Which "consultants" are the MOST ANNOYING?

Who successfully alienates the most people?

Right now I'm going with Rodan + Fields.

6/3/2015 1:37:41 PM

We talking about people selling shit on facebook?? Right now it's the people selling "oils" and the ones selling shit to help you lose weight.

6/3/2015 1:44:34 PM

IT WORKS

Contact me for your $50 saran wrap that makes you lose weight without working out. PM me for details

6/3/2015 1:47:07 PM

Jamberry

No, I don't want to pay $$$$$ for nail stickers.

6/3/2015 1:54:13 PM

Some people it doesn't bother me (and those are people I'm okay with "unfollowing" anyway because their posts don't contribute much in the way of entertainment to begin with), a lot of times because I can empathize with their plight and I realize they are genuinely in a hard spot and trying naively to make some money for their family.

HOWEVER. The Rodan + Fields folks as of late have just taken it to a new level. One girl in particular - my hairdresser (who I used to consider a friend*). She used to be a pretty savvy social media-er. Always cross-marketing friend's businesses, but in a seemingly sincere and not-annoying way, as well as a lot of #humblebragging that was sometimes annoying but forgiveable.

But now. She posts this shit about R + F all day, every day. I would have unfollowed her awhile ago but it's kind of the trainwreck thing now. She'll post a pic of someone's (clearly photoshopped) "before and after" with a bunch of hashtags #mybusiness #mytime #goaldigger, and 10 girls will chime in about how awesome these products are, "wow, what a transformation!", etc. I've clicked on their profiles before, and what do you know, every single one of them lists "Independent Consultant with Rodan + Fields" as their occupation. Are they told in their "training" that they must spend X minutes every day boosting other R + F consultants social media posts?

*Fun story about this same girl. A year or so ago she posted a GoFundMe page for her dad (whom I've never met or really even talked to her about, from what I knew they were estranged), along with this sad story about his recent health problems. He basically had gone through some shit and now needed help paying his bills that were piling up. I believe the goal was $10k. #ittakesavillage

She was reaching out to her vast social network, and I genuinely wanted to help. I donated $100 and reposted it on my page (which I hesitated doing because I hate reposting stuff like that unless it's for someone super close, but I wanted to support her and I figured she'd do the same for me). I know they ended up exceeding the goal but I never really heard much after that (about the gofundme OR his health/situation). I do know that not less than a week later she, her fiance, and a couple friends took a trip to Napa and then 2 weeks after that same group went to Key West. I know this because she was liberally posting about it all over fb/instagram.

I am not insinuating that there was anything shady done with the money that was donated (mostly because I don't think she would ever do that, but also because she definitely didn't need the money). I just think it was in such incredibly poor taste to ask a bunch of people for money for your dad and then immediately advertise on FB that you're on two lavish vacations.

Gripe #3: She also parks her Lexus SUV right in front of the salon (as do the rest of the employees), forcing customers to park blocks away on side streets and cross a busy street to get to the salon. #weirdbusinessownerbehavior

tl;dr: I'm on a conference call that I have nothing to add to and wanted to journal my little story.

6/3/2015 2:09:39 PM

6/3/2015 2:16:12 PM

U Mad slappy1?

6/3/2015 2:29:57 PM

thanks slappy for the newest tww meme

6/3/2015 2:30:53 PM

^^I think peeved is a more accurate descriptor

I don't get "mad" that often

6/3/2015 2:47:01 PM

great post slappy

6/3/2015 2:53:22 PM

thanks, I thought so

6/3/2015 2:56:01 PM

Dead baby look cool

6/3/2015 8:50:27 PM

I don't sell anything. But damn I love my Advocare Spark and the Slam is pretty good too. If I weren't pregnant, I'd drink Spark every day and do my 24 day challenge starting tomorrow. That shit works. And thanks for reminding me to place an order.

I also, love my R + F. The microdermabrasion paste is a godsend.

