One of our leading commenters, Scott Johnson, often criticizes Amway, sometimes making comparisons of it with Nxivm’s pyramid style organization. But many people might wonder just what’s wrong with Amway, since at least it did not brand women. Scott, who had a long history with and against Amway, explains a little of why he thinks Amway is a fraud – and opens the door to those who want to learn more about it – in the following post:
By Scott Johnson
I didn’t expect Amway to treat the class action lawsuit well, as I already knew they and most other MLMs are scams.
Most people don’t understand the court system is intentionally antagonistic, which means the other side has to prove their point(s). Those lacking moral, ethical, or legal behavior have no responsibility to admit to anything improper.
Taken together, this is exactly how I expect Amway to treat the class.
Amway intentionally dragged things out to the point where the opposing lawyers were willing to give up justice to get paid. It’s a big game to the lawyers, and a very profitable one. Fairness has NOTHING to do with it.
I’m actually quite genial, but I’m not going to wear a “niceguy” mask while millions of others are still being scammed.
But the Amway class action lawsuit is over. I’m not crying over spilled milk. I can do nothing about the past, but I can change the future, by educating others about Amway and other MLM scams.
You can help, by forwarding and posting this statement everywhere you can think of:
Do your part and submit a complaint to the FTC at http://www.FTC.gov and forward the below John Oliver video link to everyone you know, except current Amway IBOs, and encourage them to do the same, and so on, à la network marketing/MLM.
If you don’t, then you’re part of the problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6MwGeOm8iI
Amway has 2 major problems, and most MLMs have at least one of these issues:
1. The products are overpriced, which makes them almost impossible to sell to customers and results in Amway being an illegal pyramid, according to the FTC and SEC websites and previous court decisions; and
2. The Tool Scam is hidden profit for the top-level distributors only, and the vast majority of distributors operate at a net loss as a result. This is RICO fraud.
For recent examples, google “FTC” along with the following companies, one at a time:
- FHTM
- BurnLounge
- Zeek
- TelexFree
- Vemma
- Advocare
- Herbalife
Make a complaint on the FTC website: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/?utm_source=takeaction#crnt&panel1-1
Although there is no federal law defining pyramid schemes, the FTC has a long and successful track record of using its Section 5 law prohibiting “unfair and deceptive” business practices to go after MLM scams: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/multilevel-marketing which states, in part,
“Not all multilevel marketing plans are legitimate. If the money you make is based on your sales to the public, it may be a legitimate multilevel marketing plan. If the money you make is based on the number of people you recruit and your sales to them, it’s probably not. It could be a pyramid scheme. Pyramid schemes are illegal, and the vast majority of participants lose money.”
Read about these and much more at these
websites: http://www.StopTheAmwayToolScam.wordpress.com and http://www.AllMLMFacts.org, and
email stoptheamwaytoolscam@yahoo.com to help shut down Amway and other MLM scams.
Watch this video about Amway and other MLM scams, then forward it to everyone you know, except for current Amway IBOs, and encourage them to do the same. When enough people know, these scams will collapse:
English version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6MwGeOm8iI
Spanish version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy-O4myeUzg
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
Marie White 
Paul Serran
Please leave a comment: Your opinion is important to us!
Sir, did you discover that it takes work to build ANY BUSINESS?
Scott,
Has it dawned on you yet that all of the “legit Amway” inquiries are from trolls?
I am not any of the trolls. 😉
LMFAO at you!!! Yah moron!!!
Has it dawned on you yet that it doesn’t matter whether they are trolls, because most people don’t make comments on a blog, they just read it? LOL YOU are the moron. LOL
Scott,
Six months ago…
….I unmasked the fact that all you did was join a class action lawsuit.
You did not do a f*cking thing!
Stop pretending you did!
The following is total bullshit:
“My real name is on my real lawsuit settlement, which I won handsdown, with Amway on my website”-Scott Amway
LMFAO at you!
Scott you are 10lb of shit in a 5lb bag.
****
****
Re Naval Service:
When you left the navy with an “honorable” discharge, however, you were an E3; and you did not receive the Navy Good Conduct Medal Ribbon 3-4 year.
Everyone gets the Good Conduct Ribbon.
How the f*ck did you screw it up?
Why were you an E3?
“Everyone gets the Good Conduct Ribbon. How the f*ck did you screw it up? Why were you an E3?”
Good questions, niceguy. Allow me to speak for Scott.
“Everyone hated me in the Navy and thought I was an asshole. But I’m not an asshole. I just tell it like it is. You’re a pussy for not coming on my radio show. Are you role playing? LOL Wanna buy some laundry detergent or hair putty?”
LOL Nutjob!!!!
Scott is not responding. LOL
Neither of you are responding with any facts. LOL
Six months ago I told you there were two lawsuits, the Pokorny class action lawsuit and Amway’s lawsuit against me, the settlement for the latter is posted on my websites. You’re stupid, or should I say “your” stupid? LOL
You are also wrong about me being enlisted in the US Navy. I was a commissioned officer, and you have no idea what I did. You, on the other hand, are too chicken to even use your real name or come on my show. LOL
I’m not part of Amway, but I know people who are high up in the organization here in Florida (Dusty Owens (RIP) and Bob Andrews; both Crowns) and have known them for decades. They’re good people who got in early and have reaped the rewards of the program, but that’s it. Yes, it is a pyramid scheme IMO. No, they are not a cult like NXIVM. Most people are just average Joes and Janes who have too much soap in their garage. And the product they sell called LOC does work really well, I’ll give them that. This other stuff they’re being called? Meh.
Pyramid schemes are illegal. Cults aren’t illegal. They deserve everything that I’ve called them.
Totally wrong … Amway is a genuine company
Amway is a genuine scam company.
This is a sad story if you don’t know the facts. Please stop posting how a 60-year-old company can be a fraud
A 60 year old company can be a fraud just like Bernie Madoff, Enron, Vemma, Herbalife, Advocare, Neora, etc., are frauds. All of them were around for years, and some for decades, before they got caught.
It is easy to criticize, especially when you don’t have anything better to offer. Do You?
