Why are MLMs/ Network Marketing 'businesses' a scam?

[Spongebobette]

This is the 44th thread in a long series about the dangers of network marketing/ MLMs such as Forever Living, Ariix, NuSkin, Arbonne, Younique, Valentus, TS Life, and MANY MANY more!
Posts here will give examples of the lies told by 'top bots' who portray luxury lifestyles in order to lure in new victims and of the other techniques and brainwashing used by MLMs
Over 90% of people who join an MLM end up LOSING money. Always bear that in mind when considering paying money to join!

Got two to go to tonight. Not looking forward to seeing all the mlms that are there every year.

Can you imagine having your photo taken every time you leave the house to go to work/a meeting. Bloody hilarious!

Can you also imagine having to constantly blow your own trumpet and post about how wonderful you are, how you work so hard, how you are always evolving, how you strive to be the best, how your "track record of creating extraordinary businesses with ordinary people is amazing" ?

...... how the sun shines out of your backside basically

Thanks for info!

That’s odd on Me & Em as a couple of years ago was invited to a few local events where there was a named “host” who I understood from the friends inviting me was selling it. Perhaps they got it wrong, or perhaps Me&Em have changed their business model. I didn’t go as dislike the type of events and the clothes are too pricey!

Jacqueline Gold of Anne Summers talked a bit about their business model (many years ago) on desert island discs - a good listen - it didn’t sound like MLM, more that the company took mail orders and paid saleswomen commission to host parties etc. Perhaps Me&Em is a similar approach?

Did anyone here the piece about Inteletravel on R4’s You & Yours programme yesterday? It’s on iplayer and starts about 8 mins in to the programme. They discussed the lack of money to be made, problems for the reps and lack of ABTA but didn’t (to my mind) touch nearly enough on its true agenda (selling the opportunity, not travel) and the company behind it Planett Marketing. Still worth a listen.

I don't know why, but for some reason I am put in mind of what was said about Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life, by the woman who did the costumes....something along the lines of Margo being unable to just wear something and keep it simple, she always added one thing too many to an outfit....

....except I am thinking about interior decor....

For a very small fee, I could go to someone's dream home, chuck out all the tat and quirky bits and bobs which are clogging up the rooms and it would look SO much nicer. And I'm not even qualified as an interior designer or a feng shui coach.

YouokHun, why not email into You and Yours? They quite often do follow up pieces. I was interviewed once (as an unhappy consumer!) on something totally different, was quite fun!

Has anyone listened to episode 10 of The Dream yet? Makes me wonder about political donations/influence in the UK.

Theresa May opened the Juice Plus HQ just a few years ago. It’s in her constituency, to be fair, but the power of the MLM lobby and the DSA in the US has got me wondering about what’s happening here in the UK.

hi all! im a former flp "business owner" i got sucked in when i moved to a new area, was hoping to make friends , hardly sold anything, and couldnt do the "fake it till you make" couldn't even approach folk about the "business" i just thought how can i ask people to part with best part of £200 when i don't know if it works!!😐 so can someone pm the bot glossary!? i know castle bot not sure on the others!! xx

Do you thhink to be successful* in MLM you need to be a complete narcissist?

I watched a live from my favourite East Anglian Valentus bots who was basically fake modestly telling us how much she does for everyone else. Etc etc. How a new recruit blocked her, and because she heard she was in financial difficulty she sent her £40 quid because she really is that nice

So brazen. 😂😂😂

And yawn has told us that her training is going to be "incredible".

*Surviving

Hi, forever and welcome to the thread. 🙂

Messiah is going to ‘literally blow minds’, which is one of the worst misuses of ‘literal’ I’ve heard in a while.

thanks cozietoes!! i was actually approached about intele travel, that looked scary! i think you have a fee to pay and no abta atol protection...... nahhhhhh x

BangingOn Messiah will have no trouble literally blowing minds given that he's full of hot air / all wind and no piss.

Welcome to the thread where lies about network marketing come to die Foreverastri2. What was the last straw for you?

@Loopytiles I’ve been in Twitter contact with the journalist who produced the Inteletravel piece. Botwatch is the real expert though!

last straw? not making any moolah i guess, i had a year break and come back all the upline i was familiar with had left!! and the woman who was my upline hardly even replied to my message ( think she is quite high up), and i just couldn't do the fakery...or badgering folk to join.

Hope you didn't lose too much...........🙂

Am delurking to say hi and thanks for the hints as I have figured out who Yawn is (but not the others yet!)

I lost a good friendship to Jamberry/Younique last year, and thanks to a link to Elle Beau's blog someone stuck in the comments on my local FB Buy/sell page about FL (I live in the middle of the FL viper's nest right by HQ!) I fell into the rabbit hole of MLM research (including the excellent 'Sounds Like MLM But Ok' and 'The Dream' podcasts.

The latest 'That's a Cult?' Podcast talks about mindset training and all that nonsense that these bots seem to be doing now. It's worth a listen.

Hi there Unapologetically. 🙂

i can't think about it..... could of been a decent hollibobs! who is yawn? x

Look on the bright side - it could have been much worse! And you managed to get out.

There are plenty of inculcees who lose a GREAT DEAL of Money.

It’s December tomorrow. Yawn’s work free month. Let’s see how long that lasts then!

What does 'work-free' really mean, though?

I think it's success day tomorrow. One of my faves. 😂😂😂