Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Former Amway WWDB Wife Speaks Out?

Amway and WWDB Teaching?



A comment left on my WWDB blog. I thought it might be helpful to other readers who share a similar situation:


My husband wasn't abusive when we met and were first married. That started happening maybe six months after we were married.

He was already in Amway when we met, but he wasn't very active. After we got married, he started to get more active in "the business."

I didn't know much about Amway when I met him. I met his upline sponsors when we got engaged and I thought they were just good friends. After we were married, I went to a rally and was struck by how the wives seemed to be so supportive. Then I heard the Emerald wife speak, and all she did was edify her husband or go on to "us gals" that we needed to let go of any negativity. As I went to more functions, I heard the wives tell "us gals" to be submissive - that we were wrong for having any needs or requests. It's one of the kids' birthday or your birthday and there's a function? Guess which one takes priority. You can celebrate later when you're "Free," when you're a Diamond.

I thought there would be some sales training. I went to an Artistry clinic - they taught us how to put on makeup and showed us some of the latest colors. But there was nothing about how to find customers, generate sales, or even have a makeup party. At one time, there was a tape by Bettyjean Brooks (wife of Jim Brooks, WWDB) about how to build a retail business. I ordered it, but never received it. She and Jim divorced. Jim stayed in WWDB and the tape suddenly became "unavailable."

Husband really followed the "fake it 'til you make it" teaching. To everyone, he was Mr. Successful. After our child was born, I became a stay at home mother. He led everyone to believe that it was our Amway income that allowed me to stay home. We weren't even at 1500 PV. We never made any money. I kept my mouth shut and played the submissive/supportive wife role. Keeping the books, running call-in and pickup for our downline, and trying to peddle the products to "customers." He never tried to sell anything - that was the wife's job. WWDB taught that.

It all came to a head when the police got involved because of the abuse. He had to move out of our house. He lied to everyone, saying that it was all really nothing and that the courts (and I) were blowing everything out of proportion. After going through counseling and therapy, it was clear to me (and to the therapist) that he was not being honest with any of us. I filed for divorce.

It was then that the upline contacted me. Our sponsor (the wife), platinum and emerald each called me. It started out that they were "concerned" about me and wanted to counsel me. When I told them exactly what happened and why I was leaving, they told me that it was "unbiblical" for me to leave my husband. Yelling at me. Accusing me of negativity. They also said that there was no way he could have done those things, that they just couldn't believe it. I offered to let them see a copy of the police report. Nobody ever took me up on that offer.

Now, I can't say that Amway taught him to be abusive, but I wholeheartedly believe they taught him to be a good liar and how to hide the truth and dodge questions. They did everything short of preach that the "little lady" stay at home, pregnant and in the kitchen. Wives on stage used to brag about how the couple drove a hundred miles and left their kids sleeping in the car while they went inside someone's house to show a plan.

Freedom, indeed. More like servitude.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

A great many Amway freaks are Evangelical assholes -- that's what's behind the complaint that divorce is "unbiblical."

In Amway, women are dishrags to be subservient to males, and the word of a husband is law.

Joecool said...

The diamonds get the wives "on board" by saying they can ditch their jobs to stay home with the kids. Too bad it rarely ever happens because of Amway.

Winner said...

You are a quitter, a loser, and in hell forever, thank God!

Winner said...

You are losers who will stay in hell for eternity!

Winner said...

You are the lowest scum! Better buy asbestos suits, it's hot where you're headed.

Winner said...

Their blood is on your hands losers!

Winner said...

Block the truth of my experience, but you won't ever escape God: losers!

Winner said...

You are a loser, enjoy hell for eternity

Joecool said...

Whiner, I mean "winner", thank you for being a fine example of how IBO's are "nicer" people.

Funny how you are condemning people to hell. Did your WWDB upline diamond teach you that?

Anonymous said...

Wow -- this "Winner" is a prime specimen of the sick Evangelical asshole. He thinks we're all going to hell because we're not in Amway.

He only proves that Amway isn't just about selling low-grade soap products. It's also about being a religious crackpot.

Anonymous said...

For being a "nicer" people, go and ask your upline a paycheck.

Anonymous said...

It looks like "Winner" isn't coming back. I guess he's at his Bible Study class.

Lifestooshort said...

The same situation happened to me just that wwdb upline did not come after me to assist in tarnishing my character and uplift my soon to be ex husbands image.

Anonymous said...

Amway is pure poison.

The entire structure of the scheme is based on breaking any pre-existing loyalty you have (to a spouse, a family, a friend, or anyone and anything else), and replacing it with a cult-like loyalty to every rule and regulation that Amway imposes on you. Amway is as tyrannical as the Communist Party.

