9/27/06

Latest Update

I'm sure everyone that is monitoring this blog is dying to know how I'm doing, so I thought I'd give you a quick update.

On Monday and Tuesday, I spent a little over an hour each day making phone calls. The importer section of the local phone book has proved to be the most productive. In those two days, I found 4 companies with excess merchandise. However, all 4 companies are currently in the "let me check my warehouse and see what exactly we have" stage. Two of them know what but not how much, the other two don't know what for sure.

This made me realize that it's not quite as simple as they make it in the manual makes it out to be. It might take a few days from the time you find a lead to the time you get the information about it off to Zaken. But I figure I have at least two weeks yet before the course is due back, so I'm not worried. The more I deal with the company (Zaken), the more I feel it has to be legit. How could they make money if they weren't really in the liquidation business? If they only made money off of stuff people order from them (courses, stationery, directories, etc), how could they maintain such a sophisticated office system (if you call their main office, you get a list of several phone options, and some of those options have more than one person at the end of them). Why would they have such a big facility (you can see pictures at their website). I know there are people that complain that the business isn't what it was advertised to be. Maybe so. I would like to see them un-sensationalize their ads a bit. But honestly, just think what it would take to get into such a business on your own--all the money it would take, for instance. They make it very easy for you. So I'm not complaining.

So far today I haven't done much calling (thanks to a head cold), but was able to eliminate a few numbers (one dealt in fresh produce, and the others were wrong numbers) and send one company my business card (by fax--don't you love technology). I have a goal of finding at least one lead every day. Considering that my last two days netted me two each, I figure if I don't find one today, it's ok. I got a list of local manufacturing companies and spent an hour or so trying to sort out the ones that make consumer products and copying the information to my list of places to call. Whatever happens, I don't ever want to run out of leads.

I think I'm going to go eat lunch and then take a nap. If there's any time left, I might make a few more calls. I probably won't make another post on this blog until I have some definite progress to report (such as finishing my end of a deal with a company), but feel free to write if you want to know how things are at the moment.

Forgive the week's delay in updating this blog, but thanks to some stressful days, last week of work (outside the home), and possible bout of tendonitis in my hip (making it impossible to walk without pain), I haven't been online for a few days and honestly did nothing with the Zaken business last week. However, now that I am home full time, with nothing better to do (except clean, which it still hurts too much to do much of), I figured I would get started.

Current Progress

I have decided to spend a minimum of an hour and a half every day--45 minutes in the morning and 45 in the afternoon making phone calls. Today I am spending more, because I found someone who is interested, but he said to call his wife at the office and she's not going to be in for at least another half hour. I'm eager to see how this works out.

This was actually the last person I reached after calling a whole list of companies. All the entries under "Manufacturing" in the local phone book turned out to be useless. A lot of them were companies that represent manufacturers, and therefore have no warehouse. One of them gave me a number where I could call and get a list of local US side manufacturers (US side because we live so close to the border of Mexico that they have to specify which side of the Rio Grande River!). I called and gave them my email. If I don't get that list in a couple of days, I will call back and see what happened.

What looks like it will be my best bet from the phone book is the list of importers. For some reason, the first entry turned out to be a day care center, and the second one no one answered. The third one is the guy I mentioned above that told me to call his wife. He sounded very interested. He also spoke very little English, so it's a good thing I speak Spanish! I loosely translated my spiel to him, and he sounded very interested.

It's about a week and a half since we got the Quiksell course. That leaves us with about two and a half weeks to test it. If I can get at least one contact a day that has merchandise to liquidate, it shouldn't be long before I get a commission. At least, I hope so.

If there are any associates out there that are reading this blog, if you would like to share your experiences, you may do so by posting a comment. I would like to see how this is working for others. Everyone has unique perspectives and opportunities to contribute. For example, being so close to Mexico, I have a potential advantage with local importers, since I am locally based. I expect this will be one of my best sources of products (though I could be counting my chickens before they hatch). We'll see what happens.

They Answered My Email!

