Escape International, LLC Review and Profile

Escape International, LLC no longer appears to be active as a direct sales company.

Original Npros business profile for Escape International, LLC, preserved below for archival purposes:

Escape International was a Michigan-based network-marketing company founded in 2001 by David A. Rutz. The company initially concentrated on telecommunications and technology services, using independent representatives to market voice-over-IP service, video phones, wireless plans and related products from third-party providers. Its suppliers and service partners included Packet8, Sprint, T-Mobile, Nextel, Verizon and Cingular. Escape International also maintained a wellness division offering nutritional and health-related products.

The company's business model relied on independent representatives who earned commissions and recurring income from customer accounts and the activities of representatives in their organizations. SEC filings by 8x8 Inc., the operator of Packet8, confirm that Escape International was one of the network-marketing companies authorized to resell Packet8 service in exchange for customer-acquisition bounties and commissions during fiscal 2005 and 2006. Escape promoted the opportunity as having no initial enrollment cost and emphasized residual commissions generated as customers continued paying monthly telecommunications bills or purchasing consumable products.

Escape International later shifted much of its attention to Aisle19, an online shopping and cash-back portal that connected members with hundreds of participating retailers. Members could shop through the portal and receive rebates, while Independent Business Owners earned compensation from referred shoppers and downstream organizations. A basic IBO account was promoted without an enrollment fee, while a premium option cost $19.95 per month and provided access to higher reward levels at selected merchants. Historical compensation materials also specified that commissions were processed monthly, with a $16.50 minimum payment threshold and a $1.50 check-processing fee.

Escape International pursued plans to become a publicly reporting company in 2006, when it hired Public Company Management Corporation to provide corporate and securities consulting. A Nevada corporation bearing the Escape International name was formed on November 21, 2006, with Rutz listed as president, secretary, treasurer and director. That corporation later lost its good standing and is recorded as revoked.