ACN, LLC (formerly ACN, Inc. ) is a North American-based multi-level marketing (MLM) company that provides telecommunications, energy, merchant services and other services, depending on in the country, through a network of independent sales agents known as "Independent Business Owners" (IBO), who can recruit new IBOs. IBO can earn residual income and bonuses through the acquisition of private customers, as well as customers by other IBOs they recruit. Based in Concord, North Carolina, USA, ACN began operations in the United States in 1993 as the American Communications Network. It expanded operations to Europe in 1999, to the Pacific in 2004, to Asia in 2011, and in 2018 operates in 25 countries, on four continents.
Video ACN Inc.
Company structure
The company is based in Concord, North Carolina, USA. ACN has an international office located in Montreal, Canada; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Sydney, Australia; Wroc? Aw, Poland; UmeÃÆ'  ¥, Sweden; Seoul, South Korea, and Mexico.
Maps ACN Inc.
History
In 1993, Robert Stevanovski, Greg Provenzano, and twin brothers Tony and Mike Cupisz, founded the American Communications Network, Inc. ACN opened for business in January 1993 with twenty early "independent representatives". ACN's initial business was as a marketing arm for a long-distance reseller called LCI Communications. This relationship lasted for five years until LCI was acquired by Qwest Communications. In 1998, ACN was registered at Inc. Magazine ' s "Inc 500" list no. 22 on this annual list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America.
ACN previously, through its subsidiaries ACN Energy and ACN Utility Services, operates as a gas and electricity retailer. ACN's energy assets were acquired by Commerce Energy Group in 2006.
From 2006 until he announced his candidacy for president in 2015, ACN has a business relationship with ex-executive producer Donald Trump of The Apprentice. Trump appeared in numerous promotional videos that heralded the company's "revolutionary products", devoted the episode of The Apprentice to the ACN "revolutionary" videophone, and generated millions of dollars giving speeches at the ACN International Training Events until early 2015, where he praised the company. founder and business model.
In 2008, ACN moved its headquarters from Farmington Hills, Michigan to Concord, North Carolina. In 2011, ACN expanded operations to the Czech Republic and Hungary, bringing the company's reach to 23 countries on four continents. In 2014, ACN expanded operations to Latin America, starting first with Mexico. In 2016, ACN expanded its operations in Japan.
The company is a member of the Direct Selling Association in North America and Europe.
Services
ACN offers landline (local and long distance) telephony services, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), high-speed internet, satellite television, cellular phones through company-owned MVNO. Flash Wireless, and home security services, especially for consumers, and the second for small businesses. Beginning in 2011, ACN also began offering the ACN branded international phone applications available for iPhone, Android and Symbian, WiMAX wireless Internet sales, and technical support services for personal and business computers, and return to the energy resale market through XOOM Energy partners.
With variations depending on the country of operation, ACN service provision follows three models:
- Resale of ACN branded services that ultimately come from the service provider. This is exemplified by local and long distance telephones, where ACN buys local phone services from incumbent providers such as Qwest or AT & T, and customer bills on its own behalf. This model was made possible by the deregulation of the telephone industry beginning in 1996; Prior to this, ACN was involved only in reselling long distance telephone services. It is an extension of international deregulation that allows the ACN to begin operating outside the United States.
- Act as a sales agent for service providers, where ACN representatives sell services, but order fulfillment, billing, and services are performed by branded providers. In the US, ACN resells internet services through AT & amp; T. ACN offers wireless services through its own MNVO Flash Wireless. Television service is provided through DIRECTV and Dish Network. Security and home automation is offered through Vivint. ACN is now also reselling energy (electricity and natural gas) through Planet Energy and Xoom Energy.
- Sales of ACN branded services and provided. This is a Voice over Internet Protocol where ACN owns and maintains its own server network. Starting January 2011, ACN also added ACN branded computer support services to its service offerings.
Criticism
The ACN Disclosure Statement bore the warning that "not all Independent ACN Representatives generate profits and none can be assured of success as ACN Independent Representatives."
In response to criticism posted on the Internet, ACN Global Counsel Counsel, Colleen Jones, stated that "ACN is aware of the bad press that is on the internet, and we simply ignore it."
Legal case
In August 2010, Montana's Securities and Insurance Commissioner Monica Lindeen announced the issuance of the Ceasefire and Desist Order and the Proposed Agent Action Notice to ACN, Inc. and some of its founders for allegedly operating a "pyramid scheme". In September 2010, the Commissioner moved to vacate the Stop and Opponent Orders in full settlement of the case. In the Commissioner's investigation process, the Commissioner determined that the initial concerns were not part of the ACN business model, but as isolated instances that occurred by certain independent ACN representatives in Montana. The Commissioners and the ACN agree that ACN will conduct additional training with its independent representatives to assist them in understanding their responsibilities as ACN independent representatives, and that ACN will contact Montana video telephone customers to assist them with the installation of their services.
On June 13, 2002, ACN resolved the case with the Consumer Services Bureau in Pennsylvania where it alleged that IBO "slams", or switches unauthorized consumer services. ACN denied the allegations and the exact details of the settlement were under the court's seal. However, the lawsuit alleges that about 135 unofficial complaints were filed with the Consumer Services Bureau (BCS) between June 2000 and November 2001, consisting of 22 consumers who claimed that their generation services were diverted without authorization ("slamming"), 81 alleged cases from overcharging ("cramming"), and 32 complaints with allegations of violations of Commission rules contained in Chapters 54, 56 and 57 of Title 52 of the Pennsylvania Code.
Trump status as a spokesperson
After the official start of the 2016 presidential nomination, all references to Donald Trump have been removed from the ACN website and Trump distanced himself from the company in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. "I do not know anything about companies other than the people who run the company," Trump told them. "I'm not familiar with what they do or how they do it, and I make it clear in my speech." Following the publication of the article, which also claimed that some of the participants in the sales representatives program actually made money, ACN issued a statement that it was "a biased story that reflects journalists' opinions rather than facts about ACN or our relationship with Mr. Trump. "
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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