Please be sure to read my DISCLAIMER

We've all seen them. Some of us have sat and watched them over and over, trying to determine if the products and services they extol are any good. Some of them are almost as entertaining as some network shows (who doesn't like watching Ron Propeil and his pals cook or play with knives?), some even use the format of the talk shows - audiences, host, guest (the pitch-person), and sometimes music, and still others look like news interview shows a la "Larry King", right down to the call-ins (questions and/or testimonials). The "commercials" on the "show" (if any) are the normal one-minute commercials for the product(s) in question that you sometimes see during "normal" shows.

Television Infomercials - Those extra-long paid (advertisement) "programs" that seem to have become staples on cable channels late at night (early in the morning), and occasionally on weekends. Even the networks show some of them at "off" times. But, are the things they sell any good?

This page was created to provide links to where you can find out for yourself. Please note: It's easy enough to find positive information on all of these... Simply put the names in a search engine and you will probably see their own sites - Most have more than one. It's a little more difficult to find bad reviews unless you know where or how to look.

I learned a long time ago not to trust everything you see on TV. When I was 12 or so, I bought an album from TV that said it had 36 hit songs on it - I believe they said "original hit songs". Well... When I finally got it, I found that yes, it did, but only PART of each song and NOT by the artist(s) who made it a hit! I felt extremely ripped off. That's NOT the way I understood the commercial. Now (what with "truth-in-labeling" and the FTC's stance on television commercials and ... "lying" (for wont of a better word), I watch for the "original artist" and "remastered original" before I will even CONSIDER purchasing one.

The infomercial people buy blocks of time, and the television stations and networks mitigate their liabilities with the disclaimers at the beginning and end of the "shows" ... something to the effect of "The information in the following/preceding program does not reflect the views of xxx channel" or "The following/preceding program is an infomercial for xxx, paid for by xxx, LLC.")

Oh... And the LLC? Limited Liability Company. They are defined as such so any lawsuits or bankruptcy resulting from the infomercial will hit THEM and not the purveyors, protecting THEIR assets/money. It's a "safety net". PLEASE UNDERSTAND that not all LLCs are bad. It's just ta legal term for a company that is not really heard that often, but it seems ALL the infomercials are handled/run by/developed by/etc. LLC. Wonder why?

In my research, I've found that some of the people owning/running the companies and LLCs, and selling these items (celebrities notwithstanding), especially health-related products, have tried other cons... uh... techniques to sell other systems or products in the past, and have:

• gotten in trouble with the government and other "watchdog agencies" for claims they've made (in some cases, on the product they're still advertising!) and been fined and/or jailed
• filed for bankruptcy at least once, leaving the people who want (in many cases, NEED) their product or money back "high-and-dry"

Having been fined or jailed, usually doesn't mean the person is "a bad egg". However, when they ADVERTISE the "money-making techniques" they learned "years ago", or health products and protocols they created or learned (in both cases, read, "when I got in trouble, before"), it takes some balls! AND, when they come back with only a slight variation (if that) of the product that got them in trouble (maybe just a small label-change - btw, not the same person) ...

Filing for bankruptcy, in and of itself also means nothing - Remember that Donald Trump had money problems some years ago, and even now, some of his companies don't make it. HOWEVER, it also depends how you do it. (See the definition of bankruptcy, in the Glossary for more.)

Remember what I said about LLCs (above)? In a Chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy, after the assets are disbursed, THAT company (the LLC - which may also be defined as one of the different corporation types) "goes away", never to return. All of it's assets are gone. It no longer exists, so any debt owed can no longer be collected. The assets of the people involved, meanwhile, have been sheltered from the bankruptcy, so they lost nothing. (In fact, one of the Infomercials I saw had to do with "corporate credit" and "protecting your assets"... Hmmm... Wonder if all these guys learned from THAT guy?)

Would I trust these people? Would I like them? Maybe personally, but probably not in business. And, yes... I CAN differentiate!

In most of these infomercials, every time they have people giving "unpaid testimonials" for the product, there's a bit of small print that many people miss or ignore (which is what they're hoping for), basically saying "Unique experience - YOUR results may vary" or "Everyone's experience is unique and will vary". Uh-huh. Read that as "YOU will probably never be able to do what these people claim they have been able to do..." but most of them will keep telling you things you need to "add" (read "buy" and/or "pay for") to increase your chances...

