Here are some of the responses I've received to the information on this page. I've left them as is, except for a) removing the names to protect privacy, and b) reformatting them to fit the screen better.

This is a long file...I suggest downloading it to your computer and reading it off-line.

My thanks to everyone who took the time to contribute their opinions.

[NOTE: Some of these messages contain offensive language]

I was constantly appalled at the misrepresentation in your lawsuit. I have been a distributor since 1983, and I will state EMPHATICALLY that your allegations are diametrically opposed to my experience. I would hope that person's reading your page will have the business forsight to check out the opportunity for themselves and not make any judgement based upon your negative; incorrect view of the wonderful AMWAY opportunity.

All the Britt System is trying to do is to bring back the DECENT humans we once all were. We were all made with the potential to be great, but many people settle for the mediocre. How many Americans live decently? How many two-parent families are actually raising their children? Or are they leaving it up to strangers for $500.00/week? Amway is just trying to aid the family. How many families have both husband and wife working? Up around 80%. And is it because both want to? No, it is because of necessity. In the 60's families could live on one income. Today for the average family it is just not possible. Amway is a way for people to make money for their futures. How many Americans are relying on Social Security? I'm 30 years old and I'm not. Please wake up and get over the fact that your job is not going to fulfill even your current lifestyle not to mention your dreams. And don't tell me you don't have dreams any more. Have you just settled for the fact that you can't achieve them through your job so they don't exist anymore. I know a great deal of people that are fulfilling their dreams because of the Amway business. You know, we did $6.8 BILLION without you and we will do $10 BILLION without you too. It's your choice. You decide.

Enjoyed reading your experiences. Thought we were the only ones who "lost their dream". We thought we had really, really close friends as upline until we got out of it after 7 years. Now they won't even have dinner with us. The business made us so broke, it's funny when we look back now.

You have to know something: we are making more money now than we have ever made doing exactly what they told us not to do.You know, get a good education,a good job with a big company....... We have more time, money, paid vacations in places much nicer than Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, North Philadelphia, etc. I can spend time with my family, rather than just hear stories about what happened at home.

Need to ask you something, do you think Directs really make enough to live on? In six years, we got so close to direct, but never got the three months completed. Our entire group quit one day when someone in our downline "found a new business" and took everyone with them.

We were talked into quitting out jobs, and did it. We lost all of our friends and our families thought we had lost our minds. Boy, were we stupid.

Keep up the good work. It's nice to know there are other "broke, negative, dreamstealing losers" out there. Thanks for taking the effort to put your thoughts in words.

I have worked for a mutual funds company, a telecommunications company, a greeting card manufacturer, a grocery store distributor, a direct marketing company and many others. Do you know what my chance of making a 6 digit income with these companies were? Do you know how many lawsuits they had to sustain? Do you know what the hierarchial structure of the organizations were? You have not told any stories about Amway that were in any respect worse than all the horror stories I have seen and heard from people "making a living" in these fine, respectable companies. And, WOW a incredible business opportunity with an overhead of only $500 a month. We got a real winner here, for sure!!! I am glad you are spending so much money, for this web site, to show that Amway isn't really as bad as people would lead you to believe - at least compared to other occupations, companies and business opportunities. Wow, when I first saw this page you had me worried. Keep up the good work.

*, a reaffirmed Amway Fan, thanks to you.

I've built a couple of different businesses. I know that the average business doesn't make their first dollar in profit for SEVEN YEARS! (also according to the IRS) I can't believe people have such slave mentality that they can't understand investment returns don't come for several years after you have invested. After seeing how stupid all these people are, who whine and complain that somebody didn't just sign them up and make them rich overnight, I think I'll go out and find an Amway distributor and sign up.

If all you can see is paycheck to paycheck, week to week living then you're pretty much doomed anyway- Doomed to a life of mediocrity! - living a life of quiet desperation hoping you'll hit the jackpot or get the Publishers Clearinghouse guys knocking on your door! Get REAL folks

I'm impressed Sidney! The predominant view is that the chances of success in Amway are remote. Since you share this view, then it must be so. You and others have obviously worked out the solution to the following little problems:

Problem 1: How many people must I have as a personally sponsored group at any given time to have a 50% chance of a downline that will grow despite the following constraints:

1) 80% of the people I sponsor will not sponsor anybody else.

