diff --git a/public/join-now.js b/public/join-now.js
index 79c7a3a..eb7a454 100644
--- a/public/join-now.js
+++ b/public/join-now.js
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ fetch('/api/public/config').then(function(r){return r.json()}).then(function(c){
       // personal invite: ?ref=<id> -> place in that member's leg via the site's moving-link joinTarget
       var qp=new URLSearchParams(location.search);
       var ref=qp.get('ref');
+      // No ?ref on the URL? Fall back to the invite cookie set when this visitor landed on
+      // someone's /join/<id> page. Without this a prospect who wandered through the nav
+      // enrolled under the company rotation and the inviter lost the referral.
+      if(!ref){ try{ var ck=document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;\s*)rmc_ref=(\d{1,15})/); if(ck)ref=ck[1]; }catch(e){} }
       // Direct link (?direct=1): opt out of rotation — register straight under
       // the inviter (spillover in their team), never the next-to-qualify member.
       if(ref&&/^\d{1,15}$/.test(ref)&&qp.get('direct')==='1'){
diff --git a/public/start.js b/public/start.js
index 70e8b38..d4b53ab 100644
--- a/public/start.js
+++ b/public/start.js
@@ -1,10 +1,49 @@
 let currentSponsor=null;
+// Who invited this visitor, if anyone. A prospect who arrived on /join/<id> and then tapped
+// a nav link used to land here and be offered the COMPANY rotation position instead — the
+// inviter lost the referral just because the prospect clicked "Training" first. The invite
+// is remembered in the rmc_ref cookie (set when the invite page was served) and can also be
+// passed explicitly as ?ref=<id>.
+function invitedBy(){
+  try{
+    const q=new URLSearchParams(location.search).get('ref');
+    if(q&&/^\d{1,15}$/.test(q))return q;
+    const m=document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;\s*)rmc_ref=(\d{1,15})/);
+    if(m)return m[1];
+  }catch(e){}
+  return null;
+}
 async function load(){
   try{
-    const [cr,sr]=await Promise.all([fetch('/api/public/config'),fetch('/api/public/current-sponsor')]);
+    const ref=invitedBy();
+    const [cr,sr]=await Promise.all([
+      fetch('/api/public/config'),
+      fetch(ref?('/api/public/member?id='+encodeURIComponent(ref)):'/api/public/current-sponsor')
+    ]);
     const c=await cr.json(); const s=await sr.json();
     if(!sr.ok)throw new Error(s.error||'No sponsor assigned');
-    currentSponsor=s.sponsor;
+    if(ref&&s.registered){
+      // Route exactly the way that member's own invite page would: their moving link sends
+      // the join to the next position in their leg, unless their position is set to take
+      // direct placements. Same rules, so the two pages can never disagree.
+      const t=(s.directDefault||!s.joinTarget)?{id:s.id,referralUrl:s.referralUrl,directCount:s.directCount}:s.joinTarget;
+      currentSponsor={id:t.id,name:null,directs:(t.directCount!==undefined?t.directCount:0),goal:2,referralUrl:t.referralUrl};
+      // say whose team this is, so it never reads as an anonymous "current placement"
+      const badge=document.querySelector('.live-badge');
+      if(badge){
+        const dot=badge.querySelector('.dot');
+        badge.textContent=' '+(String(t.id)===String(ref)?('Invited by Member #'+ref):('Member #'+ref+"'s team"));
+        if(dot)badge.insertBefore(dot,badge.firstChild);
+      }
+      const jb=document.getElementById('joinButton');
+      if(jb)jb.textContent=(String(t.id)===String(ref)?('Join Member #'+ref+"'s Team →"):('Join '+'#'+ref+"'s Team →"));
+      const note=document.getElementById('queueText');
+      if(note&&String(t.id)!==String(ref)){
+        note.textContent='Member #'+ref+' is already qualified, so your entry fills the next open spot in their team (#'+t.id+').';
+      }
+    }else{
+      currentSponsor=s.sponsor;
+    }
     if(c.siteName){document.title=`Get Started | ${c.siteName}`;const bn=document.getElementById('brandName');if(bn)bn.textContent=c.siteName}
     document.getElementById('sponsorId').textContent=`ID ${currentSponsor.id}`;
     document.getElementById('sponsorIdInline').textContent=currentSponsor.id;
@@ -17,9 +56,15 @@ async function load(){
       var usd=Math.round(c.premiumEntryPol*c.polUsd);
       ['entryUsd','entryUsd2'].forEach(function(id){var el=document.getElementById(id);if(el)el.textContent=' (~$'+usd+' today — POL’s price moves)';});
     }
-    document.getElementById('joinButton').href='/join-now';
+    // carry the inviter through to enrolment — /join-now already knows how to place a
+    // ?ref properly (direct placement or next open spot in their leg). Without this the
+    // button dropped the referral on the floor and enrolled under the company rotation.
+    document.getElementById('joinButton').href='/join-now'+(ref?('?ref='+encodeURIComponent(ref)):'');
     {const dl=document.getElementById('dappJoinLink');if(dl&&currentSponsor.referralUrl){dl.href=currentSponsor.referralUrl;dl.classList.remove('hidden');}}
-    document.getElementById('queueText').textContent=c.showQueueProgress?`${s.waitingCount} team placement${s.waitingCount===1?'':'s'} waiting behind the current sponsor.`:'';
+    // the company-queue line only means anything on the company-rotation path
+    // only on the company-rotation path — the invited path already wrote its own line here
+    if(!ref)document.getElementById('queueText').textContent=(c.showQueueProgress&&s.waitingCount!==undefined)
+      ?`${s.waitingCount} team placement${s.waitingCount===1?'':'s'} waiting behind the current sponsor.`:'';
     document.getElementById('supportBox').textContent=c.supportLabel||'Contact your team sponsor if you need help before joining.';
     if(c.telegramUrl){const w=document.getElementById('supportLinkWrap'),a=document.getElementById('supportLink');a.href=c.telegramUrl;w.classList.remove('hidden')}
   }catch(e){
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index 8914c5c..c0d3659 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -1786,7 +1786,16 @@ function serveMemberPage(req,res,file,kind,id){
   ].join('');
   html=html.replace(/<meta\s+(?:property="og:[^"]*"|name="twitter:[^"]*")[^>]*>/gi,'');
   html=html.replace(/(<head[^>]*>)/i,`$1${og}`);
-  res.writeHead(200,securityHeaders({'Content-Type':'text/html; charset=utf-8','Cache-Control':'no-cache'}));
+  const head={'Content-Type':'text/html; charset=utf-8','Cache-Control':'no-cache'};
+  // Remember who invited this visitor. Terry hit this on 2026-09-18: a prospect opens
+  // /join/840, taps "Training" in the nav, and by the time they reach /start the site has
+  // forgotten him and offers the COMPANY rotation position instead — his referral, handed
+  // to a stranger. The invite is the referral, so it has to outlive the one page it landed
+  // on. 30 days, Lax so it survives a normal click-through from anywhere.
+  if(kind==='join'&&/^\d{1,15}$/.test(String(id))){
+    head['Set-Cookie']='rmc_ref='+id+'; Path=/; Max-Age=2592000; SameSite=Lax'+(IS_PROD?'; Secure':'');
+  }
+  res.writeHead(200,securityHeaders(head));
   res.end(html);
 }
 const server=http.createServer(async(req,res)=>{