And think about this: In the business opportunity infomercials, when they hold up a CHECK (or checks) and tell you that it was so easy for them to make that money, there's always the possibility that THEY JUST GOT THE CHECK FOR SAYING THAT. (How hard would it be for YOU to say "This check for $xxx was the easiest money I've ever made" ... Background voice: "I can't believe ANYONE would give me a check for this much, and all I have to do to get it is say on camera "This check for $xxx was ..'.".) You get the idea? Why do they have a CHECK in their hands... If they received it in the mail and cashed it, it would have gone to the bank vaults or back to the company who gave it to them! (Of course, we never see the back of those checks...) Still...

Remember... Most INFOMERCIALS are simply extra-long COMMERCIALS. The object of the game is to get you fired up enough to buy whatever they're selling. Check all the links for the infomercial you are researching on the following pages. Check elsewhere on the 'net. Check with family and friends. After you get as much information and advice as you can, think about it. DO NOT let them convince you that "you only have until the end of this infomercial" to purchase the product at a reduced rate. They WOULD NOT spend the time and/or money to produce a 1/2-hour to hour infomercial only to show it once and only to a given area of the country. (Remember, the US is under more than one time-zone as are other places these infomercials air. AND, I've seen MOST of these infomercials more than once. Some show clocks telling you that you MUST be on the line by the time the program ends.)

High-pressure salesmen? Why would we allow them to do this in an infomercial when if we went to a store or car lot, the same tactics would "put us off" buying ANYTHING from them?

PLEASE NOTE: I'm not saying all infomercials are bad, or for "bad" opportunities, services or products. And, some of them are fun to watch - at least the first time or two. I'm not saying that some of the things they sell won't work for you, where it wouldn't work for others. All I'm asking is that you do yourself a major favor, and spend as much time researching ANY infomercial opportunity, service or product as you would in buying a new house or car. Your wallet may depend on it, your health may depend on it,  and with some products, your safety may depend on it.

Am I providing free advertising for them? Probably. In the process, though, I hope you see how many infomercials use half-truths, and sometimes explicit lies, to get you to buy the products. All I ask is that for any infomercial that "looks too good to be true", remember that it probably IS, and DO SOME RESEARCH on the product, the people behind it, and the company involved. If you went to the store, saw the product, read through it stuff on the box, and wouldn't buy it, why would you spend your hard-earned cash on it based on a COMMERCIAL (albeit 1/2-hour long) TELLING you the same crap?

Make an INFORMED DECISION.

Business Opportunities: Remember,  as with all "money-making" or "get-rich-quick" business opportunities, they MAY be worth purchasing just to get ideas or to motivate. They WILL NOT work if all you do is purchase and read them. ALL will require work and time, at least at the beginning. Be sure to check with a professional and/or lawyer in the state to be sure these "methods" are legal and ethical in your area. (There was at least once case noted where the person followed the guidance given in the books and made $20K in short order. A couple of weeks later, he was contacted by the state's Attorney General, and sued, losing all the money he'd made PLUS, because in the eyes of the state and the state's courts, he was acting as a real-estate agent.) In most cases, if you act ethically and honestly, there should be little problem. You must also remember that what works for some in some place WILL NOT work for others in other places. Remember also that the more people that purchase these products and make the methods work for themselves, the less likely you will be able to put some of the methods to work for YOU.

Health Products - Keep in mind that many people believe that if a products says "All-Natural", it's safe. Well, just as in combining certain chemicals, combining "natural" items create new compounds. In both cases, these new compounds may or may not be safe. The individual components are safe-enough, but the combination... (Think of how terrorists are using these combinations... bombs, chemical weapons, etc.)

And remember, not all "all-natural" items are safe, in and of themselves - Hemlock is "natural", as are Arsenic, Rattlesnake Venom, Death Cap Mushrooms, Curare, Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and many others. All are poisons. And remember, also, that many people are allergic to many "natural" items - Pet Dander, Pet Hair, Wasp Stings, Bee Stings, Spider Bites, Snake Bites, DUST (in general), etc. And, if you REALLY think about it, Volcanoes, Hurricanes, Lightning, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, etc., are "natural", too. Would you REALLY want a combination of ANYTHING with one of them?

Have you ever seen two ears of corn with EXACTLY the same number of rows and kernels? How 'bout green beans, squash, pumpkins, watermelon, etc. that are EXACTLY alike? To make sure all natural medications and vitamins contain the same mixtures. the ingredients involved must be stabilized, requiring processing. Even if it's only heated or chilled to X degrees, the process will change the ingredient. So "all-natural" doesn't mean "DIRECT from Nature", unless you grow, harvest, and prepare the product yourself. Be VERY careful if you decide to purchase a product purported to be "all natural".

