The Kirby vacuum seller that was kidnapped in Utah to do rounds without a coat: I might owe you an apology! I live in Northern Utah and 7 or 8 years ago Kirby was hitting my neighborhood hard. They would, I'm serious, come to my house 2-3 times per week for several months. At all hours. Early morning through 9 pm. I even screamed at several sales people. I'm so sorry! I thought YOU were being stupid and obnoxious. I didn't realize you were stuck in such bad situation. I've learned since then. I ended up calling the local Kirby office and doing more yelling. They finally said that I could put myself on the 'do not contact' list. My neighborhood was so pissed that probably about 75 other houses near me called to put themselves on the list. Kirby finally quit coming to my neigborhood.
It made my skin crawl hearing that there are MLMs out there who literally suggest that young people get into a van with strangers, don’t let them leave even if the person says they have an emergency, and trapping them with someone reading adult magazines. I thought I was going to break out in hives!
Yep. I almost fell for it once. I knew all about MLM’s and didn’t trust them, but I was 21, and had never heard of the Kirby Company, so I didn’t know they were one at first, or all the context clues I’d need to weed them out yet. Now I’ve noticed they all use the same formats and the same scripts, same tactics. The company seemed sketchy but I had nothing to lose, they weren’t asking me to buy anything. But I didn’t know they expected me to sell something. The ad listed the job description as “assembling machinery” I figured it meant working an assembly line. Then they’re implying that this is a business that dispatches maids to clean houses. After that they said that the company has all this money because it doesn’t spend money on advertising. It operates on word of mouth, apparently that’s what we were there for? It wasn’t cleaning houses, it was demonstrating how the machine works. Ok so that’s like a commercial. Well, commercials at least pay for their time slot. People in the commercials actually get paid. They tell me to practice demonstrating the machine in front of friends and family. Ok so this is practice. What I did not expect, because he hadn’t gone over it in training til after the fact, was that the recruiter, required us to call him after the demonstration, and that he would be trying to negotiate a sale with my friends and family. THATS when I realized what kind of “job” this was. I knew I smelled something sketchy when In training the recruiter “taught” us about their policy and how recruiting folks under you gets you part of their commission blah blah blah. I saw that red flag, but at that point I was just sticking it out til I got paid for the training, like the ad Claimed. Until they pull out a contract they try to rush us to sign. Without letting us read it, stating that “I understand the training Isn’t paid”. . . No I most certainly don’t understand. They lied so much to us. After the contract, there’s whispers about having to knock on strangers doors and shadow another salesman to learn the art of vacuuming a rug, and then he told us that Monday we’re gonna be taking a bus and doing all that. Knocking on doors, which I was also told wasn’t my job. There was nothing in the ad about going into strangers’ houses, which is a rule I took seriously since I was a kid. So the weekend rolled around and I decided that now that I know the training wasn’t going to include compensation, t they expected me to sell against my will, and go into strangers homes? So the weekend rolled around and I decided that I had about enough of all that. I bounced out. I They literally expect me to go into a strangers house and not even pay me for the week of training g I had to show up everyday for? Sales has always been the job that I’d never want to have to do. I hate selling. He said nothing about selling til the opportunity arose. It was quite rude of him to mislabel the job description. But a lot of others hate selling just as much as I do, nobody would click on it if. By the way, $1400 a piece isn’t the price that distributors pay for the machines. That’s the lowest down payment that sales is allowed to negotiate. Idk if they can go lower, I stuck around for longer than I should have, but I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. But I haven’t seen them go lower than that number. The whole price is commission for the upline. I found out when I was there, that distributors only pay $250 per unit. That’s not a typo, it’s really two hundred fifty dollars per machine that the manufacturer charges distribution. So their sales commission is significantly more than folks think. It’s awful. They don’t want folks to know the cost of production of this machine is much cheaper in comparison to how much they sell it for. It does not cost $1400 to make. They only say that so they can justify the price tag.
I can't say this loud enough or often enough: Unpaid mandatory training is never okay. Even if you are 1099, those are billable hours. Ssme with travel.
Yes yes yes! Everyone should learn their rights. Learn about your state and federal worker rights, and protect them at all times. When companies violate your worker rights, speak to an employment lawyer asap.
I can’t stand when their rebuttal is always like “if you’ve never been in an MLM you’re not allowed to criticize it or believe the hundreds and thousands of others who say that it’s not a good business” like ummm I’ve never done cr@(k but I also know that it’s not something that I need to experience for myself to know that it’s not good 🙄🤦♀️
These stories really drive home how important it is to be assertive when someone aggressively pitches a job opportunity. Also, never get into a van, it’s a trap.
God the mom story triggered me to hell. I feel for this girl. Her text was beyond civil and of course the mom has to pretend like the daughter just told her to go burn in hell or something.
And once they get inside your house, they do the same thing! "Oh, we'll come back and do an hour presentation when you and your husband can both be home". 3.5-4 hours later, you haven't eaten dinner and you're kicking them out while they're still talking and trying to get you to sign a commitment to buy...your dogs have been outside the entire time because you wanted to be polite so now that you're irritated, you say bye AGAIN and say we need to let our dogs inside to eat so they'll finally leave. Dude, I see what your vacuum did, GET OUT!
@@shannontrent3702yikes! See this is why I don’t answer my door, if it’s anyone I wanted to see they would have text me first lol. Being antisocial & introverted has its perks.
The hun in the text interchange somehow managed to fit ALL the talking points into a single text exchange. Impressive. She's not drinking the Flavor Aid, she's mainlining it!
