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Original poster

To be left broke and humiliated after an mlm

342 replies

Huniliated · 20/02/2019 19:39

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.

OP posts:
HellonHeels · 21/02/2019 13:14

RevRichardWayneGaryWayne

I have used CBD Brothers CBD Balm and found it really effective. You can buy direct from their website (no MLM) a sample pot is around £15.

havingtochangeusernameagain · 21/02/2019 13:14

I did Neal's Yard for a while but you can do it at a very low level and just do it to get the 25% discount. One order a year worth £85 and you stay in. However, my "consultancy" has now lapsed as I didn't even order that much last year. Although there are shops, they are not in every town so it can be helpful to order online.

thesnailandthewhale · 21/02/2019 13:25

*I used to quite like going to a Phoenix Trading greeting cards party back in the day. I guess they are an MLM as well?

Phoenix have gone bust. They weren't MLMy enough. Product was decent, not ridiculously expensive, not as much pressure to recruit. *

Phoenix Trading is now Flamingo Paperie - Phoenix' business went wrong when they entered the US market. Flamingo has been going for a year now, there are no targets to meet and no pressure to recruit others. I did research carefully before I joined them, I love the products and have a separate facebook page so my friends can opt in or out of seeing my posts related to it :)
I mainly sell at events; school fairs, village fun days etc. I have a full time job, this is my hobby if you like, I don't expect it to make me millions, just to pay for some treats here and there :)

Cerseilannisterinthesnow · 21/02/2019 13:27

Sorry I didn’t mean to cause offence saying that, I just wasn’t sure where exactly she stays but know it’s down near there. Sorry 😐

Desmondo2016 · 21/02/2019 13:29

I cringe at my previous self on fb memories and theres no mlm involved lol. I just used to be a twat by all accounts. Put it to bed, it's done.

caringcarer · 21/02/2019 13:32

You are well out of it now. Pick yourself up, dust off, glass of wine and move on. Just laugh it off.

PalmTree101 · 21/02/2019 13:40

At least you are out of it! Well done.

AgentCooper · 21/02/2019 14:07

Well done for getting out of it OP. As others have said up thread I cringe at my FB memories and there were no MLMs involved. We all do daft stuff.

And they are such cheeky, shady fuckers, aren’t they? Preying on women when they think/know they’re probably a bit strapped for cash (maternity leave, young DCs) and time poor. There are two people I have now unfollowed on FB because of MLMs. One was aware that my then 4 month old DS had developed really itchy, sore eczema. She contacted me and tried to sell me her Arbonne cream because it was ‘natural’ and would definitely help. Fuck the fuck off, you bottom feeding imbecile. You think i’d put your snake oil on my baby’s sore skin? And how dare you, how fucking dare you pretend you’re concerned about him.

Then there was one recently who contacted me with an opportunity for selling Arbonne, because we mums are just so busy and can always use the extra cash, and do you know I do all my Arbonne business on my iPhone when my child is napping? Mate, i’ve got an actual fucking job. Why would I want in on your pyramid scheme?

Spiceb · 21/02/2019 14:35

I'm so glad you have seen the light. I would apologize to any close friends that you have alienated and ignored for your new mom friends (if you did that - you might not have done!) My previous best friend went to Arbonne...I hope one day she will return but at the moment she only wants to be with her "boss babe" entrepreneur mates

Spiceb · 21/02/2019 14:36

*mlm friends not mom sorry

emilybrontescorsett · 21/02/2019 17:37

Some time ago I went with a friend to a Forever Living party.
What can I say that hasn't already been said.
There wasn't any food, even though my friend and I took wine we weren't offers a drink.
A full hour of talk about how this was a miracle cure. Honestly I thought the host was going to tell us it could cure cancer.
The products were so expensive too.
Drink this and you will no longer have x, t or z.
Her dh had fallen off a ladder and broken so many bones but by drinking their product he was better!
I could not wait to leave.
It felt like a cult recruitment meeting.
When I got home I immediately Google Forever living. The results were not favourable at all.

pollymere · 21/02/2019 17:47

I used to sell Pampered Chef. I had a separate FB page and earnt enough to buy the stuff I wanted, and a little for treats. Some are better than others, but the whole point is to develop a client base rather than hassling friends. Some people succeed, some don't. Don't beat yourself up though.

FermatsTheorem · 21/02/2019 17:51

Sympathy for learning the hard way, OP. But MLMs are evil.

