November 10th, 2007 
Iris one fine afternoon i was minding my own business, my cellphone rang and an unfamiliar sun number was flashing on my screen. thinking that it was either good business (as in raket nanaman!) or a headhunter (yey), i answered. the guy who called me was straight to the point, very professional, and just very vague about what he was talking about.at first i got curious when he said he was from a multinational company and that he got my number from an officemate (i did verify with the officemate and it was true). he flattered me and all by saying that from what was referred to him, i was professional and that i might qualify for their project (which he said was temporary lang), blah blah.
he scheduled a meeting with me and was very strict about it, saying that i have to be on time, being professional and all. i was still a bit elated because prior to his call, i got a freelance project from a friend, and i thought, wow i must be really lucky for getting another one. after a while i realized i wasn’t even able to ask what company he was from and what type of project exactly was entailed. i texted him after a few hours realizing also, that it might take me longer than what was agreed to get to the office given the traffic.
so i said, if i could have the meeting moved 30 minutes later, saying that i wasn’t sure if i can make it at 7pm because i’m also keeping official time off at the office. i was expecting a little consideration, but he said, “is there a way can you leave your office earlier?” he followed up with another text saying that i will be there 7pm, sharp.
frankly, i got turned off by the way i was invited into this meeting. who was asking a favor from who here? so the next day, i googled my way into BA’s blog and fortunately it saved me so much hassle of doing undertime at the office and going to that wretched meeting. apparently, i wasn’t the only one ranting about it.
i hate that when i am being professional and accommodating, that the person i am dealing with is not. i hate that i am being bullied into attending a meeting so eventually i got a little pissed that this person was indirectly forcing me to go to their building at the 15th floor of the octagon building in meralco avenue. eventually i found out that it was some sort of networking company selling stuff. NUskin and Pharmanex, have you heard of them?
finally i texted,
me: Daniel, i regret to inform you that i won’t be able to come in for the meeting anymore. thank you for the invite though.
(my phone rings, it was him, i didn’t answer the call anymore)
D: i thought we already talked about this?
me: yes. please consider this as my decline to your invitation. thanks.
so there it is, my own story of how i almost fell for this networking meeting. i’m a sales person myself, but come on. sure nambobola ako, pero i never bully my accounts into doing things i want. but of course, there’s charm… professional and charming. 
and as fellow bloggers have already said about these kinds of businesses, there’s really nothing wrong about earning big bucks on the side.
for me, just do it with some dignity and a little respect please.
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edit: see who else is complaining (from SexyMom‘s post)
Maki Edwardo’s The Sunday Phone Call
BA’s Scam? and Questionable Methods
Celeni’s 15F Octagon Building
Tristan Cafe’s Forum
Ana’s The Networking Rant
Prudence and Madness’ New Recruitment Strategies by Companies.
Maki Eduardo’s Trolling
Shari’s Recruitment Strategy? Beware and Be Aware
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Do you think he’s the same Daniel who used to harass me in my old entries?
there’s a big chance it’s the same person
kung sino man siya, ang lupet! hahaha
People in the U.S can be put to jail because of grave threats and harassment online. Why is it we still don’t have in in the Philippines? I got harassed too haha..but it’s not that Daniel, it’s someone else :p
hey ris…na-experience ko na din to while i was still working at makati. may nag-invite din sa kin na mag-venture into this kind of “business”. kaya ko naalala kasi same building yung pinapapuntahan sa kin dati – octagon building. buti na lang hindi ako nagpadala dun sa cute na girl na nakipagmeeting sa kin. hahaha!
aha.. so girl pala tumatawag sa guys ha. hehe.
maki, sorry pero sa intellectual property rights pa lang, olats na. security pa kaya ng bloggers online? hehe. i have yet to read that post.. hinanap ko siya the other day pero i was in a hurry kaya di ko na nabasa eh..
Feeling ko nga hindi alam ng mga senador natin kung ano ang mga blog. XD
[...] Latest Links: Prudence and Madness’ New Recruitment Strategies by Companies. Ris’ i almost fell for that one: NUskin [...]
Haha, si Pia Cayetano(http://mydailyrace.blogspot.com/)lang ata ang blogger na senator eh..haha
right on, ba
talaga, may blog siya? might check that out
[...] Strategies by Companies Shari Cruz’s Recruitment Strategy? Beware and Be Aware! Ris’s i almost fell for that one- NUskin (Mine) Maki Eduardo’s The Sunday Phone Call BA’s Scam? and Questionable Methods Celeni’s 15F [...]
ang lupet ng mag ganyan ha. dito rin, they will push you to the corner para mag oo ka, minsan ang ginagawa ko i tell them to do what they want to do pero i dont open the door when they come. e sinabi ko ng wala akong interes, lintek na… good thing you escaped.
