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Report: #450028

Complaint Review: Enigin PLC - St Austell Other

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  • Reported By: old windsor Other
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  • Enigin PLC Southview House, St Austell Enterprise Park St Austell, Other United Kingdom

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I have just left Enigin but to be honest I never felt part of it. The training is very good. Mr Wrigley and some of his staff really know what they are doing but the rest of the company is a dead loss. Since parting with over 12,000 at the very end of last year and attending the training in December I can confirm that the support is next to non existant. In fact I would say that the people you speak to really don't know much about the products or the business at all. The normal reply to all questions was they would get back at the end of the week. They will not talk to anyone other than the "partner" either.

In the five months since I joined I have had one telephone call asking me how it was going and that is it. It really is a case of taking your money, giving you the training and then forgetting about you. The great pity with that is that the training is very good but there is too much to take in over just one week and when you call for help after that week it just isn't there. It says something when your allocated Business Manager cannot even tell you what type of Eniscope you have and it takes further chasing to reveal that they are all the same !

I should mention the fact that I believe I was missold in the first place as I was sold an area that had already been allocated to another "partner". When I became aware of this other "partner" I contacted Enigin who told me that they were dormant. They were not dormant at all as they tried to sell to a friend of mine ! Bearing in mind how few "partners" Enigin have in this country then you would think that they would not have a problem remembering whose money they took and for what area.

I have used the word "partner" in this way as I have never felt any part of a partnership. It felt that I was Enigins customer and once I was relieved of my money then I could be dismissed. Even the website that they want you to use only mentions the partners name in the url, such as fredbloggs.eniginpartner.com, and on the Contact page in a little space below the Submit button where almost nobody would ever see it. It becomes clear that there is no great consideration been done in the interests of a partnership.

As I know Enigin watches this site and will probably reply. I have just stated it as it is, I have not libelled anyone and more importantly I can back everything up with all the emails and the paperwork that I have had from Enigin. I can provide screenshots on demand if anyone is interested. And yes it is true that I never paid the VAT when I joined as I was not VAT registered at the time and following a spell of ill health and the complete lack of support from Enigin I never really got going. The thought of trying to shift a monitor, some rubber wrist bands and coasters for several thousand pounds a time never did seem to be a winning technique in the current market and the lack of any other "partners" backing up Enigin seems to confirm this.

Keith o
old windsor
United Kingdom

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 05/08/2009 02:29 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/enigin-plc/st-austell-other/enigin-plc-believed-to-have-missold-me-st-austell-other-450028. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
9Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#9 Consumer Comment

Energy Saving Systems Statement

AUTHOR: Energy Saving Systems - ()

POSTED: Thursday, November 07, 2013

Over the past few years working on the energy savings business as a distributor for Enigin has been a good experience.  As all business models, there is no perfect one that will show you the path to success.  Enigin gives you the appropriate tools in order to start your own company with a business model that only you will be in charge to develop it on the best way that suits your new born business.  Starting this new business in my country has tough us a lot in learning what the clients wants and adapting to their demands.  All markets behave in their own way and maybe one successful model will not work on an other country, the real success depends on yourself.

Even though it has taken us a lot of work introducing the products into the market, the experience and feedback that we have received from our clients has been wonderful.  All the good and bad comments that we get, we turn them an improvement way to get better and see how else we can help companies reduce their energy comsumption.  We have always counted with the support from Enigin regarding technical and business questions.

Using Enigin products such as ACES, CUES and Eniscope has help our clients to improve there energy management and savings.  For example, we manage to reduce up to 30% on refridgeration consumption for the distribution center for a restaurant franchise, this represents over $400 per month on energy savings, another case is a carton factory who uses Eniscope to manage their energy consumption 24/7, they improve their energy management by detecting energy leaks, other successful client is a commercial sports sales merchandise in which we manage to reduce up to 15% their energy consumption per month.

