Author Topic: MLM. oh my.  (Read 40021 times)

Megatron

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 130
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #50 on: October 01, 2014, 01:20:41 PM »
just my 2 cents. I joined Amway when I was out of college and working as a software engineer fulltime. One of my sister's friends introduced me to it. I knew what it was going in and have researched extensively about it. He brought me to a small local  meeting at someone's home where they had each members going up there giving presentations and talking about products and things they learned from customers that week. I've always wanted to overcome my fear of public speaking and being able to make sales pitches to VCs / angel investors for my great dot com ideas in the future. I figured this was an easier way to get started since the nearest toast masters meeting was a bit of a drive. I joined after a few meetings. I didn't worry much about the money because I knew it wasn't sustainable unless you work it 24/7 selling and teaching people. But it taught me a lot about the psychology of selling and interaction with people. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone to talk to strangers and seeing how I can read people better. That definitely helped me a lot with girls at social gatherings. I am I was able to create a team of 30 or so downlines in the 2 years I was in it. The business also introduced me to a lot of the books that I wouldn't have read on my own. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and a bunch of Dale Carnegie / self improvement books. I lucked out because the people that mentored me weren't the pushy types that were trying to get me to make money for them, they were all working full time as professionals and thought they could make a little side hustle of "passive" income. I basically got a 2 year course on public speaking and personal improvement coaching for the measly price of 2 years of membership and some product purchases (like soap, shampoo). I am still very good friends with 2 of the mentors after all these years and have invited them to my wedding this year. I guess this is just an anecdote about some of the types of people that are in these MLM things. I didn see a lot of "sell sell sell" and pushy types in other teams and some of the products they sell are pretty crappy and overpriced.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2014, 01:27:51 PM by Megatron »

mydogismyheart

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 115
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #51 on: October 01, 2014, 01:58:29 PM »
My cousin and her husband were visiting out from out of town and we were talking about another cousin who's been in NYC for a long time and just making ends meet. I started rambling on typical mustachian topics, how I love NYC but if she moved back home she could save money and build wealth and so on and so fourth. :D

All of a sudden, they thought that me talking about wealth building meant that I was a perfect fit for "momentis" which is like, MLM for electricity and cable and cell phone bills and crap. They started talking about how "it's going to be a revolution" and how "everyone will be in it a few years" and "we're getting in early, and it's going BLOW UP, and we'll do SO well," bla bla blah. They go to meetings and they are sold the same dream as we all talk about.... lifestyle design, financial independence, early retirement, etc. But they are sold it using hyped up, cult-like, motivational-psychological-brainwashing, and it's quite sad. They even talked about how the CEO of the company is such this great family man that's so great and kind and has good values and bla bla bla, and it was clearly a contrived image crafted to elicit exactly that response.

It's really sad, because they told me why they want to do it... provide for their families, he's got a mentally challenged brother. It pisses me off that they are being taken advantage of but I knew that arguing about it with them wouldn't do any good so I bit my tongue. It's classic cult tactics.

They claim to be bringing in $150 a month with it.

It's not a scam in the sense that anything will be stolen from them, it was only a $300 investment so they claim to be in the black, but it is a scam in the sense that they will waste a lot of time on it, and the superawesome family-man-moral-superhero of a CEO will get most of the fruits of the labor, and move on to somebody else.

http://momentis.net/ . Their website is, of course, more about the "opportunity" than the products being marketed.

I want to just teach them to go thrifting and get an eBay account.

OMG, I got talked into a company exactly like this a few years ago (although I'm completely blanking on the name of it) and they said the EXACT same things!  It was a tech company and instead of selling physical stuff you were trying to get all your friends to sign up for cell/tv/internet/electricity/ etc... through you and then each month when they paid their bills you got paid. It was supposed to be this big incredible opportunity (especially the electricity portion of it) because it was services that everyone uses and you're just using that as an opportunity to get paid.  Sounded perfect but It turned out to be the most obnoxious thing of my life.

First, when I signed up I was VERY strict and said I would NOT do it if I had to bug friends and family. That I wanted opportunities to sell elsewhere and I would NOT host crap or bug friends and family.  They told me absolutely no problem they had lots of ways to help teach you how to pick up customers outside of friends and family and that they would do that for me.

