Is Mona Vie a Scam or the Real Deal?

Someone I know has recently become a distibutor for Mona Vie, a juice which purports to give you increased energy, boost your immune system, rid you of any joint pain, feed the hungry and bring peace to the Middle East.

She has encouraged me to try it and become a distributor, but I have politely declined.  The distributor part.  I tried the juice.  It's tasty.  I didn't really stick with it long enough to see any noticeable health or energy benefits, so I can't speak to that part.

It's sold through a Multi-Level Marketing program.  Let's face it, I'm not enamored with the idea of MLMs.  I pretty much assume they are scams, unless proven otherwise.  There have been too many, from Amway to Quixtar, there were the long distance phone ones from about ten years ago, and the super blue green algae.  Remember all that crap?

So, I did a bit of digging.  Not a lot, but I wanted to know what the fuss was all about.  Online, there were a lot of positive things said about the juice itself.  How many of those online comments were by distributors of the stuff, we have no way of knowing.

I guess I have two problems with this juice:

1. The cost.
2. The business model

The cost

It's $30-$40 per bottle, depending on whether you get it at wholesale/distributor prices or retail prices.  Each bottle has 25.35 fl oz.  You are supposed to have 2 oz in the morning and 1 oz at night.  At that rate, each bottle will basically last you one week.  I don't know about you, but even at $30 per bottle, $120/month for an evergy juice sounds rather steep.

The business model

As I said earlier I pretty much assume all MLM distribution models are scams until proven otherwise.  So, I went on the Mona Vie site to see what the business side was all about.  Ultimately, the question for any MLM/Pyramid scheme is whether or not the distributors can expect to make any money on the sale of the product, or are they simply exptected to recruit more people who will recruit more people, and maybe some juice will be sold along the way?

According to the business brochure from Mona Vie, the ways that you make money are:

1. Direct sales:  you purchase at wholesale, and sell at retail for about a 15% markup, but given the cost of the bottles, if you have some regular customers you can make a bit of money this way.  Of course, if someone becomes a regular drinker, wouldn't you encourage them to become a distributor in your "downline?"

2. Bulk order bonus:  If you have at least 200 PV, each time someone you've sponsored orders a bulk order you get paid.  Good deal.

3. First Order Bonus:  Qualified Distributors with at least 200 PV earn a one time bonus for bringing new distributors under you.  I don't know what a PV is, but this part sounds distinctly like a pyramid scheme.

4. Star Maker Bonus:  for Qualified Distributors with at least 200 PV, each time someone you sponsor makes the rank of "star" you earn $40.  Again, money for recruiting, not selling juice.

5. Team Commissions:  This part is in all caps.  It says that the "TEAM COMMISSIONS ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL BUILDING BLOCK OF THE MONAVIE COMPENSATION PLAN."  Then it goes on to explain how the team commissions work:

"The team commissions portion of our plan is binary.  Binary means tha tyou will be placed in one of two legs (right or left) in your sponsor's organization.  You will then be compensated based on successfully building two legs of your own.  Your sponsor (or anyone else in your upline) may also place poeple in your organization.  As your group begins to grow, you are entitled to team commissions based on the total volume generated in your lesser leg."

Huh?

6. Executive Check Match:  From here, it sounds like the money can start to get pretty good.  I don't know how many people make it to the executive level , but I'm guessing it's pretty tough.

7. Leadership Pools:  They have reserved 1% of total company GV for the elite group of Monavie Blue Diamonds.  Sorry, don't know what this means. 

8. Multiple Business Centers:  This is a point at which you are making lots of money.  But like any pyramid scheme, does anyone other than the founders make it to this level?

Then at the end it has pictures of private jets and exclusive chateaus.

Comments

[MH]

OK..if you think Monavie is a scam, then dont sign up...but words to the wise, this company is #18 in the Fortune 500 Inc Magazine for October 2009 and they hold the # 1 place in Food and Beverage, now tell me if you all are doing your math..the product works..I believe in it..I am a distributor and I am proud of the company. Thank You Monavie for letting me be part of your growing industry.

[Big Red]

Note to all Mona Vie Distributors:

To anyone on this blog posting comments that is taking part in the Mona Vie distribution be careful what you say.

You are representing this company and by boasting (or implying...yes you are doing it) that by using this product you can cure cancer or Multiple Sclerosis, etc.... you are marketing a false unproven statement and are by law committing a fraudulent act of false advertising. The company could come after you for Defamation if you market this product the wrong way and someone doesnt get promised benefits.

Acai berry is a proven anti-oxidant and does have many health benefits, not disagreeing.

