Kristi Johnson, an Achieve Community administrator, promised an open investor forum in December 2014. "Help each other with questions please," Johnson wrote then, adding, "The Forum is a place for everyone to have their say." Troy Barnes, another administrator, shut down forum comments today, effectively silencing discussions about missing funds and refund options.
The company recently signed with AeroPay, a payment processor. AeroPay's promotional material states it helps companies "eliminate this major source of frustration for your affiliates and protect your reputation," warning that "dissatisfied affiliates can cause instant damage on affiliate blogs or worse, in the press." Achieve investors should not expect to withdraw promised 800% returns soon. Administrators claimed investors "overloaded" the system shortly after launch. Johnson issued a blunt directive: "DO NOT send questions to us until those instructions have arrived and DO NOT send support tickets to either Achieve or the Wallet account support until the instructions have been posted here. Your questions will NOT be answered. We don't have time for that OK?"
Investors have cause for concern. Achieve previously directed affiliates to a service, leading to credit card fraud reports. Less than 24 hours after instructing members to register with AeroPay through their back office, new fraud complaints emerged. Johnson attributed these issues to "some of our members who are NOT so nice – of which there are only a few. Have been sharing our sign up link and putting in false information." AeroPay reportedly halted new sign-ups as a result.
Investors who voice complaints risk account termination. Troy Barnes stated, "When we see for a fact that a member is causing trouble we will just take them out of Achieve. This is a HAPPY place and we will just let the bad people go away. They don't deserve our oxygen that's for sure." It remains unclear whether Barnes refunds terminated investors or retains their money.
AeroPay is not a widely recognized name in MLM payment processing. The company, which accepted a client advertising 800% returns and facing a US regulatory investigation, appears to be in significant debt. UK company records from late 2012 show AeroPay with £60,157 in assets and £93,064 in liabilities, resulting in a negative net worth of £32,907. The 2013 report showed assets of £99,024 against liabilities of £110,155, indicating continued debt despite being in business since 2005.
Rosanne Phyllis Day, residing in British Columbia, Canada, is listed as AeroPay's Director. The mechanism by which a Canadian citizen directs a UK-registered processor is unclear. Achieve Community, a US-based company, also has not disclosed why it avoids legitimate US payment processors. AeroPay's banking channels remain undisclosed. The current location of Achieve Community's investor funds is also unknown. Investors, the very people who could demand these answers, face threats of disconnection from their funds if they ask too many questions.