IsThisAScamFilter: Melaleuca Inc., the internets seem to be on the fence about it. Have ye any experience? [more inside]
posted by knystress on Sep 10, 2009 - 20 answers

Multi-level marketing + parents. How do I convince my father and my step-mother that their involvement in a MLM energy company is a bad idea? [more inside]
posted by Drama Penguin on Apr 8, 2009 - 6 answers

Looking for background on a new (to me) type of MLM scam. [more inside]
posted by Roach on Mar 31, 2009 - 2 answers

How does an otherwise rational and intelligent person get suckered into Market America? [more inside]
posted by kenliu on Sep 26, 2008 - 6 answers

Sounds like a scam, but help me verify: Someone I know now calls herself a travel agent via a company called World Ventures, which offers each "agent" a simple Web site with an airfare search tool on it. Sounds scammy to me, and when I Google, I get bits and pieces that sound bad, but the company doesn't seem to be one that Quackwatch or MLM Survivor or those sites has a lot to report on. (Maybe because it only dates to 2005?) Can anyone offer up more info? Articles in solid publications about World Ventures preferred, but any info is helpful. (Posting anonymously so involved friend doesn't know who's asking.) Thanks.
posted by anonymous on Jul 10, 2008 - 2 answers

Herbalife: Can anyone point me to sites about the efficacy of their products? I been on it for two months (no sniggering in the back, please), have lost some weight but I wonder what I am putting into my body. I know many regard it as MLM cult, etc (promising wealth and prosperity, but almost always meet with failure.) but I am interested in the actual products and whether there is any evidence they actually work.
posted by vac2003 on Jul 1, 2008 - 4 answers

A friend of a friend has started to shell out money to Dani Johnson. She's only a few hundred dollars in so far and I'm trying my best to find information to dissuade her from getting in any deeper. Google, however, is letting me down - every link I find is basically a scam site of some kind gushing about her. Taken as a whole the result of this search being garbage is damning enough on its own but I'm looking for something more definitive I can bring to her. 500 results in I see a Yahoo Answers question asking the same thing but there isn't a substantial answer there. Hopefully Metafilter knows better. :) Is it a scam? Is it a pyramid scheme? Is there any proof?
posted by anonymous on Mar 12, 2008 - 9 answers

My wife has signed up to join an MLM network selling a device called a LeveLuk SD501, which produces 'Kangen' water. I think this thing is worthless for health purposes. I'm keeping an open mind but we're talking $5k to buy one of these things and I think it's a waste. I'm wondering what the hive mind comes up with. [more inside]
posted by diode on Nov 20, 2007 - 26 answers

How do I politely and kindly dissuade a dear friend from trying to get me involved in various MLM schemes without offending her or hurting her feelings? [more inside]
posted by biscotti on Nov 5, 2007 - 24 answers

Should I eat this "green drink" (consisting of powdered vegetables, tree bark, etc.) from Robert O. Young (the "Alkaline diet" guy)? Will it harm me? Ingredients are listed inside. [more inside]
posted by gd779 on Sep 17, 2007 - 11 answers

ScamFilter: Is Public Gold a multi-level marketing scam? Or a "legit" MLM? [more inside]
posted by ObscureReferenceMan on Mar 20, 2007 - 8 answers

My older brother, who has been swindled by MLM (multi-level marketing) scams in the past, has gotten involved in yet another. Have any of you dealt with a family member in this situation? Is there anything I can do, or do any of you have suggestions on how to cope with this? [more inside]
posted by catfood on Jan 3, 2007 - 31 answers

MLMFilter: My mother called me and mentioned a "new business" she wants to start. She was very excited about it, and said the business is at http://www.mywayoutonline.com/, and the company is actually called PhotoMax. I have my doubts... [more inside]
posted by litlnemo on Nov 15, 2006 - 26 answers

Bio Performance Gas Pill: My parents are being lured into selling/using a gas-saving "gas pill" that is marketed via MLM /Pyramid Scheme tactics. My BS-detector is going off. [more inside]
posted by kumazemi on Apr 26, 2006 - 31 answers

My agency brought on a start-up MLM, and we need to provide software to manage the MLM salesforce, their downlines, commissions, etc. (Yeah, yeah... I know... ). In the past, for our normal clients, we've used SugarCRM to manage customers and the like. I'm wondering: can anyone recommend a good MLM management app — must have an internet interface.
posted by silusGROK on Apr 20, 2006 - 6 answers

Xooma Multi-Level Marketing : Should my dad stay away? [more inside]
posted by mikeanegus on Dec 12, 2005 - 21 answers

Is mangosteen juice a scam? [more inside]
posted by Rash on Dec 2, 2005 - 22 answers

Is multi-level-marketing (MLM) always a scam? Should I dissuade someone from becoming a distributor? [more inside]
posted by elgilito on Sep 5, 2005 - 11 answers

My aunt just sent me an e-mail linking to a site she set up for "Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing". Before I even brought the home page up, it felt quite a bit like Herbalife and other pyramid schemes just from reading the e-mail. Indeed, one of the first links on Google is a scam.com message board. To save me having to sort through thousands of Fortune Marketing pages on google, does anyone have any personal experience with this company or any information my aunt should be aware of? [more inside]
posted by Eideteker on Jan 16, 2005 - 1 answer

My wife is considering getting into Mary Kay. The sales pitch sounds good, and everyone she knows who's involved with it has said it's a good thing. So naturally I'm suspicious that it's too good to be true. Is there a catch? Anyone had personal experience with Mary Kay?
posted by oissubke on Feb 16, 2004 - 20 answers