2) Each of the remaining 20% will sponsor anywhere from 1 person up to the number of people I sponsor, but no more than the number I sponsor because I set the example to be followed.

Problem 2: Same as Problem 1, but I want an 80% chance of success instead of a 50% chance of success.

Problem 3: Same as Problem 2, but 90% of the people I sponsor will not sponsor anybody else.

By the way, where do I send my bill if I rely to my detriment on the advice (express or implied) of naysayers and decide not to become actively involved as an Amway distributor. I know who I can sue if I get involved and fail, but I'm not sure who I can sue or how I can sue if I don't get involved and fail. How can I prove a hypothetical? I definitely don't want to be responsible for my own failure.

Mr. Schwartz,

Yes, I'm one of the 1000's of losers writing in, not to blame Amway directly, but to give info on on my tool NITEMARE ad the "system".When my wife and I signed up we also signed a "tool" contract stating that any tools we did not want we could return within 6 months if unused. Well to make a long, long story short, I mailed back over $400 worth of tapes, books and videos to the upline pearl direct in Dec 96, and as of today I haven't heard a word after NUMEROUS attemps to contact them. I called Amway to try and get a phone number to the HQ of the "system" and they didn't have one!!! Nither did the city or state operator!! So, the company didn't exsist! Anyway, Be careful people. Please research something before you get involved. Any MLM can work if you willing to do what it takes, even Amway and there's plently of proof. But don't be fooled by the saying that Amway is the biggest so there the best, Ah!! The system did teach me one thing, there are other options out there, I'm in another MLM and I'm very happy!! I'm alot better off. I make $$$, I don't sell a thing (retail) and tools count towards my bonus. It's so simple it's mindblowing!! Good Luck and shop around!!!

Dear Sidney,

I have been looking at your site every few months for about a year now, I really appreciate what you are doing, keep up the good work, I am sure you have helped many people avoid what is clearly organized fraud.

My Story:

My Ex-Fiancée was involved in a the I.N.A. incarnation of AMWAY. She got involved in it because her ex-boyfriend’s entire family was involved in it. I was always skeptical of the promises that the organization made, and the plethora of Anti-Amway site on the Internet has reinforced my opinion. I would always get into arguments with my ex over the Amway issue. When I would tell her of my skepticism and concerns about Amway, she would accuse of trying to steal her dream and would accuse me of thinking like a bigot. For the record I am not a bigot or a racist.

I honestly believe that AMWAY is one of the reasons we broke up, however there were other issues, so I am not going to blame AMWAY for the end of our relationship.

I am not going to restate information that is already posted here, I agree with all of the Anti-Amway statements I have read here. There is no question in my mind that AMWAY is a Cult. I am fascinated with the correlation between the Christian church and AMWAY. Many AMWAY types seem to call themselves Christians. My opinion is that for someone to believe in AMWAY requires the "same leap of faith" that most organized religions require, therefore it is likely that people who have already made the decision to accept and blindly abide by a "canned" religious philosophy without questioning it, are perfectly conditioned to be AMWAY people. I believe that there are many innocent victims involved in AMWAY, never questioning anything they are told by their wonderful, friendly, AMWAY friends. I also believe that the so called Diamonds and above know the truth about AMWAY. I believe they know full well they are taking advantage of the ignorant masses.

To illustrate that last point, I will describe the AMWAY distributors that got my ex-fiancée involved the Scam. The guy that got my ex involved in AMWAY grew up in a family where both his mother and father were involved in organized fraud. Both his mother and father went to prison for fraud, his father is still doing Federal Prison time. Now his mother, father, sister, are all deeply involved in I.N.A. Fraud is the family business, and since they don’t want to go to prison (again), AMWAY is the perfect way for them to pursue their family avocation, without the risk. Both my ex-fiancée and her ex-boyfriend work at local health club where they are in the perfect position to meet many new people and introduce them to a "Wonderful Business Opportunity"…

Yep, I know the majority of AMWAY types are good little Christians, not Ex-Cons, but the above story illustrates why I have concluded that AMWAY = ORGANIZED FRAUD.

