I had a Monat person call me to "share the program" and tell me it "isn't a pyramid scheme" and went into the whole comparison between a CEO, managers, supervisors, employees. I responded with "Yes, but one of the biggest differences is if I went to work at Walmart, I do NOT have to pay Walmart to keep my job or earn an income. I don't have to bring in 10 more employees to earn a full time spot. I don't have to have a "downline" of Walmart employees - ALL of us buying a set amount of items FROM walmart - in order to rise up or earn our money or just keep our job. I can just go to work at Walmart and they pay me for the hours I work. If I'm scheduled to work for 5 hours, I work 5 hours. I don't have to work from 7 am to 1 am to bring in more employees ON TOP OF my 5 hours "regular work"." She hung up on me.
I consider that a victory right there, when she had no more words left to say, had no defense left, let’s hope she’s thinking about what you said somewhere, or maybe she does know and doesn’t care and that’s even worse.
A judge recruiting defendants isn't just manipulation. It's intimidation, if not extortion. Using his position on the bench for such purposes is unethical, if not illegal!
I had an experience when I was a young mother. Out of the blue I got a call from my former high school best friend. After school we had lost touch and it had been maybe ten years or more since I’d heard anything from her or even knew where she was. And I had moved away in that time also. She told me she was in town (the new town I’d moved to) and she’d love to see me and catch up. I was thrilled…as I said, we had been best friends. I was surprised though that rather than meet somewhere for coffee she wanted to come to my house. Thankfully my husband was home that day. When she arrived she had a man with her, who I at first thought might be her romantic partner, but only a few minutes into the visit my husband and I realised that this ‘catch-up’ was a pitch for some MLM. I don’t remember which company but it involved something like children’s encyclopaedias. We got the ‘don’t you care about your children’s future’, and other guilt-tripping attacks, mostly from the man. At the beginning of this ‘visit’ both my husband and I expressed that we had no intention of buying into this and we really didn’t want to waste their time, but they went through with the whole spiel anyway. They were in my house for well over an hour, and never once did my ‘friend’ ask how I had been, or what was going on in my life. I was so glad when they finally left, and I have never heard from her since….that was about 25-ish years ago now.
Not a pyramid scheme- just direct sales similar to the Vector people who sell Cutco Knives. Still a scammy job but different. The pyramids profits don’t come from selling product- money is from all the people under you (levels on levels) buying the products to ‘sell’ & maintain their levels (just piles up in their homes). Directs sales is makes profits as seller & the reference who told them about it as they get part of the sale. They count on a few sales made to the close circle. Once the close ppl who are easy to sell have been exhausted they know future sales won’t happen as it’s much harder. This was then plan as they reached buyers they could have never made sales to as they only bought due to the relationship to seller.
My least favorite MLM is Monat. It’s a giant scam of a company. They took my poor mother for a ride which took months for me to get her out of it. Imagine getting an elderly woman into a commercial cult which took time & money for me to get her out of it. It’s been a yr since I got her out it. I’m still fuming 😡.
This made me so sad!! Thank heavens she’s got you!! I can only imagine how many elderly,lonely people get scammed by these awful people 💋 xx I’m sending you and your mum some big hugs
My personal beef is with the essential oil mlms. I’m chronically ill, and my patient community has been underserved and medically neglected for years- (one of the last conditions diagnosed as ‘hysteria’… and it only gets more frustrating from there) which means a lot of people look for alternative solutions to manage their symptoms. I’ve been through quite a few! Supplements, elimination diets, acupuncture, almost qualified for experimental spinal surgery… I will admit, the salt water did actually help. Though, I can’t recommend the flavor. Communities like mine get targeted for health scams all the time, and it pisses me off SO much. If you know anything about healthcare in America, you can imagine how hard it is to keep up with bills when you can’t work and have to go to court to qualify for disability. And YET- These companies target us with ableist nonsense to try and squeeze our last few dollars out of our pockets. Forever grateful to my patient support community that collectively screen stuff and don’t tolerate that kind of thing- And to my mother, who had a small collection of essential oils and taught me well as a kid. Do Not Drink It. What does it do? It smells nice. Enjoy the smell. Don’t put it on your skin. And Do. Not. Drink. It. (I’m sure she was a little intense, but to be fair I was a curious 6 year old and I loved the little bottles of strange potion. I used them to play wizard. 😊)
Someone from beach body reached out to me RIGHT after I had my baby, like 2 weeks postpartum. I was hurt and furious at how insensitive and manipulative they were. Three other times people from HerbaLife pretended to be my friend and then exposed themselves trying to reel me in. 🙃 I hate it. Lol
@@ultraboombean I joined a mom walk group and I made some nice friends that way thank god. I always ask what people do now and see if they’re in an MLM up front 🫠
I worked for a massive tech company that’s a household name, literally EVERYONE has heard of it so I can’t say the name here. At the time, the company had about 72,000 employees. (Currently has 158,000.) The company partnered with Beachbody and made all 72,000 employees join as part of our health insurance because Beachbody invested in our tech to build their software platform. Luckily the employees didn’t have to pay anything, it was like a free 1 year trial bundled with our health insurance and then we’d get discounts on our insurance if we stuck with it… Before the year was up, if was like it never happened. Our accounts disappeared. The daily emails stopped. It was weird and abrupt. Long story short, one of the C-level’s executive assistant knew it was an MLM and told him all about it. He did some research and it was like it never happened. It was such a weird thing.
A friend got into Melaleuca and got us all on a zoom call. The rep made her pitch and then asked someone to put in their first order on the spot. I volunteered thinking I’d put in a single order for one product. Nope, I didn’t realize it was a bundle order that was on subscription. I was livid when i get a second order the next month that was more expensive because it wasn’t the introductory pricing. I was singled out bc I’m the “nice friend” who can’t say no. I trusted my friend and she got two months of money out of me
I wish I wasn’t 10mons late finding this but I was almost sucked into the monat mlm. I decided not to sell it but I did buy a box to try. It did absolutely nothing for my hair and I was just okay with throwing it out and moving on but they signed me up for a subscription without me knowing and were charging me $100 a month for a box of crappy products. I asked the rep (now ex childhood friend) for a refund and she went nuts absolutely freaked out and told me I was on my own. I did end up taking the issue onto my face book status by stating “incase anyone is curious monat is a scam” and even though I deleted the rep from Facebook she ended up seeing it as well as her cousin who was high up in the company. I was BOMBARDED by threatening messages that the company had a legal team ready to charge for any defamation against the company and that I would find myself in legal trouble, like being sued. Eventually they harassed me into taking it down but wow what an eye opening experience. That original rep was a childhood friend of mine that I have now completely blocked out of my life due to this situation. All over some shampoo
After telling a Monat rep that I discovered that people were losing their hair she told me that every brand has lawsuits about hair loss😳 Like what?!? I was shocked that she would want to continue selling it😅
Those monat girls are wild. Sure, lots of brands have lawsuits about this. Some of these suits are frivolous, some aren't. The frivolous lawsuits about hair loss are often the results of people using the products against manufacturer recommendations (we get a recent example of this in the current olaplex lawsuit.) The suits that are reasonable tend to cause brands to reformulate, but not Monat.
It’s hard for me to understand how people with powerful jobs that require extensive education fall for MLM pitches. How could you be a judge pitching Amway?
