So last night I had gone to attend this Quixtar/BWW seminar, upon invitation from a friend, who is an IBO in the Quixtar family now. The presentation was slick, the speaker professional. I was told the dress code was formal, so I went in shirts and trousers. But I was still under-dressed, because everyone else had shown up in suits and ties. The people were nice and friendly, but the whole environment had this omnious feeling like in those movies where everything was nice and bright, but something dark and murky lurked deep underneath the surface.
For one thing, people related to Quixtar always refer to “the business” or “the plan” or “the team”. I don't like such omnious notations. Throughout the talk, not even once they explictly declared who they actually were. It is true that there's a lot of crap on the Internet and elsewhere about Quixtar and their family of companies, and while most of it might not be true, I believe some of it still it. More than anything else, I guess I'm just opposed to the idea itself.
I was told to go in with an open mind, and I did my best. But I came out thinking that this is such an intellectually unsatisfying job. You never know the big picture. You're always in this hierarchy. If something goes wrong and “the team” doesn't show up, what do you do? What about all these Quixtar products? Who is quality testing them? If Quixtar has so much money, why don't they advertise their products? Granted that “the business” is supposed to be the advertisement, but I still don't see any harm in some extra publicity.
I could probably ramble on this for a long time. But I'll stop for now. Merchants of Deception is a must read for anyone who is planning to get into Quixtar. I'm not saying you should believe it, or consider all things said therein true. However, if you're getting exposed to all the slick presentations from those folks, you should atleast expose yourself to the other side of the story and then make a judgement for yourself.
Update November 11, 2007
205 Comments
I tried dating a Quikstar zombie. His business is the only thing stopping us from getting married. He insisted I force my kids to use the toothpaste, 100 products even if they didn’t like them. His upline kept putting me down for not going to conventions, even though Orlando was during the school year and I have kids. They told me I would eventually have to quit my job as an engineer ( which I love doing) so that I could support my qstar husband’s job. He told me he needed to change the Sabath to Saturday so he could sell good Christians on Sunday night with his upline. He told me he had to spend one night per week calling, one night per week at the hotel, and one weekend out of town every month and we wanted three kids.. so that meant I had to learn to be alone sometimes for the family. He told me I had to go with him until we have kids, and had to stop wearing blue jeans so much or I as dishonoring him and God. I make a fine living and don’t work overtime and am well respected in my career, but he wanted me to spend my nights with uneducated women with pitiful little lives.. We spent many days with uneducated McDonald workers and I have a degree in Engineering and Math. He told me he only sold people who could afford it, but actually I spent many hours watching him try to sell strangers: waitresses, butchers, college students, oil change workers…It is about greed… We already made enough money with my engineering degree and his masters in education, but greeed got him and greed took over his life. We couldn’t go on weekend trips anymore, because he had to go to the uplines house. I miss him, but can’t marry a guy like that.
Jane, Thanks for the info. I’m from Grand Rapids Michigan,I’ll ask my friend if he is involved with the Yeager group. I have learned a great deal with the postings on this site, thanks all.
The owner of this site says Merchants of Deception is a must read. Joecool says do your deligence and read Merchants of Deception.
AMWAY – QUIXTAR STORY PRESENTED ON NBC DATELINE A FRAUD?
ERIC SCHEIBELER “MERCHANTS OF DECEPTION”
Sept 2007 — A former Amway (Quixtar) Corp. Distributor Eric N. Scheibeler admitted that he lied when he said he’d uncovered billions of dollars in consumer fraud with the company. This shocking information was made in a federal court filing to settle a defamation suit bought by Amway (Quixtar). Scheibeler wrote a book, “Merchants of Deception,” slamming Amway. In addition Eric Scheibeler in a written document to Attorneys for Alticor – Amway – Quixtar that he falsely said: (1) He and his family were threatened (2) He was offered money to be “silent” (3) Quixtar attacked his web site. In exchange for Eric Scheibeler’s written apology Amway and Quixtar agreed not to continue their defamation suit in U.S. Middle District Court and not to seek legal fees from Scheibeler. The Defamation suit against Eric Scheibeler quoted letters to the Cleveland Free Times and a statement in as Swedish newspaper. Editor’s note: NBC Dateline did cover themselves, they reported in the segment that Scheibeler was starting his own MLM Company (which later failed)
This really ticks me off. How dare him to act a victim and then dupe the people who click to read his poorly written “book?”.
