I've been sucked into forever living!! Why do I feel like the bad guy?

[KindergartenKop]

Recently an acquaintance emailed me to ask if I could 'help' her by trying a few products and giving her some feedback. Being the nice person I am I agreed. When the bag of samples turned up the penny dropped and i realised that she's trying to sell them to me (I'm naive I know!). I thought id just buy a little bubble bath. Its fucking 14 quid! No way. I'm sending the bag back and pleading eczema. Does this whole company operate by guilting friends and family into purchasing crap quality at ridic prices?

My in laws were persuaded (by an equally gullible family member) that forever living products could cure their (severe) rheumatoid arthritis! These claims really exploit the desperation of those with chronic illnesses, who often have stretched finances as a result already. It made me so cross!!

My FL bot posted that she had hosted a great training class last night at 10.30pm!

Another very good link here with income figures davidjwbailey.com/2014/07/04/forever_living_scam/

The Audi car swop sounds hilarious, how far will they go to fake it til they make it

I'm loving this thread and find it really fascinating. I know it's being moved to freelancers /self employed. How will I find it there?

My juice plus lady has invited me to an event.... I have ignored so far but she's sending me reminders!!!

Ms FL has signed up some fresh meat and is most excited " I love helping others achieve their dreams #lovemyjob" the new recruits is a nurse apparently. The mind boggles

mortil you can go to threads I'm on and find it that way

Thank you Throwing

Dreaming, that is an excellent site thx!

davidjwbailey.com/2014/07/04/forever_living_scam/

From that I found a superb history of MLMs/Pyramids - way back to Nutrilite/Amway

mlmtheamericandreammadenightmare.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/forever-living-products-flp-is-mlm.html

and onto FL. One of the best accounts I have read.

If the bots are daft enough to make these false health claims on the internet, or on leaflets, you can set the Advertising Standards Authority on them.

Make a complaint - Advertising Standards Authority

What we cover - ASA

Even if it's not a form of advertising the ASA cover, they say:

Medicines
The ASA can investigate complaints about most medicines advertising. However, if we aren't able to deal with a particular problem we may refer you to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

It makes me so angry that desperate people are being cynically exploited like this - both those with the health problems and the bots.

I've successfully made an ASA complaint about a "healer" scaremongering and peddling their snake oil in my local paper.

The paper no longer carries their ads.

This thread is great for those of us with FLbot friends or former friends. It's like a 12 step intervention!

Its 'success day' in London tomorrow according to my FLbot friends on FB. They are all descending on the Big Smoke. No mention of where the children will be though......

I was just coming on the day the same ... my FLbots are in London too. So that's 2 success weekends on the bounce. Do they ever see their kids?

Fascinating thread. I thought of you all yesterday when I stopped to let someone pull out and spotted the Juice Plus sticker on her boot. It was a dark blue Fiesta though, she must have been off duty.

I want to share the link my FLbot has shared but it'll out me.
It's a 4 minute YouTube video about how excited she is that she's now quit her FT job and can now pick her daughter up from school And that the 'business model' she's involved in is successful and will mean if she works hard enough, she can also earn loads like her mentors.

The only likes and comments are from her 'team' and not her 453 friends which speaks volumes to me.

MI5 I have also noticed that the only people who comment on the outlandish status' are all fellow FLbots.

Im desperate to write a statement like "aloe tastes rank" and see what my response is. Ill be either ignored or everyone will love me

marking place...

My friend has been through so many of these. DK, Avon, Tupperware, she did some cooking/baking ware too but I can't remember the name.
Every time she threw herself into it full of gusto, couldn't see that they were all just the same. She genuinely believed each time that she would make a fortune.
FL was definitely the most forceful about attending seminars and you can do it if you try harder bull. She must've spent £000's.
She even gave up on FL about three years ago though. Is it a certain mentality that gets caught up in these things? Dangle the shiny carrot (Range Rover).
She does have a real job now. Still no Range Rover.

I do think you have to be breathtakingly gullible to get sucked into forever living. But a surprisingly large number of people are. There doesn't seem to be much media noise about the scandal of these companies. That said, I can see that some people have responded to my Facebook forever living bots posts and told her it is a pyramid scheme/she is bonkers to participate etc so it's not like people haven't tried to warn her.
I feel equally cross at the pressure she puts on her elderly parents and neighbours to purchase the shite she peddles. If you look at the ingredients it's no different from a cheap product you could buy from anywhere.
My other friend who got sucked in is the same, very suggestible and maybe not someone who is much of a critical thinker. But it is scandalous that these companies are allowed to operate and suck up so many victims.

Facebook is covered today with Success Day, pictures of first class train seats with the hubby, champers, promotion promotion promotion. I keep deleting and the next time I look there's more. And more. And more.

I have just been added to a closed Facebook group by a friend who has been suckered in to FL. I have another who is always posting about her success with juice plus. Sad thing is we are all HCP!

Oooh yes pics of the success day on my FLobots page too.

Mutual friends of ours have said before that the times she posts things about her spending time with her kids (including pictures of them skipping into the sunset holding aloe) are literally the only time she ever spends with them, quite sad really when one of their selling points is being able to spend lots of time with your kids, they don't!

The more and more I think about it the more it annoys me. As pp's have said its the assumption that I'm not happy doing what I'm doing and obvious not wanting to provide a 'better' life for my family

FBFL FOF quote

"Don't stand under someone else's umbrella. I'd rather be soaked by the rain than stand in the shade of others. Do it your way. Be happy. Laugh loud and don't regret. Just smile knowing your driving so the destination is wherever the hell you like."

Barfs!

Or

Don't be an idiot. Why does it harm your self esteem to share a brolly.

Another FBFL quote

Added some frozen berries to my shake.. was lush ????. So yesterday (day 3) even before I had any food I felt full of energy all day and my eyes are weirdly very glossy?! Someone said the gel has that effect but I didn't really pay attention until I was watching all my training videos and noticed they all had big glassy eyes... Being the sceptic that I am I assumed everyone had been given eye drops before filming
????
. BUT I have really noticed a difference with my own! I haven't weighed myself as don't have scales but my clothes are looser and I feel loads healthier. Never ever thought I could do this as I get shaky and 'hangry' when I haven't eaten. Day 2 I really wanted salty snacks and cheese in my mouth just for the taste but wasn't hungry. I struggled to fit lunch in yesterday as was full really quickly. I'm planning on making this paprika pitta for my dinner today
????
.
Incase you're bored of my posts... ITS ONLY NINE DAYS!

Glossy eyes? Really? Is she aiming for Crufts or something?