What Quixtar IBOs Need To Know About The IBOAI: Kingpin Distributors Looking Out For Their Own Greed Inspired Best Interests!

In past posts on this blog I have described Quixtar/Amway Global as being made up of three distinct groups of people. First, the company; second the kingpin distributors; and third everyone else (meaning you: the rank and file IBOs). The IBOAI is basically made up of successful :”top of the pyramid” kingpin distributors. They sit on a board which is elected by Emerald and above pin level IBOs to supposedly represent Independent Business Owners everywhere. These people love to describe themselves as IBOs but are actually made up of tool kingpins and for which an IBO commentator on this blog, Tex, has described as “Lying, Cowardly, Kingpins.” These wealthy distributors make up part of the group of distributors earning the lion's share of commissions generated in the Quixtar/Amway product based pyramid scheme. These self righteous distributors of the “tools for fools” rake in millions of dollars in profits promoting Quixtar propaganda to keep the later group buying the unremarkable, overpriced products, and most importantly, buying the training materials and function tickets. Many times it is their wealth, pictured as giant mansions, which inspire the newly recruited distributors to “pay the cost to be the boss.” The cost they pay is many times very high, making tool scamming and product based pyramid scheming very lucrative for them and the company. These distributors distribute more than tools and products. They serve their own greedy self interests while attempting to make the little fellow IBO believe that his/her interests are being protected.

A fellow blogger and former IBO, Amthrax, has recently described a situation on his blog involving one of these IBOAI kingpins, Greg Duncan, and the hypocrisy of the IBOAI to claim that Greg's “All In” energy drink does not compete with IBOs attempting to market XS, Quixtar's offering. Even industry "pundit of deceit" “Insider” IBOFightback sees through the hypocrisy and insane logic of this situation and the spin the IBOAI has put on the issue by their recent blog post titled “Rumor About Greg Duncan and All In Energy Drink”. The IBOAI blog defends beverage baron, Duncan, who is heavily invested in XS and claims that his interests in All In Energy do not violate any of the non-compete agreements every IBO signs with Quixtar as if these two products are not in competition with one another? Greg invests profits from XS sales into producing All In Energy Drink, and he and the IBOAI self righteously claim these products do not compete against one another? Actually these products do not compete against one another because of the self consumption model AmQuix operates, but of course this is something they will not openly admit.

Amway claims to market XS drinks to retail customers, but only a small percentage of these XS drinks ever reach a non-distributor customer. Retail sales to non-distributors are dismally small by percentage of total sales having been described recently as being 4.3%. That means IBOs buy the XS drinks almost exclusively making XS a monopoly product which does not in reality compete against the likes of Red Bull or All In or any of the other products picture above. The IBOAI must believe that “real world” customers are fair game for this “non-competing” product All In Energy Drink while not actually admitting the circumstances I am describing now.

Something really stinks in the “Land of Will!” These greedy kingpin distributors want to eat their cake and have it too! These weasels have painted themselves into a corner where there is no rat hole for them to escape. They believe they can make down line dupes believe their spin regardless how obvious their treachery is. The truth is, these folks many times take their Quixtar – Amway Global Profits and in the spirit of free enterprise invest them in other products and services. Do any of these investments violate the non-compete agreements they have made with Alticor? If the hype Quixtar makes about their independent business owners retailing their product to real world customers is to be believed, then yes, these All In Energy drinks do compete against XS! Quixtar has painted themselves into a corner also. They should enforce non-compete agreements with kingpin distributors which market similar products to retail customers which they claim to have (but in reality do not). Quixtar makes a big deal about retailing product in hopes to avoid product pyramid scheme allegations while they at the same time enjoy the proceeds from their pyramid!

The IBOAI portray themselves as promoting the interests of all IBOs while they really are protecting their own self interests. This is an obvious conflict of interest where the rank and file IBO distributor dupes are victimized as marks in a tool scam con job and are expected to believe all the lies these same kingpins use to justify their own greed. Isn't the entire system built exclusively around greed? The greed inspired IBOs believe in the wealth these greedy folk hold out as being possible. The company maintains their Jay Factor product pricing system out of greed which is obviously reflected in the outrageous prices duped dreamers are required to pay to play in the game. The IBOAI brag that the XS drink price (which is outrageously high to begin with) has not been raised for many years and claim that the All In Energy sales help make this pricing situation possible. More stupidity from folk who have been hoodwinking down line IBOs forever!

The Death of a Quixtar Salesman. What Can Be Learned From a Modern Day Willy Loman?

There's nothing wrong with traditional capitalism nor with opportunity as it is for people to make what success they want out of their life here in these United States. I am always happy to hear that someone is making a successful go in their own pursuit, whether it be working, operating a equipment rental business, or whatever. Don't be deceived by Quixtar saying "their" business is really "yours." Their business has benefited them handsomely leaving in their wake thousands and thousands of believers who have lost.

What I see happening is that these dream selling con businesses intend to take away what people receive from their legitimate pursuits. These MLM scam businesses take from their distributor's day jobs/business. They promote a dream whereby people send their hard earned money to someone else in exchange for pursuit of a nearly unobtainable dream.

Amway has been in business for nearly half a century and has enriched itself along with a relative handful of top of the pyramid kingpins while leaving nearly all the rest involved having contributed and in the end having lost money and time. They may have their over priced consumables along with a closet full of tapes to market on eBay when it finally all comes to an end, as it usually does with these pyramid schemes.