Honestly, ‘been there done that’ many times. I signed up to something like this, network marketing – from USANA, a Canada based.I joined them last year as I wanted to get discounts from the products. The rest I was asked to find friends or whoever and ended up with nothing, meaning I signed up but the idea of bugging somebody to join the network is such like being harassed with so much talk about “financial freedom†and stuff.
Good that you declined the offer right away. I think it’s rewarding to those who can actually do it right. It’s not easy but I tried.
ate kengks and k, these breed of guys are different. they undergo some kind of training that teaches them to be ‘ruthless’ in recruiting people.. my cousin even tells me she knew someone in college who wasn’t the type to be a bully but after joining this group, she/he became really rude and pushy.
i actually believe her kasi from the phonecall i had, i really felt like the guy was the type who would say anything to persuade. reminds me of old sales talk technique, but only with not-so-good intentions.
15 octagon building, sobrang pamilyar, last month yata ako nakatanggap ng tawag mula dito nagpakilalang miki daw name nya, babae.. big project daw to pero ayaw nya naman sabihin kung tungkol saan, pharmatex daw yata yung company na nagduda ako nung di ko nakita sa google, naaalala ko pa yung huling sinabi nya sakin “sir jon, mukha ka naman disenteng kausap and sana hindi ka nangkacancel ng meeting ng last minute” umoo lang ako pero wala akong balak pumunta, una panggabi ako nun sa office at pangalawa kailangan daw naka bisnes atayr.. nyay’
may kutob akong sa citibank nakuha nito yung details sakin e, sa landline sya tumawag..
Naku, me and my 2 friends got sucked into that trap one time.
Grabe, we thought it was something really good then when we got there ayun na. NuSkin pala. The person that got us there was our orientor back on our frosh years kaya hindi masyado kami hinarass, though the other peeps in her team were a bit too pushy saying na mag-commit na daw kame and all. 
Hay naku, pramis if you’re just new to these kind of stuff, especially kung student ka pa, matatakot ka talaga kasi you’d feel pressured to purchase kahit wala kang balak to use it. Iba ang guilt at persuasive powers nila. 
jon, same dialogue talaga ginagamit nila sa mga nirerecruit nila. professional ka naman kaya hindi ka nagb-back out sa meetings crap. guilt trip. citibank? diba bawal yun sa kanila?
nika, buti hindi kayo sumali don. i mean, for some people it’s just not going to work because you don’t have the need for it. and quite on the contrary, students tlaga target dahil mas “gullible” at madaling ma-convince. whatever :p
i’m not very easy to persuade, but yeah, i’ve had experience with this as well. if you’re too nice to say NO, puwersahin ka talaga nila.
kasi we didn’t have funds din talaga kaya we didn’t commit. naku 10k ba naman. if we had that cash back then, i’d doubt i’d be interested din. kasi so many people are selling it, as bm majors we knew about supply and demand. lol.
Yeah, may batchmate akong hindi daw masama pero siya pala yung nag-haharass sa aking dahil sa NUSKIN, Pharmanex, SynergyOne na yan.
I filed a case against him in ADMU already. I’ll update about the case in due time. Almost 1 year na niya ako hinaharass. Sobrang bastos na talaga ang mga breed na katuload niya.
I can’t believe that companies like that MLM can turn Ateneans into greedy people who bully someone online. Shame on them! Shame on that Ryan Chung 4 Bs Biology student. Sobrang walang respeto at mahilig mag-threaten.
Maki’s last blog post..Reliable Custom Writing Services
Hey, what happened to the case you filed?
renz – i didn’t really file a case, but i think the others did like Maki. maybe you can check with her
For all of you, it’s natural to have that reaction for the limited information that you have about the company. Smart people like you, owe it to yourself to explore exhaustively about the company before making any judgements. Don’t you think a Scam company could last 24 years in the business, be in the New York Stock Exchnage for a long time and be even an official sponsor of THE OLYMPICS? not to mention the business awards it received recently. I invite you to come to the office and study it yourself. No one will force you to do something you don’t want. The problem with most Filipinos is they usually say Maybe, I’ll try…when actually they meant No, I’m not interested. Have an open mind guys…
after attending it, I guess then, you’ll have the rright to react…otherwise refrain.
someone called me in the name of Harmond Santos yesterday, he told me na cause i’m from quezon city science highschool, i would fit daw on the job he is offering me since they know na matatalino daw tga qsci nga and ayun i’m asking for the name of the company over and over but then he keeps on telling me an acronym so i asked him what that acronym means but instead of saying what does NSP Phil. means he just then told me it’s an international company… that added sa kaba ko and then good thing i was infront of the pc i’ve googled everything he told me and BOOM after googling 15th floor octagon building this came out hehehe. nakaisip agad ako na mag CTZen pAtrol b un or XXX hehe cause it’s some sort of a panloloko ryt?
well now that i’ve heard more about them, i wouldn’t say the business is a scam. it’s just that the methods they employ to recruit people just leave so much room for doubt. they’re not honest and straightforward to begin with, which most of the time misleads you to believe it’s another job opportunity than just a networking thing.
i guess that’s what most people have against them, kaya ang daming negative reactions about it.
