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Report: #1078904

Complaint Review: Sizzle Zing - Bedford Pennsylvania

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  • Reported By: Davina Upton — San Diego California
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  • Sizzle Zing 7712 Main Road Bedford, Pennsylvania USA

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A new 'Home based Business / MLM / Business Opportunity / Pyramid Scheme" has just launched in the name of SizzleZing by a long time 'networker' called Carl Troutner.

Whatever pet name you want to call this kind of business, Carl is following in the footsteps of TVI and Herbalife and hoping to become a Bernie Madoff... no sorry I mean a Trump,Icahn, or Soros type who seem to get away with the Made in America pyramid scheme.

SizzleZing's webpage hides behind what looks like a banner ad sales company, yet their few banners only appear on the front of the SizzleZing site and inside their own login area.  So no value in the banners!

What they are really selling is the dream of quick money on the back of a get rich quick scheme which goes like this:

You'll get somebody you know either call you up or post on your social network rallying cries of “get in now, ground-floor opportunity, unlimited income!”.  These promises are spread virus-like by those who have paid $330 to join the 'game' and get on the first of 3x pyramid boards.  
What do they get for paying $330 of their hard earnt money to Carl Troutner?

A promise that they will make $1200as the APEX leader of the gang, if they get 6 of their friends (or a mix of friends of friends) to also cough up $330 each and 'play the game'.  Oh wait... you don't actually get $1200 because the game charges the apex leader $800 as a board charge for now moving to board#2, oh... they also charge $300 automatically to put you back on board#1 again as well as an admin fee.
So actually, the APEX leader made $76 back on their $330 buy in.

Carl Troutner however, just made $2234 on board#1 out of the fool who managed to convince six of their friends to also throw $330 away.  The best part about this smoke and mirrors pyramid scheme is that once you've paid the $330 in to SizzleZing - if you dont manage to get to fill the board that you are on as your friends haven't fallen for the con - you get ZERO back out of SizzleZing.  What a lovely concept.

Board#2
So for those sales people (APEX leaders) who managed to convince their friends that they will be rich by Christmas. They are now on both a Board#2 and a Board#1.  They are now pushing their friends to each find some other fools to part with $330 each, bragging that they have made $1200 (really $76) and that the friends too can make it !!  Why? because the APEX wants to get to the top of Board#2 (remember it cost them $800 to be on this board) and as long as their gang (read 'team') continue to convince others to keep joining for $330 - the APEX will reach the top of Board#2 with a payout of $3200. Oh wait - again, there's fees :)  $800 for rotating back on board#2 to start again PLUS $1,500 cost for joining the third and final board#3.  WOW.   So the original promise of $3200 is really $876 due to Carl's fees.

So, the APEX team leader passing board#2 made $876

Carl Troutner just made a cool $27,720 on board#2 (less 12x board#1's payouts (12x$76) which the gang receives in pushing the sponsor APEX to the top of the second board)  The lovely nature of Pyramid Scheme's for the scheme creator!

Board#3
Now.. If the gang manage to continue finding more fools to keep giving them $330 each time and get the APEX sponsor to the top of the board#3, the APEX is promised a payout of $6,000 !!... yes, you guessed it.  Board#3 completion triggers a fee of $1500 and admin fees, so the APEX will brag about hitting $6,000 in commission but really collected $4,488.

So, the APEX team leader passing board#3 made $4,488

Carl Troutner only makes $221,760 on board#3 (less all the payouts (~$35,904) split between the gang of 3,584 fools required to completely push the sponsor APEX through all 3x boards)  What a business opportunity for everybody!


Now lets look at the total figures generated for the Two parties for one trip through the SizzleZING program:

APEX Team Leader makes a total of $5,440  
(If they ever manage to get through a second time it goes up to $7,764)
Number of people required in APEX's direct downline (pyramid) = 3,584 people

Carl Troutner SizzleZING wizzard makes $213,378 per APEX Team Leader.

 

What is everybody promised - besides getting rich with no real effort other than convincing others?

FREE BANNER ADS on the website of SizzleZING.
which sounds great to those who don't understand the internet. Its a brand new website with zero authority on the internet, so the banners are worthless. The only people who will even see the adds are the gullable as they pass through the doors of the latest ripoff fleece the poor pyramid scheme to be released with “get in now, ground-floor opportunity, unlimited income!” FANFAIR.  
Get ready to see SizzleZING spam everywhere as they aim to infultrate the social airwaves of Facebook, Google+, Youtube and Twitter!!!

ipayout payment processors should be embarassed as the organization allowing Carl Troutner to take folks money for this.

