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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
penguins33 · 15/11/2015 14:50

I've just come across this on a bot's page:

Wow, the lovely [name removed] has achieved so much in just 10 months of joining the business! Not only is she earning a high corporate style income, part time from home... this young Mum is ticking off all the company incentives!! She has qualified for our Car Plan, with new car on the drive, a FREE holiday to Greece next year... and now she's just qualified for a share of the company's profits - in the form of an end of year bonus cheque that she will receive on stage in Johannesburg... with a FREE holiday for 2 in South Africa! Yes, she's worked hard non stop and made a few sacrifices for 10 months... but was it worth it? This business is life changing!!

So she's working part time but also working "hard non stop" and having to make some sacrifices. Doesn't sound like part time to me.

acatcalledjohn · 15/11/2015 15:56

That's a bit contradictory, this non-stop part-time work concept.

I like the fact that, for a good salary & benefits, I get to spend my evenings relaxing at home on the sofa, with a drink in hand.

At some point my bot posted something about a positive business meeting. I showed it to DP who was a bit Hmm as to why anyone would post that. People in employment don't do that. Why would you?

bunchedpanties · 15/11/2015 16:11

Agree cat I find this thread to be therapeutic and gallows humour all rolled into one. I'm so sad, angry and downright scared as I watch a couple of my friends turn into the bots we 'laugh' at on this thread. But before I stumbled on the mumsnet threads I thought I was alone in being worried.

The spider eyelash people just make me giggle though Grin

bettyberry · 15/11/2015 16:31

I agree acat I'm self employed and bar the 'what do you do?' questions and the odd bit of sharing my Etsy page I don't talk about or share pics of every single business meeting I have because well... that's private and confidential info.

I think I've gone as far as tweeting a coffee loaded with syrup because a train was delayed making me late for a meeting and me moaning it was packed Grin or the DC stealing my phone and missing a call! but I have public and private accounts so it'd never go on the work account at all. That's private cheering not something you should share with clients at all.

I think some of the oversharing is the whole 'fake it until you make it' mentality. If they (FB friends) believe its easier for you to believe it and the viscous circle keeps going.

I do wonder if this is part of the MLMs strategy. If you get your zombots recruits to plaster it all over social media they have to keep at it because when you stop your friends and family will be the first to ask 'what happened to the great business?' and you are left feeling shame/guilt for failing and not making it work. Its keeping up appearances of the most sinister kind because its playing on peoples sense of failure and new mothers are the most vulnerable, and likely to feel a sense of failure, so are often the main targets because of their need to not feel like they are doing fuck all to contribute to the family kitty.

These 'Life coaches' are using psych 101 in large chunks of their courses using manipulation and techniques to overwhelm by providing way too much non-info. Think of it like an overly wordy book, Barbara Taylor Bradford comes to mind, I read one of her books and a chunk of it was so wordy and going into irrelevant details I completely forgot the start of that chapter and which characters were present. That's what these coaches do just in a public arena and people buy tickets.

lazycoo · 15/11/2015 16:39

Yes, the public commitment aspect of being all over social media promoting the MLM is key to keeping the bot invested. Also, making it 'your own business' is a neat trick - it's your fault you failed. The reality is you're paying to be something akin to an employee without any rights. If you fail but perceive yourself as an employee you can attribute some or all of that blame to the company. If you are self-employed, that option is not available.

ambler21 · 15/11/2015 16:53

acatcalledjohn you make a great point about extremism. Steve Hassan who helped to deprogram Eric Scheibeler, (who wrote merchants of deception) after he left the MLM Amway makes the same comparison between cults / controlling organisations and extremism.
It's worth watching the whole vid if you have time, if not Steve Hassan comes in shortly after 6 minutes
vimeo.com/106526190

Beeswax2017 · 15/11/2015 17:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fastdaytears · 15/11/2015 17:14

Oh my life. Yes those are definitely drawn on, and not awfully well.

She gets marks for trying though.

acatcalledjohn · 15/11/2015 17:55

Thanks for that link, ambler. Very interesting. I do want to be careful linking MLMs to terrorism, however the recruitment and hard sell ("have to do it now") are scarily similar, it's just that the purpose is very different.

