Someone invited me to join Forever Living sales. This is what happened next.

davidjwbailey

Forever Living

Is it a scam?

Almost certainly yes, if by that you mean “does it move money up a pyramid for products that do nothing”

 

Is it profitable?

Only if you known how they calculate “profits” and move money around internationally –

 

Do they try to hide the scam?

Yes, by flooding the web with links from their “affiliates” with the word “scam” in so that you cannot easily find information on the reality

 

Is there any evidence that it works for skin diseases or burns?

Nope, not above placebo or a smear of vaseline

 

Can it cure cancer? (or even sunburn?)

Nope, no better than cold water. In fact aloe might actually make it more likely you get skin cancer from sunburn?

 

Can it help with Diabetes?

Nope, not at all

 

Can it cure or help with IBS or Crohns or Coeliac Disease?

Nope, no more than a placebo. Given a lot of IBS is psychological in origin, the studies here show more variation. There is no good evidence for any other bowel or digestive issue.

 

But it “cured” my friend!

That is called an anecdote. It is not evidence, and you should not spend money or take a health decision based on that.

Odds are they were fooled by one of these facts of life:

  • Placebo Effect
  • Regression to the Mean
  • Healing over Time

 

Is it good “value”?

NOPE! It is exactly the same as products that cost 1/10th the price FL charge (although they make up nonsense about their sources of gel and treatments, many studies have shown they buy the same bulk Aloe as everyone else!)

 

Can I get rich selling this?

NOPE NOPE NOPE.

On average you will spend $1500 and earn $306 from participating in this. Only those “upstream” make anything, and most of them make very little (and lie about their earnings wildly, including – possibly – lies in the other direction on their tax returns …)

 

Don’t they earn $2.8bn internationally? They must be legit!

NOPE. Enron was larger. Was Enron legit? BCCI was larger. Was BCCI legit? Madoff was larger. Cendant (CUC and HFS) was larger. MF Global was larger. Worldcom was larger. Tyco was larger. Qwest was larger. Were any of them properly legit?

And, by the way, no one can prove that claim of the total turnover of Forever Living and all its other associates. The value has no provenance and has no proof in the public domain. For all anyone knows that number was plucked out of the air.

Think about it: why would they NOT publish full accounts if the scheme was so good?

They often say Forever Living Products International, Inc. (FLPI) as a way of making people think it is SEC regulated and a trade stock, but it is a private company that files nothing. Its real numbers are a secret, and a murky one at that!

 

Is it really an MLM scam?

Yes, probably, even in their own advertising – this is how it works

Now think about how those 12 levels of “management” must get paid from your hard work. And think about what happens when new “SUCKERS” stop joining:

And most experts think it is a scam

 

But my UK friends earned money doing it!

Chance are you friends are lying to you. Sorry. Demand paper evidence, including all their costs of courses, “leads”, stock, recruitment, membership and advertising.

In the UK, Forever Living Products (UK) Limited turned over £27m and made £1m profit. Given they claim about 65,000 distributors, that is about £415 of sales per distributor, with a profit to them of 15% or about £62 a year. There are 9,505 limited companies in the UK pushing Forever Living Products.

Many MLM members make a small amount on their first consignment. This is known as “sucker bait”. They “mine” their friends and family for sales. Then they lose money, lose friends and lose family.

The fact is the VAST MAJORITY of members lose money doing this.
Please DO NOT INVITE ME TO IT.
You demean yourself and me in doing so

 

Published by davidjwbailey

@davidjwbailey Serial Entrepreneur. Investor. Technophile. Gamer. Bassist. Bushcrafter. Explorer Scout Leader. Hiker. Oenophile. Personal Posts. May Contain Marmite, Some Love, Some Hate It.

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