They currently provide a PDF of their pyramid payout scheme on their home page described as their SizzleZing Compensation Plan.  The math is laid out in all its glory to follow:
http://sizzlezing.com/media/SizzleZing%20Compensation%20Plan.pdf

In case they take it down or hide it within their site... here is an exact copy elsewhere online too:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106654279/SizzleZing%20Compensation%20Plan.pdf


To enjoy Carl Troutner bragging about how exciting SizzleZING is on Youtube (recorded during a sales call I believe) Some of the gullable are already commenting on how gggggggreat the recording is with a view count of 432.  Its worth a listen for those who can decifer the B.S. amongst the authoritative and trustworthy Carl Troutner wishing to bring joy to the faces and hearts of the public via the networkers "WHO GET IT!"

 

 

 

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 08/25/2013 11:10 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/sizzle-zing/bedford-pennsylvania-15522/sizzle-zing-sizzlezingcarl-troutner-wbb-solutions-llc-rallying-cries-of-get-in-now-g-1078904. 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
6Consumer
1Employee/Owner

#7 UPDATE Employee

I am not the owner : )

AUTHOR: Mark - ()

POSTED: Saturday, November 02, 2013

Just to clearify that i am not the owner of SizzleZing. I didn't check the right box in my haste to respond to the last rebuttal. I am a individual distributer of the SizzleZing opportunity.

Also just because you may not like a particular individual or company doesn't give anyone the right to say negative things about it. But thats the world we live in so i understand. Some people are only happy when there have negative energy surrounding them.

If you have a better way for regular people to make money then i am all ears. We don't need or want everyone to be part of SizzleZing. We need most people to keep their regular jobs.

When i go to Mortons Steak house someone has to cook my double filet mignon wrapped in bacon because i won't go back to the kitchen to do it, lol. Everyone has a different path to take and just because my path is with SizzleZing doesn't make me right or wrong. All it does is continue to help me live JOB FREE! Thats all folks.

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#6 REBUTTAL Owner of company

THE REAL DEAL? IT SURE IS!!

AUTHOR: Mark - ()

POSTED: Saturday, November 02, 2013

Point #1 Obviously the one who wrote the rebuttal to my previous statement hasn't been educated on what business is all about and how to spell. The proper spelling is not matrice! It is spelled matrix. Also the individual didn't have anything to say about all the points that i brought up. How about the fact that all SizzleZing members are a 1099. You cannot become a 1099 in the eyes of Uncle Sam if you don't have a solid and legitimate business. No pyramid schemes file taxes the last time i checked.

Point #2 Please show me one business, job, franchise or any other business model where the owner of the company doesn't make money. Does the owner of your job make more money than you? Of course he does! Think about this for a minute. When you cycle the Zing 3 board thats $6,000 your earned. Your actual payout is $4,448. SizzleZing takes $1,500 out of your pocket, NEVER YOUR POCKET and enrolls you again on the Zing 3 matrix. Then they deduct $12 for the entry fee. That sounds like a fair deal to me! The owner is the one who spent all the money to set up the company that allows regular people like me to succeed without a job. Because of businesses like SizzleZing i was able to retire at the age of 37 years old back in 2007 and i have been job free ever since. When i worked in the auto industry i made $32 per hour. I could never make more than my supervisor or anyone else that was at the top including the owner. Bill Gates started Microsoft. Are all his employees entitled to make the same amount as him? OF COURSE NOT!

Point #3 Carl Troutner isn't the owner of SizzleZing he is a co-founder. Mr. Mike Boggs is the owner so lets get our facts straight. No money goes to Carl except the money that he has earned as a member of SizzleZing. He doesn't even take a salary which means he has to make his money just like me and everyone else.

Point #4 In order to have a sustainable business there has to be a way to fund that business. SizzleZing has a ONE TIME investment of $330. There are thousands of mlm companies out there that charge anywhere from $300 to $2500 to get started. There are monthly autoship fees ranging from $100 to $300 a month. Also most companies have monthly website costs. There is a lot of selling and hotel meetings and mass recruiting involved also. SizzleZing has taken all the things most people hate about network marketing and eliminated them.

Point #5 How many companies allow you to use there services or products and let you promote whatever job or business you are doing currently? I tell you how many there are, NONE!

I have been part of SizzleZing for less than 30 days and me and my team are extremely happy and excited to have already made a significant amount of money. So for those that are saying negative things about SizzleZing i suggest you keep punching your time clock at Mcdonalds or Walmart and leave making money to the real business minded professionals.

Thank you so much for your time and intelligence while reading my rebuttal. Have a peaceful and prosperous day.

 

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#5 General Comment

The real deal - not quite!

