A “shared ride taxi system” means a transportation system which employs taxicab-type vehicles or other motor vehicles which can carry no more than six passengers.

I believe that the number of passengers is capped at six because most of the largest cabs (minivans, SUVs) are designed to seat seven, including the driver. This means that the person who spoke to us on the phone lied to us… or did she?
 
While the law caps the number of passengers at six, you cannot legally exceed the passenger limit of the vehicle. This means that if your cab is a Ford Crown Victoria*, you can only have four passengers because the car comfortably (legally) seats five^.

* The Ford Crown Vic is one of the most common, if not the most common taxi cab in the United States because of its durability, cost and performance. It has body-on-frame construction, which means that it’s more rugged than other cars, and it can be repaired after minor accidents without the need to straighten the chassis, which is why it is a popular fleet car despite having a gas-guzzling V8.

^ While the Crown Vic traditionally has a column-mounted gearshift, and a two-bench, six-passenger-seating layout, in most taxis, the capacity is five passengers because the taximeter and computer dispatch module are situated in the front seat, leaving room for only one passenger in addition to the driver.

According to a Red Top official, for practical purposes most of their fleet can only seat five people, which means only four passengers can ride. While they do have minivans, those cabs seem to be reserved for airports and hotels.

Interestingly enough, Arlington County Code (pdf) § 25-15, No. 4 states:

Drivers shall not permit more persons to be carried in a taxicab in the county at any one (1) time than the seating capacity of the taxicab (as rated by the automobile manufacturer) including the driver, children in arms excepted.

The reason I find this interesting is that a child in someone’s arms doesn’t count towards seating capacity, yet passengers under 16 years old and sitting anywhere in the vehicle are required to wear a seat belt that fits snuggly across chest (or breastbone, for children) and hips, or they must be secured in a car seat or booster seat based on the Virginia child seat guidelines, according to Virginia Codes §46.2-1094 through §46.2-1096. If they’re in your arms, they don’t have a seat belt, so they’re breaking a law.

Obviously, the Arlington County law doesn’t exempt people from the Virginia law, but it’s still interesting that they would leave that wording in the law. Also, how is it any different holding a child, and having an adult sit on your lap, if you want to get technical…

Anyway, Arlington County Code § 25-15, No. 6 states:

At no time shall more than two (2) persons, in addition to the driver, ride on the front seat of any taxicab, a child in arms excepted.

While most cabs don’t, some cabs do have the bench seat in the front, so this part of the law seems to make sense, with the exception of the children in arms phrasing again.

So, after looking into it, the Red Top dispatcher did not lie to us. For all intents and purposes, it is illegal to take more than four people in a cab, children in arms excepted. Ha!

This friend had approached me before about participating in an MLM that was perpetrated by none other than Herbalife. At the time, I was able to point him to Rob Cockerham’s extensive Herbalife information, and he walked away from the scheme. This time, I didn’t find out about this scheme until after he had enrolled.

Normally, I would have just declined his offer and moved on. But from his description, I knew this is an MLM. But, I had never heard of this particular one – myEcon.Net – so I decided to check it out. When I visited the link he sent me, I was taken to his personal MyEcon page. My first clue that something was amiss was that the page didn’t feel professional.
 
It certainly looked professional. While it was pretty basic in design, it didn’t have typos and broken English commonly found on scam websites. What intrigued me is that this MLM used a pretty good hook – personal finance advice. After all, in today’s economy who wouldn’t want some personal finance advice offering tax savings and debt elimination, which is what the site advertised.

But, it also was advertising travel deals, nutrition, a discount membership program, and even domain and web hosting. Wow, they really covered their bases. But, offering so many different and unrelated products had almost the opposite of their intended affect on me. I was confused as to how and why a legitimate company would offer so many different products that span across seemingly unrelated industries.

Perhaps, their presentation could help clear things up.

A couple of clicks later, I was downloading their PDF. According to the presentation, myEcon is a “multi-million dollar company” based in Atlanta, GA, with a simple mission: “Empower families to attain Personal Finance Success.”   They defined that as “having enough cashflow to support one’s chosen lifestyle.”