Keep up the great work Sidney, it is appreciated, even though you no doubt get a lot of flame mail from the AMWAY believers.

Feel free to post this.

"The sword of the wicked will pierce their own heart" Psalms 37 Get a life! What you're doing is a waste of time. Focus your energy on something more productive and worthwhile. There is a reason that the Amway Corp. has increased $4 billion in the last 5 yrs to $6.8 billion, "IT WORKS" This year I'll net over $3 million form Amway. There are a number of people in my network that i've helped that make very strong 6 figure incomes and going on to 7 figure incomes next year. I go where I want , I do what I want and the dollar bill or a "job" doesn't limit me. I spent last winter in the Swiss Alps sking. Not just a week or two, the whole winter. The winter before that I spent the entire winter in the French Alps . I go to the store for milk in a Lambragini. I'M 30 YRS OLD AND I HAVENT HAD A JOB IN 8 YRS. What is your lifestyle like? Please answer.

You're wasting your time.

Fantastic web site! I especially love the your research citations. I was actually considering getting involved in Amway until I started doing a little research of my own - but you've absolutely convinced me never to get involved in any kind MLM business - ever.

THANKS!

Well, I finally decided to sit down and read all the misleading negative critiques about Amway. First of all, here are some of the reasons why I decided to build the business: Is anyone familiar with the financial planner/author John Sestina? He was the #1 financial planner in America, and one of the most respected in the WORLD. He has won every imaginable award related to financial planning. A client asked him to review the Amway business, to see if it was a good idea. Not only did Sestina say it was a good plan, but he was so impressed that after reviewing it a couple of times, he actually saw more potential in the Amway business than he had in his $1000+ an hour consulting job. He's now a diamond. But he didn't simply say, "this is the best business I have ever seen" He (on a very popular tape, "Planning a Successful Future") went through and analyzed the business using the Dow Theory Letters, which basically describe ten key elements of the IDEAL business. What impressed me is that Amway fits incredibly well into each of the 10 qualities. Also, compare the start-up cost of Amway ($160) to that of a big franchise like McDonald's ($1.2 million). All investments are 100% refundable, and there's a 100% satisfaction guarantee on the products. And the products are damn good; I don't understand how people can criticize them. NBA basketball players and other athletes use Amway vitamins. Amway makes some of the finest cosmetics in the world. In fact, Meg Ryan is an Amway distributor, because she was so impressed by the quality of the make-up products (and this woman can get cosmetics from ANYWHERE she wants). There's also the water treatment system, rated by the NSF to be the best carbon-based system available, and too many others to list. Another factor that impressed me is that so many respectable professional people are doing this business (thousands besides John Sestina) to diversify their insecure income and improve the thin chance for comfortable retirement. Another person who motivated me was Steve Ridley. This guy was a corporate attorney, on the Chamber of Commerce board for Louisiana, and Reagan's financial chairman for Louisiana. He was making well over $300,000 a year and had incredible status. Ridley turned his back on ALL of that in order to build Amway, and he succeeded. His success, and the success of all who go Direct and beyond, is based on belief in the system, and belief in one's self. Napolean Hill researched millionaires for 20 years, and wrote about success in a very famous book, Think and Grow Rich, which has concepts that you NEED to build Amway, mainly, belief and determination, and tuning out the word "impossible". Other than that, you need an "abundance mentality" (as opposed to a "scarcity mentality), and and entreprenuer mentality, as opposed to an employee mentality. I'm not accusing all critics of this, but it seems that some people don't want anyone else to succeed, just because THEY have failed. And it's so stupid to say "Don't get in Amway" because "look at these people who failed miserably". With that logic, we should never get into our cars, because people have DIED in cars. But why did they die? Because they didn't drive properly, something was wrong with their vehicle, or someone else screwed them up. That may sound cheesy, but it's a perfect analogy. I am determined to build this business, not just because I want to, but because I have no CHOICE. The other alternative is working long hours for dozens of years and having a ridiculously low fixed income as a possible retirement. Over 90% of Americans will be dead or broke by age 65. Amway gives people not only a hope to beat the traditional system, but through the Britt line of sponsorship for example, a systematic approach to achieving whatever financial "dream" one might have. And Amway has been successful for almost 40 years, in dozens of countries. In the United States they have helped more people set up six figure incomes than the top 19 fortune 500 companies. And most importantly, Amway gives you an opportunity to set up RESIDUAL income for life, as opposed to linear income (hours for $) in a job. Finally, it's not a CULT for God's sake!! I mean, just go to a big sports event or rock concert, and you could say the same thing. But when you come out of a "good" Amway meeting (focusing on techniques as WELL as motivation), people are educated and have at least a hope to change their lives. There are no guarantees in life obviously, but I find the five year Amway plan to be far superior to the 45 year work plan. That's just my opinion...

