Is Vemma A Scam Or Just A Big MLM Dilemma?

Vemma review

“Move over GATORADE, there is a NEW player in town”, must have been on the minds of Vemma’s Marketing team after landing an endorsement deal with a handful of Phoenix Suns basket ball players.

That must not have worked out as planned, because I have not seen any NBA players pour buckets full of Vemma’s energy drink VERVE on their coach after winning an important game. They stick to cutting down the net in celebration of their success.

However, Vemma made a big splash in their market niche and is the subject of my review today.

What is Vemma?

Vemma Nutrition Company is a privately held multi-level marketing company that sells energy drinks, nutritional beverages and weight management products.

The company, based in Tempe, Arizona, was founded by Benson K., Lauren, and Karen Boreyko.

The Vemma Mission Statement reads like this:

“The foundation of Vemma’s success lies firmly in the results achieved from our clinically studied, single-formula product line. At the company’s core is our mission to help others by enhancing their well-being, and offering an income stream to people who introduce others to a product line they believe in”.

What Are The Vemma Products & Prices?

You have the choice of 4 basic products in 30-day supply quantities:

is vemma a scam

Nutritional Supplements:

  • VEMMA Nutritional Shakes – Four 32 oz bottles – $148.00
  • VEMMA RENEW – Nutritional veverage – Forty-eight 8.3 oz cans – $159.60

Energy Drinks:

  • VERVE Energy Drink – forty-eight 8.3 oz cans – $159.60
  • VERVE ReMIX – forty-eight 8.3 oz cans – $113.00
  • VERVE MOJOE – forty-eight 15 oz cans – $184.00
  • VERVE BOLD ENERGY – forty-eight 8.3 oz cans – $164.00
  • VERVE PARTEA – forty-eight 8.3 oz cans 0 $159.60
  • VERVE Zero Sugar – forty-eight 8.3 oc cans – $159.60
  • VERVE Energy Shot – forty-eight 2 oz bottles – $159.60

Weight Loss Supplements

  • BODF-E- PRO High Protein Weight Pack – $299.95
  • BOD-E “Powell Perfect” Shake Bags – sixty-four nutrient-dense meals $178.00

Nutrition Supplements for Kids

  • VEMMA NEXT – Children’s Nutrition Supplement – four 32 oz bottles $131.90

According to B.K. Boreyko, ALL Vemma products are “ultra-premium” and “enhance health through supplementation”.

What is the Vemma Business Opportunity?

I don’t really understand why most weight loss and diet supplement products are sold through MLM (Multi Level Marketing), but this is what we have here.

Vemma sells its products exclusively through a network of Product Partners, now called ‘Affiliates’, although their system has nothing to do with affiliate marketing.

In order to become an affiliate and be eligible for all bonuses and commissions with Vemma, you have to meet a plethora of requirements, such as buying a $500 special Vemma pack, having an auto delivery on file and obtaining about $150 worth of product each month or personally enroll at least six other “customers.”

In other words, “Build your little pyramid of affiliates within the BIG VEMMA PYRAMID”.

is vemma a scam

What is the Vemma Compensation Plan?

Like every MLM, Vemma has a convoluted compensation that requires at least a 4-year college degree or, better yet, a PHD to understand. They stop talking in Dollars, Rubles, German Marks or commission percentages, but using terms like “CV, QV – Points, Cycles, Enrollers and Sponsors.

Your sales organization must be qualified EVERY MONTH to earn commissions and bonuses.

I am not going to try explaining this mess to you; if you are interested in the details, you find them right here.

What are the VEMMA Complaints?

First off, every company, even the best ones, will receive complaints about their product(s). You know the saying “can’t please everybody”. There are some reports saying ‘the energy drinks make me sick’, or people suffer from abdominal pains after consuming a Vemma product.

I always take complains like that with a grain of salt and give the product the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, Vemma’s energy drinks contain a very high amount of caffeine, even more than some comparable products like Red Bull, for instance. What do you think causes the jolt of energy you receive after a having one of these drinks; of course, the high concentration of caffeine.

Complaints about the products should be of no concern, I believe. There are much more serious and troublesome issues I need to bring to your attention.

Misleading Health Claims

The highest earning team leaders in Vemma trained their downline members to use unsubstantiated health claims to promote the Vemma business opportunity and to sell its products.

Let us take a quick look into Mr. Boreyko’s history. In 1999, he ran afoul with the FTC and his previous business, New Vision International, Inc., for claims that its dietary products ‘could cure, prevent or treat ADD and ADHD’.

The FTC issued an order banning him ‘directly or through any corporation, partnership, subsidiary, division or other devise, from making any claims about the safety of efficacy of supplements without reliable scientific evidence to back them up’.

In 2004, Benson K. broke down the tent, so to speak, founded Vemma, and moved his pyramid to a new location in Tempe, AZ.

He brought the top performers AND their down line teams into Vemma; among them his childhood friends Tom and Bethany Alkazin, which became the highest earners within Vemma.