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#8 UPDATE Employee

Response to Criticised Business Model

AUTHOR: Enigin PLC - ()

POSTED: Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Regrettably the company has come under criticism regarding its business model. In some instances these are from anonymous individuals, although some people we can identify. However, as far as we can ascertain, the negative postings come from just a few former distributors who have never actively sold and installed any of our products.

While much of the content posted is totally untrue and inflammatory, nevertheless we cannot simply ignore all of the issues raised and we are saddened that there has been strong dissatisfaction. Consequently, the company has now repositioned itself in all the areas that came under criticism.

REBUTTEL:

Since the original postings on this forum in May 2009:- 1) Enigin has launched a totally new range of products all of which are designed in-house. 2) The company no longer charges a distributor fee. 3) We have since removed ourselves from the Biz-OP market and will only consider distributor applications from established businesses. 4) We now provide a clearer protected territory policy.

We aver that while there is demonstrable success amongst Enigin’s distributors who to this day have remained loyal to the company, a significant number of distributors failed to gain any traction in the market place and subsequently lost their investment. We believe we know the reasons why in each case.

The directors wish to reaffirm that the company never stated anywhere that ALL of its products were exclusively Enigin’s as some chose to assume. Indeed the policy of openly sourcing products on the global market was clearly stated in writing in the prospectus. Many companies do this.

The Distributor Agreement and Terms of Appointment were never “exclusive”.

The cost of the distributorship and license fee were presented in bold print along with a detailed list of exactly what was included. For several years’ new distributors attending training had the opportunity of a full refund if they were unhappy about ANY aspect of the business. No one ever asked for a refund during training.

Enigin’s literature never implied that starting a new business was ‘easy’, on the contrary clear advises were given as to the likely chance of success or failure, and the reasons why some early distributors had failed were detailed in the downloadable e-book; Don’t Start an Energy Saving Business… Until You Have Read This”.

For the record; there has never been any court action lodged (let alone successful), past or pending against the company from anyone, in any country, for any of its business activities.

DRAMATIC CHANGE IN DIRECTION

Towards the end of 2010, Enigin conducted a comprehensive survey amongst all of its current distributors in an attempt to better understand the true underlying feelings amongst distributors, both those enjoying success and those who had failed and were unhappy with the business model.

Of particular note was that over 80% of those who responded to the survey (we acknowledge that some chose not even to respond preferring to vent their frustrations anonymously on Internet forums) reported that they were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the distributorship they had secured and several stated; “it was the best decision they had ever made”.

However, not all was well and it was becoming evident that the company needed to substantially change its product range and business model. We also recognised that it is a fundamental mistake to try to build a business solely on the back of a raft of new start up business. The simple truth is that statistically - in every business category - the vast majority of new start-ups fail within the first few years. That’s why a bank or leasing company will rarely, if ever, lend to a ‘newbie’ until they have a proven track record of sustained profitability.

In January 2011 the board of directors approved of a massive research and development investment into new technology. This has culminated in the launch of a new range of energy saving solutions, exclusively Enigin’s, which are now protected by Patents, Trademarks and Copyright Design applications.

A NEW HORIZON FOR THE COMPANY

From April to September 2013 the company progressively launched its new range of innovative products and at the same time made the policy decision to seek to appoint only those who had an existing business with positive momentum, preferably from within the Clean-Tec sector.

There would be no ‘license fee’ from new applicants; instead applicants would be invited to make a nominal investment in products. Products were priced competitively to deliver where possible a two-year pay back to end-users. The available discounts range from 30-80% depending on the level of commitment.

Historically the brand name ENIGIN has been associated with a company that sold a ‘Business Opportunity’ in some cases to ‘wannabee entrepreneurs’, however with immediate effect the company wishes to have an image synonymous with a company that; designs and manufactures the best energy saving technology in the world distributed through a select number of high-profile organisations who are both genuine professionals and adequately resourced to deliver solutions to end-users in their respective territory.

We also wish to thank all of our loyal distributors, several who have been working with us now for many years and who have remained loyal to the company, given invaluable feedback to the R&D team and in many cases robustly defended the company against the machinations of some malevolent individuals who are too proud to accept personal responsibility for their failures.

