yeah, every time I hear one of these stories and talk about losing the money and don't mention even trying to dispute the charge I get so stressed. even if you're using debit instead of credit it's likely your bank has an option to dispute charges
Some barriers to that includes them canceling your card so the scammer can’t do it again. It’s a huge pain and can sometimes accidentally cut people off from their money. It’s for the best, but banks don’t do a good job of preparing people for life for the next 7-10 days waiting for their card to arrive.
To everyone who submits stories: You guys have no idea just how much help you're giving simply by telling your story. My mom has fallen prey to multiple mlms, but after finding this channel and hearing these stories, I've kept her out of more. Thank you all so much 💕
@@mayaflici374 We're actually doing much better now. My mom has a great job she loves and she's actually helping me study abroad soon. Things are definitely looking up.
@@ULTRAV1OLE7 omg I'm so happy for you, love to hear this! Good luck on your plan to study abroad, i hope it brings you many opportunities and experiences 💖
Exactly!!! I've been anti mlm for many years now and ever since I started to watch Hannah's videos I've found out so many encounters I've had with people in the past have made me realize they were pitching me their mlm ! Not too many months ago, while job searching I almost applied to vector marketing but there was something about it that just made me not do it and then while listening to one of these stories I found out it was also an mlm!!
Don't they know this is really the cats channel and Zeek allows you to co-host? Oh well....keep up the good work ! Thank you for spreading the knowledge so more people may make informed decisions when pitched by an mlm. Thank you Zeek for allowing your Mom to make cameo appearances on your channel!!!
On the "they don't want you to know how to cancel": in user experience this is called a dark pattern and MLMs LOVE to use these to make you frustrated. This might actually be worth an entire deep dive
I had to clutch my pearls when I heard about that vicious demand to "keep your animals out of the room while you are filming". The audacity of that statement!!! 🤯 Thank you for giving Zeke his extra time to shine. Your kitties are very well loved, and their appearances are rare enough already! You three (okay, four, let's not forget your bebbie! ❤️) are all absolutely necessary to make your important, already superb videos even more outstanding! 🤗
Please keep with the extra long cat cameos! As a cat-deprived cat lover (not allowed in my apartment) I love getting a vicarious hit of fuzzy, purry creatures!
Who dares to complain about the animals? We love you, Zeke, don't listen to the haters. The cats commentary is one of my favorite parts, they have a lot of insights to add in.
Imagine being so miserable that you don't like seeing pets in RUclips videos? I love kitty cameos! Heck, my therapist's cat sometimes comes up on camera during our telemedicine visits and it makes me smile every time ❤️
Totally agree with you. And I think people who are posting anti-MLM and/or anti-scammer videos are doing God's works. Those criminals have preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in society: people who are in need of money/jobs, people who are alone at home (in case of Kirby's representatives), senior people who are older and suffer from dementia (in case of phone scams). Even if we are thankfully not in those vulnerable positions, it is very helpful to update our knowledge about various tactics applied by those scammers or MLMers out there.
@@tiararoxeanne1318 Yes, for sure. My boyfriend's cousin has fallen prey to Amway and I'm ticked about it. It affects directly sometimes and it makes me so sad.
Not surprised a narcissist would thrive in MLMs, that mother sounds like a piece of work unfortunately, and I'm so sorry the submitter had to grow up with that. :/ Also how could ANYONE say that about your sweet kitties, Hannah! They're such dashing little four-legged co-hosts! I'm so glad you grew to be more comfortable about allowing them to appear in videos, I remember you saying in older videos that you would always try and cut them out of the audio, but I'm so happy you don't see that as a necessity anymore!
yeah with how she was using her daughter as free labor I was waiting to hear more about what the mom was like, and the author did not disappoint (her mother def did though)
@@LostStarzOfTheSkySadly, a lot of parents are like that. My mom is a self-centered person whose main purpose of having children is to ensure someone would take care of her in her old age. I am her investment. In my younger days, she treated me like a cattle: feeding me and berating me if I annoyed her in any ways. When money were tight she expected me to work to help her financially (I was still at school!). She took whatever money in my wallet without permission. Thankfully, at that time she was too broke to get involved in any MLMs. Now I'm older, I maintain my contact with her to a minimum level.
I can't believe someone said to keep the cats out!! I usually listen to your videos while doing something else and not looking at the screen, but whenever I hear a meow I instantly drop what I'm doing to get a look :) Zeke is so cute!!! Also, the first and third story had me thinking about the difference between MLMs and real business owners. They claim to own their own business, but in most cases a real small business owner would NEVER scam or do something shady, because they actually care about the reputation of their own business. Small businesses bend over backwards to make their customers happy and always give out discounts and freebies, but MLMers will do anything they can for an extra penny even if it ruins their credibility in that customer's eyes.
I haven't been able to have a cat this past year because of where we live for right now and, before that, I had never lived without cats in my life for 28 years. Zeke rubbing against the camera made my heart burst and seeing you cuddle him makes me so happy. Love the kitty cameos 🥰
The story of the person's parents who were involved in several MLM's reminded me of my brother's life moto, "If you can't be a good example, be a horrible warning".
Lesson from story one: use a Visa gift card or a credit card so it’s easier to get a stop payment, since that’s a charge not approved. I use visa gift cards on sketchy websites so if they say “your card is already on file”, it doesn’t have any money left
There are services as well that generate a fake card for you to use so that if you forget to cancel a subscription or something, the card can be set to one-time and then is disabled.
This has absolutely nothing to do with this video but I love your name 😂❤ My husband is watching the Big Bang theory episode where Walowitz made the song about Bernadette and then I saw your name and I had to say something 😂❤❤❤
Also at that point I call the bank and say my card was stolen and any other charges that might happen on my account are then labeled fraudulent because technically it was stolen 😂
I am not even a cat person (I have dogs) but I cannot imagine thinking it’s ok to tell a creator to keep their pets out of their videos. I appreciate the cat cameos! My frenchies often appear briefly in my videos and I would be devastated if someone said they didn’t like it. Like, wtf? I love that your response is to give them longer screen time 😆
Please know that every single time Zeke makes a cameo I squeal “ZEKEYYYYYY I love you you’re the best boy!!!” Because anti-MLM and cats are a delightful combination. The majority of your audience adores the kitties and we love to see them.
