Amway: The Untold Story

News is out that the Amway Corp. is going to reinvent itself. It is the opinion of many sources that Amway North America, due to the huge decline in distributorships,and the largest decline in sales in their history, are restructuring their company to compete with e-commerce companies. The Amway company is looking to decrease its corporate workforce by as much as 35%,which has already taken place with voluntary early retirement and the dismissal of management who refuse to see a new vision for the future of Amway. Amway is promising distributors E-Biz, a new way to build their business and order products via the internet. However, this will not be on line till late 1999. Why would they be heavily promoting a change which at this time is only a concept. We feel there are two significant reasons. 1) The Diamonds will be rewarded with a large incentive to have their downline on this program(if Amway produces what they promiss.) 2) Its renewal time and due to the large decrease in distributorships, Amway needs to keep the weak networks together at any cost. Meaning, promiss the distributor who was not planning to renew, some dim hope that something will be produced to help the unmotivated to build in the future.

Why else would they promote a concept or idea that is almost a year down the road. ?????????????

WHO KNOWS?????????????

i have been in the bus since 1981, and believe me, I have lived a lot of what is transpired here. too tired to write more at this point. God bless.

I've been to an Amway meeting recently, invited by a friend with whom I work. I'm already in a cult-like pyramid scheme known of as the U.S. Army. I'm a Corporal (E-4) so I'm being paid about half of what a Lieutenant makes. And of course there are more Privates under me, making less money than I, fewer Sergeants above me, making more money than I, then fewer Staff Sergeants, even fewer Master Sgts, a relatively small number of Sergeants Major (who are slightly above the poverty line if they have a family to support), and finally the Officer Corp, going from Lieutenants to Generals in decreasing quantities, but in the true spirit of a pyramid, drawing significantly increasingly larger incomes. The cult characteristics of the military are too numerous to mention but anyone who has any experience with boot camp will recognize every classic technique. (And I'm not even in the Marine Corps!)

Now back to Amway. I was exposed to an organization that focusses on continuous expansion, promotes close partnerships, and a "team approach". Volume is generated through personal use (since there's so much stuff available that I already buy from retail sources), eliminating a need to run around and push products on customers. What do I have to lose? I haven't seen too many of my peers in the military achieving great financial status. Is there some kind of hidden risk I'm not seeing?

I really don't want to go back to college, with its outrageous tuition expenses and extreme time-consuming exercises to gather a bunch of theoretical knowledge and a hell of a lot of leftist indoctrination by a bunch of pinko professors who have never done what they're trying to teach. Upon graduation, I would enter the job market and start at the bottom of the corporate pyramid. I like the idea of a short cut to the system, not competing with the masses until I'm 70. Is there a flaw in my logic? I know the money is there (in Amway). If "they" did it, cannot I also?

I'm not afraid of some hard work and I'm not one to wimp-out at the first little disappointment. I've never failed to complete anything I've set out to accomplish, so is there a likelihood that I'll end up like one of the failures whose messages warn me of some obscure doom?

I can't see what I could be missing. It doesn't seem to be as complicated as some people seem to have made it for themselves. Please tell me if there is some logical, reasonable consideration I have not yet recognized. You seem to have access to a lot of in-depth information. I'm still on the fence and would like to make an informed decision to persue selection to this Amway organization or not.

My wife and I have been in Amway for over 2 years. Though I have see some of the"cultism " you described I do not think it is the fault of Amway. I own a small business besides my Amway Business. With over 80% of small businesses failing every year, the one thing above all that a small business owner has to have is passion. I am not talking about the Amway business either. The more passion someone has about their business the greater chance of survival. I own a Locksmith shop and I find it very hard sometimes to be passionate about locks & safes. I have also missed many, birthday partie, sporting events, & get-togethers because of the growing number of un loyal customers who will replace you with someone else if you can't get to them at 3:00am right away! Please don't mis-label passion with cultism. A Quote from Donald Trump, " If you don't have passion for your business, just go get a job!"

 stay working for the rest of your life.you are a loser.get a real business,borrow 100 thousand.

 I have been reading this page and am very disturbed. My husband and I are currently in Amway and are 4000 pin. We feel like Amway is the best thing out there. Maybe the people who wrote the articles on your web page didn't succeed because they didn't plug into the system. We are doing very well and will be direct very soon. As for you, I'm sure you are still working your minimum wage job and are probably in need of therapy.