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#7 Consumer Comment

Another Enigin Distributor

AUTHOR: nkhan - ()

POSTED: Friday, April 19, 2013

Came across this complaint and I just thought I would share my experience with Enigin.  I have also lost quite a bit of money with Enigin. As the complaint states the training is very impressive (and so is the rest of the marketing, but more on that later); however, I do believe they respond to distributors. Though the response might not be what you like.

As mentioned above, the marketing is very good.  In fact, in training they stress the need to spend a significant amount of resources on marketing.  This is something I agree with and proceeded to do after my training and received quite a bit of leads, many of which were interested.  However, when I did their payback analysis it was obvious that they weren't paying enough electrical costs to make the eniscope worthwhile.  I thought to myself Enigin suggested I target SMEs which is what I was doing so what's wrong.  I think the problems here are is as follows:

Firstly, electricity is significantly less expensive in Canada & USA than Europe and MENA regions.  Particularly in more northern areas where half the year air conditioning isn't used.  So Enigin's suggested strategy of marketing to SMEs doesn't work in North America.  I know their marketing features a distributor in Florida and their work with a college; however, I think that there are very few successful distributors in here.  If you are thinking of investing, I would ask for the contact info for several successful AND unsuccessful distributors.

Second, the profit margins that Enigin advertises are completely unrealistic in Canada and USA.  There are a number of costs that they minimize, which can be significant (including duties and installation).  The cost for duty taxes can be significant for products coming from non-FTA countries.  Also, if you want the products installed professionally, it will cost you quite a bit.  It is a good idea to check your local regulations to see if inspections are required, which will cost you more.  Bottom line, products are priced way to high to make any money in this market.

So I tried pursuing larger businesses and found that the larger they were, the more they wanted a products from an established brand (Siemens, GE, Johnson Controls, etc...). These competitors actually offer many similar products for much less.  I contacted Enigin and asked them to restock the inventory I have and they stated that it was obsolete and they wouldn't.  I had purchased significant inventory (Enigin Hubs/CUES/ACES/and iMEC) two years ago and when I purchased it, they said it was the newest hardware and they would be able to include future upgrades for water and gas monitoring on the same system. Now they are saying the entire product line I have is obsolete.
 
While I place some of the blame on myself I believe Enigin makes ludicrous claims of distributor's profit margins in their prospectus, has a one fit strategy for all (SMEs don't work everywhere), and has high competition with established brands that provide less expensive products.  Overall I would say my experience with Enigin has been less than satisfactory and their product is more sizzle than steak (another term they use in training).

 They still refuse to restock my inventory, will amend this if they do.

 You can buy copies of their latest financial statements online at http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/ 

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#6 Consumer Comment

Confused About Enigin -Reply

AUTHOR: Fool Me Once - (United States of America)

POSTED: Sunday, December 30, 2012

Dear eniginpartnerusa,

I think that the conclusion of your research is right on the mark.  It does not appear that Enigin has made any effort to legally trade in the US nor does it appear that they have paid any taxes in the state of New York.  In an effort to look legit, at one time they did offer a PO Box with an address in New York City and they had been conducting business (recruiting) in New York but there is no record of them paying any due taxes to the city. 

The product as seen on Maryland Green Power website may have been Enigin's attempt to brand a UL product for the US market.  The initiative must have been short lived but Enigin continued to push a different branded CE unit modified and put into their own assembly (box plus connectors).   Once modified, would not pass UL or even CE standards.  Doing so would exposes Enigin and their dealers to high liability and risks that they are apparently willing to take.  All it will take is one accident. 

The pricing difference that you have noted must be the difference between the OEM price and Enigin's mark-ups.  The high cost of goods and the ridiculously high dealer fees will make it impossible to be a success in the marketplace. 