Hannah, I love your content. Out of all of the anti-MLM content I can honestly say this is the best. Your commentary and insights are just so spot on and informative and really paint an accurate picture of the industry. You do a wonderful job of showing how regardless of the age of the company, the product, or the compensation plan, or how the company is framed, they are all the same. I became an instant subscriber.
Oh my God, Pampered chef, the mlm I can't escape this month. Three coworkers are having parties right now and there are alot of hurt feelings on who gets orders from whom at work 🙄 all the same consultant who knows they all work together. Talk about market saturation
IS it even legal to be "kidnapping trainees"? Those stories scare the crap out of me! 😢 Thank you Hannah for teaching us without shaming or blaming the actual sales people in all the stories. ❤
13:40 some of people sending these emails really know how to respond to someone else in such a good way, using good choice of words. Im so envy even in my first language i still kinda falling short to do that especially when i need to set my boundaries 😭
LOL! When you started talking to Cooper 🤣 Do all pet owners do that? Cuz I talk to my dog Mochi and tell him "do you know how much I love you? You don't understand how much I love you!" 🤣 poor dog, I don't let him breathe
i talk to animals that arent even mine. my job requires me to drive around a LOT and locate utilities for businesses and homes(i actually ended up locating for a chiropractor/wellness business that SELLS young living and other MLM products!! thinking about writing in a story with a compilation of most of the mlm experiences ive had. its a loooong one tho cause theyve been around me just about as long as i can remember.) a lot of people have animals and every time i see them i speak to them and say hi.
I quit my steady UPS job when I was 20, to be suckered into Kirby. I was dumb. I made nothing. I've been embarrassed about it still 20 years later. I even tried to sell a vacuum to people with no carpet. Good thing I only lasted a couple weeks. The most uncomfortable weeks of my life
As someone with acid reflux, the idea of putting citrus essential oil (basically hundreds of citrus peels diluted into one drop of oil) into my body is truly frightening.
I haven't been approached with an MLM pitch, but if someone said something about how only people who don't work hard don't make money, my easy response would be, "well, I don't want to work hard." 🤷♀
I can't get enough of those stories. Before the pandemic I haven't even heard of MLMs. Ofcourse once I've learned about them, I've realized that I've runned in to a few of them over the years, even almost got sucked in to one of them. I can't get enough of your adorable fur babies too. I just love when they drop in for a conversation like that. 😸😊
It truly warms my heart to see how many lives you have changed for the better! I always love to know I am supporting someone that has genuine intentions! Every top comment is such a beautiful compliment to you! Whereas, rightfully so, most anti-mlm top comments are how angry we are at the Huns spewing nonsense lol. I hope you see how much good you are doing here!
I absolutely love these horror story videos. Some of my favorite creators have shifted more towards the fails, and I'm really glad that you do horror stories as well. Personally, I can't listen to the huns even if you are picking apart their falsehoods.
I remember going to a group “job interview” for Kirby a few years ago. I had no idea what I was in for until I was there and couldn’t wait to leave. It wasn’t just that I wasn’t interested in selling vacuums but I also realized, especially from the many job experiences I have had before and a few years before that going to a group “job interview” selling knives, that this isn’t a legitimate job. Fortunately I had another job offer from a temp agency and turned this one down when I got the call that I was hired. But I did feel bad for the others in that interview especially since they were middle aged or older and seemed really interested in it.
My mom is 100% one of those people who will buy a ton of MLM stuff from her friends to "support" them. I totally loved using the paparazzi tests for heavy metals as a way to get her to throw every single piece she has of theirs away. I don't think her friend was still selling it when that happened, but it still felt like a win.
Former Amway rep here (10 years 😬😬). You could earn PV by purchasing through your Amway portal, sort of like affiliate links which is how the Starbucks, Home Depot, etc examples play in…
I've worked up the ladder at Office Depot my entire adult life. Office Depot does not have any sort of partnership with any mlms, unless she is referring to some sort of corporate card program (ie any company large enough gets a discount program to shop with us)
In the story around the 26:21 mark- I recognize that dialogue given by the mlm’er. It sounds like that person is in world wide dream builders or world wide group. They consider themselves a “mentorship university” and they use Amway products, the bit about partnering with Apple, Home Depot, Starbucks is just program that's apart of Amway that allows for discounts to purchase from those “companies they partner with”. I was in world wide group for five years. I've been on the fence about sharing my story cause the whole experience was cringey when I think about how long it took me to leave. If you have any questions about WWG/Amway. I have a box full of my “MLM” stuff I can go through. I don't think I've seen a deep dive done with WWG. They work very hard to sound legitimate because they posture you into thinking you've “earned” the opportunity through a vetting process. Hope this helps. :)
My parents met while working for Kirby. We had a Kirby vacuum for like 15yrs and my mom still complains that she should’ve never gotten rid of it bc new vacuums are all garbage. It’s sad that they chose to do this product as an MLM bc it seems that most people who have one actually like it.
In scentsy we were encouraged to hangout in candle isles at stores to try to get people to buy our wax instead of the candles, or even be outside of bath and body works, it's so weird.
My dad swears by Kirby probs cuz he was selling them in the 70s and still owns an original that runs perfectly. My boss at my last job listened to my anti MLM passion for 20 minutes before telling me he was a top Kirby RECRUITER and that's how he ended up funding this buisness. Never trusted him, ended in flames.