Day 1 I'm getting bugged about hosting crap and selling to friends and family.  They even went beyond that and tried to get me to send them a list of all my friend's and families phone numbers and they were relentless!  They wouldn't stop!  They talked down to me like I was some sort of a child.  Within like a week I regretted everything and just wanted out desperately.  I quite speaking to them all together because they wouldn't leave me alone.  I was mad. I spend a good couple hundred just to get in and get started.  It was awful and I will never do it again!

zing12

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 93
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #52 on: October 01, 2014, 04:10:34 PM »
My cousin and her husband were visiting out from out of town and we were talking about another cousin who's been in NYC for a long time and just making ends meet. I started rambling on typical mustachian topics, how I love NYC but if she moved back home she could save money and build wealth and so on and so fourth. :D

All of a sudden, they thought that me talking about wealth building meant that I was a perfect fit for "momentis" which is like, MLM for electricity and cable and cell phone bills and crap. They started talking about how "it's going to be a revolution" and how "everyone will be in it a few years" and "we're getting in early, and it's going BLOW UP, and we'll do SO well," bla bla blah. They go to meetings and they are sold the same dream as we all talk about.... lifestyle design, financial independence, early retirement, etc. But they are sold it using hyped up, cult-like, motivational-psychological-brainwashing, and it's quite sad. They even talked about how the CEO of the company is such this great family man that's so great and kind and has good values and bla bla bla, and it was clearly a contrived image crafted to elicit exactly that response.

It's really sad, because they told me why they want to do it... provide for their families, he's got a mentally challenged brother. It pisses me off that they are being taken advantage of but I knew that arguing about it with them wouldn't do any good so I bit my tongue. It's classic cult tactics.

They claim to be bringing in $150 a month with it.

It's not a scam in the sense that anything will be stolen from them, it was only a $300 investment so they claim to be in the black, but it is a scam in the sense that they will waste a lot of time on it, and the superawesome family-man-moral-superhero of a CEO will get most of the fruits of the labor, and move on to somebody else.

http://momentis.net/ . Their website is, of course, more about the "opportunity" than the products being marketed.

I want to just teach them to go thrifting and get an eBay account.

OMG, I got talked into a company exactly like this a few years ago (although I'm completely blanking on the name of it) and they said the EXACT same things!  It was a tech company and instead of selling physical stuff you were trying to get all your friends to sign up for cell/tv/internet/electricity/ etc... through you and then each month when they paid their bills you got paid. It was supposed to be this big incredible opportunity (especially the electricity portion of it) because it was services that everyone uses and you're just using that as an opportunity to get paid.  Sounded perfect but It turned out to be the most obnoxious thing of my life.

First, when I signed up I was VERY strict and said I would NOT do it if I had to bug friends and family. That I wanted opportunities to sell elsewhere and I would NOT host crap or bug friends and family.  They told me absolutely no problem they had lots of ways to help teach you how to pick up customers outside of friends and family and that they would do that for me.

Day 1 I'm getting bugged about hosting crap and selling to friends and family.  They even went beyond that and tried to get me to send them a list of all my friend's and families phone numbers and they were relentless!  They wouldn't stop!  They talked down to me like I was some sort of a child.  Within like a week I regretted everything and just wanted out desperately.  I quite speaking to them all together because they wouldn't leave me alone.  I was mad. I spend a good couple hundred just to get in and get started.  It was awful and I will never do it again!

That sounds like exactly the same thing that my cousins are doing. Fortunately, it seems that they have not had as extreme of an experience. He told me he has very mixed feelings about pushing it on his family and friends and that he only ever brings it up once and shuts his mouth. I haven't heard about them alienating anyone yet, so hopefully it stays that way.

I just wish people knew how many opportunities there are to start legitimate side businesses instead of getting into this stuff.

jordanread

  • Guest
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #53 on: October 01, 2014, 09:15:37 PM »
I honestly think they don't see their financial situation as their fault.  They see it as following God's will, which is supposed to be hard and bring persecution.  They deserve the assistance so that they can do this "ministry."  It's how God is providing, I guess.

A bit off topic - my mother was raised in a strict fundamentalist church.  She's told me a story of a woman there who had all her teeth pulled and refused to get dentures because God was going to answer her prayers and give her new teeth!  I didn't realize you could order up whatever you wanted from God.  Should Jeff Bezos be worried? ;-)

It's too perfect to pass up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74SQ6w6LdU0

HoneyBadger

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 58
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #54 on: October 02, 2014, 08:10:22 AM »

VirginiaBob

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 429
    • LRJ Discounters
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #55 on: October 02, 2014, 11:21:25 AM »
Well, I do pay into the Social Security system, the worst pyramid scheme of all time.  Does that count? 

I did do Amway when I was younger - not even 1 legitimate sale, lost $150 in the startup kit.

