A conversation with a friend actually doing Lampe Berger stuff. Edited for clarity and length.

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Suanie: You still in Lampe Berger ar?

Friend: Ya. Why? Recently a lot of people asking me the same question. Apa kang tau?

Suanie: LOL. Anti Lampe Berger, Lampe Berger Help, Mack.

Friend: Haha..

Suanie: Going to be hoo haa.

Friend: There will always be some bad apples in a basket. Those are not news to us anymore.

Suanie:So are you really selling lamps?

Friend: Yes I am. Not doing recruiting anymore, only servicing existing customers. All the while there are problems like these. Just that it is getting more serious.

Suanie: Yeah. Did you pay RM30k?

Friend: Nope. Why suddenly so keen on Lampe Berger?

Suanie: Asking only mah. I don’t want you to get into trouble.

Friend: Basically it is a business, if you treat it as such. It will turn into a scam, if you want it to be. That’s the thing with MLM. Hard to control human behaviour. I stopped doing recruiting because the market is getting worst day to day by those people who treat it as a money game.

Suanie: Basically people are scared la.

Friend : Our whole group stopped doing recruiting. There’s one group really siao one… very fierce. They are the ones who make the whole market bad.

Suanie: Do the Lampe Berger lamps work?

Friend: Yes they do. But it is a natural way of healing. So different people will have different time frame to see the effects.

Suanie: What does it heal?

Friend: Different aromas will have different usage lar…

Suanie: Continue writing k.. I am going to take a nap.

Friend: There are certain aromas for healing migraines, stress… Normally we approach people only when we see that they have a need for the products, or the opportunity to make money. Some who benefited from the product will become a distributor. It’s like you ate something good at Jogoya, you’d share it with others la. But in MLM you can make money from it lor. That’s it.

Friend: Some people might say, earning money from friends is not good. Just think the other way round. If you open a restaurant, you ask your friends not to come to your restaurant meh? Or you always treat them to dinner? It’s a perception… if you really look at it from a business point of view, MLM is also a type of business. The problem is, nobody can really control how people use it.

Friend: Although the government do have rules and regulations and laws about it, but it is still hard to control because it is run by humans. You can’t stop people from throwing price and all that crap. That’s why it might turn into a scam not unfamiliar with certain MLM, causing people to be scared and wary.

Friend: About Lampe Berger…. depends on what aroma you are using. For example, eucalyptus will help in healing asthma, bronchitis, sinus, breathing problems etc. Roses will help balance the hormones, blood circulation etc. Lavender helps with snoring and insomnia problems as well as release stress. Apple helps to whet your appetite and some detoxification. Sandal wood helps you to be calm, is used for meditation and some constipation problems.

Friend: That’s about aroma lah. It can also increase small amount of oxygen level, is anti-bacteria etc. No matter what aroma you use, these are the common effects. Aromatherapy is a type of alternative healing la… like yoga, spa… but in a natural way. Not like western medication which suppresses the illness… Natural like Chinese medication, using herbs to heal, finding the root of the illness.

Friend: That’s all lah… I lazy to write some more… Go here la.

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I don’t support MLM scams; I don’t really believe in MLMs. All my life I’ve stayed away from the “give me some money now and see more money later!” stuff, except for a couple of insurance policies. Someone comes to me with a catalogue and a massive grin, I’d run for my life.

However I thought there might be another side to it, people who actually believe in the product and not the highly inappropriate recruiting methods, hence the conversation above. What my friend said is true — MLM can be a legitimate way to make money. I personally know of people who are so involved with companies such as AMWAY that it is their full-time job. Good for them.

Recommendations is a way of life. Someone could recommend to you a job, a car, a date. I could recommend to you a movie, a restaurant or a blog. Another person could recommend to you their insurance company’s latest policy, or a doctor down the road who could give you a fake MC. It is unfortunate that there is a loop in Lampe Berger’s hierarchy and many people are irresponsibly taking lucrative advantage of it.

RM30k… wtf… *slaps your head*.