Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

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

982 replies

CheekySmile · 11/11/2015 19:19

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
77
stopfaffing · 14/11/2015 19:54

Well, I've never had my own fl-bot or any other mlm-bot I live purely for mn bots Grin but today, for the first time I saw an amazing sight Shock.

It was an uncle's very special birthday house party and we all travelled many miles to attend.

I went into the bathroom at one point and there, on the window sill was....
...... a tube of fl tooth gel!!!

I almost hyperventilated with excitement and was grateful to be in such close proximity to a toilet, I can tell you.

But, I was in a dilemma. Do I question uncle about his choice of tooth gel and open a real can of worms about the evils of mlms etc and risk spoiling the party atmosphere? Or keep quiet and enjoy the party despite itching to somehow start a conversation about tooth paste?

Well, I did the latter (of course). Sigh.

I know I will surely get my very own fl-bot one day but may resort to asking Santa when I write him my Christmas list...

lastuseraccount123 · 14/11/2015 21:46

oh santa, won't you get faffing a bot? she's been such a good girl all year Grin

news! we have our first comment on the blog! it's from a bot, I haven't read it yet cos it was long - anyway i approved it if you want to go check it out

fastdaytears · 14/11/2015 21:54

Oooh...Wine

LittleMissStubborn · 14/11/2015 21:55

It wasn't what I was expecting to read.

Fizrim · 14/11/2015 21:58

I was at a Christmas Fair today and there was a FL stall - I was so tempted to pick up a catalogue just to see what the products were! I didn't though Grin

fastdaytears · 14/11/2015 22:00

Err not what I was expecting either. How very sad. How would someone in that position manage to afford the personal use products? It all seems even more exploitative to me.

Wonder if it will stay up.

lastuseraccount123 · 14/11/2015 22:44

i was not surprised. i think mlms deliberately exploit low income people because they're desperate and have few other options. There are 2 issues at play here: unmet needs in UK society and predatory fuckwit companies like FL who exploit those unmet needs for their own gain, the bastids

fastdaytears · 14/11/2015 22:45

It's just so sad though isn't it. Taking up MLM which will end up costing you money, because you cannot get a NMW job. Sad

ihearttea · 14/11/2015 22:57

I've got a nice little collection of bots covering most of the MLMs. I've had many attempts to recruit me even though I haven't spoken to some of them since primary school!

It didn't bother me too much until today when I found out that my elderly MIL had been to a 'party' and bought some wonderful tablets and gel to drink. She realises that it was expensive but the lovely girl told her all about how by taking this magical and natural stuff she would be able to stop taking the nasty tablets she needs for her arthritis and cholesterol.

I am fuming

LittleMissStubborn · 14/11/2015 23:10

ihearttea that is really shocking. Even if it wasn't said explicitly though I can believe it was it is still the message she has taken away.

givemecheese · 14/11/2015 23:16

For those of you who don't have your own bot, here are aone gems from mine :)

stopfaffing · 14/11/2015 23:32

Thank you givemecheese Grin.

angryangryyoungwoman · 15/11/2015 00:42

Forever living....
Just seen that their training trip to Las Vegas costs them £200 per ticket! That is just the ticket for the training?!! Plus, flights, spending money and hotels....

patienceisvirtuous · 15/11/2015 01:02

I have a boy who has been doing Actiderm for 10 months and has made a massive thing about getting a brand new Quashquai.

There's photos and everything of the new car complete with big bow and her receiving the keys.

I don't believe a word of it.

It's so cringey though because there are scores of likes and 'well done Hun' type comments Confused

lastuseraccount123 · 15/11/2015 01:18

hearttea i'd be fuming too. those utter FUCKERS

bettyberry · 15/11/2015 09:00

Masterclass 160 has been revealed. Kinda hoping it was masterclass 180 and the speaker would reveal the truth and get them to cut their losses.

oooh actually. TV needs masterclass 180! :D

decided to stick flower stickers over faces because it amuses me

MLM bot watch - Discussion of the network marketing companies Forever Living, Herbal Life, Juice Plus etc as a pyramid scheme or scam
stopfaffing · 15/11/2015 09:05

patience this is what really pisses me off because they know they are deceiving people by not telling the truth. They are deliberately obfuscating the reality in order to sign up more downline. That is what it is all about in a nutshell.

