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Affiliate marketing company Legendary Marketer recently came under scrutiny after customers complained that its ads for a $7-turned-$2,500 online course were deceptive.
Customers told NBC News that a 15-day online business-building course they saw on social media actually cost more than the advertised price of $7. The course teaches people how to become an affiliate marketer, or someone who earns commission by promoting and selling a company's products.
Within the first few days of the course, customers had to meet with a business plan advisor who tried to sell them an additional $2,500 Business Blueprint course and even went so far as to say that one of them said it was worth selling his car to buy it . NBC News Source.
According to Better Business Bureau complaints, if a customer rejected the $2,500 business plan, they could not continue with the 15-day course. Three customers who bought it told NBC News that while the course was informative, it mainly taught them that the fastest way to make money was to sell the same course for $2,500 to other people.
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“I made one sale and felt really bad about it,” Dana Gunning told NBC News, “promoting a $7 course, even though that's not the goal.”
On the About page, Legendary Marketer showcases its courses for those who “want a career change or second source of income.” The Income Disclaimer page states that “no salary or income statements heard on Legendary Marketer programs should be considered 'average' and the testimonials are not representative of what you can expect” and that “the average person, who buys any “how to” information brings little or no results.
“You never have to worry about money again”
Customers who spoke to NBC News found Legendary Marketer through social media advertising.
Chelsea Ouimet, a stay-at-home mom who advertised the $7 course to her hundreds of thousands of social media followers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, touted the low startup costs and high profits she experienced with Legendary Marketer.
“I saw some girl on TikTok talking about a side hustle that I thought was a scam, and I said, 'Hey, you know what, why not me?'” Ouimet said on TikTok, before adding that she used “tools educational”. grow her business, help her husband retire and “never have to worry about money again.”
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In another TikTok, Ouimet stated that the average salary for a digital marketer with no experience is $177,566 per year, or $14,798 per month. She added that she earned this salary for the first 11 weeks.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary for an affiliate marketer in the US is $82,015 per year.
@chelstheaaffiliate
Digital marketing is the BEST beginner-friendly job for many reasons, but here are a few: ?. ✅You don't need any experience to start making $1000 days. ✅You don't need a large number of followers on social media. ✅You don't have to create your own products. ✅You don't have to deal with customer service (you don't have to recruit people (mlm). ✅You are your own boss and work whenever you want (1-3 hours a day, wherever you have wifi). This is exactly the side hustle that took me from broke, a struggling SAHM to a multi-millionaire earning six figures a month!. ‼️COMMENT “GUIDE” and I will send you all the information on how to get started?
♬ original sound – Make money with Chelsea
BBB Review
According to NBC News, the Better Business Bureau rescinded Legendary Marketer's A rating and launched an investigation after NBC News reporters contacted it about customer complaints.
There is currently an alert on the Legendary Marketer BBB page regarding this matter, which describes the complaints and indicates that Legendary Marketer's claims regarding its course and business model are under investigation.
Affiliate marketing is a $20 billion global industry, according to an industry report from Astute Analytics.
Legendary Marketer isn't the only company offering affiliate marketing courses – hundreds of educational materials are available on Udemy, Class Central and others.
Related: The Remote Side Hustle, on which the 43-year-old musician works for an hour a day and earns almost $3,000 a month: “All from the comfort of home”
Companies like Amazon, Nike, and eBay also have affiliate referral programs, which allow influencers to earn commissions when followers buy products using their links.
