In this 2020 Monat MLM Review we take a peek at this business opportunity. Is Monat a pyramid scheme or can you legitimately make money after you join? Make sure you read to the end because you might be surprised to learn the things I have to share about this company.
You might want to hold back before diving into Monat, because I have something which is a much better alternative, and that is a better alternative to any MLM you could imagine. The details for that opportunity can be found near the bottom of this post.
Read the review of Monat’s MLM first to make sure it’s right for you.
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Is Monat MLM a pyramid scheme and can you really make money when you join this direct sales company? In this Monat MLM Review we’ll take a close look at this multilevel marketing company.
Will the Monat MLM opportunity be one that’s worth getting involved with or is there a better alternative you should dive into instead? (Hint…there’s something better!)
It’s always a good idea to check out MLM reviews such as this one before getting involved in something that might be quite dubious. The worst scams can be avoided and you’re saving yourself a lot of trouble by doing your due diligence, so well done for that. Let’s crack on and find out all about Monat’s business model.
There is a clickable table of contents for your convenience just below.
Table of Contents
What is Monat?
Monat is a company that sells hair care as well as skin care products and the business model they go by is the direct sales method, which is also known as multi-level marketing, or MLM for short. Monat was founded in 2014 by the Urdaneta family in Doral, Florida, and has since expanded its presence into the EU, United States and Canada.
Multi-level marketing can often also be known as network marketing.
Monat had a lot of positive vibes when it was a new company, but more recently, however, Monat has had a fair bit of bad press which has somewhat damaged its reputation.
Let’s find out why Monat has experienced a lot of negativity by first taking a look at what products Monat are selling via the direct sales business model.
Are Monat Products Worth The Price?
When becoming involved in any business it’s always extremely important to know that the products you’ll be putting your name behind are products of high quality. You don’t want to ruin your reputation by selling a load of rubbish.
If the company you’re involved in is selling low quality garbage with a high complaint rate, then it’s going to become increasingly more difficult to persuade people to buy anything at all from you.
So, are Monat products worth the price or can you find the same products elsewhere for a lot cheaper?
I did a little bit of fishing online, and it took me only about 3 minutes to find Monat products a lot cheaper on eBay. eBay was the ONLY other place I checked, so you can go ahead and look on Amazon or other websites to see if you can find the same products a lot cheaper. Here’s what I found which is just one example of the difference in pricing.
Proof You Can Buy Monat Products a Lot Cheaper Elsewhere
Picture 1 shows Monat’s own website pricing. When buying from a Monat MLMer you’ll pay up to $49 for this 178ml tube of “restructuring pre-wash conditioner”. If you are a VIP customer, you can get it for $7 cheaper. But wait until you see the very same product (brand new) offered on eBay at a lot less.
Picture 2 shows Monat’s “Pre-Wash Conditioner” in the same size tube (178ml) and it is brand new. The cost on eBay is just $28.95. That’s $13 CHEAPER than what you’d pay if you were a VIP customer and you bought it through Monat’s MLM people. Pfffft…
Why Pay More?
And it’s a massive $20 cheaper than if you bought it at the retail price from Monat. Again, I say “pfffft”
I wouldn’t want to pay all that extra just for the privilege of paying someone from Monat’s MLM scheme.
Would you?
Would anyone?
How are you going to sell such expensive products to people when they find out they can get the same stuff a lot cheaper by going elsewhere?
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I hope you’re a really, really good salesperson because the best skills in the industry wouldn’t convince me it’s better to buy from a Monat representative rather than eBay or other place where it’s more affordable.
Think about it. Take all the time you need.
The Monat MLM Business Opportunity
Now that you’ve learned about the products Monat sells and you also know that you can find Monat products elsewhere at a cheaper price, it’s time to have a quick look at the actual MLM business opportunity available to you if you join Monat as one of their “Market Partners.” A Market Partner is just another way of saying “salesperson” or “representative.”
As with most, if not all MLM companies, the products are only supposed to be available through a specific source, in this case, Monat products are only supposed to be available when you buy through one of their Market Partners or through Monat itself. Monat has a website, as we’ve already discovered.
If you become a Market Partner for Monat, you’re going to be in direct competition with others who are selling Monat’s products for a fraction of the cost on sites like eBay.
It’s already quite obvious that this is going to be very hard to do. What do you think?
What is the Cost to Join Monat’s MLM
The minimum cost of joining Monat’s MLM business “opportunity” is $99 for their most basic entry level membership package.
There are different levels you can start with when you join. The cost goes up in steps to almost $650, but you’ll get a whole lot more product in your member kit if you pay more when you start.
Something really important you need to know right here. Many of the memberships are monthly memberships and you’ll be billed accordingly. You’ll also have products shipped to you monthly.
Can You Really Make Money with Monat MLM?
As with every other MLM company salesperson, people working for the Monat MLM claim to be making a decent income. Well they’re not going to say otherwise, are they? If you were in an MLM such as Monat and you weren’t making any money, you’d naturally want to justify to others that it’s worth becoming involved. How can you convince others to join under you if you’re not making money yourself?
