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Original poster

Kleeeeeeezzeeeeeee - a nice little earner or a Great Big Con?

39 replies

WideWebWitch · 23/01/2004 10:04

My mum is thinking of becoming a Kleenezee (even the spelling offends me!) rep,which involves spending £75 on catalogues and other assorted stuff and then putting them through local letterboxes. They have written to her saying she could 'easily' earn £200 a month for part time work. I'm sceptical, being a great hater of MLM (and terrible videos showing you all the Kleeneze millionaires. Hmm) but said I'd ask mumsnetters what they thought. So, is anyone making a mint from floor cleaners or whatever they sell? Or do you reckon it's a waste of time and effort? TIA to anyone who can help.

OP posts:

twiglett · 23/01/2004 10:07

message withdrawn

Northerner · 23/01/2004 10:14

wast of money imo.

WSM · 23/01/2004 10:15

I'm ashamed to say that I tried it, at the time it was £60 to 'join' when I did. It was a huuuuuuuuge con, I should've realised that I was onto a loser when my 'mentors' (the people who sold me the idea) came round to my house. Firstly they were like Wayne & Waynetta Slob (stained tracksuits & greasy hair etc) and they turned up in a battered poo brown D reg Montego estate !! Not exactly a great advert for the profit making potential of being a kleenezee agent.

There is very little profit to be made per item sold and like you say, most people object to having catalogues for this sort of thing thrust through their letterbox. The only way you 'make money' is by becoming one of those people like Wayne & Waynetta where you recruit other poor suckers. I think it is one step away from pyramid selling TBH.

I tried it, made very little money (certainly didn't make my £60 joining fee) and learned my lesson. I'd advise your mum to go and put her money on a 3 legged, one eyed nag down the bookies, she's more chance of making a profit there than with Kleenezee !

HTH
WSM
xxx

WSM · 23/01/2004 10:17

I would also like to say that the agents have to buy all of the kleenezee stationery, catalogues, order sheets, the lot.

Tokra · 23/01/2004 10:21

Our Kleeneeze brochure has a note attached saying to leave it out on the doorstep. That's exactly where it goes - the minute I pick the damn thing up.
I'm always wary of companies that make you pay a "joining fee", "administration fee", "introductory fee" or whatever it is they are calling it this week. Don't do it!

GeorginaA · 23/01/2004 12:45

I tried it too - it was very hard work. I don't think I lost my joining fee (or at least not much of it) as I did make up enough profit to not be seriously out of pocket, but considering the hours I did to get that I may as well have worked at MacDonalds for better pay & less hours and responsibility.

I wouldn't go far as to say it was a con (in that it is possible to make a living without recruiting other people) - I just think there are a whole lot better ways to make money.

Plus, it's really demoralising collecting the catalogues when (quite frankly) there are a minority of people who are extremely abussive and rude and don't appreciate that the cost of every catalogue comes out of your pocket and that you're doing it for very little return.

DSW · 23/01/2004 12:49

I wondered why my Kleenezee lady gets really mad when she comes to collect the catalogue and I have thrown it out!!

Never bought a thing out of it though!!

GeorginaA · 23/01/2004 12:51

Okay... just checked my spreadsheets. Over 3 weeks (and I was pretty much working a couple of hours a day, 6 days a week for this) I had an income of £243 of which £77 was "profit" (but then I paid the £73.50 joining fee). To be fair, the longer you do it and you learn who your regular customers are the easier it gets with more profit for less time but it still is a hell of a lot of work for very little return at the beginning.

I didn't keep a note of how many houses I dropped catalogues at but I'm fairly certain that must have been at least 450 in total (I had 50 catalogues in circulation) - out of those only 10 actual customers. I think you have to be fairly tough emotionally to do it, because it does get very demoralising very quickly.

I stopped after only 3 weeks as I realised how stressed I was and I was dreading going out to collect them. Plus carrying around 25 catalogues (the maximum you can really lift at any one time) is really heavy work.

GeorginaA · 23/01/2004 12:52

DSW - Each one of those catalogues costs her approximately £1.50 - so yes it's very annoying when they get binned - that's your profit margin gone for that evening's work.

StressyHead · 23/01/2004 12:59

message withdrawn

GeorginaA · 23/01/2004 13:04

TBH I didn't mind people binning the catalogues, it was the being completely bawled out and sworn at by one jumped up pr*ck for 5 MINUTES on the doorstep of his house because I'd had the audacity to post a catalogue through his front door (and no, there was no sign saying "no free papers, etc" on the door - I always checked and respected them). If he'd just said "sorry, don't want it and have binned it" I'd have been a bit cheesed off but it would have been fair enough.

As it was, I came straight home and bawled my eyes out in front of my toddler and husband. I quit not long after.