I know someone that I used to work with who has a doctorate and sells Jamberry. I don’t know much about that particular MLM, but I still thought, “Girl, really?” when I got the invite to one of her parties.
Out of all the people I know in MLMs, an alarming amount of “professional” people are in Amway. The head accountant at the lab I worked for was in Amway.
I've been house bound for the last year with medical issues. I am so grateful I found your channel as I am prime target for mlms and before this had no idea about them!! Thanks for all that you do!!
I really resonate with the email about not feeling comfortable being vocal about being anti-MLM after supporting so many companies. Not even 6 months before your first video on the topic I had an Usborne party for my cousin. I have so many close friends and family members in MLMs (and that I have done parties for before) that it feels hypocritical. But I’m trying to look at it as me becoming more educated, and choosing not to support the business model.
If it helps, personally I dont think it's hypocritical unless you were saying you're anti-mlm while still throwing parties. It sounds like you've put the parties in the past and that's character growth. So dont feel bad, you're heading in a better direction now and that's what matters at the end of the day
I use so many different MLM products it is pretty cringe. 😳. In the future, I plan on sourcing non-mlm products as much as possible but I won't go out throwing out perfectly good products. I really do love my Tupperware cookware and all the modular mates I have in my pantry. Other things will wear out or I will use up in time like the Norwex, Arbonne, 31 Gifts, Gold Canyon, Jewel Kade, Stella & Dot and Amway products that I have. It truly is amazing how easy it is to get into a party scene when you live rurally and that becomes your friend circle. ☹️
That judge could get disciplined. I mean, there are Judicial Rules of Conduct, which are even more strict than the rules for being a regular lawyer. That was appalling.
@@BeholdAlphaAndOmega He’s accountable to the state bar association. It doesn’t matter if he’s in a small town or major city, all judges within the state are held to the same standard by the same bar association.
@@jax422lol. You don’t understand a small, good ole boy town. You have to have someone with guts to turn you in for ethics violations before accountability is meted. Rabbit holes run deep
The judge story is proof they can nab anyone 😑 You'd think they would have more sense but then i remember a MD I work with just tried recruit me for Beachbody. Not a scandalous story, she asked, I said no and that was that but they are everywhere!
@@TedApelt healthcare workers are seen as trustworthy and the fact they use that to their benefit in these situations makes me so sad. I say this as a nurse who was previously in MLMs… crazy crazy
I’ve been a nurse for 14 yrs and SSSOOOOO many nurses are in MLMs. I get invites to all sorts of parties, but I just ignore them and decline any invitations to groups.
Is it possible to pass a law that therapists, doctors, judges, politicians and cops can't be in pyramid schemes or else they quit and turn in their licences....😊
I got an email from a company I hadn't heard from on indeed once. I googled them and found nothing hinting towards a scam. Searched RUclips and there it was scam!! I can't remember the full name but it was some kind of insurance thing. I'm so thankful for creators who make this content. You guys saved me.
I've been recruited for Mary Kay three different times....the irony of it is I hardly wear make-up and haven't at all in nearly a year. That shows the desperation. You'd make a great salesperson for something you don't use.
I’ve never seen your videos before but I stumbled across them today. I am an ex MLM rep, my husband quickly advised me to cancel all of my memberships in all pyramid schemes when I first started dating him. I listened to him and stopped ordering products and looking back, all I ever got from being a rep in monat and younique is thousands in debt 🤦🏼♀️
It would be AMAZING to do an interview with the woman from the first story! She seems to have sooo much info that could literally help thousands. It could be completely anonymous, blurred face and voice changer so she wouldn’t have to worry about any issues regarding her old (disgusting) upline and team
That was me! Actually considered buying Monat stuff until the girl posted some shade to 9 to 5s. I was like wtf who does that.😂😂😂 Made me think something was up and put “truth of monat” and you came up!!!! Been obsessed since. 😁😁😁 Now I watch YOU, Chelsea, Isabella and so many others!!
There are some brutal people that are involved with Monat, I call them, and the mean girls club. Because the shoe fits. (Or the shampoo) 🤦♀️ They are the Queens of throwing shade. I have so many stories about Monat.
Least favorite MLM is melaleuca because they claim they’re not MLM. Like that’s the worst to be in denial about their own shady company. Also because they compare themselves to Costco about being a shop club. No!! Costco doesn’t make me buy every month a certain amount of things to maintain such membership. I never sold Melaleuca, but have been a customer twice. I dropped them after a couple of years and then after a year or so I fell for them AGAIN. Lol I do love some of their products but they are shady AF.
Re taking an anti MLM stance: Now I just respond to messages with - “I don’t support MLM businesses” plus a specific thing that would mean I wouldn’t buy it anyway like for usborne books- “I don’t have anyone to buy those books for” Makeup/vitamins/shakes/jewelry/cleaning/candles ones- “I have allergies and have to be extremely careful about what I purchase.”
People have tried to get me in different MLMs. I hate that uncomfortable feeling of wanting to say no but feeling awkward about it. But I have always turned them down. From selling insurance, Melaleuca, beach body, Yoli, Plexus ……all of it!!
This one reminded me of an unfortunate thing I got roped into for a day. My sister told me that she had entered a giveaway some lady was having people sign up for in the mall, and she couldn’t believe that she won. It was supposedly for a “spa day,” and even better, she got to bring 2 friends. Lucky me, I was one of them. Boy were we in for a shock when we walked into a room of probably around 100 women cheering for Mary Kay success. Yes, we were in a meeting where they were discussing who hit what ranks and stuff before we were taken back to another room for my sister’s “prize,” which was us applying makeup to our own faces (real good spa day, right?) and then being pressured to buy it. My sister did spend around $100 on just two products, and I thought she was crazy. Fortunately, I actually don’t even wear any makeup at all ever, so that was a good excuse for me to just leave. I just think it’s terrible that they were pitching this like she won something when really probably everyone who wrote their info down was called into one of their weird, cult feeling meetings and encouraged to buy stuff and join them. And when we were there, they had a contest for just the 3 of us with a Mary Kay product as the prize for who could write down the most friends’ names with phone numbers in 90 seconds or something. That was one time I was kinda happy I have no friends. It was just so uncomfortable, and I’m thankful I have more MLM knowledge now so I can hopefully avoid ever thinking I “won” something like that in the future.
What you said about avoiding MLM discussion with friends who are involved with MLM really resonates with me. They know my general feelings and sometimes I am tempted to make a snarky comment due to the straight up annoyance factor. The reason I don't is because if/when they realize what they're involved with, I never want the fear of "I told you so" to keep them in a moment longer.
Oh my goodness the first story was a whole new perspective for me about MLM’s i hope it helps deter you more people and shut all these “companies” down.
As a Pharmacist my least favourite are those that claim they can "cure" & "treat" and also "Clean" & "non-toxic". Arbonne & Synergy worldwide are two overpriced MLMs that I've had pitched to me!!