"keep the damn cat out of the videos" Hannah: whoops I suddenly forgot how to read. Welcome to the Zeke show. (I love your cats and ours perk up when they meow in the video!)
Also I am just struck to say in story 3, I do not know this person but HOLY COW am I proud of them???? Like when I heard the 21, bought their dream house, running a successful photography business for almost a decade? You GO!!
@@Etrielle yeah they must've meant 31 (if the story is true at all) how could she have been running a successful photography business since she was 11 years old?
My cats always get into my videos. I love it when people's cats (and dogs) make an appearance. I love seeing them. Oh, and yeah, I love your videos. ;) I don't just watch for cat cameos, but they definitely add to the joy.
The last story reminded me of a possible MLM encounter during COVID. A girl who was super snarky towards me in HS texted me out of the blue talking about an "amazing mentorship program" that she was in that provided her "so many more opportunities than college would". Red flags went up instantly, so I pivoted the conversation. She hasn't talked to me since, so I think my suspicions were probably correct!
@@katiefrankie6 Yup. Esp the ones that you don't talk to from HS, that suddenly slide into your social media private messages 10 years later. with "Hey girrrl. Whass up? Got this really awesome opportunity....." Yet had zero interest in you before. And when you decline their "amazing opportunity", you never hear from again
@@HSSG7 It’s like you know me!!! I moved back home 11 years after graduation. A few years later, a friend from middle school/high school was all, “I’m in town! Wanna get together?” I was so flattered and excited! ….until I found out it was a pitch for Plexus so she and her husband could have the funds to adopt a child. Man, that sucked. I tried one product, wasn’t impressed, and politely declined. Yup, I’m that monster who prevented you from adding to your family. 🤦♀️ Haven’t been invited to get together since, but we are still in touch so that’s nice, I guess.
If you're ever locked into an auto shipment that you cannot get out of go to your bank and cancel your card. Explain to them what happened and they will just issue you another card and destroy that one for you at the bank. Ive have to do it before.
"keep the damn animals out of the room" Me: WHO DARED TO SAY THAT. Keep those kitties in I love the sudden kitty video's I watch Breannah Jewel for her pup cameo's at the end of her video's, she goes in search for them to see what their doing to give us that sweet sweet dogo shots.
I worked as a waitress during college. Pre-Paid Legal had their conferences in that town and that weekend the reps would swarm our restaurant. I can’t tell you how many of them tried to get me to sign up, but I just ignored them. Years later I signed up for an MLM, and I enjoyed it for a while, but I’m thankful I’m no longer part of one and am a happy stay at home mom being frugal with what we have rather than chasing a dream.
Another layer of messed up I just realized in regards to MLMs that try and take people off medication: I feel extremely blessed to have access to meds, but a lot of my friends that struggle with mental illness despise it - they're scared of it, they hate the idea of having to take meds for their entire life, the side effects are too much, etc. I think a good part of people that do take meds for mental illness would be thrilled with the idea of having another option! And that's so messed up, for someone to get the hopes up of those who are struggling to make a quick buck (or none at all).
I used to work with banks as a third party. Many banks can block providers and services from your card or account in general, so if an MLM hun tricks anyone into a forced subscription you can't cancel, call your bank and make a claim. And have them block the provider or company. This works with a lot of banks.
As someone with many cats, I love Zeke. He sounds like he's actually talking to you. To keep him from destroying the walls, I've seen other people tack up whole lengths of carpet up a wall for the cats to climb up when they have the zoomies. We wrapped our whole 30ish foot stair banister in sisal rope for our kitties, it took around 1000 feet of rope. Kitties need their fun time, too. Great videos, keep them coming!
I usually do crossword puzzles whilst listening to you. So I just now cracked up when a “business plan that’s likely to collapse” clue led to “pyramid scheme”!! Love you and love Zeke.
The fact that every MLM won't tell you the company name when asked proves that they know damn well how they are perceived. It happened to me, too - got suckered into an Amway pitch when I was young and dumb. These MLMs know people know they're a scam, so they avoid saying the name until they absolutely have to. Thanks for the extended Zeke!! 😺
I had a friend who was heavily into Scamway back in the late 90's to early 2000's. He got so far into drinking the kool-aid that he ended up loosing friends over it. He eventually moved on & went into selling some sort of insurance. Now I'm pretty sure that was just another MLM also
I consider the kitties as the highlight of these videos. Serious topics like this are important to discuss, but it can wear me down. Cat cameos are always a welcome 'distraction'.
Many stores have a "no solicitation" policy that is as specific as the Target policy you read (business activities only, all facilities and parking lot). This is (at least in part) that they don't want MLM huns and hunbros all up in their customers' business pitching them MLMs. Imagine: if you got pitched an MLM every time you went to Target, would you shop there? Nope. My takeaway is this: every time I see MLMers recruiting at a store, I'm going to take their photo and report it to the manager post haste. I SUPER LOVE ZEKE! He's adorable, and I love how he has to rub on the camera to show you he owns it. He also makes the sweetest little kitty noises. Dear Zeke, ignore the haters!
Since my (70+ year-old) mother kept getting dragged into mlm projects due to not knowing better, I've started translating anti-mlm videos for her. The pursuit for content brought me to this channel. The horror stories segments are invaluable. She is genuinely clenching her fist while hearing them. However, the cat was the reason for subscribing :)
I suspect that many brick and mortar stores (as well as restaurants, etc.), forbid soliciting on their property-and someone ignoring this rule can be charged with trespass and banned! This could be a great weapon to shut down the MLMers who haunt innocent folks just out trying to run an errand! Look for those “no soliciting” signs at the entryway to ensure this is a valid threat, or, as Hannah suggests, ask an employee if this behavior is okay with the store. Also, my heart goes out to the child of the narcissist. Even without the complication of an MLM, that is a difficult upbringing to negotiate-from one who knows firsthand. Good for you, writer, for showing that you are an an empath who will not endorse or continue this sort of behavior. And, er, Zeke LIVES with Hannah. I think that means his and Cooper’s desires take precedence. Love seeing the kitties!