Kaspian

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1533
  • Location: Canada
    • My Necronomicon of Badassity
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #56 on: October 02, 2014, 11:53:56 AM »
People love hand made gifts, and a lot of people can't make anything, so buying it is just as good.  MLM is corporate crap that you can get from WalMart.... my neighbor tried to sell me some vitamins once and made me feel so guilty about saying no.  Then they lost their house in bankruptcy.. still feeling guilty, but I know they could have gotten real jobs...

Exactly!  Chances are if (with the time and energy spent on MLM) they did something they were good at like baking pies or even something as crazy as welding art, they'd be much further ahead.  ...And they wouldn't be harassing friends/family in the process.  I knew a 20-year old girl in Vancouver who couldn't keep up with demand for her wrought iron welded coffee tables.  Ok, so some people maybe can't "make" anything.  But that doesn't mean one of them isn't a helluva great carpenter who could fix my closet doors.  Or a seamstress who could fix buttons on a bunch of shirts I haven't been wearing.  (Yes, I can sew myself--just not great at it.)

Hunny156

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 482
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #57 on: October 02, 2014, 12:21:53 PM »
On a similar note, folks who are unemployed need to really watch out for job postings that are anything but.  It's so sad how many people use manipulation tactics to take advantage of people who are usually scraping the bottom of the barrel, both emotionally and financially.

When hubby was unemployed, I can't tell you how many franchise opportunities were being billed as job opportunities.  Not the typical franchises either - things like selling tools or running a dumpster franchise, with some pretty hefty fees to sign up.

The worst, was a recruitment firm that brought you in under the guise of job opportunities, and then ran you through an hour long brainwashing of how their mentor-ship services would land you a better paying job, a better life, and a money tree in your backyard.  They even pretend that they want full family support (before they fleece you), so the next step was to come in with the family to discuss this total change in life plan.  If memory serves, leading you down this amazing road would only cost you $5K to start!

My hubby is a natural born salesman, but as I often joke, he's also the first person to get sold.  He came home with stars in his eyes, and I was just so annoyed that companies like this exist to take advantage of someone who is down in the dumps.  I refused to attend this meeting, and suggested we do a google search to learn more about this company.  Well, they clearly had already thought of that, and named the company THE.

I had to dig, but found a little information about their particular scam, enough to dash hubby's hopes and stop him from paying $5K to a useless, overpriced cheerleader.  We recovered just fine, but it really burns me to see so many people in the business of taking advantage of others who may not be thinking straight at that moment in time.

mydogismyheart

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 115
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #58 on: October 02, 2014, 12:22:31 PM »
My cousin and her husband were visiting out from out of town and we were talking about another cousin who's been in NYC for a long time and just making ends meet. I started rambling on typical mustachian topics, how I love NYC but if she moved back home she could save money and build wealth and so on and so fourth. :D

All of a sudden, they thought that me talking about wealth building meant that I was a perfect fit for "momentis" which is like, MLM for electricity and cable and cell phone bills and crap. They started talking about how "it's going to be a revolution" and how "everyone will be in it a few years" and "we're getting in early, and it's going BLOW UP, and we'll do SO well," bla bla blah. They go to meetings and they are sold the same dream as we all talk about.... lifestyle design, financial independence, early retirement, etc. But they are sold it using hyped up, cult-like, motivational-psychological-brainwashing, and it's quite sad. They even talked about how the CEO of the company is such this great family man that's so great and kind and has good values and bla bla bla, and it was clearly a contrived image crafted to elicit exactly that response.

It's really sad, because they told me why they want to do it... provide for their families, he's got a mentally challenged brother. It pisses me off that they are being taken advantage of but I knew that arguing about it with them wouldn't do any good so I bit my tongue. It's classic cult tactics.

They claim to be bringing in $150 a month with it.

It's not a scam in the sense that anything will be stolen from them, it was only a $300 investment so they claim to be in the black, but it is a scam in the sense that they will waste a lot of time on it, and the superawesome family-man-moral-superhero of a CEO will get most of the fruits of the labor, and move on to somebody else.

http://momentis.net/ . Their website is, of course, more about the "opportunity" than the products being marketed.

I want to just teach them to go thrifting and get an eBay account.

OMG, I got talked into a company exactly like this a few years ago (although I'm completely blanking on the name of it) and they said the EXACT same things!  It was a tech company and instead of selling physical stuff you were trying to get all your friends to sign up for cell/tv/internet/electricity/ etc... through you and then each month when they paid their bills you got paid. It was supposed to be this big incredible opportunity (especially the electricity portion of it) because it was services that everyone uses and you're just using that as an opportunity to get paid.  Sounded perfect but It turned out to be the most obnoxious thing of my life.

