Is Yoonla a scam? – Complete honest review
Money-making opportunities are everywhere online and there are probably more scams than there are legit programs. One of these programs is called Yoonla and after seeing a few youtube videos where people were flashing big numbers, followed by several zeros at me on there, I decided to really dig deep and to find out more about this program. Is Yoonla a scam then? Here’s my review.
At A Glance
Name: Yoonla
Website: www.yoonla.com
Owner: Reno Van Boven
Training: Yes
Tools: Yes, but it costs around $50
Support: Yes
Pricing: Free membership, some upsells
Recommended: No
My First Impressions
I must say that I was more than just a little confused when I went to research and to find out what Yoonla was about. I watched countless Yoonla videos on Youtube from actual members, and still, I was not able to really find out what kind of product I would be promoting being a member or an affiliate.
All that the members really focused on, was showing you the amount of money that was made and a few tips and tricks here and there but nothing that explained the products and how they work. That seemed a little shady.
Finally, I stumbled across a video that stated the program was a “lead referral program” where you get paid for referring people to sign up on the Yoonla website.
Yoonla advertised signing up could be done for free and they keep their word; no credit card or payment information is asked. As soon as I signed up, I was brought to my dashboard where I was shown an introductory video by the owner, Reno.
Again, there is no mention of what work I will be doing and how I will be making money.
But I already knew; the only way to make money with Yoonla, is to promote the actual system. The problem with it is that it is a pyramid scheme in disguise. There is no real product or substance to the business.
Training Videos
I signed up and dove right into the training. You are able to view the training in the form of video with Reno himself conducting them, or you could also download the PDF version of it. I chose to go through the videos as that would be much faster.
There are only 7 videos to go through and it can be done pretty quickly; as an experienced marketer, I was able to go through them within 1 hour. For a beginner, it will take more time to go through them with understanding, especially if you are following the steps of the training.
GetResponse Account – I must say that I was disappointed when I got to the 2nd video itself; Reno asks that you create an account with an autoresponder called GetResponse, where you will need to pay $15 monthly to be able to make this work.
Where I have no problem at all with GetResponse (it is actually a good tool to use in your online business), it dawned on me that Reno is the one making money over my head by making me sign up for it.
I have no problem helping others make money by clicking and buying through their link but promoting it within the 2nd Video itself shows me that all he wants is the money. I mean, there is ZERO explanation on what I would use it for. The video was 5 minutes long.
Yahoo Small Business Account – Anyways, moving on with the training, I got another pang when I realized that Reno asks you to create a Yahoo Small Business Account. He himself paid about $83 for hosting and the website domain name.
Hosting is the service that a company provides for making your website live and accesible on the internet and a domain name is the directory of the website, such as www.google.com. I am here explaining that to you, but he does not.
Needless to say here, that he is undoubtedly an affiliate with Yahoo Small Business and every time somebody clicks the link in the training, signs up, and pays for any service at that time, Reno makes money.
Other training
The next section of the training, are all in PDF format. You get some training to market on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter.
When I went into those PDFs and started reading, I was disappointed to see that they were not actual step-by-step instructions, but rather the understanding behind the mechanisms of each type of marketing.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am all about teaching how something works so people are better able to understand and use it, but in this instance, my expectation was to be shown, at least in a case study, of how it is done and how effective it can be.
All this can be found for free on Youtube and the internet anyways, but I was expecting Yoonla to be a little bit more in-depth and to actually show you how to be successful with it.
Support
I think the support does not even come close to being good; when I clicked on the support link, I was asked to create another account there. Once done, I can only submit a support ticket. There is no way to contact them via email, chat, nor phone. Now, they don’t even give me a time-frame of how long it will take for them to get back to me. Will it take 24 or 48 hours? Will it take a week? A month?
I noticed they ask for me to join their Facebook Page, so I thought maybe I could expect to get some quick help there. But that’s a dead-end as well. There are questions that have been asked over 3 weeks ago, and nobody ever replied to them.
It’s all nice and bubbly when everything works fine, but there are instances where you really need help immediately. I mean, if you are a beginner and just beginning with your website, even if it takes about 2 – 3 days for you to get an answer, it’s no big deal, because you are not earning revenue yet.