I remember being almost roped into amway, years ago when i was 23-24 the "meetings" felt so wierd and i eye rolled at every new top tier couple, that were making millions i would love to hear stories of these top tier couples that got out ! i remember when i was down on my luck looking for work, when i my ex's uncle called me for "an exciting opportunity" i told him, i'm looking for a job not paying to get into amway
I have been watching your videos for a while now. You do such an incredible job of being respectful, but truthful. You are helping so many people. I don’t normally comment on videos. But when I heard that someone did not like the cats I had to stop and comment. I love your kitties. I will take all the cat content I can get! Please don’t listen to the negativity out there. Btw… Congratulations on your little girl and I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy!❤️
I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your cats. Please don't feel bad for their meows and appearance in your videos. It makes me and so many other people smile. And letting them get up close into the camera is just the best. Thank you for letting us get to know your fur babies ❤
Who's the weirdo that said to keep the animals out of the room? This is Zeke and Cooper's channel, you're just a guest on it in the first place. Love the extra long cameo and Zeke's lil face RIGHT in the camera
I worked in the beauty dept at target for several months and I never got pitched an MLM but every so often, business cards would just *magically appear* all over the frikkin place. Some were for MLMs, some weren't. I just want all those folks to know we are required to throw thlse cards out as soon as we see them, so it's not a good system.
I also use your very soothing voice to help me fall asleep. You just sound so kind and my over active anxiety brain can just focus on your tone rather than the 300 other things it is obsessing over causing me not to sleep. ❤
Here's a fun fact for those who get stuck with "auto mail" or "auto purchase" in these MLM subscriptions. You can call your card company (displayed on your card as Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express) and have them put a permanent block on that subscription where they cannot bill you through the card. It will only work on charges not yet processed, but for the first story, it would block the 2nd paid auto mail. It is specifically made for situations like this where the 'company' won't take you off auto purchase. For the really tenacious MLMs you will have to change your card number after you put the block on because if they saved your card info (which is illegal but they don't care about that) they can recharge as a new authorization to get around the block. So, I recommend doing both.
So I work for a bank. I had a customer call in and he asked me I knew about Amway. I told him I did because my dad used to be in. And while you do sell products it is an MLM like Mary Kay, Avon, and Tupperware. That the way you make the "real money" is by getting other people to sign up. So he decided that he isn't going to do it. So a win for the anti-MLM crowd.
I am almost more disgusted by that atrocious comment about “keeping the damn animals out of the room” than I was by the horror stories in this video! Love the kitties and the special cameos they gift us with! ❤🐈🐈
That last story reminded me of this one time I ran into someone I was friends with in middle school at the market. We exchange numbers only to find out that she wanted to show me her MLM products. She wasn't sneaky about it or anything, she said she wanted to show me products from her business. But I wasn't very familiar with MLM at the time to recognize it for what it was. Thankfully I lived at home with my parents and my demented grandpa. They showed me the vitamins, my grandpa asked what it was, so I told him it was medicine, he doesn't speak English and I didn't know how to translate vitamins. That really set my grandpa off and he yelled at my middle school friend and the companion she brought, and kicked them out. I had never seen my grandpa get so angry in my life. At the time I was so embarrassed that my grandpa's dementia has made him such a bad host, but now seeing that meeting for what it was, I am thankful to him. I miss how goofy he was. RIP Grandpa.
I was approached for an MLM while shopping in target once. The woman invited me to a seminar about the “opportunity” the next day at the Holiday Inn. When I called the hotel, the front desk person said they weren’t sure what exactly it was but that she hosts the seminars often and they’re pretty sure it’s a pyramid scheme.
Cancel the credit card or debit card by calling the bank or CC company and telling them your situation and get a new number, because that is literally illegal to to take out "automatic payments" that you have not approved of and have proof you don't want to continue. Good on you for keeping the conversations. I had to get a new debit card after something very similar happened to me. I kept texts/emails. It was a bit of a pain but it was WORTH IT to see them spit and sputter trying to scam me again.
+1 for the Zekester. Girl you own your audience. The more I see these videos, the more I have hope. You are changing the world. And no doubt a fireball from you two could set the world on its head. Congratulations 👏🎉 I know I'm a little late to the party but God bless sis. Tell the boy hi and rub a dub those kitty meows
Walmart also has a no solicitation policy. Even amongst associates, you can get in trouble for selling Avon or whatever in the store to other associates.
Not an MLM story, but Story 4 reminded me of a job offer I had from a recruitment company. Basically, I told them that I didn't feel like it was the right fit for me (was because I didn't want an hour+ commute, but I didn't tell them that), and the recruiter when on a huge rant about how I shouldn't trust online reviews of the company, and said "let me talk some sense into you". Yeah, after that, I quit answering my phone when they called.
I’ve had people come up to me in Walmart too. Not only for MLMs but also those electric bill scams also. I just googled and soliciting is against their policy too. Idk how no one notices them soliciting in their stores
The no solicitation policy is going to be pretty commonplace for stores. Even ones that allow Girl Scouts in the parking lot will likely require them to get permission (and that is usually reserved for fundraisers). I am confident most store managers would be annoyed if someone is going around distributing their customers (or employees) with an MLM scheme. If they get complaints they’ll be asking that person to stop real quick. But the idea that anyone thought it was okay to try to discuss a job offer with someone who *is literally working* is crazy.
An ex of mine broke up with me because I refused to go along with her quest into World Ventures. I told her it's a really bad idea, and I didn't support it, and that it's cause I loved her so much that I was trying to get her out of it. She chose me over World Ventures. We were together from 2008-2010.