The presentation outlined obstacles keeping me from financial success, and solutions to those problems provided by, you guessed it, MyEcon. I could “earn unlimited income” and could have “freedom” because MyEcon offers “multiple streams of unlimited income.” I would also be selling “high demand products” in “trillion-dollar industries.”
 
Those industries are travel, nutrition, and web hosting. For travel, MyEcon works with Priceline, giving a commission for each sale made on Priceline through an associate’s website. A quick comparison of accessing Priceline myself and then through my friend’s myEcon site revealed the exact same prices. So, I’m wondering where the money for the commission comes from.

Why would Priceline or MyEcon pay a commission, but charge the same prices? That, to me, would almost ensure that they’re losing money. Unless, they’re counting on the MyEcon associates to bring in customers who wouldn’t normally use Priceline. It’s possible, but seems odd.
  
For nutrition, MyEcon works with Body One Nutrition, selling a supplement (can you say Herbalife?) called Daily Ultimate. It “provides nutrients in six areas vital to Whole Body Health, at $45 a bottle. But, if you buy three, you save nearly $31. (See, you just increased your cashflow by saving money.)

They also sell a supplement called Body One MSM, which “helps to keep our bodies vital, healthy and is especially beneficial in supporting our skeletal system.” Note: That statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The main ingredient in Body MSM is Methylsulfonylmethane. But, according to a review of MSM, “The health claims made on using MSM exceed the number of scientific studies available to strongly support its effectiveness.”

A quick search of Centrum’s website shows that their vitamins contain most of the same vitamins as Daily Ultimate, but are considerably cheaper, but that’s a whole other issue.

MyEcon also has a discount membership program, powered by Access Savings, which allows you to increase your cashflow by saving “thousands.” They even have a handy saving’s calculator. For example, if I eat out once per week, the program will save me $104 per year. Impressive? Well not really considering that’s $2 a week and I could probably save more than that using a coupon or staying home. Still, the website says that the membership retails for $499.95, so getting it for $49.95 per year certainly has to be a deal, doesn’t it? Must… resist…urge…to…sign…up. (The guy holding the wad of cash giving me the thumbs up is really tempting.)

For web hosting, MyEcon uses Tone Dog Media. I found it a little odd that you have to create login just to find out their pricing. Turns out you pay $17.95 to register a domain name for a year. Most places charge you $9.95, some give it free. And, for web hosting it costs $12.95 per month, which is higher than most of the places, including the one I use for mikejsmith.net.

None of these businesses are listed with the Better Business Bureau, just FYI.
 
Anyway, in addition to the money I’d be making on commissions from the sales on my site, I also earn income through “team building.” Welcome to the MLM portion of our show… For every new person I sign up, I get $30, plus 5% of their future earnings. I must sign up three people. I also get a percentage of the sales of the first three people that they sign up. Surely, I would make millions by building a MyEcon empire. And, I would get the snazzy title of National Sales Director.

I should note here that on July 17th, I checked the site and downloaded the presentation, which contained slides that contained the information about the team building portion. The presentation was 24 pages long. On July 28th, I checked/downloaded the presentation again, and this time it was 20 pages. Guess what was missing? The team building (pyramid) portion. Hmmm.

Anyway, two-thirds of the way through the presentation is when I get a hint of what it will cost: less than $300, which they say makes it “attainable for almost everyone.” They also promise “lucrative upfront weekly paychecks.”

So, what exactly do you get for “less than $300?” For starters, you get a Cashflow Management Strategy and Software System, which includes online and local support classes. The system is five steps and is “easy to follow.”

Step 1

The system shows you how to correct your W-4 withholding because “100 million Americans have their W-4 filled out incorrectly, causing their employer to withhold too much cashflow from their check.” Wait. You mean that MyEcon isn’t going to make me so much money that I can quit my job and live off my “cashflow?”

Step 2

The system will show you how to minimize your taxes. By signing up for MyEcon I’ll have access to the tax deductions that are afforded to business owners, which can include car and truck expenses. It seems that I can classify lunches at Applebee’s with friends that I am trying to sign up to my MLM scheme as a business expense. Ni-i-i-ce. I even get software that will help me keep my tax records because that’s not readily available at any store that sells computer programs.

