A Tragic Amway Story

This is the tragic story of someone who bit the Amway scam hook, like and sinker. This is the story of my sponsor. He joined around 1994 and he went (Gold) direct distributor after about a year. Being a close friend of mine, he was able to sponsor me despite me having a skeptical view of Amway. He went "direct" after all and he was going to show me how to do it. He said it wasn't that difficult. Trusting a friend, I figured I could follow his direction and accomplish the same thing. I remember him telling me that since he was direct, he was nearly assured of making at least $2000 a month for the rest of his life. I was interested and I also wanted that so I signed up and got started.

I managed to sponsor people fairly quickly and I was excited as I was on track to be the "next one". I had gotten the interest of the upline diamond and was invited to accompany him to some home board plans and "special" meetings for the movers and shakers. I honestly thought I was headed for direct and more. My group kept growing and soon enough I was out showing the plan 5 nights a week for myself and my downline. I had learned quite well and I was very excited. Until that one fateful night. My sponsor (my doctor friend) met with me to "counsel" me on my business. I was growing and he told me that I should ditch my fiance'. He said I would be better off single and could focus on going diamond. (My fiance' was supportive on Amway) I felt sick. I was shocked, but my sponsor said he would divorce his wife if his upline told him to. After some soul searching and thinking, I decided that money wasn't important enough to ditch someone I was committed to. (I have now been happily married for 18 years).

After I decided to leave the business, I told my downline about why I made the decision and most of them quit immediately. My sponsor had killed his own golden goose. I was on track to go platinum but he had killed off his best leg. His business immediately fell below 7500. He didn't quit and kept pressing on. I believe that at that point, he started to lose serious money because he had serious tools flow that he was paying for. I was an eagle at the time and he was now eating the cost of all my group's standing orders (WWDB says you can't cancel them). I went my merry way and was actually relieved I had gotten out. While I was a 4000 pin, I really made nothing because of the tools and functions. Being from Hawaii, functions are really expensive because we needed to fly to the mainland US for major functions 3-4 times a year.

After I quit, a few years later, (I had suspected) I was able to confirm the tools scam. Out upline diamonds swore on stage that nobody made money on tools and functions. I suspected as an IBO but some information on Newsweek (the magazine) and some other sources exposed the scam. Eventually Dateline exposed more in 2004. By then I had discovered more of the Amway scam via the internet and learned more of the sordid details. I started blogging in 2006 to help spread the word about the Amway scam and the tools. My blog has literally provided information to thousands of people who could now make informed decisions about joining Amway or not.

The tragedy of the whole thing is that my sponsor (the physician) never quit. I knew some of his employees and occasionally asked if he was still active and they confirmed it. I was able to confirm that he is still active. He is still dreaming of diamond and still showing the plan and attending functions after nearly 20 years. His kids are now in high school and he is farther away from diamond than when I was in the business. It's such a waste of life if you ask me. I was hoping he would see through the scam and quit but he is completely and hopelessly brainwashed. I see this as tragic. I physician could have owned a nice home and could have saved enough to retire very nicely. instead, he is still chasing an Amway dream that will not materialize. Sadly, he does not see this. With my slightly above average corporate job, I will be retired living off a pension and investments (residual income) before my former sponsor. If you ask me, that is a tragedy and I hope and pray he will snap out of it. But I have my doubts. I wish him well.