In regard to the fourth story: A good thing to remember when validating information is to get it from at least two different sources, and that these sources should be independent from each other. This can be used as a complement to "consider the sources, remember the motive".
Totally agree with your final take of: "Be wary if someone from your past seems to pop back into your life after a long time." But funny story, that is exactly how my husband and I reconnected. We hadn't seen each other in over 5 years when he added me on IG, which spurred me to message him when I finally added him back....which then led to a coffeehouse chat, then hanging out, then dating, then moving in together, then engagement, and finally marriage. Though neither of us would be caught dead in an MLM, in fact he saved me from a different kinda pyramid scheme the first time we dated. Also the kitties should be in all the shots. What person doesn't want to see a cat? They certainly can't be trusted.
I LOVE HOW SNARKY YOU ARE! I would have done the same thing if someone told me to edit out something that most of the audience loves (me being one of them!). 😻 xoxo from Washington 😻
I was in LeVel for 1.5 years, and we were taught to place the initial order for customers because we only got credits if we have two customers on autoship, so you have to sign everyone up on autoship. Luckily, my upline gave everyone a script essentially saying "okay great, your order is placed and will now ship out in the X of every month unless you cancle or update it, so here's your account info" so we'd put customers on autoship and then it's their responsibility to turn it off if they don't want it. Thankfully, it was easy to do and no one was locked into anything, but still a little scammy for reps to only get credits (how they thrive for "free") by having customers on autoship.
Aww keep the kitties!! Zeke is the best! He sounds just like my Grey and I love it! ALSO I love your videos and I am so glad you do this! I was a sucker for so many MLMs and now I can spot the warning signs before the nonsense gets too far!
I now have the urge to walk around Target all day, waiting to be approached by an MLM just so I can tell them that what they are doing is against store policy and will report them to the store manager for soliciting.
yes, it is SUPER common for them to try in target. i worked there for 2 years and can't tell you how often i got approached. none of them got far enough to actually pitch the "opportunity" because they always chat you up first and as soon as i told them i was an accounting major (now work in the field and thankfully out of target lol) they'd back off. i guess they assumed i wouldn't need their "opportunity" and/or wouldn't fall for it based on that. but also unfortunately, i couldn't report them because they never actually offered anything each time. can't kick a guest out for chatting you up 🤷♀️
Really powerful stories this week. My thought for the woman whose parents tried to rope her into the MLM life (and who seemed to have no scruples about who was harmed in the process) - well, anyway, I'll bet they are not saving for retirement and will try to get back in contact to get help from their daughter when that time comes. And I am so happy to see Zeke! #teamzeke indeed!
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Zeke can read out the stories if he wants, he's purrfect
"Zeke read this one."
"Meow meow meow :)" lol
@@Panda-cute - I’d listen to that!
No lies detected here 😎
What kind of cat is Zeke? He’s gorgeous.
@@christinescott5002 he looks like a regular Shorthair with what is definitely the classic Tabby patterning!
19:13 zekes face coming close to the lense is literally my favourite thing about the channel
Just so people know, you can often call your bank and tell them that someone scammed you and to put a stop payment on an auto shipment like that.
Absolutely. I used to work for a credit card company (one that did a lot of business with MLMs, actually!) and yes, you CAN dispute charges.
yeah, every time I hear one of these stories and talk about losing the money and don't mention even trying to dispute the charge I get so stressed. even if you're using debit instead of credit it's likely your bank has an option to dispute charges
My thoughts exactly! Every time I see one of these stories, I wonder why wouldn’t they dispute the charges to the credit card company right away?
Some barriers to that includes them canceling your card so the scammer can’t do it again. It’s a huge pain and can sometimes accidentally cut people off from their money. It’s for the best, but banks don’t do a good job of preparing people for life for the next 7-10 days waiting for their card to arrive.
That or just say you lost it.
“Keep the damn animals out of the room”
Me: *audible gasp*
Keep the kitties in. They are a welcome “distraction”
Edit: #teamzeke
Ditto me too. Literally gasped
Watching cats on people's videos is how I get to enjoy cats without being allergic.
the way I ran to the comments
Some people are so rude! I love cats! Keep the kitties in, they are entertaining!
Yes always yes to cats lol
The extra long Zeke moment is exactly what I needed today ❤
Me too thanks
I loved the extra long Zeke cameo, please do it again sometime 🥰
I like how Zeke could miaw in different tones to Hannah. It sounds like they have a conversation in two totally different languages😂.
To everyone who submits stories:
You guys have no idea just how much help you're giving simply by telling your story. My mom has fallen prey to multiple mlms, but after finding this channel and hearing these stories, I've kept her out of more. Thank you all so much 💕
Bless both of you, I wish stability for your mom
@@mayaflici374 We're actually doing much better now. My mom has a great job she loves and she's actually helping me study abroad soon. Things are definitely looking up.
💫💫
@@ULTRAV1OLE7 omg I'm so happy for you, love to hear this!
Good luck on your plan to study abroad, i hope it brings you many opportunities and experiences 💖
Exactly!!! I've been anti mlm for many years now and ever since I started to watch Hannah's videos I've found out so many encounters I've had with people in the past have made me realize they were pitching me their mlm ! Not too many months ago, while job searching I almost applied to vector marketing but there was something about it that just made me not do it and then while listening to one of these stories I found out it was also an mlm!!
Thank you for keeping Zeke in the final foutage! I love him so much 💗
Don't they know this is really the cats channel and Zeek allows you to co-host? Oh well....keep up the good work ! Thank you for spreading the knowledge so more people may make informed decisions when pitched by an mlm. Thank you Zeek for allowing your Mom to make cameo appearances on your channel!!!
This is true. Those of us who are cat parents know our place. They run the show, we are just here to facilitate them.
Yeah, that describes a cat mom perfectly!
Yeah it's obviously Zeke's channel, she's on it because people don't understand cat language and speaking for him, she's just employed.
