To be left broke and humiliated after an mlm

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I didn’t think I’d be rich but I am cringing at my Facebook ‘memories’ and pretty sure everyone was laughing at me behind my back.

I had a friend invite me to stroke her face after a tropic makeover

I don't wear makeup and I buy moisturisers etc from Superdrug that's also cruelty free. It's about a tenth of the price. I don't care if I only need to use a teeny drop of tropic product. The results don't stack up.

I went to the Tropic party of a friend out of politeness (TBF I like their face masks and their deodorant is very good for me as all other deodorants make me itch like crazy but the Tropic one is £10 a pop )and the ambassador did a make over on me. I looked like a transvestite prostitute. Although that's down to me I think rather than the products, I hate heavy make up and I should have known better than to let her.

@morningstress I didn't realise MAC did it! I don't buy MAC as there's no retailer near me, but people do rave about it. I don't mind spending good money on good products - I resent being coaxed I to spend £55 on foundation from a company I've never heard of though

I wouldn’t have laughed at you, op. My heart would have lurched for you and I would have quietly passed over your FB posts.

I am in the US and was invited to a Mary Kay party years ago. We all sat at a kitchen table surrounded by little pots of make up and skin cream. My friend, (our “consultant”) guided us through a make up lesson.
When I returned home my husband asked me if I had a fever.

I spent nothing but my time that evening. We all worked in mental health care and were paid little. I didn’t laugh at her either.

£8 for a make up sponge? Real Technique sponges are cheaper than that, and are reliable!

A friend of a friend I met at a hen do is doing BS@H - I've unfollowed/muted/left the special group she added me into. Bless her, she is going through the HUNBOT handbook currently and it's cringe - apparently she loves it, I don't know whose buying it, noone ever likes or comments!

That £8 make up sponge - I have the exact same one from Poundland.

What I've noticed about these MLMs is that if someone does ever ask the price of something it's always "Will PM you hun" why can't they just say the price?

We've got some local herbal life enthusiasts touting themselves as wellness coaches with health and fitness advice. How is that even still going??

To be fair to to Tropic, they are well-made natural products, from what I know they are trying to distance themselves from the MLM aspect, and just become a normal skincare and makeup brand. But if the MLM aspect is what's making them money, who knows if they actually will.

I joined Avon in April this year, there is no longer territories and no pressure to recruit which I liked, I make about £60 in commission every 3 weeks which helps my household budget. Avon has been around for 60 years and will probably outlast most of these new ones popping up

@Iamthegrinchsmother are you trying to drum up some business? Can't see any other reason why to resurrect 6 months old thread🙄

Actually nearly 8 months old

No definitely not trying to drum up business, I dont push my business on anyone, just giving my point of view

Is that the stuff like whitening toothpaste Nu? Or the pampered chef? Or cleaning stuff, juice stuff, arbonne? All of this stuff?

My friend got in to a couple of them and she was banging on about it all the time to the pony I paid £20 for a lipgloss and it was crap!!! Certainly not worth the price. I do cringe when people spam FB with all this stuff!

Also there’s another woman who kept trying to invite us round for a ‘party’ to sell cleaning products that were over priced. Another one trying to sell candles and again, totally under pressure to go and buy and before you know it you’ve spent £30 on shit you don’t really want but feel obliged to help your friend 🙄 now I just don’t accept invites or place orders.... simples

I’ve got soooooo many on Facebook it’s such a shame I feel for them.

I do buy body shop from a rep though cos it’s much cheaper than shops, that’s why people buy from them, for those of you who wondered! She isn’t annoying though

To those wondering why people go for it in the first place...

Their circumstances + influence makes the person more susceptible to believing a “convincing lie” rather than the “boring truth”.

People get tied up buying into what something or someone could be rather than what is.

These people prey on people when they are at their most vulnerable.
There is a lot of “brain washing” techniques applied.

I could talk for hours on this but I will spare you.
(Psychologist)

I went to a "practical" cookery event for Guides run by the Guider which turned out to be a thinly disguised selling party for overpriced cookware. We have one of the products which we bought on Amazon for £15 instead of the £45 being asked for by the demonstrator.

I make about £60 in commission every 3 weeks which helps my household budget.

You make £20 a week? Ker-Ching!!

I joined Avon in April this year, there is no longer territories and no pressure to recruit which I liked

I was also recruited in April of this year. I didn’t even realise it was happening.

