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Original poster

MLM friend

33 replies

Awkwardsauce · 17/02/2023 22:19

Friend and I were texting today and she asked if I fancied getting a takeaway tonight. So I said yes and she came over and I ordered online. She'd been on a transformational retreat recently and I knew she'd be telling me about what happened at that but she also told me that the woman who ran it and someone else had signed up to Utility Warehouse and were saving loads on their bills, and they'd told her all about it and she's going to do it too. She said you could make around £800 of savings. She was also going to be working for them herself on top of her day job, to make extra money. I wasn't sure if she'd fully signed up to it as she said she had a phone call tomorrow with this woman to discuss things but all her utilities have been moved over already. She was hinting about me speaking to this woman too but I thought no ffs it's the weekend and I want to relax. I said I would prefer to read up on things first before doing anything and hoped she'd leave it at that. I hate being put on the spot.

It all felt rather awkward after that and I felt like she'd only asked to meet up to try to lure me in. We see each other often anyway but I got the impression that she was trying to recruit friends and family for this too. She kept bringing the subject back to it. Going on about saving money etc.

After the food we watched a movie but I started googling the company and read lots of bad stuff about it and that it's basically a MLM. I have no interest in joining that kind of thing and it sounded like you might not make much savings anyway. Slow Internet etc too. I didn't mention it again after that and once the movie ended started making noises about being tired etc and she left soon after. If she says anything else about it I'll tell her what I read and that I'm not doing it. Hopefully that will be the end of it though. She's not a very pushy person so fingers crossed she took the hint. She's been talking about the woman's next retreat as well which I'm not really interested in but now I'm wondering if they're just trying to get new customers for UW!

OP posts:

pawprintseverywhere · 17/02/2023 22:24

I had a friend in mlm absolute nightmare. Thankfully I was pre clued up before she tried lure me in. I asked her "You've been paying in for 3 years, your 'uplines' are apparently jetting away weekly....but yet you are always complaining you can't put food on the table. How much have you made/saved?" The answer was zero. Not a single coin.... The fact she knew it was a flop but complied with the cult of trying to get "friends" to join... says it all... she wasn't a friend. She's gone :)

NoInvitesEver · 17/02/2023 22:57

So disappointing when friends do this.
A lovely friend of mine has just joined Forever Living. She called me out the blue (unusual for her to call) with "exciting news" and it turned out to be this.
She's constantly posting motivational drivel on Facebook (that she barely used before) and talking about giving up the day job.
She's constantly trying to sell items while claiming she's just practicing her spiel but she said it's much better for her to recruit others to her team than to sell. She says she makes no money out of only selling.
Going to have to avoid her.

Loopylands · 17/02/2023 22:59

It’s really annoying when you get invited around to stupid cookware, candle or makeup parties. I never go because I’d feel obliged to buy something that I don’t want! It’s just embarrassing, people trying to make money by ripping off their friends cause let’s face it none of their friends actually want any of the crap they are peddling!

QueSyrahSyrah · 17/02/2023 23:02

It's the worst. One of the neighbours we most get on with was having a giant box delivered from an MLM the other day (we're in apartments so it was in the lobby, I wasn't peering at her post) and my heart sank!

A friend of a friend is involved in one and word is that she's sunk £6k into it without a return. £6000!!

Original poster

Awkwardsauce · 17/02/2023 23:55

Scary. This is the first time one of my friends has become involved in this kind of thing. I've managed to avoid them so far. I really hope she doesn't mention it again, annoying.

OP posts:

ChilliBandit · 18/02/2023 00:01

Sadly I think you have to view them as a cult, they use the same techniques. I would distance for a while and hope she comes out the other side of it sooner rather than later. Normally any criticism from an outsider to the MLM will get you labelled a hater.

Original poster

Awkwardsauce · 18/02/2023 06:55

We usually see each other every week or so. I'm wondering if retreat woman is going to ask if she signed anyone up yet and get her to try again. Hopefully not. It sounds quite disturbing.

OP posts:

DrMarciaFieldstone · 18/02/2023 07:01

Ugh, it’s so disappointing how many people are willing to compromise friendships by repeatedly trying to flog their ‘boss babe business’ to their friends. Cult is spot on, as PP said.

Do not engage.

Original poster

Awkwardsauce · 19/02/2023 07:24

Going for our usual walk today so hoping she'll keep quiet about it. If she doesn't then I'll let her know what I think.

OP posts:

MeMyCatsAndMyBooks · 19/02/2023 07:36

Ugh, hardly making savings when they've put their prices up just like all the other companies! Hate MLM cults, I'd just say "oh I'm tied into contract for another 18 months I can't leave." And leave it at that. MLM should be banned.

IrishJP · 19/02/2023 07:39

My sister signed up for a couple of MLMs a few years back and was an absolute nightmare. Normally we wouldn’t speak often and suddenly she was constantly calling/messaging
initially I brought something just to be polite and supportive but it was never enough, always ‘if I just get another £10 on this order I get this for free’ Then she started wanting me to get orders from others and then to sign up myself

Thankfully she gave it all up but I’ve no doubt she spent hundreds and made nothing. You couldn’t say a negative word against it tho while she was doing it

ohfook · 19/02/2023 07:41

Oh I hate this shit. A friend visited me under the guise of seeing my week-old baby to tell me about her exciting new business. When I clearly wasn't interested, the friendship fizzled out.