Unknown said...

Hard to believe they do that for your $$$$$

Unknown said...

There scum

Unknown said...

I can't believe how they use people for there time & $$$$

Unknown said...

People in Amway have no clue there are in a mind control cult

Unknown said...

Actually, the Amway Corporation is not the offender here. They are a legit company that sells (overpriced and overvalued) products to the general public. It's the IBOs like Yager, Britt, Puryear and the others that taint the Amway name.

Anonymous said...

But the Amway Corporation won't lift a finger to stop the ripoffs and corruption of the LOS subsystems. That's the key fact you've omitted.

Joecool said...

Amway and the tools scam companies have a symbiotic relationship. The tool companies help recruit IBOs and teach product and tool system loyalty and Amway turns their heads the other way when IBOs get hosed by the tool scammers.

Unknown said...

Hubby and I were Amway distributors. Well, actually, we bought a ton of stuff. Every meeting, we were told if we weren't using, we weren't selling. My husband wasn't thrilled with the business. He wanted to run it, but couldn't find more than one person who said no. I found several people who said yes, but wouldn't go to the meetings. Finally we threw up our hands and got out. We were avoided by everyone in the group. That was 15 years ago. I'm told the whole group eventually quit. I'm not surprised. The support they claimed existed did not exist.

Unknown said...

Bet you'll quit, too. Satan does a lovely job of lying. So does Amway...hmmm. Take a hint.

Anonymous said...

I don't know why your experience with Amway turned out that way. I never experienced that. I started when e-commerce was still in an infancy via Quixtar. I always came away highly positive and highly motivated. I only stopped believing in myself because my dreams of being financially free died when my Mom died. I planned to marry someone after I had built the business to at least an Emerald and bless Mom with grandkids, and also treat my wife with love and kindness. And respect. We were going to see the world and future together. I have to re-find my purpose.

kwaaikat said...

@Anthony D

My condolences to your loss and may you find a way forward. I do admire your love and devotion to your mom, something many youths can learn from.

This is not meant to be harsh on you, but it does seem that you've been exposed to a lot of clever manipulation, which is quite familiar to readers of this blog, and reminds me of a friend who has been in this.

It is disturbing that you put your life in hold, postponing goals that clearly had been important to you, in order to get rich first, I presume in the timeframe of a few years. It seems as if you reframed your original life goals to make Amway the key to everything, which is quite typical of a get rich cult. Another signature technique I pick up is that you seem to have been encouraged to fixate on your wealthy future in excessive detail. The danger of that is obvious: life happens, one piece is no longer in it, and the purpose collapses.

I'm not surprised that you went away each time feeling highly positive and motivated. But that is not what a business meeting should be about.

@Joecool

Many people realise it's going nowhere an quit. But a lot of those still somehow blame themselves, or give some rationalisation other than the system, or just go quietly. You watch people's profiles, and one day you see the Amway thing has gone quiet for that person. Or you hear such and such has finally "toned it down". Some (sadly) pick it up again, or join another MLM or another group.

Well done for having had the presence of mind to not only quit, but also to call it out. Some people realise it's not going to work for them (which is already a big step when bombarded with the "encouragement"), but feel ashamed because they don't realise that it does not work for just about anybody. Some even tell me they've learned so much, about business! I hope your blog helps "quitters" to rebuild the damage to self esteem that the experience can wreck on good people with a good work ethic, who should have nothing to be ashamed of.

Joecool said...

Kwaaikat, thanks for your comments. The sad thing for many people is they "try" to build Amway and recognize the financial carnage they suffer as a result. The Amway plan sounds and looks good on paper but it doesn't pan out in real life. The main problem is that people are just not interested in Amway and other MLMs in general. I have heard from people that Amway function venues are shrinking buy I cannot verity that. Based on what I "hear", Amway/WWDB venues are smaller which means diamonds are making less money than the days I was in Amway.

Past AW IBO said...

TWO POINTS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE IN AW:

(1) Some Amway big pins have facebook accounts; however, if you go on them, the last posts are usually so old (sometimes years old), that you wonder what's up. If there is so much unbelievable success in this business, don't you think they would be posting it on facebook, over and over again to showcase the great success and attract people to them. Well, I guess that is a revealing reality about the low success in the AW business. Not enough to even keep a facebooker posting. But, hey..."Go Diamond! Woohoo!!"

