If money is tight now
If an MLM put you in debt
A lot of people spend more than they earn in an income opportunity. If that happened to you, it does not make you foolish, and you are not alone. There is free help, and you can start small.
Start here:
- Spending more than you earned is common, not a personal failing.
- You can stop new costs today, even before you have a full plan.
- Legitimate help with debt is free or low-cost.
- You do not have to fix everything at once.
First, stop new costs
Before anything else, pause the spending that keeps adding up. Cancel autoship and recurring orders, and stop buying inventory or tickets while you sort things out.
- Use a template to cancel autoship and request refunds.
- Check your refund and return deadlines — some are short.
- Dispute charges and report what happened if you were billed after cancelling.
Free and low-cost help
These are government and nonprofit resources. We do not endorse any specific company.
- Debt basics: How to get out of debt, from the FTC.
- Credit counseling: learn what credit counseling is from the CFPB, and find an agency on the U.S. Trustee Program's approved list.
- Legal aid: if you need legal help and cannot afford a lawyer, find local aid through the Legal Services Corporation.
Be careful who you pay for help. Legitimate credit counseling is free or low-cost. Be cautious
of anyone who asks for a large upfront payment to settle or erase your debt, or who guarantees results. You do
not have to pay to get reliable help.
Useful next pages
- Leaving an MLM: calm next steps
- Already joined? Review where you stand
- Add up what you spent and received
- If you recruited friends or family
Sources
-
Regulator guidance
How To Get Out of Debt
-
Regulator guidance
What is credit counseling?
-
Consumer assistance resource
Credit Counseling and Debtor Education Information
-
Consumer assistance resource
Get Legal Help
Correction request
To request a correction, email corrections@boringanddevastating.com with the page URL and the specific text at issue.