I promised I would find out if Motor Club of America (MCA) is a scam. I have come to the conclusion that it is not.
However, I’m not a fan of it’s referral system (which is what a majority of my review of MCA focuses on.
I find it questionable for several reasons and if you plan on joining this business, whether to receive it’s benefits or to promote it, you absolutely need to know what you’re getting yourself into.
Motor Club of America in a nutshell:
Think of popular roadside assistance benefits you get from companies like AAA, your auto insurance and other places. This is what MCA essentially is. But in addition to that, they also provide you with benefits that go beyond just towing.
The price for being a member of this organization varies as there are several options. Either way, whatever membership you join, it will cost you month to month. And the overall price of this membership is higher than other competitors.
This certainly makes MCA less attractive for most people to try as well as the fact that it’s not as mainstream as the other businesses that offer the same things.
But this is where things regarding MCA get interesting:
MCA also offers a referral program to it’s members. In other words, when you become a member of MCA, you also have the option of recommending/selling it to people. If you can successfully do this, you can make monthly commissions from each person you refer.
In addition to that, you can also make commissions off people your referrals make as well! It’s not going to be as much as people you directly refer, but it’s something that adds up and people have been building entire businesses off doing this.
This is where the MLM question comes into play. MLM which stands for multi-level-marketing is a form of business where people can make money through a “pyramid like” fashion.
You not only make money through referring people into an MLM, but through people they refer as well, and downwards, but the money flows up. This brings up a VERY important question…
Is Motor Club of Amercia a pyramid scheme?
The answer is no.
Pyramid schemes and MLM’s have a lot of things in common (full explanation of MLMs and which ones are pyramid schemes), the most notable indicators being:
- There being NO actual product.
- There being/not being a product, but the price of it being priced beyond what’s considered fair.
In Motor Club of America’s case:
- There is a product. It’s a service being provided.
- The cost of this service is relatively fair.
Taking this into account, MCA is not guilty of being a pyramid scheme. But I did mention before that I’m not a fan of it’s referral program because it is in fact an MLM.
Some people are huge fans of this business model. I am not one of them.
There are exceptions to this such as MCA and the truth is you CAN make money through this program, a good one at that. But it is also true that a lot of people who get into this company are not going to succeed for a number of reasons, and one of them is because the MLM model is extremely difficult to get success from. Plus, it’s questionable nature at it’s core also adds to that in my opinion.
1) You do get training to help make selling MCA easier.
I can’t vouch for it’s training since I haven’t personally seen it, but it involves doing offline/online marketing.
Also a special program called Get Weekly Paychecks exists to specifically help you market this MLM to people. However my top pick for promoting anything online would be Wealthy Affiliate and this is why.
Note: Get Weekly Paycheck isn’t around anymore, but Wealthy Affiliate still is, and it’s even better now than it was when I first reviewed MCA.
We’re talking door-to-door sales pitches, business cards, trying to get your friends to join and basically things that are normally VERY difficult to do. Think about it, when was the last time you accepted a sale’s pitch from a phone, a knock on the door or a friend?
On a side note, there are training programs like Get Weekly Paychecks focused entirely on helping you promote MCA specifically, but they are going to cost you extra to try.
2) Online marketing is probably your best bet if you’re going to want to sell MCA to others.
You’re looking at a market which is “monopolized” by insurance companies and businesses like AAA. How are YOU possibly going to get people to join a company when it’s more expensive and the competitors are probably more convenient?
When I look at MCA’s main website (an improvement from it’s “original” one), it doesn’t strike me as “official”. And this is my first impression. Whose to say that others aren’t thinking this too which makes the process of selling it that much more difficult.
This is where people who are MCA associates would say “Well why not tell them of the opportunity to make money with the business”. That is a good argument, but then the question I pose is this:
Are you joining MCA to actually receive a service or to make money with it? Some people would say both, but those who say it’s to make money are in my opinion people who shouldn’t promote the business.
I also find issues with the referral program because I am from a freelance point of view when it comes to making money online/offline. I believe if you’re going to run your own online business, it should be through a personal passion/idea of yours. If your passion is to promote roadside assistance, then MCA may be what you’re looking for, but you’ll still need proper guidance to promote it.
With MCA, even though you can make money and do it from home, realistically you’re looking at a 24-7 job where you’ll likely be getting no customers (worst case scenario) OR calls on a daily/nightly basis (best case scenario) and trying to pitch the business to other people.
Not everyone who calls will join and if this is something you’re truly ready to do, understand that it will take time away from other things you could be doing:
Another job, working on a different business idea. Plus take into account that this like any other business will take time to develop. Don’t except overnight riches from promoting MCA because it’s just NOT going to happen.