On the "they don't want you to know how to cancel": in user experience this is called a dark pattern and MLMs LOVE to use these to make you frustrated. This might actually be worth an entire deep dive
ooh good idea! i’d love to watch a deep five on this topic
I would love to see that!
Me too!
I had to clutch my pearls when I heard about that vicious demand to "keep your animals out of the room while you are filming". The audacity of that statement!!! 🤯
Thank you for giving Zeke his extra time to shine. Your kitties are very well loved, and their appearances are rare enough already! You three (okay, four, let's not forget your bebbie! ❤️) are all absolutely necessary to make your important, already superb videos even more outstanding! 🤗
A story: “one time, this older couple-“
Me, like it’s a rapid-fire round on a game show: “AMWAY!!”
I play that game too! NAME 👏 THAT 👏 SCAM 👏👏👏👏👏
Please keep with the extra long cat cameos! As a cat-deprived cat lover (not allowed in my apartment) I love getting a vicarious hit of fuzzy, purry creatures!
Same here. tho for me, it's because of allergies. I love cats so much but having my own in my home wouldn't be possible.
Me too. I’m allergic to the little fur balls.
Same my mum is severly allergic 😂😂
Dottie seems like a miserable person. We love seeing the kitties!
OOF. If somebody called my cats "damn animals," they'd be blocked sO FAST.
WE LOVE YOU ZEKE AND COOPER.
Great stories today, Hannah. \o/
Who dares to complain about the animals? We love you, Zeke, don't listen to the haters. The cats commentary is one of my favorite parts, they have a lot of insights to add in.
Imagine being so miserable that you don't like seeing pets in RUclips videos? I love kitty cameos! Heck, my therapist's cat sometimes comes up on camera during our telemedicine visits and it makes me smile every time ❤️
I definitely don't want to put pressure on creators but sometimes I feel like I need these videos lol 🤣
Totally agree with you. And I think people who are posting anti-MLM and/or anti-scammer videos are doing God's works. Those criminals have preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in society: people who are in need of money/jobs, people who are alone at home (in case of Kirby's representatives), senior people who are older and suffer from dementia (in case of phone scams). Even if we are thankfully not in those vulnerable positions, it is very helpful to update our knowledge about various tactics applied by those scammers or MLMers out there.
@@tiararoxeanne1318 Yes, for sure. My boyfriend's cousin has fallen prey to Amway and I'm ticked about it. It affects directly sometimes and it makes me so sad.
Whoever said not to let the animal in the room can piss off. Bring on Zeke! Loved the extra long sassy cameo
Not surprised a narcissist would thrive in MLMs, that mother sounds like a piece of work unfortunately, and I'm so sorry the submitter had to grow up with that. :/
Also how could ANYONE say that about your sweet kitties, Hannah! They're such dashing little four-legged co-hosts! I'm so glad you grew to be more comfortable about allowing them to appear in videos, I remember you saying in older videos that you would always try and cut them out of the audio, but I'm so happy you don't see that as a necessity anymore!
yeah with how she was using her daughter as free labor I was waiting to hear more about what the mom was like, and the author did not disappoint (her mother def did though)
also the part where her day job is as a pharmaceutical company rep TOTALLY makes sense haha
@@LostStarzOfTheSkySadly, a lot of parents are like that. My mom is a self-centered person whose main purpose of having children is to ensure someone would take care of her in her old age. I am her investment. In my younger days, she treated me like a cattle: feeding me and berating me if I annoyed her in any ways. When money were tight she expected me to work to help her financially (I was still at school!). She took whatever money in my wallet without permission. Thankfully, at that time she was too broke to get involved in any MLMs. Now I'm older, I maintain my contact with her to a minimum level.
I can't believe someone said to keep the cats out!! I usually listen to your videos while doing something else and not looking at the screen, but whenever I hear a meow I instantly drop what I'm doing to get a look :) Zeke is so cute!!!
Also, the first and third story had me thinking about the difference between MLMs and real business owners. They claim to own their own business, but in most cases a real small business owner would NEVER scam or do something shady, because they actually care about the reputation of their own business. Small businesses bend over backwards to make their customers happy and always give out discounts and freebies, but MLMers will do anything they can for an extra penny even if it ruins their credibility in that customer's eyes.
Extra long Zeke cameo made my day.
Dottie needs to eat a snickers or something; the cat cameos give me at least half of my daily serotonin
I work from home for a health department and when I’m in zoom meetings people always get excited when my two cats make an appearance. Keep the cats 😁
Same with my husband - his employees practically shriek for more kitten videos!
I haven't been able to have a cat this past year because of where we live for right now and, before that, I had never lived without cats in my life for 28 years. Zeke rubbing against the camera made my heart burst and seeing you cuddle him makes me so happy. Love the kitty cameos 🥰
The story of the person's parents who were involved in several MLM's reminded me of my brother's life moto, "If you can't be a good example, be a horrible warning".
I nearly just snorted soup out of my nose at that comment. HA!!!!! I shouldn’t eat lunch and laugh at the same time!
Lesson from story one: use a Visa gift card or a credit card so it’s easier to get a stop payment, since that’s a charge not approved. I use visa gift cards on sketchy websites so if they say “your card is already on file”, it doesn’t have any money left
There are services as well that generate a fake card for you to use so that if you forget to cancel a subscription or something, the card can be set to one-time and then is disabled.
You could also just "lose your card" and call your cc company to get a new card number.
This has absolutely nothing to do with this video but I love your name 😂❤ My husband is watching the Big Bang theory episode where Walowitz made the song about Bernadette and then I saw your name and I had to say something 😂❤❤❤
Also at that point I call the bank and say my card was stolen and any other charges that might happen on my account are then labeled fraudulent because technically it was stolen 😂
@@nadinegriffin5252 had to do this with my gym membership 💀 had literally developed a disability lol, are gyms secretly MLMs??😅
I love seeing Zeke. He is a star. Definitely keep him in the videos.