You should get informed.
Pyramid schemes are illegal in the USA ..and pyramids do not offer products or services. Amway offers products…so it is not a pyramid…also I know a lot of people that are very happy and made hundreds of ks a year.
Virtually anything is better than Amway. Flipping burgers for minimum wage is better than losing money at Amway.
YOU should get informed.
Virtually every MLM is an illegal pyramid. You need to read the FTC website, most illegal pyramids do offer products and/or services.
For every person who makes money, hundreds of others lose money, so that’s not saying much that you know some that are making money. Also, be sure you know the difference between gross profit and net profit. LOL
Big man but with too much short brain.
I know a friend working hard on Amway and he got a bonus of $30.000
IF true, that means your friend has caused hundreds of others to lose money.
Scott,
You f*cking idiot!!!!!
Look where the decimal point is!!!
Anonymous was joking!!!!!
$30. Dollars!!!!!!
Thirty dollars!!!!!!
WTF is wrong with you?
Is Moe or Curly by chance your grandfather?
Many countries use a decimal point instead of a comma. You’re not a smart person, niceguy. At all.
LMAO!!!!
I am not happy to say I was part of Amway for 15 + years. It was a complete lie and con job lead by Bill Britt and Angelo Nadone
You’re not alone, there are millions of others just like you. Britt and Nardone are two of the biggest scam artists ever. My line of sponsorship scam artists were Dexter and Birdie Yager, Don and Nancy Wilson, Randy and Valerie Haugen, Bruce and Wendy Anderson, Allen and Joie James, Dennis and Linda Turnbough, Charles and Pricilla Rudd, Jim and Jeannette LaRose, Steve and Mary Sawa. There are two airline pilots and two medical doctors among them. All of them got kicked out except Yager, and he died recently. If you want to be happier, then do your part and submit a complaint to the FTC at http://www.FTC.gov and forward the below John Oliver video link to everyone you know, except current Amway IBOs, and encourage them to do the same, and so on, à la network marketing/MLM. If you don’t, then you’re part of the problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6MwGeOm8iI
Amway has 2 major problems, and most MLMs have at least one of these issues:
1. The products are overpriced, which makes them almost impossible to sell to customers and results in Amway being an illegal pyramid, according to the FTC and SEC websites and previous court decisions; and
2. The Tool Scam is hidden profit for the top level distributors only, and the vast majority of distributors operate at a net loss as a result. This is RICO fraud.
For recent examples, google “FTC” along with the following companies, one at a time: FHTM, BurnLounge, Zeek, TelexFree, Vemma, Advocare, and Herbalife. Make a complaint on the FTC website: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/?utm_source=takeaction#crnt&panel1-1
Although there is no federal law defining pyramid schemes, the FTC has a long and successful track record of using its Section 5 law prohibiting “unfair and deceptive” business practices to go after MLM scams: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/multilevel-marketing which states, in part, “Not all multilevel marketing plans are legitimate. If the money you make is based on your sales to the public, it may be a legitimate multilevel marketing plan. If the money you make is based on the number of people you recruit and your sales to them, it’s probably not. It could be a pyramid scheme. Pyramid schemes are illegal, and the vast majority of participants lose money.”
Read about these and much more at these websites: http://www.StopTheAmwayToolScam.wordpress.com and http://www.AllMLMFacts.org, and email stoptheamwaytoolscam@yahoo.com to help shut down Amway and other MLM scams.
Watch this video about Amway and other MLM scams, then forward it to everyone you know, except for current Amway IBOs, and encourage them to do the same. When enough people know, these scams will collapse:
English version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6MwGeOm8iI
Spanish version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy-O4myeUzg
Scott Amway Johnson,
Guess what f*cktard? Seriously! Guess what? Give up? LMFAO!!!!!
……Catherine McCabe is a fake. Someone played you!!!!!
YOU are the fake. I couldn’t care less whether McCabe is a fake, because many others are reading my message as well. Even fake, role-players like YOU! LOL
This guy is a number one cry baby! What does he want? To sit home and get rich? This is a free enterprise nation. Get out from in front of the TV and get to work. Of course, you could move to a socialist country. However, we suggest you get informed and involved.
I’m not crying, I’m educating people about Amway and other MLM scams. I want to shut them down. I never mentioned sitting at home or getting rich, YOU brought that up to attempt to change the subject. It’s a free enterprise nation, not a scam nation. I’ve heard all of your tripe over and over again, it’s quite typical of those who refuse to discuss the facts. LOL
“I am not crying.”- Scott Johnson
I actually am crying…..
…..Because you are so pathetic it’s sad. It’s like watching the asshole version of Forest Gump; except nothing good ever happens to you. Boohoo! Boohoo!
Lots of good things happen to me, and it’s about to get MUCH greater, with Frank’s help. Go back to your role-playing, miserable life. LOL
You deserve it, Scott. You are truly a good dude. (said nobody, ever)
Is your “big break” going to happen when Frank visits your humble home in Hutchins, TX? FYI Frank isn’t into tea and certainly not your reused tea bags. May want to roll out the red carpet for him and hit up the dollar store for some generic instant coffee. After all, Frank is about to make you a STAR!!!
I already knew I am a truly good dude, I don’t need anybody to say it (although they have). LOL
I’ve invited Frank to let me know if he is in the Dallas area and he said he do that. However, I do not live in Hutchins, but thanks for the racist comment. I do like to drink tea for breakfast, but I don’t know whether Frank normally drinks tea, but I’ll ask him if/when I meet with him. I don’t drink coffee and won’t be buying any type of coffee, but Frank is welcome to drink whatever he chooses to drink. I’m not looking to be a STAR, but if it happens, then so be it. Whatever works to shut down Amway and other MLM scams. I may even get a gig like Frank did, a producer on the Discovery ID show. Now get back to your Nutjob, miserable life. LOL
Hi, everyone, there are scams all over. I was scammed by a company in UK called Yes Option then changed to Trade Option. It’s a real scammer.
Do you have a link to the company? What did they promote?
Scott,
LOL
The link is up my asshole!!!!
My first name is Kam. 😉
You have been played asshole!!!!!