Pros:
- It is not a pyramid scheme.
- There is an opportunity to make money promoting the business to others.
Cons:
- It is basically an MLM program.
- If you can’t vouch for the quality of the business, I don’t believe it’s right to sell it to others.
- Competitive market to succeed within. Online marketing is probably your best bet.
Final Rating: Motor Club of America (MCA)
Yellow Light (Caution)
3 out of 10 stars. You do get services and the potential to make money is there, but overall I don’t think it’s worth the time/effort and there are MUCH better alternatives.
My final thoughts:
While MCA does have a good business model to promote itself, I question whether the quality of the service they offer is really that good. There are a lot of people saying that it is, but if you dig deeper, you’ll see a lot of these people are saying that because they want to refer you into it to make money in the process.
This makes me question whether the business is as good as they say. This is my biggest “issue” with MCA.
Honestly, if you’re reading this, are an MCA member and NOT promoting it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether or not the service is as great as the competitors. If it is, I may raise my rating of this business.
I am a MCA member I have a lot of old vehicles and needed towing just in case. Well a month after purchasing it one of my cars broke down I called the number and they had my car picked up within an hour. So far I am happy with the service.
Hi Ronnie, I am glad you were able to receive proper assistance from MCA’s services, this article was more so talking about the business opportunity MCA provides.
How does mca work ? How do you make money ?
I believe I explained it but I will summarize it quickly Joselyne, you basically promote people to join the referral part of the company, under you. Then a portion of their member fees go to you as commissions. If they also refer people into the same program, part of their fees will also go to you.
So if not MCA, what company do you prefer to people looking to make money online? What other companies are out there that are the best? I’m not interested in just calling random people’s phone, or going to their doors.
Well it sounds like online business might be more suited for you and as I did hint at a few times in the article, I’d recommend you go with Wealthy Affiliate. I think it’s without a doubt the best, at least compared to the “plethora” of programs I’ve seen.
Heard so much about MCA, it seems every social platform I visit, I run into MCA members. I can remember “way back when” some MCA guy had gotten a hold of my contact information online and called me by phone.
Mind you, this guy sounded so professional as if he was, the CEO himself, (lol). Honestly, by the end of his convincing call, he was waiting on a yes or no answer to join. I think there were two things, that scared me away.
Number One… As you said in your review, “the cost” and the other being the fact that I felt, even if I was financially convinced to do join…I know for sure, I’m not the one to call people up on the phone like that, just saying.
Got a couple of questions for ya…Since you mentioned MCA as a MLM company. I’ve always thought they were a Network Marketing Company. What’s the difference between the two, Network Marketing n MLM? And what calssification would you say WA falls under? Hope I’m not asking too many questions, but thanks in advance.
Hi Bev, a very good question regarding MLM and network marketing! I’ll probably write a post on this very soon since I actually did some research and saw it’s quite commonly asked but basically network marketing is a person selling the products of a company, whereas in MLM companies, the “opportunity”, aka the referral program is what gets emphasized.
Can’t a business be both a network marketing and a MLM at the same time? I don’t see a difference with the businesses that pay you to refer people that become customers; and these customers may or may not choose to refer others. Both Network Marking and MLM does this if legal.
Great question Charles! The answer is a business can operate under both methods, but there is a difference (here it is).
You bring up some very good points here. This definitely seems like an MLM, a model I myself (like you) tend to avoid.
The reasons, probably not ironically, are the same as you raise.
Many times the products that an MLM is selling are sub-par, so they rely on brainwashing and often “cult-like” schemes to get them off the ground.
I appreciate your well worded review, it looks like you’ve done your homework and I will definitely be looking elsewhere.
Thanks for the Article on Motor Club Of America. I have read a lot about MCA on the internet but I already have the services they cover via another company. You explained the referral program very well. Research is key to learning if you want to use the product or sell the service. Learning all you can about the product will allow you to make a good solid judgement. Thanks again for the valuable information.
Hi,
Can you explain in more detail what MCA does for you? Do they offer you car services?
Another question that I have is: when you define pyramid schemes you say that one of the two conditions need to be fulfilled (if I understood it well):
there is no actual product or it’s price is very high to be considered fair. How can you determine if one is or is not a pyramid scheme?
Hi, I have outlined the 2 conditions you mentioned here (about pyramid schemes). Regarding MCA, the services they provide range from car towing to even insurance, an all around service basically that you would you get from a regular car insurance company.
Now while there is no physical product which would be considered pyramid “Schemy”, there is a service and that service acts as proof that MCA is not a pyramid scheme, at least to me.
