tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post3983878511553279405..comments2024-03-27T23:11:38.102+01:00Comments on 'MLM' The American Dream Made Nightmare: 'Herbalife Multi-Level Marketing' racketeers buy association With Tottenham Hotspur FCDavid Brearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-58445467543235878292021-10-14T16:06:28.763+02:002021-10-14T16:06:28.763+02:00Anonymous - 'MLM' bosses now claim that, d...Anonymous - 'MLM' bosses now claim that, despite what was previously written on their contracts, most of the people who have been churned through their so-called 'direct selling income opportunities' weren't 'distributors/business owners' (ie. sellers) who were trying to earn income, they were 'members/customers' (ie. buyers) who merely wanted to obtain goods/services at a discount.<br /><br />Any technical law which seeks to ban endless-chain recruitment frauds would have to be very carefully drafted, and it would need to identify how 'MLM' racketeers have been able to dodge prosecution/closure by arbitrarily re-labelling their victims.David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-24749418459983838132021-10-14T15:18:20.378+02:002021-10-14T15:18:20.378+02:00Surely laws could be easily passed that ban all sa...Surely laws could be easily passed that ban all sales schemes that have no limits on the number of people being recruited as sellers?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-18986544763938789412021-10-14T14:16:16.948+02:002021-10-14T14:16:16.948+02:00Anonymous. If it wasn't for its tragic consequ...Anonymous. If it wasn't for its tragic consequences, then the 'MLM' phenomenon would be comical. David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-72906530602776825332021-10-14T14:01:05.912+02:002021-10-14T14:01:05.912+02:00Thanks. The more I've discovered about MLMs, t...Thanks. The more I've discovered about MLMs, the more I realise how uttery ridiculous they are!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-59733159419310447982021-10-14T13:44:08.461+02:002021-10-14T13:44:08.461+02:00Anonymous - The short answer to your question is, ...Anonymous - The short answer to your question is, yes, but it's much more complicated than that. In many respects, so-called 'MLM Income Opportunities' have been a form of effectively-unregulated, and (by design) economically-unviable, franchise business. In other words, they are fake franchises that have been guaranteed always to bring in a profit for those selling them and drawing up the 'MLM' contracts, but never for those buying them and who have had absolutely no say in the content of the contracts they have signed or in the rules thay have allowed themselves to become subjected to.<br /><br />That said, when franchising first exploded in the USA in the 1950s, the concept was open to abuse, because there was no specific legislation to control it. Many people (particularly WWII veterans) who dreamed of operating their own business, fell victim to crooks who attracted them with glossy brochures and apparently even television adverts, offering 'risk free franchising income opportunities' at knock-down entry prices. However, in the contracts they offered, these crooks set no limits on the numbers of other franchises being sold or on where they were being sold. Many 'franchising' front companies took their victims' money and simply vanished over-night whilst other longer-term victims found themselves tied to take-it-or-leave-it contracts which attempted to compel them to keep buying cheaply-procured products/services at grossly-inflated prices and prevent them from going to law with any complaints. The problem of franchise abuse became so widespread that specific common-sense laws were introduced in the USA to regulate franchising; particularly, the content of franchise contracts.<br /><br />You might be surprised to learn that there have never been any specific franchise laws in the UK, whilst the concept has been subject to regulation in the UK by more general laws applying to commercial contracts. Franchising has, thus, been more or less self-regulated in Britain by trade associations. However, it has obviously been in the financial interests of franchising companies to draw up common-sense clauses in their contracts which have been designed to allow persons buying, and operating, franchises the opportunity to make a profit. Thus, franchise trade association rules have been drawn up to protect both parties entering into franchise contracts.<br /><br />Franchise contracts have limits on the numbers of franchises being sold in geographical areas, but the franchise companies actually came up with this notion and no respectable franchise company could possibly object to it.<br /><br />Tellingly, before the appearance of so-called 'MLM' companies, traditional single level direct selling companies used to be obliged by their own trade associations to set common-sense limits on the numbers of their sales agents operating in geographical areas. Direct selling companies actually came up with this rule. This was prevent counter-productive competition between sales agents, and thus give their sales agents a reasonable chance of finding enough regular customers to make a living. The rule was also designed to keep bringing in sales revenues for the direct selling companies.<br /><br />For obvious reasons, such common-sense rules were abandoned as the endless chain ('MLM') recruitment phenomenon gradually infiltrated 'Direct Selling Associations' and hid behind the once-respectable identity of 'direct selling.'David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-75881254677733463982021-10-14T10:29:07.470+02:002021-10-14T10:29:07.470+02:00Can franchise laws be applied to MLMs?Can franchise laws be applied to MLMs?