t believe that you’re a nursing assistant at all. Even your claims to be a mother and a women are suspect. You seem much more like a troll inventing BS to deceive people. Another MLM weasel in sheep’s clothing. Shame on you!
Ok now you’ve crossed the line!!!! I am a mother of and autistic child and have busted my ass to take care of him and make sure he gets everything he needs. You are one heartless person. My son has overcome more obstacles in his 15 years than most of us do in a lifetime. Don’t you dare tell me that I am not a mother or even a woman! And yes you know what I did say I have worked in healthcare and in the nursing field, which includes nursing assistants!! Yes I did get certified and ya know what I hope when you get old you don’t need one of us to wipe your ass or clean up your vomit or help you eat or help you walk. I’ve held hands of many of our veterans as they leave this world with no family by their side. There is so much more to being a nursing assistant but I guess your just too ignorant to notice. Let me just fill you in a little bit….I take vital signs, bathe, dress, fees, apply topical medications, test blood sugars, take care of wounds, so tube feedings, help patients with ambulatory, range of motion, hospice care, insert/change/remove catheters, take care of colostomies, and much much more. But the most important part of the job is caring for the people….and for the majority of them it’s making them as comfortable as possible in their last moments of life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stayed overtime and just sat with a patient until someone else could do that they wouldn’t die alone. Now tell me again how all I do is wipe asses and clean vomit??? People like you make me sick….you can sit there and judge someone without even knowing them. And you have the audacity to talk my children saying they may not exist!!!! You are a heartless ass and that’s just putting it nicely because this is public. You can insult me all you want I’m an adult WOMAN and can take it but don’t you dare ever insult my children especially my son!
This is the last you will hear from me….lucky you! I will not sit here and be treated like an idiot when in fact I probably know much more than you do. Have a wonderful day!
Rebecca said: “And yes you know what I did say I have worked in healthcare and in the nursing field.”
No you did not say that you worked in the “nursing field”; you said you worked in “nursing”, implying that you are a nurse. It was obvious to everyone, given your displays of intellectual impairment, that you aren’t a nurse. You could have attempted to be honest from the get-go and told us that you were a nursing assistant instead of trying to posture as something more than that. A nursing assistant knows nothing about the subjects we’re talking about here, and yet you chose to hide behind fictitious credentials to create an air of authority. A scammer til the bitter end.
Rebecca said: “ya know what I hope when you get old you don’t need one of us to wipe your ass.”
Me too, but if worse comes to worse, I’d at least let you audition as my ass wiper, since that’s apparently what you’re best qualified at doing — not dispensing inane advice about nutrition and physiology and other subjects you know nothing about.
Rebecca said: “There is so much more to being a nursing assistant…”
Again, you’re just so desperate to win an argument about something that you’ll now derail this discussion by giving us a worthless lecture on the roles and responsibilities of nursing assistants. Snore…
Rebecca said: “But the most important part of the job is caring for the people….and for the majority of them it’s making them as comfortable as possible in their last moments of life.”
While you try to sell them your worthless hocus-pocus patches. Your modus operandi is clear. You prey upon the sick, vulnerable, ignorant, and desperate.
Rebecca said: “You can insult me all you want I’m an adult WOMAN and can take it but don’t you dare ever insult my children especially my son!”
It’s very amusing to watch you meltdown and play victim in this desperate Munchhausen-like attempt to garner sympathy. I said nothing about your alleged son, insulting or otherwise. So you can take the gauntlet you just threw down and slap yourself upside the head with it.
Rebecca said: “This is the last you will hear from me….lucky you!”
Really? Do you mean it this time? You said the same thing a couple of days ago and yet you haven’t been able to shut up since. More insincerity on your part. Lucky would be never having had to sit through your tiresome insipid BS in the first place.
Rebecca said: “I will not sit here and be treated like an idiot”
OK. You can stand up then, or go somewhere else, and be treated like an idiot.
Rebecca said: “when in fact I probably know much more than you do.”
ROFL! Apparently they didn’t teach you about the Dunning-Kruger at the ass-wiping academy you allegedly attended.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
Geoff and Vogel, can I just say, “Thank you!!” I enjoy reading all of the completely on point replies you both make to the delusional thrivers. There are a few of them in my family (in-laws) and I just shake my head and laugh every time I hear them jabber on about how, “it has been life changing! I love changing lives!” They all were heavy soda drinkers and now they’ve replaced it with thrive stimulants, but they try to come across as though they are an authority on nutrition and wellness.
Rebecca said, “Just because I don’t throw a bunch of scientific words out there doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. And your nasty comments honestly make you look like an idiot yourself.”
No, purchasing exorbitantly expensive generic products makes you look like an idiot. Not understanding their marketing and what they are used for makes you look like an idiot. Supporting a corrupt business and continuing to defend their misleading products makes you look like an idiot. Oh, and saying “I’ve done research”, and then continued to NOT bring ONE resource makes you look like an idiot.
Rebecca said, “As for Thrive….there are actually many many people who use the product without promoting it. Just like there are many many people who go to the store and buy vitamins.”
There were also many people who drank Monavie’s water and preached it would never go bust (News flash, they were wrong). These types of bad anecdote’s and useless fluff also make you look like an idiot. If I told you that many people were rubbing horse manure on their face because it is great for acne, would that be sufficient evidence (Rhetorical question)? Again, there is more and more proof showing vitamins are not as helpful as people think and some are detrimental, but that still doesn’t seem to be penetrating your brain and is still irrelevant to this blog as it is about personal finance.
Rebecca said, “You don’t have to be a promoter to use the products. The comments you have made about that actually make you sound stupid not me. Anyone can buy anything they want and not be promoting it.”
No, you don’t have to be a promoter, but an overwhelming majority of their sales comes from promoters selling to other promoters in the hope of making money. There are very few Rebecca’s (idiots) in the world that opt to spend extra money for generic and not competitive products in the market space. Your reckless disregard for your bank account is another example of your idiocy.
Rebecca said, “Yes we can all get vitamins through what we eat but let’s be honest nobody eats healthy 100% of the time.”
First of all, there are people who eat healthy 100% of the time, but clearly that isn’t you. If your ego could get out of your own way, then maybe you could understand that your reality is not accurate to the world’d reality. Second of all, you don’t have to eat healthy 100% of the time to get essential nutrients as Consumer Lab states what percentage of the American population is deficient in a variety of vitamins (http://www.consumerlab.com/answers/How+likely+are+Americans+to+be+deficient+in+vitamins+or+minerals%3F/vitamin_deficiency/)
Rebecca said, “With Thrive your getting vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants, plant extracts, protein, and fiber. Thrive helps with joint support, inflammation support, lean muscle support, digestive and immune support, cognitive performance, and weight management.”
This sounds like more regurgitated crap your sponsor told you. I’d be impressed if you even knew what a probiotic is, and if you took the time to look at the comparison I made earlier with Orgain, then you would see the item offers all of these vitamins and minerals “you need”. Again, your head is so far in the sand, that your modus operandi is to be “right” rather than accurate.
Rebecca said, “I’ve got better things to do with my day than sit here and listen to your idiotic insults. Thrive is not for everyone if you don’t like it it’s simple….don’t use it!!!”
Then shoo away Rebecca and try not to inflict any more damage on others on your way out.
You are correct that Thrive is not for everyone, but the better way of putting it is, Thrive is not for ANYONE.
Christina,
Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully your family will snap out of it sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, these MLMs have been around for a long time and they are very good at programming people with their rhetoric. I’m glad you can see the irony in their nonsense and steer clear of this nastiness.
Rebecca said, “I spend my money on it because it works for me. There’s my input for the financial aspect of this conversation. My bank account is nobodies business but mine and my husbands. If I couldn’t afford the ridiculous price as you say, then I wouldn’t be buying it.”
Rebecca you missed the point entirely. If this works for you, then the competitor’s products will work to because the competitor’s products are either the SAME or BETTER. The only reason you would use this product over the competitor is to reap the benefit of building a “team” (pyramid) below you and receive compensation as well as free product. Rebecca if you choose to ignore the facts that is fine, but that gives me the right to anoint you with the title “financial dunce”.
Rebecca said, “I have worked in the healthcare field in nursing for the past 15 years so I’m pretty sure I do know something about health.”
Rebecca, I’m not sure that is something you want to mention after supporting nutrition shakes. Either your nursing has nothing to do with health science and nutrition, or you are in complete denial over the fact that nutritional shakes are not effective at their objective. There have been many studies to prove that nutritional shakes don’t work for the long term, and there has been no certification from the FDA to suggest these shakes have a medical benefit. This is officially the dumbest thing you have written to date.
Rebecca said, “And yes our bodies do need vitamins. And there is not one single person who eats healthy everyday of their life.”
Your first statement is more obvious fluff, but your second statement continues to be flat wrong. There are many people that live a completely healthy lifestyle and eat good foods. I’m not sure what bubble you are living in, but is so far out of reality, that it scares me to think you are supposed to be a practicing nurse. It would appear the healthcare standards have deteriorated even worse than I could have imagined.
Rebecca, please explain your crusade to defend Le-vel products. I’m happy about my car, but I don’t go all out defending it on someones blog who has compared it to a Ford Pinto.
Would be interesting to know if your comment’s ip address points to an office at Le-vel’s headquarters, or other similar defensive comments across the web. With your comments ip, a who-is search could be performed on it, or similar comments across the web could be easily identified with some coordination.
Now Rebecca, before you cut loose on me, why would you waste your time doing so? Is this something that happens with all Le-vel *Cough* customers? They see the light and say to themselves “Oh my god… Le-vel’s Thrive is great! I have to go on the internet to spread this news! Defend it against nay-sayers by sharing how I feel, stating ‘I’ve done my research’! Is this spiritual?”
I am just a customer. I started out just by saying how it has worked for me and how it has been a good investment for myself because I like the product. It’s gone on because I keep getting attacked for everything I say and I get very defensive. I know I need to let it go it just irks me that someone is so judgmental and such a name called without even knowing me. And then to attack my career and my children is very uncalled for. Don’t worry I won’t go off in you lol!
If anyone here is going to comment anonymously, they shouldn’t refer to unverifiable and irrelevant information such as their occupation and family’s medical condition(s).
Thank you.
Rebecca, the reply that followed your first comment wasn’t an attack, but it sure put you in a bad light. Most people would have simply left it at that, and never returned, specially after your comment about Le-vel’s Thrive is not meant to be used specifically as a weight loss supplement,
https://www.lazymanandmoney.com/le-vel-thrive-scam/comment-page-3/#comment-1354785
…which was debunked by Geoff, who provided a link to the Le-vel site which states
“Whether your goal is to lose weight, get in the best shape of your life, or simply be the best you can be, we know the 8-Week THRIVE Experience will get you THRIVIN’,”
https://www.lazymanandmoney.com/le-vel-thrive-scam/comment-page-3/#comment-1354824
For someone who states that they do their research and know what they’re talking about, how did you miss that information? Starting at the source never came to mind?
https://le-vel.com/Experience
In a later comment you wrote “And YES I have done research on it because I don’t just go around believing anything I see.”
https://www.lazymanandmoney.com/le-vel-thrive-scam/comment-page-3/#comment-1354878
…but from your first post you stated “It has been proven to work and many celebrities even use Thrive!”. So you don’t go around believing everything you see, but you truly believe a celebrity endorsement is proof that Thrive works? Celebrities wont put their name behind any products unless they’re gettin’ paid. Their name is money, and they’re not gonna support anything for free.
https://www.lazymanandmoney.com/le-vel-thrive-scam/comment-page-3/#comment-1354785
And since Lazy Man brought this up, if you’re posting anonymously, why on Earth would you tell us about your occupation and family? I could also tell the world I’m related to Prince Charles and that I have a club foot under the name Henry. Are you hoping that even though you don’t believe everyhing you read on the internet as you stated above, readers would believe everything you’ve posted so far?
I’m sure no one who comments here lives next door to you, or knows you personally. So for your anonymous self to take offense to replies posted here is unbelievable. You need to seek psychiatric help!
But if you’re a Le-vel employee, I’ll would start looking for another job if I was you. The top brass are probably irked by your performace here. Good luck!
Rebecca said: “I am just a customer.”
Ha! BS! No one believes that for an instant. Everything you have said to date screams loudly that you are either a Thrive distributor or one of the company’s trolls posting under a fictitious nom de guerre. Below are a few choice examples; these are not the words of an ordinary customer:
“It has been proven to work”
“Nobody is getting thrown under the bus.”
“Not everyone will like it….but most people do!!
“As for Thrive….there are actually many many people who use the product without promoting it.”
“With Thrive your getting vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants, plant extracts, protein, and fiber. Thrive helps with joint support, inflammation support, lean muscle support, digestive and immune support, cognitive performance, and weight management.”
Ignoring the blatant rah-rah Thrive cheer-leading, these are not the comments of an ordinary customer but rather someone who is professing to have insider knowledge about the company. You sound like a Thrive brochure.
Also funny how your biographical details match up closely to the distributor Kristina Hibbert on Le-Vel’s Facebook page who allegedly claims to be a nursing assistant and a mother of a special needs child.
https://www.facebook.com/LevelBrands/posts/643362172427992
Rebecca said: “And then to attack my career and my children is very uncalled for.”
You got called out for pretending to be a nurse and making fallacious arguments from authority, so don’t feign victimhood.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority
I actually have great respect for nursing assistants – the ones who aren’t self-serving assholes trying to peddle worthless Thrive patches on naïve and vulnerable patients. As for your alleged children, no one came even remotely close to attacking them. It’s sickening that you would throw them under the bus like that to defend yourself. Shape up!
Rebecca said, “I am just a customer. I started out just by saying how it has worked for me and how it has been a good investment for myself because I like the product.”
Woah woah woah…that is not how you started out. You started out making bold, unsubstantiated claims such as:
“Thrive is not meant to be used specifically as a weight loss supplement. It’s simply putting vitamins in your body. It has been proven to work and many celebrities even use Thrive!”
“Many people spend this much money way on shakes and vitamins and whatever other supplements they take…it’s no more expensive than anything else. Protein shakes cost just as much as the lifestyle shakes. Everyone had their own opinion and experiences and not everyone will like it….but most people do!!”
Don’t act like you were someone reporting your own opinion based on your experience, because those quotes, which came from your first post, were a mission to disprove this article. You have tried to provide counter-points about people needing vitamins (completely unrelated to the article and incorrect), incorrect theses about price (which have been disproven), and attempted to project an unsubstantiated claim about protein shakes being beneficial (again not pertinent to the article, and also wrong).
Rebecca said, “It’s gone on because I keep getting attacked for everything I say and I get very defensive. I know I need to let it go it just irks me that someone is so judgmental and such a name called without even knowing me.”
Rebecca, instead of focusing on the name calling, perhaps you should focus on relevant and accurate details. The “Judgments” have been well founded based on your lack of knowledge about this field, your righteous indignation to form and spew opinions that are both wrong and dangerous, and your inability to command the English language (I’m no English scholar, but at least I can formulate my sentences intelligibly). If you want to be taken more seriously, once again, utilize resources to support your opinions, use a dictionary to understand what certain words mean, and take the time to make grammatically accurate sentences and paragraphs. Instead of being defensive, try making a change to your own behavior and abilities.
To the Thrive promoter who posts as “Rebecca”:
The unmistakable impression one gets from reading your posts is that (a) you are either a Thrive distributor or someone working directly for the company as a troll; and (b) you aren’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, putting it mildly. The latter goes hand in hand with being an MLM distributor because, let’s be realistic, the majority of the people who are involved in these scams are desperate, naïve, uneducated, and of modest means.
Whether you are a Thrive distributor or a fictitious character concocted by Le-Vel doesn’t really concern me. What I care about is logic, factual accuracy, honesty, and a willingness to learn. You have failed woefully in all 4 categories – that’s why you get a hard time, and deservedly so. Lazy Man is trying to help consumers to protect their money and not get scammed — a very noble goal without question. You are interfering with that aim by posting misinformation. That in itself would be forgivable if you were to come around after being corrected, but you do not – you double down on BS.
The distinctive biographical details you have provided align quite closely with Kristina Hibbert, a Le-Vel distributor who, like you, also claims to be a nursing assistant with a special needs child.
https://www.facebook.com/LevelBrands/posts/643362172427992
https://www.facebook.com/kristina.hibbert
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/wheels-for-work-program-donates-van-to-family/article_fad5e004-0b10-5fd4-ad77-fee2108b4335.html
If that is in fact you, then you must first accept responsibility for getting raked over the coals here because you are legally and contractually obligated to be forthcoming about your identity and connection to Le-Vel when participating in online forums, but instead posted as “Rebecca” and denied being a distributor, even when your M.O. overwhelmingly indicates otherwise.
Now, you might deny being Kristina, but it doesn’t matter because what I have to say applies in general to all of the Kristinas caught up in MLM scammery, which is this: being a woman or a mother doesn’t grant you immunity from criticism; having a special needs child doesn’t exempt you from moral responsibility; and being poor and desperate doesn’t give you the right to exploit and lie to other people in an attempt to improve your standard of living.