As bad a risk that the stock market may present, it is by far and away a better potential investment than feeding your green backs down a MLM rat hole whether it be Quixtar, MonaVie, Mary Kay, or any other pyramid scheming operation. It is best to be very very skeptical of an investment in time and money that has such an incredibly bad track record for return.

Propaganda from these MLM tool kingpin weasels and their motivational organizations merely "talk the talk" but do not really "walk the walk"! Their assurances and promises should not be viewed as an absolute guarantee like many people believe them to be! Folks have flushed billions into the coffers of these con men supported pyramid schemes, and many believers have passed from this life having never attained the golden ring on the Amway merry go round to success where distributors endlessly go round and round.

Recently a Quixtar devotee and immediate up line to distributors I know of suddenly died having spent over a decade showing the plan and believing in first Amway and then Quixtar without ever achieving even the first major rung on the Quixtar ladder of success: platinum. Sadly, it became a tearful real life situation reminding me of the Arthur Miller Play "Death of a Salesman" which portrayed the experience of one Willy Loman. May this man's untimely passing serve as a reminder about the deceptions of Quixtar and how truly difficult success in this cult business is to actually achieve.

As an investment, Amway is absolute insanity! You throw money at these tool kingpins (like Orrin Woodward, Greg Duncan, Dexter Yager, and Ron Puryear) and the product company they represent believing in the deceptions of success they weave thereby making you a victim of self deception for which in the end you can only blame yourself. You are being lied to and in the face of what I am telling you, will probably choose to believe their deceptions and not me.

People investing thousands and thousands of dollars from year to year could many times retire early and enjoy the beaches, but in the end find themselves working until retirement after following this Quixtar god and end up blaming themselves for their Quixtar failure instead of the "system" which worked to make others successful, but in the end did not work for them no matter how much they believed and worked it.

For those that manage some degree of stage walking success, will it be worth it to basically get there on the backs of so many other people's loss? Shouldn't this become a moral issue for you and for the present group of motivational leaders who preach the message of greed? You don't want to fall into the category of people that P.T. Barnum described and make yourself victim to these dream weaving liars. Their so called success cult is anything but!

My views come from my heart. Many years from now, you might recall that I said them and wish that you had really listened. What do I have to gain? I am not trying to sell you on anything but the truth put upon my heart to speak. Unlike Orrin and the rest, I am not selling, but giving away freely. Are you going to believe someone who tells you something from the heart or believe someone who tells you something motivated by a different agenda: greed? I may not be around much longer to deliver this true message of hope, so it is critical that you hear it now! My loved is torn by the business cult but other families can avoid a similar situation. I pour my heart out feeling that I've said all that I can say.

If you have a situation or anything needing personal discussion, email me at quixtarisacult@gmail.com

Orrin Woodward Responds: Is Transparency The Answer To Resolving Tool Scam Issues In Quixtar?

I am reprinting a comment made by Orrin Woodward to today's earlier “Greg Duncan” post. Readers are urged to read the earlier post on Greg Duncan by Clicking HERE. What follows is both Orrin Woodwards response to my post and a response to the Forbes article Climbing To The Top. The following is Orrin's comment:

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QCI,

I felt it proper to write in and share some of the differences in how Team operates compared to the Quixtar systems. I shared all of these facts in Forbes and some were used and many were not. Everyone has a right to their opinion and I do not write this in a spirit of attacking anyone.

Here it goes.

1. The $6 million income figure is combined MonaVie and Team money. I am a Presidential in MonaVie and will make either just over or just under $4 million this year. On the Team you cannot make more than 50% from tools and training than you did MonaVie so the most I could make from system is $2 million. All $2 million is going to pay legal fees and the Forbes reporter knew this, but chose not to disclose.

2. The total Team business in 2007 (Our biggest year by far) was $42 million in REVENUE (not profits) and according to Quixtar that produced a $200 million plus business with all Team customers. So when people say that I was more focused on Team sales when we sold 5 times as much of Quixtar products, this is not factual.

3. Quixtar makes approximately 30% profit according to many reliable sources (Jay Factor) so they made $60 million profit on our alleged scam of $42 million in revenue. The real issue was that Quixtar did not pay us for the $200 million revenue Quixtar business, unless you consider the $500k they would have paid me (had they paid me my bonuses) in 2007, is ample compensation for the $60 million they raked in. If there is a scam, isn’t the 60 million profit business a much bigger scam than the $42 million revenue business from the same people? Especially when people enjoy the information and training?

4. If you add up my former Quixtar revenue and Team revenue, you have just under $250 million revenue business. 80% plus was product flow buy only 20% of the income was produced from Quixtar. When someone accuses me of running a scam, I must be real poor at scams. Somehow I agreed to produce a $200 million business for Quixtar and only get paid $500k. MonaVie is willing to pay 8 times more for the same size group. I attempted to get Quixtar to lower their prices and increase the pay plan by reducing the Jay Factor. I told them I would lower tool prices to make the majority of our income from the product side and help more people win.

They refused and eventually ‘fired’ me although I told them I was leaving. I have lowered the system prices in MV and now MonaVie is the major income because we cannot make more than 50% from Team of what we are making in MonaVie. If Team profits go up above 50%, then we lower prices.