You should've tried harder!

This is pretty funny!!!!! All the claims you make. You are great at being negative. Anyone can make it in Amway and you know it!! I'm not upset a bit, I just feel sorry for you and your negativety. You talk about taking advantage of the gullible. Well my friend, anyone who would believe what you are saying is a very gullible person. 10 times out of 10 they don't REALLY know what Amway stands for! Or they do and their to scared or lazy. To be free in america is a God-given right. Just because the schools, trickling down from government never say a word about what this country was founded on (free enterprise) we have people working there entire life away. I together with the rest of the force are going to bring the truth forth and the skeptics and losers like you will perish. It has already been proven. We are about to embark on the biggest and baddest virtual mall on the internet than ever imagined. 6,000 companies at the click of a button. AMWAY ------> $7billion to 100billion faster than it takes for you to sit and think up another false little story. Happy trails!

NEW DIAMOND/20yrs old

I can only be ashamed at my self for actually acknowledging this "site" and even considering it's existence. All this "people" here must be previous away hopefuls that hoped to get rich without putting any effort. You can if desired spend many thousands of dollars on business expenses and if there is no effort behind that the you are right they are being defrauded; they are defrauding themselves.

It is frightening to know that I actually live in this country with brainless subhuman individuals like these shown that have not yet understood that this business or any business for that matter does not work YOU work it!!!!!!!!!!!

It is like anything else in life there is always going to be twisted minds who disagree and others who see the truth.

Mr. Shwartz,

I was approached by a local family practice physician who wanted my wife and me to get involved with Amway. I listened to his pitch and also listened to a lot of the Amway training tapes that he had (his garage is literally full of them). I was impressed at the messages contained in them! They can be applied to daily life of even non-distributors.

Then I got on the internet and found your site and many, many other sites. I learned about the tools and functions system. Of course I was astounded and angry at first, because that is how the language in your site (and the other Anti-Amway sites) is set up to make a reader feel. But then over the course of a few days, I thought about it… and I see nothing wrong with people making money on tapes and functions at all. That is called capitalism! But I do believe that every new distributor should be given a printout of your site before they join! It is important that they see the whole story and know what they are getting involved with.

To make a long story short, I did not become a distributor, nor do I use a single Amway product. But I see nothing at all in the Amway business, or on your web site or any other website, that would make me think negatively of Amway Corp. Starting a business takes time and money. Amway allows a person to start a business with just as much chance at success as any other business, but you have GOT to put in the TIME and MONEY, just like anything else! There is no free lunch! If a person is unwilling to do that, they should not join. They can look for another business opportunity, be it mlm or conventional. Or they can wait for their winning lotto ticket. But they should not destroy someone else's dream in order to explain their own failures or lack of effort.

Your site is useful as an information gathering device, but tone down the hatred! A more relaxed, friendly atmosphere would convey the same message and actually be more effective. Put the same information into nicer words.

Thanks again for the information,

hello there. i'm 23 years old and i've been in amway less than a year now. i am on tape of the week which cost me $6.60 a week. i go to every open meeting which is once a week and cost $5.00. so, roughly i invest probably around $75.00 a month taking into consideration gas money, etc. thats not really a whole lot of investment into my own business considering i got a $195.00 check in my mail box this month from amway. and that check has increased by about 20% every month as my group gets bigger and business volume increases. so truthfully, when i recieve a check like this every month, where that $6.60 goes, i could really care less. because i know i would not be making any money without the tape of the week. think about it, if you spent $6.60 a week for four weeks and at the end of the month you got a $195.00 check, would that be worth it?

To whom this may concern,

I am a distributor in the Britt organization for the past year. I have seen people exhibit the so called "cult characteristics" when attending functions and other meetings. But the people are looking for something better than what the world has to offer. Anyone who has a job where they trade their time for money has no way of ever achieving financial freedom. That is a fact. A job is not meant to make you wealthy. I joined the business because I met people who are genuinely interested in your development as a human. However, I have met people in the business who I would not trust to hold my underwear. There are some people who make the business look bad and some people have bad experiences as well. Life is not always a bowl of peaches as well as your job. I would rather work hard at something that has more financial potential than a job. This web page apparantly is here so that people can voice their opinions at your benefit. I do not like the implications you make Amway out to be. They are a debt free company that treats the distributors very well (the distributors who are in the business to help others not themselves).

