Well I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was duked but sad that we all fell for the same story. I relived my story as I read each of yours. I did a lot of research before deciding to "buy into" a package. It all seemed right. I was laid off from my I.T. Job after 10 years with my company and they provided me with a severance package. I really liked the idea of working for myself and running my own business.
I was assigned a company recruiting rep who hyped me up saying that not everyone is right for this business but they felt I was a perfect fit. He explained the business and how easy it was to make money. We talked for like 3-4 months each time saying if you can swing a mop or operate a sprayer, you can make money in this business.
They gave me other operators to contact which I did and they were happy and "making money". One guy in Jacksonville, FL told me his secret to success was to take the post card mailers and send out 200 per week. Out of those 200, you should get about 10-20 calls. Out of those, you should land about 2 jobs per week averaging $1k each. You do the math... Not bad potential. I even found independent operators not with Posigrip who were having success.
I paid $8k, went to the Daytona HQ office where training took less than an hour. I asked all the questions I could and they even showed me new products coming out soon and it all sounded great. They were telling me about how they were finalizing a National account for Circle K which there are a few in my area. They hyped me up how that would be a bonus to help me get going.
I left Daytona feeling confident and ready to get to work. I even generated new marketing ideas with them. They gave me the name of their insurance company so I could get a better rate. I called and they had no idea of what type of business I was talking about, never heard of Posigrip and they were located in Daytona. Oh and they couldn't write my insurance policy because the closest office was in more than 50 miles away from me. Oh and no territory and no competition... Sweet.
So I hired an attorney to help me register my company and draft up proper documents protecting me in the event I ever got sued. I got business cards, printed flyers, made up binded presentations and got to work. I mailed out the 200 post cards per week... No calls. I started mailing letters to apartment complexes offering services for tubs, pool decks and common areas... No calls. I went to grocery stores and was referred to call their corporate offices which I did and got the run around only to find a bunch of "not interested". I tried restaurants and liquor stores... Nothing. I thought I wasn't doing enough to make this happen. I even went back to my mentor who trained me and he was supposed to have other ideas for me to help my business get going but never heard from him again.
The product works, I tested it out several times. Yes you have to mix it and yes it smells like bleach but it does work. I think it's a great concept and every commercial business with tile flooring could benefit from this. There were a lot of businesses interested but I couldn't get anyone to spend the money. Do I blame the economy? Did I get scammed? I saw the small warehouse where they have cases of the product ready to ship. I feel stupid because I hyped this business up to my friends and family and I feel ashamed to even look at them anytime one of them asks me about my business. I feel like a failure and I was a successful I.T. Project manager who negotiated contracts and lead teams to reduced budgets and I can't even make my own business work.
So what do I do with all this stuff? The company won't buy it back... It's clear in the contract. Everything is still in original boxes in air conditioned room. I am trying to find a partner to help me out or sell my business. If anyone out there has questions about this business, wants to try it out, whatever... Feel free to email me. I will be glad to talk to you. If you are in the same situation, hit me up... Maybe we can put our minds to work to figure a way to get some money back. My email is
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