TVI Express resorts to making up endorsements

On http://opportunityarticlesblog.com/marketing-mlm/the-top-10-characteristics-that-all-mlm-companies-have-in-common.php TVI Express managed to tack on an endorsement at the end...

"Industry experts rank TVI Express as one of the best new MLM companies for 2009."

Which experts? If you visit the URL bestmlmbusinessreviews.com, you will not find a SINGLE REVIEW on the site at all. Spam!

However, just for fun, let's evaluate TVI Express based on the 10 characteristics given. How does it rate?


1) Basic detective work

Initial search shows real address and phone number. However, slightly deeper search shows TVI Express "headquarters" in UK is NOT in London, but instead is a virtual office.


2) Do they take credit card?

Not exactly. They take credit card through payment processors such as Liberty Reserve, which means it cannot be disputed.


3) Do they get good traffic according to compete.com? (or similar rankings?)

Yes, they do. However, traffic itself doesn't guarantee legitimacy. Pass with reservation


4) Cost more than X to join?

One-time payment of $250 + fees... For a trip that can't be redeemed, a backoffice that's available elsewhere for free, and a chance to earn $10000?


5) Search BBB for evals?

BBB only exist in the US, man. FAIL


6) Try their products

Wait, TVI Express doesn't HAVE any products... At least none their website would admit to! Members claim either the trip is the product (but you don't sell that), or the backoffice is the product (again, you don't sell that), so what is the product?


7) Read the contract

Contract? What contract? There ain't no TVI Express contract!


8) Study the pay plan

Payment is clear: recruit a lot of people and be rewarded for it. In other words: pyramid scheme!


9) Does company provide support?

Heck, no! Complaints about customer support of TVI Express has been ongoing since the company started, and was NEVER resolved! E-mail goes unanswered. Phone queues are lengthy. Payment are into eWallet, never with real money. Trips are impossible to redeem even now. FAIL!


10) Can you market the stuff?

What stuff? There is no product or service to sell. TVI Express distributors have changed tactics and claim they are selling "travel club membership", but what sort of club is it that offers something available elsewhere for FREE, and offers $$$ for recruiting more recruiters? It's a PYRAMID SCHEME!


TVI EXPRESS SCORE... 1 out of 10. EPIC FAIL.

More Hilarious TVI Express spam: on a Car Rental Website

What is your reaction when you visit a "car rental info" website, and get "TVI Express: Are you an entrepreneur" spam instead?



http://www.e-carrentals.info/tvi-express-are-you-an-entrepreneur/



Is that how TVI Express was able to keep its Alexa ratings at 10000? By employing a bunch of spammers? 

Some moron tries to hack into this blog

NOTICE to the morons who tries to hack this blog

This blog is daily backed up to my own hard drive, and its password is NOT a word that you can guess. In fact, it is NOT a word at all.


How do I know some morons are hacking this blog? I got two requests in as many days to "verify" my Google credentials. That tells me some morons are trying to access my account and my blog.

The ONLY thing of value on this blog is my criticism of TVI Express. It's the only thing worth taking offline


Considering that Ted Nyuten's website was taken down by a persistent cyberattack (DDoS) after publishing a big expose of TVI Express, I would not be surprised at all if it's TVI Express folks behind the attack.

Some classic complaints about TVI Express from over a year ago

Even people in India were not immune to the TVI Express scam, and Tarun Trikha was named as top guy over a year ago, even when he only claims he's just another distributor (albeit a advisory board member).



Now that TVI Express is illegal in multiple countries, and Tarun Trikha had quietly disappeared from advisory board, it's time to review some of the classic complaints about TVI Express...

Dear Great Leaders of Tvi
I am writing this letter with a hope that Mr. Tarun Trikha of TVI would answer to my queries. I am compelled to rite this for TVI Company took forever to reply my query being communicated to the support group. Now it is doubtful whether there is a Travel Venture International or not? Who really they are? Whom should we contact in case of problems? The leaders in Manipur are another dump who all fantasized in the Dollar game, the dollar of TVI or dollars manufactured by Tarun.

(there's a lot more after this, but you can read it at the URL included

 http://ifp.co.in/shownews.php?newsid=6199

Read this revealing Expose about how TVI Express uplines are cheating their downlines

Learn how TVI Express uplines are committing even MORE fraud by cheating their downlines out of their eWallet money!



http://www.ripoffreport.com/multi-level-marketing/todd-walker/todd-walker-invest-n-urself-s-ab5fa.htm

Positive Proof "Increase My Monthly Income" release bullshit as "news"

Back in October 06 2010 "Increase My Monthly Income" released a whole bunch of announcements, most of which are absolutely uncorroborated bull****. It was highlighted earlier in "More Hilarity Visual Edition" You may notice that there was something "new TVI Express North America Website" next week.



It's now a MONTH later... What new website?

Why Would Bank of Namibia Declare TVI Express a scam?