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#5 Consumer Comment

Confused About Enigin

AUTHOR: eniginpartnerusa - (United States of America)

POSTED: Friday, November 16, 2012

I have been researching Enigin opportunity for some time and came upon this website:

http://www.marylandgreenpower.com/greenpower/enigin/web-enabled-meter-wem-mx/

This company seems to have been involved with the Enigin opportunity but I do not recognize the product on that webpage. It does not match the Enigin brochure.

The comments section at the bottom contains some negative information about Enigin from someone who hints that Enigin products are supplied by other companies and that Enigin do not have their own products.

In any case, he didn't seem too happy about the experience (the comment writer, not the salesman trying to sell the meters.)

In any case, I called a company in California who is selling the Eniscope for close to $ 3,000. The manufacturer of the meter on the website above is quoting $ 700 retail so it couldn't be the same thing.

Another Enigin representative in Florida seems to be successful, having sold an Eniscope to a College in Daytona Beach. But when I asked him if the College knows the Eniscope shown on the Enigin site is not UL listed, he replies "what they don't know won't hurt them!"

I think what they don't know WILL hurt them. It's a big potential liability to have non-UL approved equipment at a commercial facility in the United States. 

The apparent lack of ethics of the Enigin group definitely made a bad impression. I would stay away from this group.

Finally, I called the Federal Trade Commission and they did not have any information at all on the Enigin opportunity in the United States. How could a company selling an opportunity not register with the FTC? 

That's not even legal!

Being that I have not found a single successful Enigin agent anywhere, and Enigin refuses to give me the names of successful Enigin reps, I have to conclude that there are none.

Stay away from Enigin if you cannot spare to lose your money, because you will lose it!

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#4 General Comment

Continued money back request

AUTHOR: want to fight back - (United States of America)

POSTED: Saturday, January 28, 2012

 I still want my money back, Iam glad to hear the many people have joined the large group in the U.S. to stop you Troy and Big Daddy from more fraud. The attorney general here in the U.S. will be picking up the case soon and has taken this long due to their heavy case load. This is free here in the U.S. and I want you to feel the brunt of the united States Government.I told that pompas  wrigley I would get legal and demand my money back.Troy is foolish with his emails and I am glad he said he would give me my money back. The time is coming and I will persue you all till you are shut down. There is a law against selling business opportunities here without registering in all states. Ian will see this was his mistake. Send me my money and you will get more sales. I know your loosing prospects and as the group grows more will be lost. Soon you will see its cheaper to pay me off. I will pursue you till hell freezes over and continue to stop your sales. The FBI will soon get to you. There are many people to testify and people like you need to be stopped. Tim Goldzwig   If you are honest then provide true successfull people and the fact that you use Rob in the united states is his mistake. I know your ex employee is a worry to you Troy and you will findthat person will provide the inside info to take you down. You took my 40,000.00 gave me nothing and the only success you can prove is your own not the distributors. The revenue Enigin brings in is very small when you advertise that you are international. The Chrysler BLDG in New York leased only for meetings the

Orlando meetings you are selling business opportunities illegally.You are all blood suckers, living off the pain of others.Crawl out of your low ethics and return the money. You have threatened me and feel you are free. We will see. Freedom of speech here in the U.S. We helped your country in the war, this is sad. 

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#3 General Comment

to tim mcmahon

AUTHOR: want to fight back - (United States of America)

POSTED: Sunday, May 08, 2011

I find it interesting that you rebut this when there are many disatisfied distributors getting ready to sue you.You are not telling the truth at all.Sorry to announce one of your employees is going be what takes you down and signed statements and recordings will be you demise. I know 6 people getting ready to sue you and you wont be pompass for long, Regards another so called distributor you have taken for a ride. Tim G

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#2 Consumer Comment

Enigin Partner

AUTHOR: Energy - (Ireland)

POSTED: Friday, June 05, 2009

I am the Operations Manager for an Enigin partner in Ireland. After reading the comments I would like to say this is a very positive business to be in and despite the recession it is what clients and businesses need now.

The EnergyMaps solution does works.

However similar to any business, a concentrated amount of effort is required. In one instance we have managed to save up to 80% of night time costs, simply by analysing the information provided by the Eniscope.

