Thursday, April 28, 2011

USANA's 2011 First Quarter Earnings - A look Into The Active Associate and Preferred Customer Trends

USANA's first quarter earnings release reveals major drop in active associate numbers from prior quarter. I do not recall any mention of any quarter to quarter information in any press release. I have put together a 2 year trend of Active Associates and Active Preferred Customers by region. What I notice is a downward spiral. USANA lost a total of 22,000 of their Active Total Customers (Associates and Preferred Customers), yet their stock price actually went up from $35.70 to a high of $38.50 and closing at $36.30... I will break down each of USANA's regions and discuss the various situations in each.


USANA's United States Active Associate and Preferred Customer Results
figure 1 - USANA US Active Associates
 
figure 2 - USANA US Active Preferred Customers

USANA's United States territory lost 2000 active associates and gained 2000 active preferred customers.

Seems clear to me where the US is trending. USANA constantly blames the bad economy in the US, yet there are several leading distributors who claim that a down economy is good for MLM business opportunities because more people are out looking for work and are more likely to join MLMs. USANA has also blamed this downward trend on the rampant recruiting in their Greater China territory. USANA claims that US distributors are focusing their attention on business in China, which is hogwash. USANA distributors cannot recruit Chinese Nationals into their downline. Chinese Nationals can only be recruited into BabyCare in a single level marketing compensation plan, which I believe will fail USANA miserably because the incentive to recruit an endless chain doesn't exist. Perhaps USANA is referring to the underground recruiting of Chinese Nationals into USANA's Hong Kong territory, which violates China's Direct Selling laws. I believe with the help of Utah's Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, USANA is above the law.


USANA's Canada Active Associate and Preferred Customer Results
figure 3 - USANA Canada Active Associates
figure 4 - USANA Canada Active Preferred Customers
USANA's Canada active associates and preferred customers remained unchanged.

Canada too has been suffering a decline in active associates and preferred customers. I guess this must be because of the bad economy in the United States. At least that is what USANA might claim. I believe USANA's reputation of being a recruiting scheme with over priced products that are almost impossible to resell have more to do with this decline than USANA would ever admit. Saturation has also kicked in.


USANA's Mexico Active Associate and Preferred Customer Results
figure 5 - USANA Mexico Active Associates
figure 6 - USANA Mexico Active Preferred Customers
USANA's Mexico territory lost 1000 active associates and 1000 active preferred customers.

I never thought Mexico was a serious territory for USANA. I think this territory has more to do with having Sanoviv there than having USANA associates running around recruiting each other. It was interesting though during the Swine Flu hysteria because USANA's "Poly C" was being marketed by many distributors as a preventative measure against the Swine Flu. I guess if people simply "believe" something will work, then it probably will - Placebo Effect. Perhaps USANA should simply produce a sugar pill, call it Usanebo™ and give their poor distributors a break and only charge them $0.99 for a 28 day supply.


USANA's S.E. Asia/Pacific Active Associate and Preferred Customer Results
figure 7 - USANA South East Asia / Pacific Active Associates
figure 8 - USANA South East Asia / Pacific Active Preferred Customers
USANA's South East Asia / Pacific territory lost 1000 active associates while active preferred customers remained unchanged.

This territory includes: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Unfortunately, USANA no longer breaks down these territories individually. This is a shame because it gave a much more detailed view of how bad these territories are actually doing. USANA prefers to through around unspecified percentage growths and declines making it difficult to effectively analyze those territories. Either way, the declining trend of active associates is yet another sign of a saturated market, bad reputation and (cough) the bad economy in the United States. Seriously, the US economy has nothing to do with Australia and New Zealand's declining trends. I can only wonder why analysts don't question USANA on their answers. Instead, analysts simply accept whatever answer USANA gives, as if it satisfied the question. However, most of the time it paints an even more ambiguous picture. So far, USANA's latest quarterly report shows a continued decline of members.


USANA's Greater China Active Associate and Preferred Customer Results
figure 9 - USANA Greater China Active Associates
figure 10 - USANA Greater China Active Preferred Customers
USANA's Greater China territory lost 11,000 active associates and 8000 active preferred customers.

This territory includes: Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. Are the lemmings jumping overboard?  As I have written many times now, USANA has been recruiting people from Mainland China into their USANA Hong Kong territory. This is in violation of China's direct selling laws, but don't let that stop anyone. Chinese Nationals are not allowed to join MLM companies. USANA has finally come around and started to mention the recruitment of Chinese Nationals into USANA's Hong Kong territory. However, USANA has a very interesting way to define these distributors. USANA claims that they are simply people who joined solely so they can personally purchase and consume the product. Really! Why then did they not simply join as preferred customers? I believe USANA is full of crap.

These Chinese National USANA distributors joined so they can participate in the endless recruiting scheme in hopes to make money by recruiting other Chinese Nationals under them. Since everyone is forced to purchase USANA product to participate in USANA's compensation plan, distributors are essentially paid to recruit. Mainland China is a fresh market and that is why USANA witnessed an explosive growth in their Hong Kong territory over the past couple years.

Now we have a huge decline over the previous quarter. USANA claims it is because of the Chinese New Year, which lasts a couple weeks. If this is true, then it reveals how desperately associates must continue to recruit more associates into the endless chain just to maintain the same number of active associates! However, I believe it has more to do with the fact that most associates realizing they are never going to make a dime and how difficult it is to endlessly recruit people. With the product prices so high and having to import the product from the US, why waste their time and money in actually retailing any product. China has more vitamins brands than Carter has pills. Not to mention the skin care market in China.

And Babycare associates will learn quickly than making money retailing USANA product is not worth their time and energy. Since Babycare associates cannot recruit new associates into a downline (Single Level Marketing is China), there is no way for them to make money off the backs of hundreds below them. The USANA fad in China will wear off unless USANA brings down the distributors cost for the product by a substantial amount.


USANA's North Asia Active Associate and Preferred Customer Results
figure 11 - USANA North Asia Active Associates
figure 12 - USANA North Asia Active Preferred Customers
USANA's North Asia active associates and preferred customers remained unchanged.


This territory includes: Japan and South Korea. This is another joke of territories as was Mexico. Why USANA even bothers to publish these numbers is beyond me. We may see that the next quarterly release, Japan might go up 1000 associates. I believe this could be from USANA associates pushing the sale of potassium iodide as a preventative measure against the nuclear radiation caused by the earth quake and tsunami. But again the amount would be insignificant. This territory is saturated and not going to help USANA in the long run.
 
These are my opinions based on my research and analysis of USANA Health Sciences. As always, I welcome the harsh criticism. If there are errors, let me know as I finished writing this at 1:30 AM.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

USANA's First Quarter Results for 2011 Reveal Falling Interest For USANA's Business Opportunity.

USANA released their First Quarter Earnings Statement and it shows that all over the world USANA's active associate numbers fell except China, which I believe cannot be trusted.

