A reader tipped me off to a video titled, “Would You Swap $20 for $30?”
It depicted Dan Putnam, “on his way to a gas station”, shooting an “opportunity video”.
This was my first introduction to B-Eco.
Unfortunately when it came up for review some time later, the video had been “removed by the uploader”. I’m not sure why. Fortunately it’s still available via reupload.
The marketing premise behind B-Eco is summed up by Putnam early on in the video;
Question number one; Would you trade $20 for $30?
And question number two; Do you think you could find two other people, who would also trade $20 for $30 – within the next 48 hours?
Read on for a full review of the B-Eco MLM opportunity.
B-Eco The Company
B-Eco is a spinoff of B-Epic, of which Dan Putnam is co-founder and CEO of. Putnam’s parents are the other two B-Epic co-founders.
BehindMLM last came across B-Epic in June 2021. At the time Putnam had integrated B-Epic into Travis Bott’s Digital Profit “quad layer” Ponzi scheme.
Digital Profit lasted barely a few months before collapsing. Travis Bott went on to launch an NFT Ponzi factory. B-Epic continued along as a supplement MLM.
B-Eco’s website domain (“becoww.com”), was registered on December 6th, 2021. The company launched shortly thereafter.
Of additional interest is the SEC suing Dan Putnam for securities fraud in June 2020.
COVID-19 has delayed Putnam’s showdown with the SEC. At time of publication resolution of the case remains pending.
B-Eco’s Products
B-Eco markets their fuel tabs on the premise spending $20 turns into $30.
Dan Putnam, who who claims to own “fourteen personal vehicles”, explains this as follows:
I ran ten tanks of gas through the Prius; five with the tabs and five without.
The five with the tabs I averaged over eighty miles more per tank then without the tabs.
For $20 you get five tablets. So if you look at that $80 per tank extra? That’s around a six to eight dollars saving.
Even if we go on the low, which is $6, that’s $30.
B-Eco do not provide consumers with information about their products.
Currently, the “products” section of B-Eco’s website returns a blank page:
Attempting to visit B-Eco’s online shop, first requires country selection and then demands sponsorship information.
Consumers cannot proceed to evaluate B-Eco’s products without providing this criteria.
With a bit of stuffing around I was able to gain access. This revealed B-Eco’s flagship product, “B-Eco Fuel Tabs”.
One B-Eco fuel tab pack contains 5 tablets.
Simply insert one fuel tablet into your vehicle’s fuel tank prior to fueling.
Each fuel tablet treats 15-20 gallons of gas or diesel fuel.
As above, B-Eco’s fuel tabs are available in single or multi-pack configurations:
- B-Eco Fuel Tabs (1 pack) – $19.95
- B-Eco Fuel Tabs (2 packs) – $34.95 ($17.48 each)
- B-Eco Fuel Tabs (3 packs) – $50 ($16.66 each)
- B-Eco Fuel Tabs (8 packs) – $110 ($13.75 each)
Note that this is “distributor pricing”, which for some reason is the default provided when I clicked through as a potential B-Eco retail customer.
When I changed “distributor pricing” to retail (preferred) customer pricing, this happened:
B-Eco claims its fuel tabs have been “used by commercial fleets for years”.
Now available to the public, B-ECO Fuel Tabs are an amazing fuel saver and engine cleaner.
No information to verify these claims, or disclosure of who manufactures B-Eco’s fuel tabs is provided.\
Update 14th June 2022 – Ron in the comments below has provided us with a B-Eco marketing video featuring Lawrence Khan.
Kahn (right) is the co-founder of Pro One, who he identifies as the manufacturer of B-Eco’s fuel tabs.
Perhaps more importantly Khan is also a co-founder of XG Global (aka Xtreme Green).
BehindMLM first reviewed Xtreme Green in 2014. Based on its business model, we concluded Xtreme Green was a pyramid scheme.
Following legal threats from Khan, BehindMLM revisited Xtreme Green in 2018. The compensation plan had been cleaned up but it was still possible to earn on just recruitment.
Today Xtreme Green’s website receives practically no visitors (SimilarWeb). The company still operates as an MLM company and markets its fuel additive, but in liquid form.
In the linked marketing video above, Kahn talks about Fuel Maximizer, the liquid product sold through Pro One and Xtreme Green.
Kahn touts EPA approval of Fuel Maximizer as an indicator of legitimacy. Fuel Maximizer isn’t sold through B-Eco, so this is highly misleading.
Kahn doesn’t clarify whether B-Eco’s fuel tabs, in solid form, are the equivalent of Fuel Maximizer. He refers to the tabs as a “catalyst”;
This is a catalyst and not just a conditioner.
If you think about a catalyst in chemistry, what it does is it’s lowering the ignition temperature of the air/fuel mixture. In other words it lowers the temperature at which the fuel burns.
So if you can imagine, if you can lower the temperature fuel starts burning earlier, and it sustains or continues for longer.
If you can start burning earlier and burn for a longer period of time in a combustion chamber, guess what?
You’re gonna get more energy out of the fuel, and more of the fuel will be burned correctly. As opposed to unburned fuel, which is essentially emissions.
