UCI – Utility Choice International Review – Pros and Cons
January 11, 2010 by Rob
Filed under Press Releases, Product Reviews
Let me start by saying UCI seems to be a very solid company. I have not done extensive research but from what I know about it the founders are very reputable and have great credibility.
I have actually created a 30 minute training video which goes into great detail on how to choose a network marketing company. This video will clearly teach you what to look for when choosing a network marketing company and how to do your own research.
Click Here, to watch this 30 minute video right here, right now.
That being said here are my thoughts.
- UCI only markets services in a few select states (currently Ohio, Michigan and a couple others). Yes they are adding states and moving into new areas. But right now your market is limited to a few select states. With the advantage of the internet, having more locations and more products to promote makes sense. Why limit yourself to just and a handful of states? Volume and leverage are the keys to massive success in this industry. Their are other companies which offer the same services and more, reaching not only other states but other countries as well.
- Utility Choice International only sells one product, energy. Here are my thoughts. If I am working with someone and signing them up for home energy, I already have a customer who trusts me and likes what I can provide them. Why would I want to limit myself to just providing home energy. When I could provide and earn monthly residual commissions on multiple services to that one customer. Why not also provide them, home phone, cell phone, video phone, high speed internet, home security, digital phone, and more. This just makes sense, with a larger product line up you are assured more services and more residual income.
- UCI is a start-up. Yes I know the provider has been around 30 plus years, and the founders have a combined over 100 years experience in this industry. But the facts remains the business opportunity is not even a year old yet. This can be a good thing, but it can also be very bad. An overwhelming 90% of all new Network Marketing Companies fail in their first 5 years. If they make it you would be positioned good in 5 years there is no doubt about that (provided you get to work and overcome the hurdles involved with a start-up). But if they don’t you wasted 5 years of your life and will have to start over from nothing somewhere else. My suggestion is to look for a proven, solid, company with a track record for success. What I am going to show you is a company that has been in this game 17 years, has made many millionaires and 7 figure annual incomes. I don’t know about you but my life is too short to waste anytime, I need something I am sure will be here in 5 years.
- UCI being new also lacks credibility, even though the founders are very established the company has no history. There is no long term record of events for the company, there is no history of regular commission checks being on-time and accurate. Only time will tell exactly how this company proves itself in our marketplace.
- UCI being new also lacks some of the tools and training a more established company will have in place. These are powerful things to assure new reps have everything at their fingertips to be successful. For a seasoned veteran in this industry lack of these tools is no big deal. But to a new rep, this can be detrimental to their success.
- UCI being new also lacks national recognition and exposure. Think of this like this. If I showed you two companies.
- Company 1: Brand New Start-Up with great leadership, launched in a handful of states.
- Company 2: 17 year track record of success, record growth the last 3 years in a row, launched in over 21 countries, national television exposure on NBC’s hot series “The Celebrity Apprentice“, endorsements by billionaire Donald Trump, over 7 essential services to promote which we all use and pay for every month, sell’s out huge venues for their International Training Conventions (over 20k people will attended our latest event at Quicken Loan’s Arena in Cleveland), in past events Mr Donald Trump has actually been our keynote speaker many 6 and 7 figure income earners, and the last goes on and on.
I won’t bore you with any more details.
You owe it to yourself to take a look what I am talking about.
Don’t be the guy sitting there in 5 years wishing he would of taken 30 minutes to speak with me and look at my company.
You deserve to be well informed before you make a decision, starting a new business is a big deal. Don’t join on impulse, get the facts.
I will be glad to speak with you and share my thoughts, no pressure, just information. As mentioned, I do think UCI has good potential, but with great risk. I am not at a time in my life where I am willing to take that chance.
If after speaking with me you are still leaning towards Utility Choice International (UCI), I can put you in contact with some of the top people in the company.
Rob
Call me: 216-408-9874
Mr. Rob,
First i would like to say that this is NOT intended to be a negative comment, however i do not have much positive to say. UCI is actually a great company with an excellent business plan, and exceptional cofounders. I say that because although your title here said “pros and cons” i really saw very little pros. And the whole attitude was that your company was way better. Now Rob, is your time spent writing reviews like this actually beneficial for you? Do you see success from it? Just think, all you have accomplished here is to turn away anyone that typed in the name of a company in the google search bar, and found your page. Not just did you turn them away from that company, but you enhanced their already negative mentality of network marketing in general. Listen, please spend some time read the book “The Greatest Networker in the World” , in here he explains how harmful it is to speak ANY negativity of another network marketing company. You actually make the INDUSTRY look foolish. All of us reps in the industry have enough contreversy as is, and we do not need to add to it. I love my company (UCI) but furthermore I LOVE MY INDUSTRY.. so please, give this some thought and learn to support our indusrty by not attempting to “win by taking”. Thanks Rob.
Tyler, thank you for your comment I can appreciate your thoughts, your position and your suggestion.