Hey Hannah, binging your videos since monday! Regarding the last story, here in Brazil we have A LOT of schemes like these, where they call you, do an interview and tell you that you passed, only to turn and say that you need to buy a course/certificate to actually work. Once you pay, you don't even get sucked into a MLM, they just ghost you.
I had no idea Kirby was an MLM. My mum got one when I was a kid, and I remember them demonstrating it working on my bed/mattress. I just thought it was a demonstration, and they did annual servicing too. The hoover is really good and still running about 20 years later!
The Amway texts: Can't stand when people ask for and then can't accept your reasons/response Also, what is she arguing for?! Lady, at what point do you stop?! You really think someone is going to go, oh, good point, NOW I'm interested in Amway! Golly. The condescension and contradictions that abound.
This cracked me up - "When I die, I'm leaving all my Pampered Chef to this other person, and not you!" Also, I've gotten up a couple of times to check on outr neighborhood "Not My Cat" who comes around every few days for a snack. But there's no cat out there - I just realized that it's YOUR cat - they really sound similar!
Story 3 - I was about to say “I’m surprised the friend didn’t ambush them in the grocery store to pitch the magical couple from “amway”. Then a couple seconds later says she heard friends got the grocery store pitch. 🤮
In the first story they kidnapped them for 12 hours to make them work for free ?! And absolutely no consequences for the people that STOLE those hours of work from them ?
My kirby didn't suck so it sucked 😂. I loved the attachment for furniture and stairs and even hard wood, but i absolutely hated the vacuum portion for just vacuuming carpet, and the shampooer was awful.
Was Kirby ever called Rainbow? I know someone who had a funky Rainbow vacuum and it cleaned really well. There was a tank of water that attached and all the gunk went in there. It was satisfying to watch but seemed like a lot of work to use and maintain
Kirby doesn't pay you at all!! I have been suckered into that scam. I was looking for a job to pay for college and I called their number. They literally would not tell me what this job was. Being 17 I walked to my interview and was so happy that I got the job!! Well the next day I went for my first day only to find out all the information about the company. Some guy yelled at me the first day and then tried to kiss up to me afterwards. Let's just say I did not return and they never called me to inquire why I didn't show up. Lol never again!!!!
The more I think about the MLM pitches I’ve experienced, I feel that so many Huns actually target introverted or conflict averse people like me. We tend to be more likely to agree to a little just to end an awkward encounter without conflict.
Classic Amway script "partnership with Amway" it's the way they all try to justify that they are NOT actually Amway. They're in "partnership" with them. The way I got sucked in 20+ years ago was through the "personal development" that they were pitching that worked "in partnership" with Amway. *sigh*
So happy I found you Hannah. Your content is the most accurate and so on point concerning the MLM scams. I have watched many and find you are the best. I am intrigued. Keep up the great work! Thank you!
When I briefly was with Juice Plus, my upline *literally* told me not to tell people the name of the company right away so they could "get the best possible info from you instead of using Google." Umm yeahhhh, super sketch
I saw a bright blue Mini Cooper today PLASTERED with Arbonne (idk if I spelled it right) advertisement stickers, it was disgusting and made me giggle because that “Free Car” isn’t so free and is basically just turns them into a free advertiser and completely ruins their car hahahaha
Omg, I could not for the life of me remember the MLM that came to my home pitching insurance. It was American Income Life! They came under the pretense of a child safe kit(a pamphlet you keep in case of abduction.) With me, he ran through a quick PowerPoint of his insurance plans, but my baby and I were already insured. I gave my friend's number and told her to do it. What she got was a 2 hour pitch for his "business!"
I remember going to Pampered Chef parties with my mother when I was in upper elementary. She will still not acknowledge that PC was/is an MLM. Since she likes some of the products, there was no need for PC to be an MLM, ergo it wasn't one. I don't bring it up anymore, but I keep a closer eye on her now that we're both older.
I'm glad you keep a closer eye on her as she has grown older. It is heart breaking how these vile mlms and other predatory industries go after slightly older people who may feel isolated as time goes on, and might be desperate for extra income for heating/food/Bills. We dont need to make it known to them that we're watching their backs, but I did the same for my mother while she lived. I was *not* having some awful company taking advantage of her. Kudos on being a proactive, protective daughter
I learned early on about this garbage. I responded to an add looking for an office clerk. It literally said part time nights answering phone and doing paperwork. I was 17 so it sounded perfect. Turns out it was selling Kirby vacuums, I asked about the desk job and got some convoluted answer about how this position was better, I just left. I'm not a sales person, I don't feel comfortable pressuring people to buy things. I feel like if someone is in the market for something they'll reach out to who ever to get it.
Omg i almost fell victim to the insurance one. I had a 55 minute phone “interview” and the guy was begging me to take the insurance exam. He even said he would pay for it if I got another person to sign up!!! I had no idea that was an MLM
When you read the story last time, the first thing I thought of was Kirby. I got sucked in to this literally and was also kidknapped to demo a carpet cleaning. The people who let us in didn't even stay in the room. I just cleaned a whole room with no audience. My stomach was rolling the entire experience. I was very young when this happened. It was awful. I absolutely hated it.
I just want to say, the writer of the story at 15:33 is incredibly good at asserting her boundaries. Clear, calm, respectful, in no uncertain terms. I'm truly impressed.
The Kirby thing happened to me too. A long long time ago. They made it seem like a regular job making 20$ per hour. When I figured it out after training ect...I quit and returned my sample vac. They tried to say it was damaged and it was perfect. My Dad told them to screw off. I was 18 I think.
