Melaleuca Versus Ted Nuyten Lawsuit?

 

Ted Nuyten – Business For Home
Frank Vandersloot – CEO  Melaleuca

Ted Nuyten

Frank Vandersloot

On 16 December I published the post: Terry Dorfman versus Melaleuca lawsuit with pictures of the people involved: Terry Dorfman, Frank Vandersloot and Ken Dunn. I got an email from the Legal Department of Melaleuca in which they request me to take the website down immediately:

 


Dear Mr. Nuyten:

I am a legal assistant at Melaleuca, Inc. (Melaleuca), of Idaho Falls, Idaho in the United States of America. I am writing to complain about the the website 2010112/terrydorfman-versus-melaleuca-lawsuit-max-international-and-ken-dunn!> (Website), which you are hosting.

Melaleuca requests that the Website be taken down immediately because the Website displays an image that is the copyrighted property of Melaleuca without authorization.

In particular, the Website displays a copyrighted image of Melaleuca's CEO, Frank L. VanderSloot. Relevant details are set f0l1h in the Notice of Copyright Infringement that is appended below.

As you may know, under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, you can be held liable for copyright infringement if you fail to take prompt action in response to this request. Please let me know once the Website has been taken down, and feel free to contact me with any questions.


 

My answer to Melaleuca is: No, I am not taking the website down, but I am willing to replace the picture of Frank Vandersloot, please send me an image. (Update 3 Januari 2011, a former Melaleuca distributor send me a photo, and the picture is replaced….)

 

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Comments (63)

  1. I’m a Melaleuca customer and have a small group of people. Less than 20. I’m not a very aggressive salesperson and find this lawsuit very, very damaging to my efforts. I find it very hard to discuss Melaleuca to anybody who might come across Ted’s great site. I called the company the day I saw the lawsuit and complained about the fact that I didn’t know. And explained it would have been very frustrating to go out an show a presentation and say “Frank is such a great person” only to have the person bring me to the web and show me the lawsuit. I was told the company was right because Ms Dorfman was wrong simply because she introduced the friend to Ken Dunn. I tried to persuade the guy who answered the phone that it wasn’t that big of a deal. To me if she did in fact introduce the friend to Mr. Dunn and the friend went away and took many affiliates with her (of course she didn’t) Melaleuca would be the BIG PERSON by ignoring this fact. Instead Mr Vandersloot chose to take the low road and focus on the trivial things. I like Melaleuca. I love its products. Today I’m going to the special presentation. I wish more companies did what Melaleuca has done about payout and pricing of the products.
    But just hate what Mr Vandersloot is doing.
    If in fact he got Ms Dorfman to comply with all requirements after she commited “the crime”, and he still decides to terminate her, ignoring everything else, then no one really can show the presentation and mention Mr. Vandersloot as a great leader, least of all………….. ME!!!!!
    Ted, if I were in your shoes, I’d take off the photo. It’s not needed to prove your point.
    Based on the e-mail they sent you, if you take it off they’ll leave you alone.
    Thanks for all you do to make full-disclosure more attainable in Direct sales.

    Francisco Navarro.

  2. JR, That is a new picture that a former rep sent in…..Ted took down the one that was copywrited. If I was Frank, I would have wanted the copywrited one, with full make-up on, left up……it was a little more flattering! But that was their choice!

    The real truth here is that Melaleuca wanted the entire posting taken down! They feel they can control what is written about them by threatening people with lawsuits. And we all know about how many of those they have filed. Wouldn’t they be better off treating their current and former distributors with dignity? Maybe respect would be gained rather than creating so much animosity against this MLM company. They are now reaping what they have sowed.

  3. I have been with Melaleuca for almost 18 years, now. My brother, my daughter and I have made over $9.4 million since we started. I know thousands who are making secure incomes working their Melaleuca business.

    Melaleuca?s policies were made to protect its independent marketing executives. If someone violates those policies it hurts all of us. Melaleuca marketing executives can count on the fact that Melaleuca will protect their business from the unscrupulous activities of those who choose to violate those policies. You will never find any company more committed to protecting its independent marketing executives. That is one reason, during these tough economic times, Melaleuca grew in 2010 by over $80 million.

    Melaleuca’s policies allow persons to work other businesses. But those policies specifically do not allow Melaleuca marketing executives to raid their own businesses to take their customers or other Melaleuca customers to other businesses as long as they’re getting a Melaleuca check. That makes a lot of sense to anyone who has worked hard to build a business only to have it then raided by someone they considered a friend.