I know that being a mother can be challenging; and of a child with special needs, especially so. Being poor and desperate is also a heavy cross to bear, and I understand why people break the law and/or do morally/ethically corrupt things in an effort to survive. In fact, if someone resorted to being a prostitute, drug dealer, or burglar to get by, I could wrap my head around that moral dilemma and refrain from judging them too harshly — if they were clear-eyed about what they are doing and why they were doing it.
What I can’t stand is the constant deception and misinformation with MLM; the unbridled greed, belligerence, and holier-than-thou attitude of their most ardent (and most blindingly ignorant) adherents; the pretense that they should be praised for royally F-ing people over with destructive pyramid schemes and outrageously overpriced voodoo elixirs. MLMers seem to think that it is their God-given right to prey on those among us who are the weakest – poor, gullible, sick, desperate, unsuspecting, and well-meaning; to rob Peter to pay Paul; to pass the buck by giving their misery to someone else.
I’d suggest that all the Kristina’s out there should simply be dead honest when they go on blogs and post about Thrive, but that wouldn’t be realistic because honesty is antithetical to MLM, and potential recruits, who are already very wary and dismissive of MLMs, would run the other way. So instead, the best advice I can give is to walk away from MLM and never look back. Find an honest profession and one that pays at least minimum wage, unlike every MLM in history. Or find a dishonest profession, like sticking people up at gunpoint, but drop the pretense of co-opting the moral high ground and pretending to be smart.
Hey Lazy Man, so you know, I found ya out of curiosity. If there was anything out there to help educate people who are not irretrievably stupid like my siblings, who are caught up in MLM scams.
My Googling motivation on Le-vel was inpired by an invitation to my sister’s house this past weekend. She hasn’t called in over 10 years, or visited, or dropped me a line on Facebook like the rest of my dumbskull siblings, but I knew what she was up to. As soon as she answered the door dressed like she’s about to leave for a barbecue she said “Hey… Welcome to my lifestyle!” I laughed, staring at her bare stomach in the dead of winter, but she brushed it off. It took somewhere between 10 to 15 minutes before she started her pitch for Thrive, but she made sure to mention the word lifestyle and thrivin’ about 5 times each before. I felt like I walked into Le-vel’s corporate headquarters!
She started her pitch with “So, are you interested to know why I’m so positive with so much energy?”
I said jokenly “Thrive? I’m not interested.”
My sister “Oh… You know. Well then you know how good it is.”
I then recommended that we change the subject, and her response was “OMG… I have to go shopping! The stores are about to close! I’m so sorry, honey.” My wife looked at me in disbelief, and told her thanks for inviting us over for 15 minutes.
I was expecting my sis to go all out on trying to push this junk on us in hope we would sign-up, but I guess she got wind from my other sister on how she couldn’t talk me into becoming a Herbalife distributer years ago.
Anyway, thanks for putting this out there, Lazy Man. And the comments from your intelligent readers! It wont help my sisters, but it will help others. :)
Typo… Meant numbskulls. Before the edit it was dumb siblings. And an update on the one from this weekend (had a 3 day… totally screwed my head up), our decline seemed to have pushed her to post twice about Thrive on Facebook today.
Something tells me she wont be doing this for long.
Why are people using it? Because it WORKS!!! I have been diagnosed with autoimmune disease and the pain levels and fatigue were ruling my life. I couldn’t go to the grocery store, come home and unpack the groceries without the wall of AI fatigue hitting me full force. We’re not just talking tired. This goes WAY beyond just tiredness. This is a feeling of every ounce of energy just being totally drained from you.
I am on prescription medication and was also taking 20+ supplements trying to help myself. But it wasn’t working. So I thought, what have I got to lose?
My 2nd day on Thrive, my husband told me, you need to stay on that stuff cause it’s definitely working for you. It has made a total difference in my life. At a recent funeral at our church, I was on my feet for several hours, helping serve dinner to the family and attendees and cleaning up afterwards. In the past, I couldn’t have done that at all and if I had tried I would have been in bed for the next two to three days due to the pain it would have caused. Every joint in my body is affected.
The pain isn’t totally gone, it’s not a cure-all. But it’s so much more manageable. The doctor always asks what’s your pain on a level of 0-10 (10 being worst). Before I was always at a 7-9, with bouts of 10. Now, I’m at a 2-3 most days with an occasional flare at a 4. And the fatigue is a thing of the past.
So why do people take this? Because, even with all the negativity out there from critics like you who haven’t tried it…they’ve found it WORKS! I will personally never be without it again.
ThrivinIn2017: “Why are people using it? Because it WORKS!!!”
No, that’s BS (all-caps shouting and multiple superfluous exclamation points aside). There is no evidence that it “works”, and a good percentage of the people who buy it do so only because they have to in order to stay qualified for sales commissions. It’s a grievous sin of omission for you to not mention that. The other reason some people buy it as that unscrupulous distributors like yourself go around breaking the law by claiming that this BS snakeoil alleviates diseases and their symptoms. Shameful and unforgivable.
ThrivinIn2017: “I have been diagnosed with autoimmune disease and the pain levels and fatigue were ruling my life…I am on prescription medication and was also taking 20+ supplements trying to help myself. But it wasn’t working. So I thought, what have I got to lose?”
Taking 20+ supplements with the expectation that they would in any way relieve an autoimmune disease is just plain dumb. In all likelihood, doing so would aggravate the condition; at best it would do nothing. What you would have lost was money and respect; that is, if the story was true.
ThrivinIn2017: “It has made a total difference in my life. The pain isn’t totally gone…but it’s so much more manageable.”
BS! You don’t expect people to just believe you at face value when you have provided no verifiable details. That’s not the way the world works. Facts talk, BS walks. Besides, Thrive has a sordid reputation for unfounded and illegal medicinal claims. Saddening to see that you’re making things worse.
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/know-thrive-experience/
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/what-you-should-know-about-thrive/
The product is not marketed as pain reliever so why should anyone expect it to relieve pain? If you think I’m calling you a liar, it’s because I am. I don’t believe that Thrive alleviated your symptoms at all. In fact, I don’t even believe that you have an autoimmune disease. I dare you to try to prove me wrong.
ThrivinIn2017: “So why do people take this?”
For the most part it’s because they have to buy it to participate in the pyramid scheme; and secondarily because they are dumb lemmings driven by greed and desperation.
What you just said makes no sense! People done buy it just to make commissions! Why would someone spend their own money to buy from themselves so that they can get a commission?
Rebecca said, “What you just said makes no sense! People done [don’t] buy it just to make commissions! Why would someone spend their own money to buy from themselves so that they can get a commission?”
Actually, what you said makes no sense. People continue to buy it to make commissions, because that is the way the distributorship is set up. As Le-Vel puts it on their website:
“Vanishing Autoship – 2 For Free
When you have 2 personal Customers enrolled in the Autoship Program, you are eligible to receive free product each and every month as long as they continue their Autoship. You will receive Le-Vel credit equal to the average of your two highest personal Customer Autoship orders…”
https://le-vel.com/Rewards/Compensation
Again, Rebecca your lack of understanding about this company is either purposefully neglectful or utter stupidity. Let me explain this strategy in layman’s terms. If you get signed up as a distributor, then you must fulfill your autoship (monthly purchases) until you get two people into your “team” (pyramid) and then you will get their average monthly autoship for free. Until that point, you must continue to pay monthly, hence the “Vanishing Autoship”.
Rebecca said, “Why would someone spend their own money to buy from themselves so that they can get a commission?”
Uh…because this company is a scam. You are not a sales person when you sign up for MLM, but rather a glorified customer with the outrageous duty of undying loyalty and patronage. This idea was initially created by Richard DeVos and Jay VanAndel (Amway creators/Nutrilite creators), because they realized the best way to sell their products was to trick people into wanting to become customers. By purchasing the products at exorbitant prices they incentivized people by sending them monthly “commissions” in the form of a bad rebate check and offered them the opportunity to make money if they taught MANY more people to purchase monthly.
Yes you can become a promoter of you want too. Or you can remain a customer. And being a customer, like myself, you so not get any commissions. The k my way you get commissions is if you become a promoter.
Rebecca said: “Yes you can become a promoter of (sic) you want too. Or you can remain a customer. And being a customer, like myself, you so not (sic) get any commissions. The k my (sic) way you get commissions is if you become a promoter.”
You seem to be losing whatever grasp of English you once had. Did that comment arise from a cat walking across your keyboard?
Vogel,
I have no reason to lie. I am not a distributor. I am simply a minister’s wife who has been diagnosed with autoimmune disease. I could easily prove it to you. I could give you my doctor’s names and locations…all 9 of them. I could show you my medical records showing what I have been diagnosed with. I could show you the tests I’ve undergone over the years. I could show you the records of having to have shots in my spine to deal with the pain. But with your attitude, none of this would make any difference to you. You would just say it was fabricated. So I’m not going to waste my time. I know I am telling the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ knows I am telling the truth and I do not need your approval. I know what Thrive has done for me personally.
I do not know why you are so hateful, but I will pray for you. To have so much hate you must be miserable.
I do wish you a Happy New Year.
Whoa… I guess the last few replies to Rebecca, plus my story, scared them at Le-vel. No way were they gonna let this post end with those comments, so here is ThrivingIn2017 to the rescue!
An uneducated minister’s wife at that! Halleluja!
Le-vel, is this the best you can do?
I am glad Thrive has helped you! I agree…I do not know why this person is so miserable and hateful…so quick to judge and call names! Thrive is amazing and no you do not have to promote it…it is possible to just be a customer. I hope you co Tunis to feel better!!!
Rebecca said, “I am glad Thrive has helped you! I agree…I do not know why this person is so miserable and hateful…so quick to judge and call names!”
Rebecca, it is obvious that you are a terribly disgruntled distributor that is trying to prevent people from seeing the truth. You have no concept of how Thrive works, how the distributorship works, or how business works. Your continued shenanigans on this forum have further proven that Thrive preys on the weak-minded and uneducated members of society in an effort to line their pockets.
Rebecca said, “Thrive is amazing and no you do not have to promote it…it is possible to just be a customer. I hope you co Tunis [continue] to feel better!!!”
Do you run around to websites that contradict your opinions on other products as well? Do you have the same passion and fervor for other generic or ordinary products, such as, soda, toilet paper, or tuna fish?
There are no customers of any products that develop this level of insane brand loyalty without some kind of bias. Nobody is believing your ridiculous passion as a customer as you continue to talk as though you are a part of the cult following for Thrive.
ThrivinIn2017 said: “Vogel, I have no reason to lie. I am not a distributor.”
By Occam’s razor, you’re either a distributor or a troll working for the company in some capacity. As a distributor (or paid troll) you would have every reason to lie, and Le-Vel distributors lie chronically. They don’t just lie, they brazenly break the law by promoting the product as a medicinal agent. It’s well documented and you fit the M.O.
ThrivinIn2017 said: “I am simply a minister’s wife who has been diagnosed with autoimmune disease. I could easily prove it to you.”
Oh so now you’re a minister’s wife? That’s quite a convenient (and maudlin) cover story you concocted. I bet you’re holding a sad-faced fluffy 3-legged orphan puppy that you rescued from starvation in Africa too right? How could the Mother Theresa of MLM possibly be lying? Pfft! You still haven’t even said what autoimmune disease it is that you’re pretending to have.
The second you start providing the evidence you speak of, I’ll stop suspecting you of lying about being a minister’s wife and having autoimmune disease. Start proving…
ThrivinIn2017 said: “I could give you my doctor’s names and locations…all 9 of them. I could show you my medical records showing what I have been diagnosed with. I could show you the tests I’ve undergone over the years. I could show you the records of having to have shots in my spine to deal with the pain.”
OK, great; have at it. Exonerate yourself from suspicion by proving your claims aren’t complete BS. No one is asking any more of you than that. Glad you are willing to co-operate.
ThrivinIn2017 said: “But with your attitude, none of this would make any difference to you.”
Yes, it would. Start proving your case. My attitude – one of skepticism – is perfectly warranted. Any rational person would understand that. So let’s see your proof; we are waiting with bated breath.
ThrivinIn2017 said: “You would just say it was fabricated.”
You never know until you try, so please begin putting forth your proof.
ThrivinIn2017 said: “So I’m not going to waste my time. I know I am telling the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ knows I am telling the truth and I do not need your approval.”
Hold on…you mean after all that blathering about how you can prove you’re not lying about your Thrive “miracle”, you’re not going to make even the feeblest attempt to do so? That’s ridiculous. It’s like claiming you are holding the secret to immortality in your hands but you won’t prove it because…um…people are mean and might not believe you? That’s F-ed up (and typical of an unscrupulous MLM con artist). No sane person would expect people to blindly accept outlandish product claims from an anonymous voice on the internet, and you have no reason to expect people to suspend their commonsense disbelief regarding your claims. The fact that you are unwilling to provide any evidence that your claims are true, despite claiming to have such evidence, only proves what I suspected from the get-go – lying troll. BTW, lies make baby Jesus cry, so you’re probably going to hell unless you repent (and disclose your evidence, preferably with an apology).
ThrivinIn2017 said: “I do not know why you are so hateful, but I will pray for you. To have so much hate you must be miserable. I do wish you a Happy New Year.”
I’m not hateful. I love people. I have a pretty low opinion of lying MLM scammers though. And you know what you can do with your insincere prayers and well wishes right? The last thing I want is some BSing blasphemer praying for me. I’m already good with the Almighty, so mind you own business and don’t F it up.
This has been your MO here to date:
1. Make outlandish (and illegal) claim about Le-Vel alleviating the symptoms of an autoimmune disease.
2. Inexplicably get horribly offended when people are skeptical (justifiably) of the outlandish claim.
3. Create a halo of sanctity by claiming to be a minister’s wife.
4. Claim to have solid evidence to prove that the outlandish claim wasn’t a lie.
5. Waffle and refuse to supply any evidence, under the pretense that the people who were skeptical of your outlandish claim are too mean and wouldn’t believe you anyway.
If anyone even faintly believed you before, they surely don’t now.
Rebecca said: “I am glad Thrive has helped you! I agree…I do not know why this person is…so quick to judge and call names!”
Sure you do. It’s because you’re con artists trying to sell people a worthless overpriced BS snakeoil product, lying about its medicinal value, and luring rubes into a destructive MLM pyramid scheme whose only real beneficiaries are a few corrupt preordained kingpins at the top. What did you expect, a standing ovation? Surely you knew what you were getting yourself into when you signed up to play for the dark side.
Rebecca said: “Thrive is amazing and no you do not have to promote it…it is possible to just be a customer.”
Facts be damned! Lying doofus troll says it’s “amazing!” Case closed. ROFL! You forgot to SHOUT IT IN ALL-CAPS and add 9 exclamation points to make it appear “truthier”!!!!!!!!!
Rebecca said: “I hope you co Tunis to feel better!!!”
Me too. I think. Or not. The meaning of your gibberish is indecipherable.
I will pray for them too, they are very hateful!!
Kim: “I will pray for them too, they are very hateful!!”
Pray for you own salvation and that the Almighty doesn’t strike you down for scamming people.
Lazy Man, just so you know, when I first discovered your article, the GoFundMe link wasn’t visible. Today it showed for a second, but then it went invisible. I think the app for the GoFundMe link doesn’t work for some browsers, or maybe part of the code is missing which is causing this problem. Maybe you should post a linked thumbnail to your GoFundMe page, plus a hyperlink within your message.
I was gonna test this post on multiple browsers at http://browsershots.org/ but your blogs robot.txt is preventing the website from crawling it.
Oh
Mah
Lawd
This has been beyond entertaining…I was “approached” online by a friend about this crap and had to see what it was all about…I was polite to her with her claims and let her know what I personally knew about nutrition etc and just for the good ole shits and giggles I found this…..Thank you for providing this information and calling out what is really going here!
Much love to us ‘survivin without thrivin”!!
Guys – let us not forget, the founder of this company has been accused of credit card fraud in the past. He was able to get a lawyer to help him get the public record of that complaint somewhat removed, but if you google the terms “Jason Camper Fraud” just take a look for yourself and what comes up.
This conversation is all too familiar. You guys beat up on those of us who were marketing Yevo and the slams, insults, and arguments are nearly exactly the same. Why all the negativity?
I will agree that markup on network marketing product tends to be higher than what you’d by from box stores, amazon, etc. However, one gets quite a lot more with the product when buying through a brand partner/distributor such as direct support and more access to corporate. Also, one has the opportunity to create an income stream from home with very little up front investment. This is generally not possible with most products from box stores.
You guys seem to be against any and all network marketing companies.
Why not go after some of the real travesties in our society such as prescription medications.
Oh good lord. Susan the Yevo troll is back after a long hiatus licking her wounds. Still extolling the virtues of MLM even after Yevo went tits up in spectacular fashion. She made a complete fool of herself trying (and failing) to defend Yevo, and all the while I warned her that the company was a ridiculous fraud and would soon go bust.
http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/yevo-scam/
Much to her detriment, she didn’t listen and learned nothing, and now she’s no doubt skipped off to another MLM to sell some other worthless snakeoil product.
I have long suspected that Susan is Jodi Unruh, who is now off selling Vasayo and making the same standard BS boilerplate MLM promises of “renewed health and financial freedom”. Absolutely pathetic!
http://www.jodiunruh.com/
Now we’ve got Susan (Jodi?) trolling the Le-Vel/Thrive board trying to derail yet another discussion with off-topic noise. MLMers are like poison!