I knew you were full of sh!t, so it makes sense the link is up your a$$hole as well. Thanks for role-playing! LOL
Bill Britt was the biggest con man. Ask Paul Miller about his 3 children out of marriage to Debbie Miller
I give that “award” to Dexter Yager, I understand Britt was in his downline. Miller is a man-whore.
I called the FTC myself. They gave Amway an A+ rating and stated it was not a pyramid scheme. I’d check your sources more closely.
What number did you call? The FTC doesn’t give out ratings and they don’t make comments regarding whether Amway or any other particular MLM is a scam or not. I’d check your lies more closely. LOL
“Except current ibos”, really? This is stupid. This is the same as a store if you don’t sell, you don’t get profits and the same as a gym membership … If you don’t recruit, you don’t get bonuses. Instead of exercising and lifting weights you get products and books that show you to appreciate life and principles … Get your facts right… You might have joined before and got the worst team ever … Because since this business is all over the world, there’re thousands of teams in the Amway corp is not just 1 johnson please hate on the team you got and didn’t help you when you needed it the most. Not the opportunity that Amway gives to everyone else.. Please get your dam facts right.
ANGELO NORDINE IS THE BIGGEST CON MAN IN AMWAY. HE’S NOT A TRUTHFUL PERSON
Did you mean this Angelo Nardone Amway scam artist? https://www.amwaywiki.com/Nardone,_Angelo_%26_Claudia
No, it’s not stupid at all. It is a part of my settlement agreement with Amway which guarantees I can otherwise educate others about Amway’s scam, and they can’t touch me. You need to get your facts straight. Recruiting without lots of retail sales to non-distributor customers means the MLM is an illegal pyramid.
This is really really stupid. Who are you and why should we care about your antiquated negative review?
No, it’s really smart to educate others about Amway and other MLM scams. I am THE expert regarding Amway and other MLM scams. You should care because you don’t want people you know to get ripped off.
I have been a long-time purchaser of Amway products, and only now realize I was duped into joining a CULT. I still have evidence of having been DUPED right in my home closet: for example there are still unopened bottles of fragrances for my wife, vitamins, weight loss shakes, and shampoos. To top it off I have 20 cans of “Body Blends for Men Hair Putty – Extreme Live on the Edge” for which I paid $18 each. I feel like such an idiot for having participated in the Hair Putty cult!
I must have lost at least a couple hundred dollars on this dangerous Hair Putty cult, but at least I have a plan for revenge – I am going to collect a bucket of some fresh “penis fish” from a California beach, put some Hair Putty on them, and then mail them to Amway HQ. https://www.zerohedge.com/health/thousands-strange-penis-fish-wash-ashore-california-beach I will write a note telling them that this is the revenge of Scott Johnson, as advised by a guy with THREE PHDs on his internationally famous radio show. Then, I’ll have Scott over for a barbecue and we will cook up some delicious sausages, drink some beer, and make some prank phone calls!
I am nearly crying with laughter Duped
You should be crying with shame because you’re afraid to join the effort to educate others about Amway and other MLM scams.
Look, I am sincerely sorry people get ripped off. It is indeed a pity people are being duped into debt but when someone writes a “Hair Putty cult”, I can not help but have a laugh and then when someone misunderstands its satire, it becomes even funnier.
“Look, I am sincerely sorry people get ripped off.”
-Natashka
Natashka, If you are truly sorry…
…You will agree to appear on Scott’s radio show [its actually a podcast; Scott doesn’t understand the difference].
Natashka, I understand you have a life, I know you will do the right thing because you are truly a genuinely good person.
Scott,
If Natashka spent the rest of her life watching Lifetime movies, she will have accomplished more than you ever will…
…..Scott, that is how meaningless your Amway crusade is.
I’ve already saved lots of people from being scammed, and Frank is about to ramp it up exponentially. Go back to your role-playing, miserable life. LOL
Really?? 🙄. You got “duped” into buying (unopened) fragrances for your wife?
And “evidence in your closet” includes vitamins and weight loss shakes? (You DID know that you could just return them if you didn’t like them? )
Malacy, um…. that was satire.
It was brilliant!
It was actually quite stupid, considering people are being ripped off while you laugh.
Says the guy who stil has an unopened carton of hair putty.
Yes, you are stupid. You made the Choice. It’s called free will. How can you blame others for your choices.
I’m no more stupid than the 10s of millions of others who have been ripped off by MLM scams. It’s called operating an illegal pyramid and RICO fraud. I blame those running those illegal operations, that’s how it works.
I’m willing to support everything except the prank phone calls.
Brillliant!!! LMAO!!!!
Hey Scott Johnson, didn’t you read that other article on Frank Report –
“Scientists have now found that the louder the monkey’s calls, the smaller the monkey’s balls”
Huh. Maybe that applies to you bud.
🙂
What do you think are the size of Frank’s balls? He’s been howling pretty loud on this website for years. LOL
I not only read it, I commented on that story. Also, I’m not a monkey. LOL
I actually sent his WordPress site to coworkers on a different site, as my company in high-level mgmt is leveraging Amway downlinking in order for people to keep their jobs. Heads up if you get any messages there, as there is a legitimate ethics violation going on.
Can you expand on what you did? Whose WordPress site did you send? What do you mean by “downlinking?” Is management requiring their workers to join an MLM scam in order to keep their job?
Question: Does Amway sell any moron-repellant products? If so, I would like to purchase some to spray on Scott Johnson.
Absolute Genius!
LMAO !!!!
Should be obvious that no one here wants to hear about Amway, and the morons that it attracts. Thank you.
John Smith
The title “Scott Johnson Explains What’s Wrong with Amway” is misleading and deceptive. The title is intended to motivate readers to spend their valuable time to learn something of value. Instead, the article consists of two different things:
1) Instructions for readers to submit complaints against Amway.
2) Instructions for readers to go to other web sites that share the author’s belief system. Most readers already know how to use search engines, so this is of little value.
SUMMARY: This article has less value than what is claimed by the title, thus leading readers to lose valuable time.
