Is FlexKom A Scam?

Those that “See It” believe that FlexKom is a radical new concept that will rescue many small businesses and will strengthen ALL businesses that participate. They believe that FlexKom will be a worldwide force for good. 

Those that “Don’t See It” think that FlexKom might be a Ponzi scheme of worldwide proportions, dedicated to fleecing millions from the masses. 

Well…Which Is It? 

The “Saviour of Small Business” or “Evil Incarnate?” 

When you do a search on-line for FlexKom, you will find that the overwhelming majority of the content is positive. But why is there so much negative information on the Internet about FlexKom? 

Who do you DARE to believe? 

I'm going to recommend to you that you should NOT BELIEVE ANYBODY!! 

Don’t believe FlexKom’s advertising, videos, webinars or printed material. 

Don’t believe the Internet websites…the armchair experts that hide behind their anonymity. 

Don’t even believe ME! 

Here is what I mean. There is a VAST difference between believing and knowing

To “believe” is to accept something as true, or to “credit something with veracity.” You can tell me a compelling story, and I can choose to believe it with no proof whatsoever. 

But “knowing” comes from experience. If I am PART of your story, and you tell it truthfully, then I KNOW it’s true. If you place your hand in the fire, it will get burned. We have ALL experienced a burn. We KNOW from our experience. 

“Knowing” beats “Believing” every time. Knowing requires verifiable facts. 

So, in order for you to complete your Due Diligence process of business opportunity evaluation, the best choice is to move from Believing to Knowing as quickly as you can

The Internet is a vast universe of information with no truth filter and almost NO censorship. There is no requirement that ANY of that information be truthful. Anybody can write ANYTHING and post it on the Internet. 

So Why Post A Smear Campaign Against FlexKom? 

There are a lot of reasons that people would write and launch a smear campaign about FlexKom. Here are just a few: 
  • Competitors. In the cut-throat world of business, it’s a no-holds-barred fight for market share. Competitors can post negative information to keep people from doing business with their competition. And they can do it in a way that looks like a consumer watchdog organization trying to protect consumers from rip-offs. Here is a tip…if you click on a website that is supposed to be a consumer watchdog and you see a bunch of ads there…or they request your email address…you can be pretty sure that they are trying to sell you something. This is what’s called a “Feeder Site.” It feeds new prospects to the competitor. BEWARE!! I don't want to belabour a point, but it takes an enormous amount of expertise in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to get onto the first 1-3 pages of search results with ANY browser for ANY search term. How do I know this? I AM one of those professional Internet Marketers that can rank on Page One for nearly any keyword I choose. I have hundreds of videos and articles that rank on Page One, and can prove it. So if you are "Googling" any keywords related to FlexKom, and you see a website/blog on the first 1-3 pages that says FlexKom is a "rip-off, scam, Ponzi scheme or Pyramid scheme," just be aware that some very sophisticated work happened in the background to get that high ranking on any search engine. That should get your scepticism on high alert. What benefit does that negative website/blog get from posting their opinions about FlexKom? Anybody remember when some Amway distributors were spreading the rumour that Colgate Palmolive was owned by the Devil? They pointed to the company logo, which had a moon and stars on it, and said it was a Satanic sign. Colgate Palmolive sued and won millions in damages.  
  • People who enrolled in FlexKom as Global Team Members (the sales force) and did not make the amounts of money they desired. And I am not saying they are necessarily wrong. In the process of recruiting, some rookie, unprofessional Global Team Members make income projections and promises to prospects that cannot possibly be kept. So once the new team member figures out the income claims are not true, he wants revenge.
  •  Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) and Direct Sales Companies. The FlexKom business model is VERY ATTRACTIVE to MLM leaders…but VERY DANGEROUS to the MLM companies. Almost every MLM relies on never-ending recruiting because they have such high turnover. And the allure for a leader of not having to constantly recruit new members to replace the disillusioned members that are leaving is like a June bug to a chicken. Then, the idea that the MLM leader would not have to rely on auto-shipped orders each month to sell people overpriced products that they don’t need is often too attractive to resist. MLMs and other Direct Sellers are watching leaders come to FlexKom and take their entire organizations with them. If you owned an MLM…what would YOU do? 
  • Companies that sell advertising. The FlexKom Rewards Program allows customers to have a FREE FlexApp on their mobile phone, or a FREE FlexCard in their wallet. Customers get CASH BACK on every purchase. And, because everybody likes CASH, the program is going VIRAL. Customers are actually giving away FlexApps to their friends, thereby allowing the friends to get CASH BACK while increasing the number of customers for the merchant who first issued the FlexApp. The FlexKom Participating Merchant may use his terminal to instantly communicate with his customers to offer special sales and discounts. That means that the merchant can drastically curtail or cancel many advertising methods he is already using, like direct mail, postcards, flyers, coupons, Groupon, other Rewards programs, Internet ads, TV spots, Radio spots, newspapers and billboards. If you were a company that was watching your revenues PLUMMET due to FlexKom, maybe you’d write negative information on the Internet if you thought it could slow FlexKom down and save your business. I’m not saying it’s right or moral…but it happens. 
  • What the bloggers are saying is true, and FlexKom is a business that you should avoid.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

What person who is SERIOUS about a legitimate business opportunity would take short cuts in the Due Diligence process? Especially if it is YOUR OWN hard-earned money that you are going to invest in ANY business?