Janstar · 23/01/2004 13:08

I worked for Tupperware for years and years, the most reputable of direct sales companies, and they always either charged for a starting kit or took it out of your wages. They also charged for stationery. They had to, otherwise people would join left right and centre, sell nothing, and cost the company a huge amount. I think it is normal practise.

However, they should be paying a decent rate of commision so that you can earn. If the commision is crap, don't do it.

bobsmum · 23/01/2004 13:28

My aunt did it until not long ago. She quit her job and poured everything she had into Kleeneze and worked her way up the ranks quite quickly. She was forever attending big meetings all over the country and getting bonuses etc. BUT as far as I know, she was never able to make a living from it to support her family (my uncle has MS and deteriorating v quickly). In order for her to make any worthwhile profit, she was working 7 days a week and evenings too. Con con con. - it's a pyramid scheme no matter what anyone tells you.

Having said all that, she's now switched to Avon....

FairyMum · 23/01/2004 13:35

I am terrified of the old man who delivers those things to me. If I can't find the catalogue when he knocks on my door to collect, he gets so cross with me. He lectures me for ages for "loosing his money". I don't even want those catalougues!

DSW · 23/01/2004 13:47

GeorginaA - I wouldn't have binned them had I known - will give Kleeneeze lady £3 when I see her - as I do feel rather guilty now.

GeorginaA · 23/01/2004 13:51

Aww DSW I didn't mean to make you feel guilty, honest!!

If it's any consolation, I never knew before I joined up either. One time my ds threw up all over a catalogue and I apologised profusely to the person collecting - explained why I'd binned it in that it wasn't fit for human touch and they were ever so nice about it! Didn't occur to me at all that it came out of their own pocket or I'd have felt even worse! Still, I did notice that from then on it was always an old dog-eared copy that got delivered to my house

dinosaur · 23/01/2004 13:53

we get the catalogue but I have only ever once bought something from it

we don't bin the catalogue though, we leave it out to be collected

I wouldn't want my mum doing it - very hard work and also quite dangerous, going round strangers' houses in the evenings.

GeorginaA · 23/01/2004 13:56

Also, I do understand why people bin them. Our area gets LOADS of door-to-door sales and direct sales - it can be so irritating.

Having done it myself (and during my student days I once did one of those direct sales restaurant discount cards things) I now appreciate that it's the company behind them that suck not the poor distributors who are often just trying to get anything they can that will help make ends meet, and they're mostly young parents or students who desperately need something they can fit around their free time.

I should get one of those "no free stuff" signs myself but I quite like getting the free papers.

suedonim · 23/01/2004 14:14

Assuming it's run the in the same way, I have a friend who has done Betterware for many years and she makes a fair income from it, which is more than just 'pin money' for her family. Sometimes she's overwhelmed by the amount of business she gets. She has a large 'patch' in the country, so maybe it's easier in rural areas? I'm afraid I just leave the Kleenezee catalogues on our doorstep, as well. It's just another type of junk mail, to me.

Snugs · 23/01/2004 17:11

Yep, Betterware is better!

I considered doing Kleeneze but the costs put me off - £75 layout includes a very small number of books, you have to purchase more (you need a minimum of 150 books to make it work). If you don?t get your books back from households, it is instantly biting into any profit you might make.

Betterware provide everything you need free of charge (I use over 200 books per week, but if I lose some it doesn?t matter). Pay is commission only (20% of all sales).

I vary my hours (anything between 5 and 10 hours per week) and on average earn £50+ per week. At first it was only £20 p/w or so, but I have built up my round and it has increased every week since (and this is during the worst time of year - sales increase dramatically in the good weather).

In the 6 months or so I have been doing it, 3 different people in my area have attempted a Kleeneze round and have given up after losing money.

Snugs · 23/01/2004 17:14

GeorginaA - those signs don't work!

Most distributors will ignore them and post a book anyway. I knock and ask each time I see a sign at a new household - and 90% take a book. Some of them are my best customers

Crunchie · 23/01/2004 17:22

GeoginaA did you used to to that door to door restaurant thing with a company called Granton marjeting?? Where were you??

I worked for thm for nearly 2 years, full time!! I made good money some days, nothing the next!!

GeorginaA · 23/01/2004 17:24

I have no idea. It was based in Birmingham (I was at uni there) and I did it for one day, got horrible sunburn and blisters and decided I'd find a more sedentary job or just run up the overdraft

misdee · 23/01/2004 18:31

FIL does kleeneeze, the way it works is very much like pyramid selling, but is called network marketing. u basically recruit more people to make u more money. just selling can make u money but not as much as if u'd recruit.

SueW · 23/01/2004 23:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

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