So the goal is to get as close to a 100% burn as possible. And by using the fuel tabs you can increase that percentage to be very close to 100%.
Which means more energy, more BTUs, more mileage if you like, and less emissions.
It seems Dan Putnam and B-Eco might indeed have exclusive rights to Pro One’s fuel tabs.
This naturally raises the question that if the tabs are so great then, why doesn’t Pro One or Xtreme Green sell them themselves?
Due to neither Pro One or Xtreme Green selling the tabs, no further information specific to the tabs is provided. /end update
B-Eco’s Compensation Plan
B-Eco’s compensation plan combines retail sales with a heavy emphasis on autoship recruitment.
B-Eco Affiliate Ranks
There are eleven affiliate ranks within B-Eco’s compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Brand Partner – sign up as a B-Eco affiliate, commit to a monthly fuel tab “active order” (autoship), and recruit one affiliate also on monthly autoship
- Qualified Brand Partner – maintain a monthly fuel tab autoship order and recruit two Brand Partners (placed one on both sides of your binary team)
- Silver Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 1000 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume
- Gold Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 2500 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume
- Platinum Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 2500 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume
- Diamond Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 5000 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume for five consecutive weeks
- Blue Diamond Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 7500 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume for five consecutive weeks
- Double Blue Diamond Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 2500 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume for six consecutive weeks
- Black Diamond Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 15,000 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume for eight consecutive weeks
- Double Black Diamond Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 2500 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume for ten consecutive weeks
- Green Diamond Qualified Brand Partner – maintain Qualified Brand Partner status and generate 2500 GV in weekly weaker side binary team sales volume for twelve consecutive weeks
GV stands for “Group Volume”. Group Volume is sales volume generated by an affiliate and their downline (their own purchases plus retail sales).
- sale or purchase of a single B-Eco fuel tab pack = 15 GV
- sale or purchase of a double B-Eco fuel tab pack = not provided
- sale or purchase of a three-pack = 35 GV
- sale or purchase of an eight-pack = 55 GV
Retail Commissions
B-Eco pays a 50% commission on fuel tabs purchased by retail customers.
This is 50% of the retail price paid. E.g. a retail single fuel tab pack supposedly retails for $24.95. This would pay out a $12.50 retail commissions.
Note I say supposedly because when I clicked through to B-Eco’s products as a potential retail customer, I was provided cheaper “distributor pricing” by default.
When I changed to retail pricing I was given a blank page. I don’t know if it’s actually possible to buy B-Eco’s fuel tabs at retail pricing.
Recruitment Commissions
All newly recruited B-Eco affiliates are required to purchase fuel tabs.
This generates recruitment commissions for whoever recruited them:
- recruit a single-pack affiliate = no commission
- recruit a three-pack affiliate = $17.50 recruitment commission
- recruit an eight-pack affiliate = $27.50 recruitment commission
Residual Recruitment Commissions (mini)
B-Eco pays a “mini” residual recruitment commissions via the Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus.
To qualify for the Mini Lifestyle Bonus, a newly recruited B-Eco affiliate must purchase at least $50 worth of fuel tabs when they sign up.
Qualified affiliates are then paid each month based on how many others they recruit who do the same:
- recruit and maintain two Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who each recruit two qualified affiliates of their own = $50 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
- recruit and maintain three Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who each recruit three qualified affiliates of their own = $150 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
- recruit and maintain four Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who each recruit four qualified affiliates of their own = $250 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
- recruit and maintain five Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who reach recruit five qualified affiliates of their own = $350 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
Residual Recruitment Commissions (full)
B-Eco pays full residual recruitment commissions via the Monthly Lifestyle Bonus.
To qualify for the Lifestyle Bonus, a newly recruited B-Eco affiliate must purchase at least $110 worth of fuel tabs when they sign up.
Qualified affiliates are then paid each month based on how many others recruit who do the same:
- recruit and maintain two Monthly Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who each recruit two qualified affiliates of their own = $100 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
- recruit and maintain three Monthly Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who each recruit three qualified affiliates of their own = $300 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
- recruit and maintain four Monthly Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who each recruit four qualified affiliates of their own = $500 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
- recruit and maintain five Monthly Lifestyle Bonus affiliates who reach recruit five qualified affiliates of their own = $700 Monthly Mini Lifestyle Bonus each month
Residual Commissions
B-Eco pays residual commissions via a binary compensation structure.
A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):
The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions).
Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level.
Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow.
At the end of each week B-Eco tallies up new sales volume on both sides of the binary team.
Affiliates are paid a percentage of new volume generated on their weaker binary side.
Residual commission percentage rates are determined by ranks as follows:
- Qualified Brand Partners earn “up to 10%”
- Silver Qualified Brand Partners earn “up to 12%”
- Gold Qualified Brand Partners earn “up to 15%”
- Platinum Qualified Brand Partners earn “up to 18%”
- Diamond Qualified Brand Partners and higher earn “up to 20%”
The “up to” amounts are contingent on B-Eco capping total commission and bonus payouts at 60% of company-wide revenue.