If you look at the Estimated Earnings chart that Monavie includes with their package, you'll see that out of the supposed 5000 distributors they apparently have less than 1% of those distributors make monthly earnings of over $1500. The only people that profit is the people at the top receiving $50 every time you suck someone into this process.

Granted if you have big connections, say like owning a series of gyms, you may market the product far better than most. But if your some un-educated person looking to make a quick buck with no work involved, let me tell you this; get a real job. If this product was as amazing as is boasted it would be WAAAAAAAY bigger and more well known, and would have professional marketing not Word of Mouth marketing. 99% of people will tell you if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Just keep this is mind, before you go and hand over money to a questionable practice.

Doesn't taste too bad tho.

[bryton]

you're such an ignorant person my back is messed up and i drink monavie and before monavie i was going to be in a wheel chair in the next 5 years now its 40-50 years... clearly if you dont understand the business plan and the payment plan your to stupid to join anyways

[Mark Davidson]

Hey,
this has been great info .... thinking of making my own drink by grinding up the Indian Goose berry and adding juice ...??? any interest?
Mark :-)

[Here to Help]

http://www.teammonaviescam.com/

Check out this launching website where we are researching deep into the company to debunk this crooked deal.

Thanks

[Pamela]

First of all.this drink isNOT just for ENETGY.....there is a heart surgeon in our city (among thousands of other testimonials) that has had other developments from this juice, from getting rid of certain meds that "mask" problems to helping with arthritis, sleep patterns, weight, diabetes..and the list goes on. This is not promoted to cure, but helps, and when doctors get in on this, there's something to it. Jenny McCarthy swears by it in her book, concerning her son's disease as have tons of sports teams and atheletes. Dr Oz says that it is fantastic as well. I personally know people that it has helped immensely, and, here goes........myself. My hands and fingers were curled up with arthritis and I now can move them and straighten them almost all of the way after faithfully taking this (by the way, it's 2oz in th am and 2 at night-4ozs a day.)
I sleep much better as I suffered from insomnia and feel overall in a better and more better mood. As for my father, his diabetes sugar count has gone down and now doesn't have to take his nedication for that as well as his cholesterol.
I haven't even gotten into the plan that you have laid out there, as this was far more important. Most MLMs do this to cut out advertising and a middle man. Hmmmm.this is how Avon started as well as many other tried and true products that have lasted for up to half a century. Word of mouth and friends and family is the best advertising you can get!!!!
So on that note alone, I think that you'd better do a lot more "investigating" about any product. Iknow you didn't :bash" it, but you certainly made it out to be alot less than the money you said that you pay for it. Geese.......we paid 3 times as much a month for our medications!!!!!!!!!!!!

[john]

what an informative article, informative because it tells me what others thing biased or not. I take monavie and it was a fight to get me to try it, becasue i am sceptical about any sales pitch. I believe it has helped me significantly in at least three directions. I have not heard anyone claim it to be a miracle cure, merely a product that helps with your well being. It does sound expensive, but I don't drink much and my kids drink about $100 bucks each a week, and that does nothing for their health. A bottle of monavie a week at forty dollars can be compared with a cup of coffee a day. $40 a week on a poker machine, a couple of videos, a good steak. Lets not talk about how much the average person spends a week on vitamins. or like some of the people above going to their therapist. I am happy to spend $40 a week on a tonic that is not doing my body any harm, and thats the least benefit I will get, who really knows what other benefits I will derive.

[john]

Sorry
when I posted the previous article and where I said that I don't drink much and my kids drink $100 a week I was referring to alcohol. I was just trying to make the point even if it was poorly expressed, that when you look at how much money you waste each week on nothing, or little pleasures, Monavie compares favouably with all of them.

[unknown]

Ok first off....
Please... i'm sure you all have a head with a brain in it to be smart enough to realise a few things!

1. if mona vie was such a cure to health problems.. and is sooo healthy and such a miracle....why arn't dr's referring it to their patients? why arn't pharmasist referring it?

i think you are all being brain washed by these people making you beleive in BS! i've tried the energy drinks and it was NOT worth my money!

and i've been to their coodo's seminars (truly stupidity) and im sorry....but any one that is a true salesmen and is a good BS?
anyone at that point can sell you any scams !

and ps!
they want you to stop watching tv
at home to practically work 24/7 to sell their products!
ITS STUPID!!!!!!!!!
anyways...
the company has people 24/7 looking at all these blogs so they can come with a smart arse come back to brain wash even more people in making them look good.
but ya aint't doing crappy to this one!