First, when I signed up I was VERY strict and said I would NOT do it if I had to bug friends and family. That I wanted opportunities to sell elsewhere and I would NOT host crap or bug friends and family.  They told me absolutely no problem they had lots of ways to help teach you how to pick up customers outside of friends and family and that they would do that for me.

Day 1 I'm getting bugged about hosting crap and selling to friends and family.  They even went beyond that and tried to get me to send them a list of all my friend's and families phone numbers and they were relentless!  They wouldn't stop!  They talked down to me like I was some sort of a child.  Within like a week I regretted everything and just wanted out desperately.  I quite speaking to them all together because they wouldn't leave me alone.  I was mad. I spend a good couple hundred just to get in and get started.  It was awful and I will never do it again!

That sounds like exactly the same thing that my cousins are doing. Fortunately, it seems that they have not had as extreme of an experience. He told me he has very mixed feelings about pushing it on his family and friends and that he only ever brings it up once and shuts his mouth. I haven't heard about them alienating anyone yet, so hopefully it stays that way.

I just wish people knew how many opportunities there are to start legitimate side businesses instead of getting into this stuff.

Yeah, it was no fun. They wanted me to go to weekly meetings that were 45 minutes away after work AND sometimes on Saturdays too!  I don't have time for that!!!  I was suckered in because a coworker friend was really into it and he was able to talk me into it by telling me that it was because of this company that he was able to take a year off work and just stay home and spend time with his teenage daughter. I had just recently discovered Dave Ramsey and was working through the baby steps and loved the idea of being able to pay off all my debts really fast! I was also pretty young and didn't have kids yet, I loved the idea of being able to stay home with them (this was also before discovering MMM).  It all sounded good... but only VERY briefly.  A mistake that I am glad I learned from quickly!!!

He later admitted that the company was a horrible scam and he made no money off of it.  Unfortunately, we are no longer friends either, but that's for a few reasons...
« Last Edit: October 02, 2014, 12:27:11 PM by mydogismyheart »

Goldielocks

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7062
  • Location: BC
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #59 on: October 04, 2014, 12:59:04 PM »
How does MBA make enough to pay for the pastor pensions or job loss?  That cant happen on the small amt retained of the membership money after the profit sharing...They must get donations in addition to the memberships?

Omg, $25 commission, you need to sell almost 2000 per year to make $50k...
  You would need to group sell after very very large gatherings.  Even selling 10 to 20 a week, every week, after church services(travelling to variuos locales) would not cut it.

franklin w. dixon

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 283
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #60 on: October 04, 2014, 08:50:45 PM »
My dear old Grandma Ann has been a Shaklee(tm) maven for gosh decades at this point and I dunno anything about their finances (one time they gave her a GMC Jimmy! 19 years ago!!) but the funny part is that when I graduated from college, and had a job offer that I had already accepted, she still kept making me watch Shaklee(tm) recruiting videos about how you only had to recruit your 8 closest friends or whatever. I remember being like "I don't even have eight friends," and she suggested I join a church, thereby getting right with the Lord.

tofuchampion

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 372
  • Age: 40
  • Location: Wilmington, NC
    • MadeByMarilynM
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #61 on: October 05, 2014, 02:38:46 PM »
How does MBA make enough to pay for the pastor pensions or job loss?  That cant happen on the small amt retained of the membership money after the profit sharing...They must get donations in addition to the memberships?

Omg, $25 commission, you need to sell almost 2000 per year to make $50k...
  You would need to group sell after very very large gatherings.  Even selling 10 to 20 a week, every week, after church services(travelling to variuos locales) would not cut it.

Hell if I know. I'm pretty sure it was started by the guy my BIL was/is working for, and the whole mess will go under before anyone tries to actually tap into those "benefits."  Or, there's all kinds of requirements and stipulations that keep ppl from getting it. Either way, there's no way they'd actually be able to deliver on those promises.

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9922
  • Registered member
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #62 on: October 05, 2014, 04:09:52 PM »
They go to meetings and they are sold the same dream as we all talk about.... lifestyle design, financial independence, early retirement, etc. But they are sold it using hyped up, cult-like, motivational-psychological-brainwashing, and it's quite sad. They even talked about how the CEO of the company is such this great family man that's so great and kind and has good values and bla bla bla, and it was clearly a contrived image crafted to elicit exactly that response.

