What Is It Works Wraps? Does It Work or Is It Crap?

As hard as I may try, I can't wrap my brain around the fact that Americans spend a whopping 60 billion dollars per year on stuff related to “weight loss”. This includes not only dietary supplements which are not working, but also exercise equipment that ends up unused in a corner collecting dust, and fees for gyms which are visited only a couple of times before the member quits.

In my Isagenix Review a couple of weeks ago, I revealed the big, elusive secret to weight loss. In case you missed it, here it is again: Don't eat so much junk food and work out, damn it! It could be that simple to lose some unwanted pounds or tighten up flabby skin here and there, but folks always are looking for shortcuts. These shortcuts are not only expensive but hardly ever work; not the ‘get rich quick schemes' to make you a millionaire in a couple of months, nor the concoctions out of some alchemist's lab which are supposed to just melt away the fat.

The latest FAD in the long line of weight loss miracles is “It Works! Wraps“, which is the subject of my It Works Wraps Review today.

What is It Works Wraps?

‘It Works' is a MLM offering a variety of weight loss and skin care products. The company was founded in 2001 by Mark & Cindy Pentecost and their only product was the “Ultimate Body Applicator“.

It took until 2005 before ‘It Works!' offered a line of supplementary vitamin products, and today the It Works supplements line is a comprehensive collection of nutritional solutions.

It Works products are sold worldwide by a network of independent distributors. In 2011 Mark & Cindy moved the It Works headquarters from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where it all began, to Bradenton, Florida.

In 2012 It Works! reached the milestone of $100 million in sales and prides itself with the Income Opportunity it provides to their independent distributors. The “G.O.O.D. bonus” and new mantra “Debt Free Is the New Sexy” are introduced to align the sales force with the corporate philosophy of debt freedom.

What are the It Works Products?

“Have you heard of that CrAzY WrAp ThInG?” is their slogan to introduce the main product, the “It Works! Ultimate Body Applicator”. This is how they describe it on their websites:

“It's a non-woven cloth infused with botanically based ingredients that you place on target areas of your body to Tighten, Tone, and Firm in as little as 45 minutes!

The special formulation of these key ingredients help this amazing product to deliver results that Tighten, Tone & Firm any areas of the body where applied*. The Body Wraps do NOT deliver “weight loss” results…they simply are a cosmetic type product specifically formulated to help the skin appear more tightened, toned, & firmed…as well as deeply hydrate and nourish the skin, reduce the appearance of cellulite, and redefine your body contouring. Results typically last 2-4 months depending on lifestyle and health habits”

All ingredients of the “secret concoction” are natural, which is a good thing, I believe. The Secondary product line consists of supplementary items like

• Hair, Skin Nails Nourishing Tablets

• Thermogenic Weight Loss Formula with Acai Berry

• It Works! Defining Gel

• Advanced Fat Fighter Formula

How does the It Works Wrap Work?

Well, it sounds simple enough. First off, you can apply the wrap to any part of your body you feel needs tightening of the skin, or treatment of hyper pigmentation etc. They say to clean the target area thoroughly, then apply the applicator flat on your skin. Next, wrap the supplied saran wrap about 2 to 3 times around to hold the applicator in place.

Set a timer for the desired time frame, between 45 minutes up to 2 hours. Now you can sit back, relax and be ready to tighten, tone and firm! * When done, do NOT wipe off the extra product; as much of the product as possible is supposed to absorb into the pores. Now you need to drink as much WATER as possible over the next 72 hours, at least half your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 200 lbs, drink at least 100 oz. of water PER DAY.

After 3 days, or 72 hours, you can repeat the whole procedure.

And here is the disclaimer

*Disclaimer: Tightening, Toning & Firming results & time frame from the use of the Ultimate Body Applicator Wrap AKA that Crazy Wrap Thing can and will vary from person to person. Results are not guaranteed.

What is the It Works Wrap Compensation Plan?

This is the one thing ALL MLMs have in common; a compensation plan that is so convoluted that it takes a college degree, better yet a PHD, to be able to decipher the mess.

I am not going through all the details here because I barely understand them. But let me try my best to give you a basic idea how you would start becoming an It Works distributor to make money with this company.
1) Sell the product to Retail Customers: That's the easy part; you buy the product at wholesale and sell to your customer at the suggested retail price. The difference is your profit.

2) Sell the product to Loyal Customers: It gets a little bit more complicated but is still relatively easy to understand. You sell to people that agree to place a three months auto-order, and you will earn a percentage commission, paid to you by It Works! Every loyal Customer order also qualifies you to participate in the Compensation plan. Congratulations, you just entered the It Works! Pyramid.

3) Become Commission Qualified: Now it gets to the point where the whole mess becomes very difficult to understand. For whatever reason, they no longer talk in dollars or percentages, but in BV's, PBV's, and GV's.