I don't give a crap about Stella and Dot though. Overpriced cheap jewelry.

6/4/2015 4:36:34 PM

How much caffeine is in it? I am looking to switch up, so I an actually go to bed.

6/4/2015 4:47:49 PM

A lot. One spark is about 3 sodas (120mg for one packet). I only drink them in the morning (any time before 2:00). But i'll nurse it that whole time period so it lasts all day. Honestly, it really helps with focus and memory and energy.

[Edited on June 4, 2015 at 4:57 PM. Reason : ]

6/4/2015 4:56:13 PM

hmmm,my pill is 160mg but it doesn't help that I also include a 12 or 16 oz espresso latte in the morning. I use Cellucor HD as a preworkout and sometimes for work it helps me focus.

haha holy shit, Im taking almost 300mg. I don't even know if that's considered alot.

[Edited on June 4, 2015 at 8:11 PM. Reason : ...]

6/4/2015 8:09:30 PM

I've been using Proactiv since the 1990s

Back when they were only selling on QVC. My face cleared up in a week (I was a pimply teenager).


When I got off birth control in order to get pregnant, my face went from clear to teenager pimply so quick. I started using Proactiv again and it cleared up super quick again. So I've been using it more often.


I stopped using it when I was in college because I couldn't afford it.

6/4/2015 8:24:22 PM

31 bags

6/4/2015 10:43:39 PM

someone needs to bring back memes about fresh mangosteens

6/5/2015 9:00:29 PM

Last year some in-laws were hard core into the Visalus stuff enough that they "bought" the black BMW where Visalus gives a $300/month allowance towards it provided they keep up the production. Within a couple months the fad had already started to fade and the allowance stopped and now they are stuck paying full loan for a 5 series they didn't need.

6/5/2015 9:51:01 PM

+1 on the Rodan and Fields shit. I have one FB friend who does Stella and Dot, but she keeps her shit to a minimum on her actual personal FB page. She uses a private facebook group for the people that actually care.

But the R+F girl does the exact same shit slappy is talking about, it's like reading posts from someone in a damn religious cult. And occasionally when someone calls her on the insane bullshit being spewed, it brings out the HORDES of "Independent Representatives" aka moms at home trying to hustle a second income while dealing with multiple children. It's batshit insane, to the point I've thought about talking to her husband to see if he realized how nuts she is being online.

6/5/2015 11:28:46 PM

I bought some Stella+Dot from a grad school friend of mine and it was really nice. Plus, she spun what she learned off in to her own real fashion retail business. But she was also a really smart person and not some stay-at-homer who was looking for extra spending money.

6/5/2015 11:49:11 PM

My mom does R+F. It's really upsetting.

6/7/2015 2:30:54 PM

It is upsetting!

I love reading blogs/forums for different topics and experiences--the stripper one, one for Olive Garden employees, one for cops, recovering alcoholics, non-recovering alcoholics, etc... One of the most thorough that I've read is about the pink fog or what happens to people who sell Mary Kay. It was eye-opening...there were husbands on there seeking intervention advice for how to help their wives escape the madness.

All of those direct sales business models are really, really awful.

My friend still has around two grand of MK products that she can't sell, and they won't buy back. She didn't reveal that to me until a couple years after she quit doing it. She was understandably ashamed and embarrassed, but I'm just glad she stopped before she alienated her friends/family, climbed into more debt, and wasted her life on a predatory cult.

6/7/2015 3:13:44 PM

I should start my own pyramid scheme. So many dipshits out there.

6/7/2015 4:03:23 PM

^^please post blog

6/7/2015 8:22:42 PM

http://www.pinktruth.com/welcome/

The extent to which the site's curators/contributors go to discredit Mary Kay really demonstrates how obsessed they were--and still are--with the cult. It is extensive, and they've been at it for years. When they really get into it, it's like they're writing in a different language...nothing but jargon, and at one time, it all apparently meant something real to them.

