Ignite and Stream Energy - Is it a Scam?

[ndaddy1980]

IANJO: LISTEN THIS COMPANY HAS NO HUGE START UP, WERE TALKING $300 $25 A MONTH FOR UR WEBSITE THAT MAKES UR BUSINESS PAPERLESS. $300 CAN'T BUY U AN IPHONE IF IT DROPS AN U HAVE TO REPLACE IT. I CAN SHOW U HOW TO GET 2/3 OF UR INVESTMENT IN 24HRS. THIS WHAT WE DO. AN NO I'M NOT A PROFESSIONAL. THIS IS MY FIRST MLM EVER. AFTER U GET UR MONEY BACK EVERYTHING ELSE IS PURE PROFIT. IT'S SIMPLE. THERE'S NO Pyramid except for the one where we work 9-5 work all those hrs get paid to be broke before the week is out. When r we going to get out of this box that we live in. People with a lot of time don'taint got No money. People with a lot of money ain't got no time. You can't have both. As long as u do what u been doing u will always get the same results. Years ago a guy by the name of Warren Buffet said The largest transfer of wealth will be due to the Deregulation of energy!!!! If u take advice from anyone take it from someone that's in the direction u tryna go. Good day.

[jomar575]

My take on Ignite from Philly

I own a staffing company which cost me about 100K to start and another 5K a month to run. I think everyone can agree that this is a moderate/low cost for a start up.

The owner of marketing company I use approached me about Ignite in early April. I did some research (had no understanding of MLM's), gained a better understanding of the energy deregulation process and decided for $329 - OK why not.

It took me 4 days to get 10 customers and 4 associates and within two weeks I received a check for 197. I then began receiving checks every Friday for 97, 197, 597, 197. I ended up with 8 people sponsored and 13 customers and earned a total of about $1600. Nothing to write home about but I did earn something working less than 5 hours a week so I am certainly not at a loss.

I moved up a level a little over a week ago and I have since sponsored 3 more associates. I don't need anymore customers now and this is a good thing because I hate asking people to be my customer. It is not that I don't believe that they will save money as I know they will. It is just that it takes too much of my time to explain deregulation to people...ugh.

On a side note the PUC just issued a report (the findings were televised) and couldn't figure out why after they dumped millions into advertising, people still are not taking advantage of the savings. "there is money on the table and people won't pick it up." Well people are not that bright and or are too busy facebooking to watch the news (and yes I was one of them)....

My new associates are in Maryland and Georgia and I am working on starting a team in TX (if you are going to do it you might as well do it big).

In addition I also joined my 18 year old daughter and got her 3 associates and 10 customers which is all you need to earn residuals. She earned $1300 for my slave labor but is not interested in the business so we will just watch it grow and see.

I am now 3 months and 9 days in and I will be damned if I am not annoyed that I wasn't told about this until April. I have met some great people in PA who got in at the gate and are making big money. I also have made great friends AND made great connections for my staffing company. Nothing like mingling with business professionals excited about making money!

Can I earn a significant residual income? Yes, I believe I can as there is so much room to grow during this national expansion. Can it last forever? Maybe/ maybe not. If I earn a significant amount of money helping people save money on energy for the next couple of years for a $329 investment am I going to be upset? Most definitely NOT.

I would not be caught dead selling marykay or arbonne, etc and I did not know they were MLMs, however, I do know a premier jewelry rep who earns about $70K a year. Not so bad for her $1200 investment.

I am not a big fan of the "motivation" efforts of my upline because quite frankly I am too busy for that BS. Yes I understand they want me to keep going because I am going to make them all money but I also know they want me to be successful. People who are not making money from you will help you. In Ignite I have found that everyone links arms and lifts one another up. That is great for the people who need the support and motivation.

MLM's are not for everyone and I get that but why knock someone else for making the effort? That sounds to me like you just don't want to see anyone succeed. If it is really a hardship for you to lose $329 then by all means do not join. But I would ask you how does it feel that you do not have $329 to invest in yourself? Maybe you should reconsider that position.

I wish you all success in whatever you are doing.

