Shady pyramid schemes - I'm sick of them...

[leadcounsel]

Three quick stories... and then share yours.

1. A few years back, this hot woman (I had a summer romance with but she moved away and we lost touch) we reconnected on social media. She is a "independent saleswoman" for one of those miracle products you often see. It's a total pyramid scheme. She tried to convince me to do it, sent me samples, etc. But stressed very important for me to sign up under her name, of course, and buy lots of products. Anyway, I declined and she was so mad she unfriended me because I called her out on the pyramid scheme.

2. Last year an old former veteran coworker lured me into some 1 hour online sales call so she could meet some quota, and thereafter I was guilted into becoming a representative, which I declined.

3. About a year ago, I met a veteran in the course of handing out my business card. My sales pitch is 30 seconds. Hey, if you ever filed for a VA claim and got wrongly denied, and want to appeal, I can help you. If you lose, you owe me zero $. If you win, I get a low 20% of the recovery, paid straight from the VA out of your recovery amount. Anyway, a year later, this guy calls me with his new get rich quick scheme he and his wife have "paid off $600,000 in debt" by smarter money management, downsizing, blah blah blah. Well, I'm smart enough to know that coupon clipping and selling some of your stuff at a garage sale isn't going to make $600,000. In fact, moving into a smaller house and similar actions can sometimes cost you money due to the moving and transaction costs. Anyway, he was forceful about sitting down for a Starbucks coffee (again, that's poor money management right there...since a cup of coffee at home is 20 cents vs. 10-20 times that at Starbucks, as an example of his illogic). We discussed a host of financial topics (I have my MBA, have studied economics a lot in my life, taken econ classes in college and grad school, run a business, and was a stock broker, financial adviser, and briefly sold insurance). Yet in the 28 minute phone call, in spite of me directly asking him what he does or sells, he ultimately just refused to tell me. Finally, giving in, he said, "I can tell you're not interested in financial security," and "You seem to busy to listen to what I have to say," and similar nonsense. I responded by saying, "If you can't just tell me what you do or sell or market, that's pretty odd, and you need to work on your 30 second elevator sales pitch." I mean, nobody is going to think they can save their way to paying off a half million dollars in debt in a year since that's about 10-20 times what most folks earn in a year.

Aggggghhhh.... these pyramid folks are annoying.

[3584ELK]

Understand your pain. Right now my big PITA is credit card processors. They all have a great story until the first month's statement arrives, then the excuses start rolling in. Of course, none of their promises are upheld and their rates are still just as high as everyone else's. In the firearms industry, it is difficult to get someone to process cards for you, thanks to Obama and Operation Chokepoint.

[Guntrader]

Wife and I were invited to a dinner party by one of her HS friends.
Everyone there was self employed and evasive about what they actually did.
Turned out it was an Amway party, and we were the main course.
I told them "Our pastor's wife is a regional director and if we wanted to sign up, we would have done it under her."

Pastor's wife used to ask us on Sundays if we had plans, and if not she wanted to bring some Amway friends over to our house.

I used to tell her "Things are good at work, but I just with there was some way, some how I could start my own business and make some real money".

Hedr eyes would light up and she would glow until I said "Nah, I'm just messing with you."

Wife wanted me to stop, said "You're the reason she keeps asking us!"

[snozzberries]

In the firearms industry, it is difficult to get someone to process cards for you, thanks to Obama and Operation Chokepoint.

When are the Republicans that control the House, Senate, and Presidency going to fix that?

[snozzberries]

I think it's a good sign that if they won't tell you what they do, it's because they know it's a scam and don't want you to know about it until they have time to polish the turd.

[Col_Temp]

In the firearms industry, it is difficult to get someone to process cards for you, thanks to Obama and Operation Chokepoint.

When are the Republicans that control the House, Senate, and Presidency going to fix that?