Susan the Troll said: “You guys place yourself on some kind of a higher level — as if you know “what is really going on” and most other people don’t.”
I don’t know about “most people” buy you sure as hell don’t know what’s going on. You proved it on the Yevo board time and time again. Not only did you display stunning ignorance but were also completely impervious to factual information.
Susan the Troll said: “What is astonishing is that you guys spend so much time on here bashing the hell out of people who are choosing, by their own free will, to be involved with a network marketing company.”
I bash idiots who post false, misleading, or nonsensical information, as you did on the Yevo board. You posted complete BS daily, often multiple times a day, for a year, and you used no less than 7 sockpuppet aliases in the process (aka Jodi Unruh, aka Tim Robinson, aka Alex Severn, aka Jeff Becker, aka Frank Smith, aka Joe Blace, aka Susan, etc.). That Herculean but entirely useless waste of energy was something that can truly be called astonishing. And when Yevo went tits up in mid-2016, just like I explicitly warned you would happen, you didn’t even have the common courtesy to apologize, say thanks, or pay homage to my prescience.
BTW, consumers can’t make a truly free choice when people you lie to them; that is the very reason why laws exist prohibiting deceptive advertising.
Susan the Troll said: “If you guys were really serious about changing the way our free market system works, then why aren’t you doing something to change the laws of our country? Get ahold of your congressman and get them to change the way out economy works.”
Well there’s a straw-man argument. No one here expressed any interest at all, serious or otherwise, about changing the way our free market system or economy work. There are already laws in place that prohibit pyramid scheming, deceptive marketing, and selling snakeoil. With regard to neutering Yevo, the company that you shilled and lied for, there was no need whatsoever to petition for any laws to be changed. All that was needed was to provide consumers reliable information proving that the company was a travesty (and to file a few complaints with the FDA and FTC), and within a few short months, poof, it was gone. Pretty damn effective I’d say, and a helluva a lot easier than petitioning Congress to change laws.
Susan the Troll said: “I think a big part of the comments here is that you guys derive a certain amount of pleasure out of insulting and bashing people with impunity.”
I derive great pleasure in providing the public with reliable factual information that unscrupulous MLM organizations try to suppress and malign; like you did with Yevo. It’s true that I pull no punches with lying predatory cowardly MLM assholes, but I would be much happier if they didn’t exist at all and that I didn’t have to spend any time defanging them.
For example, I feel a certain sense of satisfaction in being a good Samaritan and calling you out for illegally marketing F-ING MLM OATMEAL as a MIRACLE CURE, but I’d much rather that you never made these claims in the first place.
http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/yevo-scam/comment-page-2/#comment-1312258
BTW “Susan” (aka Jodi, Tim, Alex, Joe, Jeff, Frank), you’re going to go absolutely insane when I start posting analyses of Vasayo, your latest MLM scam — the brainchild of serial con artist Dallin Larsen, who is infamous for his key role with Royal Tongan Limu, Monarch Health Sciences, and Monavie, all of which have been relegated to the ash heap of MLM history. It took a while to take Monavie down, but Yevo went bust within a little over a year after I first started posting comments and analysis about the company and its products. I bet Vasayo will get torpedoed in half that time.
This is a classic! A post from the Yevo troll Jodi Unruh (aka Susan, Alex, Jeff, Joe, Frank, and Tim) on 02/16/2015:
“You want to expose something but don’t want to hear from other people. Listen to this. Yevo is a great company and I stand by it!!”
http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/yevo-scam/comment-page-1/#comment-1260448
A little more than a year later, Yevo went bust, hanging all the recruits out to dry in the process and leaving nothing more than a faint fishy aftertaste — just like their shitty overpriced snakeoil products.
Geoff says: “Rebecca, it is obvious that you are a terribly disgruntled distributor that is trying to prevent people from seeing the truth. You have no concept of how Thrive works, how the distributorship works, or how business works. Your continued shenanigans on this forum have further proven that Thrive preys on the weak-minded and uneducated members of society in an effort to line their pockets.”
Geoff, what proof do you have of this? Let’s see some numbers and demographics of Level distributors.
Anecdotal evidence points to the average Thrive user and distributor being middle class, educated, and health conscious. Where are you getting that most people using Thrive are weak-minded and uneducated?
You guys place yourself on some kind of a higher level — as if you know “what is really going on” and most other people don’t. Most people who get involved with network marketing know it’s network marketing. Network marketing has been around decades and there are literally tens of thousands of references on the topic with a simple google search. What is the problem here?
What is astonishing is that you guys spend so much time on here bashing the hell out of people who are choosing, by their own free will, to be involved with a network marketing company. If you guys were really serious about changing the way our free market system works, then why aren’t you doing something to change the laws of our country? Get ahold of your congressman and get them to change the way out economy works. I think a big part of the comments here is that you guys derive a certain amount of pleasure out of insulting and bashing people with impunity.
S
Susan said, “Geoff, what proof do you have of this? Let’s see some numbers and demographics of Level distributors.
Anecdotal evidence points to the average Thrive user and distributor being middle class, educated, and health conscious. Where are you getting that most people using Thrive are weak-minded and uneducated?”
First of all, you have twisted my words. I said, “Your continued shenanigans on this forum have further proven that Thrive preys on the weak-minded and uneducated members of society in an effort to line their pockets.” That doesn’t mean that everyone in MLM is weak-mind or uneducated, but rather their marketing targets those people. I have had resources confirm that MLMs, in particular Amway, has been sending people to colleges targeting foreign exchange students because they don’t understand our culture or MLM.
Second of all, when has anecdotal evidence helped prove a case in MLM? MLMers are pathological liars and are taught to lie at any given moment to keep the facade.
Third of all, MLMs have always targeted the dregs of society. They are the hopeless, the least able to critically think, the most likely to be susceptible to flashy imagery and the idea of “easy success”. Sure there are some outliers, but I have personally attended a massive seminar with 8,000 people and I can promise most of them didn’t have more than $500.00 in their bank account and no more than the one suit in their closet. Over half were either minorities or under the age of 25.
Susan said, “You guys place yourself on some kind of a higher level — as if you know “what is really going on” and most other people don’t. Most people who get involved with network marketing know it’s network marketing. Network marketing has been around decades and there are literally tens of thousands of references on the topic with a simple google search. What is the problem here?”
Well, when you read the research and every MLMer comes here and says the same stupid things over and over again, then you should be able to figure out what is happening. To suggest that all of the research conducted in the articles that LM has written and cited is somehow wrong is asinine. I personally do not hold myself to a “higher level”, but I do not have a problem calling a spade a spade or calling an MLMer out on their fabrications of the truth and processed canned BS.
Can we stop calling it network marketing Susan? Is it too cancerous for you to call MLM by its proper name? You aren’t fooling anyone here by throwing out these nicknames.
Slavery has also been around for…thousands of years, does that make it right? Come on Susan, you are going to have to use better logic than that.
Google is an information source that is unbiased by “references” for MLM. That means people can say ANYTHING they want about MLM and it will pop up on a google search. Let’s take research to the next level and understand the content, sources, biases, authors, and not just rely on some random unverifiable number of “references”. To that point, there are MORE articles that write against MLM than there are in support of it.
Susan said, “What is astonishing is that you guys spend so much time on here bashing the hell out of people who are choosing, by their own free will, to be involved with a network marketing company.”
Actually, it isn’t astonishing at all. It’s a civil service which is provided because people here have a good moral compass and don’t tolerate a bunch of crap from nonsensical BSers like you. Something that is astonishing is, your attempt to come back to a different article and pick a fight after disappearing from the Yevo argument you clearly lost. Not only have you decided to incur more negative responses, but you have also attempted to derail this conversation from the main purpose. The article is here to talk about Le-vel and Thrie, and it is not here to talk about Yevo, your weird accusations against the people who post on this forum, or your ridiculous straw man and false equivocations.
Susan said, “If you guys were really serious about changing the way our free market system works, then why aren’t you doing something to change the laws of our country? Get ahold of your congressman and get them to change the way out economy works.”
Susan, this is, yet again, another straw man. This blog is not designed to change a market system, it is here to inform consumers about the risks of MLM and in particular Le-vel and Thrive. You are grasping at straws while leaping down the rabbit hole with this charade.
Susan said, “I think a big part of the comments here is that you guys derive a certain amount of pleasure out of insulting and bashing people with impunity.”
Susan…stop this madness.
Susan said, “This conversation is all too familiar. You guys beat up on those of us who were marketing Yevo and the slams, insults, and arguments are nearly exactly the same. Why all the negativity?”
I didn’t take place in the conversation on Yevo, but I can assure you it will always be the same because everyone who comes to this blog has been programmed to say the same things over and over and over…
I have yet to see someone come up with an original argument for MLM (Network Marketing) since I started doing research on the topic over a year ago. That is based on the fact that everyone’s responses have been debunked for over a decade by hardworking researchers. In fact, the arguments have continued to be so similar it makes me think they all started from the same brain child (Amway), and continue to be perpetuated by manipulators and con-artists merely transforming the identity of the scam while continuing to perpetuate its awful business model.
Susan said, “I will agree that markup on network marketing product tends to be higher than what you’d by from box stores, amazon, etc.”
Good, case closed, move along.
Susan said, “However, one gets quite a lot more with the product when buying through a brand partner/distributor such as direct support and more access to corporate. Also, one has the opportunity to create an income stream from home with very little up front investment. This is generally not possible with most products from box stores.”
UGH!!! This is simply not true, never has been true, continues not to be true. They get less product, they get less responsiveness from corporate (see a cursory google search about trying to return products or ask for assistance), 99% do not have an “opportunity” to create an income according to every crappy income/disclosure statement from MLMs and it doesn’t matter how “small” the investment is when everyone (except for the top con-men/women) are losing. Every big box store is able to stay in business because they provide a better, cheaper, and less difficult to access product. Your logic is completely backwards, and quite frankly insane.
Susan said, “You guys seem to be against any and all network marketing companies.
Why not go after some of the real travesties in our society such as prescription medications.”
Correct! Every MLM (Network Marketing) company is exactly the same BS. Therefore I am against all of them. They, once again, stem from Amway which has continued to be a criminal enterprise for decades, and if you start with a piece of shit it will remain a piece of shit.
Not another one of these prescription meds nut jobs. Here is a tin foil hat Susan, because you aren’t going to get anywhere with this crappy argument. Prescription meds have continued to save countless lives, prevent disease, cure disease, and at least treat/comfort people that are terminal. If you are trying to suggest that there is ONE MLM company out there that offers something similar, with a product that has been clinically tested and FDA approved, then you are really bat shit crazy.
These gentleman or haters are probably all upset because they are Vitamin Reps. There is no need for such hateful comments. People are entitled to their own opinion. You don’t know them personally to know whether or not they sell Thrive. I just received my order and I’m looking forward to starting it for several reasons. I have no intentions of promoting, selling or distributing it. Those of you that are so hateful, I feel sorry for your significant others because you must live such a nasty, horrible and hateful life. You seem to have so much time on your hands to sit on the computer and beat up on someone that believes in a product that is beneficial to her. Leave her be and go on with your miserable lives!
Rose said: “These gentleman or haters are probably all upset because they are Vitamin Reps.”
That’s a moronic accusation; almost as stupid as capitalizing “Vitamin Reps” as though it’s a proper name. But then again literacy isn’t the MLMers strong suit is it?
Rose said: “There is no need for such hateful comments… you must live such a nasty, horrible and hateful life… go on with your miserable lives.”
Apparently your hypocrisy filter is broken. Mean spirited SOB!
Rose said: “People are entitled to their own opinion.”
Unless the opinion happens to be anti-Thrive, in which case you try to crap all over them. Hypocrite!
Rose said: “I feel sorry for your significant others…”
No you don’t. It’s obvious that you’re completely lacking in compassion and empathy (and commonsense). Your ham-fisted trolling is hauntingly reminiscent of that degenerate scammer Susan (aka Jodi Unruh).
How can I email lazyman personally? I may be able to help with the legal part and offset the financial costs hugely.
Thanks for thinking of me T-Man. There’s a form here that can send me an email: http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/contact-lazy-man/
I need to remind you people – go to GOOGLE, search these words together “Jason Camper Fraud”
You will see that the founder of this Le-Vel business has been suspected of credit card fraud in the past.
Wow, Am I glad I stumbled upon this website.
I have a friends daughter who is touting this and begging me to give it a shot. Shes been in and out of trouble for quite a while and its nice seeing her so positive and upbeat about something again. I wanted to help her out and maybe lose a little weight too! (lol) but knowing personally the pitfalls of MSM, I wanted to do some “Googling” first.
Well, now that I see there’s stimulants in it, I know I cant take it and will tell her so but I’m confused about how she is making a “boatload” of money. She doesn’t have tons of friends with disposable income and I see that her team leader (or whatever shes called) has posted on her timeline that shes already received two 4000 cash bonuses, an I-pad and is on her way to a new car. Shes been selling this for 2 months, how is that even possible? It it for real or just another way to suck someone else in?
I have a love/hate relationship with Thrive. I used to love the shakes, because I could drink one and focus to clean house, etc. That’s about all I liked. Everything they make is full of stimulants…pretty much every product except their probiotic lol. I couldn’t handle it; got bad tension headaches.
My friend, who is a promoter, has developed horrible anxiety but refuses to get off Thrive. (It increased ten-fold on Thrive.) She now takes anti-anxiety meds and still takes Thrive products…all of them. She refuses to acknowledge the stimulants she is consuming. Her anxiety is so bad, it prevents them for, taking trips, etc.
Thrive recently came out with a nootropic. I received an email stating since i ordered shakes, I could order the new produce early. I couldn’t find anything about the ingredients. I asked my promoter friend, and she said they hadn’t posted the ingredients yet. She added they have such confidence in their products being all natural, high quality. I told her belladonna and hemlock are natural, too. No way will I order something that has no ingredients listed. She got it to me a few days later…of course it has caffeine in it and is another proprietary blend. The patch, pills, shakes, activate, boost, expand…all have stimulants. Insane. I emailed the company complaining about not listing ingredients before soliciting orders…zero response.
I’m pretty much done with them. I can find an alternative to their shakes. Everything else gives me headaches.
As far as the white willow bark goes, I would add I buy a white willow bark cream from our health food store. It really helps with tension headaches, etc. I just rub it into my neck and shoulders. I use that or magnesium gel.
For everyone following this thread, I won the lawsuit that Le-Vel attacked me with. See the court’s decision here: https://static.lazymanandmoney.com/images/2017/03/27114334/160672.op_.pdf
That is fantastic! Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of this horrendous company!
Woohoo!! Congrats!!
Lmao I love this thread. Hate thrive but I wanted to point out what ms Rebecca had to say about her nursing duties. Being a nurses assistant you clearly are practicing out of your scope of practice. Being a student earning her bachelors of science of nursing at one of the best nursing schools in the country I have learned what to delegate to the aids. Please don’t confuse people on here. Let it be known that aids actually are not allowed to apply topical medications. Medications are the RNs job, pills, injections, topical, transdermal , no aid should ever administer medications any of these ways. Also, aids are not allowed to insert Foley catheters. Hospitals are at risk for infections due to Foley catheters because of aseptic technique so you are not in control of that. RNs are. Also, why the hell would you think an aid would be in charge of wound dressing changes? Completely FALSE. Lastly, I don’t know what you mean about “taking care of colostomy bags” but no, that is not in your scope of practice either. Please don’t confuse people on here saying you have all these credentials when I’m busting my ass to actually earn my BSN. Thanks.
Thrive recently popped up on my social media. I was curious because I’m a tired mom. The promise of more energy and losing that pregnancy weight attracted me. But then I found out it was $150 for 30 days. What the what? So I didn’t reply back. But then the person said, “Hey, I’ll send you a three day trial!” So I said sure. The first day, I followed the directions exactly. I felt so unbelievably sick. I was dizzy. I was nauseated. All I wanted to do was lay in bed. I couldn’t do much else honestly. I contacted the seller and they said, “Drink lots of water and tomorrow, take one pill instead of two because of the caffeine.” I am no stranger to caffeine. I’ve had lots of caffeine beverages. I’ve never felt so sick like I did with Thrive. So either they have INSANE amounts of caffeine or it’s something else in their stuff. Plus, the shake tasted and felt like drinking chalk. I started googling Thrive and found this article so I thought I’d share my experience. I’m so grateful I had a free sample and didn’t throw away $150.
Can you comment about pruvit? Taking a ketone powder and mixing in different ways? Believed to be a pyramid scheme. Thank you!!
I’ve never heard of Pruvit. Have you compared the company to the FTC chairwoman’s guidelines here?
Are you asking about the ketone product or the mlm?
You can buy KetoCaNa on Amazon hassle free which is the same product that the pyramid scheme Pruvit uses to entice you to join and recruit for them.
Pruvit shows a retail price of $85. You can buy for as low as $56 on Amazon with free prime shipping. Why pay more than you have to?
I am not for or against Le-vel or any other MLM, just doing some research. I would like to voice my opinion about the use of the phrase pyramid scheme. A MLM business model is no more a pyramid scheme than any other business on the planet.