That's right. I got an answer, just a little later than I expected. I am going to post one of the answers verbatim, because I think it better than my paraphrase of the answer I got on the phone the day before. It's the answer to that question about why they reopen and close the offer from time to time. I think it is self-explanatory, so I present it here without further comment.

Stated as simply as possible, the total number of participating business associates tends to be in constant flux. Occaisionally we manage to reach the "quota" (goal) of 150 actively working, steadily-producing-merchandise business associates. At this point, no additional applicants are accepted ("closed"). For various reasons (usually poor or failing health, family/personal circumstance related reasons, etc.) some associates will drop-out over a period of time. Some will even cash-in their eligible refunds and "retire" from working their business. Then, our offer to accept new business associates will go out (re-open) again, as we try once again to build up our quota to the desired level. So, at that point, our offer becomes "open" again.

A Few Other Things

Another new associate (who, incidentally, received his course the same day we did) found a website that seems to be the answer to at least one complaint about the corporation. Before we purchased the course, we were told that they would show us how to get leads to call without it putting a dime on our phone bill. Maybe Zaken Corp won't like me to tell you this, but I'm going to anyway. The "secret" is ordering a directory of toll free numbers. However, this is now available for free on the Internet (I notified them of it, so they can include the link when they update the course). For any current associates (and anyone else that may have need of it), here's the link: http://inter800.com/

There are also lots of sources on the Internet. Just searching for certain catagories in Yellowpages.com has provided me with enough leads to keep me busy for several weeks, if not months. Even the local telephone book has some leads I can work with. I will probably start with them first.

It's looking better and better all the time. Now I just need to write a starter phone script and practise making it not sound like I am reading it, and I can start calling.

Also, for any associates out there, you may find this interesting, as well. Yesterday I printed 10 business cards on our printer, and I took one to work with me to show my co-worker. She looked it over and said it was very nice. Then she said, "Did you only bring one?" I said, "Yes, why?" "Because I know someone who I could give it to." "Then take it, of course!" So she took it.

On the way home, I did a brainstorm and thought that since she has lived here for a while, and since she used to be in business here, she just might have some connections that could help me. When I see her Monday, I'm going to ask if she would like to help me by distributing business cards. She would write her name on the back, and if anyone with one of the cards she referred contacts me and we land a deal, I'll give her a percentage of my commission as a thank you. Then I thought of someone else that might be able to do something like that, too. He actually lives in Mexico, but he's a retailer there, so I thought he might be able to make me a list of local exporters (from Mexico to the US), and I could offer him a similar deal. I might find others who could get me leads as well, and then I could write off (for taxs purposes) what I pay them as advertising.

Until next time........

Not sure what's with Zaken Corp and answering emails, but I haven't received a reply. Which is fine, because I just called them and got all my questions answered (for the moment, of course).

Closing and Reopening

Remember from a previous blog how I was told that they reopen and close a lot? Here's what it's all about. They like to have a certain amount of business coming in from the associates that they have. If they get low on work, they open it up for more associates. Of course, not all of the ones that order the course stick with the program; also, some work only a few hours a week while others work it like a full-time job. So they reopen the opportunity when they need more workers, and close it when they have enough.

Name Discrepancy

Some may have noticed that in some places that Mr. Zaken's first name is written as T. Ron, while in other places it is Tiran. This puzzled me, but apparently they thought in the past that Tiran looked foreign (as if "Zaken" doesn't!), and thought T. Ron would be easier to use. But now they just use his real name (and Tiran is his real name).

Refund?

Apparently, we were rushed the package. It would normally have taken 2 weeks to get to us, and it only took 6 days, so I'm not going to contest the $10. Especially if Rafael starts his job Monday, $10 won't be a big deal. And anyhow, maybe we can make the program work and then $10 will be superfluous.

Company Name

We have officially chosen the name "Valley Liquidations" as our company name. The name is just to give us credibility (most people we talk to won't know we're working out of a home office, using Word to fax documents to them). For tax purposes, we will be getting a 1099 at the end of the year, which is what I figured.