There are basically two kinds of people that would look at FlexKom:

1.     Curious – these are the tyre-kickers…the Looky-Loos. They flit from one deal to another, trying to figure out how they can get in, do nothing, and make money. 
2.     Serious – these people understand business, are already successful in business and are not afraid of hard work if they can see that there will be a monetary reward in the process. These folks know how to evaluate a business opportunity and are not scared away by some negative smear websites they find on the Internet. 
And I’m not saying that by following these steps, you will come to the obvious conclusion that FlexKom is a GREAT Business Opportunity. All I'm saying is that what you will find out is THE ONLY BODY OF FACTS THAT MATTER.

So…How do you go from Believing to Knowing as it relates to FlexKom? 

Here are some simple steps that ANYBODY can take. I didn't say these steps were EASY…I said they were SIMPLE. 

STEP ONE: Accept that words can manipulate the way people think and act. Words like: 
Scam 
Ponzi Scheme 
Pyramid Scheme 
Scheme 
Rip-off 
These are all words that cause people to react in different ways. Take the word “Scheme” as an example. In the USA, the word usually means “a devious plan with the intent to do something illegal or wrong.” But when Europeans use the word “Scheme,” they mean “a systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular objective.” 

Schemes in Europe are perfectly acceptable. 

Internet browsers are GREAT. Google will return to you WHATEVER YOU ASK FOR. Try a little experiment. Take the name of the company you work for, or your favourite grocery store, or your favourite beverage, or your favourite mobile phone service provider. Type in that word in the Search box and also type in the word “scam” right after it. (e.g. “Verizon scam”) You’ll be amazed at the numbers of search results that come up. There is hardly a word out in cyberspace that doesn't have a “scam” following (By the way, “Verizon Scam” yielded 2.65 MILLION search results on Google). 

Over time, we have all been taught by our culture that when you hear any of those words listed above, sirens should go off, lights should flash and we should be on high alert against becoming a victim. Each of those words listed above have a meaning, and many times, the people who use these words are COUNTING on the emotions that are tied to each word to manipulate the reader. 

I'm OK with that…to the degree that it’s truthful. 

But what should we do when someone uses a word with the intention of SCARING YOU AWAY…and the word is not true? 

It’s pretty simple, actually. We should look for FACTS that either prove the word is true, or disprove the word and show that it is a LIE. 

STEP TWO: Understand that Ponzi Schemes are illegal in civilized countries that have criminal law statutes. 
If a regulator ANYWHERE deemed the FlexKom business model to be a Ponzi scheme, it would have ALREADY been shut down. If the business activity continued, those who continued would be subject to prosecution for criminal fraud. 

STEP THREE: Understand that FlexKom America Inc. is a company that is STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. 
Here is how a normal business is begun: 

1.     Establish the business entity 
2.     Get a physical location in that country 
3.     Hire enough people to do the business 
4.     Do the business

FlexKom follows that EXACT model in EVERY country into which it enters. First they get permission from the regulators to do business in that country. Next, they typically rent office space in a premium office building. Next they begin to hire the staff necessary to conduct business. Next comes recruiting a sales force. A sales organization doesn't just magically appear out of nowhere. Next, the sales force begins to give away the free FlexApps and selling to merchants. Then the sales force continues to sell and gain market share.

Some people who look at FlexKom get all flummoxed about the process of building the business. They seem to think that all the phases of business should happen instantaneously when FlexKom starts in a country, and that anything else is somehow a rip-off. 

Perhaps these flummoxed people have never built a business themselves. 

STEP FOUR: CONTACT THE REGULATORS. 
We all know that the only REAL due diligence process is done by interviewing credible sources such as government regulators…right? At the end of the day, market research is valuable IF AND ONLY IF the company and its products are LEGAL. 

Occasionally, prospects will tell me that they have done their “research,” and they inform me that FlexKom is a scam. In EVERY INSTANCE, I ask them if they have contacted their State Attorney General’s office, the State Consumer Affairs Office, the Federal Trade Commission or the Better Business Bureau. IN EVERY INSTANCE, the prospects told me that they had not contacted any regulator or official consumer watchdog organization. Their so-called “research” was done on-line. 