Some of the contributors were duped. But others were somewhat successful until they realized they were "working" all the time for a relatively small income and that their entire job revolved around taking advantage of vulnerable women and training their viable "offspring" to do the same.

6/7/2015 8:45:22 PM

slappy- What an interesting post. I would be peeved too!

I've got a girlfriend who is up to her eyeballs in stupid debt that she and her husband rang up shortly after getting married. Her husband does manual labor, landscaping I think, and goes from one job to another because he gets fired at the drop of a hat- I'm assuming because he's kind of a DB and loudmouthed.

Anyway, she started selling Mary Kay recently- invited me to a party, which I begrudgingly attended. I ended up buying some tinted moisturizer which is cheaper than the clinique stuff I've been wearing since high school. Not hating it- but she is selling it to try to get back on top of her finances. She works full time, words really hard, and then does this on the weekends along with another part time job (all while hubs sits at home on rainy days bc he 'can't work').

But what tore me up was how at the party instead of the focus being on selling the product, the focus was on how easy it was to sell. The host of the party actually boasted that sellers get to mark the product up 100%!!! 100%!?!!? So I paid like $23 for this moisturizer- which put around 10 bucks into my friend's pocket. Fine, I'm cool to help her out- BUT HOLY COW. #1 that's a ton of mark up, makes me question the product's quality. #2 DON'T TELL YOUR CLIENT HOW MUCH IT'S MARKED UP.

I am pleased with the stuff, like I said, but I think I'm gonna continue searching for a light, tinted moisturizer that isn't made out of crap and basically serves as an SPF.

My R + F friend caught wind of my venture to the dark side of Mary Kay and sold me on this facial cleanser and moisturizer. I caved. I loved it- both products. I was using them for about a week until one day I decided to compare the ingredients in the moisturizer to the Aveeno stuff I get at CVS that is standard SPF moisturizer and WHAAAA? The exact same damn ingredients. Except one is $8 and one is $32. WHAAAAA???

I tell you what. Eff both of those companies. They prey on people like me and I recognize that now. One day soon I'm gonna be that chick that smells like vinegar and lavender because I'll make all my own beauty materials from ideas I find on the internet.

6/7/2015 9:24:11 PM

They definitely don't prey upon people like you!

You didn't sign up to sell the crap for them, and that's where the scam is.

I had to go to a MK party about a year ago. Only one person bought something, but two people signed up to sell it. The woman really pressed me to do the same... She tried to make me self-conscious about not earning enough money. I told her I hated sales and that, not only did I have very few friends, I hardly even had acquaintances. She insisted those qualities were precisely what made me such a good fit for selling Mary Kay.

She was "nice," but she was also trying to manipulate me into giving her two hundred dollars for a starter kit that she knew I had no chance of selling.

I felt terrible for her. I mean, I know it's a living, but I'd rather suck dicks honestly.

6/7/2015 9:39:02 PM

The party was more about how easy it was to sell because the money is in the pyramid scheme, not in selling shit on your own. They will make way more money by convincing you to try to sell that crap than if they just sold you some of it.

[Edited on June 7, 2015 at 10:14 PM. Reason : these parties usually have shills in attendance]

6/7/2015 10:02:00 PM

add isagenix to the list.

brother-in-law's wife is into that shit. bullshit weight loss shake pyramid scheme. so fucking annoying.

6/7/2015 11:32:07 PM

I'm going to go with Mary Kay and Avon.

Having worked in a bank for several years, I had to genuinely act like I was interested in people's lives and most of the time I was. I remember the ladies that either didn't have anything better to do or needed extra money and would sell makeup and I would have to act happy for them when they told me what they did. I couldn't very well tell them they were stupid so my go to responses were "I'm allergic" or "I already have a consultant." Unfortunately, they didn't respect either. In any given month, I probably received 10 propaganda books/catalogs to throw away.