    Based on my experience, Melaleuca is specifically committed to protecting its Independent Marketing Executives from being raided by those people who formerly were trusted by their organization to meet their Melaleuca customers. Melaleuca promises its Marketing Executives that it will not allow their organizations to be raided in the following manner: When a Marketing Executive enrolls a customer in Melaleuca, that Marketing Executive often promises that customer that he will help that customer to build a Melaleuca business. The customer is then encouraged to bring the customer?s friends, family, and neighbors to the Marketing Executive to be introduced to the business opportunity. After the customer introduces his friends, family and neighbors to the Marketing Executive, the Marketing Executive, in return, tries to duplicate the process, by asking those friends to bring him their family, friends and neighbors, etc. It takes hard work, but over time, thriving businesses are built. That, of course, is exactly what the Marketing Executive promised the customer was supposed to happen.

    But suppose, later on, the Marketing Executive says to everyone, ?thanks for bringing me your friends, your family and your neighbors. I know I promised to help you build a business and I did! I?m now going to destroy the business that we?ve built together. I have now decided to join a different business and I?m going to take as many of your friends, your family and your neighbors to that business as I can. And you can come along or you can stay. Either way, I am going to take your friends, your family and your neighbors. I know you trusted me, but you shouldn?t have! I know my doing this will rip apart relationships. I know it will destroy friendships! I know it will ruin livelihoods! But I don?t care, because I am totally independent! And I don?t need to keep my promises!?

    Of course, the above scenario occurs over and over in many MLM companies. Because of it, many lives are destroyed financially each year. Therefore, Melaleuca?s policies do not allow Melaleuca Marketing Executives to recruit customers away from other Melaleuca Marketing Executives into another business. Melaleuca enforces this policy very fairly, but very strictly and very uniformly. Melaleuca?s Marketing Executives expect Melaleuca to protect them from the unscrupulous activities of those who have previously masqueraded as their friends. Melaleuca’s policies provide that protection. And Melaleuca enforces its policies to the benefit of all of us.
    If you were a Melaleuca Marketing Executive you should be very grateful for Melaleuca?s strict enforcement of this policy. To my knowledge, Melaleuca has always been fair in its enforcement. I do not have all of the facts in Terry Dorfman?s case. I don?t know if she is actually guilty. But, current Marketing Executives are not worried that this could happen to just anyone for no reason. I know the company and I know Frank VanderSloot. I consider both to be very fair.

    If Melaleuca’s strict enforcement of its policy causes unscrupulous persons to avoid Melaleuca, I think that is a very positive benefit!

    Over the past 25 years the courts have sided pretty much exclusively with Melaleuca as it enforces its written policies. That tells me the courts believe that Melaleuca has enforced those policies fairly. I expect Melaleuca to win this one.
    Jim McCune – Corporate Director

  4. The policies are in place to protect marketing executives, not hurt them. You knew them when you started your business, or you should if you read them. If you didn’t like them, you should have chosen another company to build your business with. If you chose to break the rules, why is that Melaleuca’s fault? Balony! It’s your fault! Oh, that’s right…because it now hurt you it must be Melaleuca’s fault. What if bringing other marketing executives to another business, even just to see it, hurt other MEs? Even if they didn’t succeed in pulling those ME’s away, the fact that he/she tried…as a leader! Melaleuca had a responsibility to act, for the sake of every ME out there working their buts off building their business, it protects everyone. If Melaleuca didn’t act on it, I would question who had my back.

    Everyone is also commenting on things that are hear say. If you are not directly involved and can offer up some factual information – then you shouldn’t cast judgement. Don’t assume it is automatically Melaleuca’s fault. I can honestly tell you in all my years with Melaleuca, if they have EVER made a mistake they own up to it and make it right! So before anyone jumps on the bandwagon of Mela-haters, I suggest getting the facts first. It’s only fair. You want them to be fair to this Terry person, so be fair to them too.

    Most often what I have found to is that if we are in another home business or direct marketing business we LOVE to knock any other one out there so as to make us look sooooo good. That’s not right either. Let’s all play fair, there’s enough business out there for everyone! Healthy competition is a good thing, it keeps us on our toes. But this…this is playing dirty. All this is, is a bunch of people standing on the sidelines sticking a foot out to trip up a company trying to run in to their endzone. (if you watch football you know what I am talking about with that)

    Just take the pic down. It’s not yours, you don’t have the right to use it, it’s copywrited. I suppose now if Melaleuca files a suit against you for copywrite infringement that’ll be their fault too?

    Waaayyy to much talk about this – everyone get back to work!

