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Original poster

Feel like an idiot - almost got sucked into the FM MLM :-/

26 replies

Swoonforpeterbishop · 30/03/2021 21:54

One of my best friends recently set up an “online perfume shop” and started doing really well from it. She was posting about her journey, and chatting to me about it, and she had got up to earning £3,600 a month apparently.

I joined one of her secret sale WhatsApp groups and the perfumes sounded worth a try. Made from the same oils as top brands etc, and spent £40 with her. It was nice to help a friend too.

Products arrived - they’re fine but nothing special and more like something I’d pick up at primark.

Before this I almost got sucked into it (before they arrived) and said I might be interested in signing up as work is scarce and I’m self
Employed.

Now she won’t leave me alone! And I keep getting added to groups for secret sales and things and it’s making me want to avoid her completely.

She’s one of my closest friends but she doesn’t seem to actually listen when I say I’ve thought about it and don’t want to sign up it’s not for me, I’m just getting aggressively marketed at every time we talk.

I feel like such an idiot for even saying I was interested, I didn’t realise it was an MLM until I did a bit of research into it.

Now I’m doubting everything she’s said about earnings and I’m worried she’s somehow getting her into debt.

I don’t know how to fix it!

OP posts:
ReverendRicketyCricket · 30/03/2021 22:19

Sadly you can't fix it. Probably the best thing is to withdraw as much as you can whilst making it clear that you'll still be there when she comes to her senses!

Justmuddlingalong · 30/03/2021 22:22

Aggressive marketing smells exactly the same as desperation.

IstandwithJackieWeaver · 30/03/2021 22:26

You can't stop her without upsetting her and potentially losing the friendship. You can tell her you're working hard on your own worksearch and don't have time. It's hard - I've seen someone throw a career away. She's now working part time in a job she did when she was 16 (we're pushing 50). However, that career she threw away will have been severely affected by the pandemic and is likely to have been furloughed for a very long period or made redundant.

Thelnebriati · 30/03/2021 22:26

You can't fix it, all you can do is protect yourself, take a step back and hope she comes to her senses. But I'm not sure I'd ever feel the same way about her after that.

Cocothecat27 · 30/03/2021 22:31

Ok I'm going to sound really dumb here but can someone tell me why they are so bad? I understand the premise is making money through recruiting more people rather than actually focusing on a product. But there does seem to be money to be made, how is it a con?

Absolutely no intention of signing up for any of this shit by the way. I have a friend who is flogging it and posting numerous posts on social media everyday about her 'tribe' and how great life is since she joined.

EwwwCoffee · 30/03/2021 22:40

@Cocothecat27 Look up ellebeaublog.com - she details her experience with an MLM and it really spells out how damaging these scams are

Cocothecat27 · 30/03/2021 22:43

Thanks I will.

JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows · 30/03/2021 22:46

I'm afraid she's essentially part of a cult now - avoid and continue to be direct

IstandwithJackieWeaver · 30/03/2021 22:50

@Cocothecat27 - she'll end up being their her best customer. They make money from people spending with them, she will spend hours flogging their products and giving stuff away as prizes when she's paid for it and she won't be making the huge amount they claim. It's a pyramid scheme dependent on her recruiting other sellers.

PurpleFadesToGreen · 30/03/2021 23:11

I've a friend who does FM World.
Apparently she's a business woman....

She's just signed up to some lashes thing now too...

TheDaydreamBelievers · 30/03/2021 23:19

@EwwwCoffee the key issue with mlms is that most sellers will make no money at all. Financial analysis of mlms shows about 85-90% of the sales people make less than they spend buying the products. Only the people on top of the pyramid make money, and the key way to make money is to recruit not to sell products

Cocothecat27 · 30/03/2021 23:25

lol it all sounds so cliche. My friend constantly refers to it as her business too.

Read an article that sums it up pretty well. Just found my friend pretty convincing on Facebook but sounds like she's likely to be over exaggerating or outright lying.

cameocat · 30/03/2021 23:35

@EwwwCoffee I really recommend watching secrets of the multi level millionaires on BBC iplayer.

cameocat · 30/03/2021 23:36

Sorry my comment was more for @Cocothecat27! Got confused!

Chattycatty · 31/03/2021 00:07

£3,600 from knock off perfume Grin never ever happening op.

ThatsNotTheTeaHunty · 31/03/2021 00:11

Those perfumes stink like actual shit.
Least you didn't get sucked into these ridiculous schemes.
Maybe you need to be more stern with her just tel her to back off before you spray the shit odoured perfume in her eyes Grin.

ThatsNotTheTeaHunty · 31/03/2021 00:11

Tell*

BoomTastic1 · 31/03/2021 00:49

This happened to a friend of a friend, they pissed off everyone they knew and friends started avoiding them.

SionnachRua · 31/03/2021 00:53

Now I’m doubting everything she’s said about earnings and I’m worried she’s somehow getting her into debt.

And you'd be right to do that. Well done on clocking it for the BS that it is early on though, it's suckered in thousands of women! +1 for ElleBeau and also /r/antimlm if you're a Redditor.

DaisyDreaming · 31/03/2021 02:26

It doesn’t matter that you nearly got sucked in, all that matters is your saw the light before signing up and handing over money to become part of it! Lucky escape

Standrewsschool · 31/03/2021 02:53

I think you just need to keep repeating that you’re not interested. Rinse and repeat. Maybe even send her some articles about mom scheme.

Gumandbass · 31/03/2021 03:31

Ahh, you're not an idiot its easy to be fooled. I recently made a new friend. She married to my partners cousin. We have got pretty close over lockdown. Started with group zoom calls & we hit it off so Started going for weekly walks together. She has been telling me all about her new business venture ( was keeping the details quiet until it was all set up). Then this week came the big reveal...... Its arbonne? ( Sorry not sure thats the correct spelling). I am backing off fast.

emilyfrost · 31/03/2021 06:40

It was nice to help a friend too.

You weren’t helping her though, all you were doing was continuing to allow her to dig herself into more debt.

She isn’t making any money, she’ll be actively losing it, that’s why she’s aggressively marketing at all her friends.

The kindest thing anyone can do is leave well alone. Any purchases just prolong their financial difficulties.

MLMsuperfan · 31/03/2021 10:13

If she really was making £3,600 a month she wouldn't be hassling a close friend. She wouldn't need to.

Standrewsschool · 31/03/2021 18:33

Not heard of Argonne before. It’s not cheap!