Pyramid Scams still popular in your area?

[Scovy]

Recently been in quite a few wards over the past few years and one thing I noticed was the lack of new families here for the summer trying their hand with door to door sales.  Which is a good sign, but for others out there are young couples still getting duped into making riches over a period of three months trying to sell pest control, alarm systems, or living scriptures?

 

I got roped into one of these years ago for summer in between college at BYU-Idaho, wasted 8 weeks working 12 hr days a day 6 days a week to come out with nothing. 

[zil]

I wouldn't know.  Those who know me know better than to try to rope me into such a thing.  Those who don't know me are frightened away by my 11" x 17"  No Soliciting sign complete with references to the city laws governing solicitation. (Plus the mini no-soliciting sign (that didn't work), plus the black & red "no trespassing" sign.)

[Just_A_Guy]

28 minutes ago, Scovy said:

Recently been in quite a few wards over the past few years and one thing I noticed was the lack of new families here for the summer trying their hand with door to door sales.  Which is a good sign, but for others out there are young couples still getting duped into making riches over a period of three months trying to sell pest control, alarm systems, or living scriptures?

 

I got roped into one of these years ago for summer in between college at BYU-Idaho, wasted 8 weeks working 12 hr days a day 6 days a week to come out with nothing. 

It has been about ten years since we were approached about "Meleluca" or some such thing.

I wouldn't call your typical summer sales (pest control/alarms/Living Scriptures) a "scam"-- I did pest control as a technician for a summer and roomed with the local sales guys.  Folks can do quite well at it, if (big "if" here) they have the personality and natural aptitude for that kind of thing.  Even as a lowly tech I earned more than I would have anywhere else.  

That doesn't mean the companies don't often play fast and loose with their naive, overly-trusting workforce; but I wouldn't classify them with the more transparent pyramid schemes out there.

[anatess2]

Lularoe is big where I'm at.

[Backroads]

3 hours ago, anatess2 said:

Lularoe is big where I'm at.

Here, too.

I suppose I don't mind these sorts of companies-- I do know people who have had real success and why not pay a neighbor for stuff over a less personal to me store.

But I do feel bad for people when such companies don't work for them. The stay-at-homework moms so desperately trying to earn needed household income with these.

I only wish people would sign up for these with a more realistic perspective.

Last week I somehow wound up with a Kirby representative in my home. I'm very good at saying no to these types of sales, but at the same time I felt bad for the kid who wasted a good 2 hours in my home for no pay-out.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

3 minutes ago, Backroads said:

Last week I somehow wound up with a Kirby representative in my home. I'm very good at saying no to these types of sales, but at the same time I felt bad for the kid who wasted a good 2 hours in my home for no pay-out.

This reminds me of the time my husband and I ended up talking to a Kirby saleswoman.  I fell in love with the vacuum, but not the price.  It was about $2,000.  My husband just about had a heart attack, LOL.  He was not at all embarrassed to inform the woman that we only pay a little more than that for our cars.  (It's true...he's great at choosing used cars so it works out great for us.)  Well then she tried to turn on the heat and made some remark like, "Don't you want to provide your wife with the tools she needs to clean her home."  

He didn't appreciate this jab at his "manhood" and ability as a provider, so he grabbed the phone and the phone book (yes this was years ago). He looked up a used vacuum dealer and called them.  Right in front of her, he asked if they had any used Kirby's.   They did, and the price was MUCH lower.  He asked me if used would be okay, I said yes and we sent an angry saleswoman on her way.  

I got a new-to-me vacuum that we used until just last year.   

[anatess2]

14 hours ago, Just_A_Guy said:

Folks can do quite well at it, if (big "if" here) they have the personality and natural aptitude for that kind of thing. 

Yep!  This guy can sell ice to an eskimo...

 

[Guest MormonGator]

7 hours ago, LiterateParakeet said:

He didn't appreciate this jab at his "manhood" and ability as a provider

I'm with your husband on this, 10000%. I've had a few high pressure sales people try that garbage line on me, and I respond with "Do you think your attempt to insult my masculinity is going to get me to buy anything from you?"  They usually know it's a no-go at that point. 

 

7 hours ago, Backroads said:

but at the same time I felt bad for the kid who wasted a good 2 hours in my home for no pay-out.

Don't ever feel bad for door to door salespeople, real estate agents and car salesmen. They know you do and will use it against you.

 

[Backroads]

2 minutes ago, MormonGator said:

7 hours ago, Backroads said:

 

Don't ever feel bad for door to door salespeople, real estate agents and car salesmen. They know you do and will use it against you

Oh, I don't feel that bad. I'm very good at saying no. Very good.

[Guest MormonGator]

Just now, Backroads said:

Oh, I don't feel that bad. I'm very good at saying no. Very good.

Thank goodness. I've seen many people say "Oh, I feel bad saying no." or "I had to say yes, I didn't want to be mean." Uh, sales people don't care about you. They only care about your money. You (obviously not you meaning @Backroads) need to look at it the same way for sure. 

[Backroads]

I mostly felt bad we were wasting each other's time. I was told 20 minutes, not over two hours. I had a sick and crying baby who had a doctor's appointment. I didn't know it was a sales pitch.

Honesty goes a long way. If I had been told the true reason and the true time, I could have said no, I'm not buying the product, and he could have found other customers in those hours.

