### Amway: The Untold Story

## Your Comments, Part 53

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Here are some of the responses I've received to the information on this page. I've left them as is, except for a) removing the names to protect privacy, and b) reformatting them to fit the screen better.

This is a long file...I suggest downloading it to your computer and reading it off-line.

My thanks to everyone who took the time to contribute their opinions.

[NOTE: Some of these messages contain offensive language]

j wonna tell you about two things... j agree with you and FUCK YUORSELF!!!

To whom it,

Is it only negative info you recieve? I have neighbors who are into Amway. However, they just got in. Two of their grandchilden have been adopted by a woman ( let's call her "Jane"). "Jane" has been in Amway for 4 years and has become extremely successful ( she makes more in a month then my husband will make in 6 mos.). The children's other grandparents got into Amway through "Jane" and have been doing it for 2 years. They are almost bringing in as much as "Jane" already! Our neighbors have been into Amway for a year, slacked off in that year, and are still bringing in an extra $200/ month.

I think you need to lose some negative engery and let the possiblity of good energy in! All the people mentioned above are the most positive people I have ever met! Maybe your on the wrong side of the fence! Mabe you need a little AMWAY IN YOUR LIFE!!!!!!

One of the many things I read is that "the internet will be the death of Amway, because noone with a modem and a clue would dare to join it."

I, until recently, had a modem, but today got a clue. I wonder if sharing this information with my prospective upline will be of any use to him, or if he'll reject my "negativity." He previously told me he didn't have access to the internet in the time he's been involved with Amway. I suppose that now makes sense. Regardless, I'm going to send him as much of the information I can. He deserves it for being a good guy, and for being generally interested in my welfare- the welfare of a stranger.

Some background: I am an intellegent college student who is about to graduate from Carnegie Mellon University. I sufferred recently from depression which made me suceptible to Amway because of the motivational attitude. Also I am broke, living off my girlfriend and father, and being under psychological help.

You just saved me, maybe, from years of hardship. Rather than getting my life back on track by finishing school and getting a job with my numerous computer skills, I coulda blown it. I wish I had some money to send you - you deserve it. So I'll tell you what. if you read my message, reply "give me five bucks, here's the address:", you'll get it.

p.s. I bet you wish they were ALL like this, heh?

We were intorduced to Amway through a neighbor and went to the orientation meeting. We were given the information packet and then decided to go online and get some impartial criticism. We just wanted you to know how valuable your pages were to us. I had heard of Amway previously and was very sceptical but now we will be giving the tools back and will not involved with Amway in any way. Thank you very much.

I'm not active in Amway at this time. I used to be a distributer a few years ago. I still think about it a lot. (what if) ect.... I'm a "sold out for God" christian. (Nothing to do with Amway). I was already a christian when I got in. I think that for the most part, the people that have written the "Angry at Amway" stuff, (AAA) really don't understand what it means to be a christian. Jesus is going to return soon. He's only looking for the cream of the crop. Now, I don't mean "The Rich". Don't misunderstand me. The word sais that "it is impossible to please God without Faith". Faith is the belief in the reallity of something that you cannot see. God for instance. We can't see him, but we believe that he's there. Or, we pray for something, or someone, and believe that it will come to pass. Speak it into exsistance. That's not Amway talk per-say. That's straight out of the Bible. All of the Apostle's taught on this. !st and 2nd Chorinthians, Galations, Ephesians, ect..... Read them for yourself. The people that show all of this anger toward Amway really don't seem to have the love of Christ in them. Amway is a real business venture. I know that a lot of people seem to point most of their anger at the "tapes, books, and fuctions". Well I have a Question. Do any of these people watch infomercials. Every Saturday, about 10 infomercials come on TV and try to convince you that they can teach you how to be a millionare in just a few months, for the un- believably low price of $ ?????.00 or 4 easy payments of 29.95....... It seems odd that they don't get sued by all the people that have bought their programs and failed. I saw one once. And I went to a siminar in my hometown, that was free. It was to learn how to buy property with no money down. I spent 5.5 hours in this siminar. So that at the end of it, they could tell me that they would teach me 1st hand how to do this for $3000.00. It would take 3 days to show me. I went there to learn how to make money, not to spend it. Nothing is really free. If you want something in life, you have to work for it. Bottom line. I''ve started my own business at home since all of this. You know what I've realized? That it's a lot like Amway. And every other business for that matter. There's you, there's product, and there's going out to tell people what you have to offer. And when your freinds buy from you, they expect something from nothing because they know you. But business owners can't put food on the table that way. No one starts a business NOT to make money. So why condem those who God has blessed and who have done the work. My paster once said, "no one sais anything about a bum sleeping under a bridge. But give that bum a million dollars, and let him buy a house and a new car, and the whole world will talk all grades of trash about him. You'll never get what you want, until 1st you quit talking trash about others, and 2nd, but most important, "SEEK YEE FIRST THE KINGDOM, AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART"

That's it. I'll write you again sometime.

