Network Marketing Nightmare
Network marketing, aka Multilevel Marketing (MLM), is often perceived as being a pyramid scheme or a scam. I am not against it now, but years ago I thought similar things, and when I got involved in an unnamed skincare company about eight years ago, it became a total nightmare for me, but not because of the company or the products. When people talk about their uplines being crazy, I think I scored the craziest one of them all.
It all started shortly after I returned home from a military overseas deployment, and I was invited to go to a “spa party” while I was on my post-deployment leave. I was looking forward to experiencing some girly things again instead of sand/dust all over, jet fuel, burn pits, industrial things, etc., and living in tents and shipping containers. When we arrived, it turned out this wasn’t really a party. It was my friend’s “friend,” Kelly, showing us all of the items that she wanted to sell to us.
I admit they were good quality, but I did not like the way she was pushing us to buy everything on the table. I ended up buying what I wanted, and she convinced me into becoming a consultant for the deeper 35% discount because I really liked the products. I made it clear to her that I did not want to sell the products and she agreed.
About two weeks later, she called me to ask how I liked the goodies I received in my shipment. It then turned into a conversation about having my own party, and how I could make extra money on the side since I already signed up to be a consultant. And that’s when it started to go very sour. She would not give up, and just to make her back off, I agreed to do this party. I begrudgingly invited some friends over and got it over with. I made some pretty good money with this party, but I told her that would be it. I’m done, I’m not interested in selling, and I will solely be a product user.
During my party, she found out that I was a freelance writer and had my own newspaper column. This made the dollar signs in her head go crazy! She now looked at me as her star child because I already had a following in the local newspaper. Now she really couldn’t let me go. She told me she really wanted to get that prized Mercedes and I would be her ticket. Uh, that’s a BIG NO! She was serious about that car — prior to meeting me, she actually changed the license plate on her current car at the time to the company’s name and was planning to put it on her brand new Mercedes.
For weeks to follow, she was relentless in trying to get me to have more parties and sell, sell, sell because I had my readers, and all my contacts. OMG, how annoying. What part of NO do you not understand?! I would not answer her calls or texts. Then the unthinkable happened. I came home from work one day and found a cake in my garage refrigerator. Yes, a cake, how random is that?! I asked a family member how that cake got there. He said that some lady came by and told him she was my friend and I said she could put her cake there because we had the extra space. He didn’t remember her name, but I knew exactly who it was based on his description. I was truly disturbed. When I thought about it, I think Kelly snooped through my house on the day of the party because there is no other way she would know that I had a refrigerator in my garage since I never showed it to her.
I called her immediately to ask her what was going on with the cake in my refrigerator, and why it’s there and why she lied to my family member. She said, “Oh, I figured you wouldn’t mind. It’s my husband’s birthday and I wanted to surprise him, and I don’t have room in my refrigerator.” I had no words. I asked how she got into my garage, and she said it was open so she just walked in. I told her she trespassed and needed to come back and get her cake NOW and leave me alone. She came by and got her cake, but that wasn't the end.
A few days later, Kelly wanted to talk. I wasn’t answering her calls so she decided to stop by. I was inside my house and did not want to answer the door. I could see her peeking in the glass through my front door, she then proceeded to peer in every window she could access. She tried to open my front door (everything was locked) but I sat there to see how far she would take it, ready to call the police. I heard my side gate open and she peered through those windows too and tried to open my sliding glass door. I had enough. I texted her to leave or I would call the police because she was trying to break into my house. She said she wanted to talk and would wait in her car until I came outside to talk to her. I made it clear she was trespassing and I will call the police if she doesn’t leave, and to never contact me again. I am not your Mercedes-getter and stop bugging me about selling your stuff! She wrote a few other texts that I ignored and sat there for about 25 minutes before she finally drove away. Whew.
The next day I called the company to complain about her, and it turns out she had many complaints, and it was made clear that they do not take responsibility for any of her actions. I understood that, but I wanted them to be aware. Kelly admitted to me she would stalk random people at Costco, Whole Foods, moms at school, or anywhere she went or shopped, and wanted me to do the same. That is called harassment, and certainly how NOT to recruit people for an MLM company and sell products!
There are two reasons why this memory came back to haunt me: 1) I recently became a consultant in another skincare company after using their stuff for over two years and loving it. And, in the midst of finding options to escape my toxic workplace a year ago, I stumbled upon the world of online marketing. I have vowed to promote this business the online way, and I refuse to randomly target anybody with a pulse as Kelly did! MLMs are not bad, and this time I chose to give it a try since my upline is not crazy, she’s someone that keeps my back aligned — my chiropractor!
2) I saw Kelly driving a few weeks ago as I was out for my evening walk. She had a crazy look on her face and I seriously thought she was going to run me over. I was preparing to jump out of the way. Thankfully nothing happened. She STILL (after all these years) has that license plate w/the company’s name, and no, it’s not a Mercedes. I did a check, and she no longer represents that company. What a relief, I can only imagine how many people she pissed off along the way (and maybe restraining orders too? I almost got one against her).
This was yet another life lesson in boundaries and how to deal with someone that has none. If you’re in a network marketing company, or really, any business, please don’t get so desperate for customers or money that you turn into a Kelly!