So, last Saturday night, I went to a MMA event. Local fighters need support too!
Anyway...there were a few vendors there. Submission clothing line - there are dozens of Tapout imitators now...and then this table selling XS energy drinks. The table selling XS drinks offered a drawing where you could win a variety pack of their drinks. I filled out the card, complete with my phone number, address, and email address. There was a spot on the card to check if you were interested in promoting for the company, which I thought was XS energy drinks. I didn't win the variety pack, but two days later, I received a call from the guy I met manning his vendor table.
He stated he noticed I was interested in promoting. He offered me some time at a local "earth day" thing this weekend, but I am already working. He said that was okay and maybe I should come by on Thursday (last night) to find out more information about this product. He said it would be from 8 - 9 pm. I figured, sure, I can give an hour of my time. I was looking for something to do part time while I am off school.
So, I go. I am greeted by several people in business suits who seem to take interest in meeting me and finding out about me. They seem to be really interested in anything I say. They are all smiling and too happy if you ask me...but who am I too judge. Maybe their underware was too tight and they were smiling to mask the pain...who knows. They have me sit right up front and center. The guy who manned the booth at the MMA fights arrived and starts talking to me. Then, it hits me...they are probably going to try to get me to BUY into this company. I still believed I was there for this XS energy drink. Maybe they wanted me to buy my own supply or share and then try to promote this thing on my own...completely not what I had in mind. I should've left then when the feeling hit me...but I didn't....oh why did I not listen to my instinct!
So, this thing starts. Another guy is starting his spiel. 30 minutes into it, he finally throws it up on this little white board. He puts three circles on the board. One to the upper left, one to the upper right, and then one in the middle lower between the two upper circles. He puts "you" in the lower circle, then B.W.W (business expansion) in the upper left and then ......"Amway Global" in the upper right.
FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK! I'm trapped. There is no escape. I mean, I could've made up some excuse....started to cough uncontrollably and excuse myself from the room and run like the wind...but I didn't. I sat there for the next 30 minutes hoping that they don't EAT the new people...which there were only 4 of us in the room. How did I know, they asked at the beginning and the conductor of this charade singled us out everytime he asked questions.
I had smoke blown up my ass about how GRRREEEEEAAAAAT of an idea this concept is. All I have to do is Read and Listen (to the motivational shit they make you buy), make a list (of other poor suckers to bring to these seminars, create a game plan - who to sucker, and make money. Can you say "pyramid scheme"?
ANYTHING that says I'll make money if I recruit new people is a pyramid scheme. I find it ABSOLUTELY hilarious that they SPECIFICALLY tell you NOT to Google their company. The guy who invited me even went to show an example...
He said if you google "mother theresa is bad" you will find million of sites about how evil mother theresa is....and he showed us....he googled "walmart is bad" and showed us the millions of sites that show how evil walmart is...he googled "amway is bad" and of course, there were sites about Amway is Scamway, etc....
So, today I googled Amway, without the "is bad" attachment and came up with some good sites and SEVERAL sites that state its a scam! Even one done by Dateline NBC. I mean, I really did not need these sites to tell me that this is a scam. But because they told me not to Google it...I just had to.
Then I remembered, and I really kick myself for this - when I visited the booth on Saturday night, they had given me a free packet of vitamin stuff that you add to water to make it "vitamin water" along with a pamphlet about their products. I remember, a little too late, looking at the back of the pamphlet and seeing "Amway Global" and scoffing.
So...the trance...I mean, seminar ends with them parading people up to the front of the room and they tell you how GREAT this company is and how it has worked so well for them and then it ends. I quickly make my escape only to be caught in the hallway by the person who invited me who offered to walk me to my car...great.
He further tried to push this on me and gave me more brochures. He ended our conversation by asking me if its okay to come over on Sunday to set me up on the Internet. I told him to call me on Saturday. He asked for my address...I started to give it to him..then stopped...and reiterated to call me on Saturday. He said, "Well, that's okay...I have your address on that card you filled out!" Fuck.
I called my friend afterward and told her that I felt violated. She asked me why I was not honest with him right up front. I did not know. I just wanted to leave.