This is something that anyone who needs to send the occasional fax should keep in mind. Microsoft Word allows you to send one-page faxes. You just set up your document and go to the print dialog box (under File--the icon will send it to the default printer). You have to be connected to a phone line (through the modem, even if you have high speed internet), and if you use dial-up like us, you have to not be connected to the Internet before it can send.

For those who want to include their signature in the fax, you can scan it with a scanner (make sure the file size is cropped so that it doesn't scan a whole page!). It will give you a jpeg, probably. Then insert the picture into Word and position it where you want it. You will want to edit the text wrapping to put the picture behind the text, so that if you are one of those with a fancy, sweeping signature, it won't move the text around when you place it. Thought you might like that bit of free advice.

How Do I Know They'll Pay Me?

This question is very legitimate, and I was told they get it a lot. How do I know they will pay me--and not just keep 100% of the money? What kind of assurance do I have, other than their word?

Simple logic makes it clear, I think. They have been in business for 11 years. Even the BBB report on them, bad though it is, never reports complaints of unpaid commissions. If they circumvented the finder, they would go out of business really fast, because you can't survive with the refund offers they have (which are very extensive, taking in just about every situation). They have admitted to less-than-perfect business practices in the past and are working hard to change their reputation--and withholding commissions wouldn't make them look very good, I'm sure! But I figure we can deal with that on a case-by-case basis.

Another somewhat related issue is deals that don't go through. Suppose I find some merchandise, but they can't find a buyer. That means it doesn't sell, and that I don't get a commission. Oh well, that's life. I need to keep trying. If a potential seller says, "Let's give it a try with this one item, and then if it works, I'll offer you the rest of my inventory," I should try to encourage him to try several things at once. Chances are, if he has 10 items, at least some will sell; and it would be very sad if the one item he selected to test were the one that didn't sell. It's a matter of being professional, I guess. I'm glad I have sales experience. My husband does too. I'll have to dig up some of the persistence I learned knocking doors to get started. But I have a feeling that if we can make it work, once we get our first commission, it'll get easier! I know it was that way with selling books door to door!

Also, for anyone who has the course, there is a line on page 55 about reimbursing the seller. Just ignore that. It's something old that they don't do anymore, but they haven't updated the manual.

Check back soon for more updates

It's Here!

The kit arrived this afternoon, and I just finished reading nearly all 80-some pages of it. It really sounds legitimate, and I think that by Monday I will probably start actually making calls. I want to read it again tomorrow, and get a few questions answered, before I actually take the plunge.

Apparently the $148 the course costs is just a deposit that will be refunded after you start earning commissions. Also, it seems that the cost of anything you order, such as stationery or directories, will also be reimbursed after you have made a certain number (not large) of commissions. You can make your own stationery or have a printer do it; there is no obligation to buy from them. But you can't reimburse yourself! The reason for this is that they don't want to send out a lot of free stuff to people that won't use it--which makes sense to me! It's a way of cutting their losses.

I sent them an email today with a number of questions, and when I get the reply, I will post the relevant answers in this blog. For those of you who were wondering what they meant by opening and closing the offer for new associates to join, that is one of the questions I asked them, and the answer will definitely be posted here as soon as I get it.

It Really Is a Numbers Game

If I were to give my uneducated, inexpert opinion of the course and how it may work, I would say that it looks like it could work, but it's not for someone who expects to get something for nothing. I remember well my days of door-to-door selling. I had days where before lunch I had sold maybe $20 (my commission was 50%, so $10 for the first 3 or so hours of work). Then after lunch, I suddenly started selling, and by pick-up time I had sold $150 more. Sometimes the majority of those sales were on the last street. If I had given up at lunch, I would have earned almost nothing that day. But because I persisted, I got decent earnings (it was a scholarship program, it case you're wondering). It's a numbers game. Knock on so many doors and eventually someone will get something. Learn to sell well and the door-to-sale ratio will get better. I earned over $3,500 my first summer (10 weeks).

