I had a friend in college who got drunk on Spring Break and ended up buying one in Cancun or South Padre, forget where. He blathered on for months afterwards about how great of a deal it was and how we all should do it.
Long story short: If someone is desperately trying to drag you into a financial decision they have made, it's a crock of shit 99.9% of the time. You could see the need of validation in my friend's eyes, and that was a huge red flag. It's like when someone keeps texting you from a party saying "this is so awesome! you need to come!" Clearly if the party was so great, they wouldn't bother texting you.
It wasn't drunken shenanigans, but I had two separate friends, in two separate social circles, over the course of two years, get sucked into this pyramid scheme that was disguised as a nutrition business.
Their business model was to sell supplements that helped you lose weight, gain muscle, or get through your day with more energy and the right nutritional values. You sold them to your friends/family/coworkers. You kept 75% of the profit, and 25% went to the guy above you that got you "in."
They were operating on two fronts:
1. They want you to buy the initial supplements, your "starter kit," for $150. Even if you don't sell any after that and turn into a salesman, they've got your initial cash and are happy.
2. If you actually DO start to make sales, the guy above you is making cash while doing nothing.
The first friend that got into it invited me over to his house for a "side job" to make some "quick cash." I got there and 5 of us poor schmucks that got dragged into it sat through a two hour video about the company, followed by an hour-long sales pitch from our friend, with timely help from the "Regional Sales Executive."
The regional sales guy pulled me over and tried to hard-sell me on ordering a starter kit and asked if I "wanted to start living like a baller." I told him 6 or 7 times that I was a poor college student, and didn't have the cash to even get a starter kit. I knew this was all a ploy for them to make quick cash, and if someone turned in legit sales, it was a bonus. He kept trying to sell me, at one point offering me HIS phone so I could call other friends or my parents and ask for the money to get in, as I told him mine was dead and I needed to leave.
I kept turning him down, and the poor guy kept trying different techniques, one after another, with no transition. I could see him going through his sales manual in his head.
I never called that friend again after I left the house during their second film presentation.
My second friend, who was in my major and knew what my professional interests were, called me and played me for a fool. Got me all excited about a job opportunity that he "couldn't talk about specifically," but knew I'd "love" it. Purposefully got all cryptic and made me think that he was doing me a solid. He passed me along the contact info for the people that were "really interested in my skills that we heard about from our friend [Shitty Friend]!"
I got all excited, thinking he hooked me up with what could be my big break... so I called, and a lady asked if I could meet her at a McDonald's near my house to have lunch and discuss the job. A MCDONALDS.
I told her I had other work lined up, and made her give me the hard sell. After 20 mins on the phone going around in circles, me asking about the job and her refusing to answer, she finally told me that she had an opportunity in selling some dietary stuff for a business that was going to "shut GNC's doors." I got super ultra pissed that a separate friend, that had no idea who my other friend was, had gotten sucked into this thing a year later and wanted to bring me in on it.
I told the lady that I'd love to meet at McDonalds for a lunch meeting, and that we could iron out the details. Acted like I was all-in on this deal. She confirmed with me three times that week, as she'd be driving an hour from another meeting to try and get me all set up.
She called me on the day we were supposed to meet. I let her go to voicemail twice. The first was nice, the second she was already mad. I answered her third call and asked her if she conducted all of her business with people she "really wanted to work with" at FUCKING MCDONALDS. I hung up on her and texted my friend to tell him what a jackoff he was. Haven't spoken to him since, but I'd like to think he lost a bunch of money on buying supplements he didn't sell and/or his regional sales lady gave him the boot for a shitty referral.
Ruining her day was probably worth it all though.
