Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Amway

Scamway?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:27:46 -0800

Why, exactly, are pyramid schemes so bad? Should I try to convince a relative to leave one, and if so, how? A relative I don't know very well invited me out for coffee, flattered my "excellent people skills" for a while, then pitched me an unintelligible "business opportunity". From her jargon-filled and very vague pitch, I took this to be a pyramid scheme of some type. The specific company was called Network Twenty One, which is affiliated with Amway and Quixtar (not linking them on purpose).

My bullshit detector started beeping really loudly the moment her odd little speech began, but then I realized that while I smell fish, I don't actually understand exactly what I'm being wary of. I have only a shadowy idea of how a pyramid scheme works, why they're so bad, what I would have to pay/do to join, and what she stands to gain if I join.... a percentage of my "business" startup fees? I don't get it. She sells Amway products (weight loss pills, shampoo, etc) on a weird, generic little website, but she wasn't trying to sell me products- in fact, she only gave me her product URL reluctantly. What she really wanted was for me to come to some meeting to hear more about these opportunities.

She's so nice, and frankly kind of pathetic. After being somewhat insulted that she took me for a gullible idiot, I started feeling sorry for her and whatever crappy situation made her vulnerable to this outfit in the first place. I would like to gently convince her to leave this "opportunity" before she gets scammed any more- she told me she invested $600 to start and mentioned some motivational CDs she listens to, which I assume are also part of the scam. I have an idea of what her salary is, and if I'm right, this is more than she can afford.

Any ideas about the etiquette of doing this? I genuinely think she's confused and desperate, rather than scummy or evil. What should I tell her?

Throwaway email is ScramScam@gmail.com, thanks.

Anitque Filter (Kinda)

snsranch — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:03:49 -0800

I just found a can of 1975 AmWay "Dust Control Spray" (furniture polish). There is just a bit... It is more than 3/4 full, smells exactly as I remember 1975, includes some really bizarre instructions for furnace and a/c use. Can this thing of beauty (It actually has some very disturbing psychedelic graphics) have any value, like auctioning on e-bay, craigslist, or should I just keep it on ice for the eventual 1970's party?

I hate to waste an AskMe, but this not so ancient relic intrigues me.

Should I become an IBO?

j-urb — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:02:20 -0800

Tonight at 7:00pm I had representatives of Quixtar come into my home. Should I join or not? Apparently by being an Independent Business Owner (IBO), I can make tons of money just through referrals. As a poor college student, this sounds enticing. If you are not familiar with Quixtar, they are doing what Amway used to do. I am skeptical of their claims, however, I am looking to see what everyone on askmefi thinks. It never hurts to get a second opinion and besides this hasn't been addressed on askmefi yet.

The pitch went something along the lines of "this is not a pyramid scheme" and "all you are doing is refering people to a virtual mall."

Website at: http://www.quixtar.com/

Stopping Amway in the workplace?

randomstriker — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 01:29:50 -0800

How do I stop a multilevel marketer from infiltrating my company? I work in a smaller office of a large multinational consulting corporation. I am a new, junior employee (started in September), and I joined the social committee shortly after I joined the company. This committee's mandate is to organize events that improve the employee experience, blah blah blah, you know the deal. We have a $30K annual budget for 100 employees, which ain't too shabby.

We're currently holding our annual June Wellness month, promoting health, happiness, blah blah blah. Last week the most senior member of the social committee (a secretary for one of the other departments) sent us a gung ho email about bringing in speakers from Nikken to speak about all their "magnetic" and "far infra-red" therapeutic products. Our employer provides lunch for these events in order to entice employees into attending.

I instantly objected, calling this stuff quackery that relies on the placebo effect. I said all this in one of those emails that you regret clicking the "Send" button just a little too quickly. While my email wasn't outrageously rude (and I certainly wouldn't get in trouble for it if it were forwarded on to, say, the CEO), it was curt and condescending enough to undermine my case against Nikken.

Today, this secretary sent out an email to the whole group saying that the event was going ahead, and she had spoken privately to most of the group and they had given her their backing.

I'm quite ticked off because:
a) I am a skeptic that objects vehemently to this magnetic and infrared bullshit
b) I am worried that an event like this will destroy the credibility of the social committee and result in us losing our budget. Our credibility is already on shaky ground as we blew $1200 on a lunch for ourselves last Christmas, and the CEO (understandably) threw a hissyfit.
c) I object to our employer paying for lunch for an outside company to shill its products to us.
d) I object to this secretary exploiting the social committee for her own financial gain.

How can I handle this situation without pissing people off even more than I already have? I could just put up with it, but I'd rather not if there's a diplomatic solution. I had a bad feeling about this company as soon as I read the email, and Googling about it tonight confirmed my suspicions: Nikken seems to be a multilevel marketing company along the lines of Amway. See here and here.