CONCLUSION: The author is well suited for the role of organizing a MLM.
LMFAO
Thank you!!!!! Comedy gold!!!!
You’re easily entertained when you’re role playing. LOL
Whoever you are, great extrapolation from the article!! That was awesome!
I have a relative who sold Shaklee. She had a closet full of products. She quit after her accountant proved to her that she was losing money.
She had a bad accountant because she could have written off the losses and the inventory and numerous other things. Sounds like she was never properly trained in sales/marketing.
How do you know she didn’t write off the losses?
Dianne:
I’ll bet your relative did not spend the next fifteen years whining about Shaklee.
She just chalked it up to experience and like a good adult learned her lesson.
Not speaking up is why Shaklee and other MLM scams still exist, because most people aren’t willing to act like an adult and take action. Using your “logic,” Frank should have never tried to expose NXIVM, he should have just chalked it up to experience and like a good adult learned from his lesson. LOL
Scott,
You still don’t understand the difference between a marketing scam (Amway) and operating a racket (NXIVM) that blackmails and enslaves people.
I understand both of them more than you ever will. Why don’t you come on my radio/podcast and discuss the differences? Answer: Because you KNOW I would smoke you. LOL
I’m an accountant and I make more money selling Amway products then as an accountant… She didn’t read her book on how to persuade people and talk to custumers.. She would have made major money…Guess her mind was weak
I thought accountants could spell better. Are you sure that you’re an accountant, or just a cashier at a convenience store? You should never use “sell” and “Amway” in the same sentence. We were even taught don’t be a SAP (never mention selling, Amway, or products). LOL
I’m not just one of your leading commenters, I’m THE leading commenter. Anyone who doesn’t use their real name, traceable to a unique ID, or a fake name traceable to a unique ID, is automatically disqualified from being considered a legitimate commenter, let alone a leading one.
There are a lot of scam organizations and individuals who don’t brand women, so that is hardly a disqualification for Amway being a scam.
A bit of context to the above story: The above story is in response to a comment made in a past story on Frank Report, and the class action lawsuit I was referring to was Pokorny v. Quixtar (Amway’s name in North America from about 1999-2009).
Frank should know by now he is in for the same treatment in his upcoming trial in May against the DOJ. They will smear him and make him look like the worst person who ever walked the earth to the jury. That’s their job.
I’ll have to disagree with you, Scott. I am legitimately commenting in the comment section. As for the jury, I think that they will love Frank Parlato.
Peaches,
I agree completely. After watching Frank on television he comes across as a sincere, genuine, unassuming man.
Frank didn’t have anyone going up against him on TV.
Also, the jury will know nothing about Frank other than what is related to the crimes he is being prosecuted for.
You can disagree all you want. You’re just wrong.
Boohoo Scooter titty baby boy is having a meltdown.
No wonder he can’t be successful. With how many PhD’s?
All online from Acme College for Idiots
Scott, I, for one, admire your dedication in getting the word out, as best you can, about MLM scams and the danger they pose to people hoping to better their lot in life. People making the comment that ‘everyone’ knows and you aren’t telling anyone anything they don’t already know forget how many people are falling for them daily. Almost everyone wants to make a lot of money with minimal effort and this is what people are promised. You have highlighted this isn’t the case. The tool scam is one that many are probably not familiar with and will fall into the trap. These MLMs are easy to join but hard to leave once people have sunk so much money into them they hope for a payday.
Congratulations on taking a stand and continuing to spread the word.
Leon, thank you for your support. Now go out and help spread the word, I can’t be very influential by myself.
If you don like something, why not just avoid it and move on? Let everyone else figure things out for themselves? You sound like a cry baby.
Because I want others to avoid the scam in the first place, and when enough people are aware of MLM scams like Amway, the scams will collapse. You sound like a stupid baby. LOL
What if Frank took your advice when it came to NXIVM? Where would we be now? Idiot.
Perhaps invite Leon on your radio show? Wtf?
Yeah? That always goes well. And then you can call him a pussy when he politely declines.
Leon-
Standing up for Scott Johnson is tantamount to sticking up for David Earnest Duke. Leon, did you swallow a bottle of crazy pills?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke
Standing up for you isn’t tantamount to standing up for an idiot, because you ARE an idiot. LOL
….Says the mentally challenged adult.
Scotty made funny. Yay!!!!!!
Hey, retard you want a sticker or a piece of candy for being so funny?
That makes YOU a total retard. Do you have an Electrical Engineering degree, have you qualified as EOOW and EDO on a nuclear powered US Navy ship? Are you THE expert on Amway and other MLM scams?
Keep your stickers and candy, your wife wouldn’t appreciate the gifts she gave you. LOL
Bubba Scott,
Guess what? I have buddy he was nuke guy on the Eisenhower, and is now in naval intelligence. Another buddy was a nuke guy on Ohio boomer sub. So should I be impressed by you? I have a ton of buddies currently and formerly in the military and the criminal legal system. One friend from high school was KIA. Do you want a medal? I have a imaginary buddy in Newport News or New London I can have him pull your “jacket” for me. So Ensign, you were most likely a E8 or E10 when you left. My memory is rusty. The washout in the Nuke program is over 78%. A sincere…Congratulations! But you actually weren’t a full fledge Nuke guy were you?
After you left the military did you suffer head trauma or receive a lobotomy?
I’m sure all of your imaginary, role-playing friends hope that your therapy is going well. LOL
Yes I am roll-playing and imagine everything.
I imagine you had a brain tumor removed and suffered some brain damage. I can not get my head around how someone like you, made it through officers school. I have an acquaintance who was washed out. I honestly can not understand it. I am f*cking baffled. You do not act like any former commissioned officer; I have ever met, US or foreign.
Were you a warrant officer? Because that would explain a lot…..
LOL
You were not an ensign.
Amway has never seen anyone like me, either. That’s why they sued me, then they lost. LOL
I couldn’t care less what you think. You’re too scared to talk on the phone, remember? LOL
Bahahahahahaha, Watch it, Scooter, you’re starting to sound like Toni NatalLIE.
Next, you will be saying your Poster Zero on the Frank Report.
