To be left broke and humiliated after an mlm

[Huniliated]

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.

MLM sales tactics are annoying but when it comes to recruitment, they often target vulnerable (and gullible) people. Often women with little in the way of qualifications (limited alternative employment options), no financial independence or tricky home/family circumstances that make working outside of the home difficult. They are like a cult. They target a certain demographic and have promotional material designed to pull you further in. You were a victim of the scummy bastards.

Yes, you probably annoyed the shit out of your friends and some probably muted or unfollowed you on social media, but it’s done now. I’d put a semi lighthearted apology up on my social media and move on. Personal apologies for anyone who warrants it.

The money lost is horrible but is part of the life lesson. Lesson learned, eh?

The thing is there are an awful lot of people who get drawn into these schemes because there is always someone who is actually making some money while the rest just dream about it.

I have a friend who does foreverliving and has made an absolute fortune and lost a load of weight into the bargain. But for every one of him there are twenty more who will lose money but we always look at the possibilities rather than the likely outcomes and aspire to those instead.

And MLM isn’t illegal so people assume that it’s all above board and perfectly ok to pursue. And by the time they realise that it’s hopeless it’s too late and they’ve lost money and alienated their friends into the bargain.

Sorry you got sucked in OP, it happens to so many people. I have several on my FB, Ann Summers annoys me because I don’t want to open my FB and be greeted with a massive dildo on my timeline!

I agree with janet. And good on you for getting out of it!

I had a lot of friends sign up to these. All lovely women, with small kids who wanted to make some money. They're all of them the type to work hard, and found combining work with children difficult, so this seemed a dream answer.

None of them are still doing it. And I think most of us are just glad for them, and glad to be free of the sales pitches.

Don't feel humiliated. You got conned, and the sheer numbers doing it show that this is really, really common. Frankly, I think they should be banned. No respectable business is run on a model whereby you try to set up competition in your own street. It's glaringly obvious that the main people buying are the sellers themselves, and those too close to them to say no. And most are women with small kids who want to engage with the workforce, too. Decent people who deserve a damn sight better.

The MLM thread, currently number 46, is a real eye opener for anyone even the slightest bit tempted by these scummy outfits. One woman who was selling aloe vera products was so desperate for a sale that when her friend told her that her daughter had cancer, the bot told her that aloe vera cured cancer. I don't know how anyone could go so low. So shameful. But they are either losing money or making such a pittance, they would give their soul to the Devil for a sale.

I’m with @calmdownjanet
People appreciate someone who can laugh at themselves.

Then move on, it’s over now.

I don’t think Body Shop is quite MLM, not in the same way as Younique and that aloe stuff (ForeverLiving?). I think Bodyshop probably comes under the same umbrella as Avon, which I don’t think of as MLM.

I think most people are understanding.

I have a few friends got sucked in at one time or another. I don’t think any less of them, just a bit sorry that they have been sucked in by all the lies.

The facebook memories suggestion is a good one, but otherwise I’d leave it.

It’s great that you’ve moved on. There’s an amazing podcast called The Dream that looks at MLMs - so interesting to hear their history and how they are tied into culture, politics and the business establishment. And so many of them target women. Have a listen and you’ll understand how clever the schemes are - no wonder you were tempted by them!

I find the daily raffles and tags to join in annoying but I never laugh at friends doing it. One friend seems almost desperate in her posts and I find that sad. Another is all about the free holiday to Switzerland and how far up the ranks she and her team (down lines) are moving and I find that more annoying somehow as it seems so dishonest. But I don’t laugh behind anyone’s back who gets sucked in. I just wish they wouldn’t try and suck anyone else in.

I don’t feel as though I can ever say, ‘stop, only 1% (or whatever) make money’ so I end up looking on and then not mentioning it when they quietly give it up.

One of my FB friends does Jamberry I think it's called. It is cringe, there's not one of her friends who actually believes she's paying the bills selling fucking nail stickers.

I’d just moved to the other side of the country and had no friends so was really pleased when a woman I met invited me out for a drink. Turned out she just wanted to recruit me to one of these schemes and spent an hour trying to persuade me. I was quite upset and it actually knocked my confidence in meeting new people because I felt like a bit of a mug (obviously not as much of a mug as I would’ve been had I signed up, which I didn’t). MLM is horrible and turns people into arseholes in my opinion.

Oh god, Jamberry, I’d forgotten about them. A mum at my DS’ nursery is a Jamberry ‘consultant’. She’s also a qualified clinical psychologist. WTF?

Aww don’t feel bad. They plough £££s into working out how to trick you. You had no chance once they get you in their grubby sights.

I’m listening to a series of podcasts and their rule is never be mean to an MLM rep unless they are an upline doing shitty things to conntheir downlines. I’d never laugh at you, just quietly unfollow and hope you didn’t lose too much.

I don't quite understand how people fall for it, but maybe its just one of those things thats..different when it actually happens or something.

One of my mates, highly educated too..does something called 'scentsy' which I think is a MLM. Every damn post, and this is about 20 a day, mentions how lovely her home smells. Kids seem to puke up a lot yet scentsy makes everything perfect. Her dog shits in the living room often also, scentsy makes this right. She cannot imagine what her life would be like these days without scentsy. Etc. I am considering hiding her posts, and she never gets any replies on them as people are sick to the back teeth of it and tis obviously fake.

I thought jamberry had gone bust? I tried the nail stickers once. They were crap. My DD watches a youtuber who wears them (whilst building lego) and she keeps asking for them...the answer is no!

There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn extra money. Feel free to lurk on the matched betting threads in the money section on here, some on there are making a lot of cash.

Chiming in to say I've never laughed at an MLM person, just quietly muted them, or politely refused to buy their products/be recruited by them.
If your Facebook memories are causing you anguish, then there's always the option to delete it completely, or delete your old one and make a new page. Think of it as starting fresh.
Don't beat yourself up, these schemes are designed to suck people in. Have a read of Elle Beau or the anti MLM pages on Facebook (if you keep it) and you'll see there are lots of people in the same boat.
You're out now, well done for getting out.

This fascinates me as I always consider Body Shop to be very similar to Avon which has been around forever and seems quite sensible?

I have a Facebook friend doing Usborne books and I absolutely bloody adored them as a kid so I will probably get some from her once the baby is old enough. I've still got a Nature book from when I was about five, it's falling to bita but it's a treasure. Is Usborne crap like forever living?!

Usborne books are cheaper in supermarkets, Book People etc than from your friend. That's why the MLMs don't make much money- the prices.

Ah ok. Might be a wider choice with her still. I notice they are available on Amazon too but I try really hard to avoid them if possible!

MLM is like losing a friend to a religious cult. I have one friend who has done 3 or 4, and has lost money on all of them.

@Heyha sadly Usborne has gone down the MLM road. Not as dreadfully as Younique or Forever Living or Jamberry. I have a friend, RL not just FB, who has just wriggled out of Usborne. So nice to be able to look at her messages again without mentally preparing yet another excuse for not buying whatever she was trying to sell to meet her target. Really annoying as Usborne books are genuinely a good product. Just not at the over-priced levels the MLM bots they've dragged in and put in a position of dragging in their friends are forced to charge.

What I HATE about MLMs is that they target those who can least afford to lose the money. They cause the poor to try to rob the poor.

They should be made illegal.