[lanjo]

Defensive

IANJO: LISTEN THIS COMPANY HAS NO HUGE START UP, WERE TALKING $300 $25 A MONTH FOR UR WEBSITE THAT MAKES UR BUSINESS PAPERLESS. $300 CAN'T BUY U AN IPHONE IF IT DROPS AN U HAVE TO REPLACE IT. I CAN SHOW U HOW TO GET 2/3 OF UR INVESTMENT IN 24HRS. THIS WHAT WE DO. AN NO I'M NOT A PROFESSIONAL. THIS IS MY FIRST MLM EVER. AFTER U GET UR MONEY BACK EVERYTHING ELSE IS PURE PROFIT. IT'S SIMPLE. THERE'S NO Pyramid except for the one where we work 9-5 work all those hrs get paid to be broke before the week is out. When r we going to get out of this box that we live in. People with a lot of time don'taint got No money. People with a lot of money ain't got no time. You can't have both. As long as u do what u been doing u will always get the same results. Years ago a guy by the name of Warren Buffet said The largest transfer of wealth will be due to the Deregulation of energy!!!! If u take advice from anyone take it from someone that's in the direction u tryna go. Good day.

No need to get defensive. I understans all the MLM, change your thinking, grab onto a trend, time for money stuff, job pyramid, etc., and fully agree. However you never denied that the HEADHUNTER FEE was exactly that, and it is used to attact people to the quick return, quick money. That is the only issue I questioned. I have many friends and relatives in Ignite and Ambit, and often help them with their business with resources from my business in areas of leadership, teambuilding, relationship, etc. So I don't quesiton the business as much as the need for that rolling capital which seems to be the hook for some questionable MLMs that have been "offered" to me. Of course this is my opinion(shared by many with experience), that the headhunter money should not be necessary if the business and product are viable and attractive. Why would you want everyone upline making money on your friend, for "selling them the opportunity" to make money with your business? I would rather give them the opportunity, then actually work with them to help them make money with the business I offered them. Have a great day, and work hard and consistant doing the right things. I wish you great success with your Ignite business! Really!
Have a great day,

[lanjo]

Oh and Defensive, you never answered any of my questions. Besides the money that transfers around from the sign-ups, do you make residual money from the actual transfer of energy and how much? How many kwh does it take to make $5000 per month? Is there a price per kwh guarantee for a set period of time for the customer? Can you switch back to your original supplier without penalty if the price goes up? (Oh and that was meant to be understand, not understans-I don't talk like Popeye, just type like him)

[lanjo]

Finally it is over, ha ha?

Wow, did I manage to kill this thread, or did it just die of old age. Well, no worries, another one just as ridiculous has probably taken it's place. RIP scam thread! Move onward and forward free-thinkers, make your own choices based on your own research, not on opinions on the web! That is my free and awesome advice for the day. Don't jump in blindly, but then don't be afraid to look either, be skeptical, but not critical. A skeptic looks for truth and validation, a critic looks to hurt and destroy without either. Good book for reference to network marketing is Robert Kiyosaki's Business of the 21st Century. Gives good pros and cons. There are good ones.
Bye now.
L

[jteezie]

Who thought that posting a bunch of testimonials by making a bunch of fake accounts would make them rich off a saving money advice help forum?

Please stop. And thanks Lanjo

[dagreer]

I don't know about the multi level marketing company thing but they aren't a very customer friendly company. My first problem is the don't set up automatic payments by credit cards. I choose to pay my bills this way and for them not to have this option just shows that they wont invest in technology to help their customers. Second, they will not provide a receipt when you pay by phone. I told them to email me one or mail me one but that I needed it for business accounting. They said they didn't have that option. I said just print out the thing that your reading right now that says I made the payment they said they wouldn't. I asked why they said they just didn't. I changed providers that day.

[brandidazz]

I live in Dallas, Texas and I've been approached for the second time with the Ignite Business.

I think a lot of the confusion on this thread is that majority of the ppl on here are from states that are not deregulated yet so understanding how deregulation, contracts, and all of that works is a mystery to you all...until it happens in your state and then you'll know all about the prepaid electric companies, and contracts that we go through here in Texas.

As far as Ignite...Ignite is just the marketing group for Stream energy. They are the brokers licensed to sell for Stream. In Texas and other states that are deregulated we're always looking for better rates. TXU is outrageous and so is Reliant and the prepaid companies are the pits. Yes, it is the law to let someone know that they are in a contract and that should be done up front. Here, all companies advertise contracts for better savings. So whoever tells you not to let someone know they're in a contract is a #dumbazz because we only know of 2 things when it comes to energy down here...either its a contract or prepaid month to month. Just like cell phones.lol.

If you need a receipt then go online to your account and print a copy of your monthly statement...never heard of utility companies issuing receipts...the statement is a receipt. Why would you want to set up ach on your utilities that aren't the same cost each month? There are options...print a statment or have them to include your statement in the mail. That's with any company you make monthly payments to.


As far as family and friends being burnt out...if your families are anything like mine...then I wouldn't go to them first anyway.lol. They'll have to see my smoke before they catch on. And why limit yourself to a small group of ppl to help you earn a living?

