To think she's lying or brainwashed - MLM

[queenbee67]

Friend of mine has recently joined one of the big MLMs - let's call it Squash Minus.

I was surprised as she always seemed quite sensible and level headed. Suddenly she's posting inspirational quotes all over Facebook and talking about how much she's earning and how great her new 'business' is...while trying relentlessly to recruit other people. I didn't have her down as a liar so I'm wondering if it's possible that she really believes she's doing well or maybe she really is?

I don't know a lot about these companies but I tend to think they're probably not the most legitimate way to earn a crust. What do you think? Has anyone had any first hand experience?

[LadyCatStark]

I didn’t think that one was still going 🙈.

A FB friend has recently become the first woman ever to get pregnant (you know the type, they post daily bump updates and lengthy monologues addressed to their bump) and joined a MLM. I had to hide her in the end.

[DaisyDreaming]

They teach her to claim how it’s changed their life and to pretend to be making a lot. Often people don’t realise how much they are forking over for products too

[ChrissyPlummer]

@Mn753 I know of one man who does FM perfumes. Admittedly he is the only man I know who does one of these though.

[Fizbosshoes]

Are betterware and Kleeneze MLMs?

[Mn753]

Oh betterware can stay, that stuff's ingenious!

[Mn753]

Also for the oldies, catalogues are good

[KarensChoppyBob]

Having been on the receiving end of this more than once you have my sympathies OP.

Awaiting the release of the MLM guide on How to lose friends and not influence people.

🙈.

[SquashMinusIsShit]

One of DH's cousins does some herb/supplement MLM, all.of her before and after photos are just laughable, the filters she uses on the after photos just make her look weird.

Luckily I haven't had the hard sell & I ignore any and all invitations to join groups on Facebook.

I tried to warn one sort of friend against Poonique and just got a load of abuse for my trouble. She's still trying to flog it unfortunately. she posted something recently about how they donate to women's shelters so 'you aren't just buying a mascara' but it's been proven that they donate sweet FA but I don't want the hassle of challenging her, plus like loads.have already said she started it because she was single, lonely, vulnerable and needed money

MLM are fucking criminal scum bags.

There's a brilliant podcast called The Dream exposing one in America, it's a great listen but also heart breaking

[SpacePotato]

@PandemicAtTheDisco

I get really annoyed when my neighbour tells me about her earnings from the products she's sold.

She might have sold £400 worth of product but she hasn't earned £400.

She's forgotten to take off her purchase costs for the £400 worth of products she's sold and any other costs such as packaging, brochures, samples etc plus the products she's bought herself to make the order up to the minimal order amount.

I had one tell me she had made £500 that month.
No. You have sold £500 worth of products so even at 10% it would only be £50. Then there was the 'starter pack' you were charged £80 for. So already -£30 before petrol costs and work hours etc.

You are better off sitting on the couch doing fuck all.

[slashlover]

What are people using the "Squash Minus" etc instead of just using the actual name?

[MarchXX]

@Mreggsworth

The one I see the most of at the moment is the inteletravel.

Many people claiming to have replaced their full time income, are independent travel agents (after taking a very short online course) and their business is taking off because of the 'travel boom'. Honestly not sure how they haven't thought it's a tad suspicious that a travel business would be taking off right now, you know with the travel bans and pandemic stuffs going on. Makes me think that perhaps the 'travel' isnt the product they are selling...

@Mreggsworth, have a look at this yt video, where a former very successful (number 3) spills the tea on exactly how much she made in 15 months. Clue: not much. It is dynamite.

[Mreggsworth]

@MarchXX

Very interesting. Feel a mix of smugness watching that that my beliefs about the company are true and also sympathy for that lady. Glad she is out.

I have a girl on my Facebook who claims to be "Europe no1 income earner" in her bio, she posts endless status about staying humble, working hard and general women empowerment stuff. I'm finding it very hard to resist commenting! She gets hundreds of brain washed women worshipping her, calling her "queen". It needs to stop.

[CharlotteRose90]

I use juice plus products well the tablets. I don’t. Sell them but they have definitely made a difference to me. I don’t use the milkshakes or whatever but the tablets helped me and I don’t believe it’s a con. The mlm that gets me is the lumi spa one. Why anyone would use something that wrecks the barriers on your face is beyond me plus it’s £200 for something you can get for £40 elsewhere. I wonder if Herbalife is still happening.

[acatcalledjohn]

@CharlotteRose90

I use juice plus products well the tablets. I don’t. Sell them but they have definitely made a difference to me. I don’t use the milkshakes or whatever but the tablets helped me and I don’t believe it’s a con. The mlm that gets me is the lumi spa one. Why anyone would use something that wrecks the barriers on your face is beyond me plus it’s £200 for something you can get for £40 elsewhere. I wonder if Herbalife is still happening.