I answered the door and the woman said “can I give you a few Avon books?” Sure, I said. Thinking she was just looking customers. I’ll have a browse through them and leave them back out. But no. She walked on into my hall and said she just needed to take some details. took her phone out and told someone on the other end she had a lady who was going to take some books. explained she was asking her manager to come and help her. So I figured she was new and didn’t know what she was doing. All fine. She asked to sit down (was on a walking stick) I said of course and showed her to the living room. She took out her laptop. The door went again, it was her manager. In she comes and fires a million questions at me. At which point I realised the other woman was typing all the answers in her laptop! I asked why they needed this info. They said it was for my membership. I said I didn’t want to join anything, I just wanted to look at the products. So manager started saying “oh of course- yes there’s no pressure here to sell anything. You can just buy what you want and maybe your mum and sister will take something too. Do any of your work colleagues use Avon?” Blah blah blah. So she basically told me I could just buy Avon products for a reduced price. No pressure to sell etc I thought that sounded fine and agreed to sign up. They said they’d be back in a few days to pick up the books. That night I went out with my friend who told me she had joined Avon too. And over the weekend I noticed lots of other local women had created “shops” on Facebook so they’d had a really successful recruitment. Anyway. They came back on the Monday. I gave them the books- didn’t order anything and said I wasn’t going to keep the membership so asked if they could cancel it. They said this has never happened before and they weren’t sure how to cancel it. Tried very hard to persuade me to stay. I was firm and said no. They said they’d be in touch. A few days later a box arrived from Avon with some products and books etc and an invoice for £30! I called the manager and said I hadn’t ordered this and didn’t want it. She said it was my kit and I would pay the £30 off with my first order! I wasn’t making any orders. I told her I thought she was cancelling my membership. She said she usually allows people a cool off period to think about it and the kit arriving usually makes people see how worthwhile it is. (Although apparently no-one else had ever cancelled before ) anyway- I told her to cancel it and asked how to return this kit. She said she’s get back to me. Heard nothing from her. A few weeks later Received a text from Avon saying I hadn't placed an order and was being charged £5 for this. I emailed the manager. No response. I emailed the managers manager- no response. I emailed Avon support- no response. Forgot about it. A few weeks later I got a call from another avon lady saying she was checking in with me as I hadn’t placed any orders and had a bill of £45!!! To pay. I told her the whole story. She was extremely apologetic. Asked me to put it all in writing. I did. I never heard anything back. But all the calls and texts stopped and the kit is still here maybe I owe a fortune now? Can’t be arsed to check. If they want it they can come and ask.

I’l never buy off Avon again and I tell everyone I know about their treatment of me.

Oh yes my friend who was recruited when I was gave up after a couple of cycles. She wasn’t making any money. Probably because everyone in her street had also been recruited on the same day and they were all vying for the same customers

Elle Beau's blog shows some of the techniques they use on their reps and honestly it's pretty scary.

I hate seeing people bounce between MLMs. The first time is a mistake, sure, but it won't be different the second, third or fourth time.

Very surprised to hear someone say that MAC has an MLM arm. I've never heard of that. Does anyone have a link?

@IWorkAtTheCheescakeFactory that is absolutely shocking, I would be reporting to Avon. To walk into someones house uninvited is trespassing and she is coercing people to join. Yes I only earn £20 a week but tbh I dont spend alot of time on it

M4J4 her murder had nothing to do with the fact that she was involved with MLM and everything to do with the fact that her husband was a child killing, woman killing beast.

About Avon- I dont drive so tend to walk everywhere, sometimes I walk through an area that's rough and there are sometimes drug addicts or alcoholics hanging around, once someone came up behind me and started talking to me, it was a bloody Avon woman trying to get me to sign up to them! No idea where she appeared from or why she thought it was appropriate to approach people in a dodgy area like that. Also had them drive past in cars and stop and start talking to me about Avon. One stopped me in the street when I had my toddler and it was pouring with rain and started giving me some spiel and then rung her manager on the phone, trying to arrange a meeting, it was bizarre.

@morningstress Can you tell us more about MAC please? Can't find any more information online about it.

I am fed up of getting invited to Body Shop groups on Facebook. The last time I ordered something from one of them (it was a girl who had been through a lot so I thought I'd be nice) it ended up costing me exactly the same as it would to click onto the website and get it myself.

There is normally no difference!

The only thing I like is if someone organises a Body Shop Party, as I find those quite fun, and there's usually some freebies and good discounts, but I do NOT want product updates every single day.

I think Body Shop should pay their staff to run the parties instead of getting loads of naive self employed people thinking that it's going to be great for them.. it just never is.