I have read “The Greatest Networker in the World” it’s a great read and I do agree, spreading negativity, is the wrong way to go. This post was created with good intentions, and comes from the heart. I have 13 years in this industry. I was wrapped up in start ups for almost 10 of those years. Even though I created 100′s of thousands of dollars of income for myself over those 10 years it was all a waste of time. Because all of those companies I was a part of are gone. Some were very solid companies. Others, well lets just say I made a couple of bad decisions.
I did not go negative in this post and only listed facts. Knowing what I know about UCI the co founders and it’s creation my review was very fair. I did list both pros and cons, I am sorry but the only pro I see to the company is that it is a startup and in 5 years if they make it you would be positioned great. For me and my past experience with startups this is a bigger minus than a plus.
Start-ups are tough. The reward can be huge, but there is only a very small percentage that will make it. To be involved in one for 2 years and watch it fall apart and lose a large downline is tough. I don’t know if this has ever happened to you. But 100′s of people trusted me and my decision, and decided to follow me. When the companies closed I felt like I failed all of those people. Too many people, have a false belief that start ups are where you want to be. Personally I don’t feel they are worth the gamble.
The co founders at UCI, really know how to build, they can and have built some massive teams. Using skills, knowledge and teachings they learned and developed while they were with my company. But this does not mean they know how to run a network marketing company, it only means they know how to build a team. If they can make the move from reps to owners, they could have something good on their hands. However, there is way more to running a successful network marketing company then building a team. The unfortunate thing is this is a gamble for anyone involved.
These are important things that people need to know when making a decision. Our industry as you mention is hard enough, without being subjected to things outside of your control. I wish someone would of told me these things 13 years ago. If they had I would likely have reached my goals already.
I do not make it a habit of reviewing companies. I only did this with UCI, because they are in my neighborhood and I am asked about them many times. This is the reason for this post. It was not to spread negativity, I never intended it to hit page one of Google, that happened on accident.
As for trying to get people to look at my company who see this review, guilty as charged, but it is my blog and it was created to promote me and my business. It only makes sense for me to show my business.
Over 90% of my blog is all about helping people and teaching them how to properly build a network marketing business. Yes 10% is to promote me and my company.
Again thanks for your comment.
Hey Rob,
Might be worth taking a look at UCI again. The new offerings slated to launch in a couple of weeks are pretty amazing and have a national footprint. I have spent quite a bit of time with the co-founders and know their business model is legit, comp plan amazing and their vision solid. Am happy to share more with you.
Thanks for the offer Jill, however my flag is planted firmly in ACN. UCI’s new offerings are likely the same products and services ACN has been delivering for years. They are basically modeling their business and products after ACN’s. Which only makes sense since these products and services are used and payed for monthly by almost everyone.
For the record, I never said the business model wasn’t legit. My concern was the ability of the co founders to make the transition from reps to owners. There is a big difference between owning and running a network marketing company and building a big team. We already know the Mintz’s can build a big team they are experts there. We won’t know how they do as owners for another 3 to 5 years.
You may want to take a look at ACN, we are also now in the energy game, we have a 19 year track record of success, and do business in 21 countries. no growing pains here, we are a well oiled machine.
Plus our business will be featured on prime time TV March 27th on NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice. For two hours straight ACN will be the entire focus of the show. Now that’s some exposure and some credibility.
I wish you all the best in your business Jill!
Thank you for the offer and the comment.
Rob
Regarding your post on UCI. I have been a rep with them for over 6 months. Great company, now in 9 states with over 24 suppliers, gas and electric, currently positioned to offer (per one of your blogs) new services available in states and internationally.
I have also been in well healed MLM’s and this is the best opportunity I have found. Only time will tell regarding the five year plan. If we all had crystal balls we would know exactly what to do but, unfortunately we do not. If you look at this in terms of the stock market, we have an IPO that is positioned to move very quickly to a blue chipper. Great return on a small investment. On your side, you have a proven blue chipper, smaller return, still needs to be marketed, and still the chance of becoming a penny (or less) stock. I will choose to work the newer and take my chances.
Ray first thanks so much for your comment. I am glad to hear things are going well for you and for UCI. I do wish you all the best and continued success with UCI.
I do greatly disagree with your analogy on ACN being a blue chip with small return. While I agree 100% we are a seasoned blue chip, I can not agree ACN will provide a lower return on investment. This is in fact the exact opposite.
ACN in reality is just getting going. For every service we provide, we hold less than 1% market share. For most products we hold less than 1/4 of 1%. I would say there is a lot of room for growth here. In addition we are launching new and exciting products almost every quarter. Energy is being phased in right now, ACN cellular coming second quarter of 2011 and more on the way. There is not a company out there that compares with our product or service lineup, nor is there one out there that can compete with our credibility or international exposure.
Here is why ACN can out produce UCI.
