A couple weeks ago while shopping, I met a young, well-spoken guy who seemed to be looking to make new friends. We exchanged numbers, and I received a call several days later regarding a job opportunity. He was vague about this meeting other than to describe it as a business formal event (in retrospect I found the lack of details odd), but with little to lose or so I thought, I showed up at the 20th floor of the Renaissance Hotel last night for an info session, noticing immediately that a ton of Indians were attending (I would estimate they comprised over 50% of the packed ballroom). He said he would introduce me to one of his IT contacts at the end of the event. The weird vibe I got was later confirmed. I noticed that other participants were paying money at the sign-in table, but I was signed in by my host without paying any sort of fee.
After showing my yellow ticket (labeled “BWW E-Commerce Seminar”), I was given a seat in the front row, while my host sat a few rows behind. Shortly after, I overheard a conversation about “recruiting 20 people” and “MLM” popped into my head. Newcomers were encouraged to sit in the first few rows, and an Indian man took the stage and began a presentation about a “business opportunity” leveraging social networks. After squandering an hour making lame jokes and asking what people would like to do if they had extra side income (“where would you like to go on vacation?”), the presenter finally got to the nitty-gritty, drawing a diagram with the entities Britt Worldwide (BWW) and Amway Global and pointing out various products on a side table that included energy drinks and what looked like skin creams.
At this point, my main concerns focused around minimizing the amount of time wasted and the fact that the second hour of hotel parking was now costing me $6 instead of $2. I stuck around for another half hour out of curiosity to see how this scam was being sold. In a nutshell, $250 per month to own a small business, FTC-sanctioned, private franchises, blah blah blah. Annoyed, I walked out of the ballroom, determined never to speak to this new “friend.”
[Updated 2011/05/26] Re: IBO’s claims, a brief Google search turns up the following links:
14 Comments
Amway has ripped off millions of people for several decades, to the tune of 10s of billions of dollars.
Read about it on this website: http://thenetprofitgroup.yolasite.com and forward the information to everyone you know, so they don’t get scammed.
Amway is a scam, and here’s why: Amway pays out as little money as they can get away with, so they support the higher level IBOs ripping off their downline via the tool scam.
As a result, about 99% of IBOs operate at a net loss, while the top 1% make several TIMES more from their Amway tool scam than from the Amway products. This was made illegal in the UK in 2008, but our FTC is unable to pull their heads out of their butts to stop it here.
we all have been a victim of MLM recruiting. My were Pacific Investment Management Company, thankfully I don’t have to pay for parking.
Yep, it’s what Amway is about. Recruiting downline suckers who will eat your losses for you.
I feel sorry for everyone that gets scam. With these economy, people need real money into their pockets. I learned prior to going to google as much as I can before I waste my time. Thanks for this BWW info. I will mark that off my list.
The reason Amway has had such a bad rap in the USA is because of the “old school” methodologies of recruiting, such as: bugging your friends and family; stalking the malls and bookstores; enticing people to a hotel meeting without giving out info; and Amway upline pushing business tools like drugs.
However, the Amway corporation and the business model is still the best in the entire world of MLM. Also, some very young and successful Amway IBO’s have turned away from those “old school” methodologies for recruiting and are succeeding with “new school” methodologies.
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Exactly same thing happened last night. How come all highly intelligent Indian professionals involved with this scam. Probably a lot of people wants to make tons of money overnight. Good luck!!!
I am very suprised on all above stories and they are using same style. I think it must be in their training.
My story is little long but if you spend few minutes, you will 100% enjoy more than a any native joke or yummy yummy more than your fav. food.
I can bet all of you, these guys always in the office accessory section in each store. I met a guy Alexandria, VA Walmart in 2008 say hi, how are you and in couple seconds he exchanged his phone number with me, he invited me at home and start showing some presentation on the tv/vcr and some products I have clearly mentioned I can not do it either way.
He eat my brain a lot and boosting as Big-B and showing me his status by mentioning so many things. Afte of couple days I went a gas stations for car repair he was managing the gas station and I working for $8/h. I do not want to defame but why they doing like this, they wastering others time.
Now new guy met me in staple on last week may 17, 2011 ,Springfield,VA exactly in the stationry section, say hi, how are you. after two day called and met me on the starbucks, he dis not to mention the name of the company, I have asked him, is it Amway, he said yes.
In the meantime my very good frind make my conference with his another friend, he mentioned the same kind of medical products and metting blah blah blah.
O shit, all these were IT guys and I do not know what going on.
NOTICE: 1. What the hell with this company name which is very difficult to mention by then?
2. Why this company change its name?
Become big joke:
I am in Washington DC area and working as Programmer Analyst, life is good and going everything in te
First off, If you have a job, you are not qualified to pass judgement on the Amway business opportunity.
What is a scam about owning your own business with a registration fee of less than 400$, so that you can buy the best health and beauty products in the world at discounted rates to use or sell at a 30% mark up?
You buy stuff from Best Buy, Verizon, AT/T, T Mobile retail? We buy it wholesale at discounted rates.