So, when I get home today, I'm gonna call him and tell him "thanks, but no thanks. You can't scam me"
Anyway...there were a few vendors there. Submission clothing line - there are dozens of Tapout imitators now...and then this table selling XS energy drinks. The table selling XS drinks offered a drawing where you could win a variety pack of their drinks. I filled out the card, complete with my phone number, address, and email address. There was a spot on the card to check if you were interested in promoting for the company, which I thought was XS energy drinks. I didn't win the variety pack, but two days later, I received a call from the guy I met manning his vendor table.
He stated he noticed I was interested in promoting. He offered me some time at a local "earth day" thing this weekend, but I am already working. He said that was okay and maybe I should come by on Thursday (last night) to find out more information about this product. He said it would be from 8 - 9 pm. I figured, sure, I can give an hour of my time. I was looking for something to do part time while I am off school.
So, I go. I am greeted by several people in business suits who seem to take interest in meeting me and finding out about me. They seem to be really interested in anything I say. They are all smiling and too happy if you ask me...but who am I too judge. Maybe their underware was too tight and they were smiling to mask the pain...who knows. They have me sit right up front and center. The guy who manned the booth at the MMA fights arrived and starts talking to me. Then, it hits me...they are probably going to try to get me to BUY into this company. I still believed I was there for this XS energy drink. Maybe they wanted me to buy my own supply or share and then try to promote this thing on my own...completely not what I had in mind. I should've left then when the feeling hit me...but I didn't....oh why did I not listen to my instinct!
So, this thing starts. Another guy is starting his spiel. 30 minutes into it, he finally throws it up on this little white board. He puts three circles on the board. One to the upper left, one to the upper right, and then one in the middle lower between the two upper circles. He puts "you" in the lower circle, then B.W.W (business expansion) in the upper left and then ......"Amway Global" in the upper right.
FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK! I'm trapped. There is no escape. I mean, I could've made up some excuse....started to cough uncontrollably and excuse myself from the room and run like the wind...but I didn't. I sat there for the next 30 minutes hoping that they don't EAT the new people...which there were only 4 of us in the room. How did I know, they asked at the beginning and the conductor of this charade singled us out everytime he asked questions.
I had smoke blown up my ass about how GRRREEEEEAAAAAT of an idea this concept is. All I have to do is Read and Listen (to the motivational shit they make you buy), make a list (of other poor suckers to bring to these seminars, create a game plan - who to sucker, and make money. Can you say "pyramid scheme"?
ANYTHING that says I'll make money if I recruit new people is a pyramid scheme. I find it ABSOLUTELY hilarious that they SPECIFICALLY tell you NOT to Google their company. The guy who invited me even went to show an example...
He said if you google "mother theresa is bad" you will find million of sites about how evil mother theresa is....and he showed us....he googled "walmart is bad" and showed us the millions of sites that show how evil walmart is...he googled "amway is bad" and of course, there were sites about Amway is Scamway, etc....
So, today I googled Amway, without the "is bad" attachment and came up with some good sites and SEVERAL sites that state its a scam! Even one done by Dateline NBC. I mean, I really did not need these sites to tell me that this is a scam. But because they told me not to Google it...I just had to.
Then I remembered, and I really kick myself for this - when I visited the booth on Saturday night, they had given me a free packet of vitamin stuff that you add to water to make it "vitamin water" along with a pamphlet about their products. I remember, a little too late, looking at the back of the pamphlet and seeing "Amway Global" and scoffing.
So...the trance...I mean, seminar ends with them parading people up to the front of the room and they tell you how GREAT this company is and how it has worked so well for them and then it ends. I quickly make my escape only to be caught in the hallway by the person who invited me who offered to walk me to my car...great.
He further tried to push this on me and gave me more brochures. He ended our conversation by asking me if its okay to come over on Sunday to set me up on the Internet. I told him to call me on Saturday. He asked for my address...I started to give it to him..then stopped...and reiterated to call me on Saturday. He said, "Well, that's okay...I have your address on that card you filled out!" Fuck.
I called my friend afterward and told her that I felt violated. She asked me why I was not honest with him right up front. I did not know. I just wanted to leave.
So, when I get home today, I'm gonna call him and tell him "thanks, but no thanks. You can't scam me"
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