I don't know if I'm going to join in yet or not as I am also looking at several opportunities. Working for other ppl the rest of my life is not an option for me.

And if we treat it as a business instead of something to help us get rich quick then we'll see the success that we want. Most of us are looking at dollar signs flashing in our minds on the hunt for the next big buck to make it happen for us....but that's the exact reason we aren't blessed with the dollars...looking for instant gratification and broke in the next year or so. Its a business...it should be a way of life so try telling that to your mind and change the way you think before you book that trip around the world in your mind.

As with anything in life...you will not gain anyting until you take some sort of action. So if you don't work it then you gain nothing.

[Aggieman2012]

Hi. I'm from Pennsylvania and signed up to be a stream energy associate recently, and let me tell you about my experience so far.

You need to lack a social conscience. We're supposed to tell potential customers (who are also supposed to be Family and Friends, so they can trust us, right?) that there is no risk... What we're not supposed to tell them is that they're locked in for 12 months and if they wanna switch to a different provider before that, there is a $150 termination fee. Sounds like a bit of a risk, right? Especially since the rate is actually 8.7 cents a kilowatt hour, and PPL (the default energy provider for this area) is 9.2 cents a kilowatt hour. It's not enough of a difference to actually make a difference.

They wanted me to try and sign someone on as my customer while they were here at my house. I first called a relative, and tried to explain the rates and stuff to peak his interest. That's apparently a big no-no. You're actually supposed to just say like "Hey, can ya do me a huge favor? I'm your friend/sister/father/etc, so you can trust me" to hook them, but not actually explain any of the nitty gritty. They even gave me scripts to use to counter no's and excuses with. These are my friends and family. I feel just awful trying to hook them in like that before telling them all the facts (such as the $150 termination fee we're not allowed to talk about)

A phrase they like to throw around is "If you can't change your friends, change your friends." Meaning, if you can't change your friends minds, get some new friends to try and persuade. These people do not care about personal relationships at all, and as long as they get paid, they don't care about how many friendships and relationships they damage in the process. The ends justify the means for these people.

I'm in the 30th level or something like that. There's supposedly 30 more associates between me and "the 3rd best paid associate in the company". So while I'm getting my measly 50 cent commission off of the energy bills of myself and my costumers, the big wigs are all making triple digit commissions off us. In PA, Associates get paid whenever a customer gets billed. Whether or not customers pay their bills have no bearing on Ignite Customers. So even if I choose not to pay my bill.

The guy who signed me on got me on the phone with some of the big wigs, too. And they all encourage me to call them whenever I want to talk, because they supposedly care enough about me (even though we've never met and they're in Georgia or Texas or wherever.) My guess is, if I'm feeling discouraged about "the business", I'm supposed to call them so they can talk me up and keep me afloat, because they get paid the big bucks off my customers. There's an ulterior motive. These people want money, and one of my pet peeves is people pretending to care about me when they just want something I can provide for them.

As far as the website goes, Its a total ripoff. I own my own domain for only $10 a month for unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth (thank you, Dreamhost) that I can do anything with, and if that kind of advertising were allowed, I'd totally be recommending people to just buy their own websites to advertise this stuff with. And the people singing praises about how the website is important for driving their business obviously don't know anything about web-hosting.

All of this just screams unethical to me. Electricity shouldn't be treated like a cash cow by people who simply do advertising. If associates get paid when customers get billed, who picks up the slack when customers don't pay their bills? Where does their commission come from? Stream, itself? the utility company? They don't tell us that kind of stuff

Unrelated, but I plan on switching back to PPL's energy after the 12 month lock-in with Stream ends. One of the power plants that produce PPL's energy is about a 30 minute drive from here. Even if I was paying OMG HALF A PENNY MORE per kilowatt hour, I was still supporting the local economy and people who risk their lives who work such a dangerous job (Did I mention the plant is Nuclear?). Sure, you could say I'm supporting Stream Associates, some could be local... but they're just normal people who don't put their lives on the line to provide electric for the entire Eastern part of the state.

So you are saying you can make good money off of this money off of this its just the personal consequences that come w/ it? I've been direct selling in the Amway business for 2 years and it is great, but I wanted to be able to use my customer base to make more that 50,000 a year from one business alone. In direct selling companies u can do what u want to do and u don't necessarily have to listen to your mentors. I listen where it fits me best and that's how I keep friends. BOTTOMLINE: Do you think this is profitable or are u just worried about personal dilemmas?