Lol my response glancing at a long email from a MLM hun I turned down: 'mmm, yeah I'm not reading all that' 😂😂 I love how the hun was like 'I'm not gonna try to change your mind' proceeds to try and change the person's mind
I just stumbled across this video and wanted to share this. After a break up from my 1st long term relationship at like 19 yrs old, I started dating girls. The first girl I went out with pitched the mlm she was in to me on our 1st date, but I had no idea what an mlm really was at the time. She kissed me at the end of the date and I was in gay panic so I agreed when she asked if I wanted to go to an event with her for her "business" later that week. When I got there I quickly realized it was a pyramid scheme type of situation, but I couldn't just leave. Turns out it was a recruiting event and every guest that was brought was supposedly there to sign up? So they forced me to sign up in front of everyone (30+ people there). Lol but I panicked after we left and told her she needed to get me out of it and I didn't actually want to sign up. 🥴
I’ve been called out before for previously purchasing from MLMs. A friend of mine posted something asking why so many people say “looking for a WFH part time job, no MLMs please.” I commented that it’s a predatory business model and no one was guaranteed pay for their efforts (why we look for jobs) and she said, “that’s rich coming from you, because I KNOW you have bought MLM products lots of times!” I just replied that yes, I had, but now that I understand how these companies work, I no longer purchase from anyone selling for an MLM because I value my friendships and don’t want to participate in giving them false hope of someday achieving massive wealth. She was (and still is) in Monat, and unfortunately we no longer speak. She’s in the deep end of the Kool Aid pool. I hope she gets out, because she’s genuinely a sweet, beautiful soul who has been transformed by Monat into someone I don’t recognize.
I know a girl who is into Monat deep..she gets all the awards and wins all kinds of trips. HOWEVER she still has to work a full time job to pay her bills. That tells me Al I need to know about their business model 🤷🏻♀️
I heard someone say, “I reserve the right to be wiser today than yesterday.” Yes, we may have supported or even participated in MLMs in the past,but we are wiser today!
Wait, now at 60k… so grown 45k in 6 months?! This is AWESOME. I’ve become passionate about hating MLMs since i dated an MLM hun (never again). I assume this channel is mostly women opposed to men and women which makes the growth rate even more impressive as well. Hopefully the algo will push this channel more and more now momentum is definitely there
Omg. First I cracked up at, “That’s not how that works, ma’am!” And then I really lost it at the voice you did as you repeated the bit about “carefully selecting” people. Please do that voice again!! It’s so funny!
A few years ago, a friend of mine & her husband were approached and very aggressively pushed to get into Amway. This was before I knew what an MLM was, though I was familiar with the usual suspects...Mary Kay, Avon, Pure Romance, and the like. She and her husband kept going to these recruiting meetings where they filled their heads with bald-faced lies about the opportunities and advantages of running their "own business". They went to several meetings where they were pressured to start, she was talking to me about her intent to start selling Amway and how she could work her own hours, and all the money they could make! Again, I knew how these companies operated and while I didn't know the MLM term - I did know that you're only an independent reseller of these items, you were not your own business at all. Thankfully, they saw through it when they were told the startup cost. When they explained they didn't have that kind of up front money, they were told to basically beg, borrow & steal to scrape up the cost of the starter kit and that left them feeling gross and they decided to decline.
Monat made my scalp burn. It felt like I had sunburn when I hadn’t been in the sun at all. I even went to the dr and he said my scalp was not inflamed and it must have been an allergic reaction. Never again.
Oh yes!!!!! I shared my condolences on Instagram and the official paparazzi Instagram page actually blocked me 🤪😂 I never said anything ever to them except that.
@HannahAlonzo Hey Hannah. I scrolled through a few comments and didn't see anything addressing the Madoff Ponzi scheme confusion. Bernie collected money from investors and used their money to pay the next tier up enough to keep them from being suspicious, then rinse and repeat. He had no product nor actual investments. The only thing that he "invested" in was himself and the upper tiers. The printing money was only figurative.
@@nancynalepinski8705 my favourite product from Avon as a kid was Far Away perfume, oh my goodness - even if I smell it now it just takes me back at a simpler time 😅❤️
I agree that it's so important to have these conversations and get anti-mlm information out there so people just looking into an mlm for the first time can get the full picture. Back when one of my best friends and I got sucked into one, mlms were infiltrating college campuses. A lot of people on the team were students or young adults fairly early in their careers. I very clearly remember being taught that people don't join because they believe in the business right away, but because they trust and believe in the person recruiting them ... which, looking back at it now, big red flags for emotional manipulation. I was also often told by leaders that I have a very easy-to-trust personality and that could become my biggest strength for "building the business" ... huge yikes cuz that essentially means "you could become a master manipulator!!" 😬😬 I just want to shrivel and laugh whenever I look back and remember how high emotions ran 😭😂 so glad I got out and found such compassion in the anit-mlm movement
Firstly..15k!! WHAKAMIHI I A KOE!! (CONGRATULATIONS)!!! You go girl💖 Paparazzi is my absolute most hated mlm, culty, predetory and toxic (allegedly) products. The trifecta of horrendous
Mlm bingo: for every line, reduce the amount you were going to spend by 5% of the original total, 10% for four corners, and anything remaining for a full card
New subscriber on a binge (thanks suggested page) and I absolutely love how nurturing you are in your support of people getting out of these. I'll have to go through for Scentsy dirt. Scentsy is no doubt the thing I am proudest of failing at.
SAME. I find MLMs so annoying! I was reached out by a former classmate from highschool (I had her on Facebook lol) a few years ago, and she asked if I was interested in buying her products from MONAT and I was like: "I'll think about it, thanks" or something along those lines. Thankfully she didn't insist about it and was completely understanding. She reached aout to me about something else, mainly because she was worried about because of something I posted at a time when I was not feeling well mentally; so in other words, we're still friendly...
I'm a new subscriber! I have been "attacked" by several different friends who were involved in MLM's. None of these friends ever got rich quick. The only thing they gained were friends dropping from them, from their fb friends list, due to the annoying posts and texts. You do such a good job explaining these scams. Even though I've never even thought about, or wanted to join on of these companies, I thoroughly enjoy your videos! Thanks for all your hard work! 😊
I like your point about being there for people when they leave the MLM/burning bridges. I had a friend decades ago who was married to a real jerk (I have no reason to believe he ever hurt her, he was just not a good person). I couldn't make myself pretend to like him and our friendship waned until I finally told her that. Our friendship was over. They divorced soon after, but since I'd more or less burned the bridge with her our friendship never returned. Looking back, I don't think we'd still be friends now because of very different world views, but I do wish I'd been there for her through her divorce. I'm sure it was hard and she could have used a friend.
RE: least favorite MLM mine has to be Plexus, both due to the exposure I had growing up and due to the number of people I saw using it to treat the chronic illlnesses of themselves and their children.
I've always been wary about any business that only has positive reviews. I know of companies that are genuine and great, and even then there is usually 1-2 negative reviews (even if they aren't true). It makes me skeptical when I see only positive reviews, makes me wonder if the negative reviews are deleted or if the positive ones are even real.
I remembered Avon coming to my grandma’s and reading their papers. But thank god she didn’t lose money but I’m shocked, I uncounted an MLM so many times growing up
Avon is one but they don’t really push like the others & I’ve never heard of someone who ruined their lives over it. most people just sell its to make $25 a month to buy more Avon
That is a very accurate story you shared first. I only had about half of that success over 3 years. I ranked up 3 times. The “best time” was during the height of the pandemic when we were told to prey on people who lost their jobs. I think my biggest check was $900 when I hit some bonus. Most times I was only making $200 or so. I definitely thought this was a great idea to stay at home with my 2 kids. The reality is I made less than minimum wage, was spending countless hours a week for nothing. I would have been better off getting a low paying job because at least they pay you for your work!!