The way that I see it, you can make anything into a referral program, even though MCA is not an MLM as you said. I dislike selling anything and just can’t see me doing this program. Thanks for the heads up and keep those reviews coming. People need to become aware of these companies.
Actually Nate, I specifically stated that MCA is an MLM. I said that there is a difference between that and pyramid schemes, although not often and explained when the exceptions take place.
Thank you for this review. I first ran into MCA on Facebook and watched a person heavily recruiting others. He even paid to bring people into the company. When watching, I knew this was not for me. It felt very much like the people were more focused on the money making plans rather than on the products.
I actually never saw anyone promote the product itself, instead they just promote the money they make selling the product. To me, this is fishy. I don’t have the same negative view of MLM because I think there are many of them that provide value; however, I think it is important to look for a quality product that you believe in if getting into MLM, not just a get quick rich scheme. I look forward to reading your other reviews and I wonder, have you ever done network marketing or did you start out with the blogging site? It is fascinating to me how people have made online businesses for themselves!
I have briefly ventured into the world of MLM Marlena, but quickly realized something was amiss because the whole concept of opportunity through the promotion of a company and getting referrals to do the same just didn’t seem like the constructive way to build a business. Most of mine were not in the online world, but off and it is not that different when you look at the online ones.
Businesses can be made without these things in the equation. And frankly I dispute having to go through MLMs to build a “business”. Instead, do affiliate marketing or something that really has value to build something truly tangible off, which is why I always tell people to try Wealthy Affiliate vs any MLM program.
Thank you for responding. I appreciate that you took the time to answer my questions. Affiliate marketing does sound interesting to me
It’s a fascinating business Marlena and in many ways, you can call promoting MCA a form of affiliate marketing since you are in fact a middleman. However, there are certain differences and more flexibility in promoting the way I prefer over the type of stuff you’d be doing in MCA.
Frankly, I like what I do more than having to promote things like MCA or any MLM and if you are interested to learn more, I’d recommend reading about Wealthy Affiliate which is where I originally started my affiliate marketing journey.
Hi Vitaliy,
I have seen MCA promoted across many different facebook groups – you probably have too. The way in which some people promote it that raises some flag with me and of course the promoter. (promoting as a business opp rather than a product/service).
Like yourself I tend to dislike MLM simply because I really don’t want my income/business dependent on the actions (or inaction) of others.
Just my personal choice! Direct affiliate commissions – yes please!
Congrats on making Vegas 🙂
I am a member of MCA, I personally have only done a handful of referrals myself. But I did use my prescription benefits yesterday on my child’s medication. Normally after my private insurance I pay $65.78 for 1 asthma medication. With my benefit card I only paid $17. I didn’t have to switch any pharmacy. I used our routine pharmacy.
To others it may be scammy in the way it portrays itself. . For my family the little bit of savings was a plus.
I’m wondering if all they offer is for real or not. 19.99 a month for Towing and road side assistance, that I believe. But other benefits include life insurance, hospitalized ins, bail bonds, all kinds of stuff. So in theory if all these things they offer are true then yes it would definitely be worth the money. But that question remains. Has anyone ever received any of these from MCA? Are there claims reputable?
Hi, I loved your review. When I’m speaking to a potential customer or agent, I give them details on both. I’ve been working at home for about a year though Motor Club of America and I love it!
Can you help me with some advice on how to make sales?
Hi Claudette that’s great to hear I am 2 months into it, hoping to grow can I ask how are u promoting it?
Hi I’m an Agent for MCA as well and I’m having a hard time getting leads. Do you have any tips for me?
Hi Tirria, if I were an MCA agent, I would only rely on online marketing through this type of strategy and find the niche audience who is in need of the services they (MCA) provides (not the referral program) and chase that.
For example, I would start a website on helping people find cheap alternatives to car insurance, compare rates from other places to MCA and let people know the prices. Then from there, it may be easier to get the leads.
I need assistance on closing deals with mca
Well Chris, this is a problem many people have with sales nowadays, especially network marketing companies. What I do recommend is framing your sales angle from a niche perspective, meaning finding an audience that would perfectly seek and benefit from MCA’s services. This is the type of blueprint one company has taught me that I have seen consistent results from.
Honest review unlike others who cannot do one.. MCA is in fact a very competitive product I myself focus in selling the membership benefits more then the opportunity.. With the $9.95 a month plan our members get basically all the same benefits and services only differnce is less towing then our popular $19.95 a month… For $120 a year you qualify for towing, up to $57,000+ in yearly hospital benefits, up to 65% off dental vision and pharmacy $2,000 in legal fees $25,000 bail bonds and much more,
Where can I see a list of all the things you get with a subscription? I’m interested in many of the other things, not just towing.
