Amway's Reputation?

One thing I am fairly certain of. That is Amway's reputation in North America is badly tarnished. It seems that everyone you can speak to will have had, or will know someone who had a bad experiece in Amway. My first contact with the Amway opportunity was being tricked into attending a meeting. I was in college and I was invited to a "beerbust" only to see men in suits and a white board. I did later join when a good friend of mine had joined and achieved platinum. But in that incident, I was then a participant in what some call the "tool scam".

I believe it is for this very reason that prospects are often discouraged from seeking information about Amway prior to joining. Some uplines still teach that the internet is the bathroom walls of society only filled with negatives. Of course uplines are simply afraid that their prospects and new IBOs will simply uncover the truth about some of the unethical practices of the upline. What many will often find is that there are lies told about the opportunity and some deception about the tools systems. There are common phrases such as "we don't make money until you do" that some uplines use which are blatantly false. But it does make some prospects feel at ease when they hear these terms, especially when prospects are often the friends and/or family of potential sponsoring IBOs.

The curiosity approach used by many IBOs also leaves a bad impression on people because many questions are not answered, or a question is answered with a question. This is a planned strategy used by many IBOs to confuse prospects. It is why many people felt deceived when they finally revealed the name Amway in a presentation. As if a prospect is supposed to ask all of the correct questions before full disclosure. It is quite sad because it is the behavior of IBOs who have crippled the Amway name, and not the Amway corporation itself. However, I believe the corporation could have done more about curbing bad or unethical behavior by IBOs.

But the thing that irks me and many others, is the attitude and revisionist history tactics used my many uplines. In the past, many uplines used bold lies about the tools. I was in WWDD and heard from stage that nobody made a cent of profit from the tools. These leaders have never been held accountable for these lies that have caused untold financial damages to their faithful downline. They also fabricated stories or simply made people disappear when various diamond leaders got divorced or involved themselves in embarrassing situations. Because of the IBO attrition, many newer IBOs never knew the truth about the upline lies and deception. I believe some of the diamond leaders are now suffering as it seems that there are no new Amway advocates, possibly because too much information is freely available with a simple google search.

I believe Amway has a soiled reputation in the US and Canada. I also believe it is well earned.