Hope this helps clarify this excellent discussion. I am glad to be out of Quixtar and focusing on creating a business that helps those who are willing to work, win. Thanks, Orrin
August 20, 2008 7:01 PM

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Readers, in light of Orrin's efforts toward transparency, might more of the same from current Quixtar tool kingpins help bring some kind of resolution to the tool scam? Could a similar cap on tool revenues help resolve the tool scam issues that Tex raises short of expelling the tool kingpins all together? Might openness remove some of the negative speculation that currently exists?

Orrin, thank you for shedding some much needed light on the situation currently going on within Quixtar where there is absolutely no cap on tool profits, something that you benefited by during your years with the company. Quixtar distributors might benefit by transparency and a cap on tool profits. Might weeding the Quixtar tool garden of useless and extraneous training materials and rallies also help?

Orrin, you raise an issue that I constantly point to as a disgrace: the high “Jay Factor” pricing which makes retailing Quixtar products nearly impossible. Quixtar acts if they are jealous of tool profits while maintaining a antiquated pricing strategy which brings them excessive profits as well.

There are three distinct groups of people involved in Quixtar. Two of these groups are obviously motivated by greed, while the third group make all the sacrifices in hopes of someday earning their piece of the take. Aren't there only so many Quixtar mansions to go around? For this reason, I can't advocate Quixtar as a good opportunity. It is an opportunity to make profits for the kingpin distributors and for the Amway company who ultimately benefit the most by people who are enthusiastically devoted to a cult motivational system that fleeces them like sheep and denies them a fair shake and a fair distribution of the profits!

QIAC

Quixtar Cult Guru Greg Duncan Said “Don't Tell Me What Toby From Tacoma Said...Tell Me What Forbes Said?" Okay, I Will!

A very recent Forbes article entitled “Climb To The Top” by Emily Lambert and Klaus Kneale has said something very interesting that Triple Diamond, Gregg Duncan, Guru in the World Wide Dream Builders Cult, has specifically asked his Quixtar distributors to tell him about. If you don't believe me you can hear Greg Duncan's own voice asking his question by CLICKING HERE. Forbes said in the subtitle to their article:

“Pyramid selling schemes are a dime a dozen. Orrin Woodward's organization is one step ahead of them all.”

Readers are encouraged to read what Forbes has said just as Quixtar Diamond kingpin Greg Duncan requested by CLICKING HERE. I guess Forbes called your bluff Greg! The Forbes article pretty much speaks for itself. Orrin Woodward, subject of one of the poll questions in the right panel of this page, is a former Quixtar/Amway tool kingpin like Greg and who switched pyramid schemes and is now selling his “tools for fools” enthusiasm for MonaVie, another pyramid selling scheme like Amway! Orrin Woodward provides an example of exactly how these pyramid selling companies operate. Just the fact that the Forbes article says the “P” word: “pyramid” is a major embarrassment that proponents of the Quixtar business specifically hope that you, the Quixtar prospect, will not see if you are investigating the business opportunity prior to making a decision whether to join or not.

Quixtar kingpin Duncan makes a big deal about Internet search engines being the bathroom wall of society, not to be trusted. He bemoans Tobby from Tacoma, Phil from Philadelphia, and Valerie from Vancouver and is also, by way of extrapolation, saying don't tell me what Quixtar Cult Intervention is saying. He goes on to say “Tell me what Forbes said; tell me what Fortune Magazine said...” Greg asks people to instead tell him what the respected authorities in business are saying about Quixtar. Sorry Greg, maybe what Tobby, Phil, Valerie, and I said are true in light of what Forbes is saying now. Aren't you really the deceptive cult leader here? What have you got to say about the Forbes article now that they too have described AmQuix as a MLM pyramid?

Amway Global Cult Intervention exposes the utter nonsense and fantasy that these merchant's of deception like Greg Duncan and Orrin Woodward present to their followers and to people considering involvement in their scams. If you aren't already involved in one of these scheming pyramids, good, stay that way. If you are involved, that is bad news for you! It isn't too late to save yourself from the con job these liars promote; you can do the intelligent thing and say goodbye to their scam! If there is only one thing you take away from your experience here at Quixtar Cult Intervention, may it be a decision to quit or to turn down the so called opportunity. Your time and money will be better spent following legitimate pursuits, not these dream inspired cults designed to make you lose. Quixtar cults, like the World Wide Dream Builders, destroy families, friendships, marriages, and completely ruin romantic relationships! (Are you listening my beloved One?) It has happened in my life and it can happen in yours as well if you let it. Remember, cults are never a good thing to be involved with.

Have you lost a loved one to one of these cults, or do you know someone considering one of these MLM pyramid schemes like Quixtar? You can forward this article to them by clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom. You don't have to sit idly by and watch these cults work their deceit in the lives of someone you care about; I don't and neither should you. If you have personal questions, you may email me at quixtarisacult@gmail.com.

Note: I must apologize. When I first published this post I had mistakenly attributed the audio to Ron Puryear. Luckily, the changes I've had to make to this post only corrected the mistaken name and actually do not effect the message I wished to convey. Thanks Scott Larsen for bringing this error to my attention.

Team Nutrilite Athletes Lay Three Big Eggs in China's Birds Nest Olympic Stadium: Hypocrisy of Amway Athletic Endorsements!