Society does seem to turn us all in to either extreme cynics or blind sheep. I am glad I am on the cynical side, but I am just too cynical at times.

ambler21 · 15/11/2015 18:24

I agree cat, there's no intent in any way to link the two other than showing how powerful the techniques that controlling people and organisations use are. They can make apparently rational people do and say extraordinary things.
Livin 'the comely lips of a cheap sex doll', brilliant Grin

bettyberry · 15/11/2015 18:41

gift given out at the event contained this... The bloody pics even end up on postcards they give to each other! Grin

MLM bot watch - Discussion of the network marketing companies Forever Living, Herbal Life, Juice Plus etc as a pyramid scheme or scam
SocksRock · 15/11/2015 18:54

I have a new Younique bot :-) nothing outrageous yet, but we'll see. I actually need some new makeup so I though maybe I could order from her, but £30 for foundation Shock Shock is way out of my budget.

BushyTailedPony · 15/11/2015 19:27

I have a old school friend who does Arbonne. Lots of inspiring quotes and #lovemyjob hashtags.

When she started I went along to her presentation but just said no as the thought of approaching people to sign up just wasn't me. But another of my friends was struggling at a difficult job and was pregnant so thought it might be something she could do between shifts and whilst on mat leave. £1500 of products, catalogues and promotional materials later she gave it up. Passed all her stuff to the other friend but she was so pissed off that her friend had pushed this onto her at a low point when she was vulnerable and left her with a credit card bill that she's just paid off two years later. Not that she doesn't take responsibility too but if wasn't caring of friend one. Who was then miffed as she was demoted from vice-president-district-area-manager as she'd lost a team member.

Friend one is still doing Arbonne but says it makes her around £300 on a good month so just supplements her job rather than able to purchase castles!! I think she just likes the trips to Vegas every year!!

fastdaytears · 15/11/2015 19:30

Can we please organise a TV trip to Vegas?

Fizrim · 15/11/2015 20:08

I have just seen a Strictly dancer mention FL products ... brace yourselves for the FB onslaught from delighted reps!

fastdaytears · 15/11/2015 20:10

No way! How is that allowed on BBC?

ihearttea · 15/11/2015 20:57

acat I tried my best to make sure that MIL realises that this lady is in no way medically trained and had no right to even suggest stopping any of her medication- the consequences could be so dangerous for her.

I also let her know that it's a pyramid scheme but she just wouldn't listen and kept saying that she wanted to help this girl with the new business she's just started.

I'm just so cross that they're preying on vulnerable people and bigging up the 'natural' side of it- natural doesn't necessarily mean better / safer.

On a lighter note the pictures from my younique bot are hilarious- god only knows who'd buy that stuff with that kind of advertising!

Fizrim · 15/11/2015 21:42

Not on the BBC! I should have made that clear! I saw it on FB, may have been mentioned in her magazine column but I haven't looked. It was KR.

IAmNotDarling · 15/11/2015 23:31

Checking in - FL bot has managed to sucker x3 friends into buying C9. All three are tired, hungry and narky but hey they' expectations lost 6lbs each by starving themselves... Hmm

SocksRock · 16/11/2015 06:59

So wait - pay £120 to starve yourself for 9 days? Good scam that one!

Campylobacter is way cheaper. I lost 10lbs in 5 days on that 'diet'. And most of my stomach lining, all my dignity and several sets of underwear Blush

acatcalledjohn · 16/11/2015 08:19

Clubcard Points too. Result!

SocksRock · 16/11/2015 09:43

Funnily enough, it was a chicken salad from Tesco that did for me...

CheekySmile · 16/11/2015 09:46

Ok, something's going on with my FL bot. Over the weekend she's changed her page's profile picture from one of her and her partner to one of just her and she has also changed the name of the company/page to just her name, whereas before it was one of those that implied a good income and health benefits (I don't want to out her). She's also changed the description of what she does to just 'coach' whereas before I'm sure it used to be 'company'.

Maybe he's seen the light? Although he was at their business presentation that nobody seemed to turn up to last week so probably not. I dunno, I will keep watch.

OP posts:
bunchedpanties · 16/11/2015 12:26

Looks like 1 of my FLbots has blocked me. Perhaps I shouldn't have asked on their FB post if the Clean 9 came with a free yoyo Grin

ScarlettInSpace · 16/11/2015 13:21

Did anyone else see ECs update from their thing yesterday?

Spot the deliberate mistake?

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