No one gives a shit about the fact you post with what you say is your real name vs any other poster. Your posts are stupid for the most part.
Its America, dude – and we all can post however we want and it doesn’t make your more factual because you use your name.
So get off your soapbox made of LOC bottles, get back on your donkey, and look for others to join the cult of Scott Johnson anti-MLM
Bahahahahahaha, Watch it, Scooter, you’re starting to sound like Toni NatalLIE. — You’re starting to sound like NiceGuy. You’re role playing, right? LOL
Next, you will be saying your Poster Zero on the Frank Report. — Next, you will be saying your [sic] making sense. LOL
No one gives a shit about the fact you post with what you say is your real name vs any other poster. Your posts are stupid for the most part. — My real name is on my real lawsuit settlement, which I won handsdown, with Amway on my website. A guy who beat a multi-billion dollar/year corporate scam. Not bad. LOL
Its America, dude – and we all can post however we want and it doesn’t make your more factual because you use your name. — You are free to post anonymously, and I’m free to criticize it. Using my real name makes me more accountable, you’re just a scared little boy. LOL
So get off your soapbox made of LOC bottles, get back on your donkey, and look for others to join the cult of Scott Johnson anti-MLM — I’m quite happy on my soapbox and invite others to join me to educate others about Amway and other MLM scams. I never owned a donkey, but I’ve talked with a lot of a$$es, like YOU! LOL
Leading buttfuck maybe. You are the sultan turned stump jumper. Just as obsessed, but about something different. Anyone who has been here awhile knows that you should have been tossed from this blog over a year ago. You are annoying, your talk about amway is annoying, NO ONE wants to be on your stupid radio show. So glad you amuse yourself cause no one else is amused. Take a flying fuck you stupid rump riding, stump jumping, backward ass hillbilly.
You’re an idiot. Frank has been on my radio show. Numerous others have been on my radio show, including three PhDs, so your opinion is trash. Go back and crawl back into the gutter you came out of. LOL
My thermometer has more degrees than your PhDs,
LOL, Lol, lol
You need to remove your thermometer from your a$$. LOL
Wow… 3 Ph.D.’s, 2 retarded people and 1 Frank Parlato. You’re such a successful radio host.
Before you know it, you’ll be up there with Howard Stern, soapbox man.
At least I haven’t had YOU on my radio show, that would definitely bring it down below the Howard Stern level, and even lower than Jerry Springer. LOL
LMFAO at Scott Amway!!!
Are you really that delusional or is this a long running ruse? Come on now!
What are you questioning as delusional?
Scott,
Frank went on your f*cking radio show out of mercy!!! Frank is a Saint!!!!! Frank went on your show initially because at the time he believed you were retarded and he felt bad for you. Now that Frank knows your just a retarded asshole; Let’s see if he comes back on!!!!
I invited Frank to be on yesterday, he can come on before the sentencing, after, or both. He’s not a scared little snowflake like YOU! LOL
Will you take questions from callers? If yes, this will be the best Sat night EVER!!!
We can take questions from callers, just provide the last four digits of the telephone number you’re calling from and call 347-237-4097 at 8:15 pm Eastern time Saturday to go over the ground rules. Be prepared to answer questions as well.
LOL
A role playing laugh. LOL
So, are Mercedes Benz and BMW automobiles overpriced?? So, is Real Estate or Insurance a scam when about 90% of new licensees quit and/or never sell a home?? This article is nothing more than rehashed 💩 that was in articles 20+ years ago. Guess what, Amway isn’t going anywhere.
PS – I have never been associated with Amway.
That is a very common comeback that is severly flawed. Real customers buy expensive cars, so by definition the cars are not overpriced. On the other hand, most expensive MLM products are purchased by the participants, not outside customers. You lose! LOL
There is much more transparency when it comes to real estate and insurance, so I don’t consider them to be scams, although they exhibit a lot of similarities to MLM scams, as all of them have a high cost to participate. LOL
Many of the targets of MLMs weren’t weren’t born 20+ years ago, and media is MUCH more fragmented than it was 20+ years ago, so although available, MLM scams discount that information. LOL
Guess what, Amway is about 2/3s the size it was a few years ago, which means a lot of people who would have been scammed have not been scammed. LOL
PS – I have been associated with Amway and you have no idea what you’re talking about. LOL
Having no life and living on this website all day long, and commenting at every corner, does not add any value to your character whatsoever. No wonder you got sucked into Amway. You are a fool and apparently that never changes.
Good one! I’ve never heard that before…NOT! LOL
Scott,
KC hates everyone! Don’t feel too bad.
I get it, just like you’re afraid of everyone, especially your role-playing wife.
Scott,
I am afraid to call in. You got me.
At last, a non-role playing comment. LOL
lol
Scott,
I don’t have an issue with you attempting to educate people about Amway.
Most people who join have family and friends who have warned them, it a scam.
What I take issue with is when you attempt to try to draw they are the same thing between Amway and NXIVM.
They are not even close. Not everyone who joined NXIVM was in the Raniere sex club, maybe 10% were.
The rest of us suffer the emotional, legal and financial abuse of the rest of the inner circle. Nancy and Lauren Salzman, Clare and Sara Bronfman, Pam Cafritz, Barbara Jeske, Loretta Garza, Kristen Keeffe and the rest of Raniere’s goons.
Amway cannot compare to such an abusive criminal organization.
Scott, you want us to believe your “Me Too” situation but Amway has been around for decades and if it was running a criminal RICO organization, they would have been shut down by now.
Amway has been very visible, NXIVM was very well hidden until it started to get bad press.
Amway is a huge multi-national company making billions of dollars a year.
NXIVM was in three countries and had less than 2,500 members. How much they made vs how much rich students gave them is unknown. They most likely never made close to a billion.
Amway is set up so most people don’t get rich, I will agree. So is Microsoft, Amazon, Ford, Southwest Airlines, and any other major organization. Not everyone can be at the top of a company.
MLMs will continue as long as people buy into them. Just like Churches will keep their doors open as long as people come. Cults will happen because people want to follow someone they believe has a mission or an idea they want to follow.