*Commit Your Works to the Lord and Your Plans will be Established

-Proverbs 16:3-

you have absolutely no clue, but i bet that is what you explain to your kids when you tell them about the college loans you can't pay

40 year cult, yea i bet you think you hate it when people tell you you are meant something on this planet

show us you 7 billion in profit that is sent back 95% to your associates, and then i MIGHT beleive you

I understand that it is just human nature to blame someone else for our mistakes, but to designate an entire web site to this pathetic purpose is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. I and my wife were in Amway years ago. We had a lot of fun and are planning to join again.

I like your site! I have been approached by more people who "have a business and are looking for a few key people", than I can count. Most get lost when they find out you are above average in intelligence and won't fall for their lies about money when you demand to see a REAL check they have received and not spent on how to be fulfilled tapes. You will get off easier bashing religion to a fanatical from the middle-east than bashing Amway. I saw one comment about do you go after McDonalds who questioned people people having to put up hundreds of thousand of dollars first before they get any results...... Just for the dumb-asses out there McDonalds shows you what you can REALISTICALLY make. Besides, does McDonalds have a 50% (or greater depending on who you believe) failure rate??? I don't think so. It is sad that so many people feel so lost to have to go this route.

Very successful, and I made it without brotherly love from Amlost.

your full of shit......get a life and a job, you cock sucker....lol

how much you earn.....and how many people do you help......none

can't affort it.... you need to take that dick out of your hand and start doing something

better with it...... instead of jerking around all day looking for negative things to say

about amway or any other company's out there..... why don't you look into other mlm?

is it because you are getting kick back from them? or just to stuppid to look..

Your Clinton satire was beautiful!! I laughed the whole way through, more so because it sounded exactly like what we were programmed to say! Perfect. Excellent site, keep up the good work.

decided to checkout amway info. i was a distributor, enjoyed seeing people trying to do better for themselves. never really made big commitment to make it happen for myself. i don't blame upline, amway or anyone else for results. seems so many people have a hard time with thiat issue - taking personal resonsibility....sorry you aren't out doing somthing positive for people yourself.....that may be why system didn't work for you ?

CONSUMERS BEWARE: If a friendly stranger approaches you about "an incredible opportunity", you can bet they are one of these 3 things:

1. Jehovas Witness (at least they mean well)

2. Pervert (just kick them in the nuts)

3. Amway Distributor (say "NO"-it will save you tons of $$$)

Right to Speak (U.S.A.) - Power to Speak (Internet) Keep up great work Sidney!

P.S. If you want to get an inside scoop on Amway, check out this great site by an Emerald Direct Distributor, exposing "The Tools Scam" at: http://209.196.24.186/

Great site

Amway is alive and well in Australia, using various alias' and claims of internet expansions.

What amazes me is the simple mathematics that these so called business operators cant seem to grasp Assuming that each Amway agent recruits just 7 active members who in turn recruit 7 more each, etc etc How many layers will be needed to recruit every man women and child on the planet (pop= 6 bil) ? Answer = less than 12 levels (11.57…) The more people recruited at each level the more frightening the numbers become. Its the business equivalent of a chain letter.

Is the motivational angle of Amway worthwhile? Yes! How else can you explain the failure of people to see fucking obvious. Pity they cant use all that energy to produce something worthwhile for humanity other than generic branded groceries.

Just an observation :

If Amway is such a hot company why dont all this "business associate" hopefuls just by shares in the Amway manufacturing company? Would that be classed as negative thinking or just logical?

My husband & I are distributors, who, after reading your site and many of the other anti-Amway sites & learning the truth behind the business, will not be renewing our distributorship. However, we still have access to Amvox, and the news about Amway's Internet Mall is creating quite a sensation, almost a panic, among the distributors. We are (were) part of World Wide Dream Builders; our EDC is G. Within the past two weeks he has sent four messages down on Amvox, with comments from both himself and WWDB leader Ron Puryear, reassuring distributors that Amway is not changing, that the I-Mall (or "E-Biz") will just be another service available to distributors, and that we shouldn't even mention it when we show the plan until the last two minutes, after we have mentioned that the business is Amway. (Dishonest and deceptive, even about the internet). G, who is on the ADA Board this year, explained in one of his messages that Amway will continue to exist as it currently does, but that the company has decided to "move forward with technology" and is investing "between $20-$30 million dollars in their own I.S.P." However, he reiterates several times that distributors shouldn't forget that "this business is still built with soap, is still built with people and their dreams." (He fails to mention the dollars they will spend on books, tapes & functions.)