I am not even a cat person (I have dogs) but I cannot imagine thinking it’s ok to tell a creator to keep their pets out of their videos. I appreciate the cat cameos! My frenchies often appear briefly in my videos and I would be devastated if someone said they didn’t like it. Like, wtf? I love that your response is to give them longer screen time 😆
Please give your doggos some pets from me
@@elvingearmasterirma7241 aww thank you, I’m actually petting one of them right now - I’ll give her some extra scratches 😊
I love your cats responses! So perfectly timed! He can have all the air time he wants!
Please know that every single time Zeke makes a cameo I squeal “ZEKEYYYYYY I love you you’re the best boy!!!” Because anti-MLM and cats are a delightful combination. The majority of your audience adores the kitties and we love to see them.
I love the cat cameos! Especially loved the little camera snuffle from Zeke, it's hilarious to see the unique personalities of other cats.
6:19 wtaf?!?!? That is literally FRAUD!!! Always report them to your counties consumer agencies. These reps need a very very rude awakening
Giving Zeke extra face time is the purfect amount of petty 🤣 👏👏👏
"keep the damn cat out of the videos"
Hannah: whoops I suddenly forgot how to read. Welcome to the Zeke show.
(I love your cats and ours perk up when they meow in the video!)
Also I am just struck to say in story 3, I do not know this person but HOLY COW am I proud of them???? Like when I heard the 21, bought their dream house, running a successful photography business for almost a decade? You GO!!
I think it might have been a spelling mistake @@LilithPl3asant
@@Etrielle yeah they must've meant 31 (if the story is true at all) how could she have been running a successful photography business since she was 11 years old?
@zzxebr honestly that makes me feel a bit better about myself bc I was panicking. I'm 22 and the other day at work I laminated my own hair
We love seeing Zeke, this is in fact his channel and we are his fans.
My cats always get into my videos. I love it when people's cats (and dogs) make an appearance. I love seeing them. Oh, and yeah, I love your videos. ;) I don't just watch for cat cameos, but they definitely add to the joy.
Yes, KEEP the animals in the room!! I love kitty cameos! One of my kitties is a tabby just like Zeke and Cooper 😍
The last story reminded me of a possible MLM encounter during COVID. A girl who was super snarky towards me in HS texted me out of the blue talking about an "amazing mentorship program" that she was in that provided her "so many more opportunities than college would". Red flags went up instantly, so I pivoted the conversation. She hasn't talked to me since, so I think my suspicions were probably correct!
Yup!!!! That’s exactly that! I haaaaaaate those creepy pitches.
@@katiefrankie6 Yup. Esp the ones that you don't talk to from HS, that suddenly slide into your social media private messages 10 years later. with "Hey girrrl. Whass up? Got this really awesome opportunity....."
Yet had zero interest in you before. And when you decline their "amazing opportunity", you never hear from again
@@HSSG7 It’s like you know me!!! I moved back home 11 years after graduation. A few years later, a friend from middle school/high school was all, “I’m in town! Wanna get together?” I was so flattered and excited! ….until I found out it was a pitch for Plexus so she and her husband could have the funds to adopt a child. Man, that sucked. I tried one product, wasn’t impressed, and politely declined. Yup, I’m that monster who prevented you from adding to your family. 🤦♀️
Haven’t been invited to get together since, but we are still in touch so that’s nice, I guess.
Extra long cat cameo is exactly what I didn’t know I needed today! 😻
If you're ever locked into an auto shipment that you cannot get out of go to your bank and cancel your card. Explain to them what happened and they will just issue you another card and destroy that one for you at the bank. Ive have to do it before.
I love your timing! Always right at tea time here in Europe ☕ Thanks for the uploads!
North African here, i had a whole cup of tea while listening to this haha
Hannah, I love your videos but the kitty cameos are the best thing! I especially love Zeke. His personality reminds me of my late cat. 😞😻
I'm sorry for your loss 😢
I love all your videos, but I especially love the ones with cat cameos. More Zeke please! 🙂
"keep the damn animals out of the room"
Me: WHO DARED TO SAY THAT. Keep those kitties in I love the sudden kitty video's I watch Breannah Jewel for her pup cameo's at the end of her video's, she goes in search for them to see what their doing to give us that sweet sweet dogo shots.
Always a good day when we get new horror stories! ❤ Also, I love seeing your kitties, and hearing their cute little meows. They're so adorable!
We love the kitties and the extra long Zeke cameo. It's a pity he didn't moon the camera, just for Dottie 😹
😂😂
I worked as a waitress during college. Pre-Paid Legal had their conferences in that town and that weekend the reps would swarm our restaurant. I can’t tell you how many of them tried to get me to sign up, but I just ignored them. Years later I signed up for an MLM, and I enjoyed it for a while, but I’m thankful I’m no longer part of one and am a happy stay at home mom being frugal with what we have rather than chasing a dream.
Thank you for the extra long cat-cameo! I want to pet Zeke through the screen
Another layer of messed up I just realized in regards to MLMs that try and take people off medication: I feel extremely blessed to have access to meds, but a lot of my friends that struggle with mental illness despise it - they're scared of it, they hate the idea of having to take meds for their entire life, the side effects are too much, etc. I think a good part of people that do take meds for mental illness would be thrilled with the idea of having another option! And that's so messed up, for someone to get the hopes up of those who are struggling to make a quick buck (or none at all).
the tiny meow at 19:24 melts my heart
I used to work with banks as a third party. Many banks can block providers and services from your card or account in general, so if an MLM hun tricks anyone into a forced subscription you can't cancel, call your bank and make a claim. And have them block the provider or company. This works with a lot of banks.
Zeke deserves camera time! #teamZeke
We all need more Zeke in our lives!
As someone with many cats, I love Zeke. He sounds like he's actually talking to you. To keep him from destroying the walls, I've seen other people tack up whole lengths of carpet up a wall for the cats to climb up when they have the zoomies. We wrapped our whole 30ish foot stair banister in sisal rope for our kitties, it took around 1000 feet of rope. Kitties need their fun time, too. Great videos, keep them coming!
