I have been an Avon Representative for 5 years and made the President's Club for the first time this year. My biggest complaint is the shortages and backorders. What is the deal with this? Avon is a multimillion dollar industry. I am so sure they do not make enough products to meet the customers demands. I always put in between $600 and $800 orders, but Avon only sends me between $250 and $300 of my products. This leaves me with a profit of just $75 or $100 instead of $300 or $400 like I am supposed to profit. I am so fed up with the shortages of my products. They are always either "not available" or will be shipped at a later campaign. This makes the Representative look bad. How are we supposed to build the customers trust if half their product is missing? I think this is just a way for Avon to keep the Representatives from making so much money. That is the reason I just made the President's Club, otherwise, I would have made it since I started. Avon is a scam, they make money buy holding our product so that we won't profit. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND SELLING AVON. You put so much time and effort into it and you end up looking unprofessional because of the shortages and backorders.

On November 17, 2009 I received a check for over $24, 000 from Avon. It was made out to me and sent to my correct address. I thought that it was posibly some stock dividends that my now deseased Grandmother had earned. My Grandmother was an Avon lady from the 1970's to 1990's. She was constantly getting awards for being a top seller. She died in 2004 and left quite a bit of bills. At that time my parents were paying them. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina took everything they owned. I then decided to pick up the bills to help them out. Needless to say, this check was a Godsend. I took it to my bank and had them verify it. The check cleared and I used most of it to pay off various debts. I then celebrated by burning all of the paid in full ones for my Grandmother. On December 17, 2009 I received a Fed Ex'd letter from a WNS Global group telling me that I kept a check that obviously wasn't mine and that they would take criminal action if I didn't immediately pa
y it back. I contacted them and explained what happened. I got so scared by the letter and was so embarrassed that I told the man that I hadn't spent any of it. I sent a check for the full amount and received a check for $500 as a "thank you" Now, I owe several family members money. I had to cancel Christmas for my chronically ill child and pawn anything of value. I felt so disgusting by what had happened that I decided to contact Avon directly. After two weeks the representative from the office of the president for Avon sends me a final reply. In it I was basically blamed for depositing it and getting myself into this mess. I was told that I should have contacted them first. Why should I? I thought it was mine. She then proceeds to tell me that the money was for one of their vendors and that my customer number was entered by mistake. In 2007 I had contacted them about a product refund. This is how they had my name and address to begin with. Anyway, she also
stated that they made "several" attempts to contact me. I haven't moved or changed my address in over 10 years. I had explained that this economic burden was not my fault and was going to LEAVE US HOMELESS IN A MATTER OF WEEKS. It still made no difference. I replied and ttried to explain and clarify the truth, not what WNS and their financial dept. decided was the truth. I now get no response to any attempts to email them. I am now $20, 000 in debt due to their mistake. I told the rep. that car accidents are mistakes but it doesn't leave people any less injured or dead. I don't know what to do. This is supposed to be a company based on the premise of helping women become financial independent, REALLY? I don't feel so free.

Basically i signed up to become an avon representative because i believed it would be a good way to make some extra money, however i soon found out that it was a lot of work for very little reward. I was often called by avon sales representatives selling products to me, to which i said i was not interested. However during my holidays in 09 i was sent reese wetherspoon perfumes, which i could sell to make money, however i had not asked for the products and had declined them being sent out and explained that i no longer wished to be an avon representative as i no longer had the time. I was not sure about what to so i left the products in my room untouched, after a while i had noticed on my avon account that i had been charged 30 pound for the perfumes, so i rang up avon and said that the products were still here and if i sent them back, would that take the charge off. They said that would be no problem and that they would send a driver out to collect them on a particular day. However on this day he did not turn up, and i had also been charged a 10 pound late payment charge for not paying the 30 pound charge for the perfumes. However the 30 pound had been taken off but i still had the perfumes in my possession. So i rang up again and told them what had happened and they said they would send another driver out on a particular day to pick them up, he also did not turn up and a couple of days later i received a letter saying that due to not paying the fees they had black listed my credit rating, obviously at 19 this isnt a very good thing to hear, even at any age. So my mam eventually decided that as they werent taking me seriously that she would ring up, as black listing can cause problems when i want a mortage or to lend money later in life. She rang up and they said they understood the issue and that for the 3rd time they would send someone out to pick the perfumes up. I was extra cautious and put the perfumes (which were in a box) on the step so if i missed him he could just take them, luckily i had done this because he came a day earlier than the schedueled date. I was told that he would give me a bar code from the products so that i could prove that they had been collected, however because he had taken them without me there he had just left a calling card to say he had picked them up. So i rang up avon and explained and she said that was fine the account would be cleared. However i have checked my account today as i wanted to make sure and had found out that they have recharged me 30 pound for not sending the perfumes back. This is still ongoing and has been since august last year.
I advise anyone thinking that becoming an avon rep really not to bother, it has caused me more trouble than it is worth and could effect my future, over 30 pound, which i had refused to pay because it is such a unfair way to get money out of people. At 19 i dont have money to pull out for avon, and have stuck by it as this was not my fault. They really do try and scam u out of money, my avon leader who was meant to help me has because more of a hindrance and refuses to help me in any way. People nowadays find it so much easier to buy off the internet so why will they wait for an avon rep to get around everyone and take a week or so to have their goods delivered when they can order off the internet and have it within a couple of days. I never made more than 40 pound with avon, and i can safely say it was not worth my trouble!!!
DONT BECOME AN AVON REPRESENTATIVE, IT REALLY ISNT WORTH IT!

I purchased 3 of the digital camera's with camcorder from avon about 2 weeks bdfore christmas on the special at $70.oo a piece with a $20 beauty purchase, so I spent $300.oo...A couple of days later I opened one (mine) (other 2 for daughters for christmas...) mine worked that one day and then after that everytime I turned it on it said loading...I found no troubleshooting techniques in book, no phone number...So called Rep and said see what you can find out...If no assistance then I want to return them, I don't think I want to take a chance with no help number or tech assistance...Said she would call next day...that was 10 days ago...Calle New York, home office and she mailed (couldn't email or fax, so she said) refund form to me...and gave me district mgrs number here and I called and left several messages...Dec 28th ...NO ONE has returned my calls...HELP>>>I use to sell avon...I thought they were a reputable company...poooohhheeee...

I have been a representative for 14 1/2 years and I am totally fed up with the amount of back orders and shorts and the amount of time my customers have to wait for some of their items, and I am sick and tired of hearing Avon is trying to correct this problem or a customer service rep saying I apologize for this. It certainly does reflect well on Avon especially when it is a new customer. How do you expect them to re-order with this kind of service. Also I have really had it with the amount of fixed earnings products in the brochure. How do you expect us to make any real money when you can only make 25% on so many items. I want to choke when I see the commercials on TV about how being an Avon representative can give you such independence When I think of the hours that I work and what I have to deal with and what I make at the end of the campaign you would have to give me six figures, before I would recommend anyone be a representative, and I am the top selling rep in my district and have been for a number of years.