Likewise in this program, the more calls you make, the more likely you are to find someone interested. If it takes 30 calls to find one interested company, and I stop with 28 or 29 calls, I've wasted my time. But the 30th call could net a nice commission. Also, not all positive contacts will turn into commissions. But even if I only made two deals a month for $2,000 each (a low estimate, by their standards), I would be making more money than my husband will with his new job (yes, he got one, and is due to start Monday). If I make calls 1 hour per day, 4 days a week, I would net roughly 16 hours a month, and in 16 hours, odds are I will get at least a few commissions! I'm going to give it a shot, anyhow.

Repeat Customers Are the Best

When I was selling door to door, one thing our leader taught us is that working a territory every year made it better. People remembered someone from the time before, and every so often we would find someone who bought something every year. We established a reputation that way.

In the business world, it works that way too. When my husband and I went shopping for a bed, we went to 3 stores and picked the one with the best deal. When we needed to buy a refrigerator, he didn't bother checking the other stores. He went straight to the one that sold us the bed and picked one. For those who really get into this business and stick with it, I can see how that would happen. Someone that successfully got rid of excess merchandise once would remember us and come back to us with more in the future. But that will only happen to those associates that stick with it. I can see how all the try-it-but-didn't-like-it associates would not do much for the company's reputation!

But It's Too Early to Come to Conclusions

Now I really need to get in there and try it. I really hope this can work. If it does, it would mean the end of our financial worries, and we could also help our church and missionaries and do a lot of good in the world. So I hope we can make it work! I will keep you posted with our progress.

This afternoon the invoice for the course we ordered arrived, along with a very nice letter thanking us for joining and urging us to read the course as soon as we get it.

The invoice says the package was shipped the 9th, or last Thursday. Today is Monday. I looked up the tracking number and it says the package arrived in Mesquite, TX this morning a little before noon, and it doesn't show a departure scan. It projects delivery for Wednesday, which is about what I expected.

The strange thing is, the invoice says the price is $158, not $148. I called and was told it should be $148, but the $10 maybe was for rushing it. I said, "It's being shipped ground, and the word "rush" is nowhere on the invoice." I was transferred to the public relations department to get a refund, and got voicemail. That's typical (every time before when I tried to get that department, I always got voicemail). This time I left a message, so we'll see what happens. This will be a good chance to see how they do on refunds.

Today I called the Zaken Corporation to ask them a bunch of questions. Due to the nature of the call, I requested to speak with a manager, and was referred to Kelly. She was away from her desk or on another call at the time, so I left a message, and in less than half an hour (I didn't time it, but I think it could have been as little as 15 minutes) she returned my call. I did record the phone call, but I won't be releasing the recording at this moment. However, I am going to record the pertinent information here, with the hopes that it will clear up some confusion. A few times I have transcribed her answers verbatim; in those cases I use quotes; but not when I paraphrase her answer.

Kelly Answers Our Questions

The $148 that they are (currently) asking for will get us a training manual. I asked her if we have to order anything else (I had read on other sites that people were asked to order everything from post cards to directories of businesses). Her answer was, "You don't have to. It's optional." Then she went on to explain that while we could order stationery, a disk was included in the training manual that had all the stationery we needed available for us to print, if we wanted. Also, the manual explains how to find businesses with merchandise they want to liquidate, but we could purchase a directory from them or from "individual name brokers", if we desired. However, it isn't necessary.

One thing that I had read on some forum or somewhere was about the difficulty in negotiating a price with the seller. But the letter we received said we didn't have to do that. So I asked Kelly about it. She said that if we wanted to, we could, but it wasn't necessary, and that it wouldn't affect the commission either way. One thing we are supposed to do is get the company to send a sample of the merchandise to Zaken; once it is received, we can choose if we want to negotiate the price or not.

Why Not Hire Locals?