I usually do crossword puzzles whilst listening to you. So I just now cracked up when a “business plan that’s likely to collapse” clue led to “pyramid scheme”!! Love you and love Zeke.
The fact that every MLM won't tell you the company name when asked proves that they know damn well how they are perceived. It happened to me, too - got suckered into an Amway pitch when I was young and dumb. These MLMs know people know they're a scam, so they avoid saying the name until they absolutely have to.
Thanks for the extended Zeke!! 😺
I had a friend who was heavily into Scamway back in the late 90's to early 2000's. He got so far into drinking the kool-aid that he ended up loosing friends over it.
He eventually moved on & went into selling some sort of insurance. Now I'm pretty sure that was just another MLM also
But do they know that we know they know we know?
Probably actually...
I consider the kitties as the highlight of these videos. Serious topics like this are important to discuss, but it can wear me down. Cat cameos are always a welcome 'distraction'.
Many stores have a "no solicitation" policy that is as specific as the Target policy you read (business activities only, all facilities and parking lot). This is (at least in part) that they don't want MLM huns and hunbros all up in their customers' business pitching them MLMs. Imagine: if you got pitched an MLM every time you went to Target, would you shop there? Nope. My takeaway is this: every time I see MLMers recruiting at a store, I'm going to take their photo and report it to the manager post haste. I SUPER LOVE ZEKE! He's adorable, and I love how he has to rub on the camera to show you he owns it. He also makes the sweetest little kitty noises. Dear Zeke, ignore the haters!
Since my (70+ year-old) mother kept getting dragged into mlm projects due to not knowing better, I've started translating anti-mlm videos for her. The pursuit for content brought me to this channel. The horror stories segments are invaluable. She is genuinely clenching her fist while hearing them. However, the cat was the reason for subscribing :)
I suspect that many brick and mortar stores (as well as restaurants, etc.), forbid soliciting on their property-and someone ignoring this rule can be charged with trespass and banned! This could be a great weapon to shut down the MLMers who haunt innocent folks just out trying to run an errand! Look for those “no soliciting” signs at the entryway to ensure this is a valid threat, or, as Hannah suggests, ask an employee if this behavior is okay with the store.
Also, my heart goes out to the child of the narcissist. Even without the complication of an MLM, that is a difficult upbringing to negotiate-from one who knows firsthand. Good for you, writer, for showing that you are an an empath who will not endorse or continue this sort of behavior.
And, er, Zeke LIVES with Hannah. I think that means his and Cooper’s desires take precedence. Love seeing the kitties!
What's wrong with people?? I love the kitty cameos 🥰
I remember being almost roped into amway, years ago when i was 23-24
the "meetings" felt so wierd and i eye rolled at every new top tier couple, that were making millions
i would love to hear stories of these top tier couples that got out !
i remember when i was down on my luck looking for work, when i my ex's uncle called me for "an exciting opportunity"
i told him, i'm looking for a job not paying to get into amway
I have been watching your videos for a while now. You do such an incredible job of being respectful, but truthful. You are helping so many people. I don’t normally comment on videos. But when I heard that someone did not like the cats I had to stop and comment. I love your kitties. I will take all the cat content I can get! Please don’t listen to the negativity out there. Btw… Congratulations on your little girl and I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy!❤️
I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your cats. Please don't feel bad for their meows and appearance in your videos. It makes me and so many other people smile. And letting them get up close into the camera is just the best. Thank you for letting us get to know your fur babies ❤
Who's the weirdo that said to keep the animals out of the room? This is Zeke and Cooper's channel, you're just a guest on it in the first place.
Love the extra long cameo and Zeke's lil face RIGHT in the camera
I worked in the beauty dept at target for several months and I never got pitched an MLM but every so often, business cards would just *magically appear* all over the frikkin place. Some were for MLMs, some weren't.
I just want all those folks to know we are required to throw thlse cards out as soon as we see them, so it's not a good system.
I also use your very soothing voice to help me fall asleep. You just sound so kind and my over active anxiety brain can just focus on your tone rather than the 300 other things it is obsessing over causing me not to sleep. ❤
Here's a fun fact for those who get stuck with "auto mail" or "auto purchase" in these MLM subscriptions. You can call your card company (displayed on your card as Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express) and have them put a permanent block on that subscription where they cannot bill you through the card. It will only work on charges not yet processed, but for the first story, it would block the 2nd paid auto mail. It is specifically made for situations like this where the 'company' won't take you off auto purchase.
For the really tenacious MLMs you will have to change your card number after you put the block on because if they saved your card info (which is illegal but they don't care about that) they can recharge as a new authorization to get around the block. So, I recommend doing both.
that extra long cat cameo really made me day
So I work for a bank. I had a customer call in and he asked me I knew about Amway. I told him I did because my dad used to be in. And while you do sell products it is an MLM like Mary Kay, Avon, and Tupperware. That the way you make the "real money" is by getting other people to sign up. So he decided that he isn't going to do it. So a win for the anti-MLM crowd.
I am almost more disgusted by that atrocious comment about “keeping the damn animals out of the room” than I was by the horror stories in this video!
Love the kitties and the special cameos they gift us with! ❤🐈🐈
That last story reminded me of this one time I ran into someone I was friends with in middle school at the market. We exchange numbers only to find out that she wanted to show me her MLM products. She wasn't sneaky about it or anything, she said she wanted to show me products from her business. But I wasn't very familiar with MLM at the time to recognize it for what it was. Thankfully I lived at home with my parents and my demented grandpa. They showed me the vitamins, my grandpa asked what it was, so I told him it was medicine, he doesn't speak English and I didn't know how to translate vitamins. That really set my grandpa off and he yelled at my middle school friend and the companion she brought, and kicked them out. I had never seen my grandpa get so angry in my life. At the time I was so embarrassed that my grandpa's dementia has made him such a bad host, but now seeing that meeting for what it was, I am thankful to him. I miss how goofy he was. RIP Grandpa.