Be sure to read the National Consumer League's A Consumer Guide to Dietary Supplements (PDF) and Naturally Misleading: Consumers’ Understanding of “Natural” and “Plant-Derived” Labeling Claims (PDF).

Summary - Check out the links on the following pages; Google or search for the names (of the people and products) - use quotes to search for the full names and phrases, if there are spaces - and see what you find. (And be sure to check things out before you buy ANYTHING.) Search adding the terms "sham", "scam", "scams", "flim-flam", "complain", "complaints", "rip", "rip-off", "fraud", "warning", similar words, and maybe just "review" to find some (possibly) negative comments. Don't give up too easily, especially with the health items. After all, we ARE talking you HEALTH, right?

Don't let the infomercials
or the ... "disciples" ...
of the gurus or items advertised ...
convince you to make UNINFORMED purchases.

Don't buy because of the infomercial. Research the claims. Research the products. Research the company. Research the sellers. Check if the product is available at your library (for FREE!) or for a cheaper cost on-line (say, eBay), THEN make a decision on if you can afford it and the possible hassles that follow.

(I know I repeated myself a number of times, but I believe it's important!)

If you have any comments or infomercials you want checked out, let me know at: .

UPDATE July 07, 2007

I have received a couple of requests for help in getting money back, or asking what they should do. In general, I cannot and will not respond to requests for help. I want your stories as warnings to others, but I am not a lawyer, real-estate professional, pharmacist, doctor, health expert, or consumer advocate. I do my research, and a little more, as if I were interested in the product (which I usually am), then put on the site that which I would send to family and friends (and maybe a little more - like pictures, headings, etc. - to make it a little more palatable to the general public). One of my very few responses was one in which I listed a number of the suggestions I would make to anyone who feel they are or were "ripped off" by one of these infomercials. Please read my response to a request for help from the family of elderly NRPI Property purchasers.

Infomercial "Divisions"

I've tried to separate the infomercials into different divisions of this sub-section, to make them easier to find. Please note: At the moment (07/2006) only ONE infomercial has the distinction of being listed in multiple divisions. See if you can figure it out. (Shouldn't really be THAT much of a challenge! ) If you can't find information in one division, be sure to check another.

Also, in any discussion boards/forums and the like to which I've linked in some: Be aware of those that say things like, "Product X doesn't do it for me. I found Product Y and it works so much better ..." or "Product X is a wonderful product, for what it does. But Product Y is cheaper, safer, etc. and also will keep your cat from getting pregnant! Let Product X top that one!". (Ok... No one's said anything like the cat thing, but they make claims, sometimes even more outrageous than the original items.) Sometimes they will just advertise their item. Sometimes they will sign on under one username, pretend to ask questions, sign on under another username and answer them. This can work for ALL products, so unless you actually KNOW the people on a board/forum, take what's said with a grain of salt.

More divisions will be added as needed.

• Health-Related - Including supplements, books, etc.
• Business Opps (Opportunities) - This includes some of the many real estate investment and cash flow business infomercials
• Real Estate (Buying) - Right now, only NRPI is listed - They have a number of them. If other infomercials of this type appear on TV in our area, they will be included, too.
• Gadgets - This is one of the largest categories. However, the channels I watch don't carry too many of these. And, I believe many of the ones I see are decent products. I guess I will need to start reviewing them, as some I thought were good apparently weren't as good as they looked..
• Research Links - Websites where you may be able to find information on infomercials I haven't included, as well as (possibly) more information than I HAVE included.

Be sure to read "My Father's Story".

UPDATE September 30, 2007

In his latest infomercial (for his own business opportunity), Donald Barrett said what many of us believe:

... And this is true of Donald, himself. He makes no bones about it. By the same token, he was in the business of MAKING infomercials for others... That is until ITV Ventures.

To the Gurus

If your product DOES work, rather than legal action forcing removal of negative comments, simply refute the negative claims yourself, AS YOURSELF. And be sure to instruct your employees and people defending you NOT to resort to their own negativity and name-calling in these forums, as it just makes you and/or your product look worse. Simply "extol the virtues" of your product, PROVE your guarantee, provide actual (working) phone numbers and email addresses (and not free-site, email addresses... REAL COMPANY (your own company) email).

If you are getting too many calls and negative emails, something is wrong. Your support staff/company is not doing their job, you or your advertising company have made claims (even with the small print) that can't be substantiated, or your product is defective.

Fix these problems (and any others that are discussed in various forums and message groups), prove to everyone that you ARE listening (show negative comments on your own site and answer them - without the legal threats), prove that you DO care what people think, and much of the negativity will fade away.