[anatess2]

3 minutes ago, Backroads said:

I mostly felt bad we were wasting each other's time. I was told 20 minutes, not over two hours. I had a sick and crying baby who had a doctor's appointment. I didn't know it was a sales pitch.

Honesty goes a long way. If I had been told the true reason and the true time, I could have said no, I'm not buying the product, and he could have found other customers in those hours.

I'm a sucker for sales pitches.  I have a hard time saying No because... I don't want to!  Hah hah.  So anyway, Kirby came by and it became the salesperson and myself both begging my husband to buy the $2,000 vacuum cleaner that the salesperson discounted to about $1500 plus this free air filter thingee.  After, I'd say about 2 hours I think it was, my husband says... "thanks for cleaning my house.  Especially vacuuming the bed and making my house smell nice with that air filter (it had a fragrance oil thing).  I'm still not going to buy the vacuum unless you bring the price down to $500."

There's a reason my husband holds the purse strings in my family.

[Vort]

8 hours ago, LiterateParakeet said:

Well then she tried to turn on the heat and made some remark like, "Don't you want to provide your wife with the tools she needs to clean her home."

My response might have been: "Why, no. I insist that my wife get down on her hands and knees with a pair of chopsticks and pick up carpet debris the old-fashioned way." Then, turning to my wife, I would say, "Isn't that right, honey?"

I probably wouldn't have the chutzpah to go through with it, but I can at least pretend I would.

[Rob Osborn]

I hate pyramid schemes and I always get saddened when one of my good friends or neighbors tries to butter me up only to pop some pyramid scheme on me. like stabbing me in the back! So now, whenever a neighbor invites me for dinner or shows up with the small talk I always  tell them they better not pop some pyramid scheme on me or were done being friends.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Rob Osborn

[Backroads]

20 hours ago, anatess2 said:

I'm a sucker for sales pitches.  I have a hard time saying No because... I don't want to!  Hah hah.  So anyway, Kirby came by and it became the salesperson and myself both begging my husband to buy the $2,000 vacuum cleaner that the salesperson discounted to about $1500 plus this free air filter thingee.  After, I'd say about 2 hours I think it was, my husband says... "thanks for cleaning my house.  Especially vacuuming the bed and making my house smell nice with that air filter (it had a fragrance oil thing).  I'm still not going to buy the vacuum unless you bring the price down to $500."

There's a reason my husband holds the purse strings in my family.

My husband also loves a sales pitch. If he had been home I'm sure he would now be complaining about the vacuum he would have bought.

My uncle visited my parents over the weekend. He is one of those examples companies will use because he did in fact make his millions in a MLM. Part of this was getting in at the right time, other part being he is a born salesman. He is incredibly subtle. I was over there Sunday night, listening to my uncle casually talk about sonething or other, my brain wondering why my sales pitch senses were tingling.

Come to find out that casual conversation resulted in my parents owning a fancy water purifier. My mother's words "he has done this to me since we were kids!"

[classylady]

I thought pyramid schemes were illegal. My understanding, MLMs are not pyramid schemes or they would also be illegal. I know quite a few people who have made it big with MLMs. When I look at their personalities I can see why. They are usually charismatic and enthusiastic and don't give up when the going gets tough. They plug away at it and know how to discipline themselves to be their own boss. I don't have the personality for it. I've tried several MLMs. It's just too easy for me to say "I don't want to make sales calls today". I fear being turned down and I can't seem to get beyond that fear.

[anatess2]

7 hours ago, classylady said:

I thought pyramid schemes were illegal. My understanding, MLMs are not pyramid schemes or they would also be illegal. I know quite a few people who have made it big with MLMs. When I look at their personalities I can see why. They are usually charismatic and enthusiastic and don't give up when the going gets tough. They plug away at it and know how to discipline themselves to be their own boss. I don't have the personality for it. I've tried several MLMs. It's just too easy for me to say "I don't want to make sales calls today". I fear being turned down and I can't seem to get beyond that fear.

Yes, pyramid schemes are illegal.  Yes, MLM that sells the product instead of the pyramid structure does not qualify as "schemes" even as they're pyramids so they're not illegal.

So, I'm actually a sales consultant for the MLM called Arbonne.  As a sales consultant, I get 35% off every Arbonne product.  And it only costs me $15/year to be a sales consultant.  I've made between $0 to $1000 as a non-selling consultant.  The things I sold are just stuff that come up during conversation.. "Hey, your foundation looks really light, what do you use?"  "It's actually not a foundation, it's a tinted moisturizer called Arbonne..." or "I get so disgusted thinking people kill animals to eat, it just seems so inhumane!", "What about the products you use, they kill animals for those too!" "I know!  I've been looking for eco-friendly products..." "Well, I use Arbonne and it's vegan..."

That kind of thing.

This lady at work sells Avon.  She makes about $1000 a month on those too.  And all she does is put Avon catalogues in women's restrooms all over the building.  Lots of women like flipping through the catalogs and they see all these stuff they wanna buy (like a $3 lipgloss or something), they call the Avon girl and they get the lipgloss and the new catalogue on a specific day of the month.  We know who the catalogue flippers are because they all get the Avon catalogue every month with their office mail.  Hah hah.  Oh, the Avon lady in my building became an Avon district manager or something like that because she got an Avon lady in all the other buildings in the company working for her.  They all don't do sales pitches, they just plant catalogues...

Edited January 25, 2017 by anatess2