Step 3

The system will help me minimize my expenses. The discount membership program will save me $104 on lunch per year, remember? I could invest that $104 in the stock market and turn it into $104,000 in the blink of an eye. I’ll be rich in no time.

Step 4

The system will eliminate my debt because all of the money I am saving using the discount program combined with the money I am making by signing people up can be used to pay down my debt quickly. Of course, if I chose to blow my increased cashflow on a Ferrari, then I guess step 4 doesn’t apply. But who cares? I’ll have a freakin’ Ferrari.

Step 5

The system will maximize my cashflow through investments. Again, with all the money I am getting from my MyEcon business venture, I’ll be able to invest it and make a ton of money. I can see it now, I’ll be on Wall Street in an Armani suit, screaming, “Sell! Sell! Sell!” into a Bluetooth earpiece. Thanks MyEcon!
 
According to the chart they provide, if I invest $1,000 a month, in 10 years I’ll have made $200,000. Of course that is assuming a return of 9.5% annually. Me? I plan on bringing in a 55% return annually. I wonder what I’ll do with all that money… Private jet? Helicopter?
 
An extensive internet search didn’t return much more than this information. But, just as I was becoming exhausted and considering wrapping it up, I stumbled on a video someone posted of their MyEcon training seminar.
 
In the video, a man who identified himself as Ivey, (I later found out this was MyEcon founder Ivey Stokes), said that the goal is to help people acquire the knowledge to move their finances. Moving your finances will allow you to build your business faster because people will, essentially, be more likely to listen to you because you’re doing well.

Huh?

That means that if you’re doing well, and telling people how well you’re doing they’ll be more likely to listen and sign up, thus bringing more people to the MLM scheme, which will make you more money. At least, that’s how I interpreted it.

Anyway, Ivey said that he goes to network marketing (also known as MLM) meetings all the time, and usually the people have little-to-no knowledge. They rely on a “fancy product” to make a profit, or “get rich,” as he put it.
 
MyEcon doesn’t work that way, he says. He wants to ensure that the people there are in business for 30+ years, and that they become multi-millionaires. And how do they do that Ivey?

He says:

What you have to do in this business…and in your group as a leader… [is to] ask yourself, ‘Am I improving in my finances in my life?’ … If I’m improving, then I keep moving.

Again with the moving? I’m not exactly sure why we need to be moving. Ivey’s not explaining in a way I can understand. All I know, after 14 minutes and 42 seconds, is that I am going to acquire the knowledge to move my finances. And, if I’m moving, I’m improving. But, I don’t know how I am going to move my finances.
 
He continues saying that he knows some people in business whose only goal is to get someone else in business. But when he recruited a woman (who happens to be in the seminar) he helped her improve her finances instead of leading her to recruit people. But, interestingly enough, in the very next breath he says, once her finances improved, she was able to recruit people month after month. This is slowly moving from MLM to pyramid scheme, (not to be confused with the $100,000 Pyramid. Celebrity: “I can’t get anyone to sign up, so I’m not making any money.” Contestant: “Things a MyEcon associate might say.”) An MLM moves to a pyramid when the emphasis is put on recruiting, or as Ivey calls it, “growing” instead of actually selling products.

Let me see if I am getting it? If I recruit people, I’m growing. If I am growing, I’ll be able to recruit people. I’m getting dizzy.

Ivey keeps telling me that he’s going to show me how to build a million-dollar – wait – he said it could be a billion-dollar business if I chose to make it one! Wow. Apparently, it is up to me how much money I make. And, if I’m unsuccessful it means I didn’t try, grow, or recruit enough. Okay, so I’m reading between the lines, but still, you get the idea.

He says you’re not in MyEcon to recruit someone to join. He actually keeps saying this; sort of like that news network that tells you it’s fair and balanced. If you overemphasize a point, that usually means the opposite is true. Ivey continues, saying that you’re in it to learn knowledge to get people to sign up. Wait, what? I thought we weren’t in it to recruit. And what’s worse, the people in the seminar are agreeing with him!!!

I watched all of the segments of the MyEcon Association Training Program and I’m just as confused as when I went in and I have a headache. The only thing I know for sure is that if I’m moving my finances, I’m improving. If I’m improving, I can tell people about it and can use that to recruit them. (Growth.)

So, what else does MyEcon have to offer?

According to the website, MyEcon also has a “World Class Leadership Achievement System” in which they award sales directors with different pins, watches, and rings based on their results. Cashflow AND bling?!?!? Where do I sign…
 
You get a Cashflow Club Lapel Pin for earning $5,000. You get another at $10,000 and $25,000, all the way up to $1,000,000.

When an Associate becomes a National Sales Director (I think by recruiting three people) they also get a pin. You earn a watch with the MyEcon logo when you’ve earned $5,000 in base shop sales commissions, which means selling Daily Ultimate and the other products. $50,000 in base shop commissions gets you a “Ring of Fame.” Oh yes, you should be impressed. It looks like a high school class ring.

You also get a website and a “World Class Turnkey Business Income System.” All I have to do is pay $299.95 to get started and $19.95 per month after that. Oh, and let’s not forget the $49.95 for the discount membership program.

Hmmm… what if I’m not sure? Well, MyPyramidScheme, oops. I mean, MyEcon has a refund policy. Oh but wait… full refunds are only for a product a “non-MyEcon Associate retail customer” purchases. If you buy a Body One product and are not satisfied, you can return it within 30 days for a refund. But, you have to pay the shipping costs to return it. If an Associate returns a Body One product, they only get 90% back within 30 days, less commissions and bonuses paid out by the company.

You can also get a refund of the discount membership program… for three days. After that, no can do.

Like the discount membership program, you have three days to request a refund of the $299.99. The monthly fee is not refundable, unless you pay quarterly. Then they’ll give you a refund for the unused months. Sorry, they don’t give you a refund for partial months.

After conducting a lot of research, something about this opportunity does not seem legit. For starters, you become a National Sales Director by simply recruiting three people, regardless of how much you or they sell. A red flag of a pyramid scheme is being promoted for recruiting rather than for selling a certain amount.

You also receive a commission based on their sales, and the sales of the first three people under them, another trait of a pyramid scheme. They also sell overpriced products, like the vitamins. Because most people won’t drop $45 on vitamins, I’m sure the cashflow you’ll be making will come from recruitment. And, as we all know, recruit or pyramid schemes like this do not result in making money, except for those at the top of the line. The more people in your upline, the less you make; unless you have a mind control device. Then again, if you have one, you could just make people give you their money. That would be much easier.

If you’re still reading, and still thinking that you want to try MyEcon, then here are some other interesting little tidbits I dug up.
 
Ivey Stokes and Alvin Curry, the founders of MyEcon, were Chairman and CEO, respectively, of a company called Maxxis Group Inc, an MLM that was founded in 1998. It specialized in communication services, marketing services, and nutritional products (Body One?). The company filed for bankruptcy in 2003.

In 2006, Curry and Stokes were listed as defendants in litigation brought by the appointed Chapter 7 trustee in Maxxis bankruptcy hearings. Apparently, based on the court document, the trustee sued Stokes, Curry and others for breaching their fiduciary duty, for corporate waste and deepening the insolvency of Maxxis. In other words, they didn’t act in the best interests of the company.

Also listed in the Maxxis complaint was Larry Gates, current COO of MyEcon. And, Dr. Naomi Kirkman-Bey is listed as MyEcon’s CEO. She was also listed as a creditor for Maxxis Communications. That’s way too many connections to the bankrupt company for me.

Earlier this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission revoked Maxxis’ registration of registered securities because they were delinquent in the periodic filings with the SEC because they had not filed any forms with the SEC since 2002. But they were bankrupt in 2003, so I am not sure how big of a deal this is.

A Better Business Bureau complaint was initiated in which a customer complained that Maxxis’s service was delayed, inferior, Maxxis did not provide promised service, or the products were damaged. (They don’t go into much detail for complaints on the BBB’s website.) Maxxis tried to make an offer to fix the problem, but the customer would not accept it, according to the BBB.
 
Also, according to this website, Maxxis 2000 (Maxxis Group) was listed as a recruiting MLM (AKA pyramid scheme.) So, do you think that the people that started and subsequently bankrupted Maxxis would start another legit MLM? Maybe… but I highly doubt it.