[Editor’s Response: My understanding of these FTC guidelines is that there’s a particularly thin line between MLM and pyramid scheme due to earning being related to a recruited downline.
If you are doing research, the best place to start is with this 30 minute review by HBO’s John Oliver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6MwGeOm8iI%5D
Let’s just look at a typical sales department. A national VP of sales hires a regional VP of sales , who hires area sales managers who hire sales people to sell and they all make salaries and bonuses of the sales volume of the actual sales people at the bottom. That sounds like a scam to me.
[Editor’s Response: I don’t think that’s how a typical sales department works. In any case, can we agree that the sales people are typically paid a salary (especially at the VP level) and it comes with benefits such as healthcare, dental, paid vacation, etc.? Few people in sales take a 100% commission position as I understand it. I’m fairly confident that IBM has a sales team. No one would say that IBM is an MLM.
Hope this helps you with your research.]
It works for me. Sounds like alot of fat computer geeks angry about getting sued.
[Editor’s Response: I’m confused, you seem to be calling yourself an angry fat geek with your name. I wasn’t happy about getting sued for giving my opinion in answering a reader’s question, but hey I won, so score one for Freedom of Speech and another one for the little guy against Big Corporate lawyers, right?]
If you don’t want to try something then don’t and if you do then do. Make the decision on your own and don’t be swayed either way buy pointless, childish, back and forth banter.
[Editor’s Response: There’s no back and forth banter about Mott’s apple sauce. There’s a reason why Truth in Advertising informs people of what they should know. I don’t think you would say that if you want to try off bridge then do it or don’t do it. I think you’d want to know about things like gravity before you do it.]
I am glad I don’t care enough to follow up and read the replies that will follow as I feel I have already wasted enough time I will never get back on this subject. Hope everyone that reads any of this does inevitably make their own choices in their own life.
[Editor’s Response: Yes, everyone gets to make their own choices, but people should be informed to make those decisions. There’s nothing wrong with information.]
Ha!! Show me the recipts. I know of no less than 10 people who are trying to hawk this crap right now and so far THEY are all still fat, and sort of stupid looking since they all wear these stupid bandaids. CONGRATS on your win in court man, keep fighting the good fight, I am praying for the day another idiot is not on facebook raving about thriving and desperately trying to recruit more moonies. Honestly – it is beyond annoying, mainly because not ONE of them has lost an ounce. Probably because they ALL have bubble gut from all the caffeine and then run for the Cheetos to make it stop! Not sure – but ZERO visible improvement in ANY of them and it has been months of this incessant caterwauling. I have blocked most of them, but they keep popping up like some bad “whack – a mole” game.
[Editor’s Note: I’ll be making responses inline. Ms. Crowder, I’ve removed your distribution link to Le-Vel as this isn’t the place to try recruit or make Le-Vel sales.]
For those of you on here who have posted all this negativity, and are not on Thrive (obviously by how you’re bashing on a product you’ve never tried), don’t knock it until you try it.
[Editor’s Response: Consumer protection isn’t negativity. I’ve never tried jumping off a bridge, but I think it’s fair to discuss intelligently about the topic. Truth in Advertising has pointed out with the adverse health effects mentioned here. Maybe it’s best to knock it before you try it.]
I’m on Thrive and I’ll never go back to popping 12 supplements a day or taking Big Pharma pills for emotional and mental stress, then energy shots to pick me up midday.
[Editor’s Response: Truth in Advertising also points out that “salespeople may very well be skewed.” I’d like to remind you that as a salesperson, you have a duty to adhere to the FTC Endorsement Guidelines, which means, in my interpretation, you can’t suggest that Thrive is an alternative to emotional and mental stress pharmaceutical products. That may be even be an FDA violation.]
Gorging on food when I get home from work. Never again.
[Editor’s Response: What does this have to do with Thrive again?]
For these few Debbie Downer’s on here, look at the millions of people who are actually on Thrive.
[Editor’s Response: Are there millions of people taking Thrive? Do you have numbers that have been audited by a third party? I’ve found that MLM companies like to exaggerate their reach to make it seem more credible.]
It’s changed their lives, and it’s certainly changed mine. I’m not in it to sell Thrive. I’m in it because it’s changed the way I felt about ME. 10lbs lost and counting. I WANT to get out and do things. Travel. Walk. Laugh. Play. LIVE again.
[Editor’s Response: Again, many more millions of people on Earth who do these things without ever having heard of Le-Vel Thrive.]
So keep blogging. Eat those chips. Drink those sodas. And keep trying to roar about something that YOU have not even TRIED. Maybe you DO need to get on Thrive and be happy again. Like the rest of us Thrivers! Peace
[Editor’s Response: I’m happy already. I don’t need chips or soda. Why do you pretend to know my lifestyle? How do you explain the Registered Dietitian Abby Langer’s review? Do you think she advocates chips and sodas?]
Oh yeah, I added my monthly spending budget up on supplements, coffee, sodas, energy shots, junk snacks.
$200 in supplements (store brand, Dr Axe)
Didn’t feel any healthier.
$100-150 on the rest
$350 total.
Yeah, I think I’ll stay on Thrive for just $5 a day!
Shocker huh? Those are my facts. And I did my comparisons to supplemental facts.
Sorry that you were wasting money on supplements, sodas, energy shots, and junk snacks. By the way, which supplements were you buying before?
It sounds like you were spending a lot of money on caffeine (coffee, soda, and energy shots all typically have caffeinated). Here are some non-Thrive articles I wrote that may have helped you with your spending for that:
1. How Much is Your Caffeine Costing You?
2. Save Money on Energy Drinks (and Caffeine)
3. How Much is Your Coffee Costing You? (Maybe 1/3 of Million Dollars!)
4. Brewing Coffee at Home vs. Buying at a Coffee Shop
I’d like to call your attention to the first article. As I explained, you can plug the numbers in this online calculator.
I plugged in your $5 a day (using the suggested 8% interest rate) and I found the results staggeringly terrible:
I think can do without wasting more than $940K. Those numbers certainly don’t make me any healthier.
Tina, where do you suppose all your support will be when the bottom falls out as it almost always does with these scams? Do you really think they are going to carry you? LOL! I supplement too, but I use all the genuine artifacts, not somebody’s magic”proprietary” blend. I spend a fraction of what that crap costs. I don’t worry about weight loss, but then I don’t couch surf. It’s called exercise, try it. As for “Thrive” the emporer has no clothes. Save your shill work for those simple enough to buy it. NONE of the people I know are taking this crap have lost an ounce, and I know one distributor who can’t take the product because it caused her heart to race.. Le-vel, when the pizza calls your name, eat it and add a second patch. Please LOL!
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I’m on Thrive and I’ll never go back to popping 12 supplements a day or taking Big Pharma pills for emotional and mental stress, then energy shots to pick me up midday… So keep blogging. Eat those chips. Drink those sodas….Maybe you DO need to get on Thrive and be happy again. Like the rest of us Thrivers!”
Funny, I don’t detect a scintilla of happiness in your comments — more so because of the snotty attitude than your admission that you have been taking psychiatric medication. Caffeine and energy boosters are probably the last thing you need. Admonishing people to gorge on chips and sodas simply because they disagree with your nonsense about Thrive is hostile and sociopathic.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “Oh yeah, I added my monthly spending budget up on supplements, coffee, sodas, energy shots, junk snacks. $200 in supplements (store brand, Dr Axe). Didn’t feel any healthier. $100-150 on the rest. $350 total. Yeah, I think I’ll stay on Thrive for just $5 a day! Shocker huh? Those are my facts. And I did my comparisons to supplemental facts.”
Not shocking at all that you would make such a statement, but it doesn’t seem to be the last bit factual. Considering your income bracket (a bottom-rung MLM distributor making sub poverty-level wages), you don’t strike me as the kind of person who could afford to spend $200 a month on supplements (and if you did you’d be crazy), so instead it seems that you are inventing this scenario out of thin air in a weak attempt to concoct a misleading value proposition for Thrive. But obviously, you can’t compare Thrive to a soda, since Thrive is not a beverage; nor to snacks of any kind because Thrive is not food either (it has no calories); nor even to supplements because Thrive is a patch and does not reliably deliver bioavailable nutrients. The comparison is asinine and misleading – par for the course for MLM.
Like LazyMan alluded to, the only thing you’d really be substituting Thrive for is caffeine, and caffeine is dirt cheap – certainly less than $5 a day. And don’t try to compare slapping on a patch to a coffee shop latte because they are not comparable. One is a hot satisfying beverage (with calories, and less than $5 a day) served at an establishment with amenities; the other is a wholly unsatisfying snakeoil patch that does essentially nothing, except support pyramid scheme con artists and desperadoes. If value is what one is looking for, then they should follow LazyMan’s advice and buy cheap caffeine pills. They are highly effective, cost pennies on the dollar compared to Thrive, and negate the need to participate in an exploitive con game.
@Scott:
Scott says
June 4, 2017 at 11:10 pm
Tina, where do you suppose all your support will be when the bottom falls out as it almost always does with these scams? Do you really think they are going to carry you? LOL! I supplement too, but I use all the genuine artifacts, not somebody’s magic”proprietary” blend. I spend a fraction of what that crap costs. I don’t worry about weight loss, but then I don’t couch surf. It’s called exercise, try it. As for “Thrive” the emporer has no clothes. Save your shill work for those simple enough to buy it. NONE of the people I know are taking this crap have lost an ounce, and I know one distributor who can’t take the product because it caused her heart to race.. Le-vel, when the pizza calls your name, eat it and add a second patch. Please LOL!
Well, Scott, If the bottom falls out, the bottom falls out. I don’t expect anybody to “carry me”. But you can bet that I’ll be looking underground for some of that Thrive if that happens!
I have a full time job, so I’ll be financially ok. Hoping the bottom doesn’t fall out with that! See my “crap” above. Since you are a “genuine artifact user”, add it up. What’d you get? But none of those “genuine artifacts” worked for me. I didn’t feel any healthier being on them. See anything healthier going on. Just my opinion here…
You see, I worry about weight loss. I don’t feel good about what I see in the mirror.
Yes, exercise. I am doing that now. I have the motivation and energy to do it now. Thanks to Thrive. Heart races? Everybody’s heart races. I check my HR and I run about 75 to 85. Higher when I exercise. Now, keep in mind that every BODY is different. “Stuff” affects people in different ways. Sorry Thrive didn’t work out for your friend. Good for you in your supplement spending, and comparing it to what a female actually needs. I’d say it’s a liiiitle more expensive than what your manly-man “genuine artifacts” cost. Sorry you don’t know NONE of the people have lost weight. SURELY they’ve lost an ounce, no?
I’ve lost my weight because I got up off my ASS and wanted to do something for my body. Thrive gave me the energy to do that.
Let’s see, next:
Oh, yes, VOGEL. BTW, it’s funny how all of you cronies on here stay anonymous (is Scott even your real name??). Am I the only one that everybody knows who I am now?? Lol
Vogel says
June 5, 2017 at 1:07 pm
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I’m on Thrive and I’ll never go back to popping 12 supplements a day or taking Big Pharma pills for emotional and mental stress, then energy shots to pick me up midday… So keep blogging. Eat those chips. Drink those sodas….Maybe you DO need to get on Thrive and be happy again. Like the rest of us Thrivers!”
VOGEL says: Funny, I don’t detect a scintilla of happiness in your comments — more so because of the snotty attitude than your admission that you have been taking psychiatric medication. Caffeine and energy boosters are probably the last thing you need. Admonishing people to gorge on chips and sodas simply because they disagree with your nonsense about Thrive is hostile and sociopathic.
Well, Vogel, read all of the above. This crazy chick IS probably cray-cray. She’s still on Thrive! So be it. But let me re-cap for you:
I really don’t see where I was being “snotty”?? Please let me know how/where in my post? YOU calling me snotty? Touche, times a million for you.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “Oh yeah, I added my monthly spending budget up on supplements, coffee, sodas, energy shots, junk snacks. $200 in supplements (store brand, Dr Axe). Didn’t feel any healthier. $100-150 on the rest. $350 total. Yeah, I think I’ll stay on Thrive for just $5 a day! Shocker huh? Those are my facts. And I did my comparisons to supplemental facts.”
Vogel: Not shocking at all that you would make such a statement, but it doesn’t seem to be the lEast bit factual. Considering your income bracket (a bottom-rung MLM distributor making sub poverty-level wages), you don’t strike me as the kind of person who could afford to spend $200 a month on supplements (and if you did you’d be crazy), so instead it seems that you are inventing this scenario out of thin air in a weak attempt to concoct a misleading value proposition for Thrive. But obviously, you can’t compare Thrive to a soda, since Thrive is not a beverage; nor to snacks of any kind because Thrive is not food either (it has no calories); nor even to supplements because Thrive is a patch and does not reliably deliver bioavailable nutrients. The comparison is asinine and misleading – par for the course for MLM.
You know nothing about my income bracket. That wasn’t the “last” bit factual (least, Vogel, l-E-ast). Nope, not the lease bit factual. I made a statement and it’s true in my book. Ask your buddy Scott if this is true. I’m sure he know’s about Dr Axe products and how organically expensive they really are. Please see my “stuff” list above. You’re not worth re-typing it to.
I am able to spend the money on what I was spending before Thrive. Thrive works for me and my “poverty” stricken bank account thanks me.
I have a JOB. 2 of them now. I design houses and billboards. I love my job. I’ve even worked in construction in building houses. Loved all aspects of construction and architecture, so I got a degree in it. What was that about overty-level wages??
I’m not proposing Thrive on anyone. If they want to try it, I can get it for them. The rest is up to them. Like it was for me. And so on and so on.
I DO compare Thrive to soda, because it IS a beverage. I love my shake. It replaced my coffee. Better energy. And again, coffee, sodas, will also have “adverse health effects” on some people. Beacuse every body is different.
Thrive tides me over so I won’t snack throughout the morning before lunch. Kinda the concept of Thrive…
Of course, “Thrive is not food either, (it has no calories). Really? I’m glad it has no calories, because I’d be walking more trying to burn those suckers off. As stated above. It does tide me over through the morning and keeps a lasso in on what I NEED to eat.
Like I said, it’s how I feel, not how everyone else feels.
The patch. Slap it on and go. Thrive On.
I don’t want the other caffeine’s out there. Let alone “dirt cheap” ones. I was a cup of coffee drinker a day in the morning. Not really a coffee snob, like you made yourself sound like. I just needed a wake me up beverage. That was it. Then maayybe an energy shot, if I needed to punch deadlines in the face. Or it was a MONDAY.
A “snake oil” patch? There’s capsules, a drink, and a patch. I can’t compare any of them to this “snake oil” and neither can you. But I bet I’m closer to comparing it to you, because I’m on Thrive. And I ain’t gonna get off.
Vogel: If value is what one is looking for, then they should follow LazyMan’s advice and buy cheap caffeine pills.
Really? How about this. I tried them many years ago and I wanted to climb the walls! It gave me the awfulest, jitteriest, moodiest, most nervous feeling that I never took them again. Dang right. CHEAP is what they are. Highly effective to what? An elephant? Pennies on the dollar. Ha! I’m sure they are! CHEAP is what comes to mind again. Please, do not compare Thrive to that shit. Excuse my R word. But there was no other word to describe it.
And last, a con-game. Ok. And?
Isn’t a casino?
Lottery tickets?
Suck your money in, suck you dry, and spit you out even more poverty stricken than before.
But eventually, one day, after the poor man has scraped his last penny off the street, maybe one day, he’ll hit it big. Isn’t it like that with every other blasted thing? You take chances. You believe. You win some, you lose some.
I think I’ll pass on all that and just keep putting my money in Thriving.
Now, excuse me while I go take a walk and prepare for the next scathing post about dang Thrive!
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “Yes, exercise. I am doing that now. I have the motivation and energy to do it now. Thanks to Thrive.”
So you weight loss is directly attributable to exercise and not Thrive, obviously. Nonetheless, you were perfectly content in your previous post to mislead people into thinking that Thrive was responsible. How you could possibly derive motivation from Thrive is unfathomable.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “Oh, yes, VOGEL. BTW, it’s funny how all of you cronies on here stay anonymous (is Scott even your real name??). Am I the only one that everybody knows who I am now?? Lol”
Funny to a greenhorn dolt on their first day of blog surfing perhaps. Par for the course for a normal person however (i.e., people on blogs create user names and do not typically use their actual name). There’s nothing remotely funny about it. And WTF does the user name have to do with the factual validity of someone’s argument? Nothing! Another red herring on your part, dodging the issues.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I really don’t see where I was being “snotty”?? Please let me know how/where in my post? YOU calling me snotty?”
It was comments like these that qualified as “snotty”:
“For those of you on here who have posted all this negativity…”
“For these few Debbie Downer’s on here…”
“So keep blogging. Eat those chips. Drink those sodas. And keep trying to roar about something that YOU have not even TRIED. Maybe you DO need to get on Thrive and be happy again. Like the rest of us Thrivers!”