I just randomly found this video and feel so validated for every time I turn down those MLM. The Monat is at its peak here in Spain, but i see right through them. And the MLM I hate the most is Herbalife, I am originally from Venezuela and they are so annoying over there, the publish job "opportunities" on regular job agencies and trick people into going to their meetings.
I had similar experience with Herbalife. I didn't know that it was a MLM company before and it was a sponsered post in Instagram and it was for some weightloss powder ( i was super insecure about my weight at that time) so i was just a step away from totally signing up but something in me made me reaserch about the company and i came across ur channel an horror story about Herbalife. I was like thank god i didn't fall the scam. Thank you Hannah for doing what you are doing.
The one with the judge 100% melaleuca . Because the phrase " products you buy anyway" is their catchphrase. I can't tell you how many times I have heard it. I am also going to venture a guess that the small town in question was either in utah or southern Idaho .
Go to war or go to jail option due to bad choices as a teenager? - Listening to this kind of content keeps on surprising and educating me on US-american issues and culture. Thank you for your informative work.
My mom has been trying to do Amway since I could remember . Over 20 years but she just hasn't been doing great. I see how she's brainwashed but you can't tell her anything or she'll get defensive and mad 😅
I'm glad RUclips recommended this video. I hate mlms with a passion. I haven't joined one but I witnessed an MLM take advantage of my parents when I was little, and more recently I see many of my friends and acquaintances get sucked in. I have been really hurt by a few people acting like they wanted to be my friend, wanted to hang out with me, were genuinely interested in me, etc. At some point I figure out that the person is in an MLM, and they make the pitch. I politely decline and naively hope our friendship will still develop. Nope. They have zero interest in me.
Wow they are definitely getting ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes confused. Yikes. PS thank you for this content. Before i knew what mlms were, in college (2010ish), I fell for cutco through a classmate. I was weirded out from the get-go, tried to sell knives one time and hated it, then gave up. I'm so glad I only wasted $90 on the whole thing and at least my mom got some decent kitchen knives out of it. Lol
Oh my gosh the worst MLM is definitely Plexus. You have the opportunity to make negative money. That’s right, there are so many fees that sometimes you end up making negative money. And you have to pay it… so you’re basically paying to work for Plexus. I worked for a company that did their payroll and it was frightening
Completely agree with the first writer about you speaking so eloquently. Its probably because you do have an education background but it makes it fun to listen to your views even when youre just restating points its like you summarize the story so beautifully 😭
I have been binge watching this playlist. As a person who was starting a blog, I’ve ran into some women from mlms who came off as wanting to be my friend but once I caught on, look who lost my number. lol
The MLMs that claim to cure things (aka oils, shakes, juices) offend me the most. My son is Autistic, and they are at every resource fair, and it is offensive. I have stopped working with organizations that allow them to have a booth.
I just don't understand how "highly paid" individuals that leave their careers for these mlms. I understand the thought of monetary gain but, what about benefits? Medical, dental, 401k/retirement, paid vacation time/PTO. You receive none of that in a mlm.It boggles my mind to think people leaving their jobs with no benefits to go to a mlm. Crazy.
I think my most hated one is Herbalife because their products are carcinogen for some of them. And they label themselves as healthy. (Love your content ❤️)
My exs mother did Avon. To be nice, I bought a bottle of regular lotion. It was horrible! It felt like the VERY cheap bottles of lotion you get at a hotel. And smelled like cat piss. When I told her this she said, "You must be using it wrong" MA'AM!
I feel exactly like the person in story #4. I have friends (actual friends, not just acquaintances) that sell/have sold Origami Owl, 31 bags, Rarity (nail polish like color street), Mary Kay, Premier Designs, Melaleuca, etc. I want to share more, but definitely feel guilty/ashamed.
I agree with the former Monat MP that you are FABULOUSLY articulate. And empathetic. Impressive presentation of important content. I’ve never been tempted by an MLM but am in psychology and so find the techniques used by and responses to these scams to be fascinating. I’m subscribed! Keep up the valuable work.
I had a Monat person call me to "share the program" and tell me it "isn't a pyramid scheme" and went into the whole comparison between a CEO, managers, supervisors, employees. I responded with "Yes, but one of the biggest differences is if I went to work at Walmart, I do NOT have to pay Walmart to keep my job or earn an income. I don't have to bring in 10 more employees to earn a full time spot. I don't have to have a "downline" of Walmart employees - ALL of us buying a set amount of items FROM walmart - in order to rise up or earn our money or just keep our job. I can just go to work at Walmart and they pay me for the hours I work. If I'm scheduled to work for 5 hours, I work 5 hours. I don't have to work from 7 am to 1 am to bring in more employees ON TOP OF my 5 hours "regular work"." She hung up on me.
That's amazing 😅
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Your logic was too much for her to handle 😂
That was a really good response
I consider that a victory right there, when she had no more words left to say, had no defense left, let’s hope she’s thinking about what you said somewhere, or maybe she does know and doesn’t care and that’s even worse.
$500 dollars a month at the 1%?! I would LOSE IT. I was paid more than that when I was working under the table at a fast food truck omg
I made nearly $1000 a month (or sometimes even more) working a minimum wage retail job not even full time 🤢
I just can‘t handle this fact!!! 🙈
$500 is car payment for nice car (if you have good credit & decent downpayment).
The minute you hear, *We are family* you know it's going to be a toxic environment.
A judge recruiting defendants isn't just manipulation. It's intimidation, if not extortion. Using his position on the bench for such purposes is unethical, if not illegal!
yes. it’s EXTREMELY unethical and should be reported.
I would contact the local bar association. If you can't get results locally, go to the county level, then the state.
@@TedApelt local bar orgs don’t do anything - they’re just networking organizations. only state-level entities have licensing/disciplinary authority.
for sure it's abuse of power dynamics plain and simple.
Yeah, I reckon that's got to be illegal.
The fact that they call grown women girls already makes me want to throw up. It is so belittling.
The 'Go to war or go to jail" thing is completely and utterly disgusting.
If a company has to say “we aren’t a pyramid scheme.” They are.
I had an experience when I was a young mother. Out of the blue I got a call from my former high school best friend. After school we had lost touch and it had been maybe ten years or more since I’d heard anything from her or even knew where she was. And I had moved away in that time also. She told me she was in town (the new town I’d moved to) and she’d love to see me and catch up. I was thrilled…as I said, we had been best friends. I was surprised though that rather than meet somewhere for coffee she wanted to come to my house. Thankfully my husband was home that day. When she arrived she had a man with her, who I at first thought might be her romantic partner, but only a few minutes into the visit my husband and I realised that this ‘catch-up’ was a pitch for some MLM. I don’t remember which company but it involved something like children’s encyclopaedias. We got the ‘don’t you care about your children’s future’, and other guilt-tripping attacks, mostly from the man. At the beginning of this ‘visit’ both my husband and I expressed that we had no intention of buying into this and we really didn’t want to waste their time, but they went through with the whole spiel anyway. They were in my house for well over an hour, and never once did my ‘friend’ ask how I had been, or what was going on in my life. I was so glad when they finally left, and I have never heard from her since….that was about 25-ish years ago now.
Not a pyramid scheme- just direct sales similar to the Vector people who sell Cutco Knives. Still a scammy job but different.