If the 60% cap is breached, residual commissions are adjusted down accordingly. Conversely, B-Eco states that if the payout is less than 60%, they’ll keep a reserve to cover higher weeks when possible.
After residual commissions are calculated and paid out, volume is matched and flushed from both sides of the binary team.
Volume used for bonuses is based ONLY on new volume on both legs; carryover volume does NOT count
As above, taken from B-Eco’s compensation plan, leftover volume does carry over into the following week but is not paid out on.
Matching Bonus
B-Eco affiliates earn a 20% check match on personally recruited affiliates.
Generation Matching Bonus
B-Eco offers a secondary matching bonus via the Generation Matching Bonus.
Gold Qualified Brand Partners and higher earn a 10% check match through unilevel team generations.
A unilevel compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a unilevel team, with every personally recruited affiliate placed directly under them (level 1):
If any level 1 affiliates recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 2 of the original affiliate’s unilevel team.
If any level 2 affiliates recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 3 and so on and so forth down a theoretical infinite number of levels.
B-Eco defines a generation in a unilevel team leg when a Gold Qualified Brand Partner or higher is found in the leg.
This caps off the first generation for that leg, with the second beginning immediately after.
If a second Gold Qualified Brand Partner or higher is found deeper in the leg, they cap off the second generation. The third generation begins after them.
A third Gold Qualified Brand Partner or higher caps off the third generation and begins the fourth.
Using this generational structure, Gold Qualified Brand Partners and higher earn the Generation Matching Bonus on up to four generations per unilevel team leg.
- Gold Qualified Brand Partners earn a 10% match on up to two generations per leg
- Platinum Qualified Brand Partners earn a 10% match on up to three generations per leg
- Diamond Qualified Brand Partners and higher earn a 10% match on up to four generations per leg
Global Bonus Pool
Diamond Qualified Brand Partners receive a share in 2% of B-Eco’s weekly company-wide sales volume.
Note that this is for Diamond Qualified Brand Partners only. Higher ranks do not qualify for the Global Bonus Pool.
Rank Achievement Bonus
B-Eco rewards affiliates for qualifying at Blue Diamond and higher with the following Rank Achievement Bonuses:
- qualify at Blue Diamond and receive $10,000
- qualify at Double Blue Diamond and receive $20,000
- qualify at Black Diamond and receive $40,000
- qualify at Double Black Diamond and receive $75,000
- qualify at Green Diamond and receive $150,000
Joining B-Epic
When I clicked “join” on B-Epic’s website, I was taken to the shop front with distributor pricing.
It’s fast and easy to sign up! Then with one product order, you’re in business!
Thus it appears B-Epic affiliate membership is tied to a fuel tabs order:
- B-Eco fuel tabs single pack – $19.95
- B-Eco fuel tabs double pack – $34.95
- B-Eco fuel tabs three pack – $50
- B-Eco fuel tabs eight pack – $110
B-Eco Conclusion
B-Eco has clearly been set up as a product-based pyramid scheme.
This begins with new affiliates having to purchase fuel tabs when they sign up, and maintain a monthly order to qualify for commissions.
Commission qualification in MLM should never be tied to affiliate orders. It is the foundation of a product-based pyramid scheme.
After committing to their own monthly order, B-Eco affiliates are then instructed to recruit others who do the same.
Making money with your B-ECO business is simple due to the power of our Two Team plan.
To start just focus on one thing: Be a Qualified Brand Partner yourself and sign up other Qualified Brand Partners (placing half in each of
your two teams).Then teach them each to do the same thing. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
Retail is possible but as pointed out above, both broken on B-Eco’s website and not emphasized or required anywhere.
Not surprisingly, this was a problem identified in BehindMLM’s original 2016 B-Epic prelaunch review. And was still a problem in our 2018 B-Epic review follow up.
As to B-Eco’s fuel tabs, minimum information is provided. You’ve basically got Dan Putnam’s “trust me bro” assurances.
Do you want to continue to complain about the gas prices?
Or do you want to do something about it and turn this into the opportunity of a lifetime?
From a regulatory compliance perspective, running around marketing an MLM company on the premise of turning $20 into $30 is a deceptive marketing red flag.
Why?
Because you can’t prove your marketing claims.
If B-Eco wants to make fuel-saving claims about its fuel tabs, that’s fine. But in order to not violate the FTC Act, proper documentation needs to be made available to consumers on their website.
But I put tabs in my car and went 1000 miles on a quarter tank and saved infinity dollars! is not a substitute for audited proof B-Eco’s fuel tabs do what they company claims they do.
You can put two and two together on why B-Eco fails to provide this required documentation.
Through B-Eco, Dan Putnam hopes to capitalize on rising gas prices. So he’s launched a spin-off pyramid scheme, through which he promises riches:
Within your first twenty-four days, you’ll have already made over twenty thousand dollars.
But the month’s not over, there’s still six more days.
In that next six days you’d go from twenty thousand to over a hundred thousand dollars.
Regulatory compliance aside, the majority of participants in MLM pyramid schemes are mathematically guaranteed to lose money.
The SEC has taken Putnam to task over his Ponzi schemes. Perhaps one day the FTC will do the same over his B-Epic branded pyramid schemes.