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October 15, 2004
XS Cherry Blast from Quixtar
By QBlog in
My wife and I got our XS baby! Woo hoo!
After waiting nearly three weeks (15 business days) we got our XS Cherry Blast. So excited.
THREE WEEKS?!? Yeah that is a long time but it's all good. Here's what happended. I ordered the product for my wife (and me) on a Sunday, September 26. The Quixtar Web site says to expect the order to arrive in 2-10 business days (we asked for the cheapest shipping option) and so I waited. And waited. And waited. I called my IBO support sponsor guy (whatever he's called) and he said the order was shipped and if we hadn't received it, we should call Quixtar. So, this past Monday (the eleventh business day since the order) I called Quixtar Customer Service. See how patient I can be.
I spoke with a pleasant lady named Colleen (guessing on the spelling, forgot to ask that - d'oh!). Colleen was very helpful and apologetic for the missing order. She indicated that the problem may have been caused by a "private carrier" who handles deliveries in our area. I wonder if it was the old guy in the beat up utility van who used to drop off our orders back in those IBO days? Anyway, she promised to send a replacement order via "express" delivery. Awesome. However, my idea of "express" is a little different than Colleen's.
My idea of express = The next day
Colleen's idea of express = 2-5 business days
Ok,
so Friday (today) rolls around and we still hadn't gotten our order. I'm beginning
to think maybe our family is on some sort of Quixtar Blacklist or something.
But they already charged my credit card so I knew that was nonsense, it was
just taking a bit longer than I expected.
And then later today, when I got home from the zoo (I spend most of my time there with the other monkeys), I was happy to see a box of XS Drinks on my front porch. My son and I did a "delivery dance" on the spot — which consists of shaking the box, stomping our feet and chanting "presents, presents" in unison (we're a strange bunch).
Now, before you think I'm complaining about the order delay let me stop that notion right now. Things get screwed up, that's a fact of business. It's how a business deals with that problem that really reveals the true nature of that business. I thought Quixtar did a fine job of taking care of our order the moment they were alerted to the problem. I would have liked speedier delivery but the order did come in the time Colleen promised it would come. I'm satisfied. Amazon.com has screwed up some orders in the past and I still love the company because they immediately took care of the problem and did exactly as they promised. That's all anyone can ask. I believe this order foul-up was the exception rather than the rule. I'll continue to believe that until I see evidence to the contrary.
The Taste Test
So how did it taste? I have to admit, the stuff ain't bad. In fact, it's pretty
good. I had two of them tonight and the first one I poured into a glass full
of ice. The drink foamed up a lot at first, kind of looked like an Ice Cream
Float. After the foam dissipated, I took a big sip and was impressed with the
smooth, crisp flavor followed by only a hint of an aftertaste (a bit subtler
than the Diet Coke aftertaste, and I love Diet Coke). I've had a Red Bull before
and this was much, much better than Red Bull. I could actually drink this stuff,
I'll never touch Red Bull again.
The second drink was straight from the can and for some reason it wasn't quite as tasty. I can only guess why but my theory is that XS is a bit like wine in that it tastes better when it can breathe in an open glass. I know it sounds stupid but it really did taste better on the rocks. Not saying the stuff in the can was bad, it was fine, it just wasn't as tasty as the XS over ice.
As for the energy boost? Well, I don't have any idea about that. Maybe it boosted my energy, maybe not. I drank a Tall Black Coffee before the XS so I was already pretty geeked. It didn't make me sleepy so that's a good thing.
In summary, I can recommend XS Cherry Blast as a tasty beverage. However, I still need more testing to see if it truly delivers on the energy boost promise, which is really the point of buying something like XS in the first place isn't it? Basically, I'm not quite ready to ditch my eight cups of coffee a day habit. But I'm keeping an open mind.
Comments
I agree. What the hell do they put in that stuff?
I commend you for a "fair and balanced" review of XS. I believe that Quixtar's customer service is comparable to other companies. It is the AQMO's that leave a bitter taste from the devastation they have caused in my family. Otherwise, I would order a case.
"I believe that Quixtar's customer service is comparable to other companies."
And better than many. I've NEVER had a gripe with Q's customer service.
Too bad I thought I was a business owner and not a customer.
But I'm sincere about the customer service.
PW
Joestown = Koolaid
Quixtar = XS (???)
Hhhmmmm....
Look out, the fair & balance opinon of QBlog is getting skewed.
When you come off your buzz, let us know.
QBlog, glad you like it, I'd give it a go too, if offered someday. Sounds delish
I'm glad customer service helped you. I doubt that Jody Victor, Dexter Yager, Mark Crawford, etc.. would be as helpful, unless they were taken to court over it and forced to follow through with their commitments.
And they represent Amway/Quixtar
I guess therein lies the problem.