I find all of this very interesting, because my husband went with our upline direct to pick G up from the airport at the end of October when he returned from an ADA meeting in Ada, MI. My husband recorded his conversation with G as they drove home, and all G could talk about was how Amway was going on the internet, and how great it would be, and, how you really need to be a diamond when it launches in September 1999 in order to really take advantage of it. To be honest, I don't know he meant by that comment, "you need to be a diamond", but it struck me as strange. What if you're not a diamond? He also revealed that the ADA Board was investing with Amway in this Internet-Mall venture. Since all of the ADA Board members are diamonds and above, does this have something to do with his previous comment? It makes you wonder.

Thanks for your great site…I hope this information is useful to you. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail.

I recently bumped into an Amway distributor, whom my wife and I knew (we had been in Amway before, until we came to our senses). He said he had an "Internet" business. For a moment I thought he was an ISP or had a website that promoted products, until I realized the catch-phrase was a new "front" for his Amway business.

It is my perception that the E-Biz mall is just new packaging for the same old thing: Sponsoring Distributors. I asked him whether someone would need an Amway Distributor's ADA number to buy things from the site; he was evasive, and never gave me a straight answer to that one ("they're still figuring out how it's going to work, etc.etc.), but I can assure you, that's EXACTLY how it's going to work. The focus will still be on sponsoring people (wouldn't it be great to buy things wholesale instead of retail? You can make money just by referring other people to the website, ad nauseum).

I talked with this guy for twenty minutes. He said that he makes sure that his new distributors are profitable from the very beginning. He told me that he does things differently, and that it's a "numbers game." I told him he wasn't getting a lot of numbers standing and talking to me. He laughed and said this was his day off. Ten minutes later he had to leave for an appointment to "show the plan."

Amway distributors can make things sound so good. Despite my better judgement, I actually had the warm fuzzies about Amway by the time he left, until I remembered how Amway distributors will say whatever it takes to make you feel good about their opportunity (whether it's the truth or not). It's almost like being under a spell. Like drinking a good wine laced with a tasteless poison; like the Iocane powder in "The Princess Bride," you don't notice until it's too late, and you die smiling.

I was in the army, stationed at Ft. Bragg,N.C., from '89 to '93.Amway is everywhere down there. Although I never joined it seemed like half the soldiers did and spent all their time trying to convince the other half to sign up. It was quite humorous to hear thier testimonials. They always went something like this:

"The other day we had a big meeting in one of the conference rooms at the Holiday Inn and there was this guy there named So-And-So and when he first started his business he was living in a cardboard box beside a dumpster out behind a Pizza Hut and three years later he was spending his days sitting at the country club all day sipping margaritas and counting his money."

These guys would get into Amway with dreams of retiring by the ripe old age of 25. Never saw a one of them do it, though. I often said that I would help them out and by some of their products but they always insisted that I join up first.

I was kind of funny to watch them get their first nichol and dime paychecks. They wouldn't get much but, boy-o-boy it sure would get them stoked up and ready to roll!

My Girlfriend has just informed me as well that she worked with this boy who got into Amway thinking he could easily get out but found it would be easier to break out of a Turkish prison.

Dear Schwartz-

My name is Larry, and I've been invited on the groundfloor of the new "mall". The concept is very seductive and goes like this:

1) To get in the mall, you have to have an invite and a password.

2) The distributor gets 10 people to distribute these web locations with password. What happens is the distributor gets a percentage of all sales, and the guy that is one of the 10 also gets a cut.

3) Anyhow, this is to go "on line" 9/1/99 so there's a big build up of "recycled" Amway "distributors.

4) I can see how this would work for oh, the first 90 days- then the system is going to crash big time as soon as the major media thinks this is a newsworthy item.

You have obviously spent quite a bit of time looking into disgruntled Amway distributors. I have read some of the comments people have sent you but was disappointed to find no response from you to some very good questions posed by “gruntled” (satisfied) distributors. I know you must be busy and that must be the reason. Or is it that you have no good answers to honest questions from normal, happy, completely satisfied distributors like me and my wife?

