Hungarian TV2 report on TVI Express Scam

Here's the full video... I don't speak Hungarian, but even watching the video you will see that local TVI Express reps claimed Bill Clinton endorsed TVI Express and all that.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=hu|en&u=http://tv2.hu/tenyek/video/ujabb-piramisjatek-botrany-tenyek-riport

Dissecting the "Expert Watch" of TVI Express -- no relevancy at all

TVI Express have a webpage called "Expert Watch", where they cite various "experts" praising Network Marketing. Among the people named are Bill Clinton, Warren Buffet, and so on. 


Did you wonder where they came from? Did they really talk about Network Marketing? Or are they talking about a particular firm? And was the quote accurate or misquoted? 


And the biggest question... Is TVI Express really network marketing? Let us examine the page. I've highlighted the 9 quotes on the page, and see if they are in any way accurate. (See the screenshot on the right... It's a large file. 


First thing you need to note is NONE of these quotes were properly cited. It is as if TVI Express themselves don't know where these quotes came from. 


Well, let's find out. 


Q1) Did Success magazine actually publish the words "Network Marketers are creating FORTUNES at breakneck speeds!” ?


Search of their website at successmagazine.com shows NO SUCH QUOTE archived on their website. 


Please note that this does not mean they did not say it. It's just that it's not archived on their site. 


VERDICT: Undetermined. 


Q2) Did Robert Kiyosaki wrote in Rich Dad Poor Dad "Network Marketing is The Perfect Business for the average person to create wealth." ?

No. Network Marketing was not mentioned in the book at all. That quote is actually with the one below. 

He did have a video that's archived on Youtube posted by NeefDavidson that explains the mindset to convert from E to B/S and why he recommends network marketing. He cited low cost, and how the company gives you time to learn business skills at your own pace. He did not recommend any company. 

VERDICT:  Sort of

Q3) Did Robert Kiyosaki or Donald Trump said or wrote "Network Marketing: the industry for people who want to change their lives” ?

The quote is actually out of an article from "Success at Home" magazine called "Why We Recommend Network Marketing"

http://www.scribd.com/doc/123045/Trump-Kiyosaki-Network-Marketing

However, what they don't tell you is "Success at Home" is a "custom" magazine published to various Network Marketing companies. Every month, they highlight one company, print 200000 copies, and mainly sell it to various members. 

That particular issue was published in April 2007. And it's a rewrite of this article:

http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.successfromhome.com/pdf/advisor_kiyosaki.pdf

VERDICT: Yes, but not the way you think. 

Q4) Was Warren Buffett referring to a MLM when he said "the Best Investment I ever made…"?

Yes, but it's not the way you think. The full quote was actually:

In fact, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway holding company now owns three direct sales companies. And Buffett said, "Dollar for dollar, it's the best investment I've ever made". 

The quote is from a book called "Why you're dumb, sick, & broke-- and how to get smart, healthy, & rich!" by Randy Gage. You can read that page here courtesy of Google Books.  It was published in 2006. 

Wait, what did TVI Express write? "Warren owns 51 Businesses today, 3 of which are Network Marketing Companies."  We know that "3 businesses" thing wasn't true in 2009, 2010, or 2011. So THAT is where they copied it from, 2005 or 2006!  

In fact, TVI Express copied more than that, I'll show you later. 

Verdict: Yes, but it was OLD information

Q5) Did Bill Clinton praise the MLM Industry with the quote, "“Your industry promotes core values all around the globe and gives people the chance to make the most of their lives and, to me that is the heart of the American dream" ? 

Here's the FULL video... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_eGbfTPbGY

He was talking to Direct Selling Association, or dsa.org, the organization that enforces ethics on MLM / Direct Selling companies, of which TVI Express is NOT a part of. 

Verdict: Yes, but he was NOT referring to TVI Express in any way, shape, or form. 

Q6) Did Robert Kiyosaki wrote or said "If you really want to learn how to be rich, you must begin to know and understand the power found in networks. The Richest People in the world Build Networks."?

It can be roughly paraphrased from the stuff above. See Q3. 

Please keep in mind that Kiyosaki's advice are pithy, not real practical advice. It's motivational. 

Verdict: Probably

Q7) Did Donald Trump say "If I lost everything and had to start again, I would find myself a great network marketing company and get to work!"?

