MLM bot watch - Discussion of the network marketing companies Forever Living, Herbal Life, Juice Plus etc as a pyramid scheme or scam

[CheekySmile]

Continuing the discussion of the various network marketing schemes or multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs) that people we know are involved in.

If you have a bot of your own then join us and share what they are saying!

Or if you are researching a company before signing up to be a network marketer please take a look at the previous bot watch thread and also this thread which delves deeper into the workings of MLMs.

And don't forget our very own MN MLM Timeless Vie!
www.facebook.com/timelessvie
www.twitter.com/timelessvie

randomly, a bunch of views today on the blog from Switzerland

HELLOOOOO SWISS PEOPLE!

Done it lastuser

Hello Switzerland!!

Hi everyone, I have never actually posted on an Internet forum before but I became absolutely fascinated with these schemes after two people I know were roped into FL and Arbonne. After looking at some of their uplines' bogus claims on social media and being told 'my upline has made so much money that her husband has retired' I became absolutely intrigued and started looking into it, as surely it is rubbish isn't it, there is no such thing as easy money, isn't that what your mother always says!

Anyway, I've read some of the books and I also came across your thread and wanted to contribute. I've got a few things to add:

1. Isn't it interesting that most of the bots have only been at this for two or three years at the most. It's a 35 year old business. Where are all the people who have been doing it for 5 years+? Have they all retired to their own private island with their riches to be financially free? And if so surely their stories would be great stories and we'd hear about them all the time? I think the answer is there are none, because after about 5 years even the most hardcore bots have left.

2. Thought you might be interested in the accounts for forever living uk ltd. I've copied the profit & loss account (not sure if it's too small to see). The bit I liked best was the profit from 2013. Ok Rex made a bit more in 2014, but I'd be v surprised if in 2013 Rex was prepared to pay loads of tin pot distributors 6 figure sums when he only made £82k himself.

3. I also found the income stats for Arbonne distributors in the UK - apologies if you have seen these before. You've got to give it to them, they are some of the more honest scam artists! 9,800 distributors and 8,000 of them got no cheque whatsoever, of the remaining 1,800 all but 5 of them got v little, especially after you've deducted personal spend and expenses. Anyway, no love your upline area manager has not made enough money for her husband to retire, you have been conned. While we're at it you have won the Nigerian lottery and all you have to do is give me your bank details and I will give you £1m.

Thanks Darcey for those.

Have you got a link to the Arbonne income stats, they sound an interesting read.

I'm surprised at the relatively low profits of Forever UK, particularly distribution costs which I thought would be mainly fielded by distributors themselves. But, as someone said down thread there is a lot of unknowns in accounts, particularly those which are the child rather than the parent company (could be all distribution costs are actually internal costs from parent co which I presume is US based rather than external 'real' costs).

Can anyone find the accounts to the parent company or the group accounts?

good job darcey and welcome!

They are not part of a group, all the shares are owned by Rex. I'm not sure why they would have structured it like this. The majority of distribution costs were 'bonuses' which I assume means payments to distributors but I'm not sure how many UK distributors there are to work out how much the average was. Sorry I thought I'd posted them above - the stats are here www.arbonnemarketing.com/PDF/FOD/download.php?f=0A4B237D-5462-4837-BD81-A983E21A5089&n=Independent+Consultant+Compensation+Summary

blog update: at nearly 1,000 visitors and nearly 3,000 views. thanks all.

Lotto Spring anyone?

My bot (she's done everything but FL) posted how she'd won ten Euro (were in Scotland) on lotto and this reply came up

I won too, even though none of the numbers I chose were drawn! You can't win it if youre not in it! Come on everyone, give this a try for one month and join with *, invite 3 people to join you and you wont need to pay again...and will have even more chances to win...even if your numbers are not drawn! This is a SOCIAL business where you invite your friends to join you....and win over and over again.

WTF?

Thanks Darcey that makes sense about the distribution costs being bonuses. Although I'm not sure that the high COS are not sales from their American wing related party (even if not part of a group).

Well those Arbonne stats are pretty dire even before expenses are taken into account. I'd love Forever to be forced to produce similar. In fact I think it should be a legal requirement of all MLMs.

I engaged with a bit on a local selling page, posing as interested in the opportunity. No direct answers about how much I'd have to sell (or distribute) to make £200 a month. Then randomly this - a handy guide!

New poster here, read the whole thread today and it has really opened my eyes.

I have friends who have done the Stella and Dot, Fl things etc and I never really thought too much about it.

Now it makes sense why their FB feeds were full of these companies memes, asking if people wanted to join/host etc, then suddenly it would all go quiet and never mentioned again.

I feel sorry for them, lovely, smart people with great personalities who thought it would benefit them and probably ended up losing out.

One started not long after her H left her.

Makes me quite angry actually.

cats your anger is justified. Most of us have gone through it - initially it's amusing/sad but then when you realise how these companies are fucking people over in plain sight, it's infuriating.

bovny I agree. Canada has a new law forcing MLMs to cough up the true amounts, having said that I notice Stella & Dot is still trying to avoid telling the truth.

Well this is interesting. I can usually see the 'reach' of a post right next to the 'boost' button. The 'reach' information takes the form of a line to visually represent how many have viewed a post. This has disappeared for the first time on my earlier FB post. Wonder if this is due to naming FL in the post?

could it be because it's a blog post not just an FB post? Just wondering out loud here.

lazy It's there for me this morning, 828 people reached with that post so far!

Sorry I've been away from the thread and FB for a couple of weeks. The littlest has gastroenteritis (day 13 so far, who knew there could be so much made from someone so little!) but I'll be back to helping you all fight the bots soon!

Emma Cooper has paid her parents the £100k that she owes them. There is a photo of her mum holding the cheque. Cant help thinking if it is a real cheque, is it a coincidence that her old house was up for sale. When I have more time will have a look to see if they sold it. They may have used the money from the sale. Its the showing off that gets me, there is no privacy in their lives.

I assumed the cheque was because the house has sold and this is some of the profits from that. However the bots will be thinking it's all down to FL...

Yes the other house has been sold, surprise, surprise. I dont like EC much, but boy, is she in deep. The thing is she is keeping all the other cactus drinkers motivated and inspired with all the lies and bullshit.

Bloody hell.

DC3 who is only just two has been spammed by a FLbot today.

Nice little Christmas card from a nursery friend today ... with "Forever Business Owner" 's business card and badly photocopied C9 leaflet enclosed, and introduction stuck into the card so it can't be quickly ritually burned recycled.

I think the bin is the only appropriate filing method for that card.

My bot had been quiet for weeks and I naively thought or hoped she'd seen the light, but now she has the throat lurgy which is going round, so promptly posted a pic on FB of how our honey is so very good.

I just want to scream that this honey is overpriced shit. But I cannot be arsed with an argument. This is mountain bee honey, don't you know, daaaaahling.

Bah.

Sorry for my absence. Far too busy. I am still lurking and will increase my activity in Jan. Am in the meantime following lots of MLM accounts on Twatter and will report of anything good pops up. Will try and link some of the Wordpress blogs soon.

Aaarrgh! This "suggested post" on my fb page!!! I won't be brainwashed

After reading this thread I actually dreamt I was a FL bot last night. I was stuck in a nightmare of success days and memes.

I think I will write to my MP about this - the con of mlm, not the dreams

I'd really love to challenge my bot by using some of the facts and numbers that we've discovered on this thread.
I can never remember them though so I'll try to pull them together into a blog post over the next couple of weeks last

E C could have just transferred the money?!? Anyone can write a cheque out!