Guys please visit this site http://www.falseprofits.com/MLM%20Lies.html, I am sure this will enlightens you about the so called ” MLM’s”. but still have an open mind. Any ways, I was also invited to this thing just last week. My friend/office mate invited me, same thing she did not tell me anything about it which made me doubtful, she said business-business, part time, money but since she’s my friend and I know her a lot I eventually committed to her. The location was in Makati not in Octagon Bldg. As I arrived there, I finally met her up line who is her sister who also came from my company. At first she just asked questions about my financial needs and everything and pre-qualified me to find out if I am qualified. Later on, The seminar starts, there was two speakers who seem to be professionals and came from a highly paid company. They tackled about the products, the company and the three ways to earn money, which is selling, recruiting business partners and so on. Everything was great except that I need to pull out P12,600 from my pocket, but guys, mind you I got so interested and saw some opportunities if you will just strive and think of ways to sell the products, well recruiting is one also but I think if would be nice and more professional if they will say something about the company, so people will not have a negative thought about it. But any ways, the offer is really the company, I have made research, a lot of research and really convinced knowing that my friend was referred by her sister and finally joined because she has a proof already that there is really a money in this business not just by recruiting but also by selling, and the company itself has a credibility, look at the brighter side guys, don’t just base your decision from others opinion, make a research guys, there’s nothing such as easy money, everything starts in a small things. Right now I’m still thinking If I’ll join, my only problem was the money to start but that ‘s being resolved because my friend’s sister is willing to shoulder half of the amount to start. Now I’m just planning things, and thinking. So far I am not being forced or harassed so that another good thing. If ever I sign up, I’ll let you know guys and personally tell everyone what happened. That’s all for now. God Bless!!!!
i googled the same floor and building as i was also invited. bright light shone on me when i saw and read your article. thanks! dami talagang manloloko noh?
Hi! i was also a victim of their false recruitment strategy. After experiencing it again yesterday, i decided to post my experience and comment about it. Hope people would become more aware of this.
My post is at: http://pusangkalye.com/2008/09/09/beware-of-pharmanex-nuskin-recruitment-strategy/
[...] to Detect Misrepresentation in JOBS i almost fell for that one – NUskin New Recruitment Strategies By Companies? Recruitment Strategy? Beware and Be Aware! The Networking [...]
you know what, i was also called by those people you mention and i even went to the office , i saw the whole thing and it was so informative, i really didn’t find it something to be BEWAREd of or sinasabi nilang scam. In my opinion after researching intelectually and looking at the facts of the company, i truly am interested. I think their company is much stable than those company i know na nandito sa pinas for awhile na, im an accountant you see, so i mean im also very critical on those things (credibility, stability of the company and good products). Ako, opinion ko lng naman ito, I have been reading alot of negative things about their company pero lahat ng nagcomment ng bad thing sa kanila hindi naman pala nakapunta and kung nakapunta man, they don’t understand the whole concept of their business they been too( hay nako pinoy tlga tayo nasa Crab mentality parin). Im not part of them ha pero im thinkg about it kasi i saw the whole thing and naintindihan ko kaya im commenting on this. The people i saw there are mostly professional people and mind you hindi ordinary lng, cguro meron din mga student pero cguro nga yun yung mga sinabi nila dito sa blog na nag misrepresent yun hindi ko alam ha,tsaka share ko lng din, the person who invited me over was a licensed Cum Laude engineer na nameet ko lng sa Mall, and he was really very nice and credible person kasi his parents are even into business. NAisip ko na rin yun na baka scam ito pero i don’t think that guy would risk his name para lng kumita ng konte dba, come to think of it he must have seen something truly big to be doing it. Anyway, dun sa naginvite sa akin, thank you kasi it has open my mind to big opportunity in the future. And to those people reading this blog be open don’t just rush into a decision dahil sa opinion ng iba. BE SMART and dn’t rely your decision with the good and bad opinion of other people around you, kaya nga tayo binigyan ng DIYOS ng free will para gamitin ang SARILING brain dba, wag magrely sa brain ng iba hehheh (opinion lng nila yan), malay natin mas may laman ang brain mo ehhehe joke lng. Anyway, GOD BLESS….
