Amway Calling:

[Thetyim]

So, when did Amway get into the food business?

Don't know but I can remember using their coffee whitener/powder milk in 1979

[Butterfly]

"But I don't have pimples on my back," I protested, "Want to see?" "I'm sorry, you must know not all Thai lady same!" "That's for sure, you are the first who ever talked about pimples on my