Hi Mr. Schwartz, We have gone through your web site rather extensively and only wish we had seen and had access to your information before we got involved. Almost everything we read, we went through as well. We believe that you should keep this site for others who may be fortunate enough to look into this opportunity. We have not been involved with the Amway Business for over a year now, but are still trying to deal with our feelings of being deceived and used. We were involved for over three years and only reached the level of 1500PV. We were chosen to "Preview SOT", telling people that they needed to be on it to succeed. "You don't see any Direct Distributors who are not on SOT" is what we were told to say. We had no idea how the money was being distributed at that time, and now we feel like our upline used us to put money in there pockets unethically. We have a large box of books and tapes that we would like to sell, but no one will buy them from us. We never missed a major function ("If you don't attend you're lengthening your time to Direct by six months") or seminar/rally and feel we were used there too because no one ever mentioned that our upline was putting money in their pockets becuase we attended. We unfortunately signed the agreement in September 1997 and therefore don't feel we have much recourse, if we had any to begin with, to pursue legal action. Your article about the cults was right on and I, particularly, feel that I was brainwashed. I thank the Lord that circumstances occurred that woke me up and made me realize what was happening. We're sure that you have probably heard all this before, but we just wanted you to know that we are another example of why it is so important to keep your site available for others.

Our question to you is, after all your investigating, do you think we have any recourse in getting some of our money returned? We wonder if anyone has ever brought a class-action suit against Amway for the deception of their Diamonds to their Distributors? We are not sure if legal action is what will help to get over what we went through or if time is the only thing that will heal the hurt angry feelings we have, and that's why we're asking your advice.

We would really appreciate any advice you can give us. Thank you again for a great web page,

I have been a part of Amway as a distributor and I have left Amway thoroughly disgusted with the whole thing. While there are plenty party-lines out there for answering any number of arguments regarding Amway, I now see the slant that each of them has. I now understand that little nagging "that doesn't quite feel right" feeling I had in the back of my head - a feeling that I tucked away for quite a while as I tried to make my Amway business work.

I'll tell you quite honestly that Amway would have done well at breaking my wife and I apart - as I tried to build the business around her in the hopes that she would one day "see the benefits to the business", as my upline told me. I must say that she was much more intuitive than I when it came to analyzing what was going on around me. Just thinking about how many times my wife was battered with the message to be a "good little wife and support her man in his business effort" makes me wince. Bill Britt, his wife, and their age-old antiquated messages about how one is to be successful never stood well with me, right from the beginning. Amway would really do well to bring someone into the limelight who has a clue about what this generation is all about…come on, Peggy telling my wife in a tape that it's not appropriate to wear pants at a function?! Someone needs to tell them that women were finally liberalized…many years ago.

I read your site…the myths section especially. I think it's very interesting how you've (and to be fair to you…I've heard your answers, so I'm led to believe that you simply got your answers from those above you) refuted the different "myths" about Amway. I find it very funny how much time people spend refuting the "Amway is a cult" statement. Everyone spends so much time proving how different from the actual definition of a cult Amway is…when, in my opinion, most don't really compare it in its truest sense. People use the word "cult" simply because they lack a word to describe the ability of Amway to get people to do things they aren't comfortable doing. Amway uses its "enthusiasm"…and it plays on people's dreams of "success"…and it uses peer pressure, basically, to get people to play along without question. To me, at least, that is a basic cultic method. NO, I don't think people dance around with snakes in the wee hours of the morning or anything…I wish distributors would stop wasting their time giving us testimonials from people of the church. Let's look at this one briefly. Churches need people to be enthusiastic and to accept without questioning in order to function too, don't they? What a good mindset to advocate! I'm not going to go into this debate - even though religion was pushed on us by practically every speaker at every function we attended. I guess if everyone appeals to people's religious sides…and quotes passages from the Bible…surely they must be honorable people operating in my best interest?! I don't think the people in my upline were acting dishonorably…I think they, too, are a product of the Amway environment. I don't blame them for wanting something better in their lives.