But imagine you were Reno himself, making thousands of dollars a day. Having to wait 2 – 3 days for help via their support ticket would be unacceptable, because you are losing money in the process. I know even he would find that unacceptable.
Pricing / Commissions
As mentioned above within the Training Videos section, you are asked to pay $15 monthly for the autoresponder and about $83 for the Yahoo Small Business account, which brings us to a total upfront investment of about $100, with $15 recurring monthly and $83 yearly.
So much for being able to make money for FREE!!!
Also keep in mind that people on Youtube and other reviews and members will ALL hide these hidden costs.
I would also like you to know that there is NO WAY of making money with the free account. You HAVE to upgrade to the Elite membership. The only way to do this is to sign up with GetResponse and Yahoo Small Business account through their respective links and link them to your Yoonla account.
Yoonla will NOT allow you to move forward and make money without you paying for these services.
However, if you do want to promote the program and sign up for both the accounts, I want to let you know that you earn $2 – $4 per lead, depending on the location they sign up from.
If they sign up from Tier 1 countries, including, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, the USA and so on, you get the $4. If somebody from the other countries sign up, you earn $2. Know that if somebody signs up from Vietnam, India, Pakistan and a few other countries, that you won’t be making any commission as they have been banned due to high rate of fraud.
Reno’s Total Control
Yes, you will make money when somebody signs up through your referral link. There has been numerous proof that he keeps to his side of the bargain. But let me tell you that Reno is actually in full control of YOUR business.
Your source of income comes from him ONLY. Should the FTC or any other online authority force him to close, your income would cease. And that’s because you’re putting all your eggs in one basket with him. Your money is not coming directly from consumers or different sources.
Therefore, keep in mind that you will not be in control of what happens with your income stream with Yoonla. You could invest years into this and come to an abrupt stop because you’re not the one making the decisions.
Conclusion
Yoonla is on the verge of being a scam because the ONLY way to make money, would be to recruit and bring others to the program. This is a pyramid scheme in disguise.
From what I have uncovered, this program pays you miserly per lead you bring to the program, so the owner of the program can make more money through them by having them sign up with GetResponse and Yahoo Small Business account.
Each time $15 comes out of your referral’s pocket, he gets paid a commissions of 33%, which is $4.95 monthly. So he has no problem giving you a one-time reward of $2-4 because he knows he will keep making money from that same person monthly anyways.
As I said, I am not against helping anybody become successful by buying through their link, but if it’s a program as useless and aimless (except making Reno richer) as this program, it’s not worth it.
The training is very lacking and is something you can find all over the internet, where you can use it to promote ANYTHING you want at all! In this case, you are restricted to promoting Yoonla. Such a system at some point, will crumble to the ground and everybody who invested so much money into it, will be left with no income.
The support response time is below industry standard. I don’t want to join a company where I don’t even know when I will get a response, let alone a solution to my issue.
AND I hate the fact that Reno is the one at the top and pulling all the strings; yes, he gives you an opportunity to make money, BUT ultimately, he is the ONLY source of the money and therefore has total control over your business.
I do not recommend this program!
Do you want to make recurring monthly income like Reno?
I am doing it and I have no problem showing you EXACTLY how I do it, which is through affiliate marketing. The best place I learned how to make money, exactly the same way that Reno makes money, is with Wealthy Affiliate.
It is completely free to sign up, no credit card required. You actually get training from Kyle, the co-founder, on the foundation of how to properly build your online success. These are step-by-step instructions, along with explanations on why things needs to be the way they are. You are NOT forced to upgrade, you are NOT forced to promote the program itself.
The beauty of this platform is that you can make money promoting anything you like! You love shoes? Handbags? Golf? Camping? Basketball?
>> Find out how Wealthy Affiliate can help YOU monetize your passion here <<
Let me also show you the difference between Yoonla and Wealthy Affiliate below.
I hope I was able to help you understand what Yoonla is about. I really also hope that you give Wealthy Affiliate a try because it may just be the best decision that you could take for your own financial freedom.
Cheers to your success,
Reyhana.
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Thanks for this detail. I was looking at this a while ago and was on the fence but luckily, it seems, I decided not to go for it.
