Top rat gets the publicity and the bigger share of the tool scam pie!
There are a lot of ambots looking for info on the Duncan Family Reunion 2012.
Can’t find no information on the World Wide Destructive Bastards website because they’re busy promoting the Puryear Family Reunion. Must piss off the other Diamonds that they’re not getting their fair share of advertising!
I had this problem in 2011. The Amway cult is very secretive and very hush hush. The only way brainwashed ambots can get this top secret information about Duncan Family Reunion is from the assholes in their upline. Or from Anna Banana!
However I did find out that the Oregon Convention Center in Portland Oregon is booked on July 21 to 22 2012 for Duncan Family Reunion. Unknown which Duncan
Don’t know of any other venues for WWDB Family Reunion for any other Diamonds though undoubtedly they are happening and ambots are being encouraged to hit as many as possible. Many ambots should be able to attend both Puryear Family Reunion being held in Boise Idaho on July 13 to 15 2012 and then haul ass to Portland Oregon to catch the Duncan Family Reunion from July 21 to 22 2012. I will post dates and cities for any other WWDB Amway Family Reunion as I find out about them.
So basically all I can do right now is use this blog to throw in some keywords to reel in ambots who are looking for WWDB Amway Family Reunion information and particularly Duncan Family Reunion 2012. Fortunately Married To An Ambot is very high on the search engines for just about every kind of search when it comes to Amway.
It looks like I am forced to give the Anna Banana version of what really happens at Family Reunion! Even though this is several years old these Amway brainwashing conferences do not change much.
So we bust our asses driving there being harrassed for much of the drive by our sponsor Captain Fuck Up who kept phoning to bitch at ambot that he’d lost his wallet which meant he had no cash, no ID, no credit cards, etc etc. That fucking Amway asshole must have phoned at least 20 times to bitch about his damned wallet! Now whose fault is it that he lost it? Apparently Ambot’s! That’s what Amway is all about. Pointing fingers and throwing blame on others. We were about 3 hours into the drive when Captain Fuck Up suggested he left his wallet in our house and demanded we turn home and look around for it just in case it was there. I think Ambot was smart enough to figure out if I spent 3 hours driving home I was staying there! Plus it would have meant he’d miss the very important Amway shitty trade show on Friday night. I’m sure nobody gives a shit but Captain Fuck Up’s wallet never turned up in our house or anywhere else. Probably some ambot stole it at the previous night’s cult meeting.
Friday night Amway trade show. Pretty shitty excuse for a trade show. The usual assholes were there flogging their overpriced shit: Artistry, Nutrilite, XS, and Perfect Water. There was also a check in desk and if you were registered for Family Reunion you could get your weekend information packet early. While we were there our upline Eagle showed up with some others in his downline. One of the bastards claimed he’d registered a day or 2 earlier and paid on the WWDB website but when he showed up to get his weekend packet they couldn’t find he’d registered. So there he was no money and nobody in his upline with any money and no way to come up with $250 to get into Family Reunion. Then Ambot shows up and starts bragging that I’ve got a couple of hundred extra bucks in my wallet. Would that have something to do with a door crasher at JC Penney on Saturday and a cappuccino machine I was planning to buy? So the fucking asshole Eagle starts bitching at Ambot to loan the cash so the dumb ass ambot in his downline can get his ticket and hotel for Family Reunion. And because Ambot wants to look so high and mighty and all big and important in front of all these fucking Amway assholes he’s devoted his life to worshipping and impressing he hands over the cash.
Which I might add we never got the cash back because the fucking Amway assholes said that was the same amount we’d need for Free Enterprise Days FED coming up in October and they would take care of buying the tickets for us and that way we’d all be even.
Fuck you Amway assholes! What about my goddamned cappuccino machine thats on sale??????
So the fucking WWDB Amway Family Reunion gets started on Saturday. Fuck what a waste of money! One fucking piece of shit Platinum after another gets up on stage to gloat here I am. Men in tuxedoes and women in evening ball gowns. Like where the fuck do you assholes think you are? This ain’t formal night on the Love Boat! All those sack of shit Platinums thank every asshole in their Amway upline. What a bunch of ass kissers! Those Platinums are kissing so much ass I’m surprised they’re not choking on shit! So this goes on all day. Oh and the creepy part is all these brainwashed ambots who crowd around the stage screaming like the Beatles are up there instead of just some scamming slimy piece of shit Platinums. Then they break for dinner which is included with the price but we have to haul ass to another venue to eat. The food wasn’t all that great. Just less than average el cheapo banquet fare.
The day’s torture ain’t over. We go back to the arena and now we have to put up with some Diamonds that are pissed off they aren’t making as much money speaking at the function as they’d like to so they spend the next 3 or 4 hours telling the ambots to buy more motivational materials so they can make money this weekend. Brainwashing hell is over around 11pm.
Ambot and I are staying at a hotel where no one in our LOS is staying and I don’t think there was a night owl or if there was we didn’t go.
Sunday morning is a church service. No thanks. I’ll sleep in so I don’t have to put up with any more wacko Amway religious crap like I had my fill the day before. I think the afternoon bullshit session got going again around 1pm and was over at 5. Thank god! Let’s get the hell out of here and go home.
Family Reunion sucks!
WWDB sucks!
Amway sucks!
What a fucking waste of a weekend!
What a fucking waste of money!
What a fucking waste of not getting a great deal on a cappuccino machine!
And a big fuck you to all the Amway assholes in my upline!!!!
Anna: "This ain’t formal night on the Love Boat! Absolutely LMAO!!! You rock!
ReplyDeleteHa ha! Thanks Connie! If someone pointed a gun at my head and told me to buy a formal gown and decide if I wanted to go on a luxury cruise liner or attend an Amway conference I'd be sailing the 7 seas!
DeleteMy husband is involved in Amway.. Way back when we were dating and he told me he was attending management seminars to prepare for starting hisown company...ya right....
DeleteNow I know he is involved in Amway.... I am sooo bloody pissed.. How do I get him out?
We should hold an "Amway haters club" in every city and hold bitch sessions about amway just like they have meetings..
Anonymous - sorry to hear about your husband. I know the hell you're going through - financially and emotionally.
DeleteAmway is a business of lying. That is why he lies about attending management seminars. Some of the other terms ambots use is leadership training, ecommerce seminars, seminars for entrepreneurs who own online businesses. Ambots have a lie for every occasion.
That's the biggest question - how do I get someone out of Amway. Huge number of searchers hitting Google and ending up at my blog hoping for an answer to that question. Amway is a cult. Often there is no other way out other than some kind of professional cult intervention. Or you got to wait them out. Once they hit rock bottom and have gone through all the money in the savings accounts and maxed out all credit cards then they realize they can't keep throwing money at the great Amway god and they quit. Your husband sounds like he's been in for awhile. Most women won't put up with the financial losses and unable to save for retirement or a house because Amway drains all the money. If it was me I'd look for a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the people in the upline for fraud, emotional distress and alienation of affection and anything else your lawyer can think of. Your husband's best friends in Amway will drop him like a rock.
Yeah I would show up at an Amway haters club meeting if someone had one planned to coincide with whatever Amway function was going on.
Download a free ebook called Merchants of Deception. It will help you understand what your husband is going through. It will horrify you and anger you at the same time.
http://www.transgallaxys.com/~emerald/
Hopefully you can get your husband to read it too. Good luck!
Thanks Anna. Just so I know how much does it cost to stay in amway? He says that he buys awesome products/books/tapes for about 700 and that is the complete expense. It seems like a lot of money to spend every month. Are there any additional things that I should know about?
DeleteHe also claims that all the eagles and platinums are raking in the money. Sounds a little unbelievable.. Is this true.
I desperately need some facts to convince him that he is not going to make any money
Hi Anonymous - I'd say your husband is in the ballpark when he says Amway costs average $700/month. Here's a link to a post I wrote awhile back where I broke down the actual costs to be around $500/month but I was also averaging out what the costs (tickets, meals, transportation, hotel, etc) are for the 4 Amway functions and spreading it out over the year and I came up with $700/month.
DeleteThe other things you need to know is when someone in his upline is getting close (or their perception or goal) to the PV needed that month to bump them up to the next level they will phone all the downline and tell them to buy more Amway shit so they can meet that month's requirements. On those times $1000/month in Amway products to be put on the credit card.
Eagles are not making money. Possibly breaking even but I doubt it. Same with Platinums, possibly at break even point though they will lie to you and tell you they're making 100k.
Look at some of my links in the upper right hand corner of my blog. Amway the Dream or the Scheme is written by Joecool aka one of my aliases and the Amway business opportunity is more dissected there.
Married to an Ambot exists to curse out Amway assholes in my upline!
You will get a good idea of costs when you read that free ebook, link in my above comment.
Emeralds - which are higher than Platinums - actually earn $2000 - $3000/month. Not only did the author of this book break down the income but I've also seen youtube videos of former Emeralds saying they never earned over 3,000 in a month. The ebook Merchants of Deception is the best resource for facing ambots with the facts which they will be resistant to listen to. Also have you watched the NBC Dateline exposee on the Amway scam?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot31XhgE_XE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc4-34V75SQ
99% of IBOs lose money. Statistically the odds are stacked against your husband. Most people do not get into any business if they know the odds of making money are less than 1%. Amway is all about brainwashing cult members to get their money. Not to help them make money.
You really need to get a life! People involved in the Amway Business are taking the initiative to better provide for their families and loved ones. Why would you even mock this! I wish you luck in your persuits!
DeleteAnonymous - I have a great life. What proof do you have that I don't? Are or you just quoting some bullshit amspeak you heard from one of your Amway cult leaders?
DeleteThere is nothing wrong with people trying to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones. Getting involved in a business with a 99% failure rate is not the way to do it.
I do not mock people who want to make better lives for themselves, in fact I often give them helpful advice.
I do mock the assholes in our Amway upline. Obviously you are in the same line we were judging by your search criteria for WWDB - World Wide Destructive Bastards.
If you think making a better life for yourself is scamming, lying, recruiting people into a cult, and turning into a nasty person who sneers at everyone who has a J.O.B. and who is not in Amway as is the WWDB teaching then that's your problem. Everyone I knew in Amway were extremely angry people probably due to all the money they were losing in this pyramid scheme.
Open your eyes. If you want a better life for yourself get involved in a legitimate business that has a better success rate. Good luck to in your pursuits!
Hey AnnaBanana
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post. Im sorry your husband has been taking up in all this nonsense. I hope I can share a few insights from my recent run in with these people.
I recently got recruited for this and somehow convinced them I was "excited" enough to get an offer, despite being extremely skeptical. Now, Id like to share a distinction that I finally figured out last night as I was reading through the materials.
WWDB is the cult. They are the ones who "show the plan" and make you sign up for their $50 website and $30 upline cds and $50 "phone service". They are the ones who hold these Rallys and Functions to get everyone excited and show them the benefits of "mentorship" (aka brainwashing). I was actually told my offer may be "rescinded" if I dont go to their family Reunion.
Amway is the distributor. And from research seems to be very similar to Maleluca/Avon/Tupperware (except different products). There total cost is $60/year for registration and you can order an optional $90 product kit to get you started with some samples (apparently worth 100-150 retail).
You get 35% off their products, and make whatever % you choose to sell them at. You do get bonus's for your "downline" from Amway, but it is WWDB who have created the cult around this practice. In my opinion, I am going to quit WWDB (first month was free) and keep my contract with Amway (already paid the $60 for the year). I will have no need for WWDB meetings, their functions, their brainwashing, or their $130 a month cost. But I will still be able to sell amway products to make some money on the side, same as Avon or Maleluca does. I will get their products at a discount (some of which I do enjoy) and maybe with this honest approach I can get a few people in my downline. But I will not push it, and make sure people know their options when it comes to this.
I dont know why Amway lets this WWDB stuff happen, it is actually against their business manual rules and regulations. Under the section regarding Pyramid and Direct Selling Regulations, it states basically that IBOs can only require the Amway business support fee (the $60 I think) otherwise they may be looking at scrutiny/disciplinary action.
Hi Greg. Haven't you been here before?
DeleteAbsolutely WWDB is a cult. It is probably the most abusive cult in the Amway empire.
There is no way of knowing why Amway allows WWDB or any of the other cult groups behave the way they do. Probably because their cult followers drop a lot of money buying Amway products that the Amway corporation looks the other way. I know when we complained about the abuse and lies from our Platinum that head office did nothing. They suggested we talk to our Platinum about our concerns! Amway the corporation knows what goes on. They approve everything that WWDB or any of the other cult groups distributes in the way of motivational materials and often at Amway functions a rep from Amway's head office is present. They know what goes on. They know the complaints that have been leveled against them.
Amway is a wacko religious cult whose followers worship money.
The only way to make money is to be one of the founders of one of the Amway cult groups and the real money in Amway is made by selling motivational materials and tickets to functions.
If you are quitting WWDB and not going to their meetings or buying their tools then you can still sell Amway products as a prosumer I think its called. You buy at wholesale and sell at whatever price you want to make some money. You will find a shortage of customers within a few months. People figure out that they can buy cheaper products at the grocery or drug stores. Bottom line is Amway sells generic products at premium prices though the people in any of the cult groups will claim that the high prices reflect the high quality. Not in my opinion and not in the opinion of independent consumer's groups who test and compare products.
Good luck to you!
Thanks for the fast reply. I have not been here before, I just found your post about the family reunion, and did not notice all your other blogs regarding the subject. I have read a few of them now. I may start my own blog actually. Being that I've paid the $60 registration fee for the year, I figure I may as well try it out as the opportunity presents itself. I have read through the whole "rules of conduct" section and cannot bring myself to promote this in the way the WWDB does. It is very misleading, especially the idea that their business support materials (communikate, premier membership, major functions) are mandatory.
DeleteI do have one more question for you from your response. I am currently ordering a few products to try myself and see how I like them. Do you have any links to the independent consumer groups that compare products to amways? I would be very interested in reviewing them.
HI Greg - if you start your own blog drop by here and give me the link so I can give a shout out to you. There will be a lot of people interested in watching your progress. We've seen a couple of IBO's start a blog and stop after 3 or 4 months. A lot of bloggers come and go.
DeleteYou have found out very quickly about the motivational tools your upline and WWDB want you to buy - also known as the tool scam. The only people making money are the people selling these services, the Diamonds. I had a former Communikate employee stop by and tell us how much WWDB earned for each IBO that signed up plus they got a cut of the proceeds of the monthly fee. In fact he said Amway IBO's were the bulk of Communikate's customers. The company is also known by another name which I don't recall off the top of my head.
I've provided links in the past for magazines that compare consumer products but again nothing jumps out at me off the top of my head and I have a couple of years worth of blogs to do that research. These would be magazines that do comparisons of many products and sometims include Amway. So these are unbiased reports. Forbes magazines listed the top cosmetic companies and Amway was #17 I think, somewhere close to 20. When you think of how many thousands of cosmetic companies are out there that's not too bad but its a far cry from what our upline bragged about Amway being in the top 5. Later we found out a consumer survey company called Euromonitor that no one on our side of the Atlantic has ever heard of did the survey and Amway is #2 in "prestige" cosmetics. Further research shows that companies pay Euromonitor to do these surveys so they can pick where they are on the final tally and another blogger emailed Euromonitor some time ago for this information.
If you go around asking women what they look for in cosmetics I bet you are not going to find a single one who says they make their purchase based on "prestige".
Bloggers like me will do price comparisons and also talk about our experiences with Amway products.
Current IBO's will gush about how wonderful Amway products are and how they are reasonably priced due to their "high quality".
You need to find magazines doing consumer reports for an unbiased opinion.
Hi Anna Banana,
ReplyDeleteI am in Amway right now and I am sorry to hear you had to go through all that while in Amway. I don't buy into the "having to train your mind bullshit" and buy CD"s and training stuff every month. You don't need to do that if you want to make money in Amway. My upline encourages me to do so but I'm alright. I already have the motivation to make money so I'm not going to spend money on other things.
I went to Spring Leadership in Vegas (for free) and I didn't really get much. They have to sell the dream in order to keep people motivated so that's why they have all the crowns and diamonds and what not go up there to gloat about their life.
Amway is good for people who want a structured system in order to make money and change what you do on evenings and weekends. Just don't let that control your life. I know some people who live eat and breathe amway. No thanks. But that's why they are making money.
The products are better than walmart and costco. They are similarly priced, but you are paying for quality not necessarily trying to save money.
I only buy what I was buying at Walmart through my online store. There is no need to spend more just to make a bonus check. Amway works, bottom line. Sure the way it is presented most of the time is false or misleading, but you just have to be around the right people. I am fortunate to have great upline who do not try to deceive me.
Thank you for having this blog and providing a medium for me to communicate with you.
-Chris
Chris - thanks for stopping by. Sure you might make some money if you only sell Amway products to people you know. However those customers are hard to keep. The bottom line is the bottom line. Better products are available elsewhere at better prices.
DeleteYou might think Amway's products are better than what is sold at Costco and Walmart because ambots are brainwashed to believe that they are paying high prices due to the high quality. Independent third parties with no bias (Forbes, Consumer Reports, etc) have compared various products such as laundry soap or energy drinks that can be bought easily in retail stores and included Amway products. Overwhelmingly the verdict is that Amway sells generic products at premium prices.
You might say nice things about your Amway upline now but when they start riding your ass to buy more products, buy motivational material, and attend Amway meetings. Your upline makes money off you and if you're not spending enough money on Amway you'll be on their shit list soon enough.
Really if you want to make a little or a lot more money there are much better home based business opportunities than being a commissioned Amway salesperson.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteI haven't laughed my ass off like that in a long time ! I was crying that was so damn funny.
On a more serious note I would like your advice, my wifes family is becoming more deeply involved in the WWDB maze of lies and seemingly never ending barrage of brainwashing tactics ! Some of those extended family members will have tolearn the hard way and it very well take many years. Your story however hit home, my sister in-law is married to an ambot and I really feel like I need to reach out to her and at least try to open her eyes to the false dreams she is being forced to ingest. She is simply attempting to support her husband in this endeavor and it is literally sucking the life out of her ! What advice can you give as I reach out to her ? My wife is equally concerned, however, she is very afraid to confront her sister.
Thank you for the great blog !
Brian
Brian - thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you're enjoying the laughs! These Amway ambots are all so serious and think they're all big and important "business owners" and I'm here to let the world know they're a bunch of assholes. Its my job to show how stupid they are. And how they abuse their downline.
DeleteThere's a lot of people who wish they could curse out their upline, or their husband's upline, or whoever they know that's been taken in by this cult. So they can live vicariously through me cursing out my upline and at the same time I curse out everyone's upline.
WWDB is the same Amway cult sect that my husband was involved in. From what I've read on the Internet WWDB is the worst when it comes to being abused by the upline. Brainwashing is all part of their techniques. WWDB leaders are like a combo Hitler/Jim Jones. They are very scary.
Your sister in law probably wants to be supportive of her husband which is so hard to do when you see the money slipping away, either from credit card debt or the savings account being diminished by the Amway cult. You should read Merchants of Deception, a free ebook written by a former Amway Emerald, one of the top money earners in Amway, earning about 3k/month, with 1000 people in his downline. The reality finally hit him that the only people getting rich in Amway are the ones selling tickets to Amway functions. Her husband will likely quit Amway before a year is up when he finally figures out he's losing money and that his upline is lying to him. Until then he will turn into a horrible, ugly, creepy human being that will be pretty much unbearable to live with. Read the book. Its a real eye opener to the Amway cult.
http://www.transgallaxys.com/~emerald/
YOU'RE N IDIOT!! YOU BROKE PEOPLE ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE OR THING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT.. WHY DON'T YOU GO & COMPLAIN ABOUT THE COST OF REGISTRATION, BOOKS & MATERIALS FOR SCHOOL. BY YOUR DEFINITIONS, THOSE INSTITUTION ARE A CULT 2 RIGHT?..LOL (EVERY 1 DOES IT)
DeleteF*@KING IDIOT!
You fucking Amway assholes go around calling people like myself who earn at least as much money as an Amway Diamond according to Amway's figures "broke" then you have a real fucking low opinion of your Diamonds who are all as broke as me. Why would you want to hang around with broke Amway Diamond losers who earn less money than I do? Fucking broke Amway losers!
DeleteAmway products ARE pricey but the QUALITY IS PRESENT compared to majority of similiar products outside. You are paying for many organic/non gmo snack products with a short ingredient list, without tons or non of additives/preservatives, from as many as possible natural sources. Eg: a granola snack bar usually has the majority of the cheapest possible ingredient and loaded with sugar/syrup. Amway snack bars are NON gmo, organic, low(er) amount of sugar/syrup and way more fruit and nuts. Amway isn't perfect but what organisation is? How successful a person is depends on how much training you choose to take in and practice of the training, work ethic and daily habits to push for success. At least they were honest with me by saying it is NOT an easy way to make money and you have to work hard for it. I was not crazy about going to the week end events either. Listening to successful life experience testimonies of speaker after speaker is draining. There were also previous famous sports athletes speaking about their experience and hardships with leaving their sports careers, providing for their family and building their businesses, with Amway and training with Worldwide Group, I believe IT IS possible for success as an IBO. Depends on how much work ethic you choose to put into it and the training involved and to NOT expect a financially set life within a short period and give up so easily. However, I do see the potential need to CONTINUOUSLY build or rebuild downlines as a means to keep your head above water for the long haul and sometimes the uplines have be so busy that someone may fall through the cracks. Whether or not you choose to stay with it, the training and ideology can be applied to everyday life to be successful in various areas of your life from relationships, marriage, etc. Your own determination is a major factor for success in anything you do. There is even FREE marriage and relationship counselling available for IBO's and religion plays a part in this organization but there is NO pressure that I felt to follow suit. ANY person of ANY faith or atheist is welcomed. There was even a gay couple as key speakers. I think many people do not have the patience to see the big picture with the positive and negative in an unbiased way. Sure, I felt pissed when I saw people making more money, having more success as an IBO, moan when the rallys or week end gatherings take place. But having that kind of success means sacrificing your free time from pleasurable activities to build yourself. I don't think I'm brain washed. I think I see things for the good and the bad, recognize that there's is give and take to compromise
DeleteAnonymous - why are you leaving a comment on a post that's 5 years old? Only an Amway dumb fuck would do something like that. And what does anything you wrote have to do with Amway WWDB Family Reunion from 2012?
DeleteThe life of an Amway Ambot - lie, deny, distract and defend. And then disappear. Hopefully that's the last we see of you and your holier than thou comments.
You know the thing about you fucking Amway losers who gloat about the high quality of Amway products and organic bullshit etc etc is that you motherfuckers probably didn't give a shit about the ingredient list of anything you bought in the grocery store before. You bought what tastes good and what's a good price. And then you join the Amway cult and that means you're better than everyone else in the world and you sneer at other people's shopping choices.
Well fuck you asshole.
I keep organic things in my kitchen but I don't go around jabbering about it all over the Internet or to my friends and family. My shopping decisions are mine alone and I don't cram them down other people's throats. That's the difference between me and a fucking Amway loser.
It's no skin off my ass what other people buy for groceries. It's a HUGE obsession for Amway losers.
Would that free marriage counselling be with some fucking asshole in the Amway upline who isn't a licensed therapist? LOL! What a fucking loser.
And you can work as hard as you want at Amway and you'll still be a broke loser. Next time you're trying to cram an Amway brochure down someone's throat look at the small print where Amway gives the percentage of IBO's who'll make money at their pyramid scheme. There's less than 1% chance of making money in Amway. That's over 99% failure rate - and that's Amway's statistics written in small print on their brochure, not my statistics.
And you say you're not brainwashed? LOL! You just wrote a shitload of brainwashed canned Amspeak bullshit. Like I've never heard it before.
Now you better run off and get some of that free counselling from some fucking asshole in your Amway upline and tell him you're leaving comments on blogs that Amway cult leaders specifically tell their followers to stay away from.
This is definitely eye opening for me. I have been a registered Amway IBO for about a year now, only active for cumulatively for... eh, 2 months? And even then, I haven't been on top of staying "Core (WWDB terminology)."
ReplyDeleteIt definitely explains why my upline placed such a huge emphasis on me going to the Puryear Family Reunion.
There are a number of "building the business" indicators that keep me highly skeptical (i.e. quality of products, emphasis on communikate/premier membership/motivational products) I have benefited from a few things that I might not have learned on my own.
The book list! To my knowledge, I'm pretty sure haven't been written by an Amway IBO. Reading and applying everything I've learned buried in those books helped me get a new job, improve my relationships, create a new perspective, and develop a new philosophy.
That said, I don't think one should pay that ridiculous sticker price for premier membership for a suggested book list. I mean, come on.
Other promising thing: My mentor and upline has been ridiculously patient with me. I mean, for the better part of my inactivity, they have always been supportive despite the fact that I have generated zero dollars for their business. I have never been wary of them until the emphasis on going to Family Reunion.
The people I have encountered that have been in my uplines organization have been very positive and forthcoming. Their energy is great (maybe as a result of brainwashing, I'm not sure). It's a wonderful group of supportive people to be around. So far, no malicious activity and I can say that I have developed quality friendships independent of Amway involvement.
Other intangible and immeasurable things that I have gained from my experience:
Managing my time - I was entirely unaware of how much of it I actually wasted until now.
Being better prepared. Period.
Kept me consistent, goal oriented, and hardworking.
Social anxiety - It definitely made me step out of my comfort zone and learn how to approach people and interact with them. Taking the initiative was never my first choice.
Accountability - I was a very flaky person prior to starting this business. Now, I don't commit to anything unless I now for sure I can follow through. A huge importance was placed very early on about being a person of your word and reliable to boot.
I do like the idea that I can offer someone who may have zero job/business opportunity, something they can work on to help them build skills and work on improving themselves, mentor them, and help them grow.
There are positive things to be gained from this business. But it does seem like there is some backdoor shady stuff in the works.
Who this business may benefit?
Someone with no prospects
Someone with potential
Someone who can see through the smoke and mirrors and take it for what it is
Someone with good intentions and no agenda to take advantage of others
Someone who can stand to develop marketable skills
Someone that needs to be groomed
I definitely don't think this business is for everyone. And maybe I am naive but I believe that you can, in some aspects, benefit from this business. I definitely have. That isn't to say that the things I learned couldn't be found elsewhere in other opportunities, it just so happened the Amway one was the one laid in my path when I was desperate and emotionally defeated.
I was in a broken state when the "opportunity" presented itself. So maybe it isn't for anyone who has better prospects.
I am still incredibly wary and intend to proceed with caution.
I am NOT a fan of their products with the exception of Nutri-lite. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Double-X Multivitamin. Aaaaaaand that's it.
The face wash irritated my skin. The shampoo and conditioner made me break out (as did their famous toothpaste).
You can't really f*ck up toilet paper. U bought that.
Toilet paper and a multi-vitamin. Promising.
Anonymous - thank you for stopping by with your perspective which is not through brainwashed eyes even after a year in Amway though mostly inactive.
DeleteWith your attitude you will never become profitable in Amway. You are too honest. You have to be a good liar and have no morals or conscience if you want to succeed in Amway.
With your attitude you very likely will be successful at another business opportunity you choose to start up.
I'm glad that you're getting something out of your time in Amway and has helped you become a more confident person. And sure some of those books on the reading list are written by authors who have their books for sale everywhere else and offer good business and self help advice.
In Amway you have to watch your expenses don't exceed your income. And that's the trap with WWDB premier membership, Communikate, tickets to Amway meetings you are probably already in the hole. The only people getting rich in Amway are the people who are selling the business support materials.
Stay away from Family Reunion. The ultimate brainwashing session not to mention your upline demanding your presence at night owl meetings until 2, 3, or 4 in the morning so you'll be good and tired for the next day's brainwashing session.
As you said proceed with caution. Good luck to you!
I just realized something incredibly interesting... my upline offered to front money in order for me to renew my premier membership (after my first month as an IBO with the free month, I decided to drop it) so that I could buy tickets for Family Reunion. I didn't make it to the even due to circumstances. Perhaps the fates intervened on my behalf. I wouldn't have otherwise ended up on this blog if I hadn't been searching for information on FR.
DeleteAaaaaaanyways, I have been throwing money down a hole for a communikate account I never touch and have so for not benefited from (with the exception of a fuller e-mail box). And a new premier membership.
I may just decide to get a copy of the book list, download all of the "reading material" on the premier site, and quit it again.
Your thoughts on "tax write off" benefits through the 1099? It seems as though they boast about them helping to offset the costs of the business.
I am only beginning to become increasingly more wary. Reading the motivations and intentions behind the business materials has been eye opening.
Hi Anonymous - shortly after most people sign up as IBO's they get this feeling that something is not quite right. Upline refuses to answer questions related to Amway's compensation or the amount of money it costs to buy all these motivational materials. Never question upline!
DeleteCommunikate makes the upline Diamonds richer. A former employee showed up at my blog and said the majority of Communikate's customers are Amway IBO's. The Diamonds earn a commission from each person who signs up and a portion of their monthly fee. And yes Communikate us useless. Cell phones these days come standard with all the things you get from Communikate. However ambots are brainwashed to believe Communikate is their personal assistant. Yeah I could use a personal assistant right now to make a Starbucks run for me!
I've covered the Amway tax scam in prior posts. We are told that we can write off everything we buy from Amway as business expenses. Our accountant disagrees. Anything you stick in your mouth that could be considered a grocery item is not a legitimate tax deduction unless you operate a restaurant. Same thing with cleaning products you use in your own home as opposed to your professional cleaning business. Also gas, tickets to Amway functions, hotel, food, travel expenses if you claim them you must be able to show that you are making a profit from your Amway business. The IRS has determined that Amway functions are social events and the majority of IBO's do not have an increase in their business as a result of attending these functions so they can not be written off.
The scam works that you deduct everything Amway on your tax against the income you earn from your regular job and you will get a tax refund. That's the secret to making money in Amway. Writing off your losses against your job's income. However if the IRS catches up to you you will have to pay it back plus penalties. An accountant who leaves here occasionally writes a blog and has provided links to Amway IBO audits.
You need to download a free copy of Merchants of Deception to read the true story of a former Emerald.
http://www.transgallaxys.com/~emerald/
Hi Anne,
ReplyDeleteI've come across your site in hopes of helping a close friend of mine who's been sucked into this horrible organization. There's nothing I can say to get him out now since the girl he's fallen for is his upline and he's in too deep. Still I went to 'meeting' tonight where they all celebrated their various incomes.
Me and my friend's would make fun of these people before but I can't anymore because being there was heartbreaking tonight. To see all those lovely people who are being sold hope and desperately chasing it. They see themselves as chasing their dreams when really they've already lost it. Maybe they weren't academic for school or took a risk and lost or fell in love and started a family when they didnt have the means to support it. The world gives up on people like this and it's why WWDB preys on them; it's their second chance, maybe their only one at a great life. Do they blind themselves and convince themselves the tunnel their walking into has a light on the end. It doesn't.
For all of you who are trying to help your loved ones out, I can only offer this argument against their boastful claims that they are not a pyramid scheme. WWDB loves to say they aren't a pyramid and they say that all companies are pyramid schemes in a way because the richest are at the top. Here's how to counter that (continued)...
- Raj
(continued)
ReplyDeleteAsk them to imagine that WWDB meets its goal of spreading their good word around the world and pass out their gift of easy money and early retirement to everyone, everywhere. Every single person in the world is an IBO. The last recruits will have no downline, no one to sell to since everyone else in the world is in their upline. They will not be able to make money off their business and they will crash. The next line above them will not be able to make money either now since the one's below can not support them so they crash. On and on up the chain until the whole thing collapses and the select few at the top walk away with all the money. This is a non-sustainable business model.
All other companies that have products to sell, however, their goals to make everyone in the world their CUSTOMER. If they achieve this goal, they will not collapse, they will only grow. Hence, the difference between a private am/pa business that caps out its earnings and a publicly traded company that grows and expands its investments.
It amazes me that WWDB aren't illegal because they are a pyramid scheme. It isn't that one can't be successful in it, you can. But you must spend the rest of your life cheating others. Making money isn't as important as HOW you make money. That's the difference between winning a lottery and earning your success. At least I wish that's how the world was.
Not to mention Amway regularly donates to Anti-Gay/Lesbian support groups. I wonder if they share that in their meetings...
I hope this helps someone/anyone who is trying to pull their loved ones out of this monstrous organization. Anne, if you decide to rally some kind of Anti-Amway, if even just a meeting or a rally or protest, I'd happily join it. I think the world would be a better place for it and I think this would be the perfect place (your site) to start it or Atleast discuss it.
Good luck, guys :)
- Raj
Raj - thanks for stopping by. You have a very clear understanding about Amway and WWDB including being a cult.
DeleteI feel so bad for your friend especially since he is involved with someone who is in Amway. Very difficult for him to quit. Means the end of his new relationship but that might not be such a bad thing! His upline has already brainwashed him not to believe anything that other people tell him about Amway because they are broke losers who want to steal his dream or some other similar bullshit. This cult is all about destroying relationships because those are the people who might be able to reason with the Ambot and show him that he has gotten involved ins business opportunity with a 99% failure rate, the products are overpriced, and the cult followers are creepy.
He might quit once he runs out of money or is deep in debt. It's very sad the way this cult preys on people who probably only want to make a better life for themselves but instead get scammed by people who pretended to be their friends.
is this the "loser" only member club? ...( let me in)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - if you want to belong to the loser club you need to spend $50 a year to be part of Amway's shopping club. Then you have to spend $300/month minimum buying overprice shitty products. You also have to spend $50/month belonging to an Amway cult group such as WWDB. You also have to fork over $40/month on a useless voicemail system called Communikate. About $50/month on books and CDs. However much a month on Amway meetings and functions perhaps another couple hundred more a month. This is an expensive loser club. Why would you want to join? You don't have better uses for an extra $700/month like a mortgage?
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