By their own admission, they trained a legion of 200,000 ‘affiliates’ through their “Roadmap to Success Workbook”, promoted on their independent website vmastories.com, which has been taken down just recently.

vemma-affiliate-training

In their workbook, they clearly and unmistakably, teach their team members ‘how to ride the health benefit of Vemma’. They tried very hard to hide the fact that it is all about Vemma by referring instead to it as “the Mangosteen and Mineral product”.

Obviously they overlooked one ‘testimonial’ that clearly referred to Vemma as the ‘medicin that cured arthritis”.

vemma-false-health-benefits-claimfits=

False and Misleading Endorsement Claims

Mr. Boreyko claims that Dr. Oz called the Vemma formula his “favorite fatigue fighter”. This claim is untrue as Dr. Oz’s spokes person declared. However, Vemma has donated to the tune of one million dollars to Dr. Oz’s charity, and that may be the only reason why VERVE is listed at Dr. Oz’s website as “surefire way to get a jolt of energy”.

No surprise here, considering that you will get hit by 160 mg of caffeine.

Vemma Recruiters Target College Students

Mr. Bereyko got into hot water with the FTC, again. This time over the aggressive practices in recruiting students to join Vemma as affiliates. Students are easy prey, it seems. They cannot legally purchase alcoholic beverages, so they choose energy drinks which gives them ‘the jolt of energy’ they think they need to get through their hard days studying.

Combine this with the promise of a brand new BMW, it’s easy to understand that students readily jump at this opportunity. However, reality shows a completely different picture. Most didn’t make any money at all, and many accrued significant amounts of debt trying to meet the requirements necessary to keep their affiliate status active.

The FTC issued an order that barres Vemma from recruiting minors as affiliates.

Difficult to Cancel Monthly Order or Receive Refund

35% of all complaints against Vemma revolve around this issue. Many customers say that they were ‘tricked’ into placing a monthly order due to the fact that the “opt-in-box’ on the online order form is ‘checked’ and positioned in a way that it can be easily over looked. In many instances they complain that stop-orders are ignored and refund requests not being processed. Here are some of these complaints:

vemma review

It is not difficult to understand why this is indeed one of the major problem all MLMs have. Product Partners, Beauty Consultants or Affiliates (in the case of Vemma) have to rely on these monthly standing orders to maintain their active status and qualify for the commissions and group bonuses.

If one or more members of your team drop out, you need to recruit new folks to fill the vacant spots. Now you see the bigger issue that arises. In order to keep the money flowing, the recruiting must continue. As the grandmother of MLM, Mary Kay, said so eloquently:

“Keep filling the tub with the drain open”!

Not Many People Make Money

Duh, it is a MLM! It is an undeniable fact that in MLM less than 3% of all participants do make a livable income. About 75% make ‘jump change’ (less than working for minimum wages) and 20% lose money. There is not much more to say, that’s what it is. Here is the Vemma Income Disclaimer:

Is Vemma a Scam?

Vemma is selling tangible products which people buy and use and their MLM organization is within the current laws. Although Bereynko stepped out of bounds a couple of times and got slapped on the wrist by the FTC, legally they don’t do anything crazy that would warrant it to be called a scam.

Their ‘golden business opportunity‘, on the other hand, sucks. That’s my opinion and I will stick to it. No matter how many brain washed and struggling affiliates will leave nasty comments and try to convince me other wise.

I truly understand that it takes some investment to start your own business. I’ve been there and done that. However, having to try every dirty trick in the book to recruit new members, having to deal with standing monthly orders to qualify to get paid for MY HARD WORK is really not my cup of tea.

If it is yours though, your cup of tea I mean, then go right ahead and try to make a decent living with MLM.

I hope you enjoyed reading my Vemma Review and I would love to hear your opinion. It does not matter if you agree with me or not, let us know what’s on your mind and chime in on your way out.

An Alternative to Vemma

Since you are here, I assume you are looking for a way to start your own online business. If that’s the case, I can help you out here. I am not crazy enough to say that you will make a six-figure income six months from now. What I CAN SHOW YOU, however, is how I got started to make a livable income for myself in Affiliate Marketing.

Check out my #1 FREE Recommendation, then take a FREE test drive at Wealthy Affiliate and determine YOURSELF if this would be the right thing for you. That’s all I can do; show you the path to successfully start a sustainable online business.

Continue reading here: Is Success with Anthony a Scam?

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Readers' Questions

  • Yusef
    Is verve a pyramid scheme?
    1 year ago
  • No, Verve is not a pyramid scheme. Verve is a mobile payments platform that enables customers to pay for goods and services with their mobile devices.
    • kenneth
      Is vemma still in business?
      1 year ago
    • No, Vemma is no longer in business. The Federal Trade Commission permanently shut down the company in 2016.
      • melissa
        Is vemma still around?
        1 year ago
      • No, Vemma was shut down in 2015 by the Federal Trade Commission.