Forever Products and Aloe Vera - MLM/Pyramid?

roxy11

I love these products, has anyone bothered to compare the ingredients lists of there shampoo and conditioner with high street brands?! i found 1 ingredient the same across 5 different highstreet brands, the rest is just metals and stuff i can even pronounce because the words are so long! i use the gel and propolis cream on myself and my horses with amazing results! i had a bad case of reoccuring spot and nothing worked from the high street and i mean nothing!! the proplis cream did the job in 2 days! my skin feels soft and took any oily shine away. cured my dads athelites foot and a mouth ulcer. the deodorant is amazing! i think people need to just be a bit more open minded!!! just give it a go! as for prices i think they are great, ye you can buy cheap stuff similar but do they work!? no! overall i think people need to make up there own minds about these products. i am self employed and make a very good little earning selling these produts and made every penny back i spent and more. i am not a rep i just went to a party, bought sum stuff and told my friends and family about it and made my money back.

Phillywilly_2

Went to an Aloe Vera night and found lots of wine and a friendly sales rep who had most of the products with her to try, so after 3 glasses and a sales pitch that would have convinced even the hardest of sceptics I found myself 'buying' 3 aloe vera gels for £40.14. Was I ripped off!! well the free wine was nice and the products... we'll just have to wait and see ;O)

chrisaj

The prices for flp have to be the price they are to support the network of distributors for their retail bonuses. The stuff fron H&B is just as good and a fraction of the price.
BTW pyramid selling was made illegal in the UK years ago.

wary

See this link relating to a similar company:
http://www.mater.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/jffh-april-profile-julie-buck-mater-v5.pdf



I didn't find this link because I was specifically searching for aloe vera but rather because I used to know this woman from many years ago. Even before reading this Martin’s Money Tips thread, my thoughts on her link were:

• Although I believe that it may well have some beneficial properties and may well give aloe vera a go as a tonic if not too expensive, I would treat with scepticism the extent of the claims that she is making, both in terms of the what it is capable of achieving and indeed what it has achieved for her
• It strikes me as being a pyramid (or multi-level) scheme and hence is likely to be a very expensive way to buy aloe vera
• Is it significantly better that the stuff you can buy from Holland & Barratt, as her spiel would suggest? Dunno. I did a bit of a Google but am none-the-wiser. Can anyone shed any light on this?
• The business opportunity she describes would almost certainly involve you joining the scheme. I don’t know how much she personally has made but I should imagine that the 6-figure sum she quotes is highly dubious for most joining at their particular level

I originally assumed that she was an agent herself, looking to recruit other to sit below her on the scale and so earn money from their sales. However, it appears that she's the founder member of this company:
http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=74618

dshugall

Phillywilly wrote: »

... I found myself 'buying' 3 aloe vera gels for £40.14. Was I ripped off!! well the free wine was nice and the products... we'll just have to wait and see ;O)

Well what was the outcome and did you take advantage of the 60 day money back guarantee ?

I went to a presentation last night (no wine, just water and a few sweetys) and my thought was that it does seem too good to be true. However I'm an engineer so logically speaking there are a few thought provoking pointers.

Firstly, this is a business that's been operating successfully for 32 years in the States and 17 years in the UK. Surely if they were dodgy, they'd be a LOT more out there about how bad they were and not to have anything to do with them ?

Secondly they are pricey but they justify this on the grounds that their products are purer (ie 90% pure vs say 25%) hence the price difference. They also offer a 60 day money back guarantee across the entire range if the buyer is not satisfied. Again how could they be that successful if they were offering placebos that were just as effective as the H&B placebos ? Surely they would be found out sooner or later and they have been operating a long time now.

Thirdly there seem to be quite a few professionals in their ranks as sellers and there does appear to be a laid back attitude to whether you sign up or not. This is at distinct odds with the normal experience of being sold a pup in that its get it out the door quick and lots of it. Its almost as if Forever are letting the products do the convincing.

Given all the above and the fact that in the two years this thread has been active, there have been no major issue identified other than personal opinions and general scientific data (rather than anything specific to this company) my conclusion would be they are no worse than any other cosmetics / toiletries manufacturer using Aloe Vera and may even be better given their growth / success.

Which does bring it all back to the original question to Phillywilly, what was it like for you ?

Stuart_W

I have recently been to a Forever Living evening.

Undecided on the value over other Aloe Vera products, but like any other top-brand premium item, much more money that the cheaper alternative.
Perhaps the purity makes them different.

Anyway, if you are sold on the product, a quick internet search does locate several website offering the products at a discount - all FL products available at 30% off the list prices if you send over £50 on one site. I won't post a link because I'm sure it's still earning a commission for some part of the sales pyramid as they are only available from "official" distributors.

If you're sold on it, at least buy it the cheapest way, or admit to yourself that you're actually sold on the marketing structure and the dreams of a fortune, rather than the product.

Bagpu5s

This without doubt however you dress it up is a pyramid scheme. Yes there is a product that helps disguise or draw your attention away but ultimately multi level marketing is just a spin on words in this case.
I recently went to a meeting that a group of so called friends were running, a fantastic talk with big numbers to be earned. All sounded to amazing to be true. This was followed by at the end a request for me to give £200 to sign up for a few products and become part of the company. My major problem throughout the whole experience was seeing how I was going to generate the sales to produce the numbers they were talking about. Websites have been done and my mum only has so many friends!!!
My friend assured me I didn't have to worry about the sales part as I would be a manager recruiting other managers or sales people at £200. Part of this money going to me, part of the money going to my friend that signed me up and the rest to the company at the top of the pyramid. Throughout the meeting the aloe vera product is talked about and hyped up but only at the end is it clear there is no actual real interest in the selling of it. It's easy to forget this as you're excited about the possibilities but stay focused on the truth and it's all about signing up more so called managers. A PYRAMID SCHEME!
You have to ask your self are you happy selling a £200 sign up to friends and family that may never make that money back.
Ultimately the people at the bottom will lose out and £200 is a lot of money to many. Without doubt the people I met at the meeting will do very well but then they'd be happy to sell £200 sign ups to their 90 year old grandmothers. I saw them bamboozle student friends with the promise for £200 they would make huge sums. These students who are already in a major amount of debt handed over the money in the hope of adding some much needed revenue. Who are these students going to sell to? Other poor students!
It just doesn't sit right with me at all. In the end if your happy to sell your soul for money and not worry about how the next friend or family member will make it back, then this is the get rich scheme for you.

gillness

I bought 3 bottles of juice and some liquid soap stuff because I've got psoriasis and the girl said that if it didn't work there was a 60 day money back guarentee. It didn't work - not to say that it doesn't work for everyone, I've tried several times to ask for it and she's ignoring me. Not happy.

LlaniHafren

Re: 60 day money back guarantee

If you have a problem with one of the Independent Distributors of Forever Living products then all you have to do is contact them with your details and the details of the person who sold you the drinking gels.

Their address is:
Forever Living Product UK Ltd
Longbridge Manor
Longbridge
Warwick
CV34 6RB
Telephone: 01926 626600
or
Email: hellenpriest@flpuk.net

stevie78

I have to ask myself the question that Forever are part of the Direct Selling Association and also have Investors in People Champion status - there are many blue chip companies that don't even have Investors in people at all. Now if they were 'pyramid selling' which is illegal! then would they really have these acceditations.

I have looked into this business and it certainly is not a get rich quick scheme. It is a business, and like any business it is going to take some hard work, I must admit after looking around at other business start ups that £200 investment compared to many franchises etc is very reasonable and at least you get a box full of products so I actually get something back for my investment