I love the cherry XS, it's my new favorite flavor next to Tropical Blast. I highly recommend you try that one next.
I think that ANY drink tastes better on Ice in a glass. You wonder why those Old Time rootbeer drinks taste so good? They claim it's the "special ingrediants" but it's mostly because it's in a glass bottle.
Aluminum and plastic just give drinks a bland taste. There is just something about glass that gives it a fresher taste.
Please tell me if you had any stomach problems? I really wanna replace my garbage food diet with something good but my stomach got so fired up after having XS? (It can digest a lot of other stuff btw) Its NOT a -ve comment, I jsut wanna know. I can get xs at much cheaper price ya know.....
I have consumed some XS (all flavers) and I think it is great! I have been selling the heck out of it. I would recommend this product to ANYONE. It is fantastic, I can only keep a case around for 5 days.
I ordered my XS Cherry Blast straight from the Quixtar Website using no IBO at all.
My XS arrived in 4 Days. The flavor is OK, but it's not my primary refreshment after a long run.
Brad
Lee:
Don't drink the Koolaid !! Ooops too late.
Another brainwashed zombie....sigh....
Do they teach you these lines at your meeting? Jeesh--how contrived can one person be???
Regardless of how good/bad the Cherry XS drinks are, QBlog's delivery experience shows why a problem any online company has to overcome. And that being the delivery person. Compare QBlog's experience to hopping into your car, going to the store, buying an energy drink and then driving home. Total time is measured in hours, if not minutes. Sure there are those who can't, for whatever reason, hop into their car to buy something, but the overwhelming majority of us can.
Do you feel like you got a value on that Cherry blast?Member cost $20.40 plus $5.75 shipping equals $26.15 plus tax on shipping(say 8%) makes it $26.61.That makes each can drink cost about $2.22 each.Quixtar will only sell this to Ibo's and their friends or xIbos.The public would never pay such a high price.They will never buy it consistent.I found people would buy 1 case and never any moreThey would say its good but too high.That is why Ibo's have a hard time hitting pv goals.They have some good products but people can't afford to keep buying and don't have a financial reason like Ibo's.
the cherry blast was just launched so it was probably on advance order when you ordered it. It's brand spankin new!!!!!!!!
Who is "the public" that would never pay such a high price as $2.22 per can???? Are you insane. An energy drink is priced up to $5 per can depending on where you purchase it? Get with it!
the cherry blast was just launched so it was probably on advance order when you ordered it. It's brand spankin new!!!!!!!!
Who is "the public" that would never pay such a high price as $2.22 per can???? Are you insane. An energy drink is priced up to $5 per can depending on where you purchase it? I go through case after case per month to loyal customers, not including my family and friends. Get with it!
$5/can --ibo, I suggest that you get with it. Get outside of your meetings and see the real world for what it is. Costco sells RedBull for far less and you can get it much more economicallly than XS !!!
DF, the bar down the street from my house sells red bull and rockstar for $4.50 each. A local gym sells red bull at $3.50 per can. The funny thing is that the lady at the gym says that there are several people that buy 1 or 2 per day consistently. I have pitched them on XS and she is very excited.
Ray, I am an active IBO and I have no problem selling XS to Clients and Members. The price is fair and at market value. Right now people expect to pay around $2 per can. Most people do not go to Costco and buy cases of Red Bull. Some do but most don't. They buy energy drinks from stores, gas stations, and even bars. The fact is that XS is easy to sell and many non-IBO's love the product and price.
DMM, the big flaw with your reasoning is that most people can't buy Cherry XS by getting in your car and driving to the store.
So to buy Cherry XS they need to order from a catalog or buy online.
And beyond that, many people buy their books from Amazon.com when they could easily go down to the bookstore and have that book the same day. Sometimes at a better or equal price. But Amazon.com seems to being doing fine with sales.
QBlog, I am glad to hear the optimism about your order. Many critics would have used it as an opportunity to blast the company but I think your perspective was well put.
Come on Chris, be real. Of course a bar is gonna charge you more than what you can do on your own. It is the same for soda, beer, mixed drinks etc.
That's because a bar is also charging you for the ammenities of it's "PLACE" (i.e. music, games, attractive people, etc.) as well as the covering other assorted overhead costs (rent, utilities, etc.)
You do remember the 4Ps of marketing from college, right? Do you remember how fluctions in one P (Place) may influence another P (Price)?
Maybe not, it sounds like you missed out on a lot of education!
Does your upline know that you're hawking XS to a gym? How do you think that is going to go over?
Has Amazon posted a profit yet?
Here's a question, Chris. If XS were available at your local supermarket, who would sell more. You, the IBO, or the supermarket? And who could ultimately sell for a lower price?