Bold as all Hell he ask people who look up his book to donate $$$ for his legal fees for his defamation and lies that have harmed millions of people, including my reputation for being a 30 year distributor before retiring.
This idiot S. broke rules from the beginning and new it. If he hadn’t thrown away the white pad to varify his sails to ten customers, he would difinately made more money.
Ten years ago, This self-made-victim recieved a starter kit with the rules of conduct and code of ethics in it. He was at the direct level for nine years. That means he had a direct distributor manual covering every inch of ethics and training of his goup.
What’s more, for nine years he received a tape called Directly Speaking from the co-founder, Rich DeVose.
These tapes tell directs: Don’t use the podium for a pulpet. Don’t stack your distributors. These tapes tell every direct distributor about any violations the corproation hears about from distributors.
Scheiblerer almost had my empathy, because personaly, I can’t stand Dexter Yager and hate how Amway has to keep reprimanding him.
Eric Scheibeler or none of the rest of Yager’s directs or above can say they didn’t know about having a minimum of retail sales.
Nine years ago when Sceibeler qualified for direct distributor, he had to fill out a form showing he moved 70% of his products to his distrubutors and turn in the pink copy of the sales slips proving her made sales to 10 clients.
So he lied in order to receive money he did not ethically earn. Isn’t that stealing from the corporation?
What about the Profit sharing bonus, ruby bonus, pearl bonus, emrald bonus, Q-12 bonus he received through all of those 9 years.
Just in Bonuses, how much did he unethically take from Amway? We’re not talking a small felony of $500, even if those were the miniml bonuses, they still run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I’ve read about half of his very poorly written book. He has to have it for free; because an agent wouldn’t get through page two before rejecting it.
Oh, he tries hard to be a self-made victim.
He’s brain washed by a cult and didn’t know any better. If he can write a book, why in the Hell can’t he read the code of ethics in his starter kit, or read his direct distributor manual.
Who wants to bet this site will close quickly and that Joecool is either Scheideler or a close associate?
I’ve read half of his book, and felt a little sorry for him, because I fully understand Amway considers Yager a loose cannon.
Jane,
What I said is true. The vast majority of IBOs are losing money and quixtar is prospering. Please note I didn’t “blame” quixtar for the problems.
The problems stem from the organizations such as BWW and WWDB. They teach you things that can bankrupt you. Such as firce loyalty to the teaching system. Buy extra tapes and seminar tickets, regardlesss of your business profits or results. Not succeeding? Buy more tools!
Thats the true issue. If you actually read merhcants of decption, one of the things that his upline did was schedule his own functions such as a cruise at a cost of $5,000, which the IBOs could have scheduled on their own for half the price.
Seems as if groups like BWW that push tools on people who aren’t making progress is unethical. Isn’t that what you’re promoting here Jane?
Jane, I find it humorous that you sai I am lying and telling half truths, yet you don’t point out what it is I am lying about.
Quixtar is a legal pyramid. I have never said it was illegal.
Fact: The vast majority of IBOs make nothing or lose money. It gets worse if those IBOs participate in the tools system.
Fact: In the 6-4-2 plan, if IBOs are participating in tools, the group suffers tremendous financial losses.
Fact: The tools teach you more about recruiting than selling quixtar products.
Why is that?
Fact: Overall, Costco is much cheaper than quixtar.
Fact: Conmen get you to do things willingly, yet conmen are not considered ethical or legal.
I invite further debate on my blog:
http://joecool-quixtar-thedreamorthescheme.blogspot.com