Debunking your BS scam product/company is not negativity (it is in fact a valuable public service). Posting critical comments about the BS nature of the product doesn’t make someone a “Debbie Downer”; it simply makes your life (trying to swindle people with a snakeoil pyramid scheme) more difficult. You have no rebuttal to the criticism so instead you call the critics names, suggest that they are negative people, and, like a fool, try to condemn them to drinking chips and soda. Like I said, you don’t seem happy at all. You seem to be seething inside and can barely keep your smiley MLM game face plastered on.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “You know nothing about my income bracket.”
I beg to differ. If you’re flogging this crap, and earning the typical sub-poverty-level remuneration associated with MLMs like Le-Vel, then you’re obviously hurting. If the point were important to you, you could try to prove me wrong by submitting your latest tax return and income statement from Le-Vel showing that you’re one of those incredibly rare exceptions to the rule. Otherwise, you can spare us the posturing.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I’m not proposing Thrive on anyone.”
Your denial is BS and does not reconcile with comments you made, such as:
“And keep trying to roar about something that YOU have not even TRIED. Maybe you DO need to get on Thrive and be happy again.”
“don’t knock it until you try it.”
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I never stated that Thrive helped me with emotional and mental stress. “OR taking Big Pharma pills”, is what I said. This is not stating that Thrive has helped me with that.”
What you said was the following:
“I’m on Thrive and I’ll never go back to popping 12 supplements a day or taking Big Pharma pills for emotional and mental stress.”
Now that you were called out for making what appears to be a misleading and illegal statement (suggesting that Thrive enabled you to go off psychiatric meds), you are back pedaling and denying it, saying the following:
“I chose to not take Big Pharma pills anymore because I just didn’t feel right on them.”
So what you are really saying is that Thrive had nothing to do with going off your psychiatric meds; you just simply decided to stop taking them. Your initial statement (just like the BS one you made attributing your weight loss to Thrive) was clearly misleading, and intentionally so. Your back-pedaling confirms what we knew all along – that Thrive is utterly useless. BTW, you should go back on your meds ASAFP.
Tina is a “waist” of time, lol. She’s a cheap hack. Be thankful she’s not in your family or friend circle or she would be attempting to guilt you into buying her bullsh*t or signing on to the pyramid UNDER her. Yeah, you keep on thriving old girl. You deserve it.
I forgot one other important note:
Tina Crowder: I’m on Thrive and I’ll never go back to popping 12 supplements a day or taking Big Pharma pills for emotional and mental stress, then energy shots to pick me up midday.
[Editor’s Response: Truth in Advertising also points out that “salespeople may very well be skewed.” I’d like to remind you that as a salesperson, you have a duty to adhere to the FTC Endorsement Guidelines, which means, in my interpretation, you can’t suggest that Thrive is an alternative to emotional and mental stress pharmaceutical products. That may be even be an FDA violation.]
I never stated that Thrive helped me with emotional and mental stress. “OR taking Big Pharma pills”, is what I said. This is not stating that Thrive has helped me with that. I chose to not take Big Pharma pills anymore because I just didn’t feel right on them. Cry, take a pill. Sleep. Wake up. Cry again. Take a pill. Viscious cycle. I had a good reason to cry over life changing events, but “poor me” had had enough of the pills.
[Editor’s Note: “In my interpretation”]. Yep, YOUR interpretation. Dually noted.
FDA violation for what again? Nice try.
skew
skyo?o
verb
past tense: skewed; past participle: skewed
suddenly change direction or position.
“the car had skewed across the track”
Skewed? If this is what it feels like to be skewed, then bring it! I love this sudden change and my direction and position is forward and positive now.
Time for sleep, that I never used to have in the past 2 years.
Goodnight, fellas…
These comments are cracking me up. Everyone remember that arguing with a fool proves there are two. Don’t do it. I can’t help it…every one of thrive’s products are packed full of stimulants (organic speed)- no idea the amounts because is a “proprietary blend”. Combine all these stimulants, with all their products, and have fun over taxing your adrenals. The effect will fade and you will crash…but wait…then take the activate or boost for that. But, but… these stimulants are good for you because they are organic…so is belladonna and hemlock, etc. & they will kill you. You are taking speed. The vitamins are minimal amounts, I’ve researched them all. It is the proprietary blend making you euphoric. They made my heart race over 100 bpm at resting rate and gave me horrible headaches. My friend who is a promoter now has horrible anxiety but refuses to stop taking it. Her anxiety did not start until she took thrive. Her husband and kids are at their wits end. They can’t even travel it is so bad. She went to the dr. And got downers….she thrives in the morning and then takes the downers…but she did manage to paint her entire house, mow the yard, weed the garden and do her workout. Yay for organic speed. Do what you want, but be honest about it. No one is taking thrive away from you. They are trying to caution people and rightfully so.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “Still wondering how you got my last name though? Facebook??…Thanks for putting my name out there. I thought I put TinaC in the Name*??? So much for anonymity, but I really don’t mind…”
Stunning hypocrisy! Just yesterday you had the gall to complain bitterly that people here were anonymous. Remember? You said:
“Oh, yes, VOGEL. BTW, it’s funny how all of you cronies on here stay anonymous (is Scott even your real name??). Am I the only one that everybody knows who I am now?? Lol”
Now today you admit that you actually intended to remain anonymous by using the handle “TinaC”, which is no more revealing than the user names, like “Scott” and “Vogel”, that you complained about. Funny though, you were too dense to realize that your attempt to drum up business with the link you provided to your distributor webpage would blow your anonymity.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I’ll never go back to… taking Big Pharma pills for emotional and mental stress, Sorrynotsorry…Life happens, then it dies, unfortunately, and misery welcomed me in…”
A less disingenuous way of saying “Big Pharma Pills for emotional and mental stress” would be “prescribed medication for a diagnosed psychiatric disorder”. I’m tempted to say that your depressive/bipolar disorder would explain your dumb comments and the reason why you would resort to MLM quackery/pyramid scammery to get by, but that would be an insult to people with depression/bipolar disorder. No, such shallowness and predatory instincts are character traits that I suspect have nothing to do with your mental illness.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “Some pretty good facts, thank you, but definitely no intelligent discussions (Vogel, you win that one!).”
That’s a woeful misrepresentation of reality. I have made many useful comments analyzing the lack of value and absurdity of Thrive products and the deceptive illegal claims made about them by their idiot distributors. You were probably just too lazy to scroll through and read them, or simply found it more convenient to pretend they don’t exist.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “Adverse health effects: Doesn’t just about everything out there that isn’t plain ole fruits, vegetables, and meat, have adverse health effects?”
Well, no, clearly not, and that’s just a really dumb comment completely devoid of any forethought. There are lots of things (e.g., quinoa, yoghurt, walnuts) that don’t fall into any of those categories and yet are not typically known to have adverse health effects. You made a pointless overgeneralization that has nothing to do with your products, which indeed seem to routinely cause adverse effects, according to MedSask at the University of Saskatchewan for example, and have never been rigorously tested for safety. Everything you sell is a crapshoot for consumers with respect to safety (poor value, on the other hand, is guaranteed).
https://medsask.usask.ca/documents/newsletters/32.4%20THRIVE_Oct2015.pdf
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “The only regimen I changed when I dropped all of my other “stuff”, let’s call it, was Thrive… Like I said, now stay with me here, guys…Thrive is the only thing that I have changed in my regimen.”
Not true at all. You stated quite clearly that you did change your regimen, with respect to both diet and exercise:
“Gorging on food when I get home from work. Never again…Yes, exercise. I am doing that now. I have the motivation and energy to do it now…I’m in it because it’s changed the way I felt about ME. 10 lbs lost and counting… I’ve lost my weight because I got up off my ASS and wanted to do something for my body… I don’t eat like I used to…I was more of a cracker-chips and lemonade kind a girl.”
Losing a mere 10 lbs isn’t really much of a boast-worthy achievement, but regardless, it is easily explainable by simply consuming fewer and burning more calories, which is exactly what you did. The idea that Thrive was responsible by motivating you to accomplish these small feats is patently ludicrous, and more importantly, it is certainly not what the product is advertised to do.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “So, I’ll spend my $5 a day on Thrive. Sorrynotsorry.”
That’s almost 2 grand a year — wholesale!!! An absolutely insane amount to flush down the toilet on worthless MLM snakeoil products. Nice of you to put on a brave face though and pretend it’s a trivial amount that you don’t mind paying; fooling no one.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “You know nothing about my income bracket…Thrive works for me and my “poverty” stricken bank account thanks me. I have a JOB. 2 of them now. I design houses and billboards. I love my job. I’ve even worked in construction in building houses. Loved all aspects of construction and architecture, so I got a degree in it. What was that about overty-level wages??”
Sure I do. You’re a lowly marketing coordinator for a building supply store in a podunk town in North Carolina (literally on the bottom rung of the store’s staff list) who pretends to have a career in architecture and designing houses while stealthily promoting BS snakeoil pyramid schemes as a sideline gig.
http://hensonbuildingmaterials.com/index.php/about-us/forest-city
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “For these few Debbie Downer’s on here, look at the millions of people who are actually on Thrive.”
“On”??? Why do you talk about the product as though it’s medication? What you should have said is “people using the product.” Sadly, this kind of BS is endemic to snakeoil MLM operations. Secondly, there aren’t millions of people taking the product; at least there is no evidence to support nor reason to believe such a claim. Regardless of the actual number of few people who may be using the product, we are most certainly looking at them, and they serve as a nonstop source of bemusement. Lastly, the irony of you calling other people “Debbie Downer” is simply gobsmacking given that you have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder for which you were prescribed psychiatric medication. Remember? As someone living in a glass house, you should know better than to callously throw such stones.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I sure don’t advocate chips and sodas.”
Yes you do. Like a sneering a-hole, you advocated precisely that when you said the following, remember?
“So keep blogging. Eat those chips. Drink those sodas.”
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “My list of “stuff”: “Dr Axe: Organic B (all of em), Omega 3 (all of em), Turmeric Curcumin, Bone Broth Protein, Collagen Coffee Flavored (YUCK)…Other brands/companies: Black Cohosh, Dandelion, Biotin, Selenium (sp?), Whole Food Magnesium, Advanced ACV Plus caps (then switched back to my liquid ACV), One A Day Trubiotics, and of course, Excedrin as needed. And I didn’t feel any better on ANY of it.”
Well of course you didn’t feel any better. It’s easy to explain why: (a) you have a psychiatric disorder, for which the OTC supplements you described would be fully expected to be ineffective in treating; and (b) none of those supplements are supposed (i.e., based on science) to make you “feel” anything, with the exception of Excedrin (a pain reliever). Were you actually dumb enough to believe that you could “feel” your risk of cardiovascular disease being lowered by omega-3? Your premise is thoroughly absurd. All it proves is that you have hopelessly unrealistic expectations and like burning money.
Tina Crowder (LeVel Distributor) said: “I appreciate you being semi-concerned about people’s welfare in your response to me.”
Wow! Did you really believe for one second that I’m even the tiniest bit concerned about your welfare? My only concern is for the welfare of the people who you seek to swindle with your predatory snakeoil pyramid scheme BS. You strike me as nothing more than a one-dimensional caricature; the dismantling of which serves as a valuable case study and a public service announcement.
Exactly.
I am a thrive promoter if anyone would like to learn more about or be a customer under me please call or text me @ [Editor’s Note: number redacted], I have been taking thrive myself and I can say it turned my life around and thrive is not a scam like some people claim. I know tons of people that do it and they can tell you the same thing.
[Editor’s Response: Please read and understand: http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/no-your-mlm-health-product-does-not-work/%5D
Anybody who’s spouting off bogus claims of radical weight loss, change in mental illness, miracle body repairment from LeVel are all experiencing the placebo effect.
My mom got suckered into this scam just like many others. I’ve seen first hand how this cult works. I’ve also tried the product because my mom has tried to get me started on it many times. It doesn’t do a damn thing.
I’m so tired of these scams bombarding everyone everywhere. Wish people would wake up and see these thieving companies for what they really are.
Kira said: “Anybody who’s spouting off bogus claims of radical weight loss, change in mental illness, miracle body repairment from LeVel are all experiencing the placebo effect. My mom got suckered into this scam just like many others.”
I fully agree with you indictment about the bogus nature of the claims, but I suspect that in most cases it’s straight up lying rather than a placebo effect.
After reading several reviews. I have decided not to be repetitive. The fact that this company is a fraud is an understatement. The product does not work. When you factor in the cost. It should have been the best product on the market. They refused to replace or return an order that was erroneously placed. My sponsor supposedly looked into it. Two months have gone by and I have not heard back from him. Though he stated what they did was wrong. They reneged on their money back guarantee. I can see lawsuits heading their way. I’ll be laughing all the way.
Hello, i came across your article and thought I would put my 2 cents in. I thrived for 12 months ( along with family members and friends that unfortunately followed me. Initially I thought thrive was Amazing! Mind you I had two young babies do you can imagine my exhaustion. I found by the 5th week I wasn’t feeling so amazing anymore, and I found the uplines to be full of excuses ( the whole detox spiel ) and they were very very pushy for me to reach 12k after I reached 4K in my VIP period as a promoter. I found it morally wrong to promote a product I felt doubtful about as I started to feel more exhausted than before. And omg the withdrawals are crazy!! This is supposed to be natural ! Something is not right in this product. Fast forward 12 months I regret ever trying it. It has caused me serious health issues such as stomach lining inflammation and liver issues and heart problems . I can only put it down to thrive as I’d never had issues prior. I believe thrive to be dangerous and the health issues that come with it are so not worth it. Proceed with caution !!!
Ariana, I urge you to file an adverse event report with the FDA. It’s easy to do and could help to protect other consumers.
https://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ReportAdverseEvent/
Thank you Ariana. I have already given up on them. They do not return phone calls or e-mails. they have blocked me from their Facebook page. Mind you, a true company would try to reach out to you. To find out what went wrong and how they can help. The person that told you to report them, is correct. I plan on doing it myself.
Oh man, I’ve got a lot to say about these guys. Back in my sophomore year of college, I was selling class notes to my peers on a site called Study Soup. I made good money doing it actually, about $140. They were for an American Government class. Anyway, I got acquainted with one of my “top customers”, and it wasn’t long before we were chatting more and more in class.
She’d talk about wanting to be rich and wealthy. You know, wanting to be a millionaire and all that. To be fair, who doesn’t want to be rich, right? But, one thing kept coming up in almost every discussion we had: Le-Vel Thrive. Whether it was about class or life in general, this classmate kept talking about how her boyfriend lost weight using Level Thrive and how she was planning a special event for anyone looking to join Thrive. The more we communicated, the more often Thrive came into the discussion. I could experience the same health benefits if I tried some Thrive products. She kept asking me if I wanted to try some free samples, and she also expected me to buy some Thrive shakes because she bought so many of my class notes. Apparently, the only good gesture you can show someone is to give them money. Once I accepted her Facebook friend request, my Facebook page turned from a place to see posts from friends and loved ones to a mail-order catalog for Thrive garbage.
“LAST CHANCE TO BUY THRIVE FOR 50% OFF!!!!!”
“LOOKING TO GET IN SHAPE WITHOUT EXERCISE? TRY LEV-EL THRIVE!!”
“HOW I LOST WEIGHT USING LEV-EL THRIVE!”
“HOW MY BOYFRIEND LOST WEIGHT USING LE-VEL THRIVE!”
“BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES! THANKS FOR HELPING ME LOSE WEIGHT, THRIVE!!!”
“THRIVE SAVED MY LIFE!!!”
Not all of them were exactly like this, but you get the gist of it. Get Thrive on discount, before and after pictures, etc. Almost no one ever commented on these endless Thrive posts, so I couldn’t have been the only one annoyed by her Thrive obsession. Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t report this to Facebook. I really should’ve done that. I don’t think you’re allowed to spam your personal Facebook page with sales posts.
Anyway, I thankfully already had experience with MLMs, when some Rodan + Fields consultants showed up at our Fall Career Fair and tried to convince me to sign up and spend $99 or so on a business starter package. I almost did before my mom talked me out of it (thanks, Mom!). So, when I visited this very site and discovered Thrive was just another MLM, I quickly lost interest. I texted this person that I was no longer interested, and, boy, she was pissed! Accused me of being unfair, selfish, whatever because she bought my notes and expected me to return the favor. In a more diplomatic way, I told her that she bought my notes because she didn’t want to study the material herself. Nobody forced her to buy them. However, I don’t want or need this crap. She proceeded to go with the whole “my boyfriend lost 30, 50, whatever lbs using Thrive” line, and I told her that my health is fine. Went on like this 30 straight minutes with her crappy sales scripts and my growing frustration. Eventually, I stopped texting this person because I realized I was talking to a brick wall.
After the semester ended, I kicked her off my Facebook friends page. My Facebook page returned to normal, and I’ve escaped from the terrifying cult-like horror that is MLM for now. Rejoice!
Thanks for sharing Belle. I was cringing along with you as I read your story. Sadly, every single MLM is exactly like this — and you only scratched the tip of the iceberg. Nice that your Ma helped steer you out of harms way. That’s what Lazy Man and others try to do here for those who might not have someone so wise in their corner. Sometimes it takes a village.