It’s so great that there are honest people like you here to warn us of these type of schemes. To be honest I have fallen for these before and this was another narrow escape!!
Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Dan
Wow Dan! I’m happy that you decided not to go for this program either! Reno does a very good job at concealing the actual mechanisms of his schemes.
I have also fallen for a quite a few scams and low-quality, pyramid schemes before and I lost quite a bit of money. I’m happy that we didn’t fall into this one.
I’m just trying to reveal as many scams as possible to help innocent people avoid them. As a victim myself, I know how it feels and I don’t want others to go through it as well.
Thanks for reading and for coming by, Dan!
Hi,
Thanks for this review and exposing Yoonla to those who are not still informed about this.
This is definitely a big help for those planning to join this program.
Newbies are definitely are there prime victims so they can easily ripp off their hard earned money to themselves.
You definitely did your research on this.
Keep on posting and sharing to help those who are mis-informed for such programs like this.
Cheers!
Hey Alvin. My mission is to expose as much of a program as I can, the good and the bad alike. I know that if I promoted this program and made it look good that I would have gotten a lot of sign ups and that would have made me money but if I don’t believe in a program, I don’t promote it.
Yoonla definitely preys on the weakness of the newbie and takes advantage of their lack of knowledge.
However, Wealthy Affiliate has a free membership, with free hosting (whereas you have to pay for that if you want to promote Yoonla) and you can get a free website as well (which you cannot do with Yoonla). So Yoonla is NOT completely free, where Wealthy Affiliate is.
The Yoonla programme doesn’t sound that great from your review. Thank you for being really honest about this particular programme. There are so many courses out there it is hard to tell which ones work, and which ones are scams! I have been in a few pyramids schemes and I don’t like the way they operate. Thank you for saving me time and money by giving me advice on this programme.
Kris, when I stumbled across it, I thought it sounded like a WONDERFUL program. But a closer look indicates otherwise. I hate pyramid schemes too because the ones at the top make more money than the ones at the bottom. And it is really hard to work your way up the pyramid. There is no way to make money selling a worthwhile product to consumers WITHOUT promoting the program. This will collapse sooner or later. I highly recommend to stay away from it.
On the other hand, Wealthy Affiliate is the BEST program, in my opinion, to make money because the owners don’t force you to promote the program and genuinely teach you and explain things to you so even if you leave the website one day, you can still host your website and start your business online somewhere else and make money from it.
With Yoonla, if you leave the program, you are not able to keep making any income from it.
I have seen programs similar to this where you get lured in for free or at a low cost then have to sign up for other things to make it work.
In the end very few people actually end up making any money unfortunately.
Thanks for the suggestion on Wealthy Affiliate.
You’re welcome Chris. Unfortunately, the internet is FILLED with these types of programs. And you are right. These programs make it look so easy to start making money online but it isnt as simple.
On the other hand, Wealthy Affiliate does not promise riches but says that it is possible if you give it time and apply what you learn consistently. The results are pretty rewarding… 🙂 It is one of the best platforms to learn how to make money online.
Wow!! Thanks for this review. My coach has added me on her private Facebook group and promotes this Yoonla thing. I even considered joining but I just noticed that my coach just kept pitching about it. I never even heard of her sharing some valuable information after I enrolled in the affiliate marketing training I found through her blog. Good thing is that I get to ask help and have it because the community is so much helpful.
Thanks for this review! I guess you’re awesomely learning from your training. Keep up the good work and all the best!
I’m glad that you are having some positives with your coach’s facebook group.
But yes, now you know why she is so aggressively promoting it. Again, I have no problem helping somebody make money by buying through their affiliate links but Reno does NOT show you how HE makes the money. He makes money through affiliate marketing and although he teaches you how to effectively promote your affiliate link within the training, that’s all you can promote, because the program is designed in such a way to make HIM more money, and not you.
And yes, I learned A LOT through the Wealthy Affiliate training but the learning does not really ever end with affiliate marketing, due to the changes that are constantly happening within the online world. That’s why anybody looking to start an affiliate marketing business should seriously consider Wealthy Affiliate, because it is one of the most up-to-date platforms.
Well written and well-explained review of Yoonla, you give great insights.
