MLM Bot Watch 27 - The Yazoo iis past iits use by date, but we have a massive #lardon: Tragiicomic cultiic wampum floggiing scamalangadiingdongs liike Forever Living, Ariix, Herbalife, Younique, Juice

[acatcalledjohn]

Still going strong here at bot watch HQ on MN!

Previous thread here

Botwatch on Wordpress and on Facebook

Timeless Vie on Wordpress and on Facebook

Eyespeying's Blog aka #manhun, even if he's been banned by MNHQ

Hommetepreneur on Facebook
www.lazymanandmoney.com/is-every-mlm-a-scam
We have our own regularly returning bots.

Glossary:

Bots: our affectionate name for victims of the MLM racket

MLM: Multi-level Marketing schemes - essentially pyramid schemes that are just legal because you sell a product. Reliant upon constant recruitment despite there not being enough people in the world to go beyond about 12 levels if everyone recruited 6.

Downline/Upline: the people you recruited and those who recruited you (going up and down the pyramid inverted funnel)

Timeless Vie: Parody of MLM schemes (though you might spot one in particular) that also carries out fearless investigative work. Flogging the amazing skinny lard and now carbonated lard. The arsenic is not the evil Victorian stuff. #TeamDannii #gettingalardon

Hommetrepreneur: also excellent parody site focussing on the menz

BotWatch: Rather more serious, keeps an eye on what the Bots are claiming next, particularly in reference to health and income claims. Also fearless.

Inverted Funnel: Timeless Vie is NOT a pyramid - it's an inverted Funnel, OK?

Eyes: Our former member Eyespying who knows LOTS about MLM schemes. He's still our very own #manhun.

I miss CAM 😢

Indeed. She's not forgotten by any means.

I've not checked much lately but just looked on the Facebook page of the female half of a fairly high up FL bot couple fully expecting to see hype about Dubai and it's quite the opposite.

No mention of FL in her 'works at' section which was definitely there before.

Only recent mentions of FL are tags by other people.

Most peculiar.

I wonder if those cheques really are dropping this year so their profile is being massively lowered beforehand.

Maybe she's 'waking up'?

Can you PM me with a clue about who they are? I might know some info. The cheques are definitely smaller this year

Not sure about 'waking up', it does seem more like 'managing expectations'!

Maybe so. I'd still be expecting the 'poster-people' to receive proportionately high cheques though. ( You have to provide aspirational targets somewhere.)

'Proportionally high' is going to be difficult to justify if the amount is less than last year though isn't it?

I realise there will be a spin on it but the reality of there being less in the pot to go round is very telling.

Goodness, Yes. Very telling indeed.

As these bots teams become global how do the carrot and stick incentives work?

For example a shill bot is offering a weekend in Amsterdam, travel included, to her top team team member (after they've jumped through numerous other hoops to "qualify" to even be in with a chance of course). What happens if a team member in Australia wins it? Does shill bot have to dig deep and cough up the air fare from Oz?

Yep the shill bot would be expected to pay the air fare. But I suspect if she did win there would be some kind of loophole to get out of paying that. Her incentive so her rules

Are there any rules about using your children to flog stuff? My Herbalife friend is constantly posting pictures of her small children "enjoying" the shakes and it makes me feel so uncomfortable

Rosettesforjill, I don't know about advertising rules for using children. I do know though, that if the posts are testimonials that are lies, they can be reported to the ASA.

Ha my bots newest thing is "if you sell five of these then I'll buy you one!"

So could you all go out and get my sales up please and I'll give you a freebie that actually you'll have got everyone else to pay for. I also won a raffle prize... two weeks ago that I still don't have!

After reading about raffles I've stopped taking part. Cannot believe the shite that's happening now - she did this with sell five mascaras and I'll buy you one last week. Now she's doing it with all sorts. That's just plain cheating and shit!

I just wrote a BotWatchBlog post on the trend of bots getting people to apply for a government grant. This will ulimately lead the victim to losing all their income and having a garage full of wampum.

wordpress.com/post/botwatchblog.wordpress.com/3621

It is an investigation in progress and I will welcome any ideas, information or comments on it.

If anyone read it recently, I just updated it.

not sure if that is the correct link actually. If it doesn't work, try this one

//botwatchblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/mlm-and-the-new-enterprise-allowance/

Thanks, Toobusy.

Isn't there a phrase I heard once upon a time of 'garage-qualified'?

Toobusy I did an FOI request to the DWP last year but they said they didn't hold the information.

For your ref, here's the wording of my request. It was submitted in March last year.

I would like to request the release of the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.

1. The number of people who have begun the New Enterprise Allowance 'mentoring' programme intending to start their own multi-level marketing businesses with Forever Living, Younique, Juice Plus (otherwise known as Juice +) and Ariix (otherwise known as The Opportunity Company) in each financial year since April 2011.

If possible, and if appropriate, can you present the information in the following format:

2011/12
People beginning NEA mentoring with
Forever Living: 12
Younique: 4
Juice Plus: 5
Ariix: 5

Etc

2. The number of people who have gone on to be classed as 'new business starts' under the NEA scheme in each financial year since April 2011, running Forever Living, Younique, Juice Plus and Ariix businesses. Please display the information in the same way as referred to in 1)

3. The total amount (in GBP) of New Enterprise Allowance paid to people involved in setting up their Forever Living, Younique, Juice Plus and Ariix businesses in each financial year since April 2011. Please display the information in the same way as referred to in 1)

4. The total amount paid out in loans from the Start Up Loans company to people involved in setting up their Forever Living, Younique, Juice Plus and Ariix businesses in each financial year since April 2011. Please display the information in the same way as referred to in 1)

Janice, that's a really good request you put in there. I'm not expecting much of a reply to my request then. I thought someone had put in a request but couldn't remember who.

I wonder what type of request they could answer? Industry type? Names of companies formed? Mind you, that would produce copious amounts of data.

I'll try a different strategy. Think I'll contact the companies that do the mentoring and ask them some questions...

Juice plus is curing depression and anxiety again. Week after a video where woman stated she came off all meds and took jp when baby was 7 weeks old.

Janice, I have updated the post with a screenshot of your above post.

I often get 'data not held replies to my FOI requests Toobusy. You have to trust they're genuine because I guess there's simply no way of finding out if they do hold the info and they're just basically lying.

Normally it means you've asked the wrong department. These days they're supposed to be as helpful as possible and send you in the right direction but the DWP never do because they can't be arsed finding out which government department does actually hold the info. Either that, or they simply haven't made a record of the info, which would be pretty tardy, given this is public money they're playing with!

It was the DWP I wrote to. Hopefully there will be someone who cares enough to help.

Was babysitting today - at a toddler group there was an Usborne seller. They were asking people to enter their free raffle too which I said no too, because no way is any bot having my details.

I'm someone who cringes at being 'sold' too anyway (like when you go into Savers and they try and flog you a Peter Andre perfume for £19.99), but it feels like nowhere is safe!

Some interesting stats on the FL cheques

15k qualifiers
2016: 2
2017:0

12.5k qualifiers
2016:3
2017:2

10k qualifiers
2016:1
2017:1

7.5k qualifiers
2016:5
2017:2

5k qualifiers
2016:20
2017:10

2.5k qualifiers
2016:65
2017:54 (25 not getting CB cheque)