dante3000 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 So I was thinking about this lately and thought I'd ask. I have one friend who is, unfortunately, always tied up in these things. The thing is, it's not her, it's her boyfriend. Before him she was in college and working odd jobs to pay for that. Now that she's graduated she goes from one get rich scheme to another. At fist it was this company selling vitamins and supplements. She asked if she could go over he pitch with my wife and I sometime, we said sure, maybe we'll even buy some vitamins and shit. So one night she comes over, with her boyfriend, and they give us this big long speech about how we need to get started in selling this stuff and how for as little as $200 we can be set for the rest of our lives and blah blah blah. We were pretty pissed off because we were led to believe we'd be hearing a pitch for supplements, not trying to be sold a franchise. Anyhow, they're buying in big time. They set up shops in gyms, malls, wherever they're allowed to set up a table. They pay to go to these seminars all over America on how to sell and be successful. After about a year we ask them how it's going and she says, "It turns out they weren't really reputable BUT we've found a new company that seems to have some great stuff". It's too bad because she's a really smart woman and she's just attached to this asswipe who lives at home with his mom and dad, doesn't have a real job (because those are for sucker and fools), and apparently has some new scheme about "motivational speaking". If you've ever seen my Facebook quotes I've started doing "inspirational messages" to counter his bullshit. She's basically made no money off any of these systems because every dime she does make goes into more product or leadership seminars. Man, who does this shit:? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmonaut Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 The Washington Post did a decent piece this past weekend about the proliferation of pyramid schemes in the DC area. They almost never actually sell anything, as all of the profits come from getting people to sign more people up. Depressing as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burdenx Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 There are plenty of intelligent people with little common sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 The Washington Post did a decent piece this past weekend about the proliferation of pyramid schemes in the DC area. They almost never actually sell anything, as all of the profits come from getting people to sign more people up. Depressing as hell. Exactly! I was totally willing to buy some product she was trying to sell (even if it was totally stupid and not going to work) but they weren't selling products, they were selling selling. I dunno, it makes me want to stop talking to her but when it's not work related she's really pretty awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 My Nanna spent a huge chunk of her savings before she died on magazine subscriptions. She had it in her head, somehow, that her subscribing to all of this shit she doesn't need would improve her chances on winning the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes so she could leave everyone some money when she died. Seriously. The woman probably had AT LEAST 75 subscriptions -- it was insane. She had a better selection than the fucking convenience store. Not quite the same as a pyramid scheme, but it goes to show that otherwise intelligent people can do some pretty stupid things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murakami Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 i had a buddy that used to sell those knives - CutCo i think. apparently at the first meeting they would have a "contest" to see who could write down the most names on a sheet of paper, anyone you have ever known......then they would ask you to call them and sell knives. it was really only a ploy to work on the sympathy of family members - "oh, cousin sandy is selling something, i better order a 65$ potato masher" once you exhausted/annoyed everyone in the family, you basically ran out of sales leads and your career as a traveling knife salesman was short lived..... (remember, handle first...handle first) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtmanner Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 The funniest thing about pyramid schemes is how you can look up up information about pretty much any of these greedy companies online. You really have to have ZERO common sense to fall for one nowadays. It's just so easy to do a quick search online and BAM! you'll most likely find a ton of information on how the company is a scam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjustinxschwierx Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 this guy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vittywatt Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 uhhh p90booze.blogspot.com duhh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I had a friend who got sucked into this crap with her white trash tweeker boyfriend. I'd like to say that she only got sucked into it because of him but that's simply not true; that girl was a fucking dunce and she probably would have gotten into it on her own. I remember running into them at the local movie theatre/outdoor mall/plaza thing at 9:30 on a Friday night. They were in "nice" clothes (super shitty suit that looked like it came from Goodwill, she was in a dress that she probably wore in high school to a formal dance). They said they were going to meet clients. 9:30 on a Friday night. Dorks. I know a guy who got into that CutCo bullshit. It's not a pyramid scheme, it's just a shady company that uses college kids to peddle their overpriced garbage to friends and family. It's really sad. Unfortunately for me and my dad, who really enjoy cooking and could use a good set of knives, we're stuck with a shitty set of CutCo knives because mom felt too bad to tell the kid that she didn't want a $300 set of overpriced knives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgoodcore Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 My aunt and cousin are in to one about selling video phones and phone service. Its actually caused some family drama because most everyone is telling them its not going to work. i had a buddy that used to sell those knives - CutCo i think. apparently at the first meeting they would have a "contest" to see who could write down the most names on a sheet of paper, anyone you have ever known......then they would ask you to call them and sell knives. They actually make good knives from what I understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventangent Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I had friends that were tied up in Quixtar (Scamway). What made it worse is that this couple were Xtians that had "lost faith" and claimed to be atheists. Then, as times got tough, they both decided to be "reborn" and were praying for a solution to their troubles. The next day, a woman came through the guy's workplace and handed him the card, and really took them under her wing. So not only have they gotten tied up in the cultish aspects of this shit to begin with, it's also a giant confused mass of their religious faith too. It's all inseperable. Jesus wants them to sell a metric fucktonne of toilet paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 They actually make good knives from what I understand. Cutco knives are quite good, actually. And I thought we established that p90x is not a pyramid scheme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I had a friend who's sister paid for part of her college with Cutco. She basically was the only one anyone in the area knew who sold knives, so she just sold the shit out of them. Made like $30,000 in a year. But that was the end of it. She knew it wouldn't last. I actually went into a job for Cutco once(I didn't know the job posting listed it as "Marketing Intern" and didn't have Cutco on the post). When I went in and saw "Cutco" on the application, I stood up and just walked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorbike Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 ^^^ that last parts great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benc Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I was totally willing to buy some product she was trying to sell (even if it was totally stupid and not going to work) Can I interest you in a flying horse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murakami Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 They actually make good knives from what I understand. Cutco knives are quite good, actually. you guys are right on, the knives and stuff are top quality....just really expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 in the mail i got one of those scratch off things from a car dealership where everyone is a winner, it's just to get you in the door. 1 lucky person will actually win a car, the rest of the prizes were things like a GPS device or a $100 gift card to some website. i go down because i was actually looking to buy a car, what i won was the gift card to a website, but on the card it said "type in the address as it appears on this card, DO NOT do a google search." me being a semi smart person googled them to see why they didn't want you googling them. 95% of the results were how the website is a scam and how they operate to rip you off. the website claimed to give you top quality name brand merchandise at close out prices or for pennies on the dollar, the catch is that you have to pay a "small" handling and shipping fee per item, those charges alone turn out to be more than what the product actually costs had you bought it from a brick and mortar store. people are tricked into thinking they are getting a good deal because they are only paying $10 for a jacket that retails for $50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burdenx Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Why even write "Do not Google"? Had they just put the URL everyone would just type it in. They're just drawing attention to the fact that their site is a scam. Stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentgods Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 So I was thinking about this lately and thought I'd ask. I have one friend who is, unfortunately, always tied up in these things. The thing is, it's not her, it's her boyfriend. Before him she was in college and working odd jobs to pay for that. Now that she's graduated she goes from one get rich scheme to another. At fist it was this company selling vitamins and supplements. She asked if she could go over he pitch with my wife and I sometime, we said sure, maybe we'll even buy some vitamins and shit. So one night she comes over, with her boyfriend, and they give us this big long speech about how we need to get started in selling this stuff and how for as little as $200 we can be set for the rest of our lives and blah blah blah. We were pretty pissed off because we were led to believe we'd be hearing a pitch for supplements, not trying to be sold a franchise. Anyhow, they're buying in big time. They set up shops in gyms, malls, wherever they're allowed to set up a table. They pay to go to these seminars all over America on how to sell and be successful. After about a year we ask them how it's going and she says, "It turns out they weren't really reputable BUT we've found a new company that seems to have some great stuff". It's too bad because she's a really smart woman and she's just attached to this asswipe who lives at home with his mom and dad, doesn't have a real job (because those are for sucker and fools), and apparently has some new scheme about "motivational speaking". If you've ever seen my Facebook quotes I've started doing "inspirational messages" to counter his bullshit. She's basically made no money off any of these systems because every dime she does make goes into more product or leadership seminars. Man, who does this shit:? you talking about Shaklee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I was totally willing to buy some product she was trying to sell (even if it was totally stupid and not going to work) Can I interest you in a flying horse? If it's less than $20 maybe. What does said horse look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headtowall Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 a friend of mine was...he snapped out of it quick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flood Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 my sister signed up to be a mary kay rep.. slightly less sketchy.. but still a scam. how are people this retarded? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 The one I always wonder about is the "Extenze" cock enlargement pill infomercials. A quick google search reveals that they don't do anything, but if they can keep affording TV time, they must be making money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 The one I always wonder about is the "Extenze" cock enlargement pill infomercials. A quick google search reveals that they don't do anything, but if they can keep affording TV time, they must be making money. i thik they've been sued before too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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