Hi Leigh, it took me a little bit but you can find the list of services on their membership plans page (the official MCA site).
I enjoy your blog and feel like you are honest in your knowledge when you post your reviews. However, I think you might want to look at MCA at little more. I have done some research on MCA and the question I have is how good is the service that they provide? It is cheaper than Triple A and you get additional perks as well. With that being said, when you have a blowout in the middle of nowhere, are they going to hold up their end of the deal? That’s where the rubber meets the road for me. If the service is good than to me this program is a no-brainer. Another thing I like about MCA versus say the Instant Rewards Network is the kind of people you can approach with this service. You CAN actually sale this service to the white collar crowd and it’s not built around recruiting like so many MLM’s are. You could approach people that might simply be interested in getting affordable road side assistance. With IR you knew that 90% of the people didn’t care about the products and services. That to me made it have the icky feeling of an MLM that I have always felt uneasy about. And the majority of leads that I got with IR were people that didn’t really want to work. They wanted a get rich quick scheme and most of them were tire kickers. I’m going to do some more digging into this program but so far I’m intrigued with MCA.
I absolutely agree with your question. If MCA really does provide great service, then I would in not mind giving it a better score, in spite of it being an MLM. However in my experience, even the legitimate MLM’s who have a good product/service are usually popular not because of that, but because of the recruitment process that takes place.
Like you said, the people who joined IR were those who didn’t want to work. I figure they felt if they joined, money would come pouring in. I assume there’s tons of people who also have that mentality with MCA as well as any other MLM program so when they join, I don’t think it’s because they want the services, it’s because they want to make the money selling the same idea to others.
Now this doesn’t speak for the actual services of MCA. They could very well be amazing, but I have yet to hear about this from anywhere other than MCA affiliates which makes me wonder…
To really know if what provide is good, we’d need to ask an unbiased source. Let me know if you find out anything further on this. I too am very curious 🙂
Hi Vitaliy. Thanks for the great review. What I’m not clear about is your opinion of multi level marketing in general. You seem to be biased against them. There are many financial gurus, like Robert Kiyosaki, who say that MLMs provide the common man (my term) with the means to have a big business, and hence the opportunity to become financially independent. What is your opinion?
Hey Alice, there are certainly opportunities within the MLM world and the potential to become financially independent DOES exist. However there’s a tons of issues I have with these businesses:
I am a bit biased towards them yes, because I feel most of them share traits with pyramid schemes. You’re looking at businesses whose main purpose is to attract people into their business. Yes there are MLM’s which offer products and are legitimate organizations but in my experience, they aren’t as good as the competition.
Plus the people within the business promote it not because of the product’s quality, but because they want to make money with it. I’ve been pitched these kinds of things on more than one occasion in my lifetime, by close friends. It really comes down to how you would feel if someone walked up to your door step, whether a friend of family member, or someone you trust and just started trying to get you to join an organization. I would personally feel like they were doing this for themselves, not me and this would rub me the wrong way. If I feel this way when people do that to me, then I can’t ethically do that kind of stuff to others and with MLM’s these kinds of things happen almost all the time.
MLM’s in the long run do not help the majority of people. Somewhere down the line will be a large majority who invest money and not make anything. Can it be because of their own mistakes? Absolutely, but the idea that everyone makes money with MLM’s is just not true.
If I recall correctly, Robert Kiyosaki filed for bankruptcy not too long ago. I actually like the guy’s stance on gold & silver, but he’s just not someone who I would listen to on online marketing advice. I don’t think he has any of that.
I believe in honest marketing where what I recommend to people is not a get rich quick opportunity, but rather something they crave & need. This gives me fullfillment in knowing I gave them something they wanted. With MLM’s, I feel like I’m pitching them a get rich quick scheme. “Get so and so people under you and you’re set” seems very deceptive for me because that’s very difficult to do and the people I refer (If I ever do) will have to do the same. That’s just not a form of marketing I”m for.
Hope this clears things up. Sorry for the long reply heh.
Vitaliy
You hit the nail on the head when you said the only real incentive for joining MCA is the business plan. If you are truly interested in the services, something like AAA is better.
The only really “good” MLMs are ones where the original service/product is excellent and gives people a good deal. If that’s not the case, you’re just selling a dream
Make that 2 nails on the head Dom. This is why I question whether the services you get with MCA are on par with it’s more popular competitors. If not, then how can you ethically promote it? The answer is you can’t, unless the only thing you’re interested in is making money which totally ruins the sale’s pitch altogethr for me.