Well that sounds decidedly UNmustachian!  Perhaps they need a face punch directly from MMM himself, if he wasn't so busy being an upstanding family man.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10880
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #63 on: October 05, 2014, 09:49:08 PM »
My cousin and her husband were visiting out from out of town and we were talking about another cousin who's been in NYC for a long time and just making ends meet. I started rambling on typical mustachian topics, how I love NYC but if she moved back home she could save money and build wealth and so on and so fourth. :D

All of a sudden, they thought that me talking about wealth building meant that I was a perfect fit for "momentis" which is like, MLM for electricity and cable and cell phone bills and crap. They started talking about how "it's going to be a revolution" and how "everyone will be in it a few years" and "we're getting in early, and it's going BLOW UP, and we'll do SO well," bla bla blah. They go to meetings and they are sold the same dream as we all talk about.... lifestyle design, financial independence, early retirement, etc. But they are sold it using hyped up, cult-like, motivational-psychological-brainwashing, and it's quite sad. They even talked about how the CEO of the company is such this great family man that's so great and kind and has good values and bla bla bla, and it was clearly a contrived image crafted to elicit exactly that response.

It's really sad, because they told me why they want to do it... provide for their families, he's got a mentally challenged brother. It pisses me off that they are being taken advantage of but I knew that arguing about it with them wouldn't do any good so I bit my tongue. It's classic cult tactics.

They claim to be bringing in $150 a month with it.

It's not a scam in the sense that anything will be stolen from them, it was only a $300 investment so they claim to be in the black, but it is a scam in the sense that they will waste a lot of time on it, and the superawesome family-man-moral-superhero of a CEO will get most of the fruits of the labor, and move on to somebody else.

http://momentis.net/ . Their website is, of course, more about the "opportunity" than the products being marketed.

I want to just teach them to go thrifting and get an eBay account.

OMG, I got talked into a company exactly like this a few years ago (although I'm completely blanking on the name of it) and they said the EXACT same things!  It was a tech company and instead of selling physical stuff you were trying to get all your friends to sign up for cell/tv/internet/electricity/ etc... through you and then each month when they paid their bills you got paid. It was supposed to be this big incredible opportunity (especially the electricity portion of it) because it was services that everyone uses and you're just using that as an opportunity to get paid.  Sounded perfect but It turned out to be the most obnoxious thing of my life.

First, when I signed up I was VERY strict and said I would NOT do it if I had to bug friends and family. That I wanted opportunities to sell elsewhere and I would NOT host crap or bug friends and family.  They told me absolutely no problem they had lots of ways to help teach you how to pick up customers outside of friends and family and that they would do that for me.

Day 1 I'm getting bugged about hosting crap and selling to friends and family.  They even went beyond that and tried to get me to send them a list of all my friend's and families phone numbers and they were relentless!  They wouldn't stop!  They talked down to me like I was some sort of a child.  Within like a week I regretted everything and just wanted out desperately.  I quite speaking to them all together because they wouldn't leave me alone.  I was mad. I spend a good couple hundred just to get in and get started.  It was awful and I will never do it again!

That sounds like exactly the same thing that my cousins are doing. Fortunately, it seems that they have not had as extreme of an experience. He told me he has very mixed feelings about pushing it on his family and friends and that he only ever brings it up once and shuts his mouth. I haven't heard about them alienating anyone yet, so hopefully it stays that way.

I just wish people knew how many opportunities there are to start legitimate side businesses instead of getting into this stuff.
One of my friends got into this - can't remember the company though. I  went to a meeting.  I really don't have time for/ am not interested in it, but it was intriguing.  The point of the company is to get people on electric, water, cell, cable, etc - but on cheaper plans.  So, kind of like Republic wireless and the like.

What appealed to me, philosophically, was saving people money - people who are too lazy to go through the work themselves.  But of course, no time so I didn't bother.  And my friend, who was starting it, looked at my monthly expenses and of course they couldn't save me any money.

Around here it was new and everyone was asking about cell phones.  The big wig was telling us to "not worry about specific parts, look at the whole".  I said "look man, this is So. Cal.  Nobody uses electric - no AC, not a lot of gas, but man, people will pay their cell phone bill before anything else. "  Of course the cell phone plan was with a carrier that doesn't have great coverage in our area.

jordanread

  • Guest
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #64 on: October 07, 2014, 10:47:35 AM »
One of my friends got into this - can't remember the company though. I  went to a meeting.  I really don't have time for/ am not interested in it, but it was intriguing.  The point of the company is to get people on electric, water, cell, cable, etc - but on cheaper plans.  So, kind of like Republic wireless and the like.

What appealed to me, philosophically, was saving people money - people who are too lazy to go through the work themselves.  But of course, no time so I didn't bother.  And my friend, who was starting it, looked at my monthly expenses and of course they couldn't save me any money.