AUTHOR: ozeman - ()

POSTED: Saturday, October 19, 2013

I am commenting here specifically on Marks piece but it also relates to matrix programs generally.

The argument relating to pyramid schemes and corporate structures is not relevant . We all know that the shape of the organisation is not the Real Deal here. 

What is cogent to the original complainant's (Davina) article is the differene between what the company makes and what a customer/affiliate  can potentially make.

Sure the company is entitled to make a profit but you have to ask yourself is it worth it as an individual   to pin your hopes on making consistent money in a deal like this?

Maths does not lie.  For the people at the top (of the pyramid) who get in early there is every likelihood that they will cycle and recycle and make some dollars. 

For those newcomers, the picture is not so rosy.  In order for these matrices to work new people must be constantly borugh in - otherwise you would not need to split the matrix and you could go round and round forever just transferring money between your group in a zero sum game (less fees to the company on every reentry).
Not a good business model.  No they have to bring on more and it is your job as members to do that. Lucky it is only 1 qualifier in this model.

But who is the ultimate winner? It is the admin every time. Even if we only follow 1 person through completing 3 matrices the company has pulled in  $18578 * (less expenses)  and paid out  $5440 net.

* not counting the new matrices that had to fill as our 1 person moved into zing2 and zing3.

And in order to fill these new matrices so you can progress - you guessed it - more people needed into the funnel Where are we getting them from?  Eventually there will be no one left to join and the whole thing collapses.

Sure you individually have only had to qualify by bringing in 1 ( that is why it sounds appealing) but so does everyone else and the numbers will drop off sooner or later as the thing gets to saturation point.  Admin will close it down and move on.  People who are yet to cycle will lose (srict no refund poicy because you bought advertising!)  

Ok maybe the writer of the origina complaint agains sizzlezing has a gripe, maybe the company is run impeccably.That is not my point, As someone said later: Do your reseacrh!  

And I would add- Think!  Understand the plan!  Map out where your money is going to come from!  Especially if you are planning on giving up your 9 to 5 to pursue this crock.  

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#4 General Comment

THE REAL DEAL

AUTHOR: Mark - ()

POSTED: Tuesday, October 15, 2013

I don't know who the individual is who wrote a negative report about SizzleZing. But even though he has some facts about SizzleZing let me tell you some things that he left out or "forgot" to mention. Number 1 is that this company isn't a pyramid. A pyramid is a "company" or a person that doesn't have any services or products that they are trying to promote or sell. Then usually only the person at the top of the pyramid receives money for all those that are silly enough to join the scam. In a pyramid scheme you can NEVER make more money than the person that convinced you to join. In a pyramid scheme there is mass recruiting which basically means that you have to continue to sucker other people to join you in order to make money.

Do you know that when you go to your job you are participating in a legal version of a pryamid sheme? Let me give you my example. I worked in the auto industry for close to 20 years and I made a good living($32 per hour). But I could never make as much as my supervisor and he couldn't make as much as the plant manager and the plant manager could never make as much as the district manager and the district manager could never make as much as the stock holders or the president of the company.

In a pyramid scheme you can never make as much as the person above you. In a true MLM like SizzleZing you can make more than your sponsor. I have been in network marketing for 10 years and i was able to retire early in life because of it.

Another fact about SizzleZing is that you only need to enroll one person to qualify to receive income. So when I see people saying that you have to recruit a lot of people thats not true at all. And as far as the software goes the negative report you saw isn't true. No matter what business or franchise that you have you will be able to promote your opportunity to almost 2,500+ people daily. SizzleZing just launched in September of 2013 and thats how many members we have to date give or take a few. One thing stated that is true is that you can only promote or use the banner ads to advertise to people already involved in SizzleZing. But imagine being able to promote your business to thousands of people daily for only a one time investment. I have 3 other businesses that i use the SizzleZing software to promote what I do.

We also have text ads, auto responders and a new income payment structure called Social Zing which allows you to earn residual income and you can promote whatever opportunity you have to all social websites such as facebook, LinkedIn and many others. Can you earn residual income at your job? Of course you can't.

Another thing is when you cycle your Zing 1, 2 & 3 pay structures the company places you back on these structures and pays for it out of your profit, NEVER your pocket. In order for any business to remain profitable there has to be some fees. But the fees that are charged are nothing compared to your profits. You will NEVER have to invest in your business ever again. One of the secrets to being in business is that you want to have low overhead and high income. With SizzleZing you have virtually no overhead and high income potential.

So on Zing 1 you will earn $76 when you first cycle your 2x2 income structure but every time after that you will earn $888. Remember there is only a one time investment of $330 to be a lifetime member. There is no monthly autoships, no website fees, no hotel meetings, no mass recruiting and no selling. All you do is refer one SizzleZing software package and you are qualified for life. So if you cycle Zing 1 just 2 times you earned $964.