I suppose Amway must now pay out the big bucks to bring the World's fastest man on board to endorse Nutrilite vitamins. Seems like their horse in the running at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing China, Jamaica's Asafa Powell, came up short and laid an egg finishing 5th in a field behind new World Record Holder and fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt in the 100 meter dash for the cash. The details can be read by clicking here. Many people may remember that Asafa Powell credited his winning ways to Nutrilite vitamins after signing a huge endorsement deal with Amway. Hmmmm? I was just wondering if Amway now is going to take credit for his losing ways in the World spotlight as well as his former winning ways?

The news was already bad for Team Nutrilite because one of their other big name athletes, Liu Xiang, defending Olympic champion, lined up to run the 110-meter hurdles limped out of the starting blocks after a fellow Chinese athlete false started and Xiang ripped his number off and left the stadium complaining of leg problems. Thousands of shocked Chinese fans quickly left the stadium in disgust. The details can be read by clicking here.

"Liu pulled up lame just steps into the first round of qualifying Monday, leaving the Summer Games' host country without one of its biggest stars — and far and away its biggest star in track and field." ... Associated Press.

Both Powell and Xiang laid a big egg in the appropriately named Bird Nest Stadium. Not to be completely outdone by the other two Team Nutrilite egg layers, Sanya Richards (formerly recognized as the best female 400-meter runner in the world since 2006) got passed by two women in the last 50 meters of a race she seemed to have wrapped up at the final turn and brought home a Bronze medal for Team USA and Team Nutrilite. For the story, click here. I suppose she should have popped a few more Nutrilite supplements before the big race but instead laid her own egg!

How can Nutrilite vitamins be blamed for the loss of two of these top Team Nutrilite stars as well as a disappointing Bronze medal for the third? Well, I ask how can theses top stars credit Nutrilite for improving their performance after winning outings and not also blame Nutrilite for their poor showings when they lose miserably on the biggest World track and field stage? Isn't the whole situation just completely ludicrous? I don't know how many times I've seen someone claim how good Nutrilite vitamins are because Asafa Powell takes and endorses them. Let's face it, vitamins are just vitamins. Vitamins may have something to do with a athlete's general health, but do they in and of themselves a winner make? These sport endorsements are made after huge payouts of hard cash to the athletes who may or may not actually be taking the supplement. Possibly the new fastest man in the World will now have his hand out to the likes of Amway, Herbalife and any number of other supplement sellers for a big payday whether they actually intend to takes the supplements or not. That is why I referred to the 100 meter race above as a run for the cash! Shoe and clothing retailers will probably be jumping on the winner band wagons as well. Amway obviously is a big loser in their hopes to make a big deal of their losing Team Nutrilite athletes.

Many times these Amway endorsements are made to encourage Quixtar/Amway distributors into believing that Amway products are just as great as the Team Amway athletes are. Might they now be wondering about this line of reasoning? Might some other vitamin manufacturer now make the same insane claim Amway formerly made through their paid hack athletes? Where does all the endorsement money come from? Yes, out of the pockets of mostly Amway product consuming distributors who buy and chomp these vitamins to make their monthly bonus quotas.

Could Team Nutrilite athletes be losing their endorsement money the same way Amway distributors lose their money and time to the Amway product pyramid scheme? Amway isn't going to be able to make very many winning advertisements based on Team Nutrilite's losing performance in these Olympics like they had hoped! I guess they can promote the nice try aspects: how existential! Pyramid scheming worked out better for these athletes than their sport careers!

New recruits, you can climb on the new Team Nutrilite losing bandwagon now. I have heard that bad news comes in threes. Are you listening Alticor? Team Nutrilite has pretty well been knocked out during the 2008 Olympics; not what your big bucks hoped for! Amway is the team sponsor for team China. Even if China wins the most gold medals or the most total medals, this doesn't seem like a great public relations hit in the United States? China, aren't they Communists? Doesn't Amway operate the American Scam?

Continued Exploitation of Traveling Sales Crews Supported by the Direct Selling Association!

Exploitation of young people working in traveling sales crews in the direct selling industry is a despicable situation! Recently while I was doing research on Quixtar I came across this traveling horror caravan of greed and youth exploitation which has raised the hairs on the back of my neck in ire!

On March 25, 1999 seven youths were killed and five others badly hurt in a van roll over crash near Janesville, Wisconsin. This accident occurred when the driver who did not have a drivers license attempted to change seats with another occupant while traveling at high speed. The van was occupied by members of a traveling magazine sales crew which included Malinda Turvey, daughter of Phil Elenbecker who has been working tirelessly to see legislation passed in Wisconsin which bears his daughter's name: Malinda's Law.

Malinda's law seeks to make widespread changes to the way traveling sales crew companies in Wisconsin operate. Among other measures, the proposed law would:

• Require employers of traveling sales crews to register with the state before conducting business and carry permits showing they are licensed to sell.

• Mandate that members of sales crews be considered employees and prohibit the use of independent contractors or minors.

• Require traveling sales crews to post a $10,000 bond or equivalent when registering with the state, and to pay employees at least twice a month.

• Limit the times of day when sales crews may be in the field.

If passed, Wisconsin's bill would be the most restrictive in the country says Phil Elenbecker. Under the bill, traveling sales crews would be defined as two or more people who travel together and live away from their permanent residences while selling.

