IS AMWAY A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY?

WILL AMWAY MAKE YOU ANNOYING?

steve howarth writes:

So the cycle of deception perpetuates itself ad nauseum. Amway is, lets face it guys…effing SATANIC.

How many decades of deluded hopefuls have been chewed up and spat out by this systemic, geared deception? “…Check Upline??? My arse!

Keep your OWN COUNCIL. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN FAMILIES.And, while you are at it GET A LIFE!. Amway is a latter day diabolic/infernal/global manifestation.

If you doubt me, just ask yourselves how much are you GETTING OUT OF THIS in the HERE AND NOW?

I am, of course, assuming you have all been diligent enough to read “Merchants of Deception”* by a certain deluded Amway Diamond?

To quote from Jack Lemmons character in Glengarry Glen Ross….”Im done with ya!”

* Steve Howarth is referring to a free ebook called Masters of Deception by former Amway insider Eric Scheibeler.  According to retired Assistant Attorney General Bruce Craig:

“Mr. Scheibeler’s book is a chilling portrayal of the process by which intelligent people can persist for years in pursuing the Amway dream while making no money. It is all the more significant because he earned his way to one of the highest distributor levels in the Company….I learned of similar experiences from ex-distributors when I interviewed them for the State of Wisconsin’s Amway litigation in the early 80’s. Such conditioning may explain why the tax returns (obtained for this litigation) of all active Wisconsin Direct Distributors, the company’s top 1%, showed an average net income of minus $900. Why did these men and women persist….under these economic circumstances? Eric Scheibelers book answers this question for those whose minds are clear enough to read
its pages.”

– BRUCE A. CRAIG, retired Assistant Attorney General, Wisconsin Department of Justice – Office of  Consumer Protection (This statement is my own and not that of the State of Wisconsin)

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image:  Amway/Quixtar

Post from: EveryJoe

Is AMWAY “Effing Satanic?”

Something that has been overlooked in most of the criticisms of Amway/Quixtar is the Registration Contract itself. Unless you are an attorney, you have no idea just how restrictive, one-sided, and dangerous it is to sign an Amway Independent Distributor Registration Agreement.

First, if you never achieve any success with Amway, you don’t risk much by signing the contract. But if you reach a level that the corporation considers successful and then try to leave, watch out!!

On the back of this form, Item 6 describes Amway Global’s Proprietary Information and Trade Secrets. This paragraph states that any information in the Line of Sponsorship is the proprietary, trade secret information owned exclusively by Amway. This means that even though you will spend time, gas money, and money for other sales materials; you convince a friend or family member to join Amway; you collect their personal information; and you enter that information into Amway’s system—now that information is owned exclusively by Amway and you cannot use it without their express permission and ONLY to build your Amway business. Why does this matter? See Item 8.

Item 8 is the Non-Solicitation Agreement. Any normal person would define “solicitation” as the act of urging, persuading, petitioning, or requesting. For example, you resign from Amway, and twelve months later join another network marketing company. You and I would define solicitation as actively calling other associates in Amway and encouraging them to quit and join you in your new venture. You are I are wrong!!

Here is an example:

You resign from Amway. You wait out the “non-compete” and six months later you join a different network marketing company. You and I would think that we cannot call or otherwise contact another Amway IBO to ask him to join your new business for two years, according to the non-solicitation clause. You and I are wrong!

A former associate from your Line of Sponsorship in Amway calls you seven months after you left Amway, asks if you are involved in another business, and asks you to give him some information about that new business. The Amway Global attorney says that unless you say “no,” you are guilty of solicitation and have violated this clause!

On the front of the Registration Agreement is the Agreement to Mediate and Arbitrate any disputes. Seems harmless enough, until you realize the truth. If Amway decides you have violated any of it’s Rules, it can haul you in to arbitration. The arbitrator is selected from a company that relies on large corporations like Amway for business, so they are automatically biased. (In other words, if they rule against Amway, Amway won’t bring them any more business!) Arbitration is binding—you have no recourse when you are ruled against. And Arbitration is secret, so you and I have no way of knowing how many other existing and former IBOs have been sued in Arbritration and lost.