Around here it was new and everyone was asking about cell phones.  The big wig was telling us to "not worry about specific parts, look at the whole".  I said "look man, this is So. Cal.  Nobody uses electric - no AC, not a lot of gas, but man, people will pay their cell phone bill before anything else. "  Of course the cell phone plan was with a carrier that doesn't have great coverage in our area.

It sounds like ACN. My mom just asked for my advice on it, and was wondering if it was a good path to FIRE (told her saving was a better path). Interesting business plan, but the lower level folks  aren't the ones who benefit.

justajane

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2146
  • Location: Midwest
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #65 on: October 10, 2014, 03:10:22 PM »
I was a little thrown just now when the Jamberry FB friend was "feeling thankful" because her monthly bonus check from the MLM was going to be enough to enable her to pay cash for a furnace "instead of putting it on a credit card."

Is that even possible? Also, she went to an executive retreat in Utah earlier in the month. Would that be all expenses paid?
« Last Edit: October 10, 2014, 03:15:51 PM by justajane »

flamingo25

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 126
  • Age: 38
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #66 on: October 10, 2014, 10:14:41 PM »
Today I made a FB post asking for gardening book recommendations.

I got a very spammy reply about some Juice Plus thing I needed to buy in order to have a garden. At first I thought my friend's FB had been hacked but then realized she had actually typed it herself, complete with affiliate link (how convenient!).

I know this person and she is very bright and well-educated. Hopefully she will realize how silly she sounds soon.

tofuchampion

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 372
  • Age: 40
  • Location: Wilmington, NC
    • MadeByMarilynM
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #67 on: October 11, 2014, 05:54:24 AM »
Today I made a FB post asking for gardening book recommendations.

I got a very spammy reply about some Juice Plus thing I needed to buy in order to have a garden. At first I thought my friend's FB had been hacked but then realized she had actually typed it herself, complete with affiliate link (how convenient!).

I know this person and she is very bright and well-educated. Hopefully she will realize how silly she sounds soon.

If i were you, I'd reply with "hey, x, i think you might have been hacked by a spammer."

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10880
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #68 on: October 11, 2014, 12:10:25 PM »
One of my friends got into this - can't remember the company though. I  went to a meeting.  I really don't have time for/ am not interested in it, but it was intriguing.  The point of the company is to get people on electric, water, cell, cable, etc - but on cheaper plans.  So, kind of like Republic wireless and the like.

What appealed to me, philosophically, was saving people money - people who are too lazy to go through the work themselves.  But of course, no time so I didn't bother.  And my friend, who was starting it, looked at my monthly expenses and of course they couldn't save me any money.

Around here it was new and everyone was asking about cell phones.  The big wig was telling us to "not worry about specific parts, look at the whole".  I said "look man, this is So. Cal.  Nobody uses electric - no AC, not a lot of gas, but man, people will pay their cell phone bill before anything else. "  Of course the cell phone plan was with a carrier that doesn't have great coverage in our area.

It sounds like ACN. My mom just asked for my advice on it, and was wondering if it was a good path to FIRE (told her saving was a better path). Interesting business plan, but the lower level folks  aren't the ones who benefit.
Yes, that's it!  My friend started on it because they haven't really hit our market yet.  So she could stand to make money, but only if she gets people under her, and they get people under her, etc.

Like I said, it is a great way to save people money - my husband and I have cut each of our bills one by one over years.  This is "simpler".  But I find my local friends to be very skeptical of everything new.  Even cell phones, they are shocked that I have a pre-paid plan.

justajane

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2146
  • Location: Midwest
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #69 on: October 13, 2014, 11:05:26 AM »
I'm still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor on this one. Another Jamberry nails story, only this time it's another FB friend and involves a kids' birthday party.

My boys weren't invited (gee, I wonder why?? :)), but I nonetheless received an invitation on Facebook this morning for a Jamberry afterparty: "Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to [the child's] birthday party! For friends and family that weren't there and for the attendees that just want to learn a little more about Jamberry wraps and possibly win some free stuff, the [redacted] family is going to keep the party going this week. Be sure to click on "join" so that you get the updates and don't miss any FREEBIES! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about the wraps. Again, this will all be ONLINE, so feel free to shop at anytime to help earn [the birthday girl] more hostess rewards and to try them out for yourself."

