Merchants of Deception - Written by a former government auditor and high level Amway insider who was the last one who wanted to discover massive consumer fraud. This book is gripping tale for anyone who has been or loves someone who has been recruited into a network marketing business. This well documented book has been utilized by government authorities in both India and the UK to take action against Amway's deceptive business scheme which knowingly has created losses for the majority of all induced to invest.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Amway Cult,
By
This review is from: Merchants of Deception: An Insider's Chilling Look at the Worldwide, Multi Billion dollar Conspiracy of lies that is Amway and its Motivational Organizations (Paperback)
Merchants of Deception by Eric Scheibeler
There "are many different types of cults. There are religious, political, financial, self improvement, UFO, and other types as well...As different as they all are, most have certain defining characteristics that lump them into the category of a cult." In the 1990s Eric and Patty Scheibeler fell victim to a business cult that has been snaring innocent families for several decades. The indoctrination into the Amway cult financially, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupted this couple whose only intent was to provide a financial and moral backbone for their family. Thanks to the political clout that Amway and Quixtar have had over the United States legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the government, this destructive cult still rends the American dream from licit families to this day. The Scheibelers rose rather high in the ranks of Amway's independent distributors (or IBOs) before having to admit that the higher they rose, the more destitute the actually were. Upon breaking away from the decade long brainwashing they suffered at the hands of Amway professionals and its distributorship program, Eric and Patty faced attacks on many fronts. They were sued on just about every trumped up charges that teams and teams of attorneys on Amway's retainers could dream up. They were bled to the point of bankruptcy and foreclosure. Their reputations were smeared with nefarious glee. They were even threatened bodily harm by fanatics within the organization. Yet, despite these overwhelming odds, the Scheibelers decided that they could not turn a blind eye and just walk away. Their own personal moral code required them to expose the Amway cult for what it is in the hopes of tumbling this evil giant and preventing the defrauding of any other families. Scheibeler has prevailed against many odds by maintaining his website [...] (when Amway has successfully shut down all other websites through legal action) and by providing his book, Merchants of Deception, for free electronically prior to its print publication. Through his and other's efforts, Amway's stranglehold on the European market has be eliminated and it is only a matter of time before its American protectors (such as George Bush Sr., Newt Gingrich, Oliver North, Zig Ziglar, Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, and Billy Graham to name a few) turn their backs on this megalithic pyramid scheme. Perhaps the dawn of the new decade will bring about justice to the millions bilked by the Amway cult.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book that shows the truth inside the Amaway/Quixtar fraud machine,
By
This review is from: Merchants of Deception: An Insider's Chilling Look at the Worldwide, Multi Billion dollar Conspiracy of lies that is Amway and its Motivational Organizations (Paperback)
I grew up in an Amway family and watched members of my family spend over 40 years chasing the big Amway "dream" and not be any closer to achieving any of the lofty goals they were promised. The problem with Amway, and groups like it, is that for anyone to do well and make their fortune, many, many others must fail and lose their money. Good business is a win/win for the consumer and owner. With Amway its smoke, mirrors, and deception covering up the house of cards they sell.
For years I was pressured to follow with supporting the "family business." I grew up hoping my parents would not try to recruit another of my friends' (or even girl-friends') families. Finally as an adult I decided that once and for all I needed to figure out the truth about Amway, so I could make peace with it or move on. In searching I stumbled upon Eric's book and my eyes were opened wide. I don't blindly believe everything I read, and I tried to disprove most of what I read. Try as I might, the only items that contradicted his experiences were Amway's own sales propaganda. I devoured this book, unable to put it down. It read like a great novel, but the frightening thing is that this was a true, first hand account of one man's actual devastating battle with this company. Eric opens up about his entire personal struggle, the toll on his family, his finances, and his friends to expose the almost unbelievable corruption in this organization. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to meet Eric and have dinner with him when he was in town. I can tell you first hand, he is the real thing. This story is the true account of his life and I applaud the bravery it took for him to step up and blow the whistle on Amway and Quixtar. I thank him for what he has done to help others see the truth of this company. If you have loved ones in Amway, friends trying to recruit you, or are tempted by this truly "too-good-to-be-true" business "opportunity", you owe it to yourself to read this book and find out what is really going on inside of Amway/Quixtar.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amway Operates Like The Mafia,
By The Spinozanator "Spinozanator" (Harlingen, Texas) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Merchants of Deception: An Insider's Chilling Look at the Worldwide, Multi Billion dollar Conspiracy of lies that is Amway and its Motivational Organizations (Paperback)
From the records of a former Wisconsin Attorney General: The top 1% of Amway distributors in Wisconsin in 1997 had an average net income of minus $900. Meanwhile, a tiny fraction at the top were getting rich - but not from selling Amway's soap products.
As it turns out, these IBO's (Independent Business Operators) are required to buy inspirational tapes and attend expensive seminars sponsored by the "Diamonds," who gouge their IBO's for these services. Only 4-5% of the Diamond's income comes from commissions off the soap. They make millions off the "tool" material, as it's called. The IBO's are kept in the dark in a secrecy-like setting of mind-control rules reinforced by the tapes and seminars. IBO's end up having little or no life outside Amway and their programs. They all think their colleagues in Amway are doing better than they are - but following the mind-control tactics embedded in the tapes and reinforced at frequent meetings keeps them from finding this out....okay, I know this is beginning to sound crazy. Out of 10,000 IBO's, only 414 remain after five years (from Amway's own reports) - a 96% drop-out rate, far from their advertised 100% rate of successful IBO's. Those 96% who leave Amway are ostracized from contact with the system and legally and financially threatened into silence. Scheibeler has established contact with dozens (if not hundreds) of former IBO's who are recovering from a sort of Post-Amway De-Programming Disorder. I don't particularly like conspiracy theories and Scheibeler's memoir is painful to read - it could be organized better and could be shorter - but it's pretty clear this company acts like a cult carrying out a ponzi-scheme. They manage to stay barely clear of legal disaster with a big fleet of lawyers and big political contributions in key spots. Other countries have had better luck kicking Amway out, but Amway has wiggle room with the politics and legal system in corporate america. Scheibeler's grievance list goes on and on and he lists several other companies in the appendix to look out for - but Amway may have a patent on the cultishness. Looks to me like they earned the author's title "Merchants of Deception."
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