Thats almost a profit of 3 times your investment and thats good business!

For a one time life time membership thats worth it right there. On Zing 2 the first time you cycle is $876 but everytime after that is $2388. And finally when you get to Zing 3 you will earn $4488 after the fees every time you cycle. Where else can you make that kind of money without having to enroll a lot of people to join? I will give you the answer, NO WHERE! Thats $7,764 everytime you cycle all 3 pay structures. Imagine if you cycle Zing 1, 2 & 3 once a month? Lets say it took you 3 months to cycle all 3 pay levels. You still averaged over $2,500 per month. Most people at their jobs can't make that much after taxes. How much did you invest? Only a ONE TIME investment of $330. Maybe the person writing these negative comments got into SizzleZing and realized that he had to do the minimum requirements before he got paid. If he wasn't able to enroll one person then maybe he should continue to punch a clock at a regular 9 to 5 job.

And finally if SizzleZing was a scam i don't think that the IRS would allow us to be a 1099. Those that have jobs are a W2 and those with LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES are a 1099. We have to pay taxes on all our SizzleZing income. Pyramid schemes don't pay taxes the last time i checked.

So in conclusion i completely disagree with the negative report about SizzleZing but all of you should make your own decision. Have a peaceful and prosperous day.

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#3 General Comment

Sizzlezing is a great company

AUTHOR: Ron Baca - ()

POSTED: Friday, October 11, 2013

 I am a member of Sizzlezing. I have been in the associate marking aspect of the company for 5 weeks. In that time I have earned $1200.00 and am due to earn another $1700.00 within the next week. There is nothing about the company that is a ripoff and the person writing the ripoff report should be sued for slander and deflamation of carector. This company is on the up and up and if you work and do your part it will be well rewarded. I do not understand how a report of this nature could even be allowed to be filed without someone checking things out to learn the truth about the company and how good they really are. If you are looking for a company where you can earn a great income after putting in some hard work, then Sizzlezing is the company for you. Thank you for your time. Ron Baca

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#2 Consumer Comment

Should get the facts!

AUTHOR: kevman76 - ()

POSTED: Saturday, October 05, 2013

I am not a member of Sizzlezing nor am I an expert on the company.  However, after looking up the company for ten mins its is clear Ms Upton did not do her homework.  I suggest she visits the Sizzlezing company website  again and actually listen to the WHOLE promo video.  It was made very clear what the program is, there is nothing hidden and it was made very clear a member only needs to get ONE signup to qualify not six as she stated.

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#1 General Comment

You Have No Idea What Your Talking About!

AUTHOR: Katherine - ()

POSTED: Saturday, August 31, 2013

1st Off Carl Troutner is not the owner, he is only one of the founders.

2nd Carl is a part of the site like anyone else and building as we all are.

3rd The advertising is seen on the site other than inside our accounts.

Nothing is hidden here from anyone, there are video's that show exactly how it works and you're re-entered to continue the cycle.

Many people are doing very well here, support is outstanding! If people follow the format, everyone wins. Carl has made no more than anyone else. He only makes what the levels pay out as anyone else!


NO ONE GETS SPECIAL TREATMENT HERE! WE ALL DO THE SAME EXACT THING!!!


No one is required to sign up #6 friends. In order to qualify, we sign up only #1. Then the board we are sitting on works as a team.

Before you start posting what you have NO idea what your talking, ou should get the facts straight!!!

For a 1 time fee of $330. you can can earn a good income. People need to understand how the boards pay, re-enter and then payout. It's not hard to understand if you have the right sponsor who tells the truth.

Board 1 (Zing1)= $330. payout $1200. -$24. admin fee, -$300. re-entry on board 1, -$800. board 2 (Zing2) payout $76. 1st time thru (Zing1) 2nd time thru 4ever =$888.

Board 2 (Zing2) payout $2400. -$24. admin fee, -$1500. into board 3 (Zing3) payout $876 1st time thru (Zing2) 2nd time thru 4ever =$2388.

Board 3 (Zing3) payout -$6000 -$12. admin fee, re-entry into (Zing3) -$1500. payout $4488. 4ever


So lets see...for a 1 time fee of $330. and 1 upgraded person at $330. to get qualified 4ever with no monthly or yearly fees, advertising galore inside and out of the site...how can you go wrong???


Before you take 1 persons word for something, do your own research!!! Don't let someone make up your mind for you and take something away from you.

Faith Is Not Knowing What The Future Holds, But Knowing...Who Holds The Future!

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