I do blame them for perpetuating that which I think they down deep know to be manipulative in its basic form. It's easy to appeal to people's desires to do something better than the day-to-day monotony they convince us we can do better than if we just want it badly enough. Everyone wants to belong…everyone wants to be thought of as a "winner". I always thought that to be a funny term to apply to anyone in the Amway business - but I, too, embraced that mentality for a while. What is one "winning"? One's independence?

There's a great site, written by an Emerald-level distributor of six years (http://209.196.24.186/) that gives a great description of exactly how little "independence" one has if they want to really be an Amway "winner". The only difference is that there is a lot of money by subscribing to the Amway version of "independence" - so people are more willing to go along with it.

It kills me when I hear quotes from government officials like Newt Gingrich about how fantastic the Amway opportunity is…about how Amway has their politically-oriented parties on the Amway yacht. Lobbying at its utmost. I really think much more highly of an organization who uses endorsements from those whose wallets and personal power are typically their motivation.

Now that I'm in the process of getting my refund from Amway, I've found it very interesting that our sponsor basically ignores my wife and I now. My wife was doubtful of the "friendship" they claimed to be building with us from the beginning. I was duped for a while. I'm sure they chalk it off to the rest of the "team" that we just didn't have big enough dreams…or that we are "losers" (to quote a favorite expression of my sponsor). As Amway tells them, people like us just aren't worth their time.

I should have taken a clue from the first time my sponsor visited us and we drove around town hearing words of wisdom. I remember a specific incident that stays in my mind to this day. He said, "You see all those people around us? What do you see?" (We were in a mall at the time.) My bewildered look brought me the answer… "I see 100 PV…oh, look…there's another 100 PV." That basically sums up the Amway mindset to me.

I remember recently, in my upline's attempt to keep me in the system…one of them said, "Don't let your dream die." My response to that is that I came to Amway with a dream already…they didn't give me that motivation. They saw potential dollars in that already-there motivation. I choose, however, to do something with my life that doesn't require the motivation of others in order for my success. They know that that's one of the hardest things to do in Amway…to motivate others to think big - why do you think so much time and effort goes into motivating people? I choose to draw upon the motivation and creativity that my wife and I have. I don't want a system that gives people half-truths…and in many cases, untruths. It's a buying club that costs a lot to be a part of for some okay products, for the most part. I can just hear them clamoring for their Nutralite products now to disagree with me.

You'll notice that I sent this email to my upline, too. I'm sure this will be chuckled about as they reassure each other that I'm just another loser who couldn't get it together like them and be successful. I don't care. They have only themselves (and if we follow Amway doctrine) and their God to answer to. I'm sure they even believe 99% of what they've convinced themselves of anyway. Tell yourself something long enough, they say, and soon you'll begin to swear it's the truth. As persons, they were all very nice people. They just wanted something better out of life, too…I certainly don't find anything wrong with that. The technique is where I have the problem.

I appreciate your putting up a site that deals with this. There are obviously a lot of sites out there…I know that most who decided Amway is not for them just fade into the wallpaper again. I will not. My venture with Amway is not over.

Thanks for reading my lengthy email. You have my permission to post any parts of this email you'd like as long you don't take my words out of context…just please let me know if you do post any parts.

Thank you for taking the time to expose the Amway reality. We are currently planning a 'rescue' for 2 of our friends that Amway has taken a hold of. It's upsetting to see people wasting their lives and dedicating so much thought and energy into something so fundamentally floored. It strikes us that in your six years of work, you will have seen many people in the same situation as us.

If you could give us your single best piece of advise, what would it be?

(If it's on the site, I'm sorry - please point me to the page. This situation only escalated last week, and your site is so huge that we may have missed bits!)

We really appreciate your site (and the many others). Keep up the good work!

I must have a great big "Talk to me about Amway or other MLM opportunities" sign across my forehead. I get "hit up" at least 6 times a year. Most of the "salesman" are easy to brush off.

Lately, the recent pitches have come from old friends and people I do business with. These folks are the toughest to say no to. I share a lot of your views about the Amway business. When I express those views to the people pitching me, I get the same canned responses. So, quite naturally, when there pitch has concluded and they have come to a realization that my money will not soon enter their pocket, I hardly ever hear from these people again.

There are a few exceptions however. One such person would call me once every couple of weeks to tell me about their success in Amway. This person eventually quit and is now selling insurance.

The evidence is clearly presented on your page. Those who cannot see it are Ambots. I hope they learn before they lose more than their money. They could end up losing the most important things to them; their families.