The Direct Selling Association opposes passage of Malinda's Law. One member company of the DSA, The Southwestern Company has lobbied the Wisconsin legislature to defeat and/or make changes to the bill which would render it nearly meaningless and allow the exploitation of their youthful recruits to continue; these independent contractors, mostly college students, carry out door to door selling of books and publications in the state. Another door to door selling company has also been actively involved in shooting down Malinda's Law: Kirby vacuums, another member of the Direct Selling Association coven. Amy Robinson, how do you defend the DSA in this situation?

A close examination of Southwestern Company quickly reveals a pattern of exploitation of its representatives that is nearly similar to the “methods of operation” of other traveling sales crews operating in Wisconsin. Southwestern claims that it operates more ethically than the other rogue traveling crews in Wisconsin and points to the DSA code of ethics exactly the same way other disreputable companies under the DSA umbrella do for some degree of respectability they believe the DSA represents.

Southwestern Company deserves to be singled out for exploitation of its recruits whom it terms to be independent contractors much the same way that Amway/Quixtar distributors are "Independent Business Owners." This turns out to be a very advantageous situation for any company (Southwestern, Amway, Kirby, along with almost all MLM companies) because they can sidestep labor laws designed to protect employees in a employer/employee relationship. Youths working for Southwestern Company report that they many times work 80 hour work weeks and must attend Sunday sales meetings as well as travel long distances to attend meetings in Nashville. They also claim that earnings are withheld to the end of the summer selling season making them basically enslaved to the situation they find themselves in almost the same way as the other despicable traveling sales crews operating under the National Field Selling Association, another disreputable trade association.

When direct selling companies (to include the likes of Quixtar/Amway) incorporate independent contractors, they basically insulate themselves from responsibility for any bad situation that is part and parcel of the the industry and completely avoid labor laws which might protect an hourly worker from such deceit and abuse. Just as Amway "independents" are exploited out of countless hours of work and even brainwashed into basically "paying" the company instead of the company "paying" them, these traveling sales independents become responsible for their own actions although they are actively generating profits for the companies they represent. At the worst the exploited go out and exploit the public by many times misrepresenting themselves and making untrue claims. This sound exactly similar to situations I've described where Quixtar reps misrepresent themselves and the business opportunity?

Victims of these direct selling companies go out and make victims of others through recruitment, misrepresentations, and deceit. Sadly this is the way most of the DSA companies operate. At the worst end of the spectrum, there have been murders, rapes, and robberies. At the other end of the spectrum, people have been victimized by cons, and schemes perpetrated on them and for which they in turn perpetrate on others. My last post compared and correctly condemned modern direct selling companies. The DSA should hang its head in shame for supporting companies with their toothless code of ethics which attempts to provide a veil of accountability and respectability to the likes of Southwestern, Quixtar, Kirby, YourTravelBiz, Crazy Fox Herbalife, Mannatech, Usana, as well as others operating thinly veiled product pyramid schemes.

People recruited into direct selling businesses (all of which have the potential for making door to door sales) are many times not given background checks, and regardless of past criminal behavior are free to go out and knock on doors or show the plan to success to anyone. Just ask the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgeway, who claimed he didn't kill as many people when he was working his Amway business. I am looking into whether any of his murder victims were also recruited into the Amway business by Ridgeway?

Kirby salesmen have a long history of problems and some have been convicted of heinous crimes: murders, rapes, cons, and thefts. For more information on Kirby crimes click here. Kirby, a DSA member has also actively opposed Malinda's Law. The despicable DSA has opposed Malinda's Law and therefore furthers the exploitation of youths in the state of Wisconsin as well as all the harm done to them and people receiving a knock on their door from a questionable gypsy seller. The DSA fears that implementation of this protective legislation will open the flood gates and cause other states to consider enacting similar legislation to protect their citizens.

One of the end results of the Federal Do Not Call list is to bring door to door selling back into prominence; think about that the next time you get ready to set down to diner--your phone may not wring, but your door may!

Amway Global Cult Intervention advocates passage of state and federal legislation to curb the continued exploitation of our Nation's youth, protect its citizens, and take away the "independent contractor" loophole which allows direct sellers to continue the exploitation of the distributors, crew, and citizens. I have placed a list of links in the right hand panel of this blog that I ask every reader to follow. There is wealth of information too numerous to describe as part of today's post. Please support the Parent Watch Organization, sign a petition. As informed consumer you can hopefully correctly handle a situation where it is your door that receives the knock knock joke, only thing is, it is no joke!

The Horror of Traveling Sales Crews Revisited and A Condemnation of the Modern Direct Selling Industry!

(The beautiful young girl in the picture to the right is the 18 year old daughter of Phil Ellenbecker, Malinda. She died on March 25, 1999 from a massive skull fracture when the van she was in flipped over twice while traveling at 81 mph. The crash near Janesville, Wisconsin left a total of 7 dead and 5 maimed for life. Phil's email to me is at the bottom of today's post. Please see the online memorial to her by clicking here. Make sure you have your speakers turned on because the beautiful music and words are very moving and brought tears to my eyes.)

Before the advent of the modern age, direct selling was a necessary and desired business model. Pioneers living out on the edge of the wilderness many times looked forward to that occasional peddler bringing any number of products and goods from the east to the homestead. General stores did not exactly put these peddlers out of business who began to specialize. Bible salesmen appeared as well as people selling hard to find beauty aids and various other hard to find items.

