ACN scam discussions are easy to find on the internet, but is ACN a fraud? This article examines the company and opportunity with an unbiased and thorough examination of ACN Telecommunications.

Is ACN A Scam? A Quick Review of The Company and Products

At the time of this writing, ACN is the world’s largest direct selling telecommunications company. They operate in over 20 countries spanning 3 continents, and boast of operations in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

A privately-held corporation, ACN Telecommunications was founded in 1992 by Robert Stevanovski, Greg Provenzano, Tony Cupisz, and Mike Cupisz. ACN started out as a long distance phone service reseller for LCI Communications, and later began offering:

* Local and long distance phone service bundles -

* Wireless phone service (as a reseller for major carriers such as Sprint and AT&T) -

* Home security (as a reseller for ADT) -

* Dial-up and high-speed internet service -

* Satellite TV services (as a reseller for Dish Network and Direct TV) -

* And ACN video phone equipment that operates on its digital phone service.

The ACN Business Opportunity

ACN offers an opportunity to earn income as an independent ACN representative through signing up retail customers who use ACN products and services. Entry-level start-up fees are approximately $100 to $500 at the time of this writing; in order to qualify to earn commissions, representatives must acquire 6 to 8 retail customer accounts.

In the ACN compensation plan, you may recruit as wide as you like, and the plan pays between 2% and 6% commission, seven levels deep. However, at each compensation level the representative must meet certain qualifications in order to be compensated at that level, which generally revolve around recruitment and volume requirements that are typical of many multi-level marketing opportunities.

Is ACN A Fraud?

Interestingly, Donald Trump invited ACN to showcase its signature ACN video phone product on and episode of The Celebrity Apprentice that aired on March 22, 2009. It seems highly doubtful that Donald Trump would lend his reputation and credibility to a company that operated using fraudulent or deceptive trade practices. One could conclude from the inferred credibility that ACN, at least from a company reputation standpoint, is not a scam.

In addition, one of the hallmarks or a reputable network marketing or multi-level marketing company is an emphasis on retailing products to end consumers. Since ACN places it’s initial emphasis on acquiring retail customers, it apparently fulfills the retail requirement that separates an illegal pyramid scheme from a legitimate network marketing company.

Chief Drawbacks to The ACN Opportunity

The chief drawback to the ACN opportunity has little to do with the company’s legitimacy, as the company has been proven to be a stable and legitimate leader in the network marketing industry over its 15 year history.

Legitimacy not being an issue, the chief drawback to the company’s opportunity is that it follows the old traditional compensation plan structures that previous companies, such as Amway and Herbalife, have been following for years. These compensation plans tend to favor “rockstar” distributors who are able to recruit huge downlines and build massive organizations, while average distributors receive meager, if any, compensation.

While it is possible that anyone can build a large organization in a company such as ACN Inc., history and experience have shown that it is highly unlikely that all but a small percentage of distributors in such companies ever achieve any real substantial income from their efforts.

It is for this reason that this author recommends the reader’s time is better spent building a career with a direct sales company, preferably one that offers higher upfront commissions on retail sales as well as residual commissions based on their organization’s volume.

If you’d like more information on which company I personally recommend, feel free to contact me at my website listed below.

About the Author:

The Network Marketing Maverick helps average networkers build above average incomes through savvy business training and advice that flies in the face of conventional industry wisdom.

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