My husband's big question about the company was, Why do they need associates in different states? Why not just build another office and hire local people to do the work? She said, "We get that question a lot. The biggest reason is of course it would cost a lot to do that. But having people in different states, they're able to locate such unique merchandise and such different wholesalers and manufacturers in their smaller cities or areas, things that we may not have found. I can't tell you how many deals have gone through because of the interesting sellers people have brought to us." This makes sense to me. Suppose I'm driving to work one day and notice a store with this sign: "Going Out of Business--Everything Must Go!" I would contact them immediately and ask them if they would like to liquidate everything on the spot, or whatever the phone script says. If they agree, and it sells, that would be a good commission for me, but Zaken would have never found the store in South Texas from out there in California.

Refunds and Time Sensitivity

I asked her when the 30 days to get a refund starts. She said it is based on the day that we receive the package; and because they ship UPS, they can see the date it was delivered. "So if you order it on the first, and it's delivered on the fourth, you have until the fourth of the next month to return it. . . . Our systems are integrated with UPS." That's not hard to fathom, thanks to shipment tracking.

Another question I had was about the "time-sensitive nature" of the material. I mean, if they have been offering positions for years, why is it so time-sensitive now? She replied, "We reopen and close a lot. You can imagine that when we reopen, we're anxious to get it closed again. So that's why: we reopen and close it a lot."

Name Changes?

The last question that I asked was why the company had changed its name several times [note: This question was based on something I had read in a forum or somewhere; it would have been more accurate to ask about the other DBA's]; other names (about half a dozen) are listed on the BBB report about them. Here is her answer: "I work with the Better Business Bureau pretty much daily. We have changed our name two or three times, but I have never once seen on the BBB it say half a dozen. We have different companies. We have Zaken, ZLC, Magic Kid, Zaken Corp, Quick Sell, but they're all us. All those different names are us. Only a couple of them are old names that we expired, and most of those are because we moved from New York to California, and we came up with a whole new company logo and wanted a fresh name. We know that by changing your name you don't lose your rating with the BBB. We wouldn't be able to change our name and start fresh with them. We know that that would always link, so we didn't do it for that reason. We just did it to change our logo and letterhead."

Our Decision

It all makes sense. So my husband and I, after another prayer, called to order. That was a bit of work, because the order line that's open 24/7 is busy, so after accidentally hanging up (meaning that by calling back we get put back at the end of the waiting line again), we decided to call the company directly. After getting transferred a couple of times, we got with a customer service rep who looked up Rafael's address based on his name and zip code, and then took our credit card information. The lady that took our order (Ashley, I think), said it would take 3-6 days for our order to arrive--meaning that we should have it by next week sometime. That's good, because Rafael had just gone to a couple of interviews for jobs today, and unfortunately he doesn't qualify for them. So if this plan really works, we may have to rely on it for an income!

Once we have the training manual in hand and have had a chance to review it, will be adding another post here with more details.

The purpose of this blog is to document my efforts to discover is if the Zaken Corporation is a scam, as so many sites say it is, or if it is indeed a legitimate business with a legitimate work-from-home plan that could benefit those associates who are willing to put forward the effort to make it work.

To Introduce Myself

My name is Lisa Reynoso. I live with my husband Rafael, in South Texas. We have been married a year and are expecting our first baby to arrive in a couple of months. My husband has been unable to find full-time work for over six months, and when the baby comes, I am not going to work outside the home. Therefore a couple of months ago I decided to investigate working from home. Because we don't have the money to waste on scams, I have taken my time and investigated as carefully as possible everything that came may way. And let me tell you, there sure are a lot of scams out there!

What interest do I have in this personally that would lead me to go to the effort to document everything we are doing and publish it on the web as extensively as I plan to do? None, really. But I have the time to do it (which many people do not have), and I figure that if it is a scam, it needs to be exposed, and in a way that answers the questions of anyone that cares to investigate it--without them having to go to all the effort I have (and will continue to do) to find answers. If, on the other hand, it is not a scam, then those who could benefit from being associates of the business but are skeptical, like I was, will have a chance to find out without having to go to the lengths that I did. I don't expect to be paid for my efforts by anyone, except maybe having a better standard of living if it is truly not a scam (because if it isn't, I'm sure my husband will make it work).