Amway operates in 80 countries – anywhere where there is land, and an internet connection, you can sell an Amway product or choose impact a close friends life by teaching them how to create wealth.
So what if the guy who invited you was not well educated in inviting you professionally? For your own sake, can you look at information objectively?
Amway is the number one website for health and beauty products for the last 8 years.
We partner with major corporations like Best Buy, Sears, Disney, GateWay, Microsoft – do you think they had their lawyer check our 9 billion $ operations, real good??
Amway owns Nutrilite – a 1 billion $ corporation that pioneered health suppliments. Put 4 GNCs together, then you get 1 Nutrlite.
Artistry, another brand owned by Amway is endorsed and used by Miss America.
It owns a private island in the British Virgin islands.
*************
It’s created THOUSANDS of self made multi-millionaires – good, honest, hard working entrepreneurs who went out and impacted millions of lives for the better, giving them hope, teaching them how to make money. GIVING. Creating a legacy.
*************
in a recession it grew 15% from 8 billion to 9 billion
do you know any other company that grew? that did not downsize?
This recession showed the world what works, and what doesn’t.
Regards,
IBO
Thanks for the link and for a good post and discussion.
For a glimpse into the voluntary brainwashing and extreme denial of many Amway proponents, read the comments posted here on “Is Amway a Scam?” by Amway defender Shekhar:
http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/will-amway-make-you-annoying/
His comments span the period from him signing up to a couple years later. Despite the fact that he still was losing money 2 years later, he staunchly defended his allegiance to a losing cause and a company that was obviously benefitting from his needy personality.
whatever u r saying is right if u r doing a job,if realy want to make money without taking any risk by means of tension,money-fund and without loosing ethics and family then u need to understand this amway opportunity’
anybody know opportunity bigger than amway let me know i will be doing that also with lots of royalty and legal and ethically
only person doing this who’s have common sense
It is a pyramid scheme no matter what way you look at it. HAVE FUN SELLING STUFF SO EVERYONE ABOVE YOU CAN MAKE $$$$!!!!!!
It’s funny how the majority of the people talking in the meetings said they were programmers, engineers, etc. why the hell do they need money on the side. They already make six figures…
This is called contempt prior to investigation, it will kill your future. The only problem with building a Amway business, if any problem at all, is the fact that most Americans,( think). Key word there. They think they know everthing. The person at the top of this blog. Is completely wrong. There no monthly does, in Bww. Every real business cost money, and every good business, takes lots of people and hard work at first. Lazy people quit anything. Not just Amway. Amway has been helping people for 55 years. how about you? How many people have you helped? Dont talk about something, you know, nothing about. Amway is not a9 to 5 job. Its a way out of a job. Jobs are a joke.
People have used here words/sentences like brainwash, “IT people earning lot of money already”, Pyramid. I see the frustration in many articles about Amway and the discussions are always around the same words/sentences.
The question is : what it takes to succeed in any business? I am not talking about job here.
What it takes to succeed and become a person where tons of people remember you when you are alive and even more get inspired when you are gone?
Brainwash — Yes. You have to get your brainwashed when you are thinking on the answer of these questions. You have to be focused like hell. No distractions for years.
Seeing you this much focused, your close friends and family will surely start saying ” His/Her brain is washed” somebody did something to him.
And if you dont believe what I am talking about then please read books. Stop frustrating/stop bitching/stop cribbing. Just READ BOOKS. There are many out there which will tell you the meaning of a person with a brainwashed.
pyramid — your office is a pyramid. Top guy (CEO) makes the most and bottom guy (The Trainee) makes the least.
Second, please read about the pyramid. Illegal pyramids are the ones which gives you money just to recruit people and that’s what you call a scam.
IT people already making money — :):)..that’s true but let me ask you this. Why you take back-up of your phone every night? I know that you know the answer. but now replace your phone with you and see if you got some back-up of yours ? Is your value is lesser than a phone which does not need back-up. How we are giving more value to a gadget than a human being.
Recruiting – Your company does it all the time. They recruit people. you never question them.
Uplines pushing – uplines are pushing none. They are willing for your growth and apparently theirs. so if you dont want it please walk away. Be a good one in saying NO rather a good backbiter.
Forget about IT people, take an example of google. Do you think why google is venturing with all new ideas/mergers/expanding themselves all the time? they are already making good money why they need to do anything else???
Guys – STOP cribbing. The guy meeting you in the mall and you getting end up in the meeting is not because of that guy. its because who you are ” the person who is looking”. Had you not looking you would have said NO. but you wanted to check if there is something for you. I agree, that everything is not for everyone. So if you didnt like any opportunity then say NO and walk away. Just dont google and google and google and start spreading the poison when you yourself were never a part of it and had not experienced.
IN this who article I have not said anything good Amway or BWW. BUt I just wanted to make sure to give you guys a little insight about general words which are being misused here.
Google is a search engine. Search here as much as you can. But for research talk to a person who has been successfully achieved what you want to achieve.