Here are some places you should contact during your process of Due Diligence: 

USA Official Government Websites


In addition to these websites, you should contact the Attorney General in the US State in which you live. Also look for a State Department of Consumer Affairs. 

The writer of this article lives in the state of Georgia. Here are Georgia’s websites: 

Here is a challenge – See if you can find FlexKom listed as a Scam, Ponzi Scheme, Pyramid Scheme or Rip-Off at ANY government website or Official Anti-Scam website on Planet Earth! 

The only REAL opinion that matters is the opinion of the governmental entities that regulate FlexKom in each country, now numbering about 25 countries in Europe, the Western Hemisphere and Africa. 

STEP FIVE: FlexKom’s Awards and Certifications 
On November 8, 2013, FlexKom International received the award for “Most Innovative Product In the World 2012-2013” from The Obtainer Magazine, the largest Direct Sales magazine in Europe. This was a juried panel of industry experts who evaluated the products and services of many nominated companies. You can find out more about this award at the page here on this website labelled “FlexKom Awards.” 

FlexKom has gained approval and certification from the European Consumer Centre, which is supported by The European Commission and the Ministry Of Justice in each European Member State. 

The European Consumer Centre (ECC) is the Dutch branch in the network of European Consumer Centres, the ECC-Net which is designed to give the European market in all countries of the European Union, plus Norway and Iceland, consumer confidence.

The network is an initiative of the European Commission and the Member States. In the Netherlands, the ECC is financially supported by the Ministry of Justice and is housed at the headquarters of the Legal Desk. 

The ECC can help you as a consumer when you want to buy something or order in an EU country. It gives information about your rights and obligations as European consumers, and guidance, if you have problems after a purchase in another EU country. 

To check out the UK branch of the European Consumer Centre go to http://www.ukecc.net/ 




FlexKom also received certification from EBCON, a European Consumer Protection organization. 




Our next example is not a regulator or consumer protection entity, but is a company known around the world in every place that business CAN be done. It's Visa Inc., the American company that issues the most popular credit and debit cards on the planet. Visa handles over $4.4 TRILLION annually for the world's merchants and banks. Visa provides FlexKom's debit card program for payment of sales commissions to the FlexKom sales force around the world. 



So... Do you think that the rest of the Direct Selling companies doing business in all of Europe...INCLUDING our closest competitors...would conspire to lead YOU into a scam? 

Do you think that these European consumer protection organizations would prostitute themselves and ruin their own reputations just to support a scam? 

Do you REALLY believe that Visa, a Dow Jones company that does over $10 Billion in annual sales around the world, would make an alliance with FlexKom for the FlexKom Debit Card if FlexKom was indeed a SCAM? You're the judge here...right? 

YOU DECIDE. 

STEP SIX: WHERE DOES ALL THE MONEY COME FROM? 
The FlexKom Customer Rewards Program is an alternative and superior method of advertising for any merchant. It allows the merchant to get laser-targeted results with his customers, which allows the merchant to cut his advertising costs while getting better advertising results. But it is SO MUCH MORE than just an advertising method. 

If you’ll look at this website’s page labelled “Videos” you will find a video I shot that answers the question Where Does The Money Come From? The short answer is: Every Dollar…every Euro…every Rouble…every Pound…every penny of money from every nation…COMES FROM MERCHANT PROFITS from shopping transactions. 

When you go into a store without FlexKom you pay full price. But when you go into a FlexKom participating merchant, the merchant takes a small percentage of his profits from the sale and gives it to FlexKom, who then distribute it to the customers, the merchants themselves and the FlexKom Reps. 

So the CASH BACK was originally retail profits that the merchant is gladly willing to give up in order to be part of the community of loyal FlexKom shoppers. 

Since the dawn of time, merchants have been giving discounts to their customers. Cash back is another form of a discount...something that EVERY customer LOVES! 

The SINGLE GREATEST BENEFIT for the merchant is the monthly income that the merchant can derive from giving away the FlexApp or FlexCard. 

The SECOND GREATEST BENEFIT for the merchant is the ability to directly contact his customers at a moment's notice FOR FREE, thereby allowing the merchant to slash his advertising costs while getting better ad results. 

How could you not LOVE THIS? 

CONCLUSION 

I've done MY Due Diligence. 

Now, it's YOUR TURN

YOU DECIDE what is true and what is not true. 

YOU DECIDE what is real and what a smear campaign is. 

YOU DECIDE whether the FlexKom Customer Loyalty Program is a GENIUS new business idea, or if it IS a SCAM. 

Common sense dictates that it can be one or the other, BUT NOT BOTH. 

"Scam" is like being pregnant...you either ARE or you AREN'T.


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