@ Vogel Appreciate the kind comments! I think the issue is that lots of people wish to become wealthy and rich, but they don’t know where to start or how to pull it off. They don’t have the gumption to start a business because they think it’ll be too costly. They’re not that savvy financially. They aren’t tech whizzes, business-types, mathematicians, musicians, athletes, or artists; you know, they don’t think they have a passion or a talent that could bring them millions and aren’t interested in taking the time to develop such a talent. But, they hate being unable to pay the bills and think that all they need is more money so that they can afford to live beyond their means.
So, when someone comes and waves a shiny carrot like a photo of a big house or a leased BMW and quotes like “I make $200K/month from Thrive, Mary Kay, Rodan + Fields, etc”, they get suckered in. Before they know it, they’ve “invested” (read: wasted) $12K on stuff that no one wants to buy and use crappy salesman tactics out of desperation, not knowing that they could’ve spent way less on launching their own business and selling things to a defined target audience. Some change. Some choose to keep falling for get-rich-quick schemes like MLM. That’s my theory.
Hello there,
I was trying to search something about Thrive Le-vel and I stumbled upon your site. I read your article and it makes sense to me. A friend of mine is really into this Thrive business. She made an account for me one time and it seems like she was wanting me to join her with this journey.
I’ve taken only one month supply of the patches. But sadly, it didn’t work for me. I had energy here and there, but it didn’t last long. And also the patch wouldn’t not stick on my skin for so long. Somehow when I do any kind of light exercise, the patch would come off. So I gave up on that one.
One day my friend texted me and asks if the dft is helping me at all. I told her that it didn’t work for me like I thought it would. I mentioned to her that I wanted to test out the shakes. But then I googled reviews and ingredients for it. It has sucralose in it. I am not very fond of it. I told her that I don’t really like sucralose. But she texted me back saying but it doesn’t have that weird aftertaste.
I got annoyed because that’s not what I wanted to hear. I feel so obligated to want to help her out by purchasing something. But at the same time I don’t have that kind of money to be buying all those expensive Thrive stuff. I told her I can try it out, but I don’t think I want to continue because the prices are high and the shipping is high as well.
I haven’t order yet and she hasn’t replied to my text. But I know I still see her likes on some of my posts on Facebook.
Sorry this is a long comment. But I just wanted to get all that out of the way. Thank you so much for this article. I should show her this, but then I’ll feel so horrible. I don’t like confrontation. She’s a good friend, but I wish I never mentioned about this whole Thrive thing.
Editor’s Note: I haven’t and can’t verify the accuracy of the comments. I suggest readers take unverified, anecdotal information with a grain of salt.
Here is some info for you…. one of my buddies is neighbors with the founder of Le-Vel (buddy’s name is Cliff and his wife, Valerie). I also know one of their other neighbors.
The interesting part is often the mail service drops packages off incorrectly at one house or the other.
Recently my friend who also lives near these people received a package for the Le-Vel founders’ best deism from Advocare. If this shit is so good, then why do the best friends of the LeVel founders use Advocare products?
I just want to say something positive about Thrive that the author did not consider. I’m on my third month of Thrive. It is too expensive and I hope to quit soon. But I need it due to a stomach disease that prevents me from digesting vitamins. I also suffer from Lupus and Thrive has given me enough extra energy to make it thru a workday again as a teacher. It is given me a vitamin and energy boost during a hard time. MY PRIMARY DOCTOR RECOMMENDED IT after trying several other treatments including vitamin injections….ouch and also expensive.
Thank you for reading.
Please upload the image of the doctor recommendation online and share it here. I ask you to do that because it is essentially a “flat earth” claim that a real medical doctor would recommend an MLM product. I don’t want to say it has never has happened, but it would be as surprising as seeing an indigo juggling penguin. I can’t think of anything that would get a doctor’s attention vs. any other vitamin. It’s been awhile since I wrote the article, but I think it was missing some key vitamins like E.
Other have mentioned that Le-Vel Thrive contains a LOT of caffeine. Most likely, that’s what’s giving you the energy to make it through the workday. It’s a very easy explanation that I think most people can relate to. You can save a lot of money with No-Doz pills.
On the offhand chance that this is somewhat legitimate, please understand that, as the author, I am not going to cover specific cases like people with Lupus AND a stomach disease. I’m not a doctor and if you have both of those two medical conditions and your doctor says it is a fit, then so be it. I would just make sure you buy it from Ebay rather than be part of a recruiting scheme.
LOL, i saw someone selling this stuff on FB. I love this blog, its one of the first things i found when i googled this company. I got an old buddy Barry that would love to sell these mlm folks some miracle pills
So a person I know has been selling this fake junk for the last 2 year’s. She was morbidly obese, and had started pushing this premium lifestyle mumbo jumbo. I mean how can you even believe some one 350lbs has some “premium lifestyle” she pushes this stuff so frequently about her new happy life and how perfect the product is, and wears Dft patches all over. I did my research as you have, and basically this stuff is a watered down multivitamin & missing other vitamins and a whole lot of caffeine! She started claiming she’d lose a pound here and there and meal prepping where causing her to drop weight, but that it was all due to her Thrive and her new premium lifestyle. The way she goes on and on makes you sick. Well at one point she started dropping weight rapidly about 1 1/2 year ago, 10lbs in one week, 20 lbs in a month…..consistently and rapidly and she kept pushing it was THRIVE and that she had all this energy! I was like no way! I told my husband she is full of it! The only way a person can lose weight that rapidly is starvation or weight loss surgery. Then she started postion pic of what she was eating, which was next to nothing. Again I told my husband, she had gastric surgery, because no one loses weight that rapidly! She lied to everyone about it, even posted that she had some other procedure done in the hospital at the time. She also posted pictures of the incision sites…which…funny match the same to a cartoon gastric procedure. Finally, a little birdie blurted out that she had weight loss surgery, so we asked and confirmed it. However she still continues on the lies of how it was “Thrive and her new Premium Lifestyle” and keeps peddling it to her Facebook friends that they need It. She just makes me so sick! Oh I lost 132lbs thanks to Thrive!
Her newest is that jer weight loss has plateaued. And she is going to try the New Burn Dft. And she posts about how it makes her so thirsty and she’s not hungry all day and has drank a gallon of water by noon, and has so much energy!
I’m just laughing because all the caffeine she is taking in, Im sure has her thirsty, and dehydrated! She must visit the restroom frequently!
Call me crazy, I don’t care, but a mother with Lupus (as indicated in a comment above) who sells this stuff, and her two babies recently met a tragic end in Denver. I do not in any way blame this on the product. I do however blame marketers who make young people think that MLM has a big payoff if they just invest a lot of their own money, which they usually do not have. It can lead to financial ruin, and tragedy. Only hard work leads to financial security. My heart is breaking for this family.
I decided to give Thrive a try 7 weeks ago just because I have been so tired and desperate to try anything (even desperate enough to get roped into this). I already exercise and try to eat as clean as I can so was willing to see if this would help with my energy levels. The first couple weeks I actually did feel more energetic but I seemed to quickly adapt and started having my afternoon crashes again. I never had any weight loss or really noticed any other differences other than being thirsty all the time. My sister-in-law tried at the same time as me and had same exact results.
If you don’t have the magic effects that are promised with Thrive all the distributors like to default to saying you must not be using the products correctly or aren’t drinking enough water… but honestly it’s not really rocket science. You take the pills first thing in the AM, drink the horrible shake a little later and then wear the patch. When I questioned my distributor on anything I never got a clear answer from her. She would just send me some generic Thrive instructions and tell me I must not be doing it correctly which honestly just insulted my intelligence. She was also constantly pushing other products on to me.
The products themselves are not great either. The capsules are just that- capsules. But you have to remember to take them first thing in the AM and then you have to take the shake a certain amount of time later which is also a pain. A couple things about the shakes- they are TERRIBLE, like drinking paste. I often gagged drinking them (and I drink a lot of protein shakes). Also you only get 3 weeks worth of the shake versus 4 weeks of patches and capsules. This is something they don’t tell you until you run out and then have to question the Thrive distributor who then tells you that you really should order extra shakes each month (in other words spend more money). Then of course are the patches. They don’t stay in place and often irritated my skin. The most annoying thing about these though is that Thrive is basically using your body as part of their marketing stragetgy. I was using this in the summer time where it’s harder to hide them and this patch visible to all with THRIVE! written all over it.
The people who are having good results with this are either A. Making money off it or B. They changed their diet and started exercising and drinking water and that’s what’s actually giving them the real results. This stuff is so expensive and just not worth it!
I took a leap and signed up for Thrive even after the research just cause in my personal circle people were seeming to enjoy it and I wanted to support my friend who has even been doing very good finaciallly from it. I took it one day couldn’t even get through the whole day, I am a very physically fit person, marathon runner, exercise everyday person. I did not realize how much caffeine was in these and it made me very sick and jittery. Im very sensitive to caffeine. I dont drink any soda, coffee, or energy drinks and just the amount was enough to send me into like a shock of it even though I was told theres hardly enough and yet it equals the amount found in a monster energy drink. Im very glad I got a discount and didnt spend the full price on this product. I can maybe from another perspective see the appeal of this energy caffeine high for people that are always exhausted but it was not for me and is honestly misleading and very uniformed for people where this could hurt someone with anxiety or heart conditions.
I’m sorry about your experience. I don’t know what else to say about that.
On the other hand, caffeine can be incredibly cheap if that’s what you are interested in – https://www.lazymanandmoney.com/price-caffeine/. You’d be surprised how cheap it can be.
Well my problem was with the amount of caffeine and whatever they put inside this thrive product it gave me shakes and nausea. My blood pressure was spike and my heart rate was elevated all day and almost into the next. When I talked to my friend she kept saying its just the Detox you’ll get used to it….I don’t think anything that makes you feel that is normal and something anyone’s body should get used to. Mind you this is only one day trying this and thats the results of it on someone who is already in a physical fit condition I can only imagine how harsh it must be on someone believing this will be a weight loss solution or help them in their daily life. My friend just kept pushing me to keep using it completely disregarding the fact it was making me sick or that my body can not handle that kind of caffeine or whatever they call thats in it and still wanted me to try other stuff or smaller doses…. Your body can tell its not supposed to be feeling that and there are safer ways to detox your system then using Thrive your body shouldnt need to adapt to something so sever on it in my opinion
I found this article after following the Shann’ann Watts case. I only wish she could have read it 2 years ago. I will never shake the feeling that Le-Vel or Thrive or whatever it is contributed to her and her children’s demise.
Thank you for taking the time to research and write this informative piece.
I have lupus. A friend was constantly trying to sell me thrive, and I finally agreed to take a free sample and be done with it. She watched me expectantly so I gave in (stupidly) and tried it.
Whatever stimulant – orange peel extract, right? – is in there reminds me on late 90s ephedra that we would take after a late night in college, to be alert during the yucky hangover phase. Long-since banned, of course, due to adverse events (like death).
I have never felt so heart racing, anxious panicked, “I’m gonna have a heart attack” feeling as I did after that sample. Never again will I feel guilted into it. The sample packaging mentioned nothing about stimulants and I never would have touched it, had I known. What a hot mess thrive is – just doesn’t jive.
Thank you SO much for doing all this hard work, you don’t seem lazy to me at all! :) What does seem “lazy” is being recruited to use a product that has absolutely no solid scientific proof that it works. I have been using Thrive for about 8 weeks now (the prescribed “trial” period) and seen little to no change. in fact, I lost just a little weight in the beginning (4 lbs….which you could naturally fluctuate on a daily basis depending on your diet) and now, have gained 6 lbs. I don’t find that I have any more energy than I had when I started, and I have followed the instructions to a “T”. I too, was talked into this product by a good friend who is also receiving NOTHING from her “sponsor” to promote the product except an empty promise that “good things will come to you”.
Additionally, I want to add that I have anxiety. I had anxiety before taking Thrive, however now that I’ve been taking it, I’ve started to notice that my anxiety has gotten much worse. I have never had trouble sleeping at night, and I find now that some nights, I can’t stay asleep. I take the patch off WELL before bed, but sometimes, it still interferes with my sleep, and this really pisses me off. So, I started wearing only a half of a patch and only taking 1 pill, which has helped a little, but I still notice my anxiety level being higher than normal. Also, the shakes are HORRIBLE. They taste so bad, I have to just down them as fast as possible to get rid of them!
Having said all this, I have decided to delete my subscription to this product and go back to just taking my normal vitamins and eating balanced diet. Because FOOD is medicine, supplements are not.
Thanks so much for this informative article, you may have saved a lot of people money and heartache.
I has some one try to get me to sign up for this I had never heard of it so when she offered me some samples to try I thought why not? I will have to say they did give me some energy but the patches kept sliding off . She signed me up for an account and when I went on the web-site and saw the prices I also fell of my chair. I then started to do some research. This web-site and Truth in Advertising were the only 2 sites where I could find an unbiased review so Thank You.
They are charging quite a lot for their product when you can buy similar products for way less. I found One a Day vitamins that have caffeine in them 50 pills cost you 9.00 and it has more vitamins in it then the Thrive capsules. I took your advice Lazy -Man and bought the shakes you recommended off of Amazon way better tasting then the Life Style Mix Le-Vel offers. Folks do some research before you spend the money Le-vel is asking for their products. I’m spending way less and get more value for the products I purchased thanks to Lazy Man’s unbiased review. When I told my friend I found alternative products that were cheaper and had more vitamins she told me that I wouldn’t be “Thrivin’ I’d just be Survivin'” I almost fell on the floor laughing. I’m glad you won your lawsuit Lazy Man. I feel I got a way better products for a lot less money. This article saved me a lot of money.
Your comment sounds a lot like my friend. She gave me samples to try them patches. And it would not work for me. It gave me energy, but they kept sliding off me. She signed me up an account, but I didn’t bother ordering anything but a one time of those one month supply patches. It cost me about $60 after that, never again. I think that’s a complete waste of money. I didn’t have a heart to tell her about this blog. I should, but I feel like I’d lose a friend. But ehh whatever.
Do you have any recommendations for how to get my money back from Thrive? I tried to cancel my subscription at 11 pm last night to find out they run on eastern time. Because of this, I was unable to cancel my subscription even though thrive hadn’t taken money from my bank yet.
I read I can return the product for a 10% fee plus shipping and handling costs. However, after reading further reviews, I’ve become aware that thrive rarely issues a refund. Instead they keep the product and your money.
Will disputing the charge come back to bite me in the ass? Because thrive doesn’t have a working phone number I doubt my bank could contact them anyway.
Thanks so much for all of your wisdom!
I would dispute the charge. I think most banks ask that you try to resolve it with the company first.
I have a question for you…. have you tried Thrive? If you haven’t you have no case…. I’m terminally ill I have pain issues that I refuse to take pain pills for .. they are big pharm garbage. I use Thrive and my pain has been managed to the point where I rarely need to take an advil. Dont bash a product and rely on others comments and only the bad ones..most likely they weren’t using it correctly or skipping frequently because I couldn’t be happier with it… if not for Thrive I’d still be laying in bed most of the day from lack of energy and pain. I challenge you to use it for two months open mindedly then judge…..your own experience.
I don’t have pain and I’m not sure that Thrive is an approved pain medication, so I’m not sure what you are getting at.
It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed this product, but if memory serves, it contains some willow bark, which is known to act like aspirin according to WebMD. So you are essentially taking a pain pill, which would explain why you rarely need to take an Advil.
By the way, it is important to note that you can cheaply buy willow bark and avoid the shenanigans.
It’s always a trap for someone to suggest that another person try a health product. It shows that the person suggesting it doesn’t have the education to know about the placebo effect (more info here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z03FQGlGgo0) and why that’s terrible advice.
I have a very open mind when it comes to all medical products. Show me the data from all three phases of the clinical trials and the FDA approval and that’s good enough for me. It’s the scientific process that’s similar to every civilized country.
Can anyone give me any facts/information on Le-Vels new Skin Care Line before I spend a ton of $$$$ money on it???? I must admit I do find the Voxx line of socks very comfortable. By the end of the day, my feet and legs are way less swollen and sore. I have very bad fibromyalgia and find that these socks are a big help.
Given the history of their other products, why would you spend a “ton of $$$$ money” on something new from them?
It’s been a long time since I looked at the company, but I did a quick search (literally 10 seconds or so) and I didn’t see that the Voxx socks were connected to Le-Vel. They have very different corporate websites and it seems corporate locations.
LAZY MAN, if you have no experience with Le-Vel’s Skin Care line or knowledge about it, you really are in no position to be saying anything negative about it!! I have tried samples of it and was pleased with the results. I would like to hear from others who have actually used this line of skin care product.
I’ve purchased skin care products in stores (of equal or greater $ value) and have been very disappointed with the results.
SLN, I didn’t say anything negative about the skin care products.
However, you should probably read “The Pseudoscience of Beauty Products – Why the dubious claims of so many skin-care companies go unquestioned and untested” for some background on the skincare industry.
Another good piece of reading is this archived FTC warning from 2000 – “Lotions and Potions: The Bottom Line about Multilevel Marketing Plans.” I personally liked the mention of “wonder creams.”
If you’ve been very disappointed with the results in stores, it would be a step down, in my opinion, to go looking in an area that the FTC has long warned about.
Finally, it is a terrible idea to ask for reviews from anonymous people who may be salespeople of the product. It’s been well-documented by Truth in Advertising’s extensive database of illegal health claims that MLM product reviews and testimonials are not to be trusted. Combine that with the FTC’s warning of “wonder creams” and it’s a recipe for disaster in my opinion.