I am submitting my analysis from my two years experience in the Britt System. I am still enrolled and active as well as strongly challenging parts of the system, especially with the crucial timing of the E-biz introduction. Please accept my submission below of an E-mail response that I sent to a crossline distributor who recently quit. I would add that I was also privy to an E-mail response sent to him by my upline Emerald which I found personally offending and totally lacking manners.

(note for fellow active core distributors: Amway offers us much opportunity; Be wary of insulting prospects and former distributors. My personal opinion is that the AMO's teach little in the way of proper business practice, while promoting negative characteristics of false Elitism, Idolitry, blind submission and religious bigotry. There is nothing to be "fired up" in that regards. When I signed up in the business it was to be an independant Amway Distributor and not a cultist in the misguided Britt, Yager etc. cultist orgs. The meetings, conferences and tapes are essential but should be handled by Amway Coporation.

Dear *****,

Thanks for including me confidentially in your E-mail concerning the business. A lot of the points you made really are in line with my perspective on things that could be improved in the business. I found your E-mail to be a very well written, very targeted response and very hard to refute essay. Your summary "of that uncomfortable feeling" hit home as did the issue of aggressive religious evangilism; As you probably know from the short time that you were plugged into the team I am not Christian in faith and have come to very much resent the freedom that larger pins allow themselves and the impunity with which they get around Amway's very clear regulations.

A few points I disagree with (very few): A lot of the issues you labeled

under the "Amway" name are actually (as the Emerald you referenced correctly stated) system shortcomings. Unfortunately, when I took some of those very issues upline, I was told to make it in the business so that I can change them. I seriously doubt despite regulations, that Amway Corporation will ever enforce its regulations on high level pins that govern large organizations. The flaws however remain Britt Worlwide flaws and not Amway flaws. In my case, I am still actively pursuing the business and have no illusions that the system is a necessity (with three businesses I do not have the time or capital to develop a system myself). I am actually surprised with Amway's no soliciting (within the business) rule that distributors like Britt and others are allowed to sell products and services (at a premium) to distributor organizations. That tape, video and book distribution should be easily handled by the corporation not to mention that it would allow for more efficient distribution as well as lower pricing and higher legal accountability.

The second point I disagreed with is you statement concerning the price of Amway products vs. quality. I think the quality is very high and that the pricing is done accordingly (allowing for good profit margins; the goal of every business). The reason I think this sometimes draws negative criticism is because of flawed marketing. Amway markets its product in a similar manner to a Nordstrom or Sachs (with a little Sutton Place Gourmet :-), in other words: High Quality, Convenience with low replacement time (because the products are condensed). The OPPORTUNITY is marketed as a business that generates revenue through SALES & distributor sponsoring >>>>> CLASH >>>>>>> The System (at least in Britt) preaches in excess that you save money which gives prospects false expectations more in line with a MLM version of Price Club. As far as sponsoring, the system adopts a different line barely mentioning the sales aspect and focusing on sponsoring activity.

A long winded reponse ? well, its hard to me to vent, discuss or otherwise disclose my concerns upline. The times I did I was either dismissed tactfully as a complainer, or met with defensiveness or even hostility. The fact that any criticism of the system and the business creates that "uncomfortabe feeling" among associates is a bizarre trait for a BUSINESS. In my traditional consulting domain at *****, we are constantly critiquing, recommending change and tearing apart our business methodology in order to increase our efficiency and improve upon our marketing techniques. Well, again and perhaps a little unjustly so, I place responsability on the system which contrary to Amway's marketing strategy (a business for everyone) is catered to a very limited blue-collar/grey-collar >market segment. Naturally, Britt & clones are trying now to appeal to a white collar audience with an evangelistic and condescending message which is ill suited for that market.

Hi Mr. Schwartz. I just wanted to thank you again for such a great site and ask you if you've heard anything about Amway's connections to young-earth creationism. I noted before that Amway's Jay Van Andel supports the Creation Research Society, but I only recently learned that Jay Van Andel has contributed more than $500,000 to this group.

I noted also your juicy quote regarding Dexter Yager's attack on the theory of evolution. If you have any more info on Amway's connections to creationism I would be VERY interest in hearing about them. I have connections to organizations that could leverage this info in some extremely embarrassing ways. Keep up the good work.

