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Quixtar on Dateline NBC:
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I have seen a number of people looking for this information so I thought I would post it in one place.
Quixtar on Dateline NBC:
This was a very interesting story! I started my network marketing career with Amway in 1972 when I was 21 years old. I loved the business and everything that went with it: books, tapes, rallies, seminars and other major functions. I even wrote a song called, "Fly with the eagles or scratch with the chickens" and we use to sing it at rallies and seminars.
Amway was a personal growth program for me, as I believe it is and was for most people who are or were involved with it. However, I realized at one point that Dexter Yeager and Bill Britt had a huge business in support materials and function promotion. Cassette tapes were just coming out back then. We use to have reel to reel tape recorders that we would take to functions to tape them. They sold cassette tapes for $3 apiece back then when they finally came out. Years later they sold videos for $20 each and tapes for about double what they did in the beginning. I know people here in Nashville who pay $6 for one CD.
Any leader or company which makes a living off the backs of their organizations through over priced tools and functions is not worthy of those organizations! People need to be trained and mentored for sure but not by being raped financially with over priced tools!
Most people are unaware that Amway distributors are brain washed with traditional brain washing techniques. That's how these big hitters keep the same broke people in the loop year after year even though they haven't made a dime, but rather have lost money! Because of the programming they receive, any distributor who has been in "The Business" for any length of time will not even make a decision about buying a car without first checking with "The Upline" first. It seems as though people relinquish or even lose their ability to reason for themselves.
I have fond memories of my time in Amway. Every network marketer in the world owes a debt of gratitude to Rich DeVos and Jay VanAndel, the founders of Amway. If they hadn't won the case against the FTC back in 1975 we would even be taking about this today! Unfortunately, in my opinion, Rich and Jay lost control of the company when Dexter Yeager changed the way Amway did business and showed the marketing plan with $100 circles. He changed Amway from a retailing company to a wholesale distributing company that started to look like a pyramid operation and that's what got them into trouble with the FTC to start with.
I have gained much from my training years ago, but I cringe at the thought of so many people being fed a bunch of hype and lies. These people bring their hopes and dreams to the table and pour out their lives in the pursuit of them based upon the untruths they have been fed. I know for a fact that the only people in Amway (I refuse to call it Quixtar-absolutely nothing is different about that business except the name) who are making any money are the people who get to sell the tools that distributors MUST buy if they don't want to be totally shunned by their uplines. The Dateline piece quoted Amway and people like Bill Britt as saying that the tool purchasing was not a requirement. Ask anyone in that business if they will get any support at all if they refuse to "get with the program" and get the tools. The answer will be that they will be totally shunned and will be out in the cold as far as getting any help is concerned.
Network marketing is a power business model that can change a person's life. However, many years of failure and frustration is what many people experience before they ever get properly trained and find the right company to work with. The world is full of warriors who refuse to give-up! They continue to dream and believe and get kicked in the head time and time again but they refuse to give up! If you are one of the warriors that I just described and you have yet to find a home or if you take issue with what I've said here or would like to discuss "old times" feel free to give me a call. I live in the central time zone. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
To Your Unlimited Success!
Dave Thompson
615-469-7560
Nashville, TN
Very interesting comment. I will not dispute your personal experiences. But I would caution both you and Dateline by making claims and generalizations. To say that someone did something (yourself) and that someone didn't make a certain amount. This does not and should not be stated in a way that generalizes what EVERYONE does. I personally did not buy the tapes and received support from my upline. I was also given the option and free will to understand that you could make some money or alot of money just like with any business and nothing was promised to me. I did make some money which was my goal. I accept responsibilty for what I didn't make. Why do people always blame someone else when they fall short??
My roommate was into this crap for over 4 years and sometimes I used to frequent his upline's house. He lost more than 20,000 dollars easily and 4 precious years of his life. And for those Quixtar/Amway apologisers who would say tapespeak regarding him. I would tell you he was a road warrior, totally committed to his dream and did whatever his upline told, even though we were roommates, I never saw him in my house and he was always on the road or STP or followin thru(or whatever crap that is), yet when he decided to quit, his upline called him a loser.
I enjoyed reading everyone's comments. Each one has written from the novels of their own experiences or from others.
I am with Quixtar, though I know very well it is Amway renamed, and yes, I saw the dateline and I am very grateful to be informed. Corruption is everywhere even in the Fortune 500 companies I do overseas contracts with. The key is to discover what these companies can do to help you achieve your own goals, and still be true to yourself.