I'm just pointing out an inherent problem with MLM. XS may be a better product by 1000 times then Red Bull, but by using MLM distribution, it puts XS at a disadvantage. If you are out of your stock at home and want one now, you cannot get one, whereas you can go to a corner convienence store and buy a Red Bull in minutes (yes you will pay more for the convenience). Now, imagine if the product is toilet paper!
And yes, things like ditto delivery can help you predict usuage, but with things like toilet paper, my monthly usuage can vary depending on if I have friends/family visiting out of town, and how many times I go to my favorite Mexican restaurant in a given month. So my choice is go online and worry about my tp consumption and tweak a ditto delivery profile and worry the tp gets delivered on time. Or, I could check the closet before I go to the store and see I need more tp, and buy it there, and use it the same day.
dmm wrote:
"If XS were available at your local supermarket, who would sell more. You, the IBO, or the supermarket? And who could ultimately sell for a lower price?"
So you're not criticizing about MLMs, you're criticizing all mail order companies and online companies that require delivery time. If that's the case, why is the usage of mail order and online companies on the rise?
Ambivalent
I am a Quixtrar IBO and perhaps I am biased on my comments but Try to understand where I am coming from. Even Before I joined my Quixtar afilliated business I was an avid Energy Drinker!! I love the adrenelin that the drink creates. Most energy Drinks are loaded with sugar. The energy Drink I prefered before I drank XS had 27G of sugar in it..When I tried the Lo-Carb (Sugar Free) Version of the same drink, I barely affected me, I got my first shipment of XS when they lifted the restriction of shipping carbonated beverages in my state a few weeks ago, I was already hesitant to get them because they were sugar free, I must say that I couldn't be happier with this product. I get the same rush from the sugar filled drink that I would previously consume. and the $2.22 Discussed earlier on this page is a whopping 13 cents more than I paid for my old drink. For all the money that I throw away in my living, 13 cents is hardly even noticed.
Catalog (shipping companies) traditionally hold about 3% to 4% of the overall retail market. Do you have any statistics, ambivalent, that shows the upward trend you speak of? Generally, from what I've seen, as internet shopping has risen, paper and t.v. catalog sales have dropped a bit, so that overall number is still about 3% to 4%.
What a funny conversation we have gotten into on this post. There are those that believe that online shopping is the future and those that don't. Only time will prove one group right I guess.
I placed an order with Cherry XS in it on Sunday and it came on Tuesday. The shipping was free and the delivery came very quick. I popped open an XS and poured it over ice and it made me realize how silly the argument over this drink really is. The drink is PHENOMENAL!
I have an event coming up where we are doing taste testing with all the popular brands of energy drinks to see what results we come up with. Does anybody really think that any of the drinks will beat XS? There is no way. XS will win hands down and I would be willing to put big bucks on it, even if there were a large scale taste test. I would go as far as saying that I believe that XS is the best tasting energy drink available on the market in North America.
DF, as far as your comment about me "hawking" XS, yes my upline does know. Why would that be a big deal? XS promotes selling their drink over the counter. Part of their website is dedicated to helping IBO's do just that. I have already made over the counter sales. It is a major part of my personal volume. There are guidelines you need to follow when you sell XS over the counter, but they are pretty reasonable. If you want to check it out, go to http://www.xsgear.com yourself.
Chris how many of your clients(customers)are going online and buying XS every month?Not many because they pay shipping where you are a Platinum and don't pay shipping.Its just a fad and your volume will fall unless you come out with a new flavor of the month.People will move on to something else.
Thanks for taking such an interest in my business. The clients get XS on ditto delivery. One of them is part of an Atkins club and that ditto delivery order is larger than normal, but still not enough to qualify for free shipping. Energy drinks may or may not be a fad. If they are, then I am capitalizing on them at the right time. If they are not a fad and will last long term, then I am setting up a long term steady clientelle. Either way it seems like a benefit for me to market the drinks.
Plus I am totally sold on them myself and I love promoting things I love myself, so the promotion of these products are very easy.
On top of that, it is very easy to have them with me throughout the day, and people are always asking me what I am drinking so I can sample XS and then follow up and set them up on ditto delivery. I would have to say that XS is one of the easiest products to market that Quixtar offers.
Plus, the Atkins group was also turned onto the rest of the low-carb sports nutrition line, so XS was just an intro to the Nutrilite Supplements and XS Power Nutrition lines.
Things are going great!
Hey Chris..I've been an IBO with Quixtar for a few months now, and I as well support the XS line and I personally love every flavor that I've tried, I'd love to hear more about your marketing, I never thought it was an option, my buddy tried to OTC some artistry with a woman that he knew and when he called Quixtar about big volume discounts the Customer Service REp said there was none and OTC was not an option, I supose I just assumed it would be the same for all Quixtar products, reading your post really lit a fire under me and I would really like to get out in my town and surrounding areas and start to push some XS myself. If you have any nuggets of information that would help me on my start up I would love to hear it. What all did you invest in before you approached a store!? Any Info would be cool! I love this Blog for opening my eyes to this possibility that I didn't even know was available!