We cannot make the world a perfect and safe place for everyone. We can warn and educate them. It’s up to them to listen.
Amway is and will never be a dangerous cult like NXIVM.
Amway may not be as much of an acute danger as NXIVM, but they do significant financial harm to a large number of people that sometimes has other fallout in their lives. A quick check turned up reports of people losing their houses and families in the aftermath of Amway losses – just what happens to many members of Scientology, for instance – and it’s likely that there are suicides attributed to involvement as well, though certainly not as clearly tied as Snyder and probably other cases in NXIVM.
There are a lot of similarities in the way MLMs, and high control groups or cults like Amway operate, and I wish Scott would get more into those.
There’s a great book by psychologist Maria Konnikova, The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time, that is about con artists and scams, but which contains a lot of material and research that obviously applies to gurus and groups as well.
While I agree there are a lot of similarities between Amway and other MLM scams and high control groups or cults operate, I choose to focus on the illegal activities, as high control groups and cults are not illegal. Just as Frank went after the illegal aspects of NXIVM. I’ll let you and others talk more about the woo-woo factors. I’m more interested in eduating people (government, media, and general population) about the illegal activities aspects of Amway and other MLM scams.
I don’t have an issue with you attempting to educate people about Amway. — This is a very wimpy way of saying that you respect my efforts to educate others about Amway and other MLM scams, but you’re too small of a person to help out.
Most people who join have family and friends who have warned them, it a scam. — The education must come BEFORE they are approached, after they are approached is too late, the hook has been set. MLM scams tell the prospects people will be against them joining, so when it happens, it only increases the MLM’s credibility with the prospect.
What I take issue with is when you attempt to try to draw they are the same thing between Amway and NXIVM. — I have never said Amway and NXIVM are the same thing. In fact, I’ve said, ironically, that NXIVM is the ONLY MLM I’ve come across that appears to be legitimate from the perspective of lots of retail sales to customers. What I’ve said is they use the same techniques, NOT that they are the same thing.
They are not even close. Not everyone who joined NXIVM was in the Raniere sex club, maybe 10% were. — Not everyone who joins Amway and other MLM scams loses much time or money, because they don’t do much other than pay for some overpriced products, just like most people who take a NXIVM course or two don’t suffer nearly as much as those who joined the Raniere sex club, they just paid a few thousand dollars for overpriced “training.”
The rest of us suffer the emotional, legal and financial abuse of the rest of the inner circle. Nancy and Lauren Salzman, Clare and Sara Bronfman, Pam Cafritz, Barbara Jeske, Loretta Garza, Kristen Keeffe and the rest of Raniere’s goons. — Poor little victim. I lost a LOT of time and money and make Amway and other MLM scams suffer my wrath. I have an idea for you…GROW UP AND ACT (ROLE PLAY IF YOU HAVE TO, RIGHT NICEGUY?) LIKE AN ADULT. All of those goons you named are either dead, about to be sentenced to prison, or have virtually disappeared, probably never to be seen again. What exactly are you afraid of?
Amway cannot compare to such an abusive criminal organization. — Amway can easily compare to such an abusive criminal organization, they are still running free, suing people left and right. You should come on my show to discuss these lawsuits sometime.
Scott, you want us to believe your “Me Too” situation but Amway has been around for decades and if it was running a criminal RICO organization, they would have been shut down by now. — Bernie Madoff, Enron, Vemma, Herbalife, Advocare, Neora, etc., were around for many years before they were brought to justice, so what is your point?
Amway has been very visible, NXIVM was very well hidden until it started to get bad press. — Amway is not as visible as you think. You are thinking only about yourself, not the billions of people who have never even heard of Amway.
Amway is a huge multi-national company making billions of dollars a year. — That merely makes it a larger scam than NXIVM.
NXIVM was in three countries and had less than 2,500 members. How much they made vs how much rich students gave them is unknown. They most likely never made close to a billion. — I agree, Amway and other MLM scams are a much larger problem from this perspective.
Amway is set up so most people don’t get rich, I will agree. So is Microsoft, Amazon, Ford, Southwest Airlines, and any other major organization. Not everyone can be at the top of a company. — Amway is set up so most people lose money, all of the companies you listed result in all of the people making money, some more than others. So they are not even remotely comparable.
MLMs will continue as long as people buy into them. Just like Churches will keep their doors open as long as people come. Cults will happen because people want to follow someone they believe has a mission or an idea they want to follow. — MLMs will continue as long as people (including governments, the media, and individuals) aren’t educated.
We cannot make the world a perfect and safe place for everyone. We can warn and educate them. It’s up to them to listen. — I’m not so naive to think I can make the world perfect and safe for everyone, but that doesn’t mean that massive scams should not be shut down. Warning and educating takes effort and you aren’t willing to help out.
Amway is and will never be a dangerous cult like NXIVM. — MLMs have caused murders, assaults, divorces, bankruptcies, statutory rapes, huge legal costs, ruined relationships, massive debt, etc., on a much larger scale than Raniere ever dreamed of, you simply have no idea what you’re talking about.
And I don’t believe for a second that Eric Prince started Blackwater with his family’s Amway fortune. D Rumsfield announced the day before 9/11 that 2.2 trillion was missing from the pentagon. Then 9/11 and nothing else was mentioned about the “missing” money. But this article about Blackwater, to me, makes it clear that the US govt. switched over to mercenaries as they demolished our military …….https://businessnc.com/war-is-halecategory/?fbclid=IwAR1ZdOD32Ttqt4fmpxHwi2Midy7HLj4Ec7PvUXhXRREEMqjGN8rLnp3Z2hw
Prince didn’t come from Amway money, his dad was in the auto industry and became a billionaire. Mercenaries had/have a very small role in our military operations.
Scott,
What’s wrong with Amway? LMFAO!!!!!
Bangkok is not actually retarded…
….Scott Johnson actually is retarded.
Scott, are you truly oblivious to the fact that no one on the Frank Report needs you to explain why Amway is bad. Scott, save your explanation for people who lack internet access.
WTF dude!!!!!! Amway and MLMs are no more complicated than the board game Monopoly.