[JPinPA]

In order for Ignite to be considered a scam, you would have to prove that they are intentionally deceiving people. I think some of the opponents of Ignite that have posted here have accidentally proven this to NOT be the case - citing Ignite's own disclosures published clearly on their website for all to see. They are very up-front with their figures, even if it doesn't paint a favorable picture of their opportunity.

I cannot post a link to the website, but its not hard to find.

I recently attended a presentation and my natural skepticism kept me reluctant. A couple of red flags jumped out at me - the comparison to google, the "We're not like other MLM's" line, the glowing assessment of the company's CEO, etc. So yeah, I agree that there are some apparent, and, for lack of a better term, 'creepy' MLM-esque elements to Ignite. But moving beyond that, there's a viable business here.

As part of my due diligence in researching this "opportunity", I checked Stream's rates against their competitors' (through the PA PUC website), and lo and behold, they are amongst the most competitive - they are certainly cheaper than PECO. So they really are selling an opportunity to save money on something you have to buy every month anyway. You cannot say the same for knives, supplements, beauty supplies, toys, books, etc.

So the product is legit, and should be a pretty easy sell. Now what's required of me? $300, plus $25/mo. and a couple hours a week in effort. If that's the case, then I'll give it a shot. I have a career that pays my bills and then some, so I'm not counting on this as a primary source of income. And it wasn't pitched to me as that either (sure, they alluded to "watching the checks roll in" after a lot of time and work, but it wasn't presented as a guarantee). And I'm sorry, but anyone who would choose to pursue this opportunity without having full-time employment is an idiot.

Is there anything I'm missing here?

[misslyn]

Here in Texas there is an energy company called Stream Energy that also owns its marketing business called Ignite that uses Multi Level Marketing to sell its energy.

It is set up like Amway and I do not trust it and wanted to see if any of you guys have had any experience with them that you can tell me about.

Thanks

I have had experience with this utility company. they were ok until they started messing up on my bill which happened in 2008. they cutt off my electricity after i paid my bill and found out that they had terminated my account with out warning. also they charged me a outrageous cancelation fee of 500 bucks when it was their fault. now they are saying i owe them 2000 buck. they are horrible, thats why they go by ignite as well as stream. i would leave them alone. texas has been deregulated for 5 yrs and since then there have been so many new companies that are not good.

[ttranger]

Horse pucky

The previous comment is bunk..... Stream is the #4 electric provider in TX. They are a great company. The fact that they get customers using direct selling has nothing to do with your power. The service comes from the local TDSP, such as Centerpoint or Oncor. Their rates are very competitive, and when I switched, I started saving about $70 per month versus the BIG company in Houston.

Now if you don't pay the bill, any company will cut you off. And once you pay it, you get your power back. So stay current, pay each month, and no problems.

As for Ignite, that is their way of getting customers.... Via relationship marketing. No advertising expense, saves the company millions!!! Amway is a good company too. It's called Direct Selling! Allows people to get paid by referring people to a cheaper service. Duh, no brainer! Don't confuse this with a pyramid scheme, as they both use multilevel compensation. The pyramid usually has no product or service. Ignite DOES. Stream is LICENSED in at least 4 states.... It's a valid choice for your power!

[lisaisbizness]

Making Money

I read all the post and I was amazed and shocked at some of the responses about this company. I just met a representative from Ignite who offered the service to me. Of course like everyone else, I did some research and ended up here. I would like to say that many people have network marketing all wrong. Years ago, I did network marketing for another company and I made money. The company was reputable and it was not a scam (although people did the same thing they are doing to this company...calling them a scam). I do agree though that a company should let you market your business, especially if you pay a fee to start your own business. That was the reason I left the other company. My upline wanted to tell me how to run my "supposedly" own business. If I pay $329 to start my business then I want to run it the way I feel will be profitable. I don't want to work harder...only smarter and I would be able to do that using technology. That is the only downside. Other than that, to all the people who are questioning this network marketing business and any other business, you have to remember that you must work hard in everything if you plan on profiting from it. I am in college and I am working my brains out for my degree. The same concept applies here. When you start a business, you have to see a value in it and you have to stand by your product. Energy is not going anywhere no time soon, so there is definitely profit to be made here... especially since they are now expanding. On a final note, if you are a critic, skeptic, or negative person, you should not go out your way to make the company look bad unless you have actually had a bad experience with them. I saw where someone posted a negative comment about the price for the service and it actually appeared to be competitive to me. I would love to save money even if it is a penny. As a business student in the master's program...I actually would recommend it!

[kenkade]

For the slave brainwashed people

Well I have been in Ignite for about a month in a half and have made about 1500 dollars and expecting a 300 dollar check next week. So if I don't make a penny more I think I made a good deal for only paying 299 dollars and 24.95 for the website which I don't have to have and can cancel at any time. I stay in Plano which is outside of Dallas which is where the company was founded. Our compensation plan and reputation is alot better out here and it will get better in the other states once they get use to the name. It's some people that are talking down on the business and the electricity service but most of them are from PA. Which I would expect for people to say bad things because it new out there but its been out here since 2005. Every company in the world has plenty of people that dislike the company for a number of personal reasons so I wouldn't make my decision based on comments people make on a blog site. But just to let people know some facts and you can find this out if you research the facts instead of opinions. Its the 14th largest Direct Selling Company in the world in 2010 and did that mostly out of Texas alone and make over 1 billion dollars in annual revenue. No other company in the world has done that in only 4 states within 5 years. The companies that are beating us are 3x or more older then us and are global. If Ignite is a scam then every company in the world is a scam. You can get your money back by simply getting two customers and signing up one person and they also get there two customers. If you can't do that then you should slap your self for even joining the company. You have to work hard in order to make enough money to quit your day job so I don't see how people says its for lazy people that don't want to work. I whether get paid a unlimited income based on my work ethic then get paid a small limited income based on what some millionaire owner tells me I'm worth at a regular 9 to 5 job. Not to mention that your job is sit up exactly like a pyramid which is why I don't understand why people say that about MLM companies. I worked for wal mart which is a multi billion dollar company and got paid 7.77 a hour and about 100 dollars took out my check for taxes now that's what I call a scam. Your job can fire you, go out of business, or get bought out by another company at anytime without warning so I don't see why people feel so secure with there jobs not to look into a way to make extra money. When is the last time you heard someone say they have work for there job for 20+ years now of days. Yes most people want become a millionaire in doing MLM but atleast I have a chance. I have no chance in the world working a regular job. Ignite is the best MLM I have seen because we don't have to convince someone to buy a product they don't need. We just offer a cheaper service that people have to have regardless. Electricity is the most important bill you pay so you don't have to worry if someone will pay for it month after month. Energy is a 500 billion dollar industry so you really can't compare ignite with other MLM's. It's all about sticking with the business no matter what and you will prosper in this business sooner or later with your residual income because most people stay with there electric companies for life. You can also pass your residual income down to generation to generation. An people don't close down electric companies so you can be insured that Stream Energy is here to stay. I don't know about you but I refuse to work a 9 to 5 for the rest of my life while the owner get rich and I keep making pretty much the same amount no matter how hard or long I work for them. Now that's a scam. Good luck to the people that still look down on MlM breaking there backs, working overtime, being a slave for a person you never even see. If I owned my own personal company I would have to spend thousands of dollars from the profit I make just to keep my business running. Atleast I can keep all my profit working for Ignite.

[kenkade]

The key is to stick with it. The reason why people don't prosper in Ignite or any MLM company is because they hit a slump and can't find anyone to join the business when they first start out and then they give up and stop working the business. If you don't plan to stick with the business no matter what happens then you should never sign up to join in the first place. You shouldn't only talk to people you know you should talk to everyone and sooner or later you will find atleast 3 good people to join the company. Me personally I wouldn't care if 1,000 people told me no or if it took me 3 years to find 3 good people its still worth it. For some reason people think you have to personally get tons of people in order to prosper in the business and in reality it just takes one person to make your business explode. Its a Doctor out here in Dallas and he has 9,400 people in his downline and only been in the business for 2 years. He sign up one lady to join the business and she got nearly 9,000 of his 9,400 associates from her downline. You never know who someone knows. The key is to try to get business minded people or people that's already successful to join the business because they are more liable to explode your business and not give up because they know what it takes to make it work. The reason they don't let you promote Stream Energy is because they don't want people putting false information out there that would get the company sued. Also we have millionaires and people that make 6 figures and they would be more able to make commercials and newspaper adds and make tons of flyers and get there own network marketing team to promote the business for them and it wouldn't be fair for the people that's not making big money. They want to give everyone a fair chance. An people really need to get educated on the meaning of pyramid scams. An most people on here are from PA and Ignite is very new out there so most of there upline are new at the business as well and don't know all the in and outs of the business yet but it will get better for yall. An people keep talking about how they are not making alot of money in the business as if someone promise them they would. Any profit that you make from this company should be good even if its just 100 dollars a month its a 100 more dollars that you wasn't getting. People get all so quick to call it a scam because they personally don't know anyone that made 6 figures or a million dollars in the business but yet they don't know anyone making that kind of money working a regular job either but they don't call the job a scam so what's the big deal.