Company incentive, strange circumstances

pma1979

I’m not sure this is in the correct place but cannot find a category to match the situation, so I’ll leave it here for now if that’s ok? 

Bit of background first:  my wife is a wheelchair user and has health problems including some loss and distortion of vision. Because of this she chose to work from home (MLM) and so far is doing very well. She recently been offered an incentive which they all get at her level, of a payment for a car. This is where the problem arises. She doesn’t have a license and can’t get one, because of her vision. None of the finance companies seem to want to help, and they all seem to have stopped doing ‘joint’ applications. 

The rules from the company are that the finance/HP etc MUST be in her name, or joint with her and then they will send her the payment monthly. She keeps getting as far as brokers saying they can help then changing their mind as they can’t find a one willing to  finance her. It’s worth up £12000 over 5 years, which basically means she could own a car, in 5 years time and it won’t cost, but we are now at a loss as to how to do it?! 

Does anyone have any ideas, or information that could help? Please? 

DrEskimo

Can she not just take the car allowance as an effective pay rise? That's what my partner does. She gets £5k car allowance but continues to use her 10yr old Mini she's owned for 6-7yrs now. Simply pockets the car allowance and treats it as though her salary is £5k higher.

pma1979

No, the company stipulates that they will only pay the allowance, on receipt of an agreement in her name. They also have a list of approved brands, anything else has to be approved, again via an agreement being sent. No cash alternatives, nothing.  If there had been, she’d have just taken it as such, but it’s in the contract. 

pma1979

They do say they will accept a joint application, and then pay the allowance but everyone either says no to joint, or you both need a license. Apparently this has only recently changed, which is annoying.

Nebulous2

I really don't understand the problem with buying a car in her name, regardless of whether she has a license. It's quite common for people with disabilities to own cars they never drive. It may  well be a condition of the finance that it is registered in her name, which makes insuring it slightly more complicated, but again perfectly possible when you explain why it is needed. 

Are you getting any explanation for why it isn't possible? 

KatrinaWaves

Please check the T&Cs fully before you take a car loan. MLMs are honestly abhorrent people to work for. The car payment is only made if she keeps up a certain level of sales each and every month. If she doesn’t, she’s paying for the car payment herself.

scrutinise the contract. These companies are not there to help anyone but themselves. 

[Deleted User]

Reddit site below really covers all you need to know about MLM
https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/

bris

Companies have their own terms. If you want a car use the mobility car scheme. 

fwor

KatrinaWaves said:

Please check the T&Cs fully before you take a car loan. MLMs are honestly abhorrent people to work for. The car payment is only made if she keeps up a certain level of sales each and every month. If she doesn’t, she’s paying for the car payment herself.

Agreed - please don't be fooled by this. MLM schemes are typically set up to make everyone look like they are doing well to start with. This incentive looks suspiciously like a "hook" to make sure that an employee will find it difficult to leave when the going gets tough (and if the people that I've known from MLM schemes are anything to go by, it will get tough!).

Study the terms carefully.

HampshireH

Definitely read the terms. They do this so top leaders can flaunt their perceived wealth on social media to recruit.

Arbonne. - https://www.talentedladiesclub.com/articles/why-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-free-mlm-car/#:~:text=You see, MLMs don't,often at dealerships they sp

Younique is a big qualification for monthly payment. This was from 2016 but I doubt it's got easier.

1. 24. HOW DO I GET TO BLACK LEVELS 1, 2 AND 3?  Black Status 1 – REQUIREMENTS Be PAID as Black Status THREE times (not consecutive ), Achieve a total combined Wholesale Sales of at least 1 million of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations only AND have EIGHT First Generation Elite Status Presenters (Green or higher) BLACK STATUS 1 - THE REWARD The Car Bonus! The It Kit contains a custom Younique chrome decal, license plate frame, and leather keychain, £1625 on time bonus and £490 monthly allowance every month you qualify

Irs not worth it UNLESS you can afford to pay for it without their help. If that's the case and you would buy one anyway then they are just helping you pay.

If you didn't consider this purchase before she got offered he incentive, don't need it and cannot afford to do it without them - dont accept it.

Of course there are others

Malthusian

You need to be very wary. Typically over 99% of people in MLMs lose money. Maybe your wife is in the <1% (we'll not dwell on the ethics if she is). However, from the outside, it is more likely that her success is illusory. She may be in debt, and as she is your wife, ultimately that would mean you would be in debt too.

It's not impossible that someone with health problems could be in the <1% of successful MLM participants. It does however reduce the probability.

If you do probe deeper into her MLM activity you need to be tactful; MLMs use cult tactics and attacking the MLM will make her feel that you are attacking her.