Scamway!

[AKLRULZ]

At this point I don't care if their stuff is make from 24kt. gold. I do not want anything to do with their slimey scheme. I do not need any fake "friends".

That is kind of how I feel about it - had a long lost fraternity brother and his wife approach us who we hadn't seen or heard from in probably 10 years. All of a sudden we're best friends again and they want to know about our lives, our kids and sign on the dotted line please. No thanks.

I've also been approached by total strangers at Barnes & Noble who say "hey, you sure look familar, is your name so and so" and then go into where do we know each other, I sure look like a sharp business man, let's exchange business cards, blah..blah...blah...

 

[Kimmielee]

Yep... Dick DeVos. Many of you know my political affiliation as deeply conservative. However, I wouldn't vote for a DeVos or Van Andel (the other founding family) for Dog Catcher given the financial harm that their company has inflicted on families all across America.

Not to hijack the thread and the OP's intent but the sad part is, I don't think the general public KNOWS who he is! This campaign is getting ugly too.

 

[shortbun]

One of two times I've actually seen my husband furious was when we were duped into an Amway presentation. He threw the "friend" out of our house very ungraciously, lol!!!
side note: I used to LOVE their laundry products!!

 

[Disney Ella]

Things were tense with a friend of DH's for a while because the guy just wouldn't take no for an answer about Amway. DH finally told him that he never wanted to hear about Amway again and they didn't talk for a few weeks after that.

The friend said that he and his wife couldn't be as successful at Amway as they wanted because there were just too many close-minded people. They planned to quit their day jobs in five years. It's been more than five years and they don't sell Amway anymore.

The pyramid scheme angle aside, there's no way I'd join an organization as sexist as Amway. Telling you how to dress (women in dresses) and that the women are in charge of paperwork. DH's friends spent a lot of money on conventions and hotels in far away cities too. It seemed that there was a lot of pressure to go to those things.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

When I was living in New Mexico, I had friends who got into it who tried to get me into it...it didn't work. Since then, I've had a few people try to get me into a few different types of schemes like that, but to no avail. I'm one of those people that's real hard to sell to, so much so, that I'm sure I've passed up some legit business opportunities because of it.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

So, what is Amway exactly? Like Avon?

 

[sha_lyn]

So, what is Amway exactly? Like Avon?

I would say more like Stanley/Fuller Brush

Their main products yrs ago were cleaning products that were highly concentrated. They added other household products such as foil, plastic wrap etc, and health/beauty products. Now I think you buy just about anything through the Quickstar program. Even vacations, cars etc.

Another thing I really liked that was misunderstood was their gift program.
It was like buying a mail order gift card. There were several different price levels and gift categories. However it turned out a lot of people though it was just junk mail/solicitation from their family/friends and would throw them out.

I heard one story of distributors who sent several to an out of town family member for a few years. Every Xmas, new baby, birthday etc. This family member finally complained about how this person never gave them gifts and used every special occasion to try and sell them stuff. Turned out they had throw away several hundreds of dollars worth of gift catalogs

 

[chobie]

Yep... Dick DeVos. Many of you know my political affiliation as deeply conservative. However, I wouldn't vote for a DeVos or Van Andel (the other founding family) for Dog Catcher given the financial harm that their company has inflicted on families all across America.

Thank you!

Oh, about it being your mom's fault that the business failed, it's always the woman's fault in Amway, or whatever the hell they call it now. I'm sure your mom was not "submissive" enough. Can you tell I've been there done that? We got roped in by a family member and stuck to it for 2 years. I did like the products, I do think that friends and family members could at least try a product or two, but the whole convention, tapes cult-thing just wasn't my scene. In fact, those conventions were down right scary. It was like a scene our of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

Long story short, we lost most of our friends when we got into it, then we lost all our new amyway friends when we quit.

 

[chobie]

Yep, good friends invited us. We joined, as we felt the products were great. However, I was left with a bad feeling that every meeting began with a prayer-a very evangelical prayer. Ex and I mentioned the the Direct that it bothered us and that business and religion don't mix-he blew us off.