(2) I was in Amway for quite a few years, actually an embarrassingly long time. In all that time, and up to now, I have never seen an Amway big pin that actually was able to walk away from the daily grind of the Amway business, and have secure freedom. In fact, what I experienced was that the big pins have to keep on hustling the business day in and day out forever in order to not lose what they have, and possibly keep growing. They went from a 8-5 JOB (and time with family and money to do stuff), to a 24-hours-a-day/7-days-a-week constant never ending job of recruiting, selling, and motivating (with very little time for family (quality time anyway) and sometimes money, but not secure without endless great effort to maintain it).
I saw a few go emerald or diamond, but miss out on the best years of their children's lives, because they had to leave the house in the evenings and weekends to "show the plan", make contacts, and hustle the business. They were dedicated to the business, with some dream of time in the future with family, which may have come, but far too late to enjoy it with the kids anymore. You know, the kids are at school during the day, and the dad is out building the business at night and on weekends, so where is all that free time with the kids.
I saw very sharp, well spoken Emeralds and Diamonds quit their jobs (dancing on the Board Room table at their place of employment on their "retirement" day)to be full time in Amway, and then, a few years later either go back to a job or start another "regular" business, to make enough money to live again. And face the embarrassment and disappointment of that in front of their children. My gosh. And I've seen Diamonds, move out of the smaller house in a very expensive neighborhood, to a larger house, but way out in an inexpensive suburb, and claim it was the Amway income that let them get this "dream house", which was actually less expensive than the smaller house in the awesome neighborhood.
In Amway, you will be living a "smoke and mirrors" life, with a never ending job of contacting, recruiting, and selling.
There may be money.....maybe. But endless secure freedom, not on your life.

Ain’t it great said...

Doesn’t sound like it’s changed much over the years. We were in the business early 80s. Only to have our up line Emerald charge us twice for the tools books and tapes etc. many times. Then he swindled our organization out of thousands of dollars By calling into our group telling them he was in jail and needed bail money. Ha ha real funny. It blew up the group. His wife left him. He ended up going to Leavenworth penitentiary for a while. At the time the story was he was the first upper level distributor to be kicked out of the business. We were actually making some money at one time as profit sharing directs and ruby one month but like you said we spent most of it at rallies and seminars and books and tapes. We grew a lot as people during those years but lost our ass financially as it turned out. Ain’t it great. LOL

Ain’t it great said...

We we’re in the business back in the early 80s. We did achieve Ruby and profit-sharing direct distributor in a couple years. We were actually making some money but like it says here we spent most of it on seminars rallies books and tapes gas. Our up line Emerald ended up being a loser. When I started checking the paperwork he was charging us twice for books and tapes. Then his wife left him. Then he swindled thousands of dollars from my distributors in Iowa and Minnesota. The story is he was the first direct distributor above to get kicked out of the business. He actually ended up in Leavenworth penitentiary for a few years. That pretty much blew up the organization. But we learned a lot and we lost our ass is financially. I saw some bad things over the years in Amway. Couples having their homes broken into two of them were murdered one was left Almost paralyzed left for dead. When people find out you have cash sometimes they want it. Upline further up from this clown did real well still in the business after 30 years. Ain’t it great!!! Lol

Unknown said...

Actually, you are all doing thecs a.c me thing here. Itemizing whatvfaiked for you instead of promoting what things you learned and grew you forward, whether you stayed in or not. I guess the question is, if you look yourself in the mirror and say, Okay that was a joke, or I couldn't do it, I felt sacifice too high,etc. But a direct, (some of you have) Gee compared to other MLM's at least I learned some things.
I could give some negatives, but I learned to grow thru adversity and challenge, sickness and in health,
And stay true to Jesus calling.
Hope you all stay well.

Anonymous said...

To Unknown at 9:39 PM --

Your post is barely readable.

Why don't you tell what exactly you "learned" in Amway, and how much money you lost in the racket? And please leave religion out of your answer.

Unknown said...

No matter what the specifics are in one person's life - IT ALWAYS TAKES COURAGE AND INTEGRITY TO LEAVE AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP. Thank you for sharing your story. May God guide your way and lift you up when so many are putting you down.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for sharing your story! It gives me strength knowing I am not alone. My husband is in Amway. It has been emotionally abusive. But he does not listen to anyone else except his uplines / sponsors. Amway teaches you to "seek perspective" from your uplines / mentors before making ANY life decisions. My husband is great at fooling people and maintaining his reputation of being a man that can do no wrong. My husband refuses to support any dreams I have outside of "building the business." The list goes on...
Amway takes scripture from bible and twist to fit their agenda. Sadly, my husband believes everything Amway feeds his brain. There are some super valuable takeaways that are encouraging yes, but bottom line is...the organization encourages you to cut people out of your life that are not "supporting your business" and for you to start developing relationships within the organization. First time I share my story... :( 11/03/2022