MLM Bot Watch 17- chat about Utah based tragicomic cultastic racketeering scamalangadingdongs like Forever Living, Ariix, Herbalife, Younique, Juiceplus etc etc etc

[Toobusytowee]

A brief history of the threads so far-

A few people were bemused at their friends' strange personality changes when they joined MLMs.
Eyespying told us they were tragicomic, thought stopping cultic racketeers.
We told him to go away, he was clearly obsessed, and can he go to his own serious thread?
We delved a bit deeper into the issues.
Eyes started creeping back. We told him he was too serious.
We became more horrified at the information being turned up and were sharing links.
Eyes told us aboutMerchants of Deception.
Timeless Vie was set up as a parody about MLMs.[[www.facebook.com/timelessvie
Facebook,]] Twitter, blog, Instagram and YouTube were all used.
People started coming forward, telling of their experiences in MLMs.
We became more horrified.
Bot Watch started on Facebook where links were put up of interest to do with MLMs.
Botwatchblog started and produced factual analysis of the discussions from MN.
MLM members (bots) waded in saying it was all ok. You can earn great money. You just have to work 19 hours a day and not worry about morals.
Bots complained about their names being used. Their lawyers complained to MNHQ so that MN now do not allow us to use bots' names or show screengrabs of their writings even if it is in the public domain.
Blogs and FB posts increased, with the increasing amount of facts and whistleblowers coming forward.
FL lawyer tried to get TV YouTube video banned.
Bots claimed we were bullying them because we were asking them questions they couldn't answer. we were called middle aged women and accused of being drug dealers.
It got a bit nasty so we ate some cheese for a bit and they went away.
Health claims from FL bots now reducing dramatically as a result of pestering from all of us.
We stopped telling Eyes he was too serious. We all started thinking in his language and realised he was right.
Eyes turned out to be very funny and entertained us all.
Sunday Times article produced exposing FL. With a little help from people here.
Lawyers still persisting in trying to ban TV's videos.

Some links of interest-
A factsheet aimed at people considering joining an MLM or who have just done so, to warn them of some facts. tinyurl.com/ha6sgxw

A film of herbalife victims describing what it is like in their MLM-

A film on how to spot a pyramid scheme-

A comedy review of an MLM product- www.youtu.be/4yr_etbfZtQ

I remember Twunk. As long as you don't suddenly start posting all eager-beaver!

I don't know why it should any longer surprise me. But it still does.

As a bot you are like a social misfit and that rubs off on your kids too. We never get invited to playdates since our move.

We never did "working" playdates but I was told to infiltrate the PTA (for the fundraising opportunities) and pester all the local youth groups for "fundraising" opportunities....which I loyalty did. I was also told to hang around the playbarns with a plethora of products on the table (and my yellow branded bag) whilst my kids played. #alwaysondutyevenwhenplayingwiththekids

When we moved house my up line (KL) suggested a housewarming "money party" BBQ. Invite new neighbours for BBQ which is in fact a business presentation after the sausages and a beer or two. 6 years in and none of the neighbours still cannot make eye contact with us.
We were oblivious at the time.

"....let me just add you on Facebook to give you more info about our opportunities as we haven't got time to chat now"

whilst I randomly chat to you at the supermarket checkout so I can prospect (hound) you later....and if you aren't interested your network of Facebook friends may be.

I am glad, and somewhat ashamed in real life, that I am now out of it.

I don't think either of you need be ashamed or embarrassed. Coming out even halfway intact is an amazing deal.

You'll sometimes see posters here reminding each other that we're none of us immune to approaches at the precise point and from the precise person that can get in and exploit us - and it's quite true. And getting out is so very hard. I feel immense respect for both of you and I'm sure others do also.

Having said which, I think Eye might prove a difficult prospect for even the the most determined and manipulative adherent!

I sometimes imagine forewarning yourself as almost like burglar-proofing your house. You can never truly make yourself 'safe', just 'not worth the effort' in view of the return. Did you mentally rank prospects at all do you recall?

agree cozie. Even with all I know I know in the right circs I could be sucked into a cult, anyone can. But it's hard to get people's heads around that. I've started opening up with friends about what I'm doing, and one of them insisted SHE would never be sucked in because she has too good a bullshit detector. It's attitudes like that that we also need to tackle.

anyway, how about those aloe curing cancer claims.

place marking

Cozietoesie I had highlighter pens to rank my pipeline of prospects! "A no isn't a no, just a not yet."

I have a degree and was a qualified accountant before having my ds. I then wanted to stay at home with him and that's when I came across mlm. I was looking for something flexible or from home or part time. I wasn't targeted by an individual but went looking online for a job that met these needs. I applied for what I thought was a business development manager job from home.....I was then sent a really persuasive video about the lifestyle and freedom which suckered me in. I was then "interviewed" and followed up. I had never heard of mlm before. I was sold "the dream" without realising what I was really getting into. Niave and perhaps foolish, but the desire to stop at home was huge.
I fell for it again because I was convinced it was the product, training system and way of retailing that was at fault. I was sold the "five months to manager" plan with FL. Also, bots seemed to be more "professional" and it was far slicker.
I didn't realise about the brainwashing mind games at the time...it is only on reflection now that I see it.