Yes, it’s possible to make money with any direct sales company. But it’s very very hard to make a really good living with MLM. Most people fail.
Monat Compensation Plan PDF
Take a look at this Monat Compensation Plan which is a PDF and opens in a new tab so you don’t lose this page. It looks very complicated and as you’ll see, Monat makes the earnings potential look pretty good. Hmmm. Well they would, wouldn’t they?
If you scroll down further on this page you’ll see another 2 document in PDF format which are from independent sources like the FTC and AARPF and they’ll give you a more realistic guide to what you’ll earn with most MLM companies. It doesn’t make for happy reading, I can assure you.
The Pros of Monat
Monat is Relatively New
Monat, which was founded in 2014, is a relatively new MLM company. Being quite new and expanding quickly in Europe, Canada and the US, it might improve over time as it becomes more well-known.
Relatively Compact Products
As Monat products are relatively compact, it’ll be fairly easy to always have a selection with you at all times when you’re out and about so that you can accost people to try and get them to buy or to join you in the Monat MLM scheme.
The Cons of Monat
There are a lot of problems with Monat. In fact, I see more problems than with any other MLM company I’ve reviewed. There are more problems with Monat than there are good things, so the balance for me is tipped in favour of staying away from Monat both in terms of joining as a Market Partner and in terms of using the products.
Expensive Products
As we’ve already seen in this Monat MLM review, the products from Monat are very expensive and as a result, you’re going to have to be a sales genius if you’re going to make any money selling them.
Monat Products are Not Exclusive to Monat
Not only are Monat’s products really expensive, but you can buy them from other places a lot cheaper, such as on eBay. How do you persuade people to buy at a higher price from you rather than paying less from other sources?
Huge Number of Product Complaints
There are just too many complaints, as we’ve seen, about Monat’s products causing problems such as hair loss, scalp irritation and burning even after discontinuing use. When people learn about these complaints, they’re far less likely to buy the product from any source, let alone from you.
Extremely Long Waits for Refunds
I’ve read too many complaints from market partners and from consumers about the extremely long battle to get refunds. This applies to the products themselves and the MLM side of things.
Market Partner Complaints
Be careful when you sign up to be a market partner for Monat because it’s not very clear that you’ll be rebilled monthly for your membership.
Want to cancel? No problem, just be prepared to find it almost impossible to get your membership cancelled, and they’ll keep on taking your money until you finally do get through to them. This sucks and I know how frustrating it is to get your money back from a difficult company who pass you from pillar to post and give nothing but excuses. But 3 years to cancel? That’s just disgusting in my opinion.
Lots of Class Action Lawsuits
Beginning in 2018, Monat’s products have been responsible for at least 5 class action lawsuits and this is because of things like irritation, hair loss, burning and such. What are you going to tell your potential customers when they ask about this?
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Monat Complaints
No company is perfect. Many are trusted and completely legit. Some are just a little bit shady, and there are others that are downright scandalous. Monat doesn’t exactly seem to have a great record so far, despite starting off well enough.
Their products do seem to receive a lot of complaints. Not only their products, but they receive a lot of complaints from people who signed up to be a part of the Monat opportunity. Complaints like this one…
Take note that the MLMer who complained about Monat first started in 2017 and only went for 6 months before deciding to quit. As you can see, and I’m assuming the person is female, she tried and tried and tried without resolutin to cancel and get out of the Monat scheme. Eventually she complained on the BBB website about Monat. The date of the complaint is seen to be 19th of June 2020. But the Monat market partner in question has been trying to cancel since 2017.
Shameless Excuses from Monat Support
Now let’s have a look at the response from someone at Monat. I can’t quite get my head around the excuse.
It says in the red highlighted section “due to the current pandemic”!!!
Ermmmm. Hello?
Hello?
Do you see the problem here?
The lady complaining has been trying to cancel since 2017. There was NO PANDEMIC in 2017. Need I say more? For some strange reason, this makes me feel angry, and it’s not even any of my business. Do you feel the same anger? Let’s move on before we burst a blood vessel, shall we?
There Are Way Too Many Complaints About Monat
I’ve seen a good few complaints on the BBB (Better Business Bureau) website asserting that it’s not clear that you will be billed monthly for their memberships and products. Monat seems to make it unclear when you initially sign up to be one of their salespeople. Hmmmm.
Anyways, that’s not the only problem with Monat and becoming a partner with them. It seems many complaints have been lodged about not being refunded quickly, with some people quite rightly angry that it takes months to receive anything back after being automatically charged every month.
I can imagine this would be very frustrating when you’re a new market partner with a new MLM company and they just seem to want to take money from you as often as possible. Isn’t the whole idea of joining a business such as Monat all about MAKING money for yourself and for the company rather than finding yourself out of pocket from the get-go?
Anyways, as always, I’ll leave a link here to the BBB complaints page so you can check for yourself. Remember, due diligence is always best before diving into what seems like an exciting opportunity. Hats off to you.
