No Problem! Business As Usual! Part 2
This is a continuation of my previous entry where I was attempting to ascertain whether or not the claims made in the video were anything to get in a twist over. I must emphasize again that based on my queries to Amway, there is nothing wrong with claiming you can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in the Amway business. It isn't hard either. And I love you.
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Good Morning Ms. O'Neill
Is saying these types of things acceptable? That is a yes or no question, and the canned politically correct answers I seem to get from the Amway Corporation regarding issues like this give me the impression that you really aren't interested in how the Amway opportunity is presented to people who are ignorant of the realities of this business. I have now given you two very clear cut examples of the behaviour that critics froth at the mouth over, yet no apparent action seems to take place.
Why the secrecy? I myself was a victim of this type of irresponsible behaviour which is what has created the critic position I currently am in.
The claims made (the business isn't hard and you can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month) seem to fly in the face of the rules Amway claims to enforce. In general, what kind of consequence can be expected for a leader to make claims similar to this, should it be deemed unacceptable?
I seriously want to be able to see Amway take a REAL stance to this type of ridiculous snake oil salesman behaviour. I really want to know there are consequences for breaking the rules. How many people have false hope instilled by claims such as these? How many 30 second clips like this exist? I know of several others.....
What I see happening is people not being allowed to record leaders like this anymore but claims similar to these still being made, just not recorded. Amway's lack of response is in essence acceptance of this, and that is precisely what my blog post will reflect.
I know that a corporation as massive and influential as Amway couldn't care less what I think, but I think it's only fair to tell you how I perceive this, and how I will articulate that to my readers.
Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to write a post that is supportive of Amway stopping this crap in it's tracks because this exact type of scenario is what pisses people like me off, and will continue to piss people off.
Look, I don't care for your products and I don't think they are worth the money people pay. That is my opinion. I don't have a problem with what Amway charges for it's products, or how it markets the products, I just don't buy them. I don't buy stuff from Best Buy either, but I don't have a blog about what i think of their company's behaviour because I don't think they hurt people by allowing victimization to happen over and over and over again. Decade after Decade.
What I take issue with is that you allow this behaviour to fester and continue to victimize people. Please don't confuse me with Tex because I am nothing like him. I don't care for nor will I ever accept the deception Amway allows from its leaders.
Again, you likely don't care what I think, but I know that people like the individual in the video DEPEND on you more than you think. Where would they be without the Corporation?
Please do something. Do the right thing. And let everyone see you do the right thing. I will again offer up a solution as to how to cope with this behaviour, as you didn't indicate any interest last time.
Thanks you for your time, and all the best.
Rocket
Surely to goodness that will illicit some type of response, will it not? After all, I make it really clear that I am having reservations about the accuracy and quality of information on the video. Surely there must be some misunderstanding here. I hadn't heard anything from the Amway Corporation after a while, so I send a follow up email on August 23rd. After all, there's summer holidays to consider and they are likely very busy! Cool your jets Rocket!
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As per my message sent last month, are the things being stated by Mr. Duncan appropriate? I am planning on doing a blog post soon. In the interest of fairness, I would like to get Amway's perspective on this. I get many emails from current and former IBO's who would be interested on the corporation's stance on this matter. In addition, I have had contact with a media outlet in the US who has expressed interest in my blog posts and sought clarification on certain posts.
I would appreciate a response by the end of this week. In the absence of any answer, I must assume you are OK with these types of claims.
Many Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Rocket
All right, summer's over and things are returning to normal any day now. I'm going to get a response about this and it will all be just a misunderstanding. Any minute now......
Nothing! Can you believe it?
So I send another email on September 5th:
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As per my question posed to the Amway Corporation in July, August, and now September, I am still wondering if the statement of making "hundreds of thousands of dollars a month" is an acceptable statement as an Amway IBO. Is that an accurate depiction of income earnings in Amway? Would you please be able to provide a percentage of IBO's who consistently achieve hundreds of thousands of dollars a month as an Amway IBO?
If this is not an acceptable statement, were sanctions taken against the person in the video. I believe he is or at least was a member of the IBOAI. Interesting that you don't respond! Some would consider it highly unprofessional. Not me though, I would like to say I'm surprised, however, that would not be true.