The pyramids profits don’t come from selling product- money is from all the people under you (levels on levels) buying the products to ‘sell’ & maintain their levels (just piles up in their homes).
Directs sales is makes profits as seller & the reference who told them about it as they get part of the sale. They count on a few sales made to the close circle. Once the close ppl who are easy to sell have been exhausted they know future sales won’t happen as it’s much harder. This was then plan as they reached buyers they could have never made sales to as they only bought due to the relationship to seller.
My least favorite MLM is Monat. It’s a giant scam of a company. They took my poor mother for a ride which took months for me to get her out of it. Imagine getting an elderly woman into a commercial cult which took time & money for me to get her out of it. It’s been a yr since I got her out it. I’m still fuming 😡.
This made me so sad!! Thank heavens she’s got you!! I can only imagine how many elderly,lonely people get scammed by these awful people 💋 xx I’m sending you and your mum some big hugs
It sickens me that some sick mlm hun recruited your poor mother. Thankful you got her out. So sorry
My personal beef is with the essential oil mlms. I’m chronically ill, and my patient community has been underserved and medically neglected for years- (one of the last conditions diagnosed as ‘hysteria’… and it only gets more frustrating from there) which means a lot of people look for alternative solutions to manage their symptoms.
I’ve been through quite a few! Supplements, elimination diets, acupuncture, almost qualified for experimental spinal surgery… I will admit, the salt water did actually help. Though, I can’t recommend the flavor.
Communities like mine get targeted for health scams all the time, and it pisses me off SO much. If you know anything about healthcare in America, you can imagine how hard it is to keep up with bills when you can’t work and have to go to court to qualify for disability.
And YET-
These companies target us with ableist nonsense to try and squeeze our last few dollars out of our pockets.
Forever grateful to my patient support community that collectively screen stuff and don’t tolerate that kind of thing-
And to my mother, who had a small collection of essential oils and taught me well as a kid.
Do Not Drink It.
What does it do? It smells nice. Enjoy the smell. Don’t put it on your skin. And Do. Not. Drink. It.
(I’m sure she was a little intense, but to be fair I was a curious 6 year old and I loved the little bottles of strange potion. I used them to play wizard. 😊)
Agreed!
Someone from beach body reached out to me RIGHT after I had my baby, like 2 weeks postpartum. I was hurt and furious at how insensitive and manipulative they were.
Three other times people from HerbaLife pretended to be my friend and then exposed themselves trying to reel me in. 🙃 I hate it. Lol
I feel like moms are such a freaking target for this stuff. Man I feel for ya'll trying to make friends.
@@ultraboombean I joined a mom walk group and I made some nice friends that way thank god. I always ask what people do now and see if they’re in an MLM up front 🫠
I worked for a massive tech company that’s a household name, literally EVERYONE has heard of it so I can’t say the name here. At the time, the company had about 72,000 employees. (Currently has 158,000.) The company partnered with Beachbody and made all 72,000 employees join as part of our health insurance because Beachbody invested in our tech to build their software platform. Luckily the employees didn’t have to pay anything, it was like a free 1 year trial bundled with our health insurance and then we’d get discounts on our insurance if we stuck with it… Before the year was up, if was like it never happened. Our accounts disappeared. The daily emails stopped. It was weird and abrupt. Long story short, one of the C-level’s executive assistant knew it was an MLM and told him all about it. He did some research and it was like it never happened. It was such a weird thing.
A friend got into Melaleuca and got us all on a zoom call. The rep made her pitch and then asked someone to put in their first order on the spot. I volunteered thinking I’d put in a single order for one product. Nope, I didn’t realize it was a bundle order that was on subscription. I was livid when i get a second order the next month that was more expensive because it wasn’t the introductory pricing. I was singled out bc I’m the “nice friend” who can’t say no. I trusted my friend and she got two months of money out of me
I wish I wasn’t 10mons late finding this but I was almost sucked into the monat mlm. I decided not to sell it but I did buy a box to try. It did absolutely nothing for my hair and I was just okay with throwing it out and moving on but they signed me up for a subscription without me knowing and were charging me $100 a month for a box of crappy products. I asked the rep (now ex childhood friend) for a refund and she went nuts absolutely freaked out and told me I was on my own. I did end up taking the issue onto my face book status by stating “incase anyone is curious monat is a scam” and even though I deleted the rep from Facebook she ended up seeing it as well as her cousin who was high up in the company. I was BOMBARDED by threatening messages that the company had a legal team ready to charge for any defamation against the company and that I would find myself in legal trouble, like being sued. Eventually they harassed me into taking it down but wow what an eye opening experience. That original rep was a childhood friend of mine that I have now completely blocked out of my life due to this situation. All over some shampoo
After telling a Monat rep that I discovered that people were losing their hair she told me that every brand has lawsuits about hair loss😳 Like what?!? I was shocked that she would want to continue selling it😅
I see she’s been another hair related MLM‘s 😆
Those monat girls are wild. Sure, lots of brands have lawsuits about this. Some of these suits are frivolous, some aren't. The frivolous lawsuits about hair loss are often the results of people using the products against manufacturer recommendations (we get a recent example of this in the current olaplex lawsuit.) The suits that are reasonable tend to cause brands to reformulate, but not Monat.
Re: the lady who is concerned about seeming like a hypocrite, my favorite saying is: "When you know better, you do better."
It’s hard for me to understand how people with powerful jobs that require extensive education fall for MLM pitches. How could you be a judge pitching Amway?
I work with a couple of nurses who have pitched various MLM. It's always something new.
in my experience its not people with higher education or powerful positions that get caught up in this. quite the opposite
I know someone that I used to work with who has a doctorate and sells Jamberry. I don’t know much about that particular MLM, but I still thought, “Girl, really?” when I got the invite to one of her parties.
@@mindymiljour4672 Ok but in the video a Judge was in a pyramid scheme so that's why she's talking about it.
Out of all the people I know in MLMs, an alarming amount of “professional” people are in Amway. The head accountant at the lab I worked for was in Amway.
I've been house bound for the last year with medical issues. I am so grateful I found your channel as I am prime target for mlms and before this had no idea about them!! Thanks for all that you do!!
Hannah, you have quickly become my fave anti-mlm channel, and I love these horror story videos. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for your support Brittany! 🥰
Agreed, I am not one to subscribe right away, but after 2 videos, I was hooked! My ears holes find your voice calming and easy to fall asleep to.
@@Awesomenezz ear holes 😹😹 reminds me of my brother, he says “eye holes” instead of eyes
I really resonate with the email about not feeling comfortable being vocal about being anti-MLM after supporting so many companies. Not even 6 months before your first video on the topic I had an Usborne party for my cousin. I have so many close friends and family members in MLMs (and that I have done parties for before) that it feels hypocritical. But I’m trying to look at it as me becoming more educated, and choosing not to support the business model.
If it helps, personally I dont think it's hypocritical unless you were saying you're anti-mlm while still throwing parties. It sounds like you've put the parties in the past and that's character growth. So dont feel bad, you're heading in a better direction now and that's what matters at the end of the day
I use so many different MLM products it is pretty cringe. 😳.