  5. I would be interested to hear from all the Consultants that Mela, corp. tried to steal from Beauticontrol, Nuskin etc. flying people to down to Florida.
    The only way McKay and Frank know how to do MLM, consumer direct, direct sales, whatever you want to call it, is to convey how ALL the other companies (just like religions) are BAD and how Mela will SAVE them, they are there for the little guy!
    REally, why did you Frank stand up in front of us the day before convention saying the same horrible things about Jeff Hill, to the point you wanted exec. walking around thinking he was having an affair. It was too much for Mela. to believe that Harvard Grad. Roger Barnett could create what he has with Shaklee and have a real health and wellness company. I do know this, I am not with Shaklee but when Mela. products have the fillers and artificial colors, dyes, sweetners fats oils, dairy crap in them.. How on earth can you call yourself a wellness company.
    OH, that?s right just focus on the money and putting everyone else down.
    Their days are numbered, No educated consumer will partner with Melaleuce today in 2011 that can read what these products have in them.

  6. Jim McCune is correct. I have a technology based business. I started it wih my hard earned money in 2006. After bring in a very promising manager that I neglected to fully check out. I never even considered the possibility that this person may steal my employees, some of my software and equipment and attempt to setup his own shop and become my competition. I didn’t have contracts in place and one day I found myself in that position. No one showed up to work (1 business builder (Me), 1 sales,1 shop Mngr, 1 office Mngr 1 assitant Mngr/Technician, 1 Technician . I later found out that this manager I thought would become a regional manager in the near future convinced the other 3 employees via lieing, to put up their money and open their own shop with him as the head honcho. He was a narsissist that lied to get what he wanted. He lied to me. He lied to my employees by bragging about his accomplishments without there being any proof. I went to being on the verge of my business going to the next level to fighting for my very financial and psychological life. Their mutany was short lived. The narsissist was a little tyrant and he was banking on the limited knowledge of those that I trained to be the business and he would reap the rewards. That business failed and it caused all my former employees and their family and friends more pain and suffering then they needed all based on lies. Like MLM’ers that jump around MLMs for their own personal gain and not caring about anybody that they sponsor because they promise the world and deliver a handful of dirt. I read what happened and we must all be vigilante over our own morals and ethics least any of us slip into greed. It’s a fact…the only place the grass is greener is Heaven.

  7. It all makes complete sense to me.Melaleuca has to protect those marketing directors and all within the Melaleuca organization and should rightfully do so. The ones that are standing to complain are simply those that have failed and want to blame others. As a business person it makes complete sense to protect what is correct and is policy. Congratulations to Frank and Melaleuca for standing their ground and protecting those who are in Melalecua.We applaud you.

  8. Anyone smart enough to review the 2010 Annual Income Statistics, and decipher their mathematical web, should be able to see that there is LITTLE TO NO chance people entering the “referral” business side of M will make a substancial, or even significant amount of money… I actually produced a chart/graph of statistical analysis of that statement and it is hilarious to think that anyone would buy into this idiocity of building a meaningful business. The so called “execs” that are shown on the videos on M’s site is hilarious to me… The # of years they have been in the business conclude to me they were at the top of their “pyramid” from the start – and I would have to say they are very smart people – own the start up, offer lucid dreams of wealth to the under-priviledged and desparate, and then collect your money as people enter and attrit the process… It’s really shameful to me to see people fall prey to those individuals because they are eager to buy into the farce of a dream around wealth, or they are lacking intelligence to the point they fail to see the simple math of the situation… It’s sad – really sad to me… However, welcome to capatilism – the “haves” have, and the “have-nots” want theirs – therefore the “haves” sell dreams of their lifestyle to the have-nots…. It’s the underbelly of capitalism… It’s legit – the products may be good, but it is unnerving to me that people “at the top” sleep at night… Have they really convinced themselves that what they are doing is “helping” people… How sad… Narcasistic may be a good term for them… I hope people wake up and see this for what it is worth…. My 2 cents worth… which is oddly enough close to the average earnings per hour of those people in the Marketing Exec realm – if they are putting 40 hours a week into their “business”… Also, that realm is the majority of people in M’s business model…. hmmmmm – kinda makes me think those cheesy, emotionally charged, real-estate agent gathering, videos on the website are more sad than I originally thought…

  9. i am just an unemployed single mother who attended a Melaleuca presentation and signed up thinking I was making and one time purchase of $30 for laundry detergent for the sake of my neighbor. When I realized I was charged almost $100 and signed into a contract to purchase $60/month, I called the day after and and the day after that to cancel all ties with Melaleuca (citing Rites of Rescission), my order was processed anyway. I faxed in the paperwork on Rites of Rescission with in 3 business and now Melaleuca has kept about one half of my money. I have contacted the BBB. But there has to be more I can do so this doesn’t happen to others. I am dedicated to shining a light on these crooks. It’s about the money but much more about the principle of the matter. We are in a recession. What can we all do to protect ourselves from this fraud?

    1. If this happened then really it is at te fault of your neighbor. My guess is he/she did not explain it well enough for you to understand. Also I think Right to Resind must be done through certified mail not faxed in.

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