Enigin supply a solid level of support to us. Even on our first installation we were able to save, and our client companies are very receptive to Enigin's Energy Maps Program. We are successful in achieving sales and look forward to expanding and growing our business with Enigin.

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#1 UPDATE Employee

Official Response from Enigin Plc

AUTHOR: Tim McMahon, Enigin Plc - (United Kingdom)

POSTED: Thursday, May 21, 2009

We received a Google Alert regarding this posting from Keith Osborne. Unfortunately, his comment is littered with false, libelous and malicious statements which reflect badly on the hard work being done by Enigin PLC and more importantly Enigin's active partners who are helping customers all around the world to reduce their energy consumption. Unlike other websites, Ripoff Report will not remove or adjust false, defamatory, libelous or malicious comments unless you pay them and, like any other reputable company, we do not wish to be subjected to extortion tactics.


Therefore, we believe it is appropriate to set the record straight regarding Keith Osborne and provide you with some facts below that he has neglected to mention. We believe this will provide a more balanced view of the reality of the situation. If you would like to know how we can assist you in saving up to 40% of your energy costs then please feel free to call us on +44 (0)1726 871 040 or contact us via www.enigin.com. We will arrange for one of our Authorized Enigin Partners to visit you at your earliest convenience and provide you with a FREE survey.


In the meantime you can view interviews with our partners and customers here www.enigin.typepad.com


The FACTS:


Keith Osborne was desperate to avoid paying any tax and wanted to set up an offshore company. For this reason he refused to pay VAT (value added tax) even though he is a UK resident. He never set up the offshore company and to date he has still not paid the VAT (In the UK you pay VAT whether or not you are VAT registered). Although Keith claimed in his application that he had substantial resources with which to finance his business he refused to pay his 200 hotel bill at the end of the training.


Keith owes Enigin PLC a substantial sum of money. To assist with his cash-flow we gave him the option to make deferred payments to cover the cost of his license. He has refused to pay this money despite repeated reminders. We decided to suspend his account until receipt of payment. At this point Keith decided to 'leave' Enigin rather than stick to his agreement. We have passed this matter over to our solicitors.


Keith was asked to submit his business plan at the end of Training so we could assist him with business development. He refused to submit his plan despite repeated reminders over a five month period. His reason was that he had never written one before so why start now. It has since come to my attention that Keith is a used car salesman so it would have been vital for him to develop a meaningful plan if he was to make a successful transition to the Energy Saving Business. Despite numerous attempts to help Keith by phone and email (all of which is recorded on our CRM) he refused to accept any support or follow through on any of the proven training and advice we provided.


Keith refused to install our Advanced Energy Meter in a trial site as recommended by Enigin's Business Development Team. In a recorded telephone conversation he confirmed that he would LIE to potential prospects about the effectiveness of the product if they asked him what kind of results he had experienced. He was told in that conversation that such an approach is unacceptable and was asked to confirm by email that he would not attempt to deceive clients in this manner - he never replied.


Keith was sent leads received directly by Enigin PLC from potential customers in his area that were interested in our Energy Saving Solutions. Our records show that he never followed up on this interest despite follow up requests that he do so.


We have no active partners in any of the territories listed in Keith's agreement. So his statement to the contrary is utterly false. It is possible that a partner from a neighbouring territory has followed up on a lead outside of their agreed scope of operation. This would not have been done with Enigin's consent. We do our very best to protect our partners interests but it is notoriously difficult to police territory conflicts. If Keith had contacted us directly, we could have easily cleared up this misunderstanding. Instead he chose to jump to a conclusion and resort to defamation.


Keith has never installed one of our Advanced Energy Meter's and he has never worked through an EnergyMaps program with a client so he is ill-placed to comment on its value. Of course it is much easier to criticize something from behind a computer rather than apply yourself to delivering excellent service as our other partners are doing.

Best regards,


Tim McMahon
Commercial Director
For and on behalf of Enigin PLC

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