What do you do for a living? Is someone or some Co. paying you to post all this information? You must have a motive for all this work. This didn't just take a couple of nights of work. If you have not been paid for this than you have spent a lot of time trying to hurt people that could make a good living with the bus. Please respond, if you have any balls.

I thought you might like to know that "wanting to make money",and having the time to spend in amway doesnt make anyone a success. I have relatives in Amway that are doing quite well, after only two years.Their secret is to find "qualified"couples (have exhibited some form of success already) and give them all the support they need, including tools which THEY write off as buisness expenses. I have doubts you will have the guts to post this and other stories of success based not only on immediate income but TAX DEDUCTIONS! Home based buisness is the wave of the future, Its why you and I are sitting infront of a monitor and not in a store right now!! HERES TO SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I too have spent two hard years building (trying to) an Amway business. I also Managed a grocery store at 60-70 hours weekly. I was out every night and had people getting into Amway left and right BUT i could not use my own ideas with my group! The upline was not professional BUT thought they were. I coulndnt keep these people away from me. They thought i was good at Scamway so they all latchted onto me and the brainwash routine started and did i spend money on those stupid Fucking Tools! You do have to have a balance in your life not a Zombie like Hitler from hell attitude with people. I always thought that if you could really order all your needs for your family from home and save time and money i would show people the way and no one would have to buy brainwash tapes or have to find sitters and money to attend alll those damn functions. My Brother-in-law is giong to show me the "NEW" plan in a couple of weeks. I have already started some gentle coaching and eye opening discussions for him but it is hard to be constructive without appearing as the negative enemy. These people do not have a lot of money and i fear for their family and relationship will be desroyed over Scamway. I am personaaly taking a Zenger Miller training seminar on problem solving and how to approach and talk with people in a constructive way that will retain and build their self esteem. AND MY COMPANY IS PAYING FOR THIS AS WELL AS ALL FUNCTIONS AND BUSINESS SEMINARS THAT IMPROVE MY SKILLS THAT I TAKE WITH ME AFTER I LEAVE THEM! Thanks for the web site! I could talk for hours. Their is so much more i have been through but you got me going after reading some of your stuff! Feel free to contact me any time. My occupation at present is a Groceery Buyer/Merchandiser and boy do I know pricing. Thanks for listening!

Please help me with any information on Amway, my husband has joined this cult group and I don't understand it. I need to know the down falls of Amway if all possible maybe I can help my husband understand. There are several Doctors in Las Vegas that are big leaders in Amway and my husband is convinced that it will work. PLEASE HELP ME, IT'S DROWNING ME. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME THIS LETTER BACK SO WHEN YOUR RESPONSE COMES BACK HE DOESN'T KNOW I HAVE INQUIRED ABOUT ANY OF THIS. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT

How about a couple tons of cheese, to go with all those whines!

Okay, the questions I'm about to ask are porbably stupid and I'll probably find the answer as I read more infromation on your site, but what is an MLM company and is I.N.A. (International Network Association) considered one?

A friend (co-worker) of mine is trying to recruit me into I.N.A. selling Amway products and telling me that all it is, is just redirecting your buying habits. Sounds easy enough, talk to people and try to get 6 others to do the same and "help" them to to recruit 6 more and they help to recruit 6 more, each, who recruit 6 more and so on.

What experience do you have with AMWAY regarding to selling ext to start a website to warn others about this campony? what is the persentige of negative responses that you got iro AMWAY since you have started this website? If it is sutch a scam why are theire people who is still making money and more people who are joining them? I am interested in joining them, why should'nt I? I have read Your Responses, Part 48 and the reasons for not joining the company are sad to say of no impression. I need more concrete effidence.

