RLS: selling in the group

[Guest guest]

Ray's recent letter brought up an interesting subject...the idea of someone

selling their products within our group. Ray...yes, I saw that your

concern was a mistake in this case, but it could easily come up again with

others, and it made me want to share something that recently happened.

Because of my web site on RLS, I receive MANY responses from people who are

not in this group. I always recommend strongly that they join our group.

In many cases, they are looking for non-prescription methods to fight RLS,

so they get excited about my page and IF they have some methods of their

own that work, they freely share them. In about 1/3 of the cases (just a

rough guesstimate, of course), the people are taking supplements which

SOMEONE is selling. And in many of those cases, THEY are the ones selling

it, as distributors, or whatever their marketing group calls them. They

often report great results and suggest that I, too, try their products.

The only supplement I've ever tried, off a recommendation from a web site

reader, has been the DHA/Neuromins. The person who recommended them, as it

happens, was NOT selling them. The company does NOT use pyramid marketing.

MANY major companies sell their product (Solaray, Nature's Way, Source

Natural, etc.)

In many cases of letters I receive, if their letters came through the RLS

group list, I'd be telling them " HUSH UP!!!!! That's not allowed on our

list. " But they are writing to me privately, as a result of seeing my

pages. I know it's possible they've looked up RLS symptoms, are faking

their own case of it, and are just trying to sell me their product.

But.....I also know that I've become educated enough about it, to consider

their products without being bowled over by nonsense. I'm always

interested in the ingredients of their product. Recently, someone

contacted me and shared a great deal of information about his product. I

read up on all the ingredients in it, and, well, yes...I'll be the stuff

DOES help RLS. It had in it all the things that many of us have found

helpful, and a few things that have driven some of us totally nuts! (kava

kava, melatonin, valerian, passion flower....kewl stuff.) I'm sure it's a

good product for some people. Heck, I'd even be tempted to give it a try

some day.

This same person, wanted to join our group and tell ALL of us about his

great product. Well, as always, I highly recommended the group, but I

STRONGLY warned him about how totally unglued we'd become, and how vicious

we can be (and rightly so) when people try peddling their wares here,

amongst the suffering, hurting, miracle seeking, testy, sleep drived

zombies of the RLS world. (Just teasing, folks...if you're not in that

description, that's kewl!) We may be all that...but we aren't dummies!!!!

Anyhow, what I thought was interesting, was that the person DID join

the list (although I don't believe we've seen any letters from him), and

his response to me was that he had no clue how severe some people's RLS

could be. After reading a few letters, he realized that maybe his product

worked for him, because of his own variables that affected his RLS, but

that it might NOT work for everyone. He just thanked his lucky stars he

didn't have it as badly as some, and that he'd found something to help HIS

situation.

Personally, I think that's pretty kewl. There's no doubt, that we all get

excited when we find something that works...even if it works for only a

short time. And in many cases, if we find something works, we want to find

a cheaper way to purchase it. My understanding, from some people, is that

IF that product is only sold through a pyramid marketing program.....some

people will become distributors, just so they can get discounts on the

products they want for themselves. They don't necessarily want to sell it

or get rich on it. But they MIGHT still tell others they have it, use it,

swear by it...and yes...can sell it to them.

I'm just trying to describe how it could happen that we have people in our

group who DO have RLS, who DO use a product which they also sell, but who

are not really " using " our group as a place to push their wares. They

MIGHT just be sharing what they've found to be successful and found to be

cheapest if they sell it themselves.

Granted....that is probably the UNusual case. And I know we have to be on

the lookout for the MORE usual case, where dishonesty and the need for the

mighty dollar rules. I just thought that some of this would help some of

us be a little less jumpy in our responses...and a little less threathened

or outraged the minute we learn someone can sell us a certain product.

Heck, if I could get a distributorship of my suckers....I'd sell them, too,

and all of YOU would be my first contacts! *smirk* Just kidding, folks!

The final point is....IF you are concerned about someone, and think they

are here just to sell their product and not because they have RLS, or if

you just think they are pushing their wares inappropriately.....always feel

free to write to them privately and explain why we don't allow this in the

group. Also, be sure to pass a private email along to Jodi, asking her to

check this person out and warn them in her own stern but nice way, against

using us as their client source.

Jill, 46

Payson, AZ

http://www.netzone.com/~gunzel/rls.html