Searching for the Perfect Home Business

When I was searching for information on starting a home business, I must have agreed to receive some entrepreneurial magazine, because I got one not to long ago in the mail. I paged through it, but could easily see that most of the job offers were scams. I knew, however, that a well-written scam would sound very much like a legitimate offer, which is really to bad for those making real offers. One particular advertisement caught my interest--the one for the Zaken Corporation. What caught my attention is the fact that it didn't ask you to send money. My husband figured that $.39 for a stamp was worth it just to see what happened, so he filled out the form and sent it in.

We just got the material in the mail last Friday. It contained a cover letter and a magazine-style letter. On page three of the magazine, I discovered that there is a $148 fee for the training materials, which made it sound like a scam. However, I decided to read far enough to see what kind of business it was, at least. It claims to be a company that buys overstock and resells it. I know this kind of thing happens all the time. That's why we have places like Fallas Paredes, the Nordstrom Rack, and a variety of dollar stores, to name a few. The question is, Does Zaken Corp. really do that?

After reading about half the letter, I got online and looked them up in the Better Business Bureau. It gave them an F. Still, I wanted more information, so I typed "Tiran Zaken" into Google. Oddly enough, the first hit to come up was the Rip Off Report, which is a service of the Bad Business Bureau. They had a number of previously filed reports by people saying it was a scam, that they had been treated badly, etc. However, they had an update that they added less than two years ago. It was very interesting and enlightening. I shared with my husband the essence of what I had found, and he began to get excited. That surprised me, because he is naturally more skeptical than I am.

We Decide Not to Rush Things

The material said we should reply right away, or risk losing out on the opportunity. That is one of the things that make sound like a scam. So we decided to call the company. We decided to call the number listed in the letterhead of the cover letter (818-407-1225), instead of calling the order line. But first we prayed and asked for two specific things. Since it was about an hour before they closed on Friday, and since Monday is a holiday, we realized making a decision wasn't urgent, and that it would be good to take the rest of the weekend to pray about it and do more research. So we prayed and asked the Lord that 1) whoever we talked to not be pushy, and 2) that there still be a position open on Tuesday, if it was worth getting into. A positive answer to both petitions would not mean that we would for sure try it, but a negative on either one would definitely decide us.

So we called. We were impressed by the fact that the company had such a fancy automated system. It doesn't seem that a business that was nothing more than a scam would have so many options. When we mistakenly selected the wrong one, we were directed to another department. This gave us the impression that this was a real company with different departments doing different things. We had listened to the menu options and thought that we should select option 6. It turned out that we needed to have selected the option for customer service, and that's where we were sent. When we got someone from customer service, my husband gave his name and said that he wanted to let them know that he had received the information and needed a few days (namely, the long weekend) to look things over, and then he might call back on Tuesday. The lady was very professional. She assured him that there were still positions open, and that she would make sure there was one open for him on Tuesday, so he could take his time.

That sounded like a positive on both accounts to me, but we still didn't want to make a decision just then. It was just too early. We thanked the Lord for the answers and asked for continued guidance.

The Research Continues

Then Sunday morning I got on the Internet and decided to do some more research. Besides what I had tried before, I typed in a number of different search combinations into Google. I searched a couple of popular article sites (EzineArticles.com and SearchWarp) to see if anyone had written an article with the word "Zaken", and in both cases came up with 0 articles. The name Zaken appears to be Norwegian or something like that, because when I typed his name alone, it came up with a bunch of foreign language sites. But whatever the case may be, I found a lot of bad reports on forums and the like. It was next to impossible to find anyone saying anything good about it, though I did find this rebuttal (read last comment) on the Rip Off Report site. One thing that I noticed, however, is that nearly everything I found predated the update on Rip Off Report.