Hey Sidney,

Is this really that important to you? Don't you have more important things to do with your life? The system that Dexter Yager has put together promotes the same principles that would make a person successful in whatever they choose to undertake. Get out of the house more buddy, you're spending a little too much time at the computer. The static electricity from the monitor will do funny things to your eyebrows if you're not careful.

If Amway is so terrible, I'd love to hear of a better opportunity. If you're going to attempt to destroy people's belief in their ability to achieve their dreams shouldn't you give them something to replace what you took from them.

I don't really expect your opinion to change and I'm sure not planning on changing mine, but I wish you the best in whatever makes you happy.

Hi Sidney, I love the work you have done exposing the true Amway over the past years. I too, was once an Amway Distributor and left after 1 year of brainwashing. My daughter is writing a paper on cults and decided to do one on Amway. I'm trying to find the old information that you use to post (Amway the Cult). All the information you have referrring to Amway as a cult would be very much appreciated. I tried to find the information on the Internet, but everything seems to be about their tools scam. I too, lost alot of money from buying tapes and other materials every bloody week. I was told if I didn't "I wasn't core", or true to the Amway Corporation, when really it was nothing but a ploy to make my upline rich on a bunch of repetitive tapes. If you can give me an url to a site that has all the cult information on Amway, I'll download it myself. God Bless, keep the faith and the good work! I truly believe your work will not be done in vain. We are all supporting you and putting our two cents in to shut the Amway Syndrome down for good.

My Amway story is not particularly dramatic, but probably typical of the experience of others.

My wife and I joined Amway early in our marriage, approximately 16 years ago at the urging of her parents, who were already onboard. We attended a few smaller meetings, as well as one of the major conferences hosted by Dexter Yager, the Grand Poobah of Amwayville.

Like many people who have posted their experiences, I was extremely put off by the single-minded obsession with money and material possessions that was the hallmark of any Amway event. Though I didn't express myself to my in-laws, I remember thinking that the people I encountered were unquestionably some of the most shallow, narrowly-focused souls I had ever met. Money, money, money....that was their mantra, along with social-Darwinistic, right-wing overtones.

The speech by Dexter Yager included a diatribe against the Theory of Evolution, a denigration of the value of higher education (which doesn't necessarily make people rich like Amway does!) and a variety of fundamentalist religious references that I can't quite recall, but which I remember thinking seemed out of place and totally inappropriate in what was billed as a "business" setting.

Simply stated, I didn't LIKE the conference attendees or their unabashed worship of material possessions, and engaging anyone in ANY conversational topic outside of "The Business" was virtually impossible. All they could talk about was what they were going to do with all the money they were going to make, or they would relate tales about the money made and fabulous lifestyles lived by the upper echelon Amway distributors, who were spoken of in almost reverential terms, as if they were somehow great American heroes just because of their unrelenting avarice. If it hadn't been so sad, it would have almost been comical.

Even then there was ample display of the "motivational" tapes, literature and "social" meetings that reinforced the Amway message. There was a certain mindset at play which I didn't at that time recognize as cult-like, but which I felt extremely uncomfortable with for no reason I could put my finger on. Are making money and personal intellectual growth necessarily mutually exclusive endeavors? That was the read-between-the-lines message. Needless to say, our involvement with Amway was short-lived.

Fast forward: A couple of years ago I was shopping in the toy aisle of a department store with my children. A charming, friendly man struck up some small talk about kids and toys, and idly asked where I worked. I was distracted by my children's antics and was barely able to respond politely to his conversation.

A few days later, lo and behold, I received a call at work from the gentleman. He stated that he had been impressed with my demeanor, and that I was just the sort of person his company was looking for, as they were expanding their operations.

Imagine my surprise that someone with whom I'd exchanged perhaps a half-dozen distracted comments was able to so discerningly deduce that I was such a valuable commodity.

His responses to my queries regarding his operation were vague, to say the least, and he invited me to lunch for more discussion. All he would say was that he was involved in distributing nationally-recognized name-brand products.

I was suspicious that he was involved with Amway, but agreed to meet with him nonetheless. During the lunch meeting, I decided not to bring up the Amway question right away, wanting to see how slippery his answers would be. Everything he said was seemingly devised to say nothing at all, and I was invited to attend a Tuesday night meeting at a local hotel in which a visiting higher-up would explain more about the operation.

My question is, how can anyone be proud to be involved in an organization that practices such sneaky, deceptive and manipulative methods to entice prospective recruits? That's the "AMerican WAY"? I don't think so.