Hey Elk, shoot me a PM if you could use a reference for finding someone. I have a client that does that and also works on getting funding for businesses. Also, a firearms owner and proponent! Let me know.

Snozz, Just one of about 30 things I could ask the exact same question about. Have a feeling there are going to be some long time congress people looking for work come next year and two years after that. The old adage about a politician and lying is proving to be only too true.
Also, there are way to many "republicans" that are basically closet democrats, out side the Military (and their stance on it) they tend to agree with Dems on most things. Yes McCain, Collins, McKaskill, and so many others.... I'm talking about you.

[3584ELK]

Thank you Col_Temp. I have 3 of these sharks biting my heels currently...just need to try and sort the fly shit from the pepper in the area of fees.

Snozz...the pressure from Chokepoint has evaporated for now, but I don't labor under the impression that the Republicans performed any miracles.

[TINCANBANDIT]

As a young man I was duped into a meeting with a guy trying to sell Amway. He explained to me with a straight face and told me that when someone buys a product from me, I get a percentage, my sponsor gets a percentage and his sponsor gets a percentage and so on....

Even though I was just a college student, I understood economics better than this poor slob....I told him in order for you to make any money, the products would have to be exorbitantly expensive or the percentages so low that you never see any real money.

I think Amway makes most of it's money from the conventions and classes they sell to their members....sorry schmucks who didn't pay attention in school

[thefuryoffire]

I think Amway makes most of it's money from the conventions and classes they sell to their members....sorry schmucks who didn't pay attention in school

I got pitched on Amway just a couple of weeks ago at a BBQ. I did some research, and you are 100% correct - in the US, they mostly make their money on the conventions and classes. Believe it or not, 90% of their reported income is now coming from overseas...because Amway is such a well known name here.

[L_O_G]

Funny you guys bring up Amway. I thought this damn thing was looooong gone until' I heard one of my coworkers talking about it two weeks ago.

[RusoArmo]

Oh lawd.

I think the big one when I was getting out of high school was Cutco. Actually pretty decent knives. But a complete pyramid.

One dude tried to sell me on some travel business bullshit. Sounded like a pyramid for time shares. Wasn't really paying attention. But I did get a really nice free dinner and a weekend in Vancouver for pretending to be interested.

I too have an MBA. My school gave me a license plate frame that says Alumni MBA, etc. I have it on my car.

Some jackass at the Fred Meyer gas station approaches me and starts asking if I just have the frame or if I went to school, etc. I explained I did complete the MBA. He started asking if I'm interested in new opportunities with small businesses. It didn't sound like the typical "Do you want to be rich?" pyramid pickup line so I gave him my number, who knows, maybe I'd win the lottery and this dude was the next Bill Gates.

Turns out he's just a schmuck. He is "learning" from a millionaire who is helping him "get out of contracting" blah blah blah.

I went cold. Stopped answering emails. He finally texted me some bullshit about me being unappreciative and wasting an opportunity.

[Massivedesign]

Pyramid Schemes are illegal, it's all MLM now.

That being said, I do know some very rich people because they got in on the ground level with Cutco, Advocare, LulaRoe and Nerium.

[rodell]

Pampered Chef, Princess Crystal, NuSkin, Tupperware, etc., etc.

No thanks.

[L_O_G]

My wife got suckered into having a party at our place a few years back, and surprisingly some of the stuff was really nice.

I bought a pizza stone from there that we are still using that is friggen awesome.

[SFCRMSA]

Screw all that crap. It is all a scam. I do not want any of it. I feel sorry for any Veteran that buys a home with a VA approved loan. I am constantly bombarded with every scam refinance, mortage broker plan and even the former presidents something else plan to help Veterans. I am sick of it. One of them got my cell number, which I never give out and they call me to the point I tell them I sold the house, currently living in Arizona in my brothers trailer on the reservation and living off disability. I am gong to start forwarding all the calls to Madpick and Massivedesign. After all, they got all the time in the world just to manage an online gun forum.