"Once you have that degrees, no one can take it away from you." Yes, usually, unless you do something extremely bad that puts the institution's reputation at risk; for example, someone at my university got their Bachelor's of Arts degree rescinded because they went to Africa and pretended it was a Doctorate of Medicine and opened a practice. (Can't give more details because of confidentiality agreements but yeah, thought the people here would enjoy this story).
Hannah, I would always add Orange Oil to my Thieves toothpaste for the "teeth whitening." My upline told me that she had gone to the dentist and the dentist told her that her teeth "had never looked better." Looking back, I'm sure those were all lies 😭
I hope you're doing well, Hannah! I've been binging your videos the last few days, and have been really enjoying all the content. All the hard work is much appreciated 🌟
I haven't really searched it on youtube but haven't really seen anything either but I'd love it if someone did a deep dive on Kirby.... I know they talk about being kidnapped and going door to door but having them weasel there way into your door to do this presentation is pretty awful too. They say it's a short like 30 minute thing and it's 3-4 hours long. like get out of my house dude.
Another really great use for citris essential oils is removing those little rubber bands from kids hair. Especially if your kids have super fine hair like my kids do. a drop or too breaks the rubber band and it becomes super easy to remove and doesn't hurt their hair any :) I used this al the time when my kids were little (not with EOs from an MLM of course)
Watching some of your semi recent videos that I missed. Every time I watch a new one, I notice that you’re up another 1000 subscribers! You are killin’ it!
These sound frighteningly close to what happened to me when I started out after high school (1991) ... soooooo many of the help wanted ads that "hired" those without much direct experience did these things back then, and since hardly anyone had cell phones meant that they often got a days worth of free labour from a LOT of unsuspecting teenagers. I also went to the interview for the Canadian telcom MLM, Kirby, AIG (some insurance MLM), door to door sales for various things.... I always ABSOLUTELY KNEW that I did NOT want to do any sort of sales or commission based work. Thankfully that kept me from getting sucked into anything sales related my whole life
Yep, bringing up that it isn't a scam to start with should make alarm bells go off! Just like my first job saying they just used the Hubbard management system and that they have nothing to do with scientology. But the church of scientology called the owner multiple times a week, so....that obviously wasn't true! Pay attention to what people try to "get ahead of" by saying it isn't so, it is probably the truth they are trying to hide.
The entire time I am watching your videos I had to think about the "Insurance Company" a former friend of mine worked for. I am so happy to know I wasn't wrong about that one & that I got out before signing anything.
American Income Life almost got me, I had to complete a course before the exam (unpaid time). I can't remember if they paid for the course but I never made it to the exam. I realized that paid training is the standard for actual insurance companies
The Kirby vacuum seller that was kidnapped in Utah to do rounds without a coat: I might owe you an apology! I live in Northern Utah and 7 or 8 years ago Kirby was hitting my neighborhood hard. They would, I'm serious, come to my house 2-3 times per week for several months. At all hours. Early morning through 9 pm. I even screamed at several sales people. I'm so sorry! I thought YOU were being stupid and obnoxious. I didn't realize you were stuck in such bad situation. I've learned since then.
I ended up calling the local Kirby office and doing more yelling. They finally said that I could put myself on the 'do not contact' list. My neighborhood was so pissed that probably about 75 other houses near me called to put themselves on the list. Kirby finally quit coming to my neigborhood.
It made my skin crawl hearing that there are MLMs out there who literally suggest that young people get into a van with strangers, don’t let them leave even if the person says they have an emergency, and trapping them with someone reading adult magazines. I thought I was going to break out in hives!
they also leave these people ALONE in strangers houses... it's insane.
I'd be calling the cops - that's deprivation of liberty
Thats when you pull out the pepperspray yeesh
I fell for it as a young buck. I was so ashamed
Yep. I almost fell for it once. I knew all about MLM’s and didn’t trust them, but I was 21, and had never heard of the Kirby Company, so I didn’t know they were one at first, or all the context clues I’d need to weed them out yet.
Now I’ve noticed they all use the same formats and the same scripts, same tactics.
The company seemed sketchy but I had nothing to lose, they weren’t asking me to buy anything. But I didn’t know they expected me to sell something.
The ad listed the job description as “assembling machinery”
I figured it meant working an assembly line. Then they’re implying that this is a business that dispatches maids to clean houses.
After that they said that the company has all this money because it doesn’t spend money on advertising. It operates on word of mouth, apparently that’s what we were there for? It wasn’t cleaning houses, it was demonstrating how the machine works. Ok so that’s like a commercial. Well, commercials at least pay for their time slot. People in the commercials actually get paid.
They tell me to practice demonstrating the machine in front of friends and family.
Ok so this is practice. What I did not expect, because he hadn’t gone over it in training til after the fact, was that the recruiter, required us to call him after the demonstration, and that he would be trying to negotiate a sale with my friends and family.
THATS when I realized what kind of “job” this was. I knew I smelled something sketchy when In training the recruiter “taught” us about their policy and how recruiting folks under you gets you part of their commission blah blah blah. I saw that red flag, but at that point I was just sticking it out til I got paid for the training, like the ad Claimed. Until they pull out a contract they try to rush us to sign. Without letting us read it, stating that “I understand the training Isn’t paid”. . . No I most certainly don’t understand. They lied so much to us.
After the contract, there’s whispers about having to knock on strangers doors and shadow another salesman to learn the art of vacuuming a rug, and then he told us that Monday we’re gonna be taking a bus and doing all that.