OK, if you enrolled with buying the Business Builder Kit for $99, you are automatically qualified. If not, you need to complete one of the following;

• Process your minimum 80 BV auto-shipment
• Have at least 400 PBV's for the month

Got it? Don't worry, me neither. Then it gets even more convoluted because they talk about “stairmaster” climbing up levels and stuff.

To climb up to the next level, you must enroll four (4) Loyal Customers that stay active. At that point, you basically want to start recruiting like crazy, adding LEGS to your lower torso (figuratively speaking, of course). The compensation plan now describes how you build your downline legs, and how to promote yourself up to the higher levels so you can make more money.

It becomes such a hot mess that there is a 16-page pdf in some small ass print you can read to decipher these levels. If you really want to jump in and try it, here is where you can spend the next 2 weeks trying to figure out how it all works.

The It Works Wraps Complaints

This is my favorite part of the show guys. It's where I break down some of the complaints that the reps won't tell you about. But I'll be happy to share them with you so you can make an informed decision. As always every company will have complaints because there are always going to be people you can't please. Are all these complaints valid and make the company a scam? Not always but I'll lay them out for you so you can decide for yourself.

The It Works Wraps Don't Work!

Normally I take these kinds of complaints with a grain of salt, because every company, even the very best, cannot please everyone. There will always be some kind of complaints about a product, no matter what kind it is. I didn't find a lot of It Works Wraps users that reported any major side effects. But I did find many that simply state that they see NO results whatsoever.

Responses like these from unhappy customers are not isolated cases, though. There are way too many not to be concerned, and it raises the question if ‘mummifying‘ parts of your body really works or if the ‘wraps are crap‘!

Every coin has two sides, as we know, and to be fair with my review, I was searching for responses to these complaints and found the site of a very enthusiastic distributor. Here is a short excerpt of what she has to say (the full version on her site):

“The wraps do/will work IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CORRECTLY! She stresses the fact of your water intake in the 72 hours following the wrap. She also says ‘The wraps absolutely will not work if you wrap and eat like crap! Eating fatty, sugary, processed, chemical laden food is putting toxins back into your body!'

BRAVO! She must have read my review in which I revealed the elusive big secret to weight loss. Now that we heard both sides, users and distributors, let us take a look what ABC News ‘Good Morning America‘ had to say about the wrap idea. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Problems with Refunds & Cancellations

There is no doubt about that It Works! does have a big problem with their ‘Loyal Customer” nonsense that requires first time buyers to place a 3-months supply order. “Standing monthly orders' are indeed a common practice in MLMs, but only for folks that actually WANT to become a distributor, beauty consultant, or whatever the term may be, for the company.

I give the benefit of the doubt to some of the complaints. People may not have fully understood the implications of the Loyal Customer status. However, there are hundreds of complaints saying that this concept was not explained to them. Many placed the order online or via phone and have NOT been made aware of the small print, which is in fact on the back side of the order form.

Although It Works! is not BBB accredited, it received over 300 complaints in that regard and issued a stern warning about the company. I show you a couple of these complaints so you see what the people are saying.

I don't take ‘things' at face value and always try to verify stuff like this. Therefore, I simply visited a distributor's site and started to place an order. Nowhere could I see the ‘back side' of the form. However, I knew what to look for and found a very small-print “Terms” link and the back side of the form. But most people wouldn't so when they are charged automatically they're obviously not happy campers!

So, Is ‘It Works! Wraps' a Scam?

I wouldn't call it a scam. They sell tangible products people buy and use. The wraps seem to work for some people, whereas others see no results at all. The by-line of supplement products seems to be alright and I could not find any complaints about these products. ALL the products, including the ‘secret brew' the wraps are soaked in, are made from 100% natural ingredients which is a big plus.

The billing complaints on the other hand, is a completely different story. I am very skeptical that so many folks can make the same mistakes, and believe that this is just a cleverly designed method to convert unsuspecting customer into distributors of the product.

In my humble opinion, this is at least unethical!

Is ‘It Works Wraps a good Work at Home Opportunity?

Well, It Works! is a MLM with all the inherent cons. Only a few distributors, less than 2% to be precise, will make it to the top to make some real money. The rest will struggle to make enough to cover their monthly expenses. Many will simply give up after a short time when they realize that is very difficult to build, and most importantly, maintain their multi-legged down lines.

Looking for an alternative to It Works Wraps Opportunity?

If any of the complaints or the business of an MLM doesn't appeal to you and you're looking for another option you may want to consider My # 1 Free Work At Home Recommendation, Wealthy Affiliate. It's what's helped me learn how to make a full time income online. If you have patience and are willing to work hard, I'm confident it can help you as well. But if it doesn't you have nothing to lose because it's Free. So why not give it a shot especially if you were considering investing money in It Works!

In any event, I hope you enjoyed reading my review and would love to hear your opinion. It does not matter if you agree or disagree with me, but chime in and leave your 2 cents worth on your way out.

See ya.

Eddy with a y

(Yes it's that serious. lol)