One of my favorite movies of the past few years was "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" where John Goodman played a disreputable Bible salesman in the Great Depression era who gave a good beating to two of the key characters of the movie with a tree limb and then squished a toad with his bare hand. This movie may have been a farce, but these types of direct selling characters really existed then and in many ways still exist today.

I see the modern age MLM sales tactics to be an evolution of these last century Bible salesmen who used questionable tactics and outright deceit to make the sale. These early Bible salesman, for instance, would prospect folks who had recently suffered a death in the family. They might approach a widow and con her into buying a Bible that they claimed their loved one had ordered before their untimely death.

Quixtar representatives are taught to size up their prospective "marks" in a similar fashion. The Quixtar training materials teach questionable methods to identify character flaws or weaknesses which will facilitate the sale of their plan which for the most part is a product based pyramid scheme con job. These modern day multi-level marketers like to call themselves direct sellers as if they were a throw back to the good old days of the homestead peddler. How often do you get a knock on the door and are asked to buy products offered by a MLM direct seller? Probably not very often because door to door selling is not generally done by MLM scam artists. These so called sellers are more interested in finding people who will sit down in front of their easel board and see the plan for making it big in their business by buying the products and recruiting others to do the same. This can hardly be considered direct selling but direct recruitment! Many of these MLM scam business people are not true direct sellers but hope to benefit by the self consumption of company products they hope to inspire the newly recruited rep to make.

What about the traveling sales crews who are actually direct sellers? Here again, there are many problems. The mostly young people on these sales crews are many times taken advantage of themselves by the company and people they work for while they go out and take advantage of the door to door residents who many times swallow deceitful claims and buy the magazine subscriptions and products. To make sales, these door to door sellers might claim that they live a few blocks away or are trying to work their way through school. People fall for these deceits the same way people seeing the Quixtar plan to success are also hoodwinked. Many times the Quixtar reps like to pass themselves off as Quixtar success stories sporting nice suits and jewelry. They may look the part, but are anything but successful; their appearance only furthering the deception. I have described how questionable misrepresentations are made to talk prospects into climbing aboard the Quixtar mother ship and how the training materials are basically propaganda to keep the new recruits buying the overpriced products, the training materials (known as tools) and believing in the success dream.

The traveling sales crews are despicable, the MLM schemes and scams represented by the DSA are despicable, and even the Vacuum selling industry (like Kirby and Rainbow) are fraught with problems and are considered despicable by many. There is very little good that can be said about modern day direct sellers or con artists which misrepresent themselves as direct sellers, a common thread that runs through them all.

There are different trade associations that represent all these businesses who hope to find some degree of respectability amongst one another. Of course there is the Direct Selling Association which Jon Taylor of the Consumer Awareness Institute believe have been infiltrated by questionable MLM product pyramid scheme companies like Amway, Herbalife, YourTravelBiz, and Mannatech. The traveling sales crew companies also have their own trade associations also which are described below by Mr Ellenbecker.

I realize that I made a earlier post which described the traveling sales industry, but I felt the industry should be revisited so I might provide readers with more information on this very questionable business which takes advantage of its recruits and encourages young people to leave parents, family and friends for a life on the road. These traveling sales crews many times are traveling dens of corruption, sex and drugs.

I received an email from Phil Ellenbecker who I am going to copy and paste directly below which links information related to the traveling sales industry that AGCI readers might want to further investigate. I support the efforts to expose any situation that takes advantage of young people and in some cases has directly or indirectly caused the death, rape and murder of these youths who are exposed daily to the dregs of society and dangers of the road. Parents and family are the secondary victims of these traveling caravans from hell as well as the people who open their door to some unsavory gypsy sellers.

********************************

To whom it may concern,

I would like to provide you with more information on Kirby, the Direct Selling Association, and 'traveling sales crews.'

Southwestern and the DSA:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/southwestern%20company.html

Southwestern and the DSA lobbying against a bill in Wisconsin to protect kids and homeowners
from the crimes committed by traveling sales crews:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/wisconsin%20legislation%202007.html

Kirby: a brief chronology of crimes:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/kirby%20vacuum%20crime%20research%20%20021908.htm
Traveling sales crews:
Specific to door to door magazine and cleaner sales:
Wanted Page:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/wanted.html

Traveling sales crews:
Specific to door to door magazine and cleaner sales:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/door%20to%20door%20sales%20profiles.html

Featured Articles:
Houston Press:
What Mainstream Publishers Don't Want You to Know About Door-to-Door Magazine Sales:
http://houstonpress.com/2008-07-17/news/what-mainstream-publishers-don-t-want-you-to-know-about-door-to-door-magazine-sales/1
New York Times:
For Youths, a Grim Tour on Magazine Crews:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/us/21magcrew.html?ex=1329714000&en=be91678aaac7038d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

New York Times:
Life on a magazine crew - Video
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=cc441f37425c1403e086b3f96ab5c21bf296dc36

Our battle to protect homeowners and children from the door to door sales industry is mainly focused
on the National Field Selling Association: www.nfsa.com the trade group for most of the magazine and cleaner door to door
sales companies, and the Magazine Publishers of America: http://www.magazine.org the trade group for most of the
magazine publishers in this country. Extreme crime and exploitation of children, young adults, and homeowners is occurring in this immoral
and corrupt industry.