We already offer 10 more services than UCI nationally and internationally. So for each home I provide one service to, I can potentially provide them 9 other services. If we consider all commissions to be equal, in this example, I could earn 9 times more on each household. Even if you cut this is half I could still earn 4 times more per household. If I am already signing someone up for energy and I have a satisfied customer why not pick up all of their home services.
ACN is the worlds largest provider of home services and we are only going to get bigger.
I will agree UCI has the excitement of being a brand new company, but I personally don’t see a whole lot of value in that.
Thanks again for your comment Ray and I wish you all the best in your business.
Seriously! ACN reps will stop at nothing to try and savotiage UCI how threaten they must be. You are just creating darkness on the industry with your false accusations. Yes, we are in your back yard and soon around the planet. I started with UCI back in January 2010 before they even launched. I have managed to build a huge organization attracting prominent professionals Doctors, Lawyers, Nationally known Networking Marketing Experts, double masters, business owners, Librarians, teachers and single mothers like myself. I am so happy I took a leap of faith with UCI. The training and support from the co-founders and other leaders in this company has been first class second to none. Yes, we are a new company but the look and feel I can tell you are not. The support and training tools are a road map that leads to straight to success. If you have a big ego and a “know it all” attitude with underlining greed & selfishness in your character you will not succeed in UCI. I have worked with hundreds of people and those kind of people do not succeed in life period.
UCI is a multi facitated comp plan that offers products and services that are creating a historical transformational change to the Network Marketing Industry. We have a plan that doesn’t have the kind of gotchas that I found in any other companies without mentioning obvious names that I have had experienced. I started in the industry when I was 23 in the 1980′s. I love this industry! Finally a company that has everything timing, the industries we are in and the greatest leadership on the planet available for everyone. UCI is a growing force of leaders and co-creators that are helping people and making a difference in today’s economy. I can tell you from personal experience working with the co-founders they are dedicated. It gives them great pleasure assisting everyone in the UCI family build success stories and they do it with EXTREME INTEGRITY. (UCI University is something you have no idea about Rob nor do you have all your facts straight about UCI.) I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be experiencing the kind of success that I have had with UCI. I followed the system and attracted hundreds of like minded people with a healthy happy outlooks on life. It’s a life style change and a blessing for a single mother like me raising 2 teenage boys. I have struggled for the past 12 years in corporate America working for arrogant S.O.B’s that have no mercy on you when both kids are sick and you can’t make it into work that day. You see Ladies and Gentlemen the ship has come in and we have the golden ticket to climb on board. Utility Choice International is the Greatest Network Marketing Company on the planet!
Beware~
There are so many negative people out there that fester on creating dramas to feed on. If I dig deep enough into all of them I will discover a very miserable unhappy person that is floundering in an unhappy life. I guarantee you that!! The dishonestly runs in their veins with victim mentality all over them while they sit in a shoe box moving threw time. Taking taking taking from others~ Where is the love for those lost souls who fester. Back off into your world of darkness and misery~
Light & Love on to you~ Jen
Jen I appreciate your post and I am glad things are going well for you in UCI.
I am not trying to create any darkness, I’m sorry you took my post on UCI that way. I only stated facts that were accurate at the time the post was written. Which was a little over a year now.
By your reply it sounds like they are coming around into a decent company. They are still just a little over a year old now and have along way to go before they can be considered a staple in the industry. They still have another 4 or 5 years to make it over the hump.
I am in no way trying to sabotage UCI. I wish UCI and all of it’s reps all the best. I actually forgot all about this review until people started commenting on it. Then one day I was told it was on Page one of Google. I never meant for it to be there, it just happened.
Again I wish you continued success with UCI.
Welcome to the beginning of the end.
The ACN rejects that left for greener pastures are at it again. The Mintz boys again following blindly behind dad and now the acquisition of our good friend Andre Maronian. Are you crazy.
Let’s follow the bouncing reps. After leaving ACN the Mintz’s have bounced from place to place starting with a little company called CCM where he was awarded the top spot, ended up on the video only to have them kick him out for lack of production.
Mr. Maronian left ACN after being a top producer for a couple years only to go to the company he used to bash from stage. The 5LINX experiment came crashing down along with all the lives of the people who believed in him. How many of them get to move into a new company at the top spot Andre?
Now we are Invado. A new company? NOPE!!!!! Just UCI under a new name and now damaged leadership. If you follow these guys you have to listen to what they are not saying.
Why do they keep moving if they are the ones who can turn this company into something?
Why didn’t they turn around and explode CCM or 5LINX?
Why do CCM, 5LINX, UCI and Invado all look a little to much like ACN?
If you wanted to be with a company like ACN then why didn’t you just stay there to begin with.
There is something wrong here and you better look close. You will never hear it come from any of their mouths but I would be willing to bet that each one of them would take their position back in ACN in a second.
To bad they burnt that bridge to the ground.