I was approached for an MLM while shopping in target once. The woman invited me to a seminar about the “opportunity” the next day at the Holiday Inn. When I called the hotel, the front desk person said they weren’t sure what exactly it was but that she hosts the seminars often and they’re pretty sure it’s a pyramid scheme.
Cancel the credit card or debit card by calling the bank or CC company and telling them your situation and get a new number, because that is literally illegal to to take out "automatic payments" that you have not approved of and have proof you don't want to continue. Good on you for keeping the conversations. I had to get a new debit card after something very similar happened to me. I kept texts/emails. It was a bit of a pain but it was WORTH IT to see them spit and sputter trying to scam me again.
How can you not have your co-host? More airtime for the fur baby!
Congratulations to Zeke and his co-host Hannah for passing 75K subs! I can't believe how fast this channel has grown!
+1 for the Zekester. Girl you own your audience. The more I see these videos, the more I have hope. You are changing the world. And no doubt a fireball from you two could set the world on its head.
Congratulations 👏🎉 I know I'm a little late to the party but God bless sis. Tell the boy hi and rub a dub those kitty meows
Walmart also has a no solicitation policy. Even amongst associates, you can get in trouble for selling Avon or whatever in the store to other associates.
Not an MLM story, but Story 4 reminded me of a job offer I had from a recruitment company. Basically, I told them that I didn't feel like it was the right fit for me (was because I didn't want an hour+ commute, but I didn't tell them that), and the recruiter when on a huge rant about how I shouldn't trust online reviews of the company, and said "let me talk some sense into you". Yeah, after that, I quit answering my phone when they called.
Yikes!
was also solicited in target as a teenager (although not a minor). didn't realize it was so common. she complimented my style too!
I’ve had people come up to me in Walmart too. Not only for MLMs but also those electric bill scams also. I just googled and soliciting is against their policy too. Idk how no one notices them soliciting in their stores
They have some kind of deal with Walmart and are allowed there, I don't understand how they do it.
The no solicitation policy is going to be pretty commonplace for stores. Even ones that allow Girl Scouts in the parking lot will likely require them to get permission (and that is usually reserved for fundraisers).
I am confident most store managers would be annoyed if someone is going around distributing their customers (or employees) with an MLM scheme. If they get complaints they’ll be asking that person to stop real quick.
But the idea that anyone thought it was okay to try to discuss a job offer with someone who *is literally working* is crazy.
I literally went back 30 seconds to get more Zeke. Too cute! 💜
An ex of mine broke up with me because I refused to go along with her quest into World Ventures. I told her it's a really bad idea, and I didn't support it, and that it's cause I loved her so much that I was trying to get her out of it. She chose me over World Ventures. We were together from 2008-2010.
I was not expecting Norwex to be the last mlm, but I’m glad more people have a story about it!
In regard to the fourth story: A good thing to remember when validating information is to get it from at least two different sources, and that these sources should be independent from each other. This can be used as a complement to "consider the sources, remember the motive".
Totally agree with your final take of: "Be wary if someone from your past seems to pop back into your life after a long time." But funny story, that is exactly how my husband and I reconnected. We hadn't seen each other in over 5 years when he added me on IG, which spurred me to message him when I finally added him back....which then led to a coffeehouse chat, then hanging out, then dating, then moving in together, then engagement, and finally marriage. Though neither of us would be caught dead in an MLM, in fact he saved me from a different kinda pyramid scheme the first time we dated.
Also the kitties should be in all the shots. What person doesn't want to see a cat? They certainly can't be trusted.
I LOVE HOW SNARKY YOU ARE! I would have done the same thing if someone told me to edit out something that most of the audience loves (me being one of them!). 😻 xoxo from Washington 😻
I was in LeVel for 1.5 years, and we were taught to place the initial order for customers because we only got credits if we have two customers on autoship, so you have to sign everyone up on autoship. Luckily, my upline gave everyone a script essentially saying "okay great, your order is placed and will now ship out in the X of every month unless you cancle or update it, so here's your account info" so we'd put customers on autoship and then it's their responsibility to turn it off if they don't want it. Thankfully, it was easy to do and no one was locked into anything, but still a little scammy for reps to only get credits (how they thrive for "free") by having customers on autoship.
Aww keep the kitties!! Zeke is the best! He sounds just like my Grey and I love it! ALSO I love your videos and I am so glad you do this! I was a sucker for so many MLMs and now I can spot the warning signs before the nonsense gets too far!
I now have the urge to walk around Target all day, waiting to be approached by an MLM just so I can tell them that what they are doing is against store policy and will report them to the store manager for soliciting.
Yep. The auto-draft/ship thing happened to me with Beachbody. They are such predators. It's gross.
yes, it is SUPER common for them to try in target. i worked there for 2 years and can't tell you how often i got approached. none of them got far enough to actually pitch the "opportunity" because they always chat you up first and as soon as i told them i was an accounting major (now work in the field and thankfully out of target lol) they'd back off. i guess they assumed i wouldn't need their "opportunity" and/or wouldn't fall for it based on that. but also unfortunately, i couldn't report them because they never actually offered anything each time. can't kick a guest out for chatting you up 🤷♀️
I discovered your channel last month and I’ve already watched every single MLM video you’ve made 😅 I get so excited everyone you upload a new video!
My AMWAY encounter was literally the exact same. I was 19, shopping for spring break items for my first cruise. Insane.
Love Zeke! Thank you for all you do! Definitely want more Zeke! 😻
hannah already said this but i want to put it in text: if an mlmer approaches you in a store, go to an employee and ask about their soliciting policy!
Really powerful stories this week. My thought for the woman whose parents tried to rope her into the MLM life (and who seemed to have no scruples about who was harmed in the process) - well, anyway, I'll bet they are not saving for retirement and will try to get back in contact to get help from their daughter when that time comes.
And I am so happy to see Zeke! #teamzeke indeed!