Further, you must pay one-half of all the Arbitration costs, currently running about $6,000 per day. And any arbitration judgement will be upheld in court, so once the ruling is made, you are stuck.

Don’t believe me? I achieved the Emerald level in Quixtar. The most I ever made was $75,000 one year from Quixtar. In 2007 there was a big upheaval and Quixtar issued a statement saying “Just Go, Team.” As a result, most of the IBOs in my group quit. Many more did not renew in 2008. So I quit also—what’s the point of building a business if the company will not protect it? Mind you, I resigned AFTER most of the people in my group had already quit.

Seven months later I joined another network marketing company. A few of the people who were formerly in my Quixtar group contacted me and asked to join my new business. I made sure they had completed their six-month non-compete in Quixtar’s rules, and then registered them with my new business.

Quixtar has sued me in Arbitration saying that I violated the Non-Solicitation clause. They are asking for millions of dollars in damages because of the lost business I caused them. (Remember, these are people who had already quit Quixtar before I quit!!!) I have to take this seriously because I will be held to any judgement the arbitrator decides on. And the last guy that I know of who was sued by Quixtar in arbitration was ordered to pay Quixtar $12 million.

Don’t believe me? Buyer, beware.

Related Reading:

IS AMWAY A SCAM?

AMWAY: An MLM Scam? Recent Comments

WILL AMWAY MAKE YOU ANNOYING?

REAL MLM TALES: Share Your MultiLevel Marketing Experiences

IS AMWAY A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

logo:  Amway

Post from: EveryJoe

AMWAY /QUIXTAR Contract Warning

Brad doesn’t think so.  on 2009/08/22 at 9:24am Brad wrote:

So many times have we all read posts from those who claim to be CEOs, heads of corporations, multi-millionaires, billionaires, etc. yet can’t get a simple point across or insist on bashing and finger-pointing.

The bottom line is that it is not something for nothing, or pie in the sky, as L-Dub calls it, but the success can be very real if you are willing to put in the work. If you do not like doing some of the things that will help your business grow, such as attending meetings, attending team callings, functions, reading books, listening to the CD’s and things of that nature, I would implore you to ask yourself whether you would prefer to wake up at 6 A.M. every day, sit in bumper to bumper traffic, have to ask your boss for a raise vs. creating one for yourself, work 5 days a week to have 2 off, get 2 weeks of vacation a year…I think you can see where this is going.

It’s a matter of priorities. At first I didn’t see the value in reading books, attending meetings or listening to CD’s, but as I did those things I found myself learning, and growing as a person and developing the skill set I need to lead a large team. As time went on, I found that my upline/crossline beleived in my wife and I even at the times that we didn’t beleive in ourselves…and we are pretty motivated.

However everybody has moments of weakness at times. I look forward to doing the things that the PROVEN team teaches me so that I may look forward to a lifetime of success. Also, for those that are on here to find answers to questions and gain some clarity…meetings, books, CD’s, functions….they are all optional.

Amway distributors are self-employed and may operate their business how they see fit. If you do find benefit in such things, the cost is negligible. The books are common books that you can buy at any bookstore for $10-15 a piece. The CD’s are $7.50 a piece. The weekly meetings are $4 for admission, and that is simply to cover the cost of renting the building, not to turn a profit. We aren’t talking about high dollar acquisitions here, and the value of the knowledge that you gain from that $10 book will far surpass what you paid for it.

Does it cost money to start up your business? Yes…my initial investment was appx. $175, and there is a $50 annual renewal fee. You may liken that to annual dues that warehouse club-type stores charge for the “privelige” of shopping with them.

Are the products overpriced? Not hardly. Popular energy drinks that stores sell cost around $2.25 per can. Amway’s brand costs $1.85. Amway’s laundry soap costs less on a cost-per-use basis than the major brand most people use, and outperforms it to boot.