Is Monat FDA Approved?
According to a website named the truth about Monat, the hair care products they produce are NOT FDA approved. You can read more by going to the source here. Apparently, the FDA does not approve any cosmetics from any brand, by the sounds of it. Hmmm.
Related to this matter, Monat lodged its own legal complaints against a woman who started a Facebook support group page with over 800 members.
The woman in question claimed that Monat products caused balding, hair loss and scalp damage for her, even after she discontinued use.
You can check out that article here. And here is a YouTube video related to that very same article.
Video: Hair Loss, Color Fade, Still Frizzy, No Texture, Not Natural
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Is Monat a Pyramid Scheme?
To my dismay, Monat has had a lot of problems the last couple of years. With complaints including their products causing hair loss and scalp irritation and class action lawsuits which accuse Monat of being a pyramid scheme, it hasn’t been all smiles for the family who started Monat back in 2014.
There are at least 3 class action lawsuits from 2018 that accuse Monat of fraud and deception. Hmmm. I’m really starting to get a feeling that Monat’s MLM is not a good MLM to join, are you?
Regardless of the negatives, let’s be thorough in our Monat MLM review before drawing any conclusions.
Below is a definition of MLM from WikiPedia.
Truth is Treason in an Empire of Lies…
I have to be very careful about the words I use so I wouldn’t call Monat an outright pyramid scheme or a scam. I might get sued. As George Orwelle said “Truth is treason in an empire of lies.”
What I will say is that all MLM in general is very shady. Even the best direct marketing and MLM companies have their shady sides when it comes to claims about earning potential. It is often the case that around 99% of people in an MLM scheme do not make money. And according to some sources, such as the AARPF Research group, 47% of people actually LOSE money.
You can read this PDF from AARPF Research which gives a gloomy picture of people’s experience with MLM. The PDF will open in a new tab so you don’t lose this page.
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More Evidence Showing MLM Sucks
I’ve also included more evidence of the lack of success for people in MLM schemes in this PDF document from the FTC about the abysmal results from MLM business opportunites and you can check it out for yourself. The PDF will open in a new tab so you don’t lose this page.
The short answer is no, Monat is not a pyramid scheme as such, but I do believe that all MLM companies run in a way that is very, very similar to a pyramid scheme. This comes from the fact that with MLM companies, you have to recruit others to make any decent money. And that’s hard to do when their products can be found cheaper elsewhere.
My Final Thoughts About Monat MLM
It’s obviously no big secret that I do not like any part of multilevel marketing business opportunities. I think they resemble pyramid schemes too much and often times they do get into legal trouble and can be deemed to be actual ponzi schemes. To be successful with any MLM you have to do two main things to make money.
- You sell whatever product it is the company creates and you usually have to host gatherings to do this. You earn a commission for the products you sell yourself.
- You recruit other people in your down line (under you) and you make a commission (a percentage) from any sales they achieve. Your recruits can also go on to recruit others and you’ll receive commission from their sales, albeit a much smaller percentage.
More often than not, you will even fall out with family and friends because you are always pushing the same products and MLM business opportunity on them. I find this aspect of MLM the most distasteful.
I apologize, but I don’t really have many positive things to say about Monat MLM as it’s all negative stuff. There are better MLM companies out there, but I wouldn’t even bother with them, because well, I have a better way to earn money which doesn’t require me to sell to friends and family, or to recruit people into the same scheme.
Some other similar MLM companies where you can sell beauty related products are Amway, Limelife, and Arbonne. Be sure to check out those reviews. But I still recommend the alternative to MLM which you can read about just below.
Is There a Better Alternative to Monat MLM? Absolutely!
There is something that’s far better than any MLM opportunity and that is by creating your very own business from scratch and it’s all online. There is no need to meet people, convince them to buy from you, or convince them to become a part of your team.
If you’d like to read about my top recommended way to make money online, then you should definitely be checking this Wealthy Affiliate review out.
Wealthy Affiliate teaches you how to get a business up and running online. And it is YOUR business, you do not have to answer to anyone and you choose what you want to sell.
It’s free to start and no credit card is required so you get to dip your toes in and find out if it’s right for you before you go all in.
If it’s hair and skincare products that you’re passionate about, there is no reason why you cannot create a business around that. If it’s a passion of yours, you’re already half way there with your own profitable online business.
I hope you learned all you need to know after reading my Monat MLM review before making any decisions. What do you think about Monat? Are you a Market Partner with Monat MLM or have you ditched Monat for something better? Let me know in the comments, and do share this post with your friends on social media which will help to warn them of the dubious nature of many MLM companies.
If you’d like to check out some other MLM companies, try doTerra, Matilda Jane, Herbalife, and Norwex MLM reviews.
Take care,
Jim
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Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away… Jim got a chronic case of sciatica and lost his job. However, Jim used this opportunity to learn how to build websites with WordPress and then to make money online. Jim wants to help you do the same, while helping you to avoid the plethora of scams. Let Jim help you earn your first $1000 online from home. Cheers and see you soon!