Lazy Man, thank you for the information. Very interesting! I wasn’t aware of any of the sites you provided. Very useful to know the info they provided. I agree with what they are saying. My problem is that my facial skin is soooo dry, to the point that it is painful (3 years now). Nothing I have tried will initially moisturize it or if it does, it won’t keep it moisturized more than a couple of hours. I’ve tried everything from the cheapest to the most expensive, and everything in between. I’ve been to all the specialists and dermatologists and no one has been able to help me. I definitely DO NOT like the Le-Vel prices on the Skin Care products (wayyyyy over priced), BUT it is the only one that has kept my facial skin moisturized from morning till bed time. Don’t know what else to do……. Any suggestions?
I’m probably not a good source for skin care advice, but I had some luck with Goldbond Ultimate Healing when my hands got really bad and started to crack. I think a big 32 ounce bottle was around $13 or so at CVS. I haven’t needed to use it much since then.
I can’t imagine that would work any better than what the specialists and dermatologists recommend. (I’m NOT compensated by Goldbond for fair disclosure.)
Thrive is a pyramid scam: through and through! There is no denying it.
My wife sold Thrive and did quite well at it initially. I even tried a few of the patches.
My experience is that Thrive is just a caffeine supplement that is absorbed through the skin. You can drink their shakes too but those are a knock off any protein shake concoction you can buy from GMC.
This company takes advantage of those looking to make an extra buck but doesn’t tell people that your success depends on the possibility of you getting customers.
That is after you spend an ungodly amount to purchase the supplies you sell out of your own pocket. What does that mean?
If you cannot find customers you are then out whatever you spent for the supplies and that can get costly for you.
Any pyramid scams are only profitable for those who have a natural knack to sell. If you are introverted, have trouble interacting socially, or don’t come off as a people person and team player then DON’T get involved with THRIVE. All this company will do is take advantage of your willingness to sell and get rich off your greed.
Whether you succeed or not really is inconsequential to them because you were stupid enough to stock up on their supplies and take your shot at selling them.
Think of the company like going to Vegas with a thousand dollars in your pocket.
I have actually read this, including the comments to this article today with an open mind. It has taken quite a bit of my Saturday to read this. The reason that I read this is due to a desire to understand why more of my friends are not Thriving with me. I honestly doubt that most of my friends have the time to read all of this to the very end because my friends are working or making positive progress somewhere in this world today.
[Editor’s Note: I’m breaking up this long paragraph to warn you of the upcoming a nonsensical health claim that may even be illegal.]
I used Thrive initially as a supplement following a very debilitating and prolonged illness in which I suffered great pain. I researched several products and decided to use Thrive. As a 60 year old woman, I didn’t have false hope that Thrive would really help me and in all my years, I have never participated in an MLM or cult. I have used Thrive for 1 year now along with my husband. I have gone from not being able to walk to our mailbox to living again. The pain that I suffered from kept me up most every single night. I was exhausted and endured major leg discomfort that kept me awake as well. For the past year, I sleep all night, every night. I haven’t had cramps in my legs since I started my Thrive experience. My husband is no longer seeing a pain management doctor. I took my Thrive to my physician for him to tell me if I should or should not use the products. He told me that there was nothing in the ingredients that he was concerned about and gave me the okay to use Thrive. My fingernails are the healthiest that they have ever been. My hair is healthy and grows faster than it used to grow. My skin looks healthier. I haven’t had the flu or a cold since using Thrive and in the past I got a cold most every winter. I had read some of the negative reviews such as this one and was concerned about having to wean myself off of the product or that I would be an “emotionless” person after I stopped using it or that I might kill my husband because Chris Watts killed Shannon Watts. I stopped using Thrive for a period of two weeks without any side effects and I didn’t have to wean myself off of Thrive, I just stopped. One of the things that I did notice though without Thrive is that I had restless nights and didn’t sleep as well. Without Thrive, I noticed that my energy level decreased while using Thrive the increased energy is so subtle that unless you go without it, you may not realize the added energy. My heart never races and my blood pressure doesn’t become abnormal with Thrive. I am not using Thrive to get rich. I have wanted to tell people that I care about…about Thrive though because it has made a wonderful improvement in my wellness. One of my friends is completely off of antidepressants since using Thrive. She was on antidepressants for 20 years and still cried most everyday. After using Thrive, she said that she just didn’t feel like she needed that medicine anymore. One of her skin conditions got much better too. I still don’t know how to do an MLM like people who have been making money with them over the years but that is okay too. I have my own small business and do reasonably well. I use Thrive because holistically, I feel good.
Leah Miller said: “I have actually read this, including the comments to this article today with an open mind. It has taken quite a bit of my Saturday to read this.”
It’s remarkable that you allege to have read the article and the 457 accompanying comments but failed to comment on ANY of the numerous well-founded points of criticism. Doesn’t sound like an open mind at all.
Leah Miller: “The reason that I read this is due to a desire to understand why more of my friends are not Thriving with me. I honestly doubt that most of my friends have the time to read all of this to the very end because my friends are working or making positive progress somewhere in this world today.”
I’m not fluent in Thrive-speak but it sounds like you are saying that you came here because the people to whom you are trying to sell this shite won’t buy it and you don’t understand why. I don’t believe your pretense for one second, but regardless, it would be crystal clear after reading this article and the comments – i.e., Thrive is a pyramid scam and virtually every claim made about the products has been fraudulent. It’s hardly the mystery that you misleadingly portray it to be. Truth In Advertising also drove the point home quite well almost 4 years ago:
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/what-you-should-know-about-thrive/
BTW, I also think you use the term “friends” too loosely. “Intended victims” would be more apropos.
Leah Miller said: “I used Thrive initially as a supplement following a very debilitating and prolonged illness in which I suffered great pain. I researched several products and decided to use Thrive.”
Odd choice given that no Thrive products are advertised for pain relief. It’s like saying that you got cancer, and after careful deliberation you decided to try to cure it by using Pop-Tarts. You also apparently don’t have an inkling as to what “research” means or you wouldn’t have made such a woefully misguided choice.
Leah Miller said: “As a 60 year old woman, I didn’t have false hope that Thrive would really help me.”
What you said previously directly contradicts the claim that you didn’t have false hopes. BTW, how are we supposed to know that you’re in fact a 60-year-old woman and not, say, a 20-something troll working out of an Internet café in Bulgaria and being paid by Thrive to do damage control? Just sayin’.
Leah Miller said: “I have never participated in an MLM or cult.”
So? You’re participating in a an MLM-pyramid scam cult now. Worse, you’re trying mightily to foist it on others. Shame on you!
Leah Miller said: “I have used Thrive for 1 year now along with my husband.”
You should stop using your husband; it’s not nice. Alternatively, read a book on grammar.
Leah Miller said: “I have gone from not being able to walk to our mailbox to living again.”
Hmmm. If I understand you correctly, you used to be dead and you still can’t walk to your mailbox. Again, get a grammar book.
Leah Miller said: “I took my Thrive to my physician for him to tell me if I should or should not use the products. He told me that there was nothing in the ingredients that he was concerned about and gave me the okay to use Thrive.”
Eye roll! No MD in their right mind would ever say that. You either invented this fairy tale out of thin air in attempt to deceive Lazy Man’s readers, or when you said “physician”, you were actually referring to some whacked out alt-health practitioner with a mail order degree, in which case their opinion is worse than worthless.
Leah Miller said: “My fingernails are the healthiest that they have ever been. My hair is healthy and grows faster than it used to grow. My skin looks healthier. I haven’t had the flu or a cold since using Thrive and in the past I got a cold most every winter.”
These claims are delusional and the one about preventing cold/flu is illegal. Is it too much to ask Thrive a-holes to respect the law and the terms of their distributor agreement, which prohibit such idiotic unfounded claims? To quote:
“2.20. Drug/Medical Claims. Promoters understand that they will not say directly or indirectly that any Le-Vel product is FDA approved, or discuss or suggest that any diagnosis, evaluation, prognosis, description, treatment, therapy, or management or remedy of illness, ailment or disease can be improved by consumption or application of the product. Promoters understand that Le-Vel products are not offered, intended or considered as medicinal treatment of any disorder or disease, either mental or physical.”
https://cdn.le-vel.com/en/Documents/Policies_Procedures.pdf
Leah Miller said: “I am not using Thrive to get rich.”
Obviously, you won’t ever get rich using Thrive. You’re a realist about that aspect yet a deluded liar when it comes to the health claims.
Leah Miller said: “I have wanted to tell people that I care about…about Thrive though because it has made a wonderful improvement in my wellness.”
You clearly don’t care about Lazy Man’s readers. You lie to them and make bogus/illegal claims in an attempt to swindle them with this BS pyramid scheme and its laughable fake medicine. Shame on you!
Leah Miller said: “One of my friends is completely off of antidepressants since using Thrive. She was on antidepressants for 20 years and still cried most every day. After using Thrive, she said that she just didn’t feel like she needed that medicine anymore.”
When you lie about this BS product making your fingernails and hair grow it’s only moderately offensive, but when you try to coerce people who suffer from depression to go off medication in lieu of your scandalous snake oil, you cross the line from innocuous puffery to criminal irresponsibility. If someone with major clinical depression were to listen to you and go off their meds, they could end up suicidal, and their blood would be on your hands. And you, the disembodied voice on the internet, would simply slink away back into the darkness, taking no responsibility whatsoever.
Speaking of personal responsibility, which Leah Miller are you? Are you this one who operates a Le-Vel distributorship with Nathan Miller in Texas?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2mPi7RKogM
https://www.facebook.com/leah.miller.7906
Or maybe this bizarre conspiracy-theorist/troll who also happens to be a Thriver? This account really reeks of Eastern European troll farm.
https://twitter.com/LeahMillertoo
Kinda curious to know who I should be referring to when I file complaints with the FDA and FTC.
https://www.fda.gov/safety/report-problem/reporting-unlawful-sales-medical-products-internet
https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/submit-consumer-complaint-ftc
I thought she might be the YouTube Leah Miller too, but the meta information of the comment gives me reason to believe that as unlikely as it seems, it is likely a different Leah Miller.
I was in the hospital for high blood pressure.. have heard other wicked stories about Thrive. It is a crap product and I see many people having liver damage in the future… it needs to be banned
This company took it upon themselves to place an order and charge my credit card without my authority. I had suspended any and all possible auto-ship on my account. Le-Vels customer service henchmen tried to say that I was in the wrong even after I supplied my CC company with all the proof. I returned what they had shipped to me and they only wanted to refund me a portion of what they had charged to my card. It wasn’t until I told them I had forwarded all the same information to the Atty General of my state that they all of a sudden were happy to refund me the ENTIRE amount!! Do Not!! order from this company!!
Do NOT fall for this SCAM! I was on Thrive for years ( I want to vomit thinking about how much WASTED money I spent). The first year I lost a TON of weight, which twisted my rational thinking, and I did the Promoter thing. Looking back, I realized I was under a TON of stress at a toxic job and THAT is what caused my weight loss. THRIVE IS A SCAM! Promoters with ZERO knowledge, pushing and pushing you to sell, sell, sell. F**K THAT! I feel like GIANT idiot! Hindsight is 20/20. Glad to see this article, wish I found it WAY (years) earlier!
My friend has given me a month supply for FREE. She knows I am a sceptic and harsh reviewer. Did you find ANY benefit? Weight Loss? Energy? Focus? She swears by it and is making a ton of money. I don’t need the money, I am only in it for the quick jump start to a healthy routine.
I don’t know some of these comments I think are plants from other companies doing similar things. Because I will tell you straight up. I just believed everything I heard about thrive and finally I was convinced to try it because I saw how much of a change it made in my grandma. Probably one of the most skeptical people I’ve ever known. Thought well if it works for her kind of thing. So I gave it a try for a few weeks after about 2 1/2 weeks I didn’t really notice anything so I gave up. Then about six months later I decided to try to garden this time instead of just taking the vitamins at any old time during the day I thought I’ll actually follow the directions as they tell you to do it. So I did. No let me tell you I am always tired I live off of the little energy shots or some sort of energy capsule or rockstar monster or something of that nature. I don’t care if I sleep 12 hours or six hours I’m still tired. In fact I used to do this app that would tell you based on your sleep patterns this is when the end of your sleep cycle should be so if you go to bed now you should wake up at one of these times it helped slightly but still nothing major
I was always fidgety and always starting 20 different projects and never finishing any of them. So I figured it can’t hurt to try it this time about 3 1/2 weeks in the thrive I really started noticing some changes about a week later I noticed that I had not had any kind of an energy drink in a week and yet I wasn’t tired. I noticed that I had more energy during the day I was more focused on the items at hand I just felt like a completely different person. Is it magic? No not at all it’s just vitamins minerals probiotics and prebiotic‘s and plant enzymes and other things to help you feel better. And nobody says that if you need extra supplements in one area that you can’t add it in. But for the majority of people taking these three things will help you every day.
I love the people above saying that they had to wean themselves off of thrive. That’s the most ridiculous statement I ever heard that’s like saying I went to Walmart and I had to wean myself off of the one and a multivitamin or something. Saying that you felt angry by not taking it for a day that’s just absolutely ridiculous.
I’ll be out front I don’t sell it I am not a sales person I told a few people about it but I don’t sell it.
I have a business to run and I do this because it makes me feel better and when I skip a few days I notice I start feeling tired and rundown again.
You can sit here and you can make up stories and pretend that at some bad evil corporation all you want but I know people personally who know the founders. These guys are good people. And I don’t necessarily think that there’s anything wrong with an MLM. If you want to sell you can but nobody is forcing you to do it. In fact if you just found two people that wanted to do it then your product becomes free every month but if you don’t want to you can just get your product every month.
I do know that a lot of people do exactly what I did the first time they take the products at random times throughout the day sometimes they take the vitamins in the afternoon sometimes they take them whenever they’ve eaten supper I’ve heard of people taking it after breakfast mid morning sometime and then they drink a shake sometime in the middle of the afternoon. And then they say well I tried it for a week and it didn’t work. Man if everybody had that concept half of what we have in the world wouldn’t exist. Einstein didn’t give up. Add Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs given up on the first time that they tried to show somebody this concept of a personal computer we wouldn’t have one today probably or maybe it wouldn’t be as involved as it is. When the iPhone first came out Steve Jobs had to go to all four major carriers before somebody was interested in it. The other three major carriers at the time did not think that it was going to go anywhere and we’re not interested in bothering for it.
At the end of the day all I can say is for me it works I have tried vitamins and supplements from more than a dozen different companies over different years. My dad used to jump on every new supplement thing that came along. And none of them ever did anything even going for months. But I can’t say that Thrive works for me
Jason: “I don’t know some of these comments I think are plants from other companies doing similar things.”
It’s telling (and predictable) that you didn’t bother trying to identify which comments you were referring to, or name any of these “other companies” that you insinuate have “plants” leaving comments here. It seems to be nothing more than a attempt to discount criticism in one fell swoop using a canard instead of trying to make any reasonable counterarguments.
Jason: “I was convinced to try it because I saw how much of a change it made in my grandma. Probably one of the most skeptical people I’ve ever known.”
Yet, regarding this vague story, you never even bothered to mention what the change was. Also, alleged grandma’s alleged skepticism is irrelevant, no? Caffeine works like caffeine regardless of whether or not you’re a skeptic.
Jason: “So I figured it can’t hurt to try it this time about 3 1/2 weeks in the thrive I really started noticing some changes about a week later I noticed that I had not had any kind of an energy drink in a week… wasn’t tired… had more energy…was more focused…felt like a completely different person. Is it magic?”
Magic??? That’s a pretty odd question. If anything, it’s basic pharmacology, no? The product contains caffeine, so how is the stimulant effect the least bit surprising, let alone anything remotely bordering on magic?
Jason: “it’s just vitamins minerals probiotics and prebiotic‘s and plant enzymes.”
You conveniently failed to mention the caffeine! Plus, you seem to be talking about multiple products rather than a single product (ie, it’s not an “it”).
Jason: “But for the majority of people taking these three things will help you every day.”
There’s no credible evidence that Thrive has ever “helped” anyone. Multiple scientific reviews, medical organizations, and consumer protection groups indicate that vitamin/mineral supplements are useless for the majority of people and a waste of money. Thrive adds insult to injury with the pyramid scheme component and abundant illegal/false therapeutic claims.
Jason: “I’ll be out front I don’t sell it I am not a sales person I told a few people about it but I don’t sell it.”
But you’re not “out front”: (a) You haven’t provided any means of verifying that you’re not a distributor; and (b) your modus operandi is consistent with others connected with the company who troll blogs and message boards, post BS, and pretend to have no skin in the game. Occam’s razor applies.
Jason: “You can sit here and you can make up stories and pretend that at some bad evil corporation all you want but I know people personally who know the founders. These guys are good people.”
No one has to pretend or make anything up. Interesting that you provided not even a single example of what you thought was a made up story, and then tried to prove the company/founders’ virtue by relaying an alleged second-hand endorsement from unnamed individuals insisting that these are “good people”. We know they run a snake-oil pyramid scheme, and it’s hard to see how anyone who does that could be considered “good”. Seems like you’re simply trying to dismiss any and all criticism without putting in the effort to actually address any of the details. TINA provides a good summary identifying the rot in the company.