Ultraninja · 19/02/2023 08:36

It's really off to trick people into something they think is social but is in fact something to try to push their "business". I remember the Amway UK madness, invited to a get together by someone or other nearly every week!
Having said that, we've been with Utility Warehouse for years and they have been competitive for our household. We just have our fuel with them. We spoke to a rep at the start, but have never had any shady attempts to recruit us.

Pseudonamed · 19/02/2023 08:45

I had an old friend pop up on fb the other day as she missed me as had not seen me in ageeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss and desperately wanted to catch up - on zoom, with a new company she is starting to work for. It is an MLM for sure as I suffered through the zoom long enough to see what was happening. It is so disheartening when a seemingly intelligent woman only contacts other women to try and rope them into these schemes. WHen she messaged me after the zoom I just told her it was not something I was into and would message her later in the week as I was on the couch sick as a dog. I got a thumbs up and not even asked how I was. Sad.

clpsmum · 19/02/2023 08:55

A friend of mine once tried to rope me into buying her products by telling me they would help
My non verbal child speak as they had others. I was disgusted she would glide my disabled son as a way to try and sell her crap. Obviously no longer friends.

What makes seemingly intelligent women buy into this baloney??

Original poster

Awkwardsauce · 19/02/2023 12:27

We'd only been walking for about a fucking minute and she launched into talking about her phone calls with this woman yesterday and was I interested! So I said I'd googled it and saw lots of bad stuff about it so wasn't going to join. She kept coming back to the subject going on about the savings she's making blah blah and I said that's nice but I'm not interested. I felt like running away lol. Later on she asked who my mobile phone is with but didn't say anything else so hopefully she will STFU now. Maybe?!

She's signed up her DM for it but said she's not going to ask our mutual friend as she's not a homeowner, that can apparently affect things if they're renting?

I'm glad I held firm, god that was tedious.

She mentioned that she was feeling anxious and in a funk a bit later on and she did seem on edge so not sure if that was related to pressure to get me to sign up, perhaps the woman she had the call with had asked if there was anyone she had in mind to sign up and been pushing her?

OP posts:

Shade17 · 19/02/2023 12:47

Considering all suppliers are charging pretty much the exact same at the moment then no way has she saved £800 by changing suppliers.

Cravingsweets · 19/02/2023 12:50

Well done for standing your ground!

I once (rather foolishly!) entered a raffle for that Aloe stuff; I can't remember what it's called now. Anyway, I won (of course, there were probably a few "winners"), the prize being some aloe toothpaste. The rep delivered it to me along with a basket of products to try for a week (it was all opened and used and was clearly from her samples pot). She had a cup of tea and talked to me about how great the business was, I think a cruise was mentioned, but either I was oblivious to the hard sell or she wasn't very good at it!

The toothpaste was shit, and I've never used any other of their products.

Original poster

Awkwardsauce · 19/02/2023 14:15

Maybe I misheard her, perhaps she said £100!

I've read about people being charged more with this company, and having to pay back costs of all the replacement light bulbs if they want to leave. She told me lots of companies have bad reviews, not just this one. 🙄

I had no idea MLMs tried to recruit folk through raffles. Good to be aware. I must be quite cynical although I'm quite naive too. But not naive enough to sign up for this!

Wondering if she'll try laying on the guilt next or something. Oh joy.

OP posts:

ChilliBandit · 19/02/2023 17:38

Sorry you are having to deal with this OP. I would perhaps say to your friend you will only meet up on the proviso that she doesn’t speak about the MLM. If that’s not possible I would distance for now. Hopefully it will be short lived for her.

Ultraninja · 19/02/2023 18:00

Awkwardsauce · 19/02/2023 14:15

Maybe I misheard her, perhaps she said £100!

I had no idea MLMs tried to recruit folk through raffles. Good to be aware. I must be quite cynical although I'm quite naive too. But not naive enough to sign up for this!

Wondering if she'll try laying on the guilt next or something. Oh joy.

What replacement lightbulbs? Utility Warehouse has never offered me any lightbulbs.

When we were all panicking about the price increases I rang them and asked about setting up a fixed direct debit. The operator had a look at our bills and advised against it, worked it out and said we'd be worst off. Invited me to ring again any time to check if that had changed. He was right, very helpful.

As I say, I've never been approached by a UW person to look at the "business", even though 3 people I know are reps. :-)

Ultraninja · 19/02/2023 18:04

Oh look - replacement lightbulbs! They don't do it any more but it was a kind of lightbulb for life scheme. There is a very clear chart showing what people would pay for them, on a reducing scale, if they left UW within 2 years. Seems fair enough to me if you leave and have to pay a bit for them, not like they weren't warned. help.uw.co.uk/article/1h4LUG49ZqTX03KpE3IUuU

ChilliBandit · 19/02/2023 18:11

Ultraninja · 19/02/2023 18:00

Show quote history

Why would paying a fixed direct debit make you worse off? If your actual usage is less than the direct debit you just build up a credit. Unless UW have some weird system and keep your money.

boabitybowster · 19/02/2023 18:19

These MLM's seem to be just like pyramid schemes and they only really benefit one person at the top of the pyramid. You've been wise not to let her drag you into it.

CruCru · 19/02/2023 18:50

I think this is one of those situations where being direct is actually more polite. It sounds like you were quite direct - you said you weren’t interested.

MLM people rely on others being polite. It’s quite all right to allow yourself to get cross when she keeps bringing it up.

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