IBOs = Fraud Victims?

 I've heard over the years, many IBOs who failed in the Amway opportunity who blamed themselves for not putting in enough effort, not trying hard enough or not working the system "just right".  While I don't doubt that some IBOs don't work hard enough, I cannot fathom that so many motivated and eager prospects simply failed because they didn't work hard enough. I believe IBOs are taught to accept failure as their own, even if they had followed upline advice very closely.   In a twist of irony. upline teaches personal responsibility to the downline, even though they do not take personal responsibility for their ineffective teaching.  

Uplines will tell new IBOs to trust them and that these new IBOs will succeed if only they will follow the advice of the allegedly successful diamond because they have already blazed the trail for you. Ironically, after many IBOs fail, upline will never take responsibility for the advice they issued that led to downline failures. They then turn the tables on their downline and say that their advice is like a buffet. You pick and choose the advice you need and disregard the rest. That is such a bunch of crap that I cannot fathom downline IBOs buying what they are shoveling. A new IBO places their trust in the diamonds because they have achieved the pinnacle of success, but a new IBO is supposed to pick and choose which advice to follow? And then failure is the fault of the downline?  How is a new IBO supposed to know what upline is good for their new business or not?  I guess in reality it doesn't matter, given the dismal results we see from Amway businesses. 

Ironically and sadly, these downline, when they ultimately fail, often end up blaming themselves and just disappear unless someone recruits them again. They are often sponsored by friends and family, so you won't see them filing complaints against Amway or the uplines who led them astray. Uplines nearly assured their success if only these new IBOs would buy the training materials and attend all of the functions. But many IBOs work hard and do everything outlined by upline only to fail. It is likely because the system doesn't work. Many financial systems are for sale out there and most of them have very little success. Amway is no different, except that uplines promote their systems as sure fire.

It is, however, my belief that many or possibly most IBOs are the victims of fraud in that they are given possibly false positive information about the Amway opportunity. They get involved and find out that the system doesn't work, and then they end up quitting with a loss and them blaming themselves. Brilliant for the uplines who profit but, in my opinion, it makes IBOs the victims of fraud by upline. Upline profits whether or not their downline makes a cent. Some upline strongly encourage downline to buy more and more tools, even when they know that those downline have no chance of making money in the Amway opportunity. It makes the IBOs victims, and it makes the uplines a bunch of crooks.

Looking at it from another angle, upline claims to have the best interest of their downline at heart, but somehow the answer to a failing Amway business seems to be to buy more tools and function tickets.  It's ridiculous that upline advice for a failing business is to expend more money on things that do not produce income for the business.  But the most insidious thing they do is to push personal responsibility on their downline, when they (upline) themselves take none.