Unofficial Amway Freqently Asked Questions. Page 3

This website will expose the inaccuracy of the information available on the official Amway Corporation website. We have copied their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and added out own comments. As you will quickly notice, most of what they say are lies. Amway questions and the answers are colored blue. Our comments are in red.

Does Amway really give people more free time, or does it require a lot of time to succeed?

Like any small business, it takes hard work to succeed in the Amway business, and that requires time and commitment, especially in the beginning. Our research shows that most people understand this very well.

At least Amway admits it is hard work to build a business but you will hear the opposite from the main leadership groups. We were regularly told that the business would take "ten to fifteen hours a week", but of course if it does not happen at that rate you are told to "treat it like a business, not a hobby".

But the Amway business does offer flexibility for our distributors in running their business. Unlike most conventional jobs, Amway distributors can work at home, when they want, at their own pace, on their own schedule, according to the goals they have set for themselves.

Many former distributors will tell how they finished their regular job at five o'clock and then were out till midnight with the Amway business every night. If you want help from your upline, they set the pace - you don't.

For some, that means if they need an afternoon to attend a school play, play golf, or see a friend, they can arrange their work schedule to allow this. The choice of when, where, and how much time to devote to their Amway business is theirs alone.

Missing family events to attend meetings is considered a badge of honor in the Amway scams.

This flexibility is one important reason why the opportunity appeals to so many people around the world.

Our products are price competitive and good value for money overall. We know this from our market surveys, distributor feedback and, ultimately, by the sales growth of all our product lines over the years.

Our data shows that while some of our products are more expensive than their counterparts, others are less expensive and most are competitively priced.

Products that are more expensive usually have greater features and benefits over competitive goods.

Many AMWAY products are highly concentrated, meaning a single purchase lasts longer. On a cost-per-use basis, these products are priced very competitively.

No they are not. Any good price comparison will take concentration levels into account. The concentration argument is very misleading. Only a small part of Amway's entire catalog is concentrates. (ie a few dozen soaps and cleaners, compared to thousands of other items such as clothes and food.)

It is also important to note that Amway distributors are selling more than just products -- they're also selling an exceptional level of service. AMWAY products are delivered directly to the customer and are backed by the Amway Satisfaction Guarantee.

Hello, has anybody been listening. Amway people are not selling. I told you before, that is the basis of the entire problem. Products are not delivered to the customer; the customer (distributor?) goes to his upline and gets them there. Obviously there are some exceptions but this it the predominate way the business is run now.

Amway's extensive product line makes it possible for customers to do virtually all their shopping without leaving home or worrying about the hassles of returns. Their distributor does all the work for them. This convenience is very appealing to many of today's busy people, and for many it is worth a little bit more.

"Worth a little more". ????? This is the not the first time many of you will have heard Amway's justification for its higher prices. Watch out for other excuses.

"If it was a dollar more, that's an investment in my future."

Bo Short, Amway Emerald Distributor

Some distributors offer programs that allow customers to determine a replacement schedule for consumable products, which then automatically ship these products according to this schedule. The customer never has to worry about running out of toothpaste or shampoo.

"Oh my God ; My life is ruined, I have run out of shampoo. But wait, I know what I can do, I'll gas up the car and drive 48 miles to pick up some from my sponsor - next Saturday."

The consumer is the ultimate judge of price and value, and our sales success over the years speaks volumes about our product value and customer satisfaction.

Of course the customer is the ultimate judge, and this would explain why Wal-Mart sells about fifty times more than Amway although they both started in business at the same time. Amway products are very expensive. It is ridiculous to suggest that they are good value. Even with the "30 percent discount" they are still much more expensive than similar items bought in a shopping mall or local store.

Why do some distributors not mention "Amway" when presenting the Amway business opportunity?

Amway Corporation is proud of its name and the high degree of recognition it enjoys. Unfortunately, some people have misconceptions about the business opportunity or the direct-selling business, which may interfere with their interest in learning more about it. Although Amway doesn't believe it is a necessary approach, some distributors attempt to pique the interest of prospects by discussing attributes of the opportunity without initially identifying it as the Amway business opportunity. Amway's Rules of Conduct clearly state, however, that when recruiting new prospects, distributors should not create the impression that it is something other than the Amway business opportunity or, if asked, should not deny that it is Amway.

More lies. Again they mention Direct Sales as if they are still living in a 1950's time warp. You could go to dozens of Amway distributor functions and never hear Amway mentioned. Even after the initial revelation, there is constant suggestion that Amway is merely the "supplier", "managing company" or that "we use Amway's infrastructure". Another frequent trick is when the recruiter adds words like "Interactive Marketing" or "Distribution Enterprizes" to his name in order to convince you that they are separate from the Amway business.