You could get multivitamins with a broader range of vitamins and minerals for a fraction of the cost pretty much anywhere. You are paying through the nose for a very basic product. If they help just get a multivit from Boots and save the difference.

[YouokHun]

@CharlotteRose90

I use juice plus products well the tablets. I don’t. Sell them but they have definitely made a difference to me. I don’t use the milkshakes or whatever but the tablets helped me and I don’t believe it’s a con. The mlm that gets me is the lumi spa one. Why anyone would use something that wrecks the barriers on your face is beyond me plus it’s £200 for something you can get for £40 elsewhere. I wonder if Herbalife is still happening.

Juice Plus is an absolute scam. You’re far better off buying a multivitamin from a pharmacy as JP has NOTHING to offer you. Do not believe their “research”.

[MintyCedric]

Does anyone on here know is Clean Living is an MLM?

A friend of mine has started doing it and I can't find out anything online but it strikes me as using very similar tactics.

[MarchXX]

@MintyCedric

Does anyone on here know is Clean Living is an MLM?

A friend of mine has started doing it and I can't find out anything online but it strikes me as using very similar tactics.

I've just had a search of "clean living" and a fb page comes up called "clean living with caris" where she explains that it is not a pyramid scheme but is an MLM scheme. She also has a fb page called 'The Clean Life' where she explains that she is a former addict who has found recovery and will 'show you how' using health and wellness products.

So, yes, it is an MLM. Anything that focuses on recruitment and where you are compelled to recruit a downline in order to create an income is to be avoided at all costs.

[MintyCedric]

@MarchXX

I thought as much when friend started doing it.

She's made no attempts to recruit me although she's given me some products to try, but the way she's posting on FB and talking about it is a bit evangelical!

[CharlotteRose90]

@acatcalledjohn yeah I probably can get a multivitamin but I’ve used them in the past and they didn’t agree with my Bowel condition. That’s what I use these and never had a problem. If it’s all rubbish then it’s all rubbish but it works for me. I pay £70 for a 12 month supply, some pay that for an night out drinking.

[OrangeRug]

I got sucked into Forever Living in 2016 when I was unhappy at work. I feel very sad and annoyed at myself looking back at this time. They prey on people's vulnerabilities in order to recruit them ie you have weight issues? Feel guilt over not spending enough time with your children? Not enough friends? then they teach you to do the same to others. They had us do something called "profiling" where we'd scope out potential clients/team members and list potential weak spots. I felt so much pressure from my upline I started to see people only for what I could out of them. I feel so ashamed when I think about it.
I spent hundreds of pounds of my own money so I could meet targets so I didn't let my upline down, all the whole posting on SM about my "successful new business". We were told what we could and couldn't post on our own FB accounts. I was even told off for posting too many pictures of my pets. It's an utter fucking brainwashing cult and it should be shut down. When I finally admitted defeat I was able to sell some of the products back so I did at east get some of my money back. It won't last with your friend. Just don't engage with her about it AT ALL. Hopefully she will snap out of it soon and realise it's a load of shite.

[OrangeRug]

Oh yes and we had to buy all our own samples, brochures and bags and were always doing sales and discounts. I lost so much money.

[MLMsuperfan]

It's sold as "be your own boss", then you're told what you're allowed to post on your own Facebook page. Amazing.

[OrangeRug]

@MLMsuperfan

It's sold as "be your own boss", then you're told what you're allowed to post on your own Facebook page. Amazing.

Yep, it's seen as a "business platform" and not your own personal page anymore as "you are your brand now" blah blah blah

[OrangeRug]

Oh and I was even encouraged to rack up debt on my store cards so I could "sell the lifestyle" on facebook and one upline member told me to go to Costa, buy two cups of coffee and post on FB "meeting with a new team member". I could honestly go on about this all day. It was such a joke.

[MrsAvocet]

she explains that it's not a pyramid scheme
I read somewhere (can't remember where sorry) that the more vigorously any "opportunity" claims not to be a pyramid scheme, the more likely it is to be exactly that!
Of course technically they aren't, as pyramid schemes are illegal, but MLMs are basically the same thing employing the same underhand tactics but just keeping within the law. I'd like to see them all made illegal. It's gone crazy. Before I left work I think I was in the minority being a woman who wasn't involved in an MLM of some kind. Scentsy and Tropic seem to be the big ones here at present though a couple of my friends have recently jumped ship from Tropic to Body Shop and this time they'll make it big...🙄