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/what-you-should-know-about-thrive/
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/3_11_20-TINA-complaint-to-DSSRC-re-Le_Vel-Thrive.pdf
Jason said: “I don’t necessarily think that there’s anything wrong with an MLM.”
You would if you had even a rudimentary understanding of MLMs. An inherent feature of the MLM model is that the products will always be horrifically overpriced to support the pyramid payouts (which typically eat up at least 50% of revenue); and to make a value proposition for these overpriced products, MLMs (again by design) resort to false/illegal claims (medical therapeutic/curative claims in the case of Thrive); not to mention that somewhere around 99% of participants fail to turn a profit or they lose money.
MLMs are so acutely aware of the public’s justified hatred for MLM that they bend over backwards trying to pretend that they aren’t MLMs, deceptively claiming to be “network marketing”, “affiliate marketing”, “relationship sales”, etc. to camouflage what they really are.
Jason: “…a lot of people…say well I tried it for a week and it didn’t work. Man if everybody had that concept half of what we have in the world wouldn’t exist. Einstein didn’t give up…Steve Wozniak…Steve Jobs…iPhone…”
So if some disembodied anonymous voice on the internet (like yours for instance) says “it works” we should believe them, but if anyone says it didn’t work, it’s because they failed to stay on it long enough? That’s a very convenient argument for a pyramid scheme to employ to railroad their victims into using a worthless product indefinitely. The hyperbolic comparisons to Einstein et al. are laughably ridiculous (and very typical of MLMs, which consistently traffic in this sort of BS).
Jason: “At the end of the day all I can say is for me it works I have tried vitamins and supplements from more than a dozen different companies over different years. My dad used to jump on every new supplement thing that came along. And none of them ever did anything even going for months. But I can’t say that Thrive works for me.”
If that is all you can say at the end of the day, then you aren’t saying anything of value to the readers here. You also concluded by adding “I can’t say Thrive works for me”, but I won’t argue with that part.
They will succeed in convincing you with their tricks to believe them and put your hard earned sum by promising you 100% guarantee and at the end you will end up getting nothing and they keep demanding high fees when you ask for a withdrawal they can never keep to their promise after convincing you to invest a huge sum amount with them. I went ahead to seek help to claim my money back. Luckily for me I came across a testimony of a victim who was able to recover back his stolen asset online with the help of a binary option recovery expert, Mr. Micheal Christopher who is an expert in recovery of any online stolen asset, and to my greatest surprise, i reached out to him and laid my complain, and he took my case and him and his team was able to recover back my money and get it refunded back to me via an online banking platform which was reliable and trusted for funds withdrawal service, and my life was restored. I barely share my problem with anyone, because i thought i lost it all. I am sharing this because I did not believe I could recover my money back, and also to serve as an opportunity to anyone who has fallen victim. If you have already had an encounter with them, you can feel free to seek help from the recovery team through his private email address, [Email redacted], if you have similar issues withdrawing your funds, you still stand 100% chance of getting your money back, likewise me.
* Editor’s Note: Please don’t include email addresses in comments.
[Editor’s Note: I’ve updated the following comment with “Editor’s New Response:” to differentiate it from the previous “Editor’s Response” that are quoted]
Alright! Negative feedback. That’s what this blog is all about, right?
[Editor’s New Response: Nope, completely wrong again. If you have been following my blog for the past 11 years, you’d know it’s about helping people. The problem is that MLM/pyramids HURT people and pretend to help them. Even my toddler understands that after watching this simply video: http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/toddler-learned-mlm-2500-year-old-fable/. I’m not a fan people pretending to be harmless foxes to lure goats into their trap.]
Let me be a little more happier and less “snottier” than the rest of you. Lol. I’m far from snotty, honey.
I stated my opinion on what Thrive has done, and will continue to do, for ME. Not anyone else.
[Editor’s New Response: By my understanding of the FTC’s Endorsement Guidelines you can only state what Thrive has done for you if you ARE NOT an affiliate or salesperson of Thrive… or if can “prove” that it will work that way for everyone. For example, you can’t say that Thrive has helped you feel less sick unless the company has shown the FDA it is generally expected to do that for everyone else.
I urge you to please adhere to the FTC’s Endorsement Guidelines. If we can’t trust you to market by the rules, how can we trust your testimonials?]
The only regimen I changed when I dropped all of my other “stuff”, let’s call it, was Thrive. Call Thrive whatever you want. MLM, scam, blah blah blah. I haven’t found anything else out there that made me do a 180 and start a positive outlook on life again. So, I’ll spend my $5 a day on Thrive. Sorrynotsorry.
[Editor’s New Response: If you read my MonaVie article and the 6000 (yes, 6000) comments from 10 years ago (yes 10 years ago), you’d find a lot of people echoing your sentiments. MonaVie’s scam got to a billion dollars and then collapsed. The inventer admitted in court that it was flavored water (at $40 a bottle). Do a search on MonaVie and see what I mean.
I understand the power of motivation. I’m simply hoping to be positive and get you motivated for the right things. Read my blog, understand personal finance, and avoid MLM cults.]
Still wondering how you got my last name though? Facebook?? Have a look-see on my page and you’ll see what my misery was allll about. Life happens, then it dies, unfortunately, and misery welcomed me in…
[Editor’s New Response: You left your Le-Vel account as the website when you submitted the form. I simply followed what you chose to disclose. Since I don’t allow Le-Vel promotional links, I did the next best thing and provide your name and your affiliation.]
Let’s start here:
[Editor’s Note: I’ll be making responses inline. Ms. Crowder, I’ve removed your distribution link to Le-Vel as this isn’t the place to try recruit or make Le-Vel sales.]
You asked for a website address, I gave you the only one I have. I thought about leaving it blank, but you asked, so I gave it to you. Yes, my name is Tina (Tee-na) Crowder (Crauw-der). Thanks for putting my name out there. I thought I put TinaC in the Name*??? So much for anonymity, but I really don’t mind…
[Editor’s New Response: Website is optional. You mentioned Facebook above? So I’m presuming you do have Facebook, right? You could have used that? Nonetheless, the website that you provided put your name out there. I simply connected the dots that you provided to help readers. Again, I think you have a duty via the FTC Endorsement Guidelines to disclose your sales relationship.]
[Tina quotes: Editor’s Response: Consumer protection isn’t negativity. I’ve never tried jumping off a bridge, but I think it’s fair to discuss intelligently about the topic. Truth in Advertising has pointed out with the adverse health effects mentioned here. Maybe it’s best to knock it before you try it.]
Once again, please read the negativity and hateful remarks that were very unnecessary from the other 2-3 pals that try to shred people’s OWN opinions. Consumer protection is appreciated, and noted better, rather than slamming it the way it has been done on here.
[Editor’s New Response: Whatever “2-3 pals” write are their OWN opinions, right? I can only speak for myself. I have no negativity except in the cases that I believe are aimed at hurting consumers. If an MLM organization is looking to help consumers, I believe they should post an response on their website to two important data. 1) https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/993473/ramirez_-_dsa_speech_10-25-16.pdf 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6MwGeOm8iI. At a minimum, I believe EVERY MLM should address #1.
I think that all the “pals” (who are not pals) are providing consumer protection, but that’s my opinion.]
Jumping off a brdge? What does that even have to do with any of this? Intelligent discussions have not been found on here yet, in MY opinion. Some pretty good facts, thank you, but definitely no intelligent discussions (Vogel, you win that one!).
[Editor’s New Response: You said you should try something before you knock it. It sounds good, but it fails when put in the context of jumping off a bridge. You can’t base an intelligent discussion around “you haven’t tried it” without acknowledging that “trying it” is an unintelligent argument. As I mentioned, Truth in Advertising noted hospitalization and emergency room visits attributed to Thrive.
I wrote more about this years ago here: http://www.mlmmyth.org/mlm-mind-game-real-life-experience-vs-external-perspective/.%5D
Adverse health effects: Doesn’t just about everything out there that isn’t plain ole fruits, vegetables, and meat, have adverse health effects? Buuutt, if you don’t grow those things aforementioned, pesticides could probably cause adverse health effects. Not really a win-win in anything. Heck, not even a win-win in bottled water! None of us really don’t know what’s in anything nowadays. So, I’ll still take my Thrive.
[Editor’s New Response: Heck some would say that meat has adverse health effects, right? Are any of the things you mentioned possibly going to put you in the hospital or emergency room in a few hours (as noted by TINA.org)? I don’t think so. You could always buy organic and avoid pesticides, right? Are Thrive products certified organic? Let me know!
I don’t believe that an “everything is bad”-type argument leads to an “intelligent discussion.” At a minimum, this type of argument puts a product on the same level as soda and junk food that you condemned, right?]
Me: Ms Tina Crowder: Gorging on food when I get home from work. Never again.
[Editor’s Response: What does this have to do with Thrive again?]
It has plenty to do with Thrive. I don’t eat like I used to. Which was anything and everything. I gorged because I didn’t care about me anymore. But I’m certainly not “couch surfing” anymore. Lol
Like I said, now stay with me here, guys…Thrive is the only thing that I have changed in my regimen.
[Editor’s New Response: I again refer to the FTC’s Endorsement Guidelines. Please direct me to the webpage on Le-Vel’s website that substantiates this as “typical.” I am particularly interested in a document from the FDA that certifies those statements.
Stay with me Tina, what you are stating isn’t medically proven through FDA clinical trials. I understand that it might be true to you. There are people who want to jump through brick walls watching the latest Wonder Woman movie. I feel the same way when I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think people who did Richard Simmons Deal-a-Meal felt the same. Let’s pause and have an intelligent discussion about whether you are simply “pumped up” to make a change through positive marketing. Maybe you should try a product at CVS and see if you feel the same without the “business opportunity” hype.]
Let’s see…next:
Tina Crowder: For these few Debbie Downer’s on here, look at the millions of people who are actually on Thrive.
[Editor’s Response: Are there millions of people taking Thrive? Do you have numbers that have been audited by a third party? I’ve found that MLM companies like to exaggerate their reach to make it seem more credible.]
Well, I looked at their facebook page and saw, about 950K last week?? So, go figure??
I don’t think Facebook exaggerates on the count of Le-Vel’s fans. (976.8K right now, today). Why yes, yes, I’m one of those fans….
[Editor’s New Response: I don’t think that Facebook page 950k fans are actual consumers. Business can manipulate “fans” by giving away free product. In any case, it’s not “millions” as you claimed, right? Again, where are the numbers audited by a third party accounting firm?]
Tina Crowder: It’s changed their lives, and it’s certainly changed mine. I’m not in it to sell Thrive. I’m in it because it’s changed the way I felt about ME. 10lbs lost and counting. I WANT to get out and do things. Travel. Walk. Laugh. Play. LIVE again.
[Editor’s New Response: This comment is so long that I have to edit out the commentary to get past WordPress rules for posting.]
[Editor’s Response: I’m happy already. I don’t need chips or soda. Why do you pretend to know my lifestyle? How do you explain the Registered Dietitian Abby Langer’s review? Do you think she advocates chips and sodas?]
Good for you on this too! I am happy, AGAIN. Thanks to Thrive. Euphoric actually. Easy going again. Whew. I’m so thankful. Why do you or the other pals on here pretend to know mine (we’ll cover that in just a minute, Vogel)? You go Abby. I sure don’t advocate chips and sodas. I was more of a cracker-chips and lemonade kind a girl.
Tina’s comment was so long that my response broken the publishing system. Here is my response to the rest. (I apologize to Tina. I didn’t create WordPress.) Next time, please focus on bite-size pieces, or I may have to delete your comment altogether (which isn’t my aim).
Here’s a continuation of the above: (If there’s an editing problem here, please email me. It is extraordinary difficult to put the information in usable format.)
[Editor’s New Response: Thanks for admitting that you were wrong here. We are moving forward in this intelligent discussion, right?]
@ Lazy Man: I don’t really have anything to copy and paste down here to have a detailed response to. I’ll make it a general response, if that’s ok?
I was wasting money on supplements. Not really on sodas, more lemonades, yoo-hoo’s. I would take 1 energy shot, if needed. It all depended on what I ate for lunch and how bad I “crashed”. You are what you eat. Now who’s gonna argue with me on that?
[Editor’s New Response: I’m not going to argue with your experience, but you seem to recognize that it was bad. Perhaps it’s possible that you feel better because you gave up on Yoo-hoo’s, right?
Many MLM victims get excited about improving their health and helping friends improve their health, while spreading a path to “financial freedom.” It’s A TREMENDOUS PITCH, but the products don’t typically improve health more than what they could do at CVS (and sometimes HURT health). Since around 99.9% of people in MLM lose money, it is a bad idea to be a “distributor.”
Who’s going to argue with me on that?]
My list of “stuff”:
Dr Axe:
Organic B (all of em), Omega 3 (all of em), Turmeric Curcumin, Bone Broth Protein, Collagen Coffee Flavored (YUCK). This is where most of my “bottom -rung MLM distributor making sub-poverty level wages went to. Again, Vogel we’ll get to that.
Other brands/companies: Black Cohosh, Dandelion, Biotin, Selenium (sp?), Whole Food Magnesium, Advanced ACV Plus caps (then switched back to my liquid ACV), One A Day Trubiotics, and of course, Excedrin as needed. And I didn’t feel any better on ANY of it. Again, this is my personal opinion on my own body and how I felt.
[Editor’s New Response: There’s no surprise that you didn’t feel better on any of this stuff. After all the scientific community seems to say that it doesn’t matter.]
Thank you for the links. Bookmarked.
I appreciate you being semi-concerned about people’s welfare in your response to me. I really do like the $5 a day investment. I think I’ll start doing that. So I’ll invest $10 a day ($5 invest, $5 for Thrive hehe) and I’ll still be coming out cheaper in the long run (see above FACTS on my supplement “stuff”).
[Editor’s New Response: Whoa, only semi-concerned!? I wrote this article to answer a reader’s question with MY OWN OPINION. Le-Vel sued me, which put my entire family’s life savings on line. Seriously, I could have been homeless! How is this semi-concerned?
Why are you not condemning Le-Vel for putting a military spouse raising a couple of toddlers through this hell?]
Lazy Man, would you be willing to send me the link on a/the $5 investment strategy to this (not aimed at you) “snotty attitude, psychotic, hostile, and sociopathic”, Thriving chick? I think my poverty wages might just allow me to scrape up $5 in the couch cracks, where I used to surf, and see if I can make 940K by the time I’m 94. See below.
[Editor’s New Response: There’s a link in the article that you can use (Dobot). Savings can lead to investing. You could also search “acorns” for another great one .]
Tina,
Well you aren’t just a Thrive moonie – you are a sexist one. Actually, my daughter was the one who put my supplement plan together (She is a girly girl, at 5’*” 125 lbs) She has a very active 9 year old, which also qualifies her for the “mom card” – now what you got?
You know, what this site did do and in a very detailed fashion is point out where all the real shortcomings are where “Thrive” is concerned in regard to actual health contributions. Fact is just about any over the counter multi vitamin will best what they put out there as the holy grail. As for the boost, well any dermal B12/caffeine combination would do what their patches do and at least the individual could control the dose.
You keep griping about this blog, and blah blah blah, I’m happy. Well if that were actually the case this is the last place you would be wasting your time. Fact is the truth is not good for your business is it.
Now – you also take a swipe at people who rely on medications to combat depression or other mood related disorders, thankfully I am not among them but who the hell are you to judge those who are? People like you ought to hang your damn heads, because the people that deal with those disorders on the regular do NOT need you meddling in their future well being. There is enough stigma attached to it, they don’t need YOU throwing stones.
Now, all that said – if you are so damn happy and well adjusted, why don’t you take your basic ass the hell up out of here. You keep parroting the company line with ZERO actual statistics to back it up. 10 lbs? I can take a dump and lose that. Move on. You are bloody tedious.
Cheers.
Gee, did I make y’all mad? Thanks for firing off. Just proves that I got under your skin. All this sarcasm and angry moods are a waste of time for me. JUST MY OPINION…
Re-read my post fellas. You missed some things and took things a little out of context. But that’s typical on here. Goodbye and good riddance. You’re killing my moods. That is all…
Unsubscribing and glad to do it.
Thrive sucks, get over yourself. You were dumb enough to become a distributor. I can’t wait until your customer numbers dwindle and you are scrounging around for the quarters under your couch cushions.
Anyone who takes part in a pyramid scam deserves what they get. I am glad I talked my wife out of being a distributor before this company made more of a dent in her pocketbook. I would be interested to read about Lawsuits against this company.
Regardless if anyone is planning to sell just heed my last post. Thrive is a company that makes its money off the backs of others. As long as you buy their stuff, they don’t care if you go broke doing it; or if you are able to sell it. There will be little or no support from other distributors because they are all trying to run their own little pathetic businesses in an effort to make money too.
It’s like going to Vegas. If you win then you win big until your winning streak goes away and no one buys your stuff after awhile. Also distributors will try and steal your clients so be careful. There is no honor among thieves. Lol… and that is all a pyramid scam is comprised of – a bunch of scam artists.