In the future, I plan on sourcing non-mlm products as much as possible but I won't go out throwing out perfectly good products. I really do love my Tupperware cookware and all the modular mates I have in my pantry. Other things will wear out or I will use up in time like the Norwex, Arbonne, 31 Gifts, Gold Canyon, Jewel Kade, Stella & Dot and Amway products that I have. It truly is amazing how easy it is to get into a party scene when you live rurally and that becomes your friend circle. ☹️
That judge could get disciplined. I mean, there are Judicial Rules of Conduct, which are even more strict than the rules for being a regular lawyer. That was appalling.
Small town, maybe not. Who is he accountable to? If anyone, a relative or a member of his Good old boy network.
@@BeholdAlphaAndOmega He’s accountable to the state bar association. It doesn’t matter if he’s in a small town or major city, all judges within the state are held to the same standard by the same bar association.
In the uk this would be grounds for getting banned from the profession!
@@jax422lol. You don’t understand a small, good ole boy town. You have to have someone with guts to turn you in for ethics violations before accountability is meted. Rabbit holes run deep
@@zr9145as it should!!
The judge story is proof they can nab anyone 😑 You'd think they would have more sense but then i remember a MD I work with just tried recruit me for Beachbody. Not a scandalous story, she asked, I said no and that was that but they are everywhere!
I am always FLOORED when I hear of healthcare professionals in MLMs. Like it never ceases to absolutely amaze me 🤣
@@HannahAlonzo I've seen this many times and thought nothing of it. However, they were not government officials that had power over others.
@@TedApelt healthcare workers are seen as trustworthy and the fact they use that to their benefit in these situations makes me so sad. I say this as a nurse who was previously in MLMs… crazy crazy
I’ve been a nurse for 14 yrs and SSSOOOOO many nurses are in MLMs. I get invites to all sorts of parties, but I just ignore them and decline any invitations to groups.
Is it possible to pass a law that therapists, doctors, judges, politicians and cops can't be in pyramid schemes or else they quit and turn in their licences....😊
I got an email from a company I hadn't heard from on indeed once. I googled them and found nothing hinting towards a scam. Searched RUclips and there it was scam!! I can't remember the full name but it was some kind of insurance thing. I'm so thankful for creators who make this content. You guys saved me.
I've been in 3 mlms and have no problem admitting that i have learned my lesson and changed my mind. It doesn't make me a hypocrite.
I've been recruited for Mary Kay three different times....the irony of it is I hardly wear make-up and haven't at all in nearly a year. That shows the desperation. You'd make a great salesperson for something you don't use.
My friend is huge in MK! She has a car and a Diamond ring.. but still sells her products!
I’ve never seen your videos before but I stumbled across them today. I am an ex MLM rep, my husband quickly advised me to cancel all of my memberships in all pyramid schemes when I first started dating him. I listened to him and stopped ordering products and looking back, all I ever got from being a rep in monat and younique is thousands in debt 🤦🏼♀️
It would be AMAZING to do an interview with the woman from the first story! She seems to have sooo much info that could literally help thousands. It could be completely anonymous, blurred face and voice changer so she wouldn’t have to worry about any issues regarding her old (disgusting) upline and team
That first email the person said English wasn’t their first language, but they did a fantastic job! It was really well written and engaging!
Coworker is ESL & is often hard to understand but when he writes it’s perfect & better than most of coworkers born & raised speaking English
That was me! Actually considered buying Monat stuff until the girl posted some shade to 9 to 5s. I was like wtf who does that.😂😂😂 Made me think something was up and put “truth of monat” and you came up!!!! Been obsessed since. 😁😁😁 Now I watch YOU, Chelsea, Isabella and so many others!!
Ahhh Megan yesss!!
There are some brutal people that are involved with Monat, I call them, and the mean girls club. Because the shoe fits. (Or the shampoo) 🤦♀️ They are the Queens of throwing shade. I have so many stories about Monat.
Least favorite MLM is melaleuca because they claim they’re not MLM. Like that’s the worst to be in denial about their own shady company. Also because they compare themselves to Costco about being a shop club. No!! Costco doesn’t make me buy every month a certain amount of things to maintain such membership. I never sold Melaleuca, but have been a customer twice. I dropped them after a couple of years and then after a year or so I fell for them AGAIN. Lol
I do love some of their products but they are shady AF.
I knew of Melaleuca as an MLM, and I think it had a 4 wide matrix.
Re taking an anti MLM stance:
Now I just respond to messages with -
“I don’t support MLM businesses” plus a specific thing that would mean I wouldn’t buy it anyway like for usborne books-
“I don’t have anyone to buy those books for”
Makeup/vitamins/shakes/jewelry/cleaning/candles ones-
“I have allergies and have to be extremely careful about what I purchase.”
People have tried to get me in different MLMs. I hate that uncomfortable feeling of wanting to say no but feeling awkward about it. But I have always turned them down. From selling insurance, Melaleuca, beach body, Yoli, Plexus ……all of it!!
This one reminded me of an unfortunate thing I got roped into for a day. My sister told me that she had entered a giveaway some lady was having people sign up for in the mall, and she couldn’t believe that she won. It was supposedly for a “spa day,” and even better, she got to bring 2 friends. Lucky me, I was one of them. Boy were we in for a shock when we walked into a room of probably around 100 women cheering for Mary Kay success. Yes, we were in a meeting where they were discussing who hit what ranks and stuff before we were taken back to another room for my sister’s “prize,” which was us applying makeup to our own faces (real good spa day, right?) and then being pressured to buy it. My sister did spend around $100 on just two products, and I thought she was crazy. Fortunately, I actually don’t even wear any makeup at all ever, so that was a good excuse for me to just leave. I just think it’s terrible that they were pitching this like she won something when really probably everyone who wrote their info down was called into one of their weird, cult feeling meetings and encouraged to buy stuff and join them. And when we were there, they had a contest for just the 3 of us with a Mary Kay product as the prize for who could write down the most friends’ names with phone numbers in 90 seconds or something. That was one time I was kinda happy I have no friends. It was just so uncomfortable, and I’m thankful I have more MLM knowledge now so I can hopefully avoid ever thinking I “won” something like that in the future.
What you said about avoiding MLM discussion with friends who are involved with MLM really resonates with me. They know my general feelings and sometimes I am tempted to make a snarky comment due to the straight up annoyance factor. The reason I don't is because if/when they realize what they're involved with, I never want the fear of "I told you so" to keep them in a moment longer.
Ugh yes exactly! ❤️
Beachbody couches are my least favorite MLM. People with zero education on health, nutrition or kinesiology… super dangerous and stupid.
Oh my goodness the first story was a whole new perspective for me about MLM’s i hope it helps deter you more people and shut all these “companies” down.
I know parasocial relationships are weird and all but I just went through a panic attack and your voice is so soothing. ❤️
I suffer from panic attacks too and they’re awful so this makes me happy to know I could help ❤️
She does have a soothing voice!
Hanna: "Oh, come on. Give me a break!"
Love your sarcasm. I died laughing at that. Lol!!!
As a Pharmacist my least favourite are those that claim they can "cure" & "treat" and also "Clean" & "non-toxic". Arbonne & Synergy worldwide are two overpriced MLMs that I've had pitched to me!!
