To politely tell MLM desperado to do one

[PookieDo]

I recently had a message from an old friend and didn’t respond straight away.

Hi Pookie, How are you? been meaning to get in touch recently to get together and see your new place. I have just started a new business and as part of the process, I need to find 30 driven, capable women to show it to and I thought of you! Is there any chance you can jump online on X at 8pm? I would love to get your thoughts! Really looking forward to hearing back from you!

It’s a very old male friend (100% platonic, decade friendship) who I have helped him with relationship crisis’ multiple times, mental health issues and he has done DIY and car repairs to help me, some paid, some as a favour.

But he didn’t help me move house or offer any help whatsoever, even though he is a qualified electrician, skilled handyman etc - has a lot of tools and a van, does up houses and knows I am a single woman and I had actually asked a few times on Facebook for recommended local tradesmen and he didn’t contact me ONCE - even though I would have paid him. So I am a little bit fuck you to begin with.

I replied what is your business?

Turns out it is MLM (starts with an A) and despite me saying I am very busy with my own full time job, no thanks, he keeps asking me to jump online and watch a seminar because I am missing out!

He has fragile mental health and I do not want to be mean to him, he’s had a lot of rejection. But partly because he can never see how these things come across to other people, he wants money from me! I would have happily paid him to do things in my house, but he wants me to buy into this total crap

I have seen some MLM threads before, is there any point with total honesty that it’s a scam you will never make any money from or just ignore until they finally realise it themselves?

No such thing as a no in MLMs. They're encouraged to keep asking, and take a no as a maybe. I can't imagine how thick a skin a person needs to be so pushy. He'd probably do well in a conventional sales job, and would earn a salary.

He’s really not this type of person he’s quite shy, how the fuck has he got involved? He had a really bad mental breakdown last year involving the crisis team, I honestly think this is dangerous for him to be involved because he will find it to be rejection when people say no and he doesn’t make the money he thinks he will.

Keep repeating 'Just not interested, thanks' to all the follow up questions.

There was a blog someone linked to on here that was by someone who'd been sucked in and then seen the light - Younique was the company, but it might be worth sending him that?

It's disgusting that someone has taken advantage of him in that case.

I don’t buy these kind of products. I don’t want a business opportunity. Please stop asking, you’re wasting you your breath and winding me up.

You seem to see friendships quite transactionally, OP.

However, I'd be inclined to tell this chancer to sling his hook.

If he doesn't stop pestering you tell him straight that if he sends you anymore stuff about it you will just block him. He doesn't sound like an actual friend anymore anyway

Over 35 years ago a good friend invited me and my boyfriend round ti their house but wouldn't tell us why.
This was a good friend and very smart.
It was Amway.
My boyfriend being a bit older had come across pyramid selling before but we still went.
He asked a lot of questions but they had an answer for every thing.
I couldn't understand why anyone would think this could make money.
My friend didn't.
I could get good cleaning products from the shop.
And once I'd sold to my 20 close friends my market would be depleted lol

@Bezalelle I don’t tend to but I think this one probably has been a bit lop sided.

I feel like only see him and hear from him when he wants help with something whereas I don’t tend to ask him for any help in between because I worry he might be fragile and it would be rude of me to only contact him for some help with something.

If I see him during one of these times when he contacts me for support and say to him ‘could you fix X on my car’ he will do it and I would pay him to. Often if he came over for a very long talk (which he used to a lot) I might say to him could you help me put up a shelf and he might help me do it. But I don’t feel I could say to him ‘can you help me move house’, he didn’t offer to do so my friend but is using the fact I moved house 6 months ago as a talking point to contact me to join his MLM - being fully aware I could have done with some help 6 months ago!

I moved 6 months ago he doesn’t even know where I moved to. He used to come over all the time. I now don’t really want him to be coming to my house just to try to get me into an MLM and talk to me about his MH.

In all I think I was often paying someone money to do occasional jobs and also give out a lot of advice and support so it’s made me feel a bit shit 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's Arbonne isn't it!!! That car lol

Stay away OP

Robin I've still not found after 30 years a stain remover as good as the Amway spray one. It even gets curry stains out of a white top.

I've never been sucked into MLM, but I do rate the Amway laundry stuff.

I had this with a friend. I started telling her I’d gone on this cardiologist recommended diet because if my heart and she started telling me about this bloody diet scheme! I was slow to click on but it finally registered when she wouldn’t tell me about it but insisted she come to my house and show we a “short 45minute DVD” I’ve never been so disgusted! Haven’t spoken to her in 6 months.

Since he sounds so vulnerable I would probably go to the effort of searching out some good links about these MLM scams and case studies on experiences of people who have got fucked over by them.

I had to do this one time with someone who was getting sucked into it all - luckily they were not that far down the rabbit hole, but they were already starting to talk in a weirdly perky tone with phrases they would not normally say and giving starry eyes about how A-MAZING this company was.

It was creepy how fast that happened.