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-67507102119302110392021-10-14T09:53:25.338+02:002021-10-14T09:53:25.338+02:00Anonymous - no specific legislation has ever been ...Anonymous - no specific legislation has ever been drawn up in the UK to identify this form of blame-the-victim endless-chain recruitment ('pyramid') fraud hidden behind products/services and 'MLM direct selling' jargon. That said, the latest version of the UK Fraud Act, which arrived in 2006, specifically identifies fraud by the withholding of information.<br /><br />Of course it could be argued that 'MLM' rackets have been a form of latter-day slavery by deception, and therefore, contrary to the UK's Modern Slavery Act of 2015. Again, this legislation does not specifically identify this form of blame-the-victim endless-chain recruitment ('pyramid') fraud hidden behind products/services and 'MLM direct selling' jargon.<br /><br />When you pass legislation, but fail to enforce it, you effectively authorize the very crime you were apparently trying to prohibit.<br /><br />In the final analysis, the 'MLM' phenomenon is yet another example of how self perpetuating non-rational ritual belief systems can be instigated for the hidden purpose of human exploitation. Sadly, this is a crime which, for obvious reasons, has never been accurately identified by legislators.David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-42923942013671338102021-10-14T09:33:20.787+02:002021-10-14T09:33:20.787+02:00David, surely what you are describing here is ille...David, surely what you are describing here is illegal in Britain?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-29301906126632696382021-10-06T21:44:22.038+02:002021-10-06T21:44:22.038+02:00Anonymous. I think the easiest, and possibly most-...Anonymous. I think the easiest, and possibly most-convincing, explanation, is that 'MLMs' are not even multi level, they are infinite level. <br /><br />Most people can understand the franchise concept eg. McDonalds, KFC etc. A franchise company sells people the right to operate a form of ready made business. The franchise operators are trained by the franchise company and guided every step of the way. The franchise company handles all the advertising and supplies the franchise operators with products which are then sold to the public. The franchise company then takes a % of the profits from that business. But imagine if no restrictions were placed on the numbers of franchises being sold, or on the locations in which they are supposed to operate. Yet this is exactly what the 'MLM' concept is. Absolutely no restrictions are placed on the numbers of persons being recruited or the locations where these persons are supposed to be doing their marketing.<br /><br />Imagine a town with a couple of hundred McDonalds restaurants? or a city with several thousands of them? How could any of their operators be expected to make a profit?<br /><br />The infinite level 'MLM' concept is completely contrary to all accepted commercial practise as well as being contrary to common sense.<br /><br /> David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-79122962675345086312021-10-06T21:25:10.287+02:002021-10-06T21:25:10.287+02:00Whats the simplest way to explain to someone who i...Whats the simplest way to explain to someone who is thinking joining an mlm why they shouldn't?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-6294725021012723432021-09-12T09:23:57.715+02:002021-09-12T09:23:57.715+02:00Anonymous - It's not just adherents of 'ML...Anonymous - It's not just adherents of 'MLM' cults who have failed to understand how cult bosses can take control of a person's thinking, simply by overwhelming and ritualizing their means of thought (ie. their vocabulary).<br /><br />Unfortunately, the majority of commentators on the 'MLM' phenomenon have fallen into, and keep falling into, the same trap. Even celebrity short-seller, Bill Ackman, who invested millions of dollars in an attempt to challenge 'Herbalife,' kept thoughtlessly repeating elements of the 'MLM' fairy story - particularly the reality-inverting word 'business' - when he gave interviews to the media. In reality, 'MLM' cultic rackets have had precious little to do with business in the traditional sense of this word. They have been fake businesses offering demonstrably fake income opportunities. It always amuses me that 'MLM' bosses have constantly repeated the term 'income opportunity,' but not 'net-income opportunity.' Indeed, an accurate description would be 'net-loss income opportunities.'<br /><br />In 'MLM' cults, the so-called 'step-by-step plans to achieve total financial freedom' have really been step-by-step plans to commit social, psychological, intellectual and financial suicide - and in the most-extreme cases, actual suicide.David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-45107281630376684722021-09-12T08:59:58.671+02:002021-09-12T08:59:58.671+02:00"Blog readers should observe how (in the abov..."Blog readers should observe how (in the above linked-videos) chronic victims of 'MLM' cults are incapable of describing what they were subjected to in accurate terms. Even though they are no longer physically playing along with the 'Long Con's' controlling-scenario, they unconsciously continue to think, and speak, using the jargon-laced 'MLM' script - illogically describing themselves as 'Distributors.' "<br /><br />They really were brainwashed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-24303200807255148732021-09-11T16:04:26.669+02:002021-09-11T16:04:26.669+02:00There are an increasing number of Brtish 'MLM&...There are an increasing number of Brtish 'MLM' victims coming forward, but as to how many British ex-'Herbalife' adherents will ever get the opportunity to speak out publicly? A more appropriate question would be: why have the UK media and the authorities never encouraged 'MLM' victims to come forward?