Lol my response glancing at a long email from a MLM hun I turned down: 'mmm, yeah I'm not reading all that'
😂😂
I love how the hun was like 'I'm not gonna try to change your mind'
proceeds to try and change the person's mind
I just stumbled across this video and wanted to share this. After a break up from my 1st long term relationship at like 19 yrs old, I started dating girls. The first girl I went out with pitched the mlm she was in to me on our 1st date, but I had no idea what an mlm really was at the time. She kissed me at the end of the date and I was in gay panic so I agreed when she asked if I wanted to go to an event with her for her "business" later that week. When I got there I quickly realized it was a pyramid scheme type of situation, but I couldn't just leave. Turns out it was a recruiting event and every guest that was brought was supposedly there to sign up? So they forced me to sign up in front of everyone (30+ people there). Lol but I panicked after we left and told her she needed to get me out of it and I didn't actually want to sign up. 🥴
I’ve been called out before for previously purchasing from MLMs. A friend of mine posted something asking why so many people say “looking for a WFH part time job, no MLMs please.” I commented that it’s a predatory business model and no one was guaranteed pay for their efforts (why we look for jobs) and she said, “that’s rich coming from you, because I KNOW you have bought MLM products lots of times!” I just replied that yes, I had, but now that I understand how these companies work, I no longer purchase from anyone selling for an MLM because I value my friendships and don’t want to participate in giving them false hope of someday achieving massive wealth. She was (and still is) in Monat, and unfortunately we no longer speak. She’s in the deep end of the Kool Aid pool. I hope she gets out, because she’s genuinely a sweet, beautiful soul who has been transformed by Monat into someone I don’t recognize.
A judge, wow. What an abuse of power. Wholly and completely!
I know a girl who is into Monat deep..she gets all the awards and wins all kinds of trips. HOWEVER she still has to work a full time job to pay her bills. That tells me Al I need to know about their business model 🤷🏻♀️
"pockets of time "
the fact that the monat WELCOME EMAIL is already making income claims hahaha i cant!!
I heard someone say, “I reserve the right to be wiser today than yesterday.” Yes, we may have supported or even participated in MLMs in the past,but we are wiser today!
15k!!!!! Congratulations Hanna, you definitely deserve all your success 😊
Thank you Julie! 🥰
Wait, now at 60k… so grown 45k in 6 months?! This is AWESOME. I’ve become passionate about hating MLMs since i dated an MLM hun (never again). I assume this channel is mostly women opposed to men and women which makes the growth rate even more impressive as well. Hopefully the algo will push this channel more and more now momentum is definitely there
Omg. First I cracked up at, “That’s not how that works, ma’am!” And then I really lost it at the voice you did as you repeated the bit about “carefully selecting” people. Please do that voice again!! It’s so funny!
That first story validated everything we’re saying about MLM.
A few years ago, a friend of mine & her husband were approached and very aggressively pushed to get into Amway. This was before I knew what an MLM was, though I was familiar with the usual suspects...Mary Kay, Avon, Pure Romance, and the like. She and her husband kept going to these recruiting meetings where they filled their heads with bald-faced lies about the opportunities and advantages of running their "own business". They went to several meetings where they were pressured to start, she was talking to me about her intent to start selling Amway and how she could work her own hours, and all the money they could make! Again, I knew how these companies operated and while I didn't know the MLM term - I did know that you're only an independent reseller of these items, you were not your own business at all. Thankfully, they saw through it when they were told the startup cost. When they explained they didn't have that kind of up front money, they were told to basically beg, borrow & steal to scrape up the cost of the starter kit and that left them feeling gross and they decided to decline.
Monat made my scalp burn. It felt like I had sunburn when I hadn’t been in the sun at all. I even went to the dr and he said my scalp was not inflamed and it must have been an allergic reaction. Never again.
Major abuse of power for a judge to pressure people to join a MLM
My worst experience with an MLM was something called World Financial Group… omg that story is horrible…
What are you waiting for, fam? Spill the got dam tea!
@@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 🤣
Loving the ex monat rep story! Proof!!!!
I loved it too!!
Especially when you jump up in the middle of the meeting and shout BINGO! I got very scowled at once by a marketing VP that "helped" me win BS Bingo.
Omg, I remember being invited to so many Mary Kay events… I was always apprehensive. My question was always how does this become your own business?
“the best business model around” i snorted
My least favorite is Paparazzi because of how they handled some of their reps dying from Covid after their conference.
Right? Deleting them from the books as if they never existed... disgusting!
Yes ABSOLUTELY such a good point
Oh yes!!!!! I shared my condolences on Instagram and the official paparazzi Instagram page actually blocked me 🤪😂 I never said anything ever to them except that.
@HannahAlonzo Hey Hannah. I scrolled through a few comments and didn't see anything addressing the Madoff Ponzi scheme confusion. Bernie collected money from investors and used their money to pay the next tier up enough to keep them from being suspicious, then rinse and repeat. He had no product nor actual investments. The only thing that he "invested" in was himself and the upper tiers. The printing money was only figurative.
Hey Hannah, this was a brilliant one! Kept me thoroughly entertained while getting through three baskets of folding, and doing the dishes ☺️
I watch RUclips while doing chores too! Love it!
Same with me. Her voice is very clear, and if I miss something there's always the printed text.
It makes me so sad that Avon and The Body Shop are MLMs because their products are amazing and hold such nostalgia for me 😭
My mom sold Avon in the 80s. I swear she still has a stash of Candied Clove lip pencils somewhere 😂
@@nancynalepinski8705 my favourite product from Avon as a kid was Far Away perfume, oh my goodness - even if I smell it now it just takes me back at a simpler time 😅❤️
By far the best channel for anti MLM content both by quality and quantity of videos. Keep up the good work, because I'll keep binge watching 😄
I agree that it's so important to have these conversations and get anti-mlm information out there so people just looking into an mlm for the first time can get the full picture. Back when one of my best friends and I got sucked into one, mlms were infiltrating college campuses. A lot of people on the team were students or young adults fairly early in their careers. I very clearly remember being taught that people don't join because they believe in the business right away, but because they trust and believe in the person recruiting them ... which, looking back at it now, big red flags for emotional manipulation. I was also often told by leaders that I have a very easy-to-trust personality and that could become my biggest strength for "building the business" ... huge yikes cuz that essentially means "you could become a master manipulator!!" 😬😬 I just want to shrivel and laugh whenever I look back and remember how high emotions ran 😭😂 so glad I got out and found such compassion in the anit-mlm movement
I love to watch these videos while I fold laundry. It’s therapeutic lol
Firstly..15k!! WHAKAMIHI I A KOE!! (CONGRATULATIONS)!!! You go girl💖
Paparazzi is my absolute most hated mlm, culty, predetory and toxic (allegedly) products. The trifecta of horrendous
THANK YOU!!! Can’t believe I’m at 15k 🤯 and yes paparazzi has many things to dislike 🤣
Mlm bingo: for every line, reduce the amount you were going to spend by 5% of the original total, 10% for four corners, and anything remaining for a full card
New subscriber on a binge (thanks suggested page) and I absolutely love how nurturing you are in your support of people getting out of these. I'll have to go through for Scentsy dirt. Scentsy is no doubt the thing I am proudest of failing at.
SAME. I find MLMs so annoying! I was reached out by a former classmate from highschool (I had her on Facebook lol) a few years ago, and she asked if I was interested in buying her products from MONAT and I was like: "I'll think about it, thanks" or something along those lines. Thankfully she didn't insist about it and was completely understanding. She reached aout to me about something else, mainly because she was worried about because of something I posted at a time when I was not feeling well mentally; so in other words, we're still friendly...
I'm a new subscriber! I have been "attacked" by several different friends who were involved in MLM's. None of these friends ever got rich quick. The only thing they gained were friends dropping from them, from their fb friends list, due to the annoying posts and texts. You do such a good job explaining these scams. Even though I've never even thought about, or wanted to join on of these companies, I thoroughly enjoy your videos! Thanks for all your hard work! 😊
I like your point about being there for people when they leave the MLM/burning bridges. I had a friend decades ago who was married to a real jerk (I have no reason to believe he ever hurt her, he was just not a good person). I couldn't make myself pretend to like him and our friendship waned until I finally told her that. Our friendship was over. They divorced soon after, but since I'd more or less burned the bridge with her our friendship never returned. Looking back, I don't think we'd still be friends now because of very different world views, but I do wish I'd been there for her through her divorce. I'm sure it was hard and she could have used a friend.
RE: least favorite MLM mine has to be Plexus, both due to the exposure I had growing up and due to the number of people I saw using it to treat the chronic illlnesses of themselves and their children.
Hannah is spoiling us with all of the amazing content!
I've always been wary about any business that only has positive reviews. I know of companies that are genuine and great, and even then there is usually 1-2 negative reviews (even if they aren't true). It makes me skeptical when I see only positive reviews, makes me wonder if the negative reviews are deleted or if the positive ones are even real.
"Printing money" I'm assuming the Hun was referring to a phrase,
"A LICENSE TO PRINT MONEY"
Meaning, making money with low effort &/or responsibility!
I remembered Avon coming to my grandma’s and reading their papers. But thank god she didn’t lose money but I’m shocked, I uncounted an MLM so many times growing up
Avon is one but they don’t really push like the others & I’ve never heard of someone who ruined their lives over it. most people just sell its to make $25 a month to buy more Avon
You are definitely the best RUclips resource for anti-MLM (and I’ve watched a ton of other channels). You’re just you. Love it.
*Eep, Hannah posted! Time to listen to these horror stories while I work!!!! I am SO PROUD of you achieving 15K!
Thank you for your support!!
This "episode" had really great stories in it! 🙌 Also, congrats on 15k Hannah 🥰
That is a very accurate story you shared first. I only had about half of that success over 3 years. I ranked up 3 times. The “best time” was during the height of the pandemic when we were told to prey on people who lost their jobs. I think my biggest check was $900 when I hit some bonus. Most times I was only making $200 or so. I definitely thought this was a great idea to stay at home with my 2 kids. The reality is I made less than minimum wage, was spending countless hours a week for nothing. I would have been better off getting a low paying job because at least they pay you for your work!!
I want merch! ❤️ :) But really...so excited you're going to have some soon!
I just randomly found this video and feel so validated for every time I turn down those MLM. The Monat is at its peak here in Spain, but i see right through them. And the MLM I hate the most is Herbalife, I am originally from Venezuela and they are so annoying over there, the publish job "opportunities" on regular job agencies and trick people into going to their meetings.
I had similar experience with Herbalife. I didn't know that it was a MLM company before and it was a sponsered post in Instagram and it was for some weightloss powder ( i was super insecure about my weight at that time) so i was just a step away from totally signing up but something in me made me reaserch about the company and i came across ur channel an horror story about Herbalife. I was like thank god i didn't fall the scam. Thank you Hannah for doing what you are doing.
The one with the judge 100% melaleuca . Because the phrase " products you buy anyway" is their catchphrase. I can't tell you how many times I have heard it. I am also going to venture a guess that the small town in question was either in utah or southern Idaho .
Go to war or go to jail option due to bad choices as a teenager? - Listening to this kind of content keeps on surprising and educating me on US-american issues and culture. Thank you for your informative work.
Number 6! Earliest I've been . A good watch before bed time (it's 10pm in the UK).
Loving the video so far Hannah ♥️ it’s a nasty cold snowy day here in Colorado, so this is perfect to watch while under the blankets !!
I love that!
My mom has been trying to do Amway since I could remember . Over 20 years but she just hasn't been doing great. I see how she's brainwashed but you can't tell her anything or she'll get defensive and mad 😅
I'm glad RUclips recommended this video. I hate mlms with a passion. I haven't joined one but I witnessed an MLM take advantage of my parents when I was little, and more recently I see many of my friends and acquaintances get sucked in. I have been really hurt by a few people acting like they wanted to be my friend, wanted to hang out with me, were genuinely interested in me, etc. At some point I figure out that the person is in an MLM, and they make the pitch. I politely decline and naively hope our friendship will still develop. Nope. They have zero interest in me.
If anyone ever says "it's a real company, I swear!" RUN, RUN FAR AND FAST!!!
I love these emails you read in the video, but I love your makeup even more!! It’s so 😍
Wow they are definitely getting ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes confused. Yikes. PS thank you for this content. Before i knew what mlms were, in college (2010ish), I fell for cutco through a classmate. I was weirded out from the get-go, tried to sell knives one time and hated it, then gave up. I'm so glad I only wasted $90 on the whole thing and at least my mom got some decent kitchen knives out of it. Lol
I've been looking through the comments specifically hoping someone would point out the ponzi scheme confusion 😬
Oh my gosh the worst MLM is definitely Plexus. You have the opportunity to make negative money. That’s right, there are so many fees that sometimes you end up making negative money. And you have to pay it… so you’re basically paying to work for Plexus. I worked for a company that did their payroll and it was frightening
Hannah, this was a really great video!
You have totally come into your own in this anti-mlm space. Keep doing such a great job!
Completely agree with the first writer about you speaking so eloquently. Its probably because you do have an education background but it makes it fun to listen to your views even when youre just restating points its like you summarize the story so beautifully 😭
I have been binge watching this playlist. As a person who was starting a blog, I’ve ran into some women from mlms who came off as wanting to be my friend but once I caught on, look who lost my number. lol
The MLMs that claim to cure things (aka oils, shakes, juices) offend me the most. My son is Autistic, and they are at every resource fair, and it is offensive. I have stopped working with organizations that allow them to have a booth.
I just don't understand how "highly paid" individuals that leave their careers for these mlms. I understand the thought of monetary gain but, what about benefits? Medical, dental, 401k/retirement, paid vacation time/PTO. You receive none of that in a mlm.It boggles my mind to think people leaving their jobs with no benefits to go to a mlm. Crazy.
‘Smart’ people often lack common sense
I think my most hated one is Herbalife because their products are carcinogen for some of them. And they label themselves as healthy. (Love your content ❤️)
My exs mother did Avon. To be nice, I bought a bottle of regular lotion. It was horrible! It felt like the VERY cheap bottles of lotion you get at a hotel. And smelled like cat piss. When I told her this she said,
"You must be using it wrong"
MA'AM!
I feel exactly like the person in story #4. I have friends (actual friends, not just acquaintances) that sell/have sold Origami Owl, 31 bags, Rarity (nail polish like color street), Mary Kay, Premier Designs, Melaleuca, etc. I want to share more, but definitely feel guilty/ashamed.
I agree with the former Monat MP that you are FABULOUSLY articulate. And empathetic. Impressive presentation of important content. I’ve never been tempted by an MLM but am in psychology and so find the techniques used by and responses to these scams to be fascinating. I’m subscribed! Keep up the valuable work.