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AIBU?

to be a bit pissed off at this arbonne rep?

92 replies

somedayma · 28/09/2012 23:00

a good friend of mine (I'll call her Laura) who lives in a different country asked me to meet up with a friend of hers (who lives in the same city as me) as she had a 'business proposition'. I was a bit but thought 'ah sure why not'.

We met in a coffee shop last week and she showed me a presentation on her laptop about Arbonne skincare (they also do baby products, protein shakes etc). She (and Laura) are Arbonne reps and she was trying to get me to sign up as a rep too. Laura would get some sort of commission from this.

I have to admit the presentation was very good and she made it seem very attractive- "well you already spend money on shampoo/cleanser/eye cream, why not spend with Arbonne and make some of that money back?" etc. And you can 'earn' a mercedes if you make a certain amount of sales .

She cleverly gave me a skin care kit to take away and sample for 2 days (therefore ensuring I'd have to meet her again to return it) and yes, the products seem very nice but I spend a fiver on olay eye cream, I'm not in a position to spend 40 quid on it! But that's beside the point. Apart from having no time to spend on being a rep, I also don't really give enough of a shit

OP posts:

Report

OldGreyWiffleTest · 28/09/2012 23:04

You agreed to meet her. She did her job. You don't want to 'join'. Why be pissed off with her?

Tweasels · 28/09/2012 23:04

What are you asking? AYBU to not want to get involved or AYBU to be pissed off that they asked you?

somedayma · 28/09/2012 23:05

Oh oops posted too soon .

I also don't give enough of a shit about my friends having fabulous skin to make an effort with this sort of thing. So I met her tonight and returned the kit and said thanks but no thanks. And then wanted to smack her in the face when I got these comments:

"oh. Well. If you don't WANT to make more time in your life..."
"there will come a point when you will realise that you aren't happy to plod on doing what you're doing, you can call Laura then."
"most people realise they're not happy to settle for second best. I've realised that and Laura's realised that. You haven't."
"if you're HAPPY with your life, i suppose that's that, you're happy to continue as things are."

etc etc. I nodded and smiled the whole time and didn't respond purely because I didn't want to make anything uncomfortable for Laura.

Would I have been unreasonable to have yelled SHOVE YOUR PYRAMID SCHEME AND MERCEDES UP YOUR HOLE?

OP posts:

TodaysAGoodDay · 28/09/2012 23:05

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Graciescotland · 28/09/2012 23:05

I hate those pyramid type schemes, so you sign up and Laura gets a cut and her mate and the guy above them and so forth and you can get to the top and that's the person with the mercedes!

somedayma · 28/09/2012 23:09

Well that's the thing Gracie, I'm sure you could probably make decent money if you care enough to make an effort with it, I don't! I sort of feel bad for Laura cos she really is a lovely person and i know she needs more people to 'sponsor' but...the whole thing seems stupid to me. OH OH and i forgot to say, you have to spend £1600 on 8 of these kits to lend to people to sample. SIXTEEN HUNDRED QUID. away and jump. I got a patronising smile when I said I don't have 1600 quid lying around. And then helpfully told I could just buy 4 kits for 800. BARGAIN huh?

OP posts:

Fosgoldlady · 28/09/2012 23:10

I'd be tempted to contact Laura and tell her that if you were such good friends she'd of known not to introduce you to such a rude woman and you didn't appreciate the hard sell. I had similar years ago..........suprisingly the ones who'd taken up such a 'great' offer weren't still doing it 18 months later......

Sorry, but personally I consider it a form of abusing a friendship

somedayma · 28/09/2012 23:13

Oh no fos, I can't emphasise how much of a sweetheart Laura is, I guess because she signed up she didn't get to see the mega passive aggressive side of her friend that I saw. I do think Laura will make a success of it, this is her only job at the minute and she's the perfect personality for selling etc. I don't think she would have intentionally set up a meeting with an arsehole

OP posts:

Fosgoldlady · 28/09/2012 23:25

Glad that it won't be affecting your friendship - but what you've described is one of my 'issues' - hence my rather ratty response!!!!! Sorry!

