Report about QN Europe on SWR
We refer to the report on QN Europe shown on April 2, 2019 at 8:15 p.m. in the SWR program Marktcheck – What is behind the business model? The reporting is tendentious and lacks the necessary objectivity.
As already explained several times in writing and in personal discussions with SWR, watches are not the focus of QN Europe’s business model – nor is the recruitment of sales partners.
QN Europe invested a high six-figure sum in product development in 2018/2019 to expand its product range and launched four new products on the market in 2019 alone: from the natural energy drink Guaringa to fitness supplements. This alone shows that the focus of QN Europe’s business model is the sale of products that are offered exclusively in direct sales with high quality standards and all relevant certifications.
This article also highlights the watches from the Bernhard H. Mayer brand, which are also exclusively available from QN Europe. We already commented on this in detail in 2018 – the article nevertheless repeats the speculations of the first broadcast in June 2018.
The Bernhard H. Mayer brand has been exclusively distributed worldwide by QNET for almost 20 years and by QN Europe in Europe since 2014. Bernhard H. Mayer watches are manufactured in Switzerland and bear the “Swiss Made” quality seal. There has been no active business relationship between Bernhard H. Mayer and QN Europe for many years.
The repeated “suspicion” that QN Europe is a pyramid scheme that constitutes progressive customer acquisition does not become more factual through repetition.
The fact is, however, that this suspicion has been ruled out by the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court since 2016: Here it was confirmed that QN Europe is a legal direct sales company (can be read at: www.lareda.hessenrecht.hessen.de/lexsoft/default/hessenrecht_lareda.html# docid:7497728).
We cannot confirm that the Darmstadt public prosecutor’s office is allegedly continuing to investigate QN Europe. No accusations have been made against us to date. As we do not have the investigation files, we must assume that investigations may be directed against individual sales partners. However, we do not wish to engage in speculation in this regard.
We would also like to expressly contradict the entire presentation of QN Europe as a company, which would like to give the impression that QN Europe does not communicate openly and transparently, evades investigation by the press or hides behind a “convoluted network of companies”. We note that:
- QN Europe was initially asked in writing by SWR for an interview. The date offered was extremely short notice and non-negotiable. As the management was on a business trip abroad that day, the interview unfortunately did not take place. The second request was answered within a very short time with an appointment offer, which was also realized. The SWR had “requested an interview several times in vain” is therefore explicitly false.
- QN Europe experienced solid growth in 2018 and needed more space. For this reason, a new office building with a warehouse was rented not far from the old office address in October. QN Europe communicated this openly and widely, including on its own blog. SWR’s claim that the company had practically gone into hiding and left the old premises deserted is misleading: the rental agreement was terminated properly and the move publicized. Nor did it take any extensive research to find out the new address: It can be found, as with any other company, on the contact page of the website, among other places.
There is also no “convoluted network of companies with changing names” around QN Europe. As explained to SWR on several occasions, there is only QNet as the international parent company, QN Europe as the European subsidiary and Eurasia Services, which took over customer support for QN Europe in Germany during the start-up phase of QN Europe.
Finally, we would also like to address the examples shown of people who have allegedly lost their homes and jobs and have been left with debts.
As the only person who claims this remains anonymous, it is unfortunately not possible to ascertain whether this fate is actually linked to QN Europe. Nor is it possible to determine whether the business partner consulting in an office in Stuttgart (without a company sign on the door) can be attributed to QN Europe or possibly to a competitor.
The fact is: Nobody has to quit their job or training to work for QN Europe – many of our business partners run their business successfully as a sideline. We also do not recommend anyone to make investments or even take out loans to get started.
In fact, following the first report by SWR Marktcheck in June 2018, we immediately contacted our business partners, conducted intensive investigations into unfair business practices by our independent partners, revised our contracts and rules to make them stricter and terminated our collaboration with several business partners without notice.
QN Europe does not tolerate the actions described and consistently prevents them wherever we become aware of them. All complaints from customers were dealt with quickly and with maximum fairness.
We have also reacted to the use of unauthorized training material, as shown in the article. All of QN Europe’s business partners were strictly prohibited from using their own material to address or advise customers and new employees – and up-to-date, compliance-compliant training material was provided by QN Europe within a very short time. So if the consulting scene shown in Stuttgart was not staged, it certainly does not reflect the current state of our business partners’ activities.
