The latest news regarding Exclusive Option and the benefits providers:
There was a big problem regarding our new bar-coded membership cards at certain benefits providers and the way Exclusive Option Members tried to use these cards. On our web-page in the past we had only one link to our 'shopping mall' and there all the national benefit providers were listed which were maintained by our affiliated M2M Brand organization. Many members simply took it for granted that they would be able to use their membership cards at all these suppliers, and they presented their cards which was not recognized by some of the vendors. A great number of these vendors work on a VOUCHER system where our members are required to order and pay for a voucher from the retailer, and the discount was then built into the price they paid for the voucher. This is particularly the case with Edgars, Woolworths and other clothes retailers. (This will also be the case with the newly signed Pick 'n Pay vendor.) We want to apologize on behalf of the EXCLUSIVE OPTION HEAD OFFICE to these members as well as the retailers because we did not clearly explain this in the presentations in the past. We ask all our members to phone us at the national call centre at 086 111 2260 immediately if they are in doubt, or if they encounter a problem with any of the listed retailers as advertised on our web site and all the links from our website.
As a result the Exclusive Option Executive Officers and M2M Brand Executive Officers and our respective legal advisors have decided to withdraw all bar-coded membership cards. Very few vendors (Mainly local vendors) were prepared to change their software (at great cost) to be able to read the barcode, and it created an additional security risk to allow outside organizations access to our security database in order to confirm our member's details. We are returning to the previous membership cards (The laminated red, silver and gold cards). These cards are simply for you to remember your membership number, and to produce to organizations who require you to proof membership and ID. (Typically your restaurants and other retailers) It is also important to indicate to the sales people at these stores that the National Franchised Retailers are powered by M2M Brand, and they can contact our Country Executive Peet Ferreira at +27 (0)71 247 2502 or our organization's M2M Representative Mr. Daniel Taitz at +27 (0)11 887 2928 or send him an e-mail at taitzd@m2mbrand.com but PLEASE cc Peet Ferreira at peet@exoption.com on all correspondence with M2M.
You will notice that we now have three separate links to service providers, namely the LOCAL and NATIONAL service providers, which is available to RED, SILVER and GOLD members. Then we have TWO national links, one for SILVER members, and one for GOLD members. All the links available for silver members are automatically available on the gold link, but not the other way round! A red or silver member will not be allowed to link to the gold membership portal.
All our members belong to either Red, Silver or Gold membership status.( ...with the exception of the original 500 members who joined on the exclusive Platinum level) The idea of the Red membership was mainly to enroll a person and enable him/her to upgrade with time to Silver or Gold membership by means of their respective Consulting Managers who may enroll new members on their behalf, earning them enough money to be able to upgrade simply by using their earned commissions.
All members have full access to our national call centre. ( ...and soon we will have call centers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia as well) Red members will be limited to our local retailers. The silver members will also have full access to all local vendors, but will have limited access to our National Vendors. Gold members have unlimited access to all vendors.
We have many new managers country wide who will qualify at the end of July and the first week in August 2008. We will publish their names and contact details in this news letter during the next two weeks. There are several new managers in Bloemfontein, Vereeniging, Port Elizabeth, East London, Cape Town, Queenstown, Umtata, Durban, Richards Bay and Gauteng. We are also in the process of training new managers in Swaziland to prepare for the launch soon. We are very excited about this remarkable growth in our organization, and we trust that we will be able to spread our wings internationally very soon!
We require all our members to please update their information on our web page at www.exoption.com a.s.a.p. Many people did not receive payments during the past two months simply because they did not supply us with correct banking details or tax numbers! Remember to type in your membership number as the user name, and if you go online for the first time, use your ID number as the password. Remember to change your password, and to click on the UPDATE button at the bottom of the page before shutting down!
Remember that our month ends at midnight on every 25th of the month, accept in February when our month ends on the last day of the month for the sake of the start of the new financial year. On that day you must print your copy of your IRP5 document before midnight, when all totals will be zero'd for the start of the new financial year. Exclusive Option Head Office will still send you the official ERP5 certificate on the 1st March per registered post to the address on the system. (Please ensure that your POSTAL CODE is also correct on the web.)