Fosgoldlady · 28/09/2012 23:26

Glad that it won't be affecting your friendship - but what you've described is one of my 'issues' - hence my rather ratty response!!!!! Sorry!

somedayma · 28/09/2012 23:29

I didn't take it rattily! . If it was anyone other than Laura I'd probably agree

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SneakyNuts · 29/09/2012 11:39

Someone I know has just started with this.

She's managed to alienate a hell of a lot of people by harping on about what a "fantastic business opportunity" it is... "exciting times!"

She also likes to drop big fuck off hints implying that anyone who has children and goes out to work doesn't care enough about their kids and doesn't get to see them grow up- unlike her who gets to "stay home with my baby".

It's bollocks, all of it.

fuzzpig · 29/09/2012 11:46

I hate schemes like this. We keep getting cornered by someone I barely know who insists we should become a rep for whatever it is... smile, nod and back away.

No problem looking through catalogues etc, I understand that people need to make a living, but guilt tripping people who don't want to do the same job is pathetic

SneakyNuts · 29/09/2012 11:59

Exactly, fuzzpig

mum2chalkandcheese · 08/10/2012 10:14

Really interested to read this post. I had the "soft sell" done on me last week and am meeting up with the lady tomorrow to hand back the trial products and probably receive the "hard sell". I'd already made my mind up about not entering into the scheme but am now ready with my answers (smart-arse answers to sarcastic comments)!!

It's interesting that during the chat I thought it sounded like an ok idea but having had a week to think about it and investigate a little it does seem like a dodgy and uncomfortable way of making a bit of extra cash.

somedayma · 08/10/2012 14:30

Yeh it seemed great at first but once you think about it and research it...not so great

OP posts:

icantthinkofone104 · 10/05/2013 20:16

Hi, I met a friend i've not seen for years the other day for drinks at her house with few others, showed me the laptop presentation and samples to take away.
I quite liked the products, although expensive.
Anyway - the friend has been selling it for a year and has been on the flash holiday, getting the car. Gave me a list of other people I may know who are selling. I was told I need to sign up as a £56 preferred customer to get 35% off of my own personal spend, and that I would change all my cosmetics etc spending to Arbonne, and make money on my own sales. Then recruit at least 4 others and receive % on their sales and the sales of those they recruit - easy?
Well ish, if I can find 4 people, if I can afford to buy the products for my own use and if I can afford £250 to £1500 to buy 1 to 6 kits to hand out to people to sample and tempt with.
Also its credit cards only and I do not have one as I have a poor credit score
Any thoughts, good or bad. The friend is flying high with this and says she is earning £1000 a week!!
Sounds tempting, but I have very little money and would have to borrow from family to start up, just don't want to miss out if its really as easy as she says it is

Bricklestick · 10/05/2013 20:48

I write about beauty in my spare time and I'm always being approached by Arbonne to write about them, but I'm so uncomfortable with their sales-model, that I always refuse. I think the products are good, actually, but they're so expensive because so many people take a cut of the proceeds, rather than the products being worth the price you pay for them, iyswim.

YABU unreasonable to be pissed off with the woman who spoke to you that way. I could put you untouched with their head office if you wanted to make a complaint - she had no business talking to you that way.

Nanny0gg · 10/05/2013 21:26

I thought Pyramid selling was illegal?

I lost a good friend when she tried to set me up with Amway many years ago.

It's always a good thing for those at the top of the pyramid, but it's very hard when you're middle or bottom.

Letitsnow9 · 10/05/2013 21:32

Well while your just plodding on with your life in the future, she will be panicking as she's run out of people to buy into the scheme! I hate things like that, and how rude! I always wonder, do they think insulting someone will make them go 'well I wasn't going to, but as you have been so rude I will sign up?!

somedayma · 10/05/2013 21:39

wow zombie thread

OP posts:

Nanny0gg · 10/05/2013 21:53

Oops!

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icantthinkofone104 · 10/05/2013 22:17

what does the comment zombie thread mean?

DiscoDonkey · 10/05/2013 22:27

Oh well now your back on your zombie thread how did it all pan out? Did Laura get her flash car?

DiscoDonkey · 10/05/2013 22:28

A zombie thread is a very old thread.

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