<br /><br />Of course, 'Herbalife' is one of several 'MLM' groups that have co-opted a couple of so-called 'cult counsellors' in the UK. Any 'MLM' cult victim approaching these persons, have not been encouraged to approach journalists, regulators or law enforcement agents. Their complaints have been redirected to the 'MLM' front companies which have paid limited compensation in return for silence.<br /><br />The big 'MLM' lie has been sustained by preventing the majority of its victims from facing the reality that they have been defrauded. The longer the authorities have continued to allow blame-the-victim 'MLM' cultic rackets to operate without a serious well-informed challenge, the easier it has been for 'MLM' racketeers to maintain the lie that 'MLM' is a perfectly legal form of business.<br /><br />Many 'MLM' victims have not complained, because they have no idea of where they can complain + they do not have the right words to explain what they were subjected to.David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-63043722739767801392021-09-11T15:46:54.539+02:002021-09-11T15:46:54.539+02:00Where are Brit herbalife victims like the ones on ...Where are Brit herbalife victims like the ones on the video in the US?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-85695483617788549222021-09-11T12:19:30.359+02:002021-09-11T12:19:30.359+02:00Anonymous - one of the most-remarkable aspects of ...Anonymous - one of the most-remarkable aspects of the big 'MLM' lie, has been the way it has flown under the radar of almost everyone, including legislators, journalists, academics, law enforcement agents and regulators. The 'MLM' phenomenon demonstrates that the idea that we live in democracies ruled by law, is a complete fallacy.David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-28160813363496395332021-09-11T08:37:23.544+02:002021-09-11T08:37:23.544+02:00Apart from this latest Tottenham matter, little ha...Apart from this latest Tottenham matter, little has appeared in the UK media detailing that the ‘Herbalife’ parent company has been obliged to hand over $200 millions to the US Federal Trade Commission in order to halt prosecution and closure, and that around 350 000 compensation cheques were issued to recent ‘Herbalife’ victims in the USA. ‘Herbalife’ was found to have been quietly churning its contractors (then known as ‘Distributors’) at a rate in excess of 90% per year, and that the overall churn rate for contractors since the company was founded, had reached effectively 100%. The minority of contractors who had persisted for several years were found to have lost considerable ammounts of their time and money. They were also found to be suffering from chronic psychological deterioration symptoms. It was also found that few ‘Herbalife’ products had ever been sold to the general public (based entirely on value and demand) and that the overwhelming majority of the company’s declared revenues were coming from its own constantly-churning contractors (based primarily on their false-expectation of future reward). ‘Herbalife’ is now supposedly operating under independent surveillance in the USA, but not outside of the USA. The true number of UK citizens who have been churned through ‘Herbalife’ since the company first arrived in the UK, has never been publicly declared; nor has the fact that, by design, it is effectively-impossible to generate an overall net-profit from participating in ‘Herbalife’s’ so-called ‘Multi-Level-Marketing Income Opportunity’.<br /><br />The UK media has also not reported that the ‘Herbalife’ parent company has recently been fined $125 millions by the US FTC and US Securities and Exchange Commission, again to halt further prosecution and closure. It was discovered that ‘Herbalife’s’ senior corporate officers had directed an international criminal conspiracy to bribe, and to hide the evidence that they had bribed, senior Chinese government officials with more than $20 millions. ‘Herbalife’s’ so-called ‘Multi-Level Marketing’ system is unlawful in China, and single level direct selling companies have supposedly to operate under license in China. Contrary to the US federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, at the direction on the company’s senior US executives, two senior ‘Herbalife’ Chinese Executives paid various senior Chinese government officials at least $20 millions in order to obtain operating licenses and to supress any ‘negative’ news about the company. These two Chinese executives, and the Chinese officials whom they bribed have apparently never faced proescution in China, where they would risk the death penalty if convicted.<br /><br /> <br />David Brearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122471861776758998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7762286463497378104.post-57715826616080974482021-09-11T08:29:07.625+02:002021-09-11T08:29:07.625+02:00Why no media coverage of this??????Why no media coverage of this??????Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com