In closing, I would like to say that I paid $300 for an Xbox 360 and I’m pretty sure that when I beat the final boss on Rainbow Six Vegas that the console won’t spit out $75,000. My $175 initial investment for an Amway IBOship however? Well, not yet, but the potential is there at least. And that’s more than most people can say for what they are doing.

Jeffrey Feldman has a different take on the Amway MLM opportunity. At 2009/08/25 at 1:19am,  Jeffrey wrote:

Amway was a mixed bag for me. I lost money buying lots of overpriced products and marketing materials. I do believe some products they have are exceptional – like SA-8. Problems is that it is WAY more expensive. I cant see spending 7 dollars on toothpaste when I get get one that will do a satisfactory job at Walgreens for one dollar.

I beleive many in my former upline were making their money buy selling books, tapes, and seminars. And thats ok to a point because it really did help me – but really made me go broke too fast.

I am glad I found something else. Best wishes for those that stay with it.

Jeff

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Post from: EveryJoe

AMWAY: An MLM Scam? Recent Comments

Our post IS AMWAY A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY? prompted thirstyfox to share what happened when her sister joined AMWAY/QUIXTAR:

My sis was in it once, wasted all her time and in the end made little or nothing.

She got back into it recently against everyones advice.  It’s like a cult that turns you against your family so you don’t listen to them. Now she has no time for family, just scamming strangers and wasting her time away with unfullfilled dreams.

The constant meetings are to keep you brainwashed.   It’s all a scam and she knows it herself now as she tries to get others in “under her.”  Hard to see her as a Christian anymore when she does this, and it’s sad to see all the time she loses when she could be raising her kids.

I’ll never understand how she could be so stupid. I asked her why she got in it last time and she said of course money.  Then I asked her what she got out of it and she replied defensivly “I met a lot of very interesting people!”  I think that about says it all and if it didn’t work for my sis it won’t work for anyone.

All the BS they tell you about how well this that and the other person did or is doing is all lies so they can get your money.  98% of all Quixtar products are sold ONLY to stupid Quixtar members themselves, yet they go around saying they own a business???

Don’t give them a second of your time.

What do you think?  Does Multi-level “Network” Marketing make people annoying?  Is thirstyfox right that MLM consists of stupid members selling only to other stupid members?  Share your MLM story below.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

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Post from: EveryJoe

WILL AMWAY MAKE YOU ANNOYING?

Amway? Avon? Cutco Knives (Vector Marketing) Equinox? Forever Living? Goji Juice? Herbalife? Juice Plus? Longaberger Baskets? Mannatech? Mary Kay? Meleleuca? National Safety Associates (NSA)? Nu Skin? Primerica? Quixtar? Shaklee? Tahitian Noni? Tupperware? USANA Health Sciences? VitaMark? Watkins Incorporated? World Financial Group?

What was your experience like? Did you make money? What was your most unforgettable experience?

Do you still sell via multilevel marketing?

Is multilevel marketing a scam or a legitimate but misunderstood marketing method?

Which is the best MLM program? Which is the worst?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

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Unbiased franchise information, franchise interviews and detailed, searchable information on 400 franchise and business opportunities..

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Post from: EveryJoe

REAL MLM TALES: Share Your MultiLevel Marketing Experiences

With a brutally tough economy, record high foreclosures and widespread personal financial woes, many are looking for additional ways to earn some cash or start a new business. That means it’s boom time for those who are hawking business opportunities and multilevel marketing schemes. But what is MLM fact and what is MLM fiction?

AMWAY is arguably the most successful (or at least best known) “direct sales” organization in history. Yet there is so much negativity around the AMWAY name that much of the AMWAY website is dedicated to dispelling “What you may have heard” from AMWAY detractors.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS AMWAY A LEGITIMATE DIRECT SALES ORGANIZATION HELPING INDIVIDUALS REACH THEIR POTENTIAL – OR A BIG SCAM? HAVE YOU EVER SOLD AMWAY? WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE?

COMMENTS – PRO & CON – INVITED BELOW.

Post from: EveryJoe

IS AMWAY A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY?