Another Lost Relationship Thanks To Amway

A reader shares their Amway horror story.

My best friend of 10 yrs is an ambot. She is secretly dating a guy in Amway, & tells us she doesn’t want their relationship to be official & out on Facebook as they don’t want to mix business & their relationship. After a month she told us she didn’t think Amway was for her, & we felt relieved. The next time we saw her, she told us she was back in Amway & her “passions were set on fire.” As her friend, I wanted to support her happiness & knew if I expressed any concern, she’d view it as me being a “negative” person.

My best friend is my maid of honor in my wedding (I’m engaged) & w/i a few months, I watched my best friend give up: her videography business, Bible study with us for Amway’s “church services”, working with a financial advisor for retirement as “Amway has a better financial plan,” a European trip she’d been planning for MONTHS because she “didn’t have time to travel,” & abandon our friendship for amway

My best friend texted me asking what I was doing the next day from 7:40-9:00pm. I told her I was free & she manipulatively invited me to an Amway event & expressed that I could benefit from hearing it & it would mean a lot to her. I responded saying I love & support her but no thank you, amway isn’t for me. She was upset & ignored me & when I asked if she’d gotten my previous text to talk, she she didn’t need to explain herself & that she was going to be busy in the next weeks so we couldn’t see each other.

At this point, I knew I had to express concern because a good friend would do that. Even if it meant it backfiring. We finally met up & after some small talk I said, “I think this deserved a conversation & so I wanted to share with you why I declined your invite to your Amway meeting.” I told her how my grandfather was in Amway & it was a big reason he & his wife got divorced. They were raising 5 kids & he was losing $ in amway. I also told her I did a lot of research on Amway & concluded based on those 2 things that it wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t support her & her happiness. She got offended. She compared me to one of her other friends saying this other friend would go to a meeting if she asked. She said she wanted me to go so I could understand where her priorities were focused & so I could ‘understand why we wouldn’t see each other that much’

She told me that I “just have to go to the meetings to understand why I’m not a priority” & I told her if someone asked about my business, my faith, etc that I could explain it to them in words for them to understand. She said “when I achieve my dream, I’m going to take my friends & family on exotic vacations all around the world!” I said, “so all the friends & family you made not important in your life are just going to all of a sudden go on vacation with you?”

I told her I missed her & feel that I’m losing my best friend (i’m sobbing at this point telling her this). I asked her what she gets from Amway that she wasn’t getting in our friendship. She brought up hanging around successful people & I asked her what success means to her & she said following her passions. I asked her if she thought I didn’t follow mine (because I do). I asked her if she thought I was unsuccessful.

I asked her if she had any idea how hurtful it’s been to be penciled in & put on the side. She got defensive & said “I’m done with this!” & left. I said “you will always be my best friend & I will always be here for you.” We haven’t spoken since.

Amway isolates people who aren’t in Amway. Amway encourages its IBO’s to break it off with anyone who is ‘negative’ (i.e. anyone who isn’t in Amway), Amway says those “negative people are close-minded” when in fact Amway is close-minded to anyone who doesn’t believe in “their way to success.” If you’re not making money for your upline, Amway doesn’t give a shit about you. Amway positively reinforces those who are selling & who are remaining active by buying or selling products--if you’re slacking (i.e. missing meetings/conferences or not meeting sales, they will bully & manipulate you to feel less than).

To my best friend who is in Amway: I know my best friend is still in there and I’m angry that Amway has brainwashed you. I am very hurt by this but will accept you in loving arms if Amway doesn’t work out the way it was sold to you.