The NFSA and the MPA are separate trade groups and not associated with the DSA.
However, the DSA, Kirby and Southwestern have now taken up arms against us and
legislation in the state of Wisconsin that was created to protect Wisconsin kids and homeowners
from crimes associated with the door to door sales industry.

Thank you for your article and your time.

Sincerely,
Phil Ellenbecker
Director
Dedicated Memorial Parents Group
www.travelingsalescrews.info
www.dedicatedmemorial.org

The Dark Side of The Direct Selling Industry: Kirby, Quixtar, and Traveling Sales Crews

Would you believe that such a grand old name like Kirby vacuum cleaner has fallen into disrepute in the computer era? Here is another example of a once proud direct selling company going to the dogs. I know that I have seen quite a few Kirby vacuums in my life. They are interesting from an engineering point of view and I always considered the old Kirby vacuums to be very well designed for their time except for a minor, but important flaw. Kirby used a cast metal turbine that was susceptible to hard objects no bigger than carpet tacks or pennies. A whole repair industry popped up around the vacuum in support of replacing these splined discs. Of course these repair people were distributors who had gained the right or obtained a license to basically operate a monopoly service business. The repair industry (or servicing the account) has been a way for privileged distributors to make the extra money from servicing the machines.

For the most part, I've never seen many of the other Kirby door to door sales people really manage to make a good living just selling vacuums. But then again there may have been a hey day when this was possible. Current criticisms of Kirby have made them another example of a bad direct sales company, not something to be proud of. Kirby, Rainbow (another vacuum direct seller), Traveling Sales Crews, and the business cult; all bad deals! What is the world coming too?

The break even and profit comes from adding the service contracts or charges for servicing the units much the same way the Quixtar Kingpins service their tool customers. Many people work the Kirby sales business in the evening and work regular day jobs much the same way as Quixtar cult people do. It wasn't long before Kirby became flooded with con men types, people much like the traveling sales crews I talked about in Saturday's post. Some have multiple cons or ideas to push on the "Joneses" beside just a vacuum, magazine, or part time direct selling opportunity.

The direct selling industry at its very best can go very badly wrong. Many times it isn't the occasional rapist, murder, or child molestation that you hear about, but the average con man hiding behind some kind of scam business like Quixtar or Amway that flies under the radar and also does real harm. There's many a widow that have had a "cheat your neighbor" visit and whose life savings disappeared to a secondary con.

I've already outed the Quixtar Am-Bots who are always buying con artist instructions from the upline kingpin peddlers. Kirby is just another example of direct selling that feeds off of its own young like the Quixtar kingpin vultures do. Kirby is a company like Amway that was founded on generally good principles, but as time progressed has degenerated into another "desperate industry" like their other bad cousin Vinnie Amway. They make use of sales tools, seminar and rah rah meetings. Seems like many of these bad companies have to use an "enthusiasm machine" to keep people involved swallowing the camel.

Support groups and critical pages like QCI have appeared on the Internet to combat traveling sales crews abuses and to help people understand just how these bad operators work. One company, Southwestern, has been described as being as bad as Amway. Read a little for yourself by clicking here and here. This is one of these sales crew caravan rolling selling horror stories. Anyway the history of this company reads like a story right out of hell!!!

Amway Global a.k.a. Quixtar operates within a corrupt structure that involves mafia like kingpins. They operate within a suspect direct selling industry which is corrupt on two different levels: The Door to Door Con and The Phone You Up Con (run by the Am-bots).

Just as I said in Saturday's post, these truly bad actor sales crew type traveling con men circuses actually operate more legitimately than the AmQuix kingpin's Am Bots drones do. These people actually get out and sell something with the idea of making some money. It is too bad that these youthful sellers many times are abused and many times not paid. The Am-bots are maybe worse off. At least these youthful workers receive something for their hard selling work. Most of the Am-bots volunteer their own time, labor, and money without ever receiving a cent in profit.

Amway Global Cult Intervention serves as your clearing house for information about the Business cult, the Kingpins, the dirty little secrets, and provides answers to the personal problem of being tangled up in a business that does way more harm than good. Cults after all aren't good! Kingpins after all aren't good! Mafia structured business is not good! Victimizing yourself through self delusion is an even bigger crime against yourself, one you can avoid!

Not involved already you say? Good! Stay that way! Anyone needing help or assistance with a Quixtar situation or a family crisis, email me: quixtarisacult@gmail.com .

Traveling Direct Sellers Contrasted and Compared to the Quixtar Amway Business Cult

I have been doing a little research into a modern day door to door selling industry The Amway worldwide American Scam which masquerades itself as a direct selling company is put to shame by another group of direct selling companies, the traveling sales industry. These other direct selling companies are traveling gypsies, many of which are selling magazine subscriptions and or other household cleaning supplies. These selling direct sellers, like Amway aren't angels as I have found out. For more background information on these traveling direct sellers click here. Seems like there are a few similarities amongst these gypsy-like cultists or traveling sales teams and the Amway cultists. Actually these sales teams are highly successful sellers whereas Amway distributors are not. These traveling sales operations many times operate outside the code of anyones ethics. Misrepresentations are rife, cons are common, and even the worst of human nature reveals itself within. Rapes, robberies, murders, and highway deaths are not uncommon. Minor children are fleeing from strict parents and failed relationships. Felons sometimes join up find a new kind of rolling home and some can not resist carrying on further rapes, murders or other crimes of perversion along the way. These problems are many times over reported in the press, but as I've discovered there are organizations popping up that are highly critical of these traveling door to door operations, although shady, are still legal. The magazines being marketed many times shield themselves from moral repercussion by the use of layers of sub contractors to nearly claim no involvement in the traveling con-child shows these sales carnivals are. These very young sellers are basically trapped by their cult caravan of hucksters whose history extends back long before the days of Oliver Twist fame. Just like in Amway, people are told to just keep holding on and to keep believing in the pot of gold.