I have grown up in sales and have no problem presenting the product--except that the people I talked to keep telling me that I'm dealing in "small potatoes". I needed to get the "big" picture. I believe in being honest. If I don't know and believe in the product, then I will not attempt to sell it. I was told that I could buy -using my computer number- from the internet. I wanted to know more about the technique of buying before my husband and I joined, but my husband joined while I was out of town. Now, I find out that I still have to make a long distance call to the person who suckered us in -for that order. No computer number to be found. That CD that came in my kit? The one that is so protected? Nothing but general stuff. No information on it at all! In fact just about every question that has been asked of any substance, has been side-stepped! Everytime we turn around, there is some expensive meeting 2-3+ hours away (taking up family time and/or church time) for more information on Amway. (Which turns out to be more hipe.) Now, what do I say to all those "friends and relatives" that I turned over to them to call and dupe into this same trap?

I believe it will be called "World Wide Market" .

The market mall will use a CD to operate most mall functions. Amway won't put the mall on a search engine because of the negative info that will be found. It will also use a customer card to access individual accounts for purchases, (you want to buy something? here, use my number.) that's where the PYRAMID starts to play. Same prices for items though, $200.00 item is $190.00 + $10.00 S/H. (What a deal....)

Here is another joke, Members pay $7.00 per seminar but guests are free.

Also $185.00 for the initial start-up package, and they encourage that you buy 5/6 packages so you have one on hand to give to a new member that you just signed up.

Five years ago I fell in love with W--she was just getting into Amway when she had asked me out. We got a long great together....I even attended a number of Amway functions with her--often traveling more that 60 miles each way. It was a lot of work, but she was worth it. She was so beautiful and talented.

At the conclusion of every date, we were required to "dream big", look at expensive cars (Hummers and Jags), cruise "rich and famous" neighborhoods and pretend Amway and life was good to us (I was even forced to chew their awful-tasting gum).

Several times, the bastards at Amway actually charged me for attending their damned meetings!

After several months of steady dating, I had asked W to marry me, but with the understanding that I was not interested in joining Amway (I had always felt negative vibes at their get togethers). It was also the understanding that W would be allowed to participate to her heart's content and buy all the tapes she wanted. She agreed. For a while that is.

She was acting really wierd on one of our dates when she finally admitted she couldn't marry someone who wasn't 100% Amway. I was devestated. I was so hurt. But, I couldn't live a lie and pretend to support a vicious and snobbish community. They actually think they will all make it big. Such snobs, such bores, such low self-esteem. Why couldn't they just leave me alone?

Ok W, where are you now? Did you make it big? Do you own a Jag? How many sq ft in your mansion? Where's your "summer home"? Where's your friends? How often do you sail around the world in your yacht? It has been five years. Was it all you had hoped for? Was our love's sacrifice worth it?

I hope Amway hasn't destroyed you. God bless you.

I'm really not sure where you get your information about Amway. I'm a distributer for Amway, and I'm not sure where you got the idea that Amway is a cult. In fact I hold a lot of different beliefs than my friends who are in Amway. I admit that going into a different career can change a person, but it wasn't Amway that changed me. It's my first love that changed me. It's my career as a piano teacher. That made me into a more confident and happier person. So if peoples personalities change when they join Amway I can understand where they're coming from. As far as the products are concerned they're great and at first glance they may appear to be more expensive, but you may have forgotten to look at the volume that Amway incorporates into their products compared to that of products you would normally buy in a store. My husband and I are cheap. We do everything to save money. I never spend my change. I'm one of those people that put their change in a bottle and save it for a rainy day. So, I know that Amway is not a rip off, because like I said I'm cheap, and if I didn't think I'd be saving money I would never have joined.

My grandma who is 80 years old has been involved with Amway for as long as I can remember, and she never tried to get anyone to join up. I don't push anyone to join up either. I'm in it to save, and I'm in it because I hate to shop. I'm proud of my individuality and uniqueness, and nobody not even Amway could change who I am. But I will say that I'm proud to be involved in something that my Grandma has been involved with, because she is the strongest, creative and most couragageous woman I know, and I love her with all my heart. Amway is not my life. My husband and my piano teaching business are my life. It's just something I use to save me money, and if somebody I know is interested great, and if not it's no big deal.