Bgriff,
I would contact your upline and express the excitement you have about marketing XS and see what kind of recommendations, if any, that they might know of. That is always the best way to do it. You can do research and learn more about XS Energy Drinks at http://www.xsgear.com
You can browse that site for tons of useful information or copy and paste this link in your url:
http://www.xsgear.com/instructions/xsgear_marketing.htm
I hope that information was useful, and I know with your attitude you will probably do great at marketing XS! Make it happen!
Quixtar Company is the biggest offenders of their own rules. I have made many, many attempts to contact their Rules and the iboai.com board and others since launching the new Quixtar.com site they have plainly taken Amway products directly to solicit the online community unbarred.
That was the whole reason for dumping that awesome website previously working. This new site is built to stick it to the new IBO.
GREG DUNCAN a IBO Board Member who you pay dues every year to protect your behind side has never responded to my email either. Why should he Greg Duncan and Scott Coons partners in XS Energy doing anything to correct the they stand to make millions more in sales to Quixtar.com.
Quixtar had the chance to buy XS ENERGY DRINK. Quixtar cannot stand the fact they don't own it lock stock and barrel. Now that it the largest item in sales volume they want to cut the IBO out as much as possible.
With the from zero internet presence to the page after page now index in search engines and the press releases they send to every media group that post it on their site adding more links to Quixtar.com. Not to mention all the fake Blogging made to look like a real outsider is involved. Why don't they setup quixtar.com or forward everything to
www.shopquixtar.com where you have to have a IBO# and Key to register.
BECAUSE THEY ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE PRODUCT THAT IS GETTING THE ATTENTION!
REGISTERING THOUSANDS OF NEW CLENTS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO GREEDY QUIXTAR CAN'T WAIT FOR THE IBO'S!
Alticor is clearly attacking the IBO's who have built you who you are today.
I have spoken on the phone and heard your worthless insolent talk directly.
They actually laughed when I told the person I was speaking AT QUIXTAR.
That a new client I had been working on went and signed up directly online.
Take for instance the post in this thread:
I ordered my XS Cherry Blast straight from the Quixtar Website using no IBO at all.
My XS arrived in 4 Days. The flavor is OK, but it's not my primary refreshment after a long run.
Brad
Posted by: Brad Williams at October 18, 2004 02:36 PM (right here read it for yourself)
Access / Alticor / Quixtar /Amway are stealing the market share from us, correction now your IBO's everyday.
as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4.
quixtar.site
any product tab
add to cart (then pops up)
registration page with NO IBO Referral and Key needed as required fields.
When they uncheck the box need servicing IBO...Even better for them!
Eventually the WEB surfer ends on the register page and the site is allowing anyone
arriving the opportunity to sign up un-sponsored.
Shame on Quixtar!
QUIXTAR Employees have been brainwashed on this new angle on this new Quixtar.com web site to their advantage.
Wake up IBO's you are promoting their products at your expense.
Saving them MILLIONS of advertising dollars.
QUIXTAR is taking advantage of your need for an income.
The opportunity is GONE! They are corporate rapist.
Badboy has comments below that are completely false and he is just copying and pasting them into different areas of this blog. We have already had a discussion about this topic at this post: http://tinyurl.com/3jb45.
Quixtar has not cut any IBO's out of the process. Since the company has launched, if someone wants to order a product without a referring IBO#, they can and the volume of the transaction will be assigned to a Platinum IBO based on zip code. Now there have been changes made so that you can do this on the website.
The changes are positive and have more pros than cons, and if you want to read more about this debate, then you can read about it here. http://tinyurl.com/3jb45
You can order XS Energy drinks from my website www.bww.com/hasselbach
Guest Password: welcome
Sounds like some people need some Quixtar rehab. Get over it people. If someone is willing to pay for a product or service that someone else thinks is overpriced good for them. I live in California where everything is overpriced, but guess what, people still live here. It's called economics.
If the only things people bought were the cheap things we would all be using single-ply toilet paper, drinking tap water, eating ramen noodles, and driving Yugos.
XS Energy drinks sell because they are good, period. Better than all the other crap.
interested in XS? my website offers the whole XS line - from energy drinks to energy bars and even protein shakes.
i also offer trim advantage meal replacement bars and protein bars, along with tons of other products for the weight conscious.
check out my website
www.lennoxenterprise.com
password = diamond
and also, i think working with this corporation is a phenominal opportunity and yes, we all have our opinions, but one should not cast stones at another for doing what they want. its their life, its their business..what does it matter to you?
Qblog,
Read your post when you "come down". Your pretty "geeked' right now.
Slow down man! ;)
Posted by: jason | October 15, 2004 11:39 PM