I reread the ROR update and decided to write the EDitor. Below is a copy of what I wrote him and his reply (which, surprisingly enough for a Sunday, I discovered in my inbox a couple of hours later):

I am wondering why your website is the only one I can find that gives a positive report on the Zaken Corp--at least, the update did. Why are there so many complaints and why can't I find satisfied associates posting independently on the web?

His reply:

The answer is very simple. If you have read what I wrote in the link below, ..I'm sure you did.. What part of that did you not understand?

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff91593.htm

I guess I can understand you still asking your question ... but..

Zaken clearly admits he made mistakes in the past. NO BUSINESS IS PERFECT...

Zaken definitely gave thousands in refunds to those who came to Rip-off Report in the past.

Zaken gives back FULL REFUNDS if the program did not work out, no matter what his stated policy says... Like any business, they would want their client / customer to make sure they give the program a good hard try, sooner than later.

Over the last several years Rip-off Report sent many consumers to Zaken to try out their program as a work at home business. None of the dozens or so people we sent their way have told us they wanted a refund. yet.. I will be surprised if no one contacts us.. Zaken's program, like any other business opportunity is NOT GOING TO BE FOR EVERYONE.... and Zaken clearly admits that.

Rip-off Report cannot change or help the entire world. What we can do is, - - anyone that runs across a business that is on Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program, ... they WILL GET A FULL REFUND IF THEY WERE NOT SATISFIED. (Pretty much) NO QUESTIONS ASKED... If the business does not, the member business is off the program.

Where We Stand at the Moment

About this time, I decided that I was going to get to the bottom of this, if it was possible. We live in Texas, and the Zaken Corp. is California, which is two hours earlier than us. Also, my husband has a job interview Tuesday morning early, as well as some other errands to run, which means he won't be here when they open. I work from 10:30 to 1:30 that day, so it probably won't be until sometime after noon their time that we have a chance to get back in touch with them.

I have decided to ask them some straight questions, based on the research that I have done. Below is a partial list of questions.

• How do we find the companies to contact? Is this "inside information" free to us, or do we have to buy it?
• Why do you need associates in different states? Why not just build another office and hire local people?
• Suppose we look over the material and decide it's not for us. When does the 30 days start? When we receive it or when you send it? Or when our credit card is charged?

Steps That We Will Take

I am going to record the phone call, so I will be able to report accurately on what I learn. If they refuse to let me record the phone call, it will only be to their detriment, because not only will we not sign up for their offer, but I will report it here on this blog, and other places.

Then, based on the answers they give, if we decide it's worth a try, we will call and order a kit and evaluate it. As much as we can fairly share without giving away company secrets will be documented here. The promise is that we should be able to make a few thousand in the 30-day trial period. If we do, then we will report it here. If we don't, we will also report it, along with why (anything from, "because it's a scam after all" to "this kind of business isn't for us"). And after we have had a chance to make a determination as to the legitimacy of the company for ourselves, I will write an article summarizing our findings and publish it in those e-article sites I mentioned, among others. I will also post updates to any forums that come up on the first page of Google, and just maybe I'll submit an article to some magazine like Reader's Digest. Of course, one of the first places I will contact will be the Rip Off Report. And if my research puts the company in a positive light (whether we earn money with it or not), I plan on writing the BBB to inform them of our findings--but if it's really a scam, I won't bother them.

What Should You Do?

If you found this blog in your efforts to decide if the Zaken Corporation is a scam or not, then keep reading. If the blog has not been completed (the last post will probably be titled something original like "Last Post"), then bookmark this page and check back here often. When I post the last blog will be determined by the results I get. For example, if Tuesday gets me unsatisfactory answers to my questions, I will post the answers, write an article or two, publish them, add the links here, and be done with it by the end of the week. If, on the other hand, it is legitimate, it might take a month or two to finish our investigation, and only then will I finish this blog.

If you wish to contact me personally, you can send me an email to my personal email address and I will do my best to answer your questions. If you wish to speak to me personally, just include your phone number in the email and I will get back in touch with you.

I hope this blog will be of some help to you.