There are so many scams on the Internet trying to get your money for nothing and this is exactly that.
Internet products and services are worth paying for, especially if they help you reach your goals. But, when someone gets you to pay them money with the only goal being to promote them and make them more money, that’s just wrong. There should be some mutual benefit. Even pyramid schemes reward the early members before they fail.
Thanks for exposing Yoonla and keep up the good work.
Ed
Hello Ed and thanks for dropping by. You are right when you say that they are only trying to get your money for nothing because they are primarily wanting to make money and not to help you in any way. I don’t deny that there is money to be made but the amount of money you spend can quickly accumulate with Yoonla before you even make a dime.
These programs are disguised because they claim to be offering a “product” which is the training aspect of things. But the only way to make money is to promote the actual system. There is no real product to sell OUTSIDE of the system to make a decent income.
Not to mention that if the only way to make money is recruiting, then it is only a matter of time before the whole system comes crashing down as the market becomes saturated.
Hey Reyhana, nice post. Thanks for sharing this valuable information. I was not too long ago looking at Yoonla before I came to Wealthy Affiliate and was possibly looking at them as a side business and based on your review, I’m glad that I didn’t invest the time or energy to investigating it further; your review is a guiding light in the darkness that was yoonla. Good job!
Hi R.J. Thanks for dropping by. I’m also glad that you by-passed Yoonla. Have you ever heard of MOBE? It is exactly like Yoonla (a program that promotes itself) and it has just been shut down by the FTC. Sooner or later, programs that Yoonla and EPS will probably also come to that end. Borderline pyramid scheme, if you ask me.
Yoonla is on the edge of being called a scam for me from what I read! You perfectly explained it and added your own personal touch which made the reading through process even more enjoyable. The scam part is that the owner doesn’t show you his tricks on how to make money and uses shady tactics to earn money off of you!
To be honest with you, John, I would have loved to deem it a scam but because Reno keeps true to his word of being able to let you sign up for free and going through the training for free, it does not quality. But it IS kind of like a pyramid scheme, because the only way to make any money is to promote the actual program. There is no OTHER useful product from which the members can make money. You’re basically paying a membership fee so you can recruit others who want to make money (and pay a membership fee) who will recruit yet others (who need to pay yet their own membership fee). And all this is doing is making Reno richer, where you are not benefiting from any useful product.
And you are right when you say that the owner does not show you the way that he himself makes money, and I really do feel cheated by that. When somebody says that they will help you make money by following THEIR system, you kind of expect that that’s the way they make money too. But a deeper understanding of what’s happening in the background makes everything clear. This is going to crumble to the ground one day.
Thanks for this review!
You did a great job of explaining what Yoonla was. I agree with your assessment. I have been a member of Wealthy Affiliate for several months and think that the training far exceeds that offered by Yoonla.
Hey Melissa. Glad to know you enjoyed this review.
I am also happy that you have joined Wealthy Affiliate and I agree with you too. Wealthy Affiliate’s training is far superior than Yoonla in so many ways. The support is way better. You actually have a whole community that you can call your own and the greatest thing about the program, is that if you need help, you can even contact the owners directly and they will help.
Thanks for your input! I really appreciate it!
This is a really comprehensive review of Yoonla! On the surface, Yoonla looks like a pretty good program. But I’ve also looked into it before. Basically, they’re just like many other programs who focus on promoting themselves.
Their free membership has very limited things as well. There are many hidden costs involved.
Thanks for exposing this and I hope this review can help more people!
Hey Jerry. I wanted to show everybody absolutely everything that I found out about Yoonla because although it may seem okay on the surface, like you mentioned, a deeper look actually shows you the mechanisms of how he is making money over your head, without you realizing it. And you’re right, it is a company that needs leads to sustain itself. There is no other way to make money other promoting the program itself. I agree, there are only a few videos and PDFs within the training, showing you how to start your Yoonla promotion journey, but nothing that can be used to promote your passion and make a real business. Because what if he himself stops putting any effort into Yoonla? What happens to all those people who have signed up and been loyal to the program for years? Their income would just disappear. Reno has all the control over the business and not you, as a member.
When you build your own business, you should really be careful and think; are you in control of it? Or is the owner of the program? Don’t fall into this trap.