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

[WideWebWitch]

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.

I've never done Kleenezee (I put my book straight outside too) but I did do a toy one - if you ever come across Wooden Toys, steer well clear - is a COMPLETE rip off. I'm ashamed to admit I lost about £300 just before Xmas last year (2002). Single mum on benefits, was not money I could afford to lose

Thank you very much for all your responses, I'm really grateful and about to email my mum a link to this thread.

Sorry, but I'm still hugely sceptical about multi level marketing, pyramid selling (and I do know they're slightly different) and any get rich quick schemes. Ditto any site called vastincome.co.uk!

lovethelifesyle- mumsnet has a policy that adverts have their own section and that people contribute £25 for advertising here.

I've tried it, the initial shell-out was £60 and then you had to pay out more and more for the stationery. The 'profits' I made were very marginal.

Personally I found it was a great BIG con. Perhaps I should've cottoned on to the fact that the reps (a couple who did it full time) who 'recruited' me looked like Wayne & Waynetta Slob and drove the crappiest A reg clapped out shed, you could ever imagine, despite their protestations that Kleenezeeeeeeeeeeeeee really was a great way to make a mint. This was about 5 years ago, and I was taken for a mug. NEVER AGAIN.

AVOID AVOID AVOID

"By WSM on Friday, 23 January, 2004 10:15:35 AM

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"

LOL. Just realised that this is a v v old thread and I've already posted on it !!!!!!!!!!

My experience with kleeneze short not sweet .. visit form very successful kleeneze rep with glazed born again christian look in eyes extolling the virtues of kleeneze .Proof of their fantastic wages flashed quickly before my eyes .I hasten to add the initial make money in your spare time ad I answered gave no indication of company name .. I made a few feeble attempts to say it wasn,t for me which were ignored as I was persuaded to give it a try, no mention of the 14 day money back guarantee either although it was in the paperwork in my Business Manual .. Further visit and join up fee £100.00 snatched from my hand with indecent haste and riches promised .. Was then invited to one of the tear jerking incredible success story meetings where you can be inspired by the rich people who get made rich by the poor people who are desperate enough to make a few bob to get sucked in with the hysteria (bit like a religious revival meeting . I was accompanied on my first drop by my upliner we did an hour of footslogging delivering catalogues and I was also accompanied on first collection of catalogues 50% of cats not returned money already lost there ! approx £50.00 worth went back following day to knock for cats , became embarrassed to knock on the doors as some of the responses were not too pleasant . some although not all Got a small order from this little foray which netted profit of 2.50 coupled with admin charges of £10.00 loss to me £100.00 for join up and cats and 7.50 loss due to admin charge not to mention the lost catalogues £50.00 I complained to upline about charges and have to say the 14 day guarantee is a very difficult thing to implement you will be persuaded at all costs to persevere until it is too late to take advantage of that empty promise ! So no chance of that then . Follow up to my advising upliner would not be collecting rest of catalogues was crass comment made about it being an easy business to make money .no further comment or contact from upline person .obviously i am no use to him in his grand plans to make fortunes off the backs of fools . This is not a bitter swipe at Kleeneze just advice to any one who needs money but is not mercenary enough to charge forward with no regard to the cost to others in the recruit others to profit by them game . I can see how the succesful ones do it but would advise caution if you are not obsessive, ruthless and have a face that can smile smile smile no matter what insults you recieve !

Ooooh, very sneaky ...

Go and pay for an advert you cheeky troll you!!!!

What, so instead, we should all support ourselves by selling each other cleaning products?

I hate MLM, my parents were burned so many times, avoid avoid avoid.

Not all MLM is bad ... depends on the company ... honestly.

Cheeky plugs like the last poster piss me off though.

Hmm, I'm willing to believe that established MLMs like Avon and Mary Kay are possibly not too bad, as at least they're in it for the long run.

But I'm still anti-MLM, not least because it makes people need to sell things to their friends and family, which is tiresome, to say the least.