There is a very angry group of parents who having lost their children to one of these traveling huckster shows. Victims of one well known traffic accident will never see their loved ones again.

These athletic young direct sellers and are very effective at their craft. It takes a bold bunch of ambition to canvas and effectively sell magazine subscriptions which (like Amway products) are also badly over priced. In this con game, many times where cash has been exchanged, order tickets are torn up and cash pocketed. Here is another reason to be wary of any direct selling company. There lurks dirty little secrets. These folks basically appear, collect, and depending on the transaction, turn in as many of the required amount of transactions. This makes for a profitable situation for the magazine publisher and commissions paid to the kingpins. These kingpins operate the traveling gypsy circus. Now, does anything about this contrast with Quixtar? Anywhere you have a Kingpin you've got a bad situation going on. These systems have a way of making victims of so many people.

Kingpins in the traveling industry basically oversea a subset of baby vultures which travel and supervise the traveling sales industry supposedly "Independent Business Persons" that these con sellers amount to. Does that sound familiar people? If any independent gets caught, then the con man claims to be an independent crook and basically gives the company a similar contractual arrangement that Amway has over its Millions of duped distributor con men.

Distributor sub compact baby vultures act to keep the duped drones of mostly college aged sales crews a near hostage to the sales company. Abandonment becoming a real fear and later on the money that the company "holds on the books". Many of these young people are attracted to the excitement of the traveling the country. What makes these traveling sales crews work is the enthusiasm that the baby vultures must instill in the raw recruits, many of which are recruited by newspaper ads. I liken the experience to that of joining up with the carnival. Except you do not have to haul all the equipment around all the time. There is indeed a merry go round going on though within these near cult like caravans. Poor sellers are routinely abandoned by the baby vulture and the crew picks up a new recruit to take the place of the unproductive youngling that was shoved out of the nest more or less. Another victim on the caravan to hell caravan. Many times drug, alcohol, pills and so forth become the rolling state of affairs with these people looking for a good time.

The traveling sales industry is a legitimate direct sales business. Unlike Quixtar, which if you look at it differently is a also a legitimate direct sales business. You just have to adjust your thinking about who the real customers are. Both of these supposed direct sales businesses make sales to the "Joneses". Amway "independents" make two or three contacts a day if very lucky and driven. The traveling "independents" may see hundreds and many times these magazine subscriptions are a contract, these young adults make many more sales per showing of the deal than the lowly turtle like approach to success that the Amway independents take.

The dollar amount of difference in the success rate of these magazine hucksters leaves the Amway folks far in the dust. These traveling sales crews are true direct selling operations, but here again even they are tainted by scandal, abuse, the fleecing of their own distributors, the constant recruitment and replacement of recruits. The use of "black boarding" by both groups of distributors is incredibly similar in their use of deceit, lies, and false belief development.

Amway distributors use a form of black boarding, they over exaggerate, they distort, they incorrectly describe the success path. They teach things that the company objects to, all in the name of recruiting another victim into the cult. We have two different types of vampires here. One group knocks on your door, while the other may call you on your cell phone. There are kingpin vultures making good use of all the drone sellers and the Ambots.

Now think about it. Aren't people hurt in the process? There are many different types of victims in the American Scam and the traveling gypsies direct near scam. Actually the traveling group is more legal than the come to your house and show you the plan Amway "independents". When the traveling bunch lies, their version of black boarding may include representing oneself as living three blocks over and hoping to get money to attend college. Well, folks, doesn't the Amway IBO also many times represent himself or herself to be something which is totally untrue, you know the fake it until you make it mindset?

I live in such a remote location, it isn't likely that I'll ever see my neighborhood canvased by these traveling direct sellers. Sometimes the direct sellers must apply for a permit to sell, but many times these folks skirt these laws and make the "independent" seller solely responsible for obeying all laws. The Kingpins are insulated and many times leave these mere kids to fend for themselves. Sounds like the type of contractual relationship Quixtar has had with their independents. Haven't they allowed Randy Haugen to be hung out to defend himself. What a bold move by the Amway Dons all supported by the fine print in the contract that is signed with every independent including Haugen.

Amway Global Cult Intervention understands that there are victims in the traveling direct selling business, just as there are victims in the Quixtar AMO's Kingpins are the vultures that feed on all the carrion in each business. Isn't it sad that a company that has a nearly identical criminal structure to Amway is actually a true and legitimate direct selling operation, regardless of how unethical it is. Con men sellers exist in both of these supposed direct selling companies, both of which claim they are legitimate. Actually the roving gypsy bunch is more legitimate than the goodly Amway bunch. These roving direct sellers make retail sales, something few of the crowd in the Ambot Cult can say. Dear Reader, if you are considering one of any number of bad MLM business opportunities, to include these traveling abuse caravans you have a golden opportunity to do the wise thing and turn away. Beware of full time cons or part time cons, they are all after all cons!