I don't bring others into the business because it is not my desire. I only buy Quixtar products if it is worth the value to pay. Being overseas, most of my purchases are online and the companies I generally purchase from are affiliated with Quixtar so I get cash back from those purchases and this has saved me much money.
As for the CD's and books, I borrow from my upline and I purchase the one's that interest me so I'm not wasting my money on these 'tools'. And tools is a fitting name because anything that inspires will build a person up.
Now, as for it costing much to get in and started. I inquired of my upline where this $100's of dollars to get started came from as I did not pay this much to become an IBO, I only paid $25 to get in. Apparently, this isn't the case for everyone. My upline took this initiative on themselves and pays the $100's of dollars of membership for their IBO's.
Yes, corruption is in every corporation and some worse than others. So, discover what that company can do for your goals. If it cannot then find one that can and then make it happen.
Bratton, J
you guys need to grow up. just because you got in and only worked a little or even non at all and nothing happened, doesn't mean it doesn't work. all your doing is putting a bad name on a good thing. sure they make money off of tools, what do you think that the colleges make on the text books. oh and as far as being brain washed, that would mean that your brain was dirty to begin with right? get a life and stop tring to ruin everyone elses?
I bought into the amway story too. I was uneducated, broke, kind hearted, helpful,
sincere and nieve. BWW does suck you in. They project that good people like me can win in life
and if you quit your a loser. so you dont quit. So that you dont be called or looked upon as such. they suck you in with it seems inexpensive tools (books and tapes and seminars). story side story.
I remember I took the book list and bought them at a book store so i wouldnt have to wait for them to come in through the upline.
I got the biggest look from everybody. i was like whaat…. and then it hit me that
the scam was. so after that I didnt buy anymore books. the scam being everyone in the upline made money off of them.
though they are very refreshing and educational, to some extent, once you do start you cant stop for fear of being outcasted by your upline. coz if you dont buy that stuff you dont get invited or treated as being apart of the in crowd. this business feeds off of people need to be accepted and makes an excellent income for the people of the directe dist. and higher. I gave up a navy career at the 10 year point because everyone in the upline said, get out, come back home coz my home town was untapped and it will be the next NC, and once that does you will not miss it once you make direct dist., about 2400 bucks a month. so i did. I would spend 70 bucks a week in gas, functions, tapes, from an income of 240 bucks a week from my regular job. money that could have gone to pay debt, rent, proper food on the tabel instead of fast food and mac and cheese. I would invest and think i was doing something right. Then besides spending over 360 bucks a month on amway products to i can make a mere 100 points to get 6 bucks back at the end of the month. coz if you dont get that 100 points, your not included in the click. and if you dont click, your a loser.
Oh, by the way, my hometown is still untapped after 8 years of quiting that business.
The only postive side is amway products are really good and better for the enviornment, the line of sponsorship are nothing short of liars and crooks.
Our experience w/Amway and Quixtar (A&Q) was one I will never forget. Some say I was foolish while others think smart. I grew up in a middle class family that went bust after my parents divorce. My brothers and I were placed in foster homes. Some were good, some were bad. The role models in my life were few and far from the life promised by A&Q. After several years of marriage and 2 beautiful daughters and a modest income in banking, I chose to get in business for myself through the A&Q plan. I got my kit and I invested thousands of dollars over a 10 year period in books and tapes – listening and reading faithfully. I attended most – I repeat – most, not all of the major and minor functions the leaders encouraged me to attend. What gained from this experience in this business was far more valuable than if I had not participated. True, I experienced a painful divorce, but not because of A&Q, but rather because of my personal choices, which were not good choices. My second wife followed me faithfully, even through the painful times in our business. I made many new and exciting friends because of this life changing experience I would otherwise had not met during my mundane career in banking. I learned perseverance, loyalty, the importance authority, leadership, humility, integrity, faith, trust, hope, endurance, the power of struggle, people skills, appropriate habits, coaching skills, capitalism, creating vision, personal motivation, gratitude, service to others and more. I am no longer affiliated with A&Q, nor its leadership because of ethical differences, but I will appreciate what this experience has taught me and gained me. I care greatly for the people I fostered in A&Q, but its every individuals responsibility to choose their path to trod, to learn and to grow. Since A&Q, I have taken my learning experience into the marketplace with an attitude of unlimited potential. Do I still have dreams? Yes. But I will never again limit my dreams to another man's promise, but rather commit my dreams and plans to the only one who can truly make them happen. The Bible says, "Delight thyself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." I will stay faithful to God's promises and Jesus' command to go into all the world with the good news of God's love through the death, burial, resurrection and return of God, my Savior.