The reasoning of declaration by "Bank of Namibia" is based on the Namibian "banking institution act" of 1998, in that only a "bank" can accept deposits, and otherwise store money for people, and TVI Express, obviously is NOT a bank, so the eWallet is illegal banking. From a news report: "The law prohibits the taking of money from public by holding out prospect to new participants that they will be rewarded and that they can also obtain the right to further recruit and receive benefits in whatever form."

You can read the law itself here: http://www.bon.com.na/content/TopLevelItems/LawReg/Acts/Banking Institutions Act, 1998.pdf

So what *does* the law say?

Purpose: To  consolidate  and  amend  the  laws  relating  to  banking  institutions;  to  provide  for  the
authorisation  of  a  person  to  conduct  business  as  a  banking  institution,  and  for  the control, supervision  and  regulation of banking  institutions;  to protect  the  interests of persons making  deposits with  banking  institutions;  to  provide  for  the winding-up  or judicial management of banking  institutions and  for  the cancellation of authorisations; and to provide for matters incidental thereto.


Prohibition on conducting of banking business by unauthorised persons
 
5.    (1) No person shall –

(a)  Conduct banking business;
(b)  receive, accept or take a deposit;
(c)  by any means, including advertising or soliciting, procure or attempt to procure a deposit;
(d)  pretend to be a banking institution; or
(e)  subject  to subsection  (2), use  the expression  “bank” or  “banking  institution”, or any other expression, name, title or symbol indicating or calculated to create the impression  that the person is conducting, or is authorised to conduct, business as a banking institution,
 

So the main question here is... can TVI Express eWallet be considered some sort of a "deposit" and "withdrawal" instrument, and thus, bank function? 


I actually raised this question several months ago... TVI Express is clearly NOT a banking institution, so how is an eWallet legal at all? All "department store" and "gas station" cards are actually issued in partnership with a bank, at least in the US.  The idea that a company can just HOLD some people's money to be paid out "on demand" is just... outrageous.


On the other hand, the Namibian local position in interesting... Apparently they are taking the position that the N$2500 payment is for membership, not a "deposit".

Problem with that argument is the $500 / $10000 payout is earned through recruiting, and put into eWallet. If eWallet is considered a "banking practice", then TVI Express is indeed conducting "banking business" without authorization, and therefore illegal. However, if there is no 'deposit' from the public, just from the company, can it still be considered "banking practice"?


What's even more interesting... New Era / AllAfrica reports that Bank of Namibia had previously called for comments from TVI Express members in Namibia on October 27th, but nobody showed up. So Bank of Namibia went ahead and declared TVI Express a scam.

"The first meeting was scheduled for October 27 but no TVI Express representatives pitched up."

More TVI Express astro-turfing: "exclusive" review is copy of outdated 2009 review

Sandboardargentina.com, allegedly a travel website, has just posted an 'exclusive review' of TVI Express.



http://sandboardargentina.com/exclusive-tvi-express-review-are-they-something-for-everyone

However, if you examine the article, you will find that it is PLAGIARIZED off an articleblast article by Phillip Teeter



http://www.articleblast.com/E-Commerce_and_Online_Businesses/Home_Based_Business/News:__Exclusive_TVI_Express_Review._Telling_All_The_Inside_Secrets._Some_Things_You_May_Want_To_Know./

The wordings are identical, and this latter article is dated NOVEMBER 2009, almost a YEAR ago.



And note the conclusion: "If i had to guess if this company were in the US they would be having problems with the FTC wanting to shut them down. If your looking to make quick money or use just the travel benefits this may be the opportunity for you."


In other words, it's a scam. Stay away.

More Hilarious TVI Express spam: on a wildfire prevention website

See for yourself:



http://www.minutemanfire.com/general-interest/enjoy-lifes-goodness-with-tvi-express/2010/

Apparently the site was turned into a "general interest" site, and posts all sorts of spams available.

Namibian TVI Express Reps attempts counter-attack

Apparently TVI Express reps in Namibia attempt to further their denial by retaining services of an attorney, who clearly did not inspect the worthiness of his client's "cause".  From the article:

"Metcalfe says TVI Express does not operate a pyramid scheme and it does not take funds from the public.

Then what is the joining fee of N$2500, as named earlier in the same article? 

“The business involves the marketing and bartering of travel facilities, services, vacations and air travel. This is the essence of this company, which is limited to 95 000 hotels in 11 000 destinations across 190 countries. It concentrates specifically on the marketing of tourist destinations,”says Metcalfe.

Did no one tell this attorney that the services is provided FOR FREE by Travelocity? So people paid N$2500 for a FREE service? And why does a "marketing and bartering of travel" organization promise "Opportunity to Make $10000 per week" right on their own homepage?



This is same sort of the defense being attempted in Australia, and everywhere else. The travel club defense is flawed from the very beginning and bogus.