Emma is doing this on a massive scale by "buying" a castle with the money she has "earned" through fl. We know that she has done nothing of the sort, but others are lapping it up and desperately trying to emulate her "success". Where is the evidence, Emma. Show us exactly what tax you have paid on your fl income you can't.

Lies. Lies. Lies. Angry

bettyberry · 15/11/2015 09:09

The event is searchable on facebook and twitter. Interesting to see bots who have been in the 'business' less than 6mths speaking about how much they earn...

Gawd... It makes me so mad because I know my bot has a husband earning 30kish a year and they get funded by mummy and daddy +inlaws Thats how they have a 'fab' lifestyle. Not from FL.

shirleyknotanotherbot · 15/11/2015 10:24

I have (or rather had) 4 bots. 2 x FL, 1 x HL & 1 x UW and thoroughly enjoy reading their updates. Although recently - having discovered this thread and read Merchants of Deception - I have become less entertained and more angry/sad. All have attempted to recruit me but failed and have not persisted. This morning I settled down (in my pjs with a cup of tea) ready for an update to find to my horror that one FLbot has blocked me! Mortified :( I can only assume it's because I liked TV on fb and signed up to the Xmas day team building event which will have shown up on all friends' timelines. Oops.

shirleyknotanotherbot · 15/11/2015 10:35

If anyone has noticed and is wondering why their FLbot is quiet this weekend.

MLM bot watch - Discussion of the network marketing companies Forever Living, Herbal Life, Juice Plus etc as a pyramid scheme or scam
acatcalledjohn · 15/11/2015 13:31

ihearttea, that is so very shocking. Have you explained it to MIL? I'd be going spare at the seller I think.

My bot posted this wonderful gem the other day. It's become a bit of a 'see it and sigh' thing now.

I'll be cooking for myself tonight as DP is away for a few days. I'll see if I can do a Parslai thing of some sort for TV.

acatcalledjohn · 15/11/2015 13:34

And now with the attachment...

MLM bot watch - Discussion of the network marketing companies Forever Living, Herbal Life, Juice Plus etc as a pyramid scheme or scam
cakeisntforsharing · 15/11/2015 13:51

My bots have been busy booking their tickets to Vegas, one claims she's having personal training with Richard Branson!!

acat what a balanced diet!

cakeisntforsharing · 15/11/2015 13:57

Found a couple of good videos on YouTube explaining in simple terms why you shouldn't get into network marketing. Thought they might be useful to anyone on the brink of being sucked in.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=NJOeS6im864

m.youtube.com/watch?v=j7e-089JOLM

acatcalledjohn · 15/11/2015 14:41

It's getting very sad, as someone mentioned upthread.

These people we are friends with/related to, and generally speaking rate as clever, fun and nice to be around, are being brainwashed to a level where you simply cannot stop them from being sucked in. I know my bot will not be able to sack the boss thanks to FL. Nothing to do with her drive and want for a better life, because she has that. Thing is, she (and wither many others) has been brainwashed in to signing up to a scheme doomed to fail.

It makes me want to punch the top of the pyramid. Because knocking sense in to those people is not working. So brainwashed.

We're getting to a point where TV is still satire, but with an increasingly serious undertone.

And because these MLMs basically make you believe it's your fault for failing, ex-Bots are likely to have their confidence knocked.

Writing this is making me angry. I would actually relate it to extremists, who are brainwashed in to believing that they need to go out and kill 'non-believers'. They are brainwashed to a level where they'll quite literally do anything to get the virgins promised to them by some arsehole with a superiority complex.

Of course this is an extreme comparison, but the sad thing is that both concepts really do compare on certain levels.