If you ARE trying to cheat people (whether you believe you are or not), you deserve what you get. With all the forums and blogs out there, you WILL NOT be able to shut them all off.

Summary

Biz-Opps and Real-Estate

The point here is that work, usually hard work, not "get rich quick"; long hours, not "just 10 minutes a week"; learning from mentors and incorporating all that learning into your own "style"; learning creative accounting; taking classes; changing businesses when things don't work out in one; and having backup plans (the real-estate) are what makes you successful. Rich? Only a lucky few will ever be so. They hit the right markets at the right times with the right products.

Joining an already large/huge group of sellers/marketers is not the answer. You have to find your niche. What's missing in your town or elsewhere that everyone seems to want/need? Can you afford it? Remember, even "at home" workers on the internet need to deal with and keep track of the expenses involved with:

• inventory/products (actual costs, storage costs, profit, shipping, etc.)
• supplies (for the home office - paper, ink, computer connection, phone, faxes, etc.)
• taxes (income and sales)
• shipping and handling (suppliers and costs)

We've all seen the comedies and movies where one person always has a "get rich scheme" and tries to get others, usually the "hero" or main star involved. We LAUGH. Don't be that person.

Health-Related

"Natural" does NOT mean "direct from nature" and DOES NOT always mean "safe". There are plenty of "natural" poisons, many deadly, out there. There are plenty of "natural" items and products to which many people are allergic. Combining "natural" products is akin to combining chemicals, creating new compounds, which may or may not be dangerous to many people. And to make sure each medication/supplement dose is the same requires processing, which includes chemicals, some of which are probably NOT "natural".

All this means that unless you grow and process it yourself, you CANNOT be sure what, exactly, is meant by "All Natural". You may have an unknown allergic reaction to ANY ingredient in a medication/supplement.

You are dealing with your health. Be VERY careful with what you know, what you THINK you know, and what all these infomercials TELL you.

Gadgets and Household Supplies

There are gadgets for almost everything. There are gadgets to help put socks and shoes on for handicapped people; tools that are unique-looking and might work for you; widgets for decoration; things to help you do everything from open a jar or can to sleep (mattresses) to cleaning your butt. The thing to remember here is that these products are being displayed by experts, or at least someone who has spent time using the item, so it might take a while before you can do things as easily as it appears in the commercial/on TV. Remember that there are thousands of little catalogs you used to (and may still) get in snail-mail FILLED with little, inexpensive gadgets. The keyword there is "inexpensive". Most (not all, but most) are cheaply made, and some require additional purchases (like those carpet cleaners, some air cleaners, etc.). In most cases, you will get what you pay for. And, in the age of infomercials, you may get far less than you pay. BE CAREFUL and PAY ATTENTION to all claims.

As for household supplies (cleaners, wipers, polishers, etc.), some are only sold in infomercials and online. Those, I would consider to be "questionable" at best. Many will not be around for any length of time ... just long enough for the inventor/manufacturer to make some money from it. SOME may contain caustic or dangerous (at least to some) chemicals that are not mentioned. If you find a salesman that appears on a number of this type commercial/infomercial that you feel you can trust, MAYBE the item will work as it does in the infomercial. Remember that a good portion of the "stains" they claim and show that the product can clean up are fresh - wet or not "set-in".

General Summary

All the items and businesses in this section, MIGHT work as shown or claimed for some. Remember:

• Businesses (even the infomercial ones) require some time to learn, set up, and run, and NONE will work for everyone - some people just aren't as industrious as others;
• Health products, no matter the type - natural or man-made compounds - combine inside you, possibly creating other compounds that may or may NOT be bad for you. ALWAYS ask at least one doctor what they think of a natural product, and if it will "mix well" with the meds you are already taking;
• Gadgets can be made to last or made cheaply and what's shown on commercials and infomercials are shown by people KNOWING how strong the item is, and the best way to show it without it breaking - And remember, also, that infomercials are NOT live, no matter HOW they appear - If it breaks or doesn't work in one scene, they can redo the scene!
• Cleaning Products contain chemicals, even if they are "natural". And the real difference between synthetic and natural are impurities, which can occur on both sides - they are chemically the same. And don't forget that some natural cleaning products can be dangerous, such as ammonia, chlorine, and "dihydrogen monoxide", which is used in almost ALL cleaning products, including natural products (Find out what dihydrogen monoxide is!) - People are allergic to many things, sometimes fatally so - synthetic or natural.

The whole purpose of this page and site is to make it easier to make AN INFORMED DECISION; to show you that you, too, can do research on items like these; and to try to keep you from making a mistake, if that would be your feeling after spending the money on any of these items..

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