My boyfriend is into this Amway Quixtar cult.. to me it is a cult.. he would get calls almost daily from his upline .. and whenever the upline called he would get on my case to buy or force my kids to use the stuff.. they told him he was going to get rich.. he listened to all the tapes, went to 7 national conventions in 2-3 years.. goes to every hotel meeting … wastes 80 days per year and makes virtually nothing.. but a few bucks back from buying addictively. My problem now is not the money.. I am an engineer and can make up for any stupid business he wants to waste his money on.. But now he only sells women.. and has to call on them everyday according to the model.. and he never sells men.. he used to date a married woman and once got a girl pregnant and now I am supposed to trust him with all these married women at hotels? And trust him with my money someday too if I ever married him? No way.. once a predator always a predator.. he might get your wife next.. Is your wife in Quixtar? watch outfor him!
Funny how everyone says that they lost thousands of dollars when you cant lose a single penny off this business. It is fully refundable for up to 6 months. If your upline didnt tell you that, then you need to take personal responsibility because it is your business after all, and look it up. Seriously, it amazes me how many people dont research stuff and then blame people for their own mistakes. Why is it quixtar's fault that you didnt know their rules.
Personally, im an ibo and am making 200 dollars a month. Even if I was only making 10 or 20 dollars a month, I still wouldnt be losing money because everyone is a consumer. So we all buy stuff anyway. Why not buy it from quixtar and get 10 or 20 bucks back. Thats how i view it. While it is a business you can still do it to save money if your not into the business part of it. Thats why i dont understand why people dont want to even be customers. It is so much easier to get it shipped to u than to go to the store.
As for some of you posts above. A few were good, but some were absolutely rediculous. Who cares about a guy going after girls. Thats a random guy's choice. That has absolutely nothing to do with the business as a whole. If this business was a pyramid scheme, then why would it be around for 50 years? Sometimes people dont get the facts so they assume things they dont know. Funny how our society works. The reason i like laughing about all of this is because success is the sweetest revenge and I know ive only made 200 a month but im probably going to make 400 this month and will soon be entering the comma club (for people that dont know thats when ur making 1000 per month).
I cant tell/force any of you on what to do. But dont be so hateful. Quixtar might not be for you but its for other people. And fair or not, its a legit business. Most things arent fair in life and you just got to learn to deal with it. Just like the hot coffee at mcdonalds.
I was an AMWAY distributor 13 years ago. After 5 months of being a "road warrior", I finnaly got a PV check for $200.00 paid out $125.00 to my down lines neted $75.00 about 15 bucks a month. Lost my management position at the company I was working for at the time, decided to back off. My up line told my wife that the only way she could suceed was to leave me, since my heart was no longer in it.
Rob and Rita Rice were my sponsors, Dennis and Kathy Hulick up line directs, Alan Lonager(spelling possibly wrong) were my upline diamonds.
NEVER AGAIN
We became distributors in 1990. In a nutshell, we were a mess, only married for a few years and on the verge of divorce. While I will admit some of the attitudes especially the "submissive wife" doctrine were a little strange to me(being an educated and strong woman) I was willing to accept some of the teaching. The Amway business did not make us financially rich but it did instill principles which helped us to become successful in life. We learned the importance of good money management (which we had NO concept of). In the course of our seven or so years trying to build a business, we did spend a lot of money but I am not sure we wouldn't have spent it anyway on less productive endeavors. What we got from the business was not what we expected. We are still together after twenty two years, now own a home and are not in financial trouble. We have savings, and investments and a solid foundation which our Amway friends hepled to foster. I will be forever greatful to the Kornfelds, Loziers, Burtoffs, Golats and the rest of our upline. Amway is not for everyone. But is it was for us. We still use the vitamins, air and water treatment systems simply because they are the best. We no longer actively prospect or travel to the functions, however, we can never say that the amway business was a bad experience. Who knows, maybe we will go back to it in our next life since we will soon be retired from our regular jobs. But either way, we still love you since you helped make us who we are today.
I have been with amway for one year and i have never been told i had to do anything. I buy audios and books on my own so i can stay motivated and positive. Everyone has their own opinion but i would say this one is totally off. I have gotten my money bk and then some. Those of you who are giving amway a bad name. Well u should look in the mirror cause the reason why u did not succeed is staring right back at ya.