Year over year, USANA's active associate figures yield:
United States: from 56,000 to 49,000
Canada: from 25,000 to 24,000
Mexico: from 13,000 to 10,000
Southeast Asia/Pacific: from 44,000 to 40,000
North Asia: from 9000 to 8000
Greater China: from 57,000 to 82,000

USANA uses the excuse that the bad United States economy is responsible for the declining figures, but this decline is world wide. However, China is an exception. Hong Kong and mainland China numbers are sky rocketing, but as I have mentioned many times now, I belive this is because USANA is allowing illegal recruiting of mainland China persons into USANA's Hong Kong territory, which violates foreign laws. Not to mention mainland China is not a "USANA" territory. It is a Babycare territory. There is a difference.

I believe USANA stated last quarter that they expect the Hong Kong distributor numbers to start falling because a handful of USANA products are now sold through Babycare Ltd. This was due to the expectation that mainland Chinese distributors signed up as USANA associates in Hong Kong would leave USANA and sign up as a Babycare associate. Not only does this validate my claims that USANA has been recruiting mainland Chinese nationals as USANA associates in Hong Kong, but also raises a serious question: Those associates who left USANA's Hong Kong distributorship and signed up as Babycare associates, are they counted twice? The answer should be "NO", but it would not surprise me. Perhaps there are those that hold both a USANA distributorship as well as a Babycare distributorship; count them twice!

Of course this begs the question, where are the millions of retail customers that should come from having hundreds of thousands of USANA sales reps? Unfortunately, after distributors pay a premium price for the USANA inventory, why would anyone pay even more? Distributors pay $110 for a USANA Healthpak100 which only lasts 28 days which makes it a $3.93 per day multivitamin supplement. View the USANA Price List for yourself. Who in their right mind would fork out $1430 per year for vitamins, and that's the distributor's cost! And don't expect any ethical doctor or nutritionist to recommend such a product either. Since only USANA distributors can sell the product, the doctor or nutritionist would have to be a USANA distributor. In other words, some doctors peddle USANA product to the patient they would have to peddle the product to their patient, which violates their code of ethics.

Yet, USANA's Healthpak100 is one of their most commonly sold product. Why is that? Simple. USANA attaches sales points to each of their product. Most distributors have 1 business center and are required to personally purchase 100 sales volume points every 28 days. The Healthpak100 is 100 sales points, so only 1 product would have to be purchased. Plus, it is the best value for the number of sales points awarded. Purchasing other products and meeting the minimum 100 point requirement would usually put the order over 100 points, which further wastes the distributors money. So a 100 point product easy much easier to deal with. Sadly, USANA distributors also have to pay a pricey shipping and handling fee on top of it.

Knowing all this, it is obvious why there is a serious lack of retail customers. One can go down USANA's entire product line and see how over priced it is. More and more people in the United States are becoming aware of MultiLevel Marketing schemes like USANA and are distancing themselves from the cultish behavior. USANA has reached saturation in the United States and other areas, and without the shenanigans in the China region, USANA would have a single digit stock price.

These are my opinions and I welcome harsh criticism.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Don't be Fooled! Editorial Reviews on the Back Cover of The Healthy Home are USANA Affiliates

 
Who's who on the back cover of The Healthy Home?

On the back cover of Myron Wentz and Dave Wentz's latest book "The Healthy Home" are three editorial reviews. Lets take a look.


“Dave and Dr. Wentz have conspired to create an innovative and imaginative approach to living simply. As a physician, I would offer one bit of advice: heed the constructs, sentiments, and words written in this book. We cannot wait for the scientific method to verify the claims made. As individuals we must act now! We should follow our intuition and adhere to The Healthy Home.” - Peter W. Rugg, M.D., FACEP
Missing from Peter Rugg's title: USANA Scientific Advisory Council Chairperson, USANA distributor (ID# 3079662)


Interesting that Peter implies the book is full of unverified claims that the scientific method has yet to prove.

The Healthy Home is an amazing revelation of 'truths' on everyday products that parents use for their children. This book will empower parents to take measures to protect their children from toxins that may threaten the health of our future generations.” - Christine Wood, M.D., pediatrician and author of How to Get Kids to Eat Great & Love It
Missing from Christine Wood's title: USANA Scientific Advisory Council member, USANA Distributor (ID# 348)

Amazing revelation of 'truths' on everyday products, yet Peter Rugg implies the scientific method has not verified them yet. Can they really be called truths?

“I have met few individuals more generous, more approachable, and more caring than Dr. Wentz. He believes in true health and is seeking to discover its secrets with a passion that is as spiritual as it is scientific. In this brilliant collaboration with his son, Dave, we are able to witness the passage and expansion of simple truths from generation to generation.” - Denis Waitley, Ph.D., bestselling author of The Psychology of Winning
Missing from Denis Waitley's title: Former member of USANA's Board of Directors, chairman of USANA's Athletic Advisory Council, USANA Distributor (ID# 1069)


The problem with these editorial reviews is the fact each member is financially tied to the authors of the book. Interesting that Myron and Dave chose to leave off the fact these members not only worked with USANA, but each hold their own distributorship as well. Why was this conveniently left off the back cover? I believe it was so it gave the appearance of third party credibility. 

It reeks of the same problem that the Third Edition of the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements has. Written by Lyle MacWilliam (who was also on USANA's Scientific Advisory Council), the book ranked vitamins and ranked USANA #1. On the back of its cover were all USANA affiliates giving their review without ever disclosing such USANA affiliation. In fact, Christine Wood and Denis Waitley were two of the editorial reviewers on that book as well!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

USANA's Use of "The Healthy Home" Book as Entry Into Company Run Nation Wide Lottery May Violate State & Federal Laws

"The Healthy Home" hits 5 best seller lists during first couple weeks of book release. However, ...

Screenshot of USANA's website showing The Healthy Home
It appears USANA is currently violating both Utah State and Federal gambling laws. USANA's requirement for distributors to purchase Myron Wentz's book "The Healthy Home" in order to participate in a lottery to win an iPad may land USANA in a heap of trouble. State and Federal Regulators need to be made aware of this potential crime currently taking place. The lottery runs from March 27, 2011 to April 15, 2011.

According to PRNewsWire, USANA has made the Best Sellers list for The New York Times, USA Today, L.A. Times, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon.com for the book's extraordinary sales.