There were sly ones though. They would compliment me on how pretty I was or how well I did my makeup. I thought it was a genuine compliment, wrong...just a segue to push their products. And after reading the pinktruth blog that Bridget posted I learned that's exactly what they're trained to do.

One of my best friends gets duped into throwing a "party" every couple of months. ThirtyOne, Jamberry, Mary Kay, Tupperware, Initials Inc. Sometimes I buy because I know it will help her or she'll get a discount, but it's definitely ridiculous.



[Edited on June 7, 2015 at 11:50 PM. Reason : .]

6/7/2015 11:49:31 PM

^what's worse than getting fooled by these folks? knowing it's bullshit and still buying their shit.

6/7/2015 11:54:39 PM

I know a chick who keeps trying to get me to buy arbonne. $40 for body lotion, no fucking way

6/8/2015 9:47:58 AM

I know a chick who keeps trying to get me to buy arbonne. $40 for body lotion, no fucking way

6/8/2015 9:47:58 AM

Can we add Pure Romance to the list?

6/8/2015 10:05:15 AM

My mother in law is into this kind of bullshit recently. First it was Thirty One and now it's the oil shit, Living Essentials.

Every time she calls my wife or comes to visit it turns into a nonstop sales pitch. She brought out this USB-palm-reader device (I thought of an e-meter from Scientology) and it basically was a random number generator to tell you which dozen oils you needed to buy to correct "imbalances." And somehow this woman went from someone who wouldn't eat anything that didn't come out of a box to now not eating anything that isn't raw/organic/fermented/oil.

I'm fine with you promoting this bullshit on your own, but please don't coerce my wife into selling shit for you.

I'm surprised anyone falls for this shit anymore. I learned my lesson quickly in college by

a) nearly getting sucked into Southwestern (which might not be a pyramid scheme, but uses some equally creepy tactics like calling naive freshman about an "internship" without revealing details and then stalking you until you agree to join them)
b) getting harassed by Quixtar people whenever I went to a bookstore
c) after witnessing a "you should start your own business" speech from a dude who sold energy drinks in public speaking, I responded with a "why you shouldn't join a pyramid scheme." proudest moment of my life

How to spot a pyramid scheme: https://youtu.be/VVUUbEw_Pm8

slappy, that story was insane. I would be fucking livid if someone did that.


[Edited on June 8, 2015 at 10:08 AM. Reason : asagsgsdg]

6/8/2015 10:06:30 AM

I really hate Arbonne, because they make a big deal of preying on insecurities. I mean, I'm 29 years old, and I don't have wrinkles, and my skin doesn't sag. So stop saying it does, just to get me to buy your product.

Rodan + Fields, while expensive, is all about "going naked" and without makeup, and using minimal product. I can get behind that. I won't ever sell it, but I can support that.

I also forgot about PartyLite. Because who needs a $40 candle???

6/8/2015 10:07:15 AM

Quote :

"Rodan + Fields, while expensive, is all about "going naked" and without makeup, and using minimal product. I can get behind that. I won't ever sell it, but I can support that."

I, too, could get behind that. And one of the things the hairdresser shoved down our collective throat is that there is a 60 day money-back guarantee. I wonder how she'd respond to me using up the products and asking for my money back.

I'm not sure if I mentioned that this girl is the OWNER of the salon (there are 9+ stylists that work there). Pre R+F she was living (what seemed like, based on her lifestyle, shopping habits, etc) a pretty lavish lifestyle.

Not sure why/how she ever got into this (according to her, it's because she LOVES watching other women "reach their goals" and "accomplish things they've never dreamed of"). But within a month of doing it she was bragging that she was already able to pay BOTH her and her husband's car payments plus their monthly mortgage (on the nice condo they have) on just her R+F income.

I wish you guys could see the shit she posts. It almost seems like a parody account of one of these pyramid schemes, but I have a feeling it's all very real. Maybe she's onto something - if that something includes alienating everyone you know in exchange for a mortgage payment?