The friends that got us involved also left soon after because they were tired of being told 'you're not trying hard enough'.

Great products, and I'd buy SA8 again in a second if I could find someone who sold the stuff who didn't bug me to join!

Suzanne

"

Yeah, I couldn't deal with the religion thing either. We were pretty much told we had to become an ultra right-wing type Christian or we could not make it in the business.

 

[SamRoc]

About 20 years ago, my brother called us and sounded so excited! He was going to make so much money, and had found a way to do it. My brother is usually very subdued, so of course my dh and I went to a meeting with him. We tried it, had about 3 people "under" us in the pyramid, but then the bottem fell out. Fast forward, about 5 years ago a good friend called us with the same scheme. We went to the meeting just to hang out with them, knowing that we would never try that again. The funniest thing the Amway rep said to us at the meeting was "wouldnt you love to be your own boss, to never had that electronic cuckoo clock wake you up in the morning" and i thought, my friend that did amway 5 years ago, and is still doing it today doesnt have time for ANYTHING! they are always going to meetings, traveling, trying to make new contacts. they were trying to make it sound like amway members just wake up when they want. Everyone i know in Amway has 2 jobs trying to support themselves. The only people that made it rich are the first ones that got in on it years ago and are at the top of the pyramid.

 

[sha_lyn]

Yeah, I couldn't deal with the religion thing either. We were pretty much told we had to become an ultra right-wing type Christian or we could not make it in the business.

I found just the oppisite to be true. Many of our upline were studing Scientology

 

[OceanAnnie]

I thought Amway became "Arbone" (sp?)? Arbone seems to be just like Amway. My recent encounter; the lady would not take, "No thanks." for an answer! It was ridiculous.

 

[chobie]

I found just the oppisite to be true. Many of our upline were studing Scientology

Our uplines all the way to the top were Pentecostals.

 

[sha_lyn]

I thought Amway became "Arbone" (sp?)? Arbone seems to be just like Amway. My recent encounter; the lady would not take, "No thanks." for an answer! It was ridiculous.

Is't arbone a swiss skincare line?
Amway became Quickstar

 

[MrsKreamer]

My parents did this years ago. I remember going to their meetings and conventions with them. I remember how "church"like it was. I remember my dad saying that they be able to do this full time..eventually...
They lost their butts.

 

[AKLRULZ]

My recent encounter; the lady would not take, "No thanks." for an answer! It was ridiculous.

Well a lot of people involved in MLMs seem to be that way - my wife often hosts or attends Pampered Chef or Southern Living parties and the main goal often seems to not sell the products offered but recruit people into the pyramid. Her sister was in Pampered Chef for a quite a few years and seemed to be on Pampered Chef Kool Aid the entire time - everytime we were together all we heard was how great it was to be in Pampered Chef and how rich they'd be one day. She ultimately quit, but at least unlike Amway the other MLM's advertise who they are before you attend. I don't get the covert nature of Amway.

 

[Shel]

This all sounds SO familiar. I'm another Amway victim, and DH & I lost our butts in it, and are still suffering the reverberations 3 years later. The funny thing is, we still have products such as sandwich bags, tin foil, soap that we ordered more than 3 years ago. Go figure!

If anyone is slightly interested in it my best advice is to run in the opposite direction just as fast as you can!!

 

[chobie]

This all sounds SO familiar. I'm another Amway victim, and DH & I lost our butts in it, and are still suffering the reverberations 3 years later. The funny thing is, we still have products such as sandwich bags, tin foil, soap that we ordered more than 3 years ago. Go figure!

If anyone is slightly interested in it my best advice is to run in the opposite direction just as fast as you can!!

Hmmm, I'm thinking we have the makings of new Dis clique here-- anyone want to start the former Amroids thread? Or would that be too depressing?

 

[AKLRULZ]

Amroids!

 

[L107ANGEL]

I am not proud of this but I was a victim of a MLM, even though they went on the grounds that the other MLM's were false and would leave you broke and broken but they were different
I won't say the name but they used the term "Transfer buying" a whole lot!
Lots of time and money for nothing!