So basically the parents of this girl let another person use her birthday party as a sales opportunity. If that wasn't tacky enough, they are sending out to everyone they know an invitation to spend money so that the birthday girl can get more MLM product. MLM. oh my, indeed!

austin

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 147
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #70 on: October 13, 2014, 12:46:30 PM »

Malaysia41

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3311
  • Age: 51
  • Location: Verona, Italy
    • My mmm journal
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #71 on: October 13, 2014, 03:37:08 PM »
MLMs are everywhere.

A few months ago, our helper talked about how many of her neighbors were getting into this cleaning products selling business.  As she continued with the story I realized it was an MLM.  In retrospect, I should have kept my mouth shut to see where she was going.  It seemed she might have been trying to recruit me.  But I didn't let her get that far.  I cut in, "That's a bullshit scam, you know that right?  It's a pyramid scheme.  I wouldn't go anywhere near that."

After making my position very clear, her story took on the overall theme of agreeing with me - how her neighbors were being duped.   I hope she didn't get caught up in it.  I haven't heard a word about it since.

Sigh.

VirginiaBob

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 429
    • LRJ Discounters
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #72 on: October 14, 2014, 10:49:27 AM »
You ever have a one time acquantance call you up out of the blue that you haven't heard from in years who pretends to want to chat up old times for 10 minutes, but then switches to the pitch?  Annoying.  At least be honest and start the pitch at the beginning and stop wasting my time.

fallstoclimb

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1090
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #73 on: October 14, 2014, 12:46:30 PM »
My sister just texted to try to get me to buy some products from her skincare MLM.  (And in typical sister-fashion, included the fact that "now I am entering my 30s" I may need to pay more attention to this sort of thing.....yeesh.)

Anyway, though, for real:  Should I buy some just to be polite?  I am so so so incredibly uninterested in this thing.  But my sister has been unemployed for quite a while, so this is her only source of income.  I have been quietly judging her from afar for her dragging her feet to find a new job (while trying so hard to remain supportive in nature).  I know there aren't many professional jobs in her area, but work at a Starbucks, do something!  But she does have kids at home, and I don't, and I don't know how hard it might be to make a work schedule work around kids school or whatever.

She'd never take money from me, and has two sets of parents who do help her, so my understand she is more or less doing okay.  But we both know I make much much more money from her.  Am I obligated to buy some products just to provide some financial support?  I'm REALLY not into...products.

RFAAOATB

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 654
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #74 on: October 14, 2014, 12:49:02 PM »
My sister just texted to try to get me to buy some products from her skincare MLM.  (And in typical sister-fashion, included the fact that "now I am entering my 30s" I may need to pay more attention to this sort of thing.....yeesh.)

Anyway, though, for real:  Should I buy some just to be polite?  I am so so so incredibly uninterested in this thing.  But my sister has been unemployed for quite a while, so this is her only source of income.  I have been quietly judging her from afar for her dragging her feet to find a new job (while trying so hard to remain supportive in nature).  I know there aren't many professional jobs in her area, but work at a Starbucks, do something!  But she does have kids at home, and I don't, and I don't know how hard it might be to make a work schedule work around kids school or whatever.

She'd never take money from me, and has two sets of parents who do help her, so my understand she is more or less doing okay.  But we both know I make much much more money from her.  Am I obligated to buy some products just to provide some financial support?  I'm REALLY not into...products.

Do Never Buy.  It would support the idea that this is a viable business proposition.  You can't lead her on like that.

Gen Y Finance Journey

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 209
  • Location: CA
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #75 on: October 14, 2014, 01:02:36 PM »
I was a little thrown just now when the Jamberry FB friend was "feeling thankful" because her monthly bonus check from the MLM was going to be enough to enable her to pay cash for a furnace "instead of putting it on a credit card."

Is that even possible? Also, she went to an executive retreat in Utah earlier in the month. Would that be all expenses paid?

As to your first question, I am always highly suspect whenever someone involved in an MLM makes any comments about how much money they're earning. They are trained to overstate their earnings to trick their friends into becoming sales people. I would be willing to bet that what she really meant was that her monthly bonus check was some amount that, combined with money she had already set aside, enabled her to pay cash for a furnace. She may have had $1500 saved up for the new furnace, and that extra $50 bonus check made all the difference!

And I would guess that absolutely zero expenses were paid for her executive retreat.

The only other possibility is that she's one of the <1% of MLMers who are actually making money doing it. In that case she'd be some hot shot motivational speaker within the company and was probably leading sessions at the executive retreat.

DeepEllumStache

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4138
  • I came, I saw, I made it awkward
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #76 on: October 14, 2014, 01:17:32 PM »
My sister just texted to try to get me to buy some products from her skincare MLM.  (And in typical sister-fashion, included the fact that "now I am entering my 30s" I may need to pay more attention to this sort of thing.....yeesh.)