My sister always used to get suckered by these, not because she was stupid but because she was financially desperate and in a financially (and physically) abusive marriage. She was always trying to get family to lend (in the sense of give, 'cos you wouldn't get it back) 100 quid here and 100 quid there for the cost of "buying a franchise" to sell shite that no-one would buy. (Usually fad diet stuff). These schemes are fucking vampires preying on people in financially desperate situations who can't think straight on financial decisions any more because they're so desperate to work out how they're going to pay for their kids' next pair of shoes.

Beverley71 · 21/02/2019 17:53

Not all MLMs are bad as long as you take them for what they are. I used to do Tupperware and Pampered Chef and enjoyed both. I saw them as a way to earn extra income rather than a career. I also didn’t gush about how much freedom the company was giving me, it wasn’t, it was just another job. It’s the fact that some of the companies push the recruitment element of it that gets on people’s nerves. No one will be laughing at you OP, don’t worry

FermatsTheorem · 21/02/2019 18:00

I think there's a difference between home-based selling schemes like Pampered Chef, Avon, etc. (which are basically like any other business albeit bloody hard work and a lot of shoe-leather - legit, but probably not the most time-effective way of earning money) and MLMs which are a form of pyramid scheme and require you to recruit a certain number of people before you're allowed to progress.

There's a third category, selling schemes where you're conned into paying to hold a franchise, based on totally unrealistic projections of what your profits are likely to be, only to find you're left with a garage half full of stock you can't pay people to take off your hands, so you've paid the franchise and the stock, and earned zilch. (Those seemed to be the ones my sister always used to fall for).

MamaLovesMango · 21/02/2019 18:02

MLMs are a scourge. Check out Elle Beau’s blog and own it like she did. No one will think badly of a person that holds up their hands and says ‘I fucked up’ and tells it how it is. You never know, you might save some other poor sod from making the same mistake.

I was desperately saddened to see that a friend of mine who is currently undergoing cancer treatment has been roped into the Poonique shite recently. She’s so vulnerable at the moment, I can’t shale the feeling she’s being taken advantage of Sad

icannotremember · 21/02/2019 18:19

Before I deactivated Facebook recently I'd blocked a friend who had started selling Darceys Candles and Melts... not sure if they're a MLM thing but assume they must be going by the cringey posts and constant attempts to sell and blatant lies about the high life it's affording her. Another friend got into some aloe vera bollocks a few years ago but give her her due, she saw the light very quickly and laughed at herself.

lololove · 21/02/2019 18:23

My best friend did Forever Living and a friend does a make up one - god it's hard being around people sucked in to those MLM schemes when they're in full swing - as much as I love my BF especially.

The constantly having to be positive, talk about how your products make you feel incredible, how you're your own boss who can work at home and be there with your children instead of at the office (talk about making your target audience feel bad!), how you get sooooo much money (HA! More like debt or pennies on a good day) for working a couple of hours a day and so on and so forth...!

I know for Forever Living at least, my friend had access to this particular 'book' online where she had to use approved pictures/info (like those facebook forwards/examples of products) and anything else had to be approved by them so it wasn't even real!

Poloshot · 21/02/2019 18:30

I'd imagine most people thought it was a load of shit as most of these things are. Don't beat yourself up

gamerwidow · 21/02/2019 18:32

OP you've been the victim of a very successful worldwide scam. Thousands of people will have lost money due to MLM don't be ashamed.
Whenever I see someone on FB who has been sucked into MLM I feel concern for them rather than laughing at them. Everyone who cares about you will just feel grateful that you've got free of them rather than thinking of you as a joke.
Theses businesses prey on vulnerable people usually women with limited income promising easy money with a pack of lies. They should be banned,

NatNoo · 21/02/2019 18:33

Sorry it didn’t work out for you.
I joined an MLM about 2.5 years ago and as well as using the products myself and loving them I made a few thousand pounds at a time that the money was really needed.
I quit around 6 months ago as got a promotion at work and needed to dedicate more time to my family but don’t regret my MLM time for a moment as I learned a lot about myself and met some very inspirational people.
Just wanted to share a positive story.

SoyDora · 21/02/2019 18:35

Just out of interest NatNoo, how does selling crap help you to learn a lot about yourself?

gamerwidow · 21/02/2019 18:36

Natnoo yeah of course you did Hmm

icannotremember · 21/02/2019 18:37

Did you recruit people NatNoo?

SiliconHeaven · 21/02/2019 18:41

Avon isn’t MLM, it’s a reputable company that’s been going for years. Not sure about Body Shop. I think it’s unlikely to be MLM though isn’t it? Rather the traditional ‘party’ type thing like Tupperware and Ann Summers