One year ago, one of my dearest friends and her husband joined AMWAY. They had a baby and Jane decided to stay home with their son. Joe became disillusioned with the law profession and put his whole heart and soul(with Jane's full support) into building the businesss. They approached me and my husband. We were not interested but out of respect for our friendship went to a meeting. We listened openly and decided not to participate in the Amway business. Mainly because, my husband and I both have our own businesses and have been fortunate enough to obtain success. But also because we felt that the chavaunistic overtones were degrading to say the least. Although we chose not to be Amway distributors, we fully supported our friends by purchasing products from them.

Well, things slowly began to change. We began to notice that they didn't want to spend much time with us, and Joe always seemed to be preoccupied and looking at his watch. I could live with that...but then we began to notice alot of "Christian religious overtones" in every conversation. Now, my husband and I are not Christians, we are of another religion. We found these religious statements to be uncomfortable and at time judgemental.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing that happen was Jane missing my baby boys first birthday party. She had to go to a AMWAY meeting. She explained that she needed to set an example and that she wanted to go to the meeting and that a true friend would understand. I am beginning to understand. She in fact made an example of me to her downlines. Basically, she showed them that when it comes to building the business you have to put AMWAY in front of friends and family. Well, I can tell you one thing, that is a sad business and a sad way to live your life. I guess if your goal is to only have AMWAY friends then this makes sense. People that have only one thing in common with you, the pursuit of the dollar. On several occasions we've been told that "When you have goals then there are things you most sacrifice?" We felt that they were stating that we had no goals. I have been quick to point out that we have many goals, goals we have set long term and short terms. The difference is how we plan to reach our goals.

For all of the AMWAY supporters who may read this, please be assured that my husband and I are well on our way to our own "Freedom". We are fortunate enough to be amoungst the top 1% in income, but "Freedom" to us is much more than financial. Freedom is spending time with my family and friends that I have made over the years, sharing in lifes journey on a daily basis, appreciating what God has given us today, and thanking God for our health and happiness.

In closing, I will always be a friend to Jane. I will always support her. I wish her and Joe success and happiness, I just know now where her priorties are in life.

Thanks for the forum for my experience.

Anonymous

I have just signed up in Amway, couple months ago as a matter of fact. I'm not saying you are wrong here. But, what I've seen on most of the sights slamming Amway is about the rip-off from the sale of the tools. I agree with that, which is why I don't buy them. But, in fairness to Amway, its the crooked distributers, not Amway, who needs to have the horn blown on them. Just because our Senators and Congressmen are crooked doesn't make living in America any less apealing to imigrants. The crooked distributers should be targeted and people warned about those specific groups. Nobody likes to be pressured into anything and that does make staying in any business a chore, and me being in the military can tell you there are a lot of pressures and it is a chore. But, wanting to start my own business and the fact that Amway has been around for 35 years and I haven't seems a good place to start. Even if its just a supplemental income. Oh, well. I'm sure Tupperware has its share of disalusioned people too. Check ya later.

dear ss

i must have a logo on my forehead inviting all Amway reps to bombard me with their pitch.

some background, i live in NYC, college grad from baruch college (business school), and business opportunity seeker. i have started and maintained fax back services, 900#, web publishing, programming, computer sales, and the like. I trade for myself futures (currency, oil, grains, and live stock), muni bonds, treasuries, mortgage back securities (super io and the like) and domestic and foreign equities (made money on Comparator systems (IDID) .06 to 1.50 may 96). Have many overseas accounts.