Sidney,

Fantastic site. This is what the Internet was meant to be, instead of a 30 million channel set-top box infected with info-mercials.

Keep an eye out for a Japanese co. based in Calif. known as "Nikken". These assholes (naturally comprised of many former Amway devotees) intends to cure the world with magnetic faith healing rubbish. There really is no end to this sort of thing is there?

Keep up the good work and don't let them get to you.

I've run into people wanting to show me the plan. Tried it for a year. I split before I got soaked. Although I am pro Clinton (that is to say I know railroad job and malicious prosecution when I see it) the Bill the future Amway salesman had me rolling on the floor. Just think, he can sponsor Starr (after four years of dry holes before stumbling on he bj of the century, sure to draw circles with the same fever). Yeager and Britt will have to retire someday. Who better to replace them than the Clinton, Starr, Tripp (who better to tape the tools) cartel? Of course, if Starr takes Larry Flynt's job offer....

There is a movie to be made here. What do you think?

Dear Mr. Schwartz,

You are my hero. You are a hero to the many many people who have had their eyes opened to what was happening to them. Thank you so much for persisting in the face of persecution. I hate to think of where I would be if I hadn't discovered your web site.

My wife and I just left the mormon church (big time cult) after being members for our whole lives (32 years). We have only just today received official notification that we are no longer members. Coincidentally, we have a friend who had a unique business proposal she wanted to share with us and last night we accompanied her to a meeting in an exclusive neighborhood in a nice house. There was a shiny millionaire there with a whiteboard and the ability to talk for an hour and a half straight.

We were completely flabbergasted as he used the same approach method on us as I had used on people for 2 years as a mormon missionary. We poked each other in the ribs each time he would say something particularly stupid or offensive and whispered jokes about the absudities he was spouting. All this time the others were taking copious notes, tape-recording him, and nodding their heads with a glassy look in their eyes. It was hard to believe.

After the meeting our friend asked us what we thought about that.

I said, "It was a manipulative emotionally-based appeal to conspicuous consumption and the religion of greed. I could never prey on my friends and neighbors like he told us to."

Her jaw hit the floor. I have never, outside the mormon church, heard so many false analogies and logical fallacies in an hour and a half. Strangely, only my wife and I seemed to have noticed. Everyone else talked about how wonderful the whole thing was.

Congratulations on a great site. Keep up the good work. Common sense and rational thinking may have a chance yet.

You must certainly have a very boring life. Amway must be doing something right. You've been at this a long time. Wasted time. The best will always be attacked. Too bad everyone can't win. Actually they could but they choose not to. Tell me Mr. Scwartz, what is out there that offers hope for success? What can you build without tools? I don't expect a response. What do you get out of feeding people who give up? Obviously some succeed. So what's the deal?

Just wanted to tell you that I loved the Clinton story. Very creative and completely hilarious. Thanks.

AMWAY IS THE BEST THING GRANTED IN LIFT

Sidney,

I think you are in desperate need of finding something constructive to do with your life. Your web page is everything you say you stand against. It is against people's freedom to choose. It is tasteless and vulgar. I hope you find something in your life that will bring out your good side, I'm sure it's there.