[Edited on June 8, 2015 at 3:50 PM. Reason : ...]

6/8/2015 3:50:29 PM

if this shit is constantly showing up your FB feeds, y'all need some new friends...

6/8/2015 4:46:13 PM

Literally every single one of these commenters has "Rodan + Fields" listed as their employer. I'd love to sit in on one of the "training" sessions or whatever and find out what kind of time commitment they're expected to make for doing shit like this on other R+F "consultants" social media.

6/9/2015 1:06:20 PM

hide them from your feed. jesus christ

6/9/2015 2:32:38 PM

Oh I forgot, you decide what we discuss on TWW

6/9/2015 3:24:03 PM

I have coworkers selling R&F, Jamberry, Wine, their own homemade scrubs, and embroidered lunchboxes on Facebook. Shit is annoying, but to be fair the R&F chicks are making some decent money.

[Edited on June 10, 2015 at 12:03 AM. Reason : sdfas]

6/10/2015 12:03:04 AM

Quote :

"Can we add Pure Romance to the list?"

i haven't found a good alternative to their sheet spray stuff

6/10/2015 10:03:53 AM

My younger sister occasionally dabbles in Thirty-One, but she claims she just likes to get the starter kits every now and then; she's a registered nurse without a spouse or kids or any other dependents to support, so she's not hurting for money.
I also remember that when she was in nursing school, she was hosting sex-toy parties for extra money (maybe it was Pure Romance), and I understand the arrangement sounded like Mary Kay, but without the overhead, so she was able to get out of that easily too.

My father, a physician, sold Amway on the side about 20 years ago, and the basement of his office was full of unsold personal-care products; I'm thinking that to this day, he and everyone else in his household still uses that huge stock of Amway soap and shampoo (or maybe my memory's faulty on that; I know we were using it for years).
Also I remember him explaining to me that Amway was okay because the FTC once ruled that it didn't constitute a pyramid scheme, and from then on I understood "multi-level marketing" to be a euphemism for a pyramid scheme, esp. one that by some minor technicality was considered to be legal.

---

Also, the fiercest reaction I ever received on Facebook happened in January when I checked my Mini-Feed, saw someone I grew up with posting about how much success the local chiropractor (red flag) she works for had with patients on the NutriMost weight-loss system, posted that it sounded suspicious for a plan to promise between half a pound and two pounds of weight loss per day, and then (after wading through the copycat NutriMost promo sites clogging the Google search results) posting a link to a hard-hitting look at its e-meter analogue, the ZYTO system: http://www.devicewatch.org/reports/zyto/overview.shtml

She deleted that comment, and then when I posted about it on my own Facebook profile, she commented that it was false and I was being a "negative" person, and then she sent me rapid-fire messages calling me a liar and demanding me to take it down; then when I posted about the issue in the comments section of the local newspaper (which used the Facebook comments system), that comment was deleted.

Also, someone else I grew up with originally posted a comment on my post that was faintly skeptical of the system, but then it was edited to a variant of "it works if you put the effort in"; I strongly suspect that the chiro in question had a lot of pull in the community.

6/10/2015 3:36:02 PM

I'm a stylist for Stella & Dot, but I don't take it serious (if that makes sense)

I have a facebook group that I post in when I see deals or items I think my friends would like. I basically do it so I can buy some cute jewelry and pay for my manicures haha. I try really hard to not post about it on my personal page.

I desperately don't want to be one of these people y'all are talking about. I don't want to "sponsor" anyone and build a team.

6/12/2015 11:39:12 PM

Plexus

8/10/2015 1:53:43 PM

Herbalife.

8/10/2015 2:23:07 PM

R + F is a great way for me to supplement my meager teachers assistant income. Message me to join my team and see how to make money the easy way.

8/10/2015 3:55:40 PM