Kind Regards
Rocket
I'm starting to get the impression that one of three things has happened:
1. Amway is not getting my emails.
2. Amway isn't interested in ensuring that I understand the way their business works
3. I'm way off base and there is nothing the matter with what is said
4. You decide, 'cause I just don't know. I obviously can't count either....
So I send off an email on September 6th to none other than the Chairman of the Ethics Committee for the IBOAI, Bob Andrews. I included all the other emails that I had already sent.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 2:26:26 PM
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Good afternoon Mr. Andrews. I understand that you are the Chair of the Legal &Ethics Committee with the IBOAI. I have sent a number of emails (below) regarding claims made by a high level IBO who I have just discovered is the Chairman of the IBOAI. I have received no response from Amway BCR as to whether or not this is an acceptable claim by Mr. Duncan on this video at the following location:
Is this an acceptable and realistic statement by Mr. Duncan? Is it common for IBO's to be earning "hundreds of thousands of dollars per month" as a result of their involvement in Amway? If so, can you provide a rough percentage of IBO's who are presently earning over $200,000/month?
I am hoping you will yield more of a response than BCR, whatever that stands for. As you can see, I have attempted to ascertain what is and what is not acceptable. Amway's rules of conduct appear to be very clear on this, in that IBO's are not to misrepresent income earning potential. How can one determine what is and what isn't acceptable? In addition, how can one know whether or not the Rules of Conduct are being broken if there is no "standard" that applies? In short, how can one know what can & cannot be said? This doesn't seem to me to be a very honest depiction of the Amway business or the earning potential of the average IBO.
I am preparing a blog post regarding this video, and in the interest of fairness I would like to give you, Amway, or Mr. Duncan an opportunity to respond. BCR's lack of response will be illustrated in my post and I'm hoping that you will be able to help me obtain a balanced view of this matter. Right now I must confess that I believe this to be unrealistic at best, and dishonest at worst.
Amway BCR has been included in this message. I feel I have been above board and patient while awaiting an answer since it was first posed in July and it is now September.
I appreciate your time!
Rocket
Again, I really hate to sound like a broken record, but isn't there some type of liability being undertaken by Amway here? I mean, hey! They make it clear that you can expect:
Yet when videos like this show up, there is no denunciation if it's wrong nor affirmation of zero wrong doing?
Sooooo if I am an IBO, who do I believe? The guy who is there talking to me and has already achieved what appears to be a great deal of success in the business, or the Corporation who seemingly does nothing and says nothing about these types of claims in spite of the fact that their own literature seems to fly in the face of what this guy says?
I will pose this question, feel free to answer in the comments.
To whom does the new or up & coming IBO display their loyalty to? Their upline or the Corporation? In my experience, it isn't the corporation, and there are SCADS of blogs throughout the blogosphere which make that very clear.
That could spell trouble for Amway. It's one thing to have rules, but not enforcing them could come back to bite them. I mean, here is the Corporation disclosing a document outlining what the average IBO makes based on a 10 year old study. I don't know if this is to be disclosed verbally when prospecting someone, but does this disclosure mean anything?
You can read something, but if you are normal, you aren't going to be able to process a multi page document and know every darn thing on there in 5 minutes, especially if you have no knowledge of the Amway business previously. Even IF you were able to comprehend it and have reservations based on the income disclosure, what does it matter? You have no way of disproving what your sponsor or some other gung ho IBO says.
You have a guy telling you you'll make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month right here! Lots of people cheer for him and clap for him on stage! Are you really going to argue with him knowing that he has an entire room of people who obviously admire him?
That would take an incredibly talented person to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff in this instance!
So, if you are an IBO, who are you listening to? What can you say? What is true and what is not?
I think a very reasonable question is does Amway's own literature mean anything? Or is it a document that protects them, and not the average prospect?
So...What to make of all this? I dunno. I guess it's OK in Amway's books if you as a high level leader make claims that this isn't a hard business and you will make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in this business. That's the impression I get anyway by the lack of response from the corporation as well as the chairman of the ethics committee.
So get out there and build your Amway business! After all:
1. It's not hard
2. You just need a dream that you don't let anyone steal
3. You will make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in Amway!
Boy, was I way off base! Shows how much I know.........
I love you.
posted by rocket at 6:34 AM
2 Comments:
Why not send the clip to the FTC and the BBB and see what response you get from them?
Misrepresentation, fraud, and deceptive trade practices are so much a way of life for WWDB and the other AMOs, that at some point you are just inured to it and to the "kingpins" dance on the line between fraud and puffery. Nothing would be better than a well-planned and crafted lawsuit against a Brad Duncan. The problem is finding level-headed plaintiffs with the staying power (and ability to finance costs) of such an endeavor against yo-yos like the Duncans.
--Daniel
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