Knocking on doors, which I was also told wasn’t my job. There was nothing in the ad about going into strangers’ houses, which is a rule I took seriously since I was a kid.
So the weekend rolled around and I decided that now that I know the training wasn’t going to include compensation, t they expected me to sell against my will, and go into strangers homes? So the weekend rolled around and I decided that I had about enough of all that.
I bounced out. I
They literally expect me to go into a strangers house and not even pay me for the week of training g I had to show up everyday for?
Sales has always been the job that I’d never want to have to do. I hate selling. He said nothing about selling til the opportunity arose. It was quite rude of him to mislabel the job description. But a lot of others hate selling just as much as I do, nobody would click on it if.
By the way, $1400 a piece isn’t the price that distributors pay for the machines. That’s the lowest down payment that sales is allowed to negotiate. Idk if they can go lower, I stuck around for longer than I should have, but I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.
But I haven’t seen them go lower than that number.
The whole price is commission for the upline. I found out when I was there, that distributors only pay $250 per unit. That’s not a typo, it’s really two hundred fifty dollars per machine that the manufacturer charges distribution. So their sales commission is significantly more than folks think. It’s awful. They don’t want folks to know the cost of production of this machine is much cheaper in comparison to how much they sell it for. It does not cost $1400 to make. They only say that so they can justify the price tag.
I can't say this loud enough or often enough: Unpaid mandatory training is never okay. Even if you are 1099, those are billable hours. Ssme with travel.
Yes yes yes! Everyone should learn their rights. Learn about your state and federal worker rights, and protect them at all times. When companies violate your worker rights, speak to an employment lawyer asap.
I can’t stand when their rebuttal is always like “if you’ve never been in an MLM you’re not allowed to criticize it or believe the hundreds and thousands of others who say that it’s not a good business” like ummm I’ve never done cr@(k but I also know that it’s not something that I need to experience for myself to know that it’s not good 🙄🤦♀️
These stories really drive home how important it is to be assertive when someone aggressively pitches a job opportunity. Also, never get into a van, it’s a trap.
Yes yes and yes 👏🏼
Bgy
Even if it's your own van. Ya never know, the driver might be crazy. 😂
@@HannahAlonzo SsSQSSS71w2aq
God the mom story triggered me to hell. I feel for this girl. Her text was beyond civil and of course the mom has to pretend like the daughter just told her to go burn in hell or something.
The mom is clearly a narcissist
The first story is like false imprisonment. These people are ruthless and scary.
And once they get inside your house, they do the same thing! "Oh, we'll come back and do an hour presentation when you and your husband can both be home". 3.5-4 hours later, you haven't eaten dinner and you're kicking them out while they're still talking and trying to get you to sign a commitment to buy...your dogs have been outside the entire time because you wanted to be polite so now that you're irritated, you say bye AGAIN and say we need to let our dogs inside to eat so they'll finally leave. Dude, I see what your vacuum did, GET OUT!
@@shannontrent3702yikes! See this is why I don’t answer my door, if it’s anyone I wanted to see they would have text me first lol. Being antisocial & introverted has its perks.
I love it when kitties chatter with you!
I swear I talk to my cats all day long 😂
@@HannahAlonzoI'm glad you're a cat person. I knew we could trust you haha!
The hun in the text interchange somehow managed to fit ALL the talking points into a single text exchange. Impressive. She's not drinking the Flavor Aid, she's mainlining it!
Thank you so much for reading my story! Hearing that out loud was a surprisingly cathartic, validating experience.
Thank you for sending it in!!
"Unlimited stairstep breakaway business model?!"
Holy Word salad, Batman. That's a new one!
That was a new one for me too! Talk about a lot of words for “pyramid scheme” 😂
Hannah has taught me about so many MLM companies that I had no clue were MLMs!
I’m still learning of new ones all the time!
Hannah, I love your content. Out of all of the anti-MLM content I can honestly say this is the best. Your commentary and insights are just so spot on and informative and really paint an accurate picture of the industry. You do a wonderful job of showing how regardless of the age of the company, the product, or the compensation plan, or how the company is framed, they are all the same. I became an instant subscriber.
Same here! I have watched pretty much everyone in the anti mlm community and Hannah is by far my favorite!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Agreed 👏
Oh my God, Pampered chef, the mlm I can't escape this month. Three coworkers are having parties right now and there are alot of hurt feelings on who gets orders from whom at work 🙄 all the same consultant who knows they all work together. Talk about market saturation
Oh my gosh what a nightmare 🤣
This reminds me of the episode of The Office when Darryl and Toby both have daughters selling Girl Scout cookies and have to compete for customers!
Accountant here. Easy to argue point? Every tax accountant I've talked to has never seen someone in a mlm make a profit on their taxes 😂😂😂😂
that 2nd story was amazing on communicating and expressing her boundary and standing by it especially being her mom
IS it even legal to be "kidnapping trainees"? Those stories scare the crap out of me! 😢
Thank you Hannah for teaching us without shaming or blaming the actual sales people in all the stories. ❤
Hi Hannah- Sensodyne toothpaste/ products are really effective for sensitive teeth. It takes about 2 weeks of use but you will feel a difference.
13:40 some of people sending these emails really know how to respond to someone else in such a good way, using good choice of words. Im so envy even in my first language i still kinda falling short to do that especially when i need to set my boundaries 😭
26:55 ooohhh this one give me a vibe of that zoom video with boss lee that you made a video about, no wonder they're in the same place🤣
She did not compare different MLMs to different colleges😂 absolutely terrible comparison lol
Never go to a second location!
