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.

Hi all, I've been following for a while and also found DH / Younique thread fascinating.

As I said over there I have an acquaintance who is a bot and I really worry for her. I'd like to confront her but can't yet (professional relationship). She strikes me as very vulnerable. I also have a Y bot on my Facebook. I can't look away. I don't even know her but she friend-requested me, I assumed because of a joint sporting interest, and she constantly posts selfies, but they all look the same. I wonder how on earth she has time with two small children milling about in the background

Yay for threads like these Timeless Vie and others.

I very nearly got sucked in. I hosted an online party and even asked my parents for the start up fee but I came across posts on another parenting site and noticed that every single thing fl bot said to me was off a script.

She wanted me to post about how FL products had helped my IBS (I don't have IBS) and made ridiculous medical claims.

It filtered out after 2 months of hassling me and me constantly saying no thanks because I had seen the light.

Well done for staying clear, Blerg and 100.

Blerg

If you're already reading Timeless Vie, you'll have a good grounding. You might, though, also find botwatchblog interesting.

If you scroll down the site, you'll come to their 'Directory of MLM Information' which contains some excellent links which might prove useful if you ever decide to talk to your friend.

I will say I did make decent money for a couple of years but the whole business has taken a massive hit over the last 12 months. Even some of the uber bots. But I never earned the big numbers you see posted everywhere.

What you are all asking about giving away products as incentives. That is done when they are trying to encourage people to sell more and they need more sales themselves for the free holidays or the big cheques. I've seen it happen loads at the end of a month or at the end of an incentive period when they're scraping sales from everywhere. The person setting the incentive has to buy those products out of their own pocket. None of it is given to them by head office.

I just can't see it lasting to be honest. More and more people are hating everything to do with MLM companies and word spreads about things with social media.

Dora if you don't mind me asking, could you give a ball park on your earnings? I'm so curious. Can I also ask, what sucks these often clever people in? How are they so blind to it? I don't mean this offensively, but how do people not see through the shit they spout? The biggest thing for me in all of this is how so unaware people are with all this. Please don't think I'm being horrid, I just have no one** to ask. Congratulations on quitting, you must feel relieved.

I have a Y bot on my timeline, who reckons (in private) she earns £600 a month but doesn't spend on products, just uses the free samples. But I thought you needed to spend at least £150 a quarter to keep your level?

good to touch base with you all again. had a rough year, hence why i've been AWOL.

glad to see more people are coming forward xxx. You are all brave xxx

Hello lastuser

Nice to have you back

I don't know precisely what entraps people, Wombatting. Perhaps it's the 'water on a stone' thing, perhaps it's social or family obligations, perhaps it's a massive reluctance to waste money ( so putting more into an already sinking ship in the hope that it will turn around). It could be so many things - or a combination thereof.

I only know that MLMs do manage to ensnare people - for a time - and some of those are not people you'd expect to fall for the spiel. No-one seems to be immune. (Although some people are clearly going to be more difficult prospects than others. )

Another lurker here.

Are Jamberry nails a MLM as well?

magna I'd say yes for definite...£20 for stickers for your nails...massive rip off.

Yes. Have a read of botwatchblog Magna. (Scroll down until you get to the list of some more prominent MLMs under 'Directory of MLM Information.' )

My apologies. That should really be under 'Information on MLMs' which is under the 'Directory' reference.

Thank you. I just needed to double check

A quick and easy first way is to do an internet search on the company name and add MLM to the search. Doing that for the firm you mentioned is really quite revealing.

This one is spot on

www.scarymommy.com/how-to-lose-facebook-friends/

I've missed a few posts here but I thought I'd just put up this pic for you. Apologies if it's been done before.

Great post about Jamberry here but you could easily swap the details for any other MLM.
www.bottlesoup.com/2015/04/18/jamberry-scamberry-why-the-latest-mlm-preying-on-sahms-will-never-give-you-financial-freedom/

A good post, that.

Oooo thank you cozie thats interesting I will try that next time.

Some of those bots are just shameless. I've been told jp will cure my bi-polar

Worse I've seen post targeted toward parents of SN children advising JP could help. I got blocked for calling the silly cow out.

There are people here who have a degree of expertise in reporting spurious - and in some cases downright dangerous - health claims to the appropriate body(s). Keep reading the thread.

Cozie it's just down right offensive. Fancy telling someone their child needs curing

I did message timeless vie a screenshot of the post. I've followed a few of these threads it just popped up on active so I thought I'd vent.

Well done for going to Timeless Vie.