One way quixtar betrayed its loyal IBOs

Note: Please read "Why Bother?" first.


One of the first ways Quixtar betrayed its loyal IBOs:

Some of you (probably not most) may be wondering why I have used the terms Quixtar/Amway together or interchangeably. The reason for this is that Alticor/Quixtar/Amway, or the lawyers possibly controlling the companies, have decided to dissolve the Quixtar name in the U.S.A. and revert to less loved name of “Amway.”
Source: WOOD T.V. Grand Rapids, MI

Yes, that means that over the next 18 – 24 months, from June when the decision was made, Quixtar will become permanently known as Amway. It still does not cease to amaze me how many IBOs (now possibly ABOs) have no idea that the company is changing its name to Amway. These same IBO/ABOs may not even realize how hard an Amway business may be hard to promote in North America. They also probably do not know that when they renew their Quixtar/Amway contracts at the end of the year, many automated renewals, the rules can and probably will be switched on them. Most of them do however, realize what a bad stigma the Amway name carries with the general public of the U.S.A.

Personally I did not feel defeated by this. I knew building an Amway business would be harder due to the negative report circling the Amway name. I also understand that I have goals and dreams for my future and I will not let anything stand in the way of reaching them. I just assumed that the IBOAI board had the best interests of the IBOs they represent. What is that you say IBOAI board? You did not approve the name change of Quixtar back to Amway? I was amazed to discover that the name change was not proposed by the IBOAI board, and not approved by the IBOAI board. What was more amazing was when I discovered that all 20 members of the IBOAI board unanimously voted against the name change and the company moved forward anyway. If the IBOAI board is in place made up of IBOs to protect IBOs, and we pay our yearly fee for their input, and the IBOAI board has the IBOs best interest at heart, then why would the corporation make such a rash and hurtful decision against the wishes and best interests of those that make the company as successful as it has been in the past? What is more is how can they make that decision without approval? Is the IBOAI board not specifically put in place to protect IBOs against bad corporate/lawyer level decisions? Let us see what Amway founder Rich Devos has to say about the purpose of the board:

I will add my own comments to the quote below in red. To be very clear, text in red below are not the words of Rich Devos.

“Do you know that before we formed Amway (Quixtar) we formed an association of all of you? You weren’t in it then, but we did. And we setup the Amway Distributors Association (Independent Business Owners Association International) before we ever formed the Amway (Quixtar) Corporation for one very simple reason. That we wanted to make sure that the people who put their time and effort and energy into building an Away (Quixtar) distributorship would have a voice in the sales policies of this company. […] And there is no percentages changed in this company and there is nothing done to the sales plan unless the board of directors of your association asks us, or we ask them and they approve, then it is done. Everything we do is done in consultation with your representatives that meet with us four times a year. We call it the Amway Distributors Association (IBOAI). We did that so you would feel secure (And I did feel secure until recently.) that somebody like Jay or myself (or your sons or the Quixtar lawyers or Mike Mohr), when they got fat and happy or something might decide to change the deal. And so we said before we even got it going we’re going to setup a guarantee (Guarantee… You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.) that we can’t change the deal. Because if we know we can’t then we won’t even think about trying. (I sincerely believe Rich Devos and Jay VanAndel never wanted to ‘change the deal,’ but apparently the people currently running the corporation didn’t know that they ‘can’t change the deal’ and so they found a loophole and made it happen.) […] Why do you know in all thirteen years of our history, we have never failed to do what the board of your association asked us to do. […] And it’s worked pretty good. (Way to ruin a great track record Quixtar. And it is obvious from overwhelming negative results that when you decided to not do what the board asked it stopped ‘work[ing] pretty good.’) […] Well I’ll tell ya that’s something. When you have that assurance and that protection for your plan, (and how we yearn for it) because a lot of ya have been without because they changed the deal, (and now the company you founded did it to us) just about the time you were gonna make it live for you. So we wanted to make sure that didn’t happen to you. (You did a great job of this while you were alive, but your system didn’t hold up well when you left us.)”
[Rich Devos]

The recording of this speech can be heard by clicking here. Or by copy/paste this link into your address bar in your web browser:
http://www.musicwebtown.com/theiborebellion/playlists/114468/884361.mp3


I will post again shortly to include some other ways I feel IBOs were betrayed by Quixtar and explanations of them.

Why bother?

I will generally put all quotes in italic.

WWW. Stands for World Wide Whiners.

Misinformed – I was misinformed for a long time about the power the IBOAI had.

Ignorant – I was ignorant of the fact that IBOs had been pleading with Quixtar/Amway for years to create a competitive pricing structure for their products.

Fired – Over 1/3 of the IBOAI was fired from Quixtar/Amway when they decided they would resign if major changes were not made to bring back the company they once supported.

Failed – I have failed at many things in life, and am not afraid to admit this. But then, who hasn’t failed? I am “failing forward” and continuing to keep my dreams in sight.

Envious – I am envious of those who didn’t have their hopes brought up so high and believed in a company so much only for the lawyers of the company to change the company into something horrible that turns its back on its biggest promoters.

Desperate – The only thing I am desperate for is to understand how what used to be such a great company could turn so foul over such a short period of time.


“The internet is full of gutless, spineless, faceless people that won’t even put their real names on the bathroom wall.”

I am not currently going to reveal who I am either. Gutless, spineless? Yes, probably because I am afraid to get stomped on by the large boots of Quixtar/Amway. Quixtar lawyers decided that they really don’t care for the first amendment to our country’s constitution. Quixtar’s lawyers decided they were going to begin to sue internet bloggers for expressing their opinions on the corporation.

Source: ABC News.
Court Document Here.

So, until they lose the court battle they are waging against the first amendment rights of the internet bloggers I will remain Gutless, spineless and faceless as best I can. I will NOT; however, be called heartless.


Why you should read this blog:

“We think of ourselves a logical, but really what we are is we are emotional beings that use our logic to justify what we’ve decided to do emotionally. Now, we don’t like to admit that. We like to say, ‘Not me, I look at all the facts.’ Well in fact we really don’t look at all the facts.”
[Jerry Meadows]

The reason this blog should be read is because I was so emotionally engrossed in what I was doing and how I felt about Quixtar/Amway that I used to ignore facts on a consistant basis. I have setup this blog for those seeking truth, and seeking facts. I am not perfect, nor will my blog be perfect, but I will strive to bring truth. The reader must just decide to listen.

Remember the biblical story of the day Jesus was sentenced to the cross. Jesus was bringing truth to those who would listen. (Am am in NO way comparing myself to Jesus. It is the point in the story I am getting at.) Many of you believe and would admit that Jesus truly had truth and was willing to share it. However, there were an overwhelming number of people who did not want to listen to the truth Jesus held, and instead screamed for and demanded the release of the murderer Barabaz over the release of Jesus.

“If I tell you the truth and you don’t believe it, what’s that make it? […] No, it doesn’t [make it a lie]. It makes it the truth you don’t believe.”
[Jerry Meadows]

In my next post I will explain how I feel we were betrayed by Quixtar/Amway and the lawyers that are running the company now. After that I will also post more about our story and about how we went from being non-team affiliated IBOs to Team IBOs and possibly very shortly to ex-IBOs still learning to develop ourselves using Team's leadership development system.