"Hi there, I'm Bobby Bullshit from Bullshit Enterprizes ...".

Amway cannot adequately answer this question, because Amway distributors run their own businesses, determine their own expenses, set their own retail prices, and aren't required to report their earnings to us.

Amway cannot adequately answer this question, but many other people can. One US government study found that the average person LOST several hundred dollars per year. And if they tell you that losses are tax-deductable, tell them they are stupid and should seek professional financial help.

However, we do know that the income range is extremely broad, because distributors have vastly different goals and abilities and make differing levels of effort and commitment. Most view their Amway business as a part-time or short-term activity to earn extra money for themselves or their family. Some pursue the business part-time year after year, while others resign or become inactive as soon as they have achieved a specific short-term goal, such as buying a gift, new furniture, or music classes for their children.

Generally speaking, less than 10% work their Amway business as a full-time job and as their primary source of income over time. Naturally, because these people spend the most time and effort to build their own business and are the most committed to it over time, they typically make the most money.

Moreover, it costs little just to join the Amway business, and also little to renew a distributorship annually. ( I have lost count, is that three times they have told us how cheap it is to join Amway. )This allows some people to stay in the business even though, for whatever reason, they may not actively sell AMWAY products or recruit others to do the same for certain periods. This flexibility in the business meets distributor needs but, tends to bring down somewhat overall earnings figures.

o About 90% of U.S. direct sellers work part time. About half of these part time direct sellers make up to US$500 per year, while the remainder make up to US$5,000 per year.

o About 10% of all U.S. direct sellers work full time and tend to be the highest earners.

o About 3% of all American direct sellers earn more than US$50,000 per year.

The full measure of success in any business is not just what you earn, but the other benefits you take away - including new skills you develop, experience you gain, and contacts you make.

Amway people are not direct sellers. All they do is try and convince others to join a pyramid scheme. By the way, did I mention that Amway people are not direct sellers.

Why do people start an Amway business or pursue other direct-selling opportunities?

Recent research by the U.S. Direct Selling Association shows that six broad types of people get into direct sales, and their primary interests vary considerably. As a leader in the industry, we believe these reasons for building a direct-selling business also apply to Amway:

I am only commenting on the DSA research with regard to the Amway business, I am not disputing the validity of the research with regard to the sales industry in general.

How can you improve your life by paying for the privilege of working part time. Amway does not replace your present employment, and can actually inhibit it.

The only way you will get recognition and encouragement in an Amway group is by regular attendance at functions, regular purchases of motivational material, regular plan showing etc. You pay for the first two and the third won't make you rich.

Around the world, the Amway business opportunity provides a low-cost, low-risk means to achieve all this - and more. For instance, it:

Perhaps true, but let's not delude ourselves here. Some people in Amway do develop skills such as public speaking, confidence, etc, - but courses for these skills are readily available and a lot cheaper than a stretch in the AMOs. Is Amway a business or a personal development course?.

There is no flexibly in an Amway Motivational Organisations. Try telling your upline that you can not afford the next function and listen to their sympathetic response.

Why are we concerned with statistics from the Direct Selling Association, when almost the entire distributor force in Amway DOES NOT SELL. Excuse the shouting but am I getting that fact across to you. The major Amway distributor groups tell their members quite forcefully that they do not have to sell products. In our group we were told to tear up the sales report forms when we were showing the kit to a new distributor so that prospects would be "very certain that they did not have to sell."

Worldwide, more than 50% of all Amway distributors choose to renew their businesses each year - an impressive figure, given the part-time approach of the great majority of people in direct selling. (Direct Selling ??)

Amway offers a business opportunity that is both easy to enter and easy to leave.

Leaving an Amway business is difficult for some people as they have endured years of brainwashing telling them that only quitters and losers leave the business. This is very unjust when you consider that Multi-Level Marketing depends on a large percentage of its agents to fail so that a few can succeed.

While some business opportunities require large upfront investments with no money-back guarantees, it takes comparatively little to buy an Amway Starter Kit, and you can get your money back if you decide it's not right for you. With this and no minimum inventory requirements, Amway provides maximum flexibility to those who wish to simply try this business or do it for a limited time.

I wouldn't call a 50 percent retention rate impressive but it seems to be true. Other statistics show only 41 percent of distributors are active.

The long term quit rate seems to be about 95 percent and this seems to be typical of the MLM industry.