If anyone thinks I am being mean, just remember Scott disparages Women, Lesbians, Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, and anybody smarter than he is which is 99% of the Earth.
I think you’re too wimpy to be mean, you are so scared you won’t even come on my radio/podcast show. LOL
Plus, she (NiceGuy) is lying about my views about others. LOL
If all of what NiceGuy is saying was true, then MLMs would have collapsed. They haven’t, so NiceGuy’s role playing fails again. LOL
What is The Tool Scam?
Nataschka:
I believe that Amway refers to their high pressure sales techniques as “tools.”
The same way that Raniere and NXIVM referred to Raniere’s Voo Doo medical ideas as “tech”.
Amway’s tools won’t help you pound in a nail or unscrew a bolt.
They’ll just help the Amway sales people screw some suckers out of their money.
Shadowstate,
Your posting of the John Oliver Show does an excellent job of explaining MLMs. I actually have shared the link thanks to you posting it on the Frankreport.
I’m glad you did that, but I’ve been posting the Oliver link repeatedly on this website for over a year and many other websites for several years.
John Oliver’s humor really sells the point.
There is no gold at the end of the rainbow.
Ah ok. This all brings to mind the other usage of the word tool. I remember, many years ago, a Herbalife salesman in my kitchen. He got nowhere, my mother was no tool.
The tool scam is discussed on virtually all of my radio/podcast shows, which have been created for over four years on a weekly basis: http://www.buildingfortunesradio.com/scott-johnson-peter-mingils/
The tools are also defined here, and it’s the secrecy of the profit that makes them a scam: https://stoptheamwaytoolscam.wordpress.com/glossary-of-terms/
Mr. Shadow doesn’t have a clue. See above for the real definition.
Mr. Shadow, you don’t have a clue. You should come on my radio/podcast and get yourself edumacated.
Scott:
From the very beginning I have told stories about how high pressure MLM salesmen have tried to ensnare my family members in their various schemes selling high priced products and get rich quick schemes.
These stories go back almost forty years and my brother and I used to laugh about these stories together.
Back in high school in Illinois the state required all students to take Consumer Education courses to avoid these type of schemes.
The State of Illinois tells its students “Caveat Emptor”.
Let the Buyer Beware.
Perhaps you should tell the drunken legislators in Austin, Texas to enact Consumer Education courses for their high school students.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL?
But, regulations buried beneath the law also require a semester of health education and a half-semester of consumer education.
https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/what-do-you-need-graduate-high-school
Then you should come on my radio/podcast show and edumacate me and my listeners.
Amway is an MLM scheme that peddles expensive soap by promising that if the buyer recruits new salespeople, one can ultimately become a millionaire.
Amway is not really selling soap.
Amway is selling a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Over the years, there have been numerous other MLM schemes like Shaklee that make the same outrageous promises.
MLMs sprout like mushrooms on manure piles.
The fact that Keith Alan Raniere started out in an MLM shows that Raniere is basically a stupid con artist.
The only people dumber than Keith Raniere are the stupid gangsters who followed him.
But the MLM scheme is the least egregious part of the Keith Raniere story.
Raniere is a rapist, a slave master, a sex trafficker, a child molester, a kidnapper, and a possible murderer.
Compared to all those crimes, the MLM aspects of NXIVM and Raniere pale into insignificance.
To some degree, I doubt Scott Johnson’s declared rejection of Amway.
A few months ago, Scott told me that I lacked the “self-confidence” to be a successful Amway salesman.
To be brutally honest, the Amway system is designed to fail for 99.99% of all Amway salesmen.
NO SANE PERSON WOULD PAY FIFTY DOLLARS FOR A BOX OF AMWAY SOAP THAT COSTS TWENTY DOLLARS AT WAL-MART.
All the self-confidence in the world will not help you become a successful Amway salesperson.
Here is a description of MLM schemes and the economic and legal issues involved with MLMs:.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing
Here is a partial list of MLM schemes.
List of multi-level marketing companies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_multi-level_marketing_companies
The government can NOT protect you from every con artist.
The government can NOT babysit you.
You must educate and protect yourselves.
You must follow the Rule of Caveat Emptor. (Let the Buyer Beware.)
All that said, this 31-minute video by John Oliver sums up the insanity of MLMs far better than I can do and does so with humor.
Watch it and you will never again need a lecture about MLMs from Scott Johnson.
Amway is an MLM scheme that peddles expensive soap by promising that if the buyer recruits new salespeople. one can ultimately become a millionaire. — WRONG. The recruits are NOT salespeople, they are recruiters. Here’s a recent video that records how Amway cheats, I was taught the same thing over two decades ago: https://youtu.be/bYruRwYWgtU?t=1140 The mantra from my upline was “buy from yourself [Amway, but since you get a bonus/rebate, the term “yourself” is used] and teach others to do the same. It’s pure recruitment, with little to no retail sales to non-distributors. This is what makes MLMs illegal pyramids. Try getting that through your thick skull.
Amway is not really selling soap. — That’s right, but not for the reason you are offering.
Amway is selling a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. — Amway sells an illegal pyramid, see above for the definition of an illegal pyramid. Grind the definition into your thick skull.
Over the years there have been numerous other MLM schemes like Shaklee that make the same outrageous promises. — The outrageous promises aren’t the issue. The illegal pyramid is the issue. For a definition of an illegal pyramid, see above, and force it through your thick skull.
MLMs sprout like mushrooms on manure piles. — Yes, they do. The answer is educating others, including your friends, neighbors, relatives, coworkers, the government, the media, etc.
The fact that Keith Alan Raniere started out in an MLM shows that Raniere is basically a stupid con artist. — No, it doesn’t. Most people who join MLMs believe they are joining a legitimate business model. They are wrong, but that does NOT make them stupid con artists. Raniere used the techniques he learned in Amway to start Consumers’ Buyline and NXIVM.
The only people dumber than Keith Raniere are the stupid gangsters who followed him. — I know how you like to think you’re so smart, but many of the people who followed Raniere were more influenced by his downline edifying him than Raniere himself. It’s how it works in MLM, and Raniere learned it well. Evil, yes. Stupid, no.