According to Utah State Laws for gambling
     76-10-1102.   Gambling.
     (1) A person is guilty of gambling if he:
     (a) participates in gambling;
     (b) knowingly permits any gambling to be played, conducted, or dealt upon or in any real or personal property owned, rented, or under the control of the actor, whether in whole or in part; or
     (c) knowingly allows the use of any video gaming device that is:
     (i) in any business establishment or public place; and
     (ii) accessible for use by any person within the establishment or public place.
     (2) Gambling is a class B misdemeanor, provided, however, that any person who is twice convicted under this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

According to Federal Laws regarding lotteries:
    * The federal lottery statutes made it illegal to transport lottery materials across state lines, or ship them to other countries
    * The Interstate Wagering Amendment of 1994 made it illegal to procure a ticket for someone in a different state than that in which the lottery was held

Let this also be a reminder to the general public that Myron and Dave Wentz's book "The Healthy Home" made it to several Best Sellers lists solely because they used their book as $13.19 raffle tickets for USANA distributors and USANA preferred customers to purchase and have the right to participate in a company run lottery to give away 3 iPads. The "general public" as Dave Wentz calls it, has virtually nothing to do with the sales of his book.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Myron Wentz's “The Healthy Home” makes NY Times best seller list by being sold as raffle tickets in lottery drawing held by USANA.

nullMyron Wentz (founder of USANA) and his son Dave Wentz (CEO of USANA) authored a book called “The Healthy Home” which was released on March 22, 2011. Their book made it to number 7 on the NY Times best selling book list for “Hard Cover Advise and Misc”. What is not mentioned on any press releases is the fact the book is being sold as raffle tickets to win an iPad in a lottery operated by the authors.

USANA is currently running a lottery drawing exclusively for their distributors and preferred customers to win iPads. In order to participate in this lottery drawing, the USANA distributor or preferred customer must purchase Myron Wentz's new book “The Healthy Home” from Amazon.com for $13.19. Distributors can enter as many times as they wish, but are advised to do so during different weeks of the contest to help bolster the book's best seller rankings.

USANA explains this contest in a document on their Ask Andy website which is used by their distributors to access important information regarding USANA: http://obs.usana.com/UPLOADS/usana/2011/87/87-1_CAA.html. (A copy of this document is provided in full at the bottom of this blog entry)
 
"Here’s how it works—Purchase a copy of The Healthy Home on Amazon.com between March 27 and April 15 and e-mail a copy of your electronic receipt to contest@myhealthyhome.com. Not only will you receive a special Healthy Home pin at USANA’s 2011 International Convention, but your name will also be put into one of three special drawings for a chance to win one of three iPads!


* Week 1: March 27–April 2 (we need to sell 1,000 copies of the book this week)
* Week 2: April 2–9 (we need to sell 1,500 copies this week)
* Week 3: April 10–15 (we need to sell 2,500 copies this week)

...

Q. Who can participate in the drawing?
A. This drawing is only for USANA Associates or Preferred Customers living in the United States."

Distributors interested in participating in the lottery to win a $500 iPad only need to purchase a $13.19 raffle ticket from Amazon.com called “The Healthy Home”.


Amazingly, USANA's CEO Dave Wentz made the following statement regarding their position on the NY Times Best Seller list in the following article:
"The response to our book has been incredible," says Dave Wentz. "Although the book was released less than three weeks ago, we have gotten calls from reporters and TV and radio stations from all over North America. We have received over 3,000 'likes' on Facebook in a short time and gotten a lot of great feedback from our readers. Clearly, the topics we address in The Healthy Home are a huge interest to the general public." (my emphasis in bold)

What GENERAL PUBLIC is Dave Wentz referring to? Dave knows that the book is primarily being sold to USANA distributors who purchase the book in hopes of winning a $500 iPad in a lottery drawing. The general public has nothing to do with the purchases of The Healthy Home. Clearly, the statement made by Dave regarding "interest to the general public" was an attempt to mislead the general public.

I believe the authors are conducting a highly unethical method to appear on Best Seller lists. It would be very interesting to find out what Amazon thinks about this lottery system. Also, what about the other outlets that sell the book? What do they think about the fact the authors are holding this lottery exclusively with Amazon.com?


Below is USANA's Lottery Information found on their Ask Andy website: http://obs.usana.com/UPLOADS/usana/2011/87/87-1_CAA.html

Amazon.com Contest


null
The Healthy Home launched with a bang, but we're not done. Our sights are set at the top of the best-seller lists, and we need your help. Purchas at Amazon.com, and you could win an iPad!
 
Buy Copies of The Healthy Home at Amazon.com by April 15

Participate in USANA’s efforts to help make The Healthy Home a best seller and you could win an iPad!
The Healthy Home launched on March 22 with incredible success, but the journey is just beginning. To make this book a truly powerful vehicle for spreading Dr. Wentz’ vision and for building your business, we need to make it a best seller. To do so, we need you! And in case you need a little extra incentive, we’ll be awarding incredible prizes to those who help.

To become a best seller, we’ll need to sell a certain number of copies of The Healthy Home on Amazon.com within the next three weeks.

Here’s how it works—Purchase a copy of The Healthy Home on Amazon.com between March 27 and April 15 and e-mail a copy of your electronic receipt to contest@myhealthyhome.com. Not only will you receive a special Healthy Home pin at USANA’s 2011 International Convention, but your name will also be put into one of three special drawings for a chance to win one of three iPads!

There will be an iPad drawing at the end of each of the three weeks during which Amazon.com will be reporting sales of The Healthy Home for possible inclusion on the top best-seller lists. 

  • Week 1: March 27–April 2 (we need to sell 1,000 copies of the book this week) 
  • Week 2: April 2–9 (we need to sell 1,500 copies this week)  
  • Week 3: April 10–15 (we need to sell 2,500 copies this week)
    The number of books we need to sell is not impossible. We can do it, and any help from you will make a big difference. So talk to your Preferred Customers (because they can participate, too), talk to your downlines, and talk to your uplines—spread the word and create a strategy to determine the best week for each of you to make your purchases. And if you plan on purchasing more than one copy of the book from Amazon.com, buy them one at a time and during different weeks to help bolster our chances of making the best-seller list and your chances of winning an iPad.

    Together, we can make a difference. Many of you have already bought copies of The Healthy Home, and your efforts are reflected in the early success of the book. But with a little more help—even the purchase of just one more copy through Amazon.com by April 15—you can help make The Healthy Home an even greater sales tool than it already is. Let’s spread the vision of Dr. Wentz to the world together.

    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    Q. Who can participate in the drawing?
    A. This drawing is only for USANA Associates or Preferred Customers living in the United States.

    Q. What do I win?
    A. Anyone who purchases a copy of The Healthy Home from Amazon.com between March 27 and April 15 will receive a special Healthy Home pin at USANA’s 2011 International Convention. The name of each entrant will also be placed in a drawing for one of three iPads.

    Q. Can I enter the drawing multiple times?
    A. Yes, as long as you have more than one receipt. Multiple copies of the book shown on a single receipt will only be entered into the drawing once. Therefore, it is important that you purchase each copy of The Healthy Home separately during this period.

    Q. Where do I send my receipt?
    A. E-mail an electronic copy of your receipt from Amazon.com to contest@myhealthyhome.com.