LOL...that's the same advice they give you if you're ever kidnapped or mugged!
LOL! When you started talking to Cooper 🤣 Do all pet owners do that? Cuz I talk to my dog Mochi and tell him "do you know how much I love you? You don't understand how much I love you!" 🤣 poor dog, I don't let him breathe
Sometimes I’m like “do you even understand have GREAT your life is?? Do you know how good you have it??” 😂
i talk to animals that arent even mine. my job requires me to drive around a LOT and locate utilities for businesses and homes(i actually ended up locating for a chiropractor/wellness business that SELLS young living and other MLM products!! thinking about writing in a story with a compilation of most of the mlm experiences ive had. its a loooong one tho cause theyve been around me just about as long as i can remember.) a lot of people have animals and every time i see them i speak to them and say hi.
I quit my steady UPS job when I was 20, to be suckered into Kirby. I was dumb. I made nothing. I've been embarrassed about it still 20 years later. I even tried to sell a vacuum to people with no carpet. Good thing I only lasted a couple weeks. The most uncomfortable weeks of my life
If training is unpaid, that should be a huge red flag. A reputable company will pay you for all your time spent working, including training.
As someone with acid reflux, the idea of putting citrus essential oil (basically hundreds of citrus peels diluted into one drop of oil) into my body is truly frightening.
I haven't been approached with an MLM pitch, but if someone said something about how only people who don't work hard don't make money, my easy response would be, "well, I don't want to work hard." 🤷♀
I can't get enough of those stories.
Before the pandemic I haven't even heard of MLMs. Ofcourse once I've learned about them, I've realized that I've runned in to a few of them over the years, even almost got sucked in to one of them.
I can't get enough of your adorable fur babies too. I just love when they drop in for a conversation like that. 😸😊
It truly warms my heart to see how many lives you have changed for the better! I always love to know I am supporting someone that has genuine intentions! Every top comment is such a beautiful compliment to you! Whereas, rightfully so, most anti-mlm top comments are how angry we are at the Huns spewing nonsense lol. I hope you see how much good you are doing here!
Cooper jumping to play with your hand while trying to distract him from the tripod, so cute!
I absolutely love these horror story videos. Some of my favorite creators have shifted more towards the fails, and I'm really glad that you do horror stories as well. Personally, I can't listen to the huns even if you are picking apart their falsehoods.
Same, they make me cringe and it's so mindless I kinda zone out
THAT KIRBY THING HAPPENED TO ME TOO, they hired me at 16 and worked me thru a brutal winter, i dont even think i ever made any money? LOVE YOUR VIDEOS
I remember going to a group “job interview” for Kirby a few years ago. I had no idea what I was in for until I was there and couldn’t wait to leave. It wasn’t just that I wasn’t interested in selling vacuums but I also realized, especially from the many job experiences I have had before and a few years before that going to a group “job interview” selling knives, that this isn’t a legitimate job. Fortunately I had another job offer from a temp agency and turned this one down when I got the call that I was hired. But I did feel bad for the others in that interview especially since they were middle aged or older and seemed really interested in it.
My mom is 100% one of those people who will buy a ton of MLM stuff from her friends to "support" them. I totally loved using the paparazzi tests for heavy metals as a way to get her to throw every single piece she has of theirs away. I don't think her friend was still selling it when that happened, but it still felt like a win.
Perfect timing! I was looking for something to watch during my evening skincare routine. :) Greetings from Belgium.
Agreed! I was looking for something to watch while I eat dinner😌
Former Amway rep here (10 years 😬😬). You could earn PV by purchasing through your Amway portal, sort of like affiliate links which is how the Starbucks, Home Depot, etc examples play in…
Thank you for the clarification!
How are these “Companies” are allowed to operate…it’s sad.
I've worked up the ladder at Office Depot my entire adult life. Office Depot does not have any sort of partnership with any mlms, unless she is referring to some sort of corporate card program (ie any company large enough gets a discount program to shop with us)
In the story around the 26:21 mark- I recognize that dialogue given by the mlm’er. It sounds like that person is in world wide dream builders or world wide group. They consider themselves a “mentorship university” and they use Amway products, the bit about partnering with Apple, Home Depot, Starbucks is just program that's apart of Amway that allows for discounts to purchase from those “companies they partner with”. I was in world wide group for five years. I've been on the fence about sharing my story cause the whole experience was cringey when I think about how long it took me to leave.
If you have any questions about WWG/Amway. I have a box full of my “MLM” stuff I can go through. I don't think I've seen a deep dive done with WWG. They work very hard to sound legitimate because they posture you into thinking you've “earned” the opportunity through a vetting process.
Hope this helps. :)
I comment on other people's shoes, hair and outfits all the time because I genuinely like them.... Now I have to stop because of these MLMers?😢
The Cooper grab was easily the cutes thing I've seen this week! 😻😻😻
My parents met while working for Kirby. We had a Kirby vacuum for like 15yrs and my mom still complains that she should’ve never gotten rid of it bc new vacuums are all garbage.
It’s sad that they chose to do this product as an MLM bc it seems that most people who have one actually like it.
In scentsy we were encouraged to hangout in candle isles at stores to try to get people to buy our wax instead of the candles, or even be outside of bath and body works, it's so weird.