5 poeple have approach me in the subway during rush hour over a two year time span. out of the blue! rush hour is like people pack tighter than a sardine can.

a car salesman have re-approach me 12 months later. i originally went to him for INFORMATION on a mini-van.

3 co-workers.

1 high school reunion. it was not even a classmate, but a spouse of a teacher who never even taught when i was there. try that one on for size.

(and a partridge in a pear tree!)

the all have the same pitch +- 1 std dev. no one could tell me exactly what was the "distribution" plan. only one co-worker was honest with me and said it was an Amway to do.

my new business card would read "pitch me if you are an Amway rep"

i am beginning to enjoy this, i should put Amway "kill" markings on my wallet for every approach i get. he.he.he.he...

see ya!!!

Thanks.

Fuck U

From Indonesia Distributor
A.D.A 8621285

Sidney,

I am SOOOO glad I came across this site. I pray to God that nothing happens to this information before I get a chance to show it to a friend of mine that "lives" Amway to the fullest extent. I believe it is truly ruining his life, yet he clings on to the millionaire dream and continues to be impervious to all Amway attacks in hopes that someday he'll say "I told you so."

Hopefully, he will not get rid of me as a friend. I'm on the border with him because I am not in his Amway family. I've been looking for evidence to prove that he will never reach Diamond while still trying to not hurt his feelings or kill his motivation.

Thanks for a GREAT site. I'm going to create a link from my web page. (a small business...very modest, but proud of it)

this is only a personal opionion, your views may differ. spelling is not my strong point

here is the little white lie about amway. major misrepresentation by the amway rep who tried to sucker me.

first of all i like to thank one of my friends who is a amway rep, but is honest enough to answer my questions honestly!!! he still think amway has done nothing wrong but i differ in my opinion.

first and for most, amway is a distributorship. in the true traditional sense it is. but here is what stinks. you could make money "selling" the crap that they offer but that is "hard" work and not where the money is. where is the money, recruitment of people for your distributorship. unless amway is an employment agency. this type of stuff is a pyrmid scam. it is ILLEGAL amway folks out there that is truly brainwashed.

misrepresentation! my rep said that he is a distributorship for coca cola, general motors, general electric, maganovox, panasonic, gateway 2000, etc. i call several of these companies and they where shock and conferenced called me with legal department to discuss what was said about the representation of the their "major" company. the pitch was that you were a distributor for the said companies but in actually you only could distribute only certain very limited items. ie: coke, distributor of a certain type of VENDING machine, you CAN NOT distribute soda or any of their other products unless you buy from coca cola's AUTHORIZED distributors. namely your local supermarket. gateway 2000 said that you had to be licensed with your local state government to even offer their computer line. essentially, you are a gw2000k franchise and a value added reseller (VAR). so much for distributorship. you can not buy a gm car straight from an amway rep without getting ripped off. these AUTHORIZED business franchise for these major companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to bear the companies names only to be under cut of these *ssh%l@ sh#t for brains amway reps!!! i don't think so. now think long and hard, try to see what is wrong with that picture.

what a bunch of crooks.

the prymid reveal, thanks to an amway rep who still is a rep.

examples
i am a amway distib and sell one bar of soap, i get commission on the 1 bar of soap + profit (traditional distributorship, legal but make money rather slow)

so to be smart, i recruit "partners"

    mary
me  joe
    alice
    mark

          john
    mary  tom
          dick
          harry
    joe   larry
          stanley
me 
          liz
   alice  ann
          beth
          moe
    mark  curley
          harpo

Please reply if you think I have a valid point (or otherwise) as I would be most interested.