during my 1st semester at a community college a friend kept dropping by w/o notice showing me pictures of cars islands homes. he wouldnt say what it was all about and I kept telling him I wasnt worried about acquiring any of those things-that I was happy going to college and learning and I was happy with my 3 room apartment. I was 19. when I learned I joined the business. went to meetings and felt out of place. grades started dropping. I began listening to tapes more than studying. wasting my little money on books, tapes, meetings,buying from my own business, I started taking on the personality of our direct distributor--the wife--and invested money in all these suits from exclusive stores. went to my first major function in NY. one of the diamonds had on the same suit I did. I paid 140.00 for a room shared with 3 others and was expected to share a bed with a strange woman I had never met. I slept on the floor. She sat up in bed in the midst of sleep and said loudly something like "she has to win the prize she has to go silver!!" I dont remember if it was the next nite or after--in the middle of some diamond speaking I suddenly realized that I was being brainwashed. I looked at all the faces around me and behind me. they were all yelling the same things--like GO DIAMOND! I looked up at the speaker and thought shes only pretending to cry about this story of her and her husbands initial struggles at the time they learned about this fantastic business and how it changed their lives. I taped the entire weekend. Played some of it when I got home and realized what Bull it was. I stayed in it though. Went to the big free enterprise day in N.C. that fall I stopped going to meetings-stopped recruiting-stopped buying and selling. fell into depression. when I could function again they kept calling . I never sent the money to renew my business for the next year. They called and very haughtily interrogated me as to the reason why. I told them I sent it --but actually couldnt remember if I had. When they figured I had quit they stopped calling to ask how school was, how I was everything.I never saw my so-called friends again. I spent near 2500.00 on this crap and wasnt making money. So I was in for about 9 months. my friends started avoiding me, people were ridiculing me. I remember at meetings how our direct said "if youre ready to build this and youre serious, well come over and help you any way we can --we'll do a meeting at your house". So after this rally I asked him-the direct dist.--to help ME. he told me to go to my immediate upline and my sponsor's sponsers and they could help me with anything I needed. They always played this song at the ralliees--"I want money ,lots and lots of money.......I wanna be rich! I wanna be rich!!" then they had this big display at the end of the evening--all these direct distributors got up on stage wearing suits on men and these hideous dresses on the wives--the dresses looked like prom dresses- full length satin lace whatever else--and they had us applaud for these people. then we went on to the tables outside the auditorium filled with books. I never bought any. Now Im 28 and my God I'll warn everyone without hesitating. My sponser in Amway quit a little while after we lost contact. Now we are good friends again and both reluctant to ever try it again. He still thinks it can work, but I get the impression that he's just not willing to be involved with it ever again; he just wonders what if? I wish I had had a real friend back then to wake me up to the fact that I was being brainwashed. I just never believed it could happen to me. Keep spreadin' the word!

I asked my colleague no less than three times to stop pestering me about Amway at work...to no avail. He insisted this would be my financial salvation, even though my husband and I have only three years left on our (15-year) mortgage, and his financial situation grew worse. First, he gave up his house-couldn't afford the mortgage. Then he could no longer afford the payments on a second used car, so he sold it to his step-daughter and he and his wife shared the one they had left. Two weeks ago, the boss grew tired of listening to excuses about being too exhausted to come to work after his important meetings for "the business" over the weekend. My colleague was fired. He now plans to mooch from relatives in another state..no plans for them to have their own apartment, just three months with the mother-in-law, three months with a step-daughter. I feel badly for him, but I'm not sorry he's gone. I don't go to work to hear an eight-hour commercial any more.

dear sir,

I think you need to stop you bitching because you could not make it as an Amway dist. I think the problem was your upline, along with the rest of the people who could not make it. Alot of the people that I have read about on the internet also seem to have the same problem, and that is an upline who tells them that they need to buy all the tapes, books, and go to all the functions. Alot of the people I read about felt they had to list all the money they lost in Amway, well have you noticed that it mostly tools? If you cant afford to buy them don't. I also think that if a dis. upline tells them they have to buy them or will fail if they don't go to the functions they need to find a new upline to help them.

Thank s for allowing to write!

Most successful Sacamway Distributors us the phony corp. as a fron for their Cocaine business and a way to hide money fro the Internal Revenue Services. Even if we don't sign up with those phonies and con artists, the taxpayers still carry the burden. Just try buying one of their products(which are generic identicles at triple prices). They are not interested in selling products, only distributerships.

Help support their removal from the USA and kick them out like Red China and other counties have or will be doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JK Supporter of 'The House on Unamerican Activies'

Have you ever heard of 'Markowitz International"? I am presently attending college, studying electronics. A couple of weeks ago I was approached by an Indian male at my workplace whom I've never met before. We got to talking about my plans for the future. I told him that I was keeping my options open, hoping to find a career in my field of study. Although it was very hard to understand his Indian accent, I was under the impression that he had a lot of connections in the computer science field. Which was true, but not the way that I expected. To make a long story short he invited me to this convention with about 50 'high class' business owners. I showed up (with resumes) dressed in a business suit hoping to 'hook up' with a good connection. After sitting through this 2 hour lecture, presented by Markowitz International, I realized that this is nothing that I expected it to be. At the end of the lecture, my Indian 'friend' mentioned that he was with Amway. He gave me Somme pamphlets and tapes about Amway and we set a meeting up between he and I to discuss questions that I might have. This meeting is in two days and although the advantages seem irresistible, I don't think I am interested. My question to you is: Is this thing really a hoax, and if it is should I fear declining the meeting altogether and 'ditch' him, or would it be beneficial to listen to what more he has to say?

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