Ohhhh the qualification part of Amway made me cackle! The people who tried to recruit me (both times) used similar tactics
My dad swears by Kirby probs cuz he was selling them in the 70s and still owns an original that runs perfectly. My boss at my last job listened to my anti MLM passion for 20 minutes before telling me he was a top Kirby RECRUITER and that's how he ended up funding this buisness. Never trusted him, ended in flames.
Omg a nightmare 😳
Kirby's are too heavy to even lift lol
Hey Hannah, binging your videos since monday!
Regarding the last story, here in Brazil we have A LOT of schemes like these, where they call you, do an interview and tell you that you passed, only to turn and say that you need to buy a course/certificate to actually work. Once you pay, you don't even get sucked into a MLM, they just ghost you.
As a dental hygienist just no to any oil on your teeth
Whoa, that first story about getting into a van...leading up to that 12 hours stint. Yikes! 😳
I had no idea Kirby was an MLM. My mum got one when I was a kid, and I remember them demonstrating it working on my bed/mattress. I just thought it was a demonstration, and they did annual servicing too. The hoover is really good and still running about 20 years later!
The Amway texts:
Can't stand when people ask for and then can't accept your reasons/response
Also, what is she arguing for?! Lady, at what point do you stop?! You really think someone is going to go, oh, good point, NOW I'm interested in Amway! Golly. The condescension and contradictions that abound.
This cracked me up - "When I die, I'm leaving all my Pampered Chef to this other person, and not you!"
Also, I've gotten up a couple of times to check on outr neighborhood "Not My Cat" who comes around every few days for a snack. But there's no cat out there - I just realized that it's YOUR cat - they really sound similar!
Nopnp
I love the cat cameos in your videos. They add such a delightful bit of levity while discussing an otherwise serious topic.
I just realized! I should be promoted to sapphire tomorrow! 😂😂 the recruiting is working!
You’re rising in the ranks!!!
Story 3 - I was about to say “I’m surprised the friend didn’t ambush them in the grocery store to pitch the magical couple from “amway”. Then a couple seconds later says she heard friends got the grocery store pitch. 🤮
YES! It’s sad that she thinks she didn’t get pitched when she 100% got recruited by that couple.
In the first story they kidnapped them for 12 hours to make them work for free ?! And absolutely no consequences for the people that STOLE those hours of work from them ?
My kirby didn't suck so it sucked 😂. I loved the attachment for furniture and stairs and even hard wood, but i absolutely hated the vacuum portion for just vacuuming carpet, and the shampooer was awful.
Pampered chef has the best Gaelic press. I have owned mine for 20 years.
That first story really does sound like literal kidnapping 😨
Was Kirby ever called Rainbow? I know someone who had a funky Rainbow vacuum and it cleaned really well. There was a tank of water that attached and all the gunk went in there. It was satisfying to watch but seemed like a lot of work to use and maintain
Kirby doesn't pay you at all!! I have been suckered into that scam. I was looking for a job to pay for college and I called their number. They literally would not tell me what this job was. Being 17 I walked to my interview and was so happy that I got the job!! Well the next day I went for my first day only to find out all the information about the company. Some guy yelled at me the first day and then tried to kiss up to me afterwards. Let's just say I did not return and they never called me to inquire why I didn't show up. Lol never again!!!!
PS I would love a teacher series where you explain your experience, make up, and wardrobe stuff.
Both of your cats are adorable in their own way.
I appreciate your thoughtful, intelligent articulate way of addressing this topic.
💚🌻💛 All the best to you from Charlotte NC. ❤
The more I think about the MLM pitches I’ve experienced, I feel that so many Huns actually target introverted or conflict averse people like me. We tend to be more likely to agree to a little just to end an awkward encounter without conflict.
Classic Amway script "partnership with Amway" it's the way they all try to justify that they are NOT actually Amway. They're in "partnership" with them. The way I got sucked in 20+ years ago was through the "personal development" that they were pitching that worked "in partnership" with Amway. *sigh*
So happy I found you Hannah. Your content is the most accurate and so on point concerning the MLM scams. I have watched many and find you are the best. I am intrigued. Keep up the great work! Thank you!
Thanks for your support Leah!
When I briefly was with Juice Plus, my upline *literally* told me not to tell people the name of the company right away so they could "get the best possible info from you instead of using Google." Umm yeahhhh, super sketch
We need more cat appearances, please! 🥰😻
Hannah, you look SO PRETTY in that sweater. Not to be weird. I just thought it was perfect for your coloring.
I saw a bright blue Mini Cooper today PLASTERED with Arbonne (idk if I spelled it right) advertisement stickers, it was disgusting and made me giggle because that “Free Car” isn’t so free and is basically just turns them into a free advertiser and completely ruins their car hahahaha
I see "Scentsy" decals on SUVs where I live.
Omg, I could not for the life of me remember the MLM that came to my home pitching insurance. It was American Income Life! They came under the pretense of a child safe kit(a pamphlet you keep in case of abduction.) With me, he ran through a quick PowerPoint of his insurance plans, but my baby and I were already insured. I gave my friend's number and told her to do it. What she got was a 2 hour pitch for his "business!"
There's a hilarious section in the movie "Go" on an mlm pitch. Good movie.
I remember going to Pampered Chef parties with my mother when I was in upper elementary. She will still not acknowledge that PC was/is an MLM. Since she likes some of the products, there was no need for PC to be an MLM, ergo it wasn't one. I don't bring it up anymore, but I keep a closer eye on her now that we're both older.
I'm glad you keep a closer eye on her as she has grown older. It is heart breaking how these vile mlms and other predatory industries go after slightly older people who may feel isolated as time goes on, and might be desperate for extra income for heating/food/Bills. We dont need to make it known to them that we're watching their backs, but I did the same for my mother while she lived. I was *not* having some awful company taking advantage of her. Kudos on being a proactive, protective daughter
I just submitted a practicum assignment, so now watching this to relax!
Congrats!!!
I learned early on about this garbage.
I responded to an add looking for an office clerk. It literally said part time nights answering phone and doing paperwork. I was 17 so it sounded perfect. Turns out it was selling Kirby vacuums, I asked about the desk job and got some convoluted answer about how this position was better, I just left. I'm not a sales person, I don't feel comfortable pressuring people to buy things.
I feel like if someone is in the market for something they'll reach out to who ever to get it.
Zeke over here giving his kitty anti mlm conclusion
Omg i almost fell victim to the insurance one. I had a 55 minute phone “interview” and the guy was begging me to take the insurance exam. He even said he would pay for it if I got another person to sign up!!! I had no idea that was an MLM
Awww the vocal kitties 😻 🥰
She was kidnapped! Then forced to work all day, That is horrifying! 😲🙅♂️
When you read the story last time, the first thing I thought of was Kirby. I got sucked in to this literally and was also kidknapped to demo a carpet cleaning. The people who let us in didn't even stay in the room. I just cleaned a whole room with no audience. My stomach was rolling the entire experience. I was very young when this happened. It was awful. I absolutely hated it.
I just want to say, the writer of the story at 15:33 is incredibly good at asserting her boundaries. Clear, calm, respectful, in no uncertain terms. I'm truly impressed.
MLMs also keep thrift stores thriving by selling the guilt purchases donated to them still in their boxes/with tags on.
I’d love to hear one of these kidnapping stories where the person kidnapped called the police.
You are so naturally pretty! As always, I love your videos so so much! Keep up the great work!
Thank you Kelsey!! 🥰
The Kirby thing happened to me too. A long long time ago. They made it seem like a regular job making 20$ per hour. When I figured it out after training ect...I quit and returned my sample vac. They tried to say it was damaged and it was perfect. My Dad told them to screw off. I was 18 I think.
👎 she does NOT know how to "agree to disagree." Oh my stars 😂 this highlights those who ask only to try and convince you otherwise.
"Once you have that degrees, no one can take it away from you." Yes, usually, unless you do something extremely bad that puts the institution's reputation at risk; for example, someone at my university got their Bachelor's of Arts degree rescinded because they went to Africa and pretended it was a Doctorate of Medicine and opened a practice. (Can't give more details because of confidentiality agreements but yeah, thought the people here would enjoy this story).
Hannah, I would always add Orange Oil to my Thieves toothpaste for the "teeth whitening."
My upline told me that she had gone to the dentist and the dentist told her that her teeth "had never looked better." Looking back, I'm sure those were all lies 😭
AHHH this makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it!!!
Oh, it's April 2022. Congratulations to that person getting married! 🥰🥰🥰
Just in time for lunch!! Excited
I hope you're doing well, Hannah! I've been binging your videos the last few days, and have been really enjoying all the content. All the hard work is much appreciated 🌟
I haven't really searched it on youtube but haven't really seen anything either but I'd love it if someone did a deep dive on Kirby.... I know they talk about being kidnapped and going door to door but having them weasel there way into your door to do this presentation is pretty awful too. They say it's a short like 30 minute thing and it's 3-4 hours long. like get out of my house dude.
Zeke is too cute and you talking to him lmao adorable
Another really great use for citris essential oils is removing those little rubber bands from kids hair. Especially if your kids have super fine hair like my kids do. a drop or too breaks the rubber band and it becomes super easy to remove and doesn't hurt their hair any :) I used this al the time when my kids were little (not with EOs from an MLM of course)
Horrifying that they’re recommending you put something on your teeth every day that breaks rubber bands
PSA to everyone:
📣 STOP AGREEING TO UNPAID TRAINING. TRAINING IS WORK.
Thank you.
Oh, don't get into vans with anyone.
Watching some of your semi recent videos that I missed. Every time I watch a new one, I notice that you’re up another 1000 subscribers! You are killin’ it!
These sound frighteningly close to what happened to me when I started out after high school (1991) ... soooooo many of the help wanted ads that "hired" those without much direct experience did these things back then, and since hardly anyone had cell phones meant that they often got a days worth of free labour from a LOT of unsuspecting teenagers.
I also went to the interview for the Canadian telcom MLM, Kirby, AIG (some insurance MLM), door to door sales for various things.... I always ABSOLUTELY KNEW that I did NOT want to do any sort of sales or commission based work. Thankfully that kept me from getting sucked into anything sales related my whole life
Yep, bringing up that it isn't a scam to start with should make alarm bells go off! Just like my first job saying they just used the Hubbard management system and that they have nothing to do with scientology. But the church of scientology called the owner multiple times a week, so....that obviously wasn't true! Pay attention to what people try to "get ahead of" by saying it isn't so, it is probably the truth they are trying to hide.
The entire time I am watching your videos I had to think about the "Insurance Company" a former friend of mine worked for. I am so happy to know I wasn't wrong about that one & that I got out before signing anything.
When I used to get "hey girl"s in my DMs I would just respond like "I have a job sorry!" and they usually didn't care to push further lmao
American Income Life almost got me, I had to complete a course before the exam (unpaid time). I can't remember if they paid for the course but I never made it to the exam. I realized that paid training is the standard for actual insurance companies