My FL bot used to be a teacher but joined FL on maternity leave, was prospected on a day out and signed up. When we talk about it she never had anything negative to say, whereas I can freely moan about the nursery run/ marking in the evenings/ poorly children and having to take time off to look after them etc. She says it's all very 'professional' at FL which she likes, coming from a truly professional background.

It's nice to see other ex-fl people coming forward. It just shows that what you're expected to do, isn't an isolated case.

I was told never to be negative to my team, always spew up, never down and never put any negative posts on the group pages. The thing is some of my upline were lovely, but that just makes it even harder to come forward as would hate to hurt them, they truly believe what they are doing is the way forward and that they are helping people.

I'm shocked at the post on TV.

I think that Juice Plus is also terrible at the medical claims. I see a lot of it on facebook.

rayofhope, CubicZirconiaBossyBabe, FrenchPenPal and everyone who has come forward on these threads to tell the truth - I personally cannot thank-you enough. It takes a very courageous person to admit openly that they were manipulated and cheated/exploited by a cult.

If you read about what happened to me with my Ambot brother, you will see that I was manipulated and cheated with a script that was specifically tailored to fit my instinctual desires. I refused to join 'Amway,' but I was obliged to deal with my brother concerning family business. My brother and his 'Amway' handlers knew that I wanted what I considered to be rightfully mine, but they also knew that I would do absolutely anything rather than cause harm to own mother. My brother first took control of my family's capital assets and then lured me into a position of financial dependence in order to force me into joining 'Amway.'

With access to enough personal information, absolutely anyone can be manipulated. As lastuseraccount123 has observed, the more convinced a person is that he/she cannot be manipulated, in general, the easier it is to manipulate him/her.

Sadly, after a person realises that he/she has fallen victim to a cult, it then can become very difficult to trust anyone ever again.

And there's a big difficulty - maintaining a balance between being aware and being open. It might be easier to pull up the drawbridge and never interact with anyone again but it's no life. Hey Ho. Well done ray and all the others.

cozietoesie The thing which perhaps upset me the most, is the fact that most people have been almost completely ignorant of the cult phenomenon and show little, or no, interest, until it crosses their path.

Indeed, I once fell into that complacent category myself.

The overwhelming majority of people have been convinced of the ego-protecting delusion that only idiots and weaklings fall victim to cults, but in many respects, we are all victims of the cult phenomenon. What is currently occurring with the spread of global Islamist terrorism, demontrates how easy it can be to take control of a susceptible person's thinking, and behaviour, with a two-dimensional 'negative vs positive' fiction, constantly presented as fact.

And once you've been inculcated into the mindset, pretty well everything that you view can be fitted into that world view. I've come across it - 'tis in the nature of belief.

It's a sadness but don't get depressed.

cozietoesie The thing which has perhaps given me the most cause for optimism, is the reaction of people on these MN threads. I've never encountered such a large group of persons blessed with common-sense, and good-humour, who are all determined to look beyond the BS and face the truth.

Well indeed. Comparatively speaking, they may be a smallish lump of leaven but then that's sometimes all it takes.

On a post about MLMs making millionaires by a certain top bot who likes to judge, IYKWIM.

There are lots of us out here in rl ....we continue to spread the word and question the moral validity of these so called "business " schemes

I spoke with a friend yesterday who was thinking of getting involved with fl
I drew her attention to these threads and timeless vie
In fairness to her she already had doubts these threads just confirmed her fears

One more saved
Keep up the fight

I feel sorry for those who feel like this is their only option, women who are sold the idea of being able to break free from conventional paths and live the life they always wanted with more money, time and freedom. But we have seen time and time again, it isn't the case.

What I find odd is that while they big up the materialistic wannabe-millionaire lifestyles, push this desperate need for success, post the #boss hashtags they always then defend the industry by stating that most people only want to earn an extra couple of hundred £ a month. It feels that this is the get out clause, the way they can justify drawing people in when we know that uplines have zero time for those "without vision" i.e. willing to 'build their business'.

MLM is not the only way to make money. I really don't like the way it is marketed as being the only option for women who want success or time at home. Especially when this apparent 'success' is few and far between.

I am glad that more people can now see that MLM companies USE their distributors, they do not liberate them.

'Using people, not 'liberating' them'.

I like that phrase.

I'm in a really close knit nct group. A few of them are in a MLM (youneeeeeeek) and it's threatening to destroy the whole group. I know how melodramatic I sound! But really, some of these women are really vulnerable and have financial difficulties and it worries me a lot. Also we all have tiny babies, so goodness knows how they can be bothered to "work from home" when I can barely shower most days! I don't feel like I can say anything to them because I know they'll be super defensive and I'm afraid if that happens, I could be ostracised from the whole group for being mean or a bitch.

I've liked the timelessvie fb page and I have seen a couple of the other women in our nct group have too - so I approached them (tentatively) and they feel exactly like I do. But also, we can't say anything or the whole group will implode. I kind of expect the bots to meet for secret coffees so they can discuss how to get the rest of us on board!

I hate MLMs.