Tulad ng sinabi ng comment #28, do not rely on OPINIONS of others… lalo na kung distributor/associate/cult member na ng NU SKIN. They have something to protect, you know, like their “investment”.
may ibang “CULT MEMBERS”, who would say, “Harvard teaches Network Marketing Sales.” Sus… desperate talaga na ma-respeto. Pati pangalan ng Harvard gagamitin.
Sinulat in Mr. Fogg:
Network Marketing Sales is not taught at Harvard and Stanford business schools — or in “numerous other leading colleges and universities throughout the country”. Truth is, most of them detest us. They don’t understand us and do not care to. As Harvard ‘B’ School professor Thomas Bonora recently said in an article in Marketing News:
We do not teach such methods [MLM] at the Harvard Business School; they are not part of the curriculum; to my knowledge, they are not taught at this or any other reputable business school in the country . . . Multi-Level Marketing schemes, like chain letters and other devices, sometimes are at the borderline of what is legal — and over the borderline of what is ethical . . .
He concluded by saying that examples of legit MLMs are few and far between. Not a glowing endorsement for such a valuable curriculum.
Harvard has reviewed a case study of Mary Kay Cosmetics. Also, there are courses in “Networking” as it pertains to management resources. That’s it. Stanford refuses to discuss the subject.
http://www.mlmwatch.org/01General/mlmlies.html
catchdascammers.multiply.com
I noticed that it had been a year since somebody replied on your blog. Just recently Anne invited me to go to 15 flr Robinsons bank san miguel ave branch ortigas pasig city. At first I was skeptical kasi ndi sinabi nung girl ung name ng company. When I was there I asked the security guard what was it all about tapos sbi nya direct selling daw. Gusto ko n sana umalis kaso the girl who called me was there already. I asked her what position is she offering sbi nya trainee daw. Sabi ko “to do what?” ndi nya sinagot and then she changed the topic. Then the presention started and the speakers were very good. Ung una cum laude daw from UP tapos ung sumunod graduate daw ng ateneo (Daniel). After less than an hour of listening to them, they mentioned something about life pak, living a luxurious life, how we can make a lot of money by recruiting others and eventually became a blue diamond. When the presenation ended the questions in my mind were still unanswered so I directly said to Anne that im not interested cause im having a gut feeling that it was mlm. When I got home I googled pharmanex and it confirmed my instinct. The next day I texted anne and asked if she is happy with her job. She said that she is proud and happy with her company. Maybe because it worked for her. Well good for her. I just dont think it will work for me as well cause i dont believe in their marketing strategy and recruitment process.
MLM is legitimate…. but it is not for everybody.
When I was invited, I already hear about all sorts of negative comments about network marketing, and aware of pyramid scams. However,ako kasi yung tao na hindi basta basta naniniwala sa iba, keso positive or negative ang comment or ano pang klaseng tao yung nagsabi. opinions are a dime a dozen….. funny kasi kahit sino merong opinion, successful man or totally walang idea about it.
so i still went to see what the caller was talking about.bottomline is, if it does not make sense, e di just say “no, i’m not interested” but not before makita ko. wala nman mawawala.
everything made sense. the company, the products, even the marketing plan. 25 years and listed in the NYSE, 5A-1 Dun and Bradstreet, pricewaterhouse coopers? well, di lang siguro literate ang mga ibang sumulat dito about what that means so i pity you.
but of course hindi pa rin ako naniwala agad… i researched in the internet about their claims, everything is there.i even called a friend from isla lipana (pricewaterhouse coopers) tska D&B…everything is true.
o yeah, blogs with negative things to say about nu skin are all over the internet too. i read about it and karamihan naman di nakita or nagresearch man lang tapos kung ano sinasabi? ganyan ba talaga kayo mag isip? you arrive at decisions not backed by the right information? chismis lang? ang loser nyo naman. atenista pa yung iba…
well, right now, im still researching on mga infos about the company. so far magaganda naman nakikita ko and parang gusto ko na rin subukan. P12,600 is small for a business franchise if kikita ka naman. mas mahal pa cellphone o laptop ko jan. and im not afraid of challenges.
Dr. M.D.
well, i think the worst thing about the company is how they invite you to go to their business opportunity meeting… naturn off rin ako pero pumunta pa rin ako. tapos naintindihan ko naman kung bakit hindi daw kelangan i-divulge lahat after iexplain sa akin nung caller kung bakit.so kung ganun, talagang hindi lahat magbabalak pumunta kasi hindi naman lahat kagaya ko mag-isip, o mahina loob… pero ok na rin kasi advantage yun, less competition sa market…
Thanks for posting. I used this link of yours for reference. Here’s the location on where I used it:
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=59533574&posted=1#post59533574