    RULES
    1. This is an individual-based promotion.
    2. Participants must reside in the United States.
    3. Only one Healthy Home pin and/or iPad will be awarded per distributorship.
    4. No purchase necessary. Participants can be entered into the drawing by mailing a postcard with their name and Associate or Preferred Customer identification number to the following address:

      Healthy Home Contest
      c/o USANA Health Sciences
      3838 W. Parkway Blvd.
      Salt Lake City, UT 84120
    5. Employees of USANA and their family members may not participate in this promotion.
    6. Any manipulation of this promotion, i.e., sponsorship manipulation, downline purchasing (placing a sales order in a Business Center other than where the sale was generated), forgery of receipts, etc., will result in disqualification from this promotion, in addition to any sanctions under the Associate Agreement.
    7. By entering, each entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these rules and by the decisions of USANA, which shall be final and binding in all respects.
    8. Taxes, if applicable, are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. The fair market value of all prizes will be reported to the IRS pursuant to IRS regulations.
    9. Prizes are non-negotiable and cannot be redeemed for cash.
    10. No substitutions or transfer of prizes is permitted. USANA reserves the right to substitute a prize for one of equal or greater value in the event that an advertised prize is unavailable.
    11. USANA is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected online entries or transactions for incorrect, inaccurate, or incomplete entry information whether caused by a contestant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error, or malfunctions. USANA reserves the right to halt or modify the promotion at any time during the promotion period if events beyond their control compromise the promotion's fairness or integrity.
    12. USANA, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participating in the promotion, refuse to award prizes, and require the return of any prizes if entrant engages in any conduct USANA deems to be improper, unfair, or otherwise adverse to the operation of the promotion or detrimental to other entrants. Such improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, falsifying personal information required during the promotion.
    13. USANA reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the promotion.
    14. This promotion may not be used for any form of gambling.
    15. If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of USANA which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this promotion, USANA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the promotion.
    16. USANA assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or transactions.
    17. USANA is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to, or resulting from, participation or downloading any materials in this promotion.
    18. USANA reserves the right to use names, images, and likenesses of promotion winners for printed and online media to market USANA products and promotions.

    Sunday, October 24, 2010

    USANA's distributor Hall of Fame reveals their elaborate recruiting pyramid scheme

    USANA's October 2010 Distributor Hall of Fame
    Compiled and Analyzed
    By: USANAWatchDog
    October 2010

    Click For FULL SIZE
    USANA Health Sciences, Inc. does not publicly publish their distributor figures. So I must take it upon myself to compile and publish the information. It becomes very apparent why USANA refuses to disclose the distributor numbers; almost everyone is unable to make a profit!

    Of course if this information were made available to prospects before they join USANA's business opportunity, the outcome may be very different. Who would join a failed business where 99% of USANA's sales representatives lose money? It is easy to see how bad the failure rate is when comparing the leadership levels in this diagram to USANA's last average distributor earnings figures: USANA's 2006 North American Distributor Earnings Statement. USANA has not published a relevant report since then.

    In the diagram, I represent USANA's distributors in a pyramid chart. The pyramid on the lower left represents all of USANA's distributors that have at one time or another received a commission check. Since the higher ranks represent such a small percentage of the total, the middle pyramid is a zoomed-in representation of the lower left pyramid's tip. The same goes for the upper right pyramid, which is a zoomed-in representation of the middle pyramid. The diagram does not even include the other 600,000+ distributors that have never received a commission check! USANA also only considers what is represented in the upper right pyramid as "Full Time" distributors (Gold Directors and up). Everyone else are just part timers according to USANA.

    So what is USANA's response to this? I would love to know. USANA cannot claim that most distributors join only to receive discounts on the product because USANA's Preferred Customers pay the same price as distributors. All of USANA's distributors joined with the intent to "Make Money" (otherwise they would only be preferred customers). Distributors are forced to purchase over $100 worth of product every 4 weeks in order to receive their commission check. Just imagine each level of distributors making these required product purchases. Those purchases pay commission to the higher levels. What we have here is a very elaborate pyramid scheme.

    The Security Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Stock Analysts, Shareholders, Distributors and Prospects should all be aware of the information presented in the diagram.

    Monday, September 27, 2010

    How is USANA a Pyramid Scheme? Prospecting Associates Should Read This Before Joining.

    How is USANA a Pyramid Scheme?

    In short, I believe USANA Health Sciences, Inc. is a pyramid scheme because associates can recruit an endless chain of new associates into a downline and are paid commission from the required product purchases made by each of the associates in the downline. Retailing USANA's products are unachievable due to the associates's exorbitant cost for the products. USANA associates resort to recruiting more sales representatives as their primary focus instead of retailing the product for a profit margin. The product is overpriced in order to fund the top recruiters in the pyramid scheme. As a result, 99% of USANA distributors never make a profit and lose a lot of their time and money.


       Required Product Purchases

    The following is a statement from USANA's SEC filings regarding the requirement for associates to purchase product:
    "To be eligible to earn commissions, an Associate must purchase a certain amount of product each month ("Qualifying Purchases"), which they may resell to consumers or use personally. Associates do not earn commissions on these Qualifying Purchases. Associates only earn commissions on the purchase of products by Associates in their down-line organization and Preferred Customers." - USANA's 10-K SEC Filing

    First of all, the SEC Filing states that a certain amount product must be purchased each month, which is false. A certain amount of product must be purchased every 4 weeks, which happens 13 times a year instead of 12. USANA calls the amount of products associates are required to purchase as the "Personal Sales Volume" (PSV). It is very interesting that USANA chose the term "Personal Sales Volume" when in fact it is a "Personal Purchase Volume". The upline associates receive commission from the associate that makes these required purchases even in the product is never retailed to a customer. However, if the associate chooses to retail the product, that associate is not paid commission on the sale. Because the product is over priced, retailing for a profit margin is practically unheard of. What is actually happening here is that every associate is required to purchase about $110 worth of inventory every four weeks (13 times a year) and those inventory purchases pay commission to the associates who joined earlier.

    What was left out of the SEC filing are the consequences of failing to purchase a certain amount of product every 4 weeks.
    "If, at any time, an Associate’s PSV falls below the minimum requirement to remain active, the Associate will no longer be eligible for commission checks or bonuses or to advance in rank. The Associate will also lose any Carryover Volume, and he or she will not carry over any volume until re-activating the BC(s). The Carryover Volume will start again at zero." - USANA's Ask Andy

    This rule threatens associates to continue purchasing inventory. A real business would not have such ridiculous hoops to jump through. Put it this way, if an associate were to sign up 10,000 preferred customers who purchase product on a regular basis, this associate will not be paid a single penny for their work unless the associate purchases $110 worth of inventory every 28 days. Why should a USANA associate be forced to purchase their own product if they don't need to? USANA would collapse if they did not force their distributors to purchase product every four weeks.


       Recruiting Associates Instead of Retailing Product

    Associates can make far more money by selling the dream of becoming rich rather than selling USANA's vitamins or skincare products. In fact, as long as you sell the dream, the product sells itself!

    Costs USANA associates $14.95 and retails for $17.94.
    Each bottle Contains 56 tablets and each tablet contains 2 mg of melatonin.
    So USANA's melatonin product costs associates 13.3 cents per milligram.

    Most melatonin products retail for less than 3 cents per milligram - See for yourself!

    All of USANA's products are overpriced like the above example!

    However, when taking all of USANA's perks into consideration, USANA associates can potentially receive $20 in commission every 28 days from each associate in their downline simply from the required product purchases! Of course, what gets left out of their promotional material are the vast amounts of rules that prevent most all associates from making a dime. This is why is pays to recruit instead of retailing USANA's products.


       Endless Recruiting is How it Works

    Most distributors do not remain in the pyramid scheme and drop out after only a few months. This is because reality sets in and they soon discover that nobody wants to purchase overpriced vitamins or skincare product. Not only that, but most of their family members, friends, and co-workers do not support their venture after being asked to join their downline. Because of this, there is a very high dropout rate for new associates in USANA's business opportunity. In fact, an estimated 81.5% of new associates drop out within their first year!

    USANA knows that most associates drop out soon after they join and has developed a means to extract most of the money from the associate before they drop out. They do this two different ways. 1) in order for new associates to initially activate their business center and be eligible to collect commission, the associate must personally purchase about $220 worth of product. 2) Alternatively, a new associate can purchase one of four special enrollment packages ranging from $300 to $1250, which contains product and recruiting material.


       What Does The FTC Say About MLM and Pyramid Schemes?

    In 2004, the Federal Trade Commission wrote a letter in response to a question the Direct Selling Association's president Neil H. Offen asked. The letter is titled "Staff Advisory Opinion - Pyramid Scheme Analysis". Mr. Offen requested a staff advisory opinion regarding the FTC's analysis of pyramid schemes.The response does not bode well for Multilevel Marketing companies like USANA. I recommend reading the memo for yourself.


    "A multi-level compensation system funded primarily by such non-incidental revenues does not depend on continual recruitment of new participants, and therefore, does not guarantee financial failure for the majority of participants. In contrast, a multi-level compensation system funded primarily by payments made for the right to participate in the venture is an illegal pyramid scheme." (My Emphasis in Bold) - FTC Memo

    USANA makes most of their net revenues from the money distributors pay in order to participate in the business opportunity. According to FTC's statement, it is very likely USANA is conducting an illegal pyramid scheme. 89% of USANA’s net revenue comes from distributors who purchase product and services from USANA.
    "The Commission’s recent cases, however, demonstrate that the sale of goods and service; alone does not necessarily render a multi-level system legitimate. Modem pyramid schemes generally do not blatantly base commissions on the outright payment of fees, but instead try to disguise these payments to appear as if they are based on the sale of goods or services. The most common means employed to achieve this goal is to require a certain level of monthly purchases to qualify for commissions. While the sale of goods and services nominally generates all commissions in a system primarily funded by such purchases, in fact, those commissions are funded by purchases made to obtain the right to participate in the scheme. Each individual who profits, therefore, does so primarily from the payments of others who are themselves making payments in order to obtain their own profit. As discussed above, such a plan is little more than a transfer scheme, dooming the vast majority of participants to financial failure." (My Emphasis in Bold) - FTC Memo

    According to this quote, simply because USANA has a product to market does not mean render the company legitimate. It goes on to explain that Modern Pyramid Schemes require a certain level of monthly purchases to qualify for commission and these schemes call the required purchases a "sale of goods". The majority of USANA's commissions paid out comes primarily from the associate's required inventory purchases. If an MLM company makes the majority of their net revenues from the payments made by distributors to qualify for commissions, then the company is an Illegal Pyramid Scheme.


       Conclusion

    Based on the information I have provided above, I believe that USANA conducts an illegal pyramid scheme. 99% of USANA distributors lose money due to this scam. The FTC needs to investigate USANA and put an end to the fraud. USANA currently operates this pyramid scheme in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia, Philippines, and the United States. I recommend any prospecting distributor from these countries to consider what I have written above and do your own research before making a decision whether to join or not.

    Monday, September 20, 2010

    USANA'a Hong Kong active associate numbers may begin declining because of BabyCare Ltd.

    Now that USANA Health Sciences owns BabyCare Ltd in China, will USANA continue to recruit Chinese Nationals into their Hong Kong market?  Currently, China has outlawed Multilevel Marketing because they consider it to be a pyramid scheme. Only Single Level direct selling is allowed. Distributors are not allowed to recruit additional distributors.

    It appears that USANA and their distributors have been recruiting people from mainland China into their Multilevel Marketing business opportunity through their Hong Kong market. As I pointed out in a previous blog posting regarding USANA's active associates per territory, USANA's Hong Kong territory reveal that 1 in every 135 Hong Kong citizens are active distributors in USANA's business. That's very suspicious when you consider that USANA's United States market has 1 in every 5436 American citizen as an active Usana distributor.

    So if USANA's Hong Kong territory has been used to funnel profits to USANA through illegal means (recruiting people from mainland China), and now USANA owns BabyCare Ltd, will those mainland Chinese distributors who joined USANA illegally leave USANA and join BabyCare Ltd instead? I believe this may be the case. This would mean that USANA's Hong Kong active associate figures will begin to drop. Keep in mind, people living in Hong Kong would not be able to join BabyCare Ltd because Hong Kong is not part of mainland China. Now if USANA believes their Hong Kong active associate numbers are going to decline as a result of BabyCare Ltd, then USANA has a responsibility to inform their shareholders since it is a material matter.

    Regardless, I firmly believe there is sufficient evidence for a SEC investigation of USANA's distributor recruiting in their Hong Kong territory. I believe this is a SEC issue because if illegal distributor activities within a foreign country such as China is confirmed, it may account for a very substantial amount of USANA's net revenues and gross profits. If this is truly the case, then shareholders may suffer massive loses in their investment in USANA's stock. Another consequence will be a damaging blow to the auditing firm PriceWaterHouseCoopers' reputation since they have been notified of this matter almost a year ago.

    I would ask that anyone with additional information or evidence please email me. Your identity will not be revealed.

    UPDATED September 21, 2010 at 7:47 PM:
    If USANA's management HYPOTHETICALLY told an investment firm that they are expecting Hong Kong active associate numbers to be lower because of BabyCare Ltd, but did not make this statement publicly to all shareholders, does this violate SEC laws due to insider trading?

    Wednesday, August 18, 2010

    USANA Purchases BabyCare Ltd for its Direct Selling License in China for $62,716,000


    USANA recently purchased a company based in Beijing China that has been unprofitable. However, this company had something USANA has not been able to obtain; a direct selling license in mainland China. USANA paid a whopping $62,716,000 for a company that only had $15,000,000 in annual net sales and $19,000,000 in total assets. The transaction took place in the Cayman Islands, so it is questionable whether or not either party had to pay any US or Chinese tax.

    USANA Health Sciences, Inc. is successful for one reason, Multilevel Marketing (MLM). USANA distributors can recruit more distributors, and because any distributor who wants to participate must personally purchase over $100 worth of product every 28 days, there is no need to retail product. Commission is paid to upline distributors from those mandatory product purchases made by their downline. So in MLM, selling the dream of making money and recruiting new distributors is what makes 1% of distributors a lot of money and make USANA very profitable. However, mainland China does not allow MLM compensation plans!

    Mainland China only allows single level marketing compensation plans. So the only means for a distributor to make any money would be to retail product to real customers, which is really what direct selling is suppose to be about. For USANA to bring their product into China, USANA must at least drop the price of their product line in half (or more). This would allow its distributors in mainland China to retail the product and make a “Profit Margin”. This profit margin in currently unheard of with USANA's products around the rest of the world because the distributors already pay a premium retail price for the product and cannot resell it for more than they paid. Also, USANA's preferred customers pay the same price as the distributors. USANA would also have to reward those Chinese Nationals that actually retail product unlike those around the rest of the world which are rewarded for recruiting more distributors instead of retailing product. In case this isn't clear, distributors in mainland China would not have a downline! These distributors would also only be recruited by USANA's corporate office (or BabyCare for now) and not by distributors inside or outside the country.

    There are good reasons for USANA to make this move however. They will try to use it to encourage the rest of their markets to recruit like crazy. USANA can put in their promotional material that they are only 1 of 25 companies in the world that have a direct selling license in mainland China, which is now the second largest economy in the world. If USANA distributors thinks USANA will be able to grow a large distributor base in China and maintain those distributors, then those distributors are in for a surprise. Again, what incentive is there for Chinese Nationals to join a distributorship with BabyCare/USANA? Unlike MLM where distributors think they work as a team, single level marketing means that each distributor is a competitor to one another. So the more distributors in a single level marketing plan, the less each distributor has to potentially make. Because of this, the number of Chinese distributors not rise as much as some believe. If the numbers grow too big, Chinese distributors will not last very long and will drop out even quicker than MLM distributors do.

    Goodluck to USANA though. If USANA brings their product line into mainland China, they'll be forced to drastically lower the price of their products. Then the Chinese National distributors will pay about $50 USD or less for a USANA HealthPak100 and resell it for about $70 USD and make a $20 profit from each box sold, unless USANA refuses to lower the price. Oh, and if you think the product sent to Chinese Nationals would only be resold in China, think again. USANA has been unable to police Ebay and other auction sites for USANA distributors who have been reselling massive amounts of product at half the price that it costs distributors to purchase; all for the sales volume points (MLM point game)! What would stop Chinese Nationals from using ebay to resell all their product world wide and do it for a real profit while still reselling it for a cheaper price than any other USANA distributor elsewhere in the world could even buy it for.

    Bottom line, MLMs have not been successful in mainland China and that is because MLMs were never about retailing product. MLM's like USANA are in business to sell the opportunity to make money (the dream). China is smart because they know a pyramid scheme when they see one; MLM. Companies in mainland China with a direct selling license can only succeed if the product is very affordable and competitive against those on store shelves. With a LIMITED distributor base, the product line can make the company and its distributors a lot of money. But if the product is too expensive, customers will not buy, and distributors will leave.

    Wednesday, August 11, 2010

    USANA's Active Associate Per Territory, Evidence of Illegal Recruiting in Mainland China, and Misleading Philippines Associate Figures.

    The following table shows the number of reported Active Associates for USANA Health Sciences, Inc. 2nd quarter financial results in 2007 and 2010. Also included is a ratio of the number of USANA active associates to the population for the given territory. The results of this chart reveal what I believe is strong evidence that supports the notion that illegal associate recruiting is taking place in mainland China. I've been saying this for quite a while now, but the SEC needs to investigate this matter.

    Territory 06/30/07 07/03/10 USANA Associates Per Citizen
    North American Region
    United States 63,000 57,000 1 : 5,436
    Canada 27,000 26,000 1 : 1,315
    Mexico 14,000 12,000 1 : 9,268
    SE Asia/Pacific Region
    Australia-New Zealand 21,000 18,000 1 : 1,476
    Singapore 8,000 5,000 1 : 998
    Malaysia 11,000 14,000 1 : 2,022
    Philippines 0 7,000 1 : 13,140
    E Asia Region
    Hong Kong 13,000 52,000 1 : 135
    Taiwan 15,000 11,000 1 : 2,095
    N Asia Region
    Japan 4,000 4,000 1 : 35,855
    South Korea 2,000 4,000 1 : 12,190

    1. It is very interesting that over the past 3 years Hong Kong gained 39,000 active associates, which is a 300% increase. How is this possible when the rest of USANA's markets did so poorly? And to top it off, Hong Kong has 1 USANA associate for every 135 citizens! This is a huge red flag and should easily prompt an SEC investigation into the illegal recruiting of Chinese Nationals. USANA is forbidden to recruit associates from mainland China because China has banned MLM from operating in their country. Any recruiting of people from mainland China breaks foreign laws. USANA is fully aware of the associates they are recruiting from mainland China. In a leaked USANA internal document from October 2009, USANA admitted that a "large sum" of product ends up in mainland China. USANA has never disclosed this information to shareholders. Besides, according to a long time USANA distributor, over 5 years ago USANA already had some problems with about 1400 of their distributors that were all Chinese Nationals who joined illegally, so it isn't like this would be the first time.

    2. Also revealed by this chart is the fact that after three years USANA is losing active associates in most of their territories. Are shareholders aware of just how saturated USANA's markets are? USANA only reports in their SEC filings the active associate results for each region (North American, E. Asia, N. Asia, SE Asia). Investors have no idea how bad each of USANA's markets are doing because they are grouped together as a whole. After three years, US down 6000, Canada down 1000, Mexico down 2000, Australia/New Zealand down 3000, Singapore down 3000, Taiwan down 4000. Japan remains the same. Malaysia went up 3000 and South Korea went up 2000. The Philippines have 7000, but didn't exist 3 years ago. And finally, Hong Kong went up 39,000! Red Flag???

    I believe the massive recruiting situation in Hong Kong and this large sum of product that is being sent to mainland China are signs of fraudulent activity. It is also evident that USANA's management is fully aware of the situation since they acknowledge it in their internal document. Without this situation in Hong Kong, USANA's stock would be in the toilet.

    3. Another thing to point out are the number of active associates in the Philippines. If stockholders followed USANA's press releases after the Philippines market opened, they would expect the number to be much higher!

    USANA Q1-2009
    "the addition of 5,000 Associates in the Company’s newest market, the Philippines"


    USANA Q2-2009
    "Additionally, the Company’s newest market, the Philippines, added 5,000 Associates during the quarter." 

    USANA Q3-2009
    "Additionally, the Company’s newest market, the Philippines, added 6,000 Associates."

    USANA Q4-2009
    "Additionally, the Company's newest market, the Philippines, added 4,000 Associates."

    USANA quit reporting the Philippines numbers during Q1 and Q2 of 2010, and never mentions any increase or decrease in the Philippines market. So shareholders and distributors are left to believe USANA has at least 20,000 active associates in the Philippines. However, according to my chart above, USANA only has 7,000 active associates in that market! What kind of management runs a publicly traded company with such irregularities like this?

    Why is USANA management trying to fool investors? Is it so the stock price will rise? What does the SEC think about all of this? Someone should ask them.

    Tuesday, August 10, 2010

    USANA's 10 Reasons Why You Should Join USANA and My 10 Responses To Them

    USANA Health Sciences, Inc. has a section on their website that lists 10 reasons why to have a home-based business with USANA. I will list each one of them and explain why I believe they are not true.


    1. Low Start-Up Costs
    To start your own home-based USANA business, there is very little upfront investment and no qualifying volume or inventory requirements. The only required purchase is USANA’s Business Development System. For as little as $30 US, you get a tried and tested system for creating an income-generating business that can last a lifetime.
    FALSE
    - New associates are also required to activate their business center(s) before they are considered “Active” and be eligible to collect commission. To activate a 1-Business Center plan, associates need to personally purchase about $180 worth of product. To activate a 3-Business Center plan, associates need to personally purchase about $540 worth of product. These Personal Sales Volume (PSV) purchases do not pay out any commission to the new associate even if resold to a retail customer, however the associate's upline will get paid a commission from your purchase.

    - While USANA claims there are no inventory requirements, there are mandatory PSV purchases that associates must make every 28 days depending on the number of business centers they have. For a single business center, this is about $120 every 28 days that the associate must personally purchase. If the associate fails to make this purchase, the associate loses their "Active" status, is stripped of any Group Sales Volume (GSV) that has accumulated up to that point, and is not eligible to collect any commission from their preferred customers or downline associate's purchases. So yes, there is an inventory requirement. This is why it pays to recruit new associates instead of retailing product.


    2. Simple Compensation Structure
    No previous experience is necessary for you to be successful with USANA—just bring a willingness to learn and a passion for helping others improve their lives. It only takes your efforts and two individuals to do the same for you to start building a profitable downline organization. And, depending on your ambition and efforts, you can start earning commissions in your first week simply by sharing the products with others and ordering some for yourself.
    FALSE
    - USANA's compensation plan is extremely complex, contains vast amounts of requirements that are difficult to follow and understand, and is designed to fail over 90% of participants no matter how hard they try.

    - USANA's claim that you can start earning commissions in your first week "simply by sharing the products with others and ordering some for yourself" is not true. Sharing the products with others implies the associate is giving away samples or even selling product from the associate's own inventory purchases. Don't be fooled however! Associates are not paid any commission from the PSV purchases that USANA requires them to make every 28 days. If a new associate joins, activates a single business center by personally purchasing $180 worth of product, and shares these products with others, that associate will not be paid a dime in commission. In order to be paid a commission like USANA claims, you would have to recruit at least 2 new associates in your downline who spend over $250 each, or find about 5 preferred customers who each purchase $100 worth of product during your first week (Both scenarios will pay you $40 in commission). BTW, there are 1 active preferred customer for every 3 active associates. Good luck on the preferred customers because they have been on a downward spiral!


    3. Incredible Earning Potential
    Unlike a traditional job that gives you only one way to earn income, USANA’s award-winning compensation plan offers an incredible six ways to earn income, providing a realistic opportunity to leverage your downline’s efforts to earn an above-average commission check every week. To help you succeed, unpaid volume carries over every week, there are no group sales requirements, and you are not limited to levels. In addition, you could potentially save thousands of dollars with home-based business tax deductions*.
    FALSE
    - 99% of USANA associates never make a profit. This incredible earning potential only applies to those who inact boiler room recruiting tactics, unethical doctors peddling USANA products to patients, and those who have gotten in very early on. Of course someone can join today and make a fortune by recruiting their church's congregation into their downline by placing undue pressure on the church members (See Operation Promise Land).


    4. Your Business Fits Your Life
    It’s your business. You work where, when, and how you want. Generally, if you put in a little bit of work, you’ll earn a little bit of income. If you put in more work, your earnings will increase. And, you’ll be free from the typical workweek irritations—no alarm clock, no schedule, no rush hour traffic, and no boss.
    FALSE
    - It is not a business unless you are out retailing USANA's products. Unfortunately, very few associates do so. The real operation is to sell the business opportunity and recruit more and more associates into the scheme. You can be sure that all of USANA's big shot associates making hundreds of thousands of dollars are all doing so because they have a massive downline of associates in their business centers, not because they retail millions of dollars worth of product to customers. It's not about selling the product, it's about selling the dream of making money. You sell the dream of becoming rich and the products are purchased automatically because it is a requirement to purchase in order to participate!


    5. You’re in Business for Yourself, Not by Yourself
    USANA is behind you every step of the way. You will receive expert training and have access to a wealth of tools to make your life easier: a full Associate-only web site where you can get the latest news, training, free downloads, and business management services; frequent Web conferences; unforgettable events; eye-catching sales aids, professional multimedia productions; exciting publications; and much more. Our enthusiastic and experienced customer service team is available to help in six languages. And, with our Autoship program, you’ll never have to handle inventory—we’ll ship everything directly to you or your customers on a schedule that’s convenient for you.
    FALSE
    - USANA is in front of you every step of the way. USANA associates must purchase overpriced product every 28 days in order to participate in the opportunity. Because the distributor's prices and the preferred customer's prices are the same, there is no profit margin that can be made on selling the product retail. Then USANA takes 45% of the money you just paid them and gives the vast majority of it to the 1% of associates that are at the top of the pyramid scheme. However, the bottom 99% of associates never make enough of see a profit. USANA's heading for this section would be more accurate if it read "You're in Business for Your Upline, Not for Yourself".


    6. A World of Possibilities
    If you’ve always wanted to travel the world, USANA is your ticket to a successful international business. USANA responsibly expands by choosing promising markets around the world in which to open for business. With our seamless compensation plan, you can build your organization in multiple countries without having to worry about different compensation plans or currency conversions. USANA takes care of everything while you work in exotic locations, discover exciting cultures, and make a world of new friends.

    FALSE
    - New associates don't stand a chance at doing business internationally. This is because the big shot associates (top 1%) already have their feet planted firmly in new territories just prior to the official openings. What USANA really means by their statement here is that there are no territorial boundaries in which you can recruit preferred customers or new associates. In other words, everyone in your neighborhood could become an associate just like you, and if they are not in your downline, then you are pretty much out of luck. But consider this, if 25 different McDonalds restaraunts existed on a single block, would any of them make a profit? No, of course not. In fact, they would all go out of business except one. That last remaining McDonalds would then be able to profit and stay in business. This dilemma is known as over saturation. USANA wants to pretend as though saturation does not apply to their recruitment operation.


    7. Growing Health & Wellness Industry
    For many years, wellness-related businesses have been one of the fastest growing segments in direct selling. Renowned economist Paul Zane Pilzer identified wellness products and programs as the economy’s next trillion-dollar industry. As a large portion of the world population ages, they are looking for products that make them look and feel better, and younger generations are looking for ways to maintain their health and energy levels to meet the needs of their busy lives. USANA is poised to meet those needs.
    FALSE
    - About 99% of the world cannot afford USANA's expensive products. If USANA did not force its associates to purchase over $100 worth of product every 28 days to participate in the compensation plan and be eligible for commission, then USANA would vanish because the people who would purchase the product would be those who actually want it. Associates who quit the business opportunity also quit purchasing USANA products. Over the past 18 years, USANA has had over one million associates. However, only 210,000 are considered "Active" as of July 2010. Most of these currently active associates joined within the past year. Thus, over 80% of USANA associates left the business opportunity and also stopped purchasing the product. This is indicative of the fact that the net sales for USANA change proportional to the number of currently active associates. USANA is NOT poised to meet the world's needs.


    8. The Leader in Quality and Innovation
    USANA’s quality products are formulated by a world-class scientific team based on cutting-edge, proven science and Dr. Myron Wentz’ expertise in keeping cells healthy through optimal nutrition. The company also collaborates closely on research with the Linus Pauling Institute and other notable institutions. Additionally, most products are manufactured and packaged in USANA’s own state-of-the art facility, allowing USANA to guarantee the quality and potency of every product.
    FALSE
    - USANA spends less than 1% of net sales in Research and Development. Simply readjusting dosages in their products is not innovative. As far as quality goes, USANA claims to manufacure according to Pharmaceutical GMP. However, USANA refuses to allow any agency or organization to test USANA's facility according to Pharmaceutical GMP. Only the standard Food GMP has been tested at USANA's facility. Manufacturers like USANA can claim to manufacture according to drug standards, but never have to prove it because they are not required to. You cannot call yourself a leader in "Quality" when you refuse to allow testing of your products to the Pharmaceutical GMP quality like USANA claims. BTW, in order to be Pharmaceutical GMP like drugs have to be, USANA's ingredients would have to be exactly 100% to what they claim is in the pills. Not 10% over or 10% under. Can you imagine a prescription drug that calls for exactly 30 mg is slightly over or under the printed dosage


    9. Worldwide Credibility
    A member of the Direct Selling Association, USANA is a solid, publicly traded company that has attracted people of all ages, genders, and education levels from across the globe. World-class athletes, best-selling authors, respected scientific institutions, leading health and wellness experts, and experienced business professionals across the globe have all recognized USANA’s commitment to excellence.
    FALSE
    - The Direct Selling Association has no credibility. The DSA board members consist of executives from Multilevel Marketing companies, not Direct Selling companies. The hijacking of the association has destroyed the credibility of network marketing by promoting product-based pyramid schemes called Multilevel Marketing. And just because individuals from all walks of life join USANA does not mean anything. Some people will do anything for a buck. Credible people also recommended and stood behind Enron, Worldcom, and Bernie Madoff's scheme.


    10. Experience You Can Count On
    Founded in 1992, USANA has years of experience in perfecting not only products that set the gold standard in the industry, but also a duplicable home-based business model that is stable in a good economic climate or bad. Under the direction of USANA’s solid and experienced management team, the company is positioned for a future of continued growth and success.
    FALSE
    - Whether constantly changing dosages in their vitamins constitutes a perfecting of the product or whether it is done just so associates cannot return the product for a refund after 3 months (instead of 12 months as required), I guess USANA does have experience, but you don't want to count on it. The claim that USANA set the "Gold Standard" in the industry was given by Lyle Macwilliam's Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. I have written much on this subject.

    - Pyramid Schemes can sustain themselves as long as you can attract new participants. Pyramid Schemes are successful in both good and bad economical times. Probably more so in bad economical times because people are desperate and looking for ways to make some money. Currently, USANA is growing only in their Asian market, mainly their Hong Kong region. Over the past several years, USANA has NOT been able to grow in their United States Region, Canada Region, Mexico Region, New Zealand Region, Australian region, South Korea Region, Japan Region, Taiwan Region, or United Kingdom Region. So much for continued growth.

    Saturday, August 7, 2010

    USANA Doctors Peddling Product To Their Patients - Violation of Ethics

    Many associates in USANA Health Sciences, Inc. try to recruit doctors into their downline. However, most doctors turn down the USANA distributor due to ethical reasons. Most doctors are familiar with something known as Code of Medical Ethics. So what ethical issue do doctors have with becoming a USANA distributor? They are the following:

    The following links are from the American Medical Association's (AMA) Code of Medical Ethics:
    - Opinion 8.063 - Sale of Health-Related Products From Physicians' Offices

    and

    - Opinion 8.06 - Prescribing and Dispensing Drugs and Devices

    Here are a couple quotes from the Code of Medical Ethics:
    "In-office sale of health-related products by physicians presents a financial conflict of interest, risks placing undue pressure on the patient, and threatens to erode patient trust and undermine the primary obligation of physicians to serve the interests of their patients before their own."

    "Physicians may not accept any kind of payment or compensation from a drug company or device manufacturer for prescribing its products."

    "Physicians should not urge patients to fill prescriptions from an establishment which has entered into a business or other preferential arrangement with the physician with respect to the filling of the physician’s prescriptions."

    Doctors who choose to peddle USANA products to their patients break the Code of Medical Ethics. Because these doctors choose to put the interest of their personal business before the patient's own medical interest, it ruins the trust between the patient and the doctor. This becomes even a bigger violation of ethics when the doctor recruits their patients as distributors into their downline. It is all out of the financial interest of the doctor and not the interest of the patient.

    How do doctors that sell USANA products to their patients keep their medical license?

    Unless the doctor's patients file a complaint within their state, the practice of peddling will continue. Personally, if I go to a doctor for something and their recommended treatment is to purchase a specific brand of vitamins that the doctor is a distributor for, I would never go back to that doctor again. Would you? Most people would not go through the enormous hassle of filing a complaint. So the doctors peddling their own product never get in trouble. Ethical doctors do not place their own personal financial gain ahead of their patient's health.


    Is there a way doctors can prescribe USANA products in an ethical manner?

    Doctor's who want to recommend USANA product can do so ethically. This ethical option is for the doctor not to become a distributor, and to simply tell their patient to go to USANA's website and order the recommended product directly from USANA. By doing this, it removes the "conflict of interest" out of the equation. By doing this, it removes the "undue pressure" that would be placed on the patient. There are ethical ways for doctors to recommend USANA product, but the doctor cannot be financially connected, otherwise their would be a conflict of interest and violate the code of ethics.