Anyway, though, for real:  Should I buy some just to be polite?  I am so so so incredibly uninterested in this thing.  But my sister has been unemployed for quite a while, so this is her only source of income.  I have been quietly judging her from afar for her dragging her feet to find a new job (while trying so hard to remain supportive in nature).  I know there aren't many professional jobs in her area, but work at a Starbucks, do something!  But she does have kids at home, and I don't, and I don't know how hard it might be to make a work schedule work around kids school or whatever.

She'd never take money from me, and has two sets of parents who do help her, so my understand she is more or less doing okay.  But we both know I make much much more money from her.  Am I obligated to buy some products just to provide some financial support?  I'm REALLY not into...products.

I'd stay away from buying... maybe tell her your current skincare regimen is working well and you bought a 2 years supply from Costco by accident.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10880
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #77 on: October 14, 2014, 03:44:31 PM »
My sister just texted to try to get me to buy some products from her skincare MLM.  (And in typical sister-fashion, included the fact that "now I am entering my 30s" I may need to pay more attention to this sort of thing.....yeesh.)

Anyway, though, for real:  Should I buy some just to be polite?  I am so so so incredibly uninterested in this thing.  But my sister has been unemployed for quite a while, so this is her only source of income.  I have been quietly judging her from afar for her dragging her feet to find a new job (while trying so hard to remain supportive in nature).  I know there aren't many professional jobs in her area, but work at a Starbucks, do something!  But she does have kids at home, and I don't, and I don't know how hard it might be to make a work schedule work around kids school or whatever.

She'd never take money from me, and has two sets of parents who do help her, so my understand she is more or less doing okay.  But we both know I make much much more money from her.  Am I obligated to buy some products just to provide some financial support?  I'm REALLY not into...products.
No.
I have 3 friends who sell skincare stuff.  They all really believe in their stuff, show the results, etc.
It looks good, sounds good.
But you know, I'm 44.  I'm ok with looking 44.  I don't need to look 30, and I'm too lazy to have a "regimen".  (My skincare "regimen", is that I scrub my face with water in the shower in the morning).

VirginiaBob

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 429
    • LRJ Discounters
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #78 on: October 15, 2014, 06:27:36 AM »
Let's start an MMM MLM.  I'll start.  Everyone send me $20 and I'll give you more details.

infogoon

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 838
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #79 on: October 15, 2014, 07:47:33 AM »
Let's start an MMM MLM.  I'll start.  Everyone send me $20 and I'll give you more details.

I was just thinking this morning that MMM offering to sell franchises in an MLM frugality advisement pyramid scheme would be a great April Fools joke.

gimp

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #80 on: October 20, 2014, 12:12:57 PM »
Quote
Most of my friends in the Bay Area are busy with their full-time jobs and can't bother selling things to their friends. 

That, and the "earn $1000 a week!" falls flat to people already earning 3-5x that.

Lizzy B.

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 116
  • Location: Texas
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #81 on: November 06, 2014, 07:18:46 AM »
I was just invited to an MLM party via FB.  I went to decline the invitation and noticed that it's an internet party.  Yep!  I can click through a link to buy nail wraps.  Um.  No. 

I read this a few days ago and was surprised that online "parties" even existed. Then, yesterday I got an invite to an online "party" "hosted" by my SIL. Great... It's also for the nail stickers.  Because I just love shelling out $15 for  a set of overly complex, obviously fake-looking  beauty products.   Sorry.  Rant over.

DeepEllumStache

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4138
  • I came, I saw, I made it awkward
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #82 on: November 06, 2014, 08:24:19 AM »
It's like a viral infection, spreading across everyone's social landscapes.  The latest one I saw was a Jamberry one lately for nail crap.

fireferrets

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 98
Re: MLM. oh my.
« Reply #83 on: November 24, 2014, 02:32:45 PM »
At an old job, there was a co-worker who put some kind of make-up MLM's catalogs in the Ladies rooms - in the stalls. Nowhere on or in the catalog did it say her name or contact info, so I would toss them into the trash when I saw them. Funny enough, they kept re-appearing in the stalls every week. I think it's just absurd and pushy. Everyone working in that building was a desk-worker making at least $50K starting. Most of the women are older and have been with the company for over a decade (meaning lots of raises since hire). Also, I rarely ran into a female employee that was not so jaded with their prolonged stay at the company as to be incredibly rude to me. 

TLDR; well-paid woman spamming bathroom stalls with MLM catalogs. 

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!