But the MLM scheme is the least egregious part of the Keith Raniere story. — MLM may be the least egregious part of Raniere’s story, but it is what enabled everything else. You can’t get that through your thick skull.
Raniere is a rapist, a slave master, a sex trafficker, a child molester, a kidnapper and a possible murderer. — Yes, all enabled by the MLM techniques he learned while in Amway.
Compared to all those crimes the MLM aspects of NXIVM and Raniere pale into insignificance. — Not even close. See above.
To some degree I doubt Scott Johnson’s declared rejection of Amway. — Why do you doubt this? I’ve spent at least some time every single day since 2005 educating people about Amway and other MLM scams. I even endured a lawsuit from Amway, got a very favorable settlement, and continued. The lawsuit didn’t slow me down, it energized me even more. This lawsuit was completely separate from the Pokorny class action lawsuit against Amway, and the settlement can be found on my websites.
A few months ago Scott told me that I lacked the “self-confidence” to be a successful Amway salesman. — No, I said many people don’t join Amway and other MLM scams because they lack self-confidence, and NOT because they realize that the MLM is a scam. Also, I addressed your erroneous use of the “salesman” term above.
To be brutally honest the Amway system is designed to fail for 99.99% of all Amway salesmen. — This is true, yet most people don’t know WHY it is true. It has much more to do with the ATS (Amway Tool Scam) than the lack of retail sales, another concept you can’t get through your thick skull.
NO SANE PERSON WOULD PAY FIFTY DOLLARS FOR A BOX OF AMWAY SOAP THAT COSTS TWENTY DOLLARS AT WAL-MART. — No sane or insane person can buy a box of Amway soap that costs $50 on Amway’s website. It doesn’t exist.
All the self-confidence in the world will not help you become a successful Amway sales person. — That was not my point, my point was related to why most people don’t join Amway in the first place.
Here is a description of MLM schemes and the economic and legal issues involved with ML:Ms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing — That is a weak article.
Here is a partial list of MLM schemes.
List of multi-level marketing companies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_multi-level_marketing_companies — That is a very partial list, there are literally hundreds of them in the U.S., and thousands around the world.
The government can NOT protect you from every con artist. — Duh. But I expect them to use MY tax dollars to do their assigned job, regulate “unfair and deceptive” business practices.
The government can NOT babysit you. — Duh. I’m not advocating the government babysit anybody, but they need to do their job.
You must educate and protect yourselves. — I have always advocated that, but the government should still do its job.
You must follow the Rule of Caveat Emptor. (Let the Buyer Beware.) — Yes, but the government should still do its job.
All that said this 31 minute video by John Oliver sums up the insanity of MLMs far better than I can do and does so with humor. — I agree, that’s why I reference it when I educate people. However, even that video does not address the ATS, which is the much larger problem with many MLM scams.
Watch it and you will never again need a lecture about MLMs from Scott Johnson. — I don’t lecture anybody, I educate them. Part of that education is for them to educate others. Most people don’t learn that lesson. You can’t get that through your thick skull.
We’re talking if Amway is legal in the court of law and your citing Wikipedia as your resource ?
Wiki has been shown to be more accurate than encyclopedias. I didn’t cite it, Mr. Shadow did. Do you believe a court of law is legit? LOL
” No sane or insane person can buy a box of Amway soap that costs $50 on Amway’s website. It doesn’t exist.” Scott Johnson
Amway website:
Amway Home™ SA8™ Powder Laundry Detergent 6 pounds
Item # : 109849
$41.00 RETAIL PRICE
https://www.amway.com/en_US/Shop/Home/Laundry/Detergents/Amway-Home%26trade%3B-SA8%26trade%3B-Powder-Laundry-Detergent/p/109849
From Walmart
13 dollars a box for 95 ounces (6 pounds)
19 dollars a box for 143 ounces (9 pounds)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tide-Original-Powder-Laundry-Detergent-143-Oz-102-loads/21675361
Scott, can you understand why Amway is a giant rip off?
Scott, can you understand why no sane consumer would buy laundry detergent that is three times more expensive by weight than ordinary name brand products?
Scott, do they teach Mathematics in school in Texas?
I didn’t realize $50 = $41, thanks for your Illinois mathematics lesson. That must be why so many former Illinois governors are in prison, the taxes and crime rate is so high in Illinois, the high school drop out rate is so high, and the state is in massive debt. LOL
Also, what you see on Amway’s website is the RETAIL price, IBOs pay around $30 for that detergent, that assumes they have no downline, which would make the detergent cost even less, and since there aren’t hardly any customers, hardly nobody pays $41, let alone $50. LOL
Be sure to read about the quality of Amway’s detergent from the same Amway website:
https://www.amway.com/medias/AmwayHomeProductDemoGuide-USEN.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfHBkZnw4NTM4NzJ8YXBwbGljYXRpb24vcGRmfHBkZi9oZTYvaGY4Lzg4NDAxNjk3ODMzMjYucGRmfDYyNjRmN2JiNDI0ZWM0ZDI5ZjI0YTRjMjUwYWMwNTJlMzljMzQxOTY4YTYyYzUyN2IzYTgyYzE2MGNlNTAwOWQ and
Exploding crystals dissolve fast and rinse clean
Keep your clothes looking fresh with Amway Home™ SA8™ Laundry Detergent, a superior detergent from the inside out. Enjoy highly concentrated, exploding crystals that dissolve fast and rinse away completely. Clean clothes never felt so good.
Rinses away with no residue, even in cold water.
Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice Program for containing safer ingredients that don’t sacrifice quality or performance.
Safe and effective in all washers, even HE (high efficiency).
Biodegradable formula.
No phosphates, chlorine or other unpleasant ingredients, so it’s safer for the environment.
Concentrated, so less is more.
Dermatologist and allergy tested.
Many people don’t value these features and benefits, but many people do. Just like buying an expensive car. The difference is that detergent doesn’t cost as much as an expensive car and is sold to the masses. Also, you can’t build a business around shopping at Walmart. QED. LOL