Apparently he did say so on the "David Letterman Show". However, you have to keep in mind that David Letterman Show is a "late show" where nothing is treated seriously. It, like the Jay Leno show, usually makes fun of the guest stars. So is it serious advice? Probably not. 

http://www.network-marketing-business-school.com/pyramid-scheme.html

Verdict: Yes, but in a joking manner

Q8) Did Fortune Magazine wrote "The Best kept secret in the Business world... Network Marketing!"? 


That also came out of the aforementioned book. The exact quote was

Fortune Magazine called the industry "the best kept secret in the business world". 

VERDICT: Yes, but it's OLD information, and the source is uncited, making TVI Express a plagiarist


Q9) Did Paul Zane Pilzer wrote "From 2006 to 2016, there will be 10 Million new Millionaires in the U.S. alone, more than double the last decade...many will be from the Direct Selling Industry!” ? 


Guess what, that's ALSO plagiarized from the aforementioned book! 


The exact quote is

Fame economist Paul Zane Pilzer also speaks up for the industry in his latest book The Next Millionaires. He forecasts that 10 million new millionaires will be created in the United States over the next decade and predicts that many of them will be created through Network Marketing. 

The book was published 2006. So that's where they got the "2006 to 2016"... That's sort of but not quite what he wrote!   Here's the REAL link:  http://www.paulzanepilzer.com/tnm.htm


VERDICT: Yes, but the quote was mangled by TVI Express




So what's the verdict? Out of nine quotes:


Undetermined: 1
Sort of: 6
True but with caveat: 2, 3, 5
True but a joke: 7
True but mangled:  9
True but old information: 4, 8


As you can see, TVI Express will mangle quotes, cite old information, and such to make their point. What they cite is NOT the complete truth at all. When they do cite it, it's either old information or mangled quotes.

Furthermore, they plagiarized the book several times to make up their "expert watch", with no attribution, making them a plagiarist.

Related articles

• TVI Express Fake Explanations Busted, part 1 (kschang.blogspot.com)
• TVI Express Fake Explanations Busted, part 2 (kschang.blogspot.com)

Rohit From India Comes with a Presumption

Image by larryosan via FlickrRohit from Mumbai India made a comment on my hub http://hubpages.com/hub/TVI-Express-is-an-international-scam (on 21-FEB-2011)

Mr.kschang, can you name any MLM/Network Marketing company on the planet which is not referred as a scam?

Is that relevant to the statement "TVI Express is a scam?"  No. There's a PRESUMPTION there that TVI Express is MLM. However, when some distributors of TVI Express claim TVI Express is NOT MLM, while TVIExpress.com says it uses MLM as its business model, who is right and who is wrong? And why does TVI Express itself says "you don't need to sell any products"? What then is it marketing?

You are not even a part of what you are writing, neither am I. You are simply ASSUMING things, making your own assumptions / opinions / etc.

I have hypothesis backed up by facts and observations made by professionals, such as newspapers, websites, and more. It is far more than a mere "assumption", unlike Rohit here. He assumed something without realizing it.

People like you, I dont know why waste their time & energy writing all this non-sense & eating huge server spaces for nothing, TOTAL WASTE of resources.
People are getting bored of this scam!!! ROFL.

Clearly Rohit have NO IDEA how much MORE server space is wasted by the sort of spam TVI Express SUPPORTERS have put up out there... In fact, you'll have a hard time finding my article...

And is it even relevant? This is getting close to ad hominem attack: "Don't you have something better to do?"

People are just getting lazy coz in Network marketing you dont get a physical Office with an AC. This is hard work buddy, not everyone can do it.

Rohit is ASSUMING that TVI Express is MLM. TVI Express indeed CLAIMS to be MLM, but what does it sell? Why would its own FAQ says "you don't need to sell any products" if it is really MLM? Does he even know he is assuming?

Like Actors, Models & Sportsman get paid to endorse Products, Network marketing simply gives a common man that opportunity, to endorse & earn. If people can earn thru that, why do you have a problem with it (u called it haram! - Dude you are just trying to defend what you wrote.)

Rohit is not dealing with facts here. 1) He is ASSUMING that TVI Express is MLM, with NO verification. 2) He is assuming that I invented the reference that TVI Express is haram. I did not. Aceh Muslim Council in Indonesia did. Thus, his observation is a LIE.

Am part of another NM company & had earned a fortune out of it, try it you wont regret.
People like Warren buffet, Richard Branson, Bill Clinton, etc. are not idiots to promote NM companies or own them, THEY JUST KNOW THE POWER OF IT. CHEERS...

Richard Branson had divested himself of Virgin Cosmetics, the MLM, in 2009. Clearly, it was NOT a good investment for him.

Warren Buffet owns merely ONE MLM company, which is a TINY portion of his portfolio.

Bill Clinton thanked exactly ONE MLM, and for its SERVICE aspect (making money available to third-world entrepeneurs), not how much money it is making the contributors.

Thus, it is clear Rohit simply does NOT understand the situation at all.

TVI Express and TVITeamOz plans strawman defense

TVITeamOz (the team being sued by Australian ACCC and halted operation), allegedly posted a rebuttal on an Indonesia TVI Express website. Instead of replicating it here, just go read it, then I'll show you how lousy their argument is.   http://www.kliktviexpress.com/pengumuman  

(note: the Indonesian site got weasel-itis and erased the copy of the letter. Unfortunately, they kept a copy on facebook under the same name: pengumuman... so you can't hide!  http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=102721546436429&topic=62&post=272)




What they are doing is using the logical fallacy "strawman" for their defense. Let us pick it apart.

"They" (TeamTVIOz) wrote:

"A pyramid scheme is defined by following characteristics:
--> No product
--> Returns for investments
--> People only at the top make money and rest don’t. All late comers lose their money.
As per the WFDSA and any Direct Selling body, above mentioned are the points which define a Pyramid scheme."

 This is already false. A search of WFDSA's website brought up this definition:

Numerous legislatures around the globe have proscribed pyramid selling. The wording of relevant statutes, codes, articles, acts, regulations and the like vary, but all contain the following core concept: A pyramid is a scheme in which a recruit pays (an entry fee) for the opportunity to receive future benefits (money or privileges) which are primarily derived from that recruit's (and/or subsequent recruits') introduction of additional participants in the scheme, rather than from the sale of products to consumers.

Thus, the scheme's rewards effectively come from the addition of new participants and their investments, not from the sale and distribution of real products to persons who actually use or consume them. No real trading in viable goods or services takes place, and the scheme essentially involves an internal redistribution of wealth from new entrants to the promoters. The scheme serves no legitimate commercial function. The only "trade" being carried on is actually in scheme participants' rights, and the redistribution of participants' entry fees or investments.

          -- http://www.wfdsa.org/legal_reg/index.cfm?fa=pyramid
It's clear that TeamTVIOz is citing their imagination of what WFDSA says, instead of reality. They defined a "strawman" of pyramid scheme, defeated that strawman, and claim the argument has been defeated. They picked some characteristics of pyramid scheme that they do NOT have, say "we don't have that", and they conclude they're not a pyramid scheme. If they claim victory based on that, they will lose. It is as easy as that.

TVI Express: the final verdict

This will really be the final word on TVI Express I will write. It will be a summary of all the previous entries. However, I will also post a translation of the Chinese article, as the Google Translation isn't that good. Any way, here goes...

TVI Express: The Final Verdict

Tens of Thousands of people have been lured by the promise of quick profits, i.e. "earn up to $15000 in a week" to join "TVI Express" all around the world. India, China, and now the US. This supposedly London-based company claims to sell discounted travel vouchers. However, TVI Express is a Ponzi scam, plain and simple. They may have hidden their deeds pretty well, but there are enough clues out there for everybody to find. But will you see it, or stay in self-denial?

The problems of TVI Express are plenty. For organization, I've divided it up into three categories: company background suspicions, company practice suspicions, and finally, faulty retorts.

TVI Express: 9 reasons why it is the biggest Ponzi scheme ever

Someone got arrested

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been superseded by 

http://kschang.blogspot.com/2010/02/tvi-express-8-facts-you-need-to-know.html

You may have heard from someone you know or been recruited on Facebook and such about this "wonder exciting opportunity to earn a lot of money" called TVI Express. To put it plainly, it is a Ponzi scheme, and if you fall for it, you are an idiot. And if you continue to recruit people if you KNOW it is a Ponzi scheme, you are ACTIVELY COMMITTING FRAUD, and may be subject to CRIMINAL PROSECUTION in your country. And if you do NOT see why TVI Express is a Ponzi scheme, you are both stupid AND self-delusional. Let us look at the facts: