Is qnet a scam ?

I am sat here thinking what is QNET, is it a scam or is it really the cutting edge business model of the future?

Qnet definitely is controversial, there are posts where people are praising it, many vouching how it has changed their lives, success stories like that of a dude with Ferrari and now producing his own film.

And then there are stories/comments where people are claiming its ponzi, fraud and some even use the word cult.

If you are reading this blog then maybe you are trying to find the answer to same question - is it really a scam or is it genuine ? Or may be you have made up your mind and are here to defend your stand..

Best to start from start..

I am an indian guy , 30 or there abouts. I was introduced to QNET by a friend of mine, and he really is a friend of mine, I wouldnt in million years think that his eyes lit up with dollars when he saw me.

Anyhow so he introduced me to this senior, because he is not qualified enough to show me the PLAN, the senior goes through his motions, Robert Kiyosaki , financial independence.  Let me tell you, none of these guys are pushy.  They are quite decent blokes.  No one is trying to put me down or belittle me, the senior dude is a MBA from a decent university and is well placed in terms of job, but he doesnt boast about it.

Then he explained me the binary plan and how you max out and if you work hard and smart you can be financially free in 5 years...  I dont doubt him, I dont doubt my mate.  But something doesnt sound right to me, so I ask for couple of days, they are happy to let me think over it..

So I started my research and below are few points, before we go deep into it let me say I am neutral at the moment. You are welcome to leave comments, no BC or MC thgh, you can use the F word.. What is it about english ? People become more tolerant when someone abuses you in English.. Any how lets start...

While I was doing research about QNET there are lot of negative things written about it on Wiki. Wiki is an open portal, anyone can amend an entry as long as they are ok to provide a reference to the information edited.

Lets take each point in detail:

QNET has been around for 15 year, yes it has been under a different name. What has happened of that Gold Quest, did the IRS who bought gold coins made any money ? Why is there no mention of it in the products of Qnet ? If it is as good as gold ( execuse the pun ) then why not continue doing that ?

If it has been around for 15 years you should have made lot of people Financially Free. Do we have numbers?
Note : financially free is just a concept, you cannot escape work.  Guys who have maxed out in QNET are still working and training other guys.  If the pyramid stops you dont get paid so you have to make sure new IR s keep on joining.  Its not an income for life.

They have spent some good money on marketing, partnered with Virgin to sponsor a car in F1 and also are now advertising in Premier League matches ( for some reason they chose arsenal match ).  Hold on - Isnt the point of network marketing that you dont spend on marketing ? Then why are you spending on advertisment. 

I wouldnt call Qnet a downright Ponzi scheme but it has flavors of it, lets start looking at products:

1. Bio disc - No one really knows what it does.  People who use it swear by it, people who dont think its a piece of glass.  I havent used it, I am not going to comment on it.  If you put words in my mouth I would say its placebo.  Scalar energy which is the idea behind bio disc has been around for a while, but nothing has been proven so far.  all the certifications that bio disc have are not peer reviewed,  I am not saying the certifications are bough but they have been paid to test them and are not peer reviewed.  If you are from research backgroun you will understand the importance of Peer Review. 

2.  Bernard H Mayer watches - No one else stocks this watches, no one. There is no way you can compare the prices with other watches.  I do know that you get Tag Heur and other decent watches for a thousand dollars and so for me its a question of do I buy a watch that everyone knows about or do I buy Qnet watch? Quite frankly we dont buy watch for time keeping, as Amir Khan said when he found out that Kareena is wearing a three lakh Rs watch " Aila meri ghadi to sirf 250 Rs ki hain, par time wohi batati hain". Point is you buy expensive watch so that people know you are wearing a famous brand.

3. Holidays - This is an interesting one.  Their holiday resorts that they call home resorts are decent, you cant really beat them on price, however there are only five of them.  Now if you book holiday via Xchangeworld, the prices are not that competitive. Also there is additional charge of 118 dollars(Xchange fee) for each week booked and another possible charge of 200dollars(Usage fee ), so the 7 night holiday you are buying is not for 700dollars but , wait for it,......1018 dollars if you book your holiday via exchange world.  Also the hotels that are listed on xchangeworld are not necessarily hotels but apartments in most cases.

I can see many people love Qnet, I can see several posts that say Qnet has changed their life, they all cant be wrong, they all couldnt have overlooked the concerns I have so please enlighten me.

I am not going in detail for the education product as I dont know much about it.  I think I will stop here. Let me gather my thoughts again and do another post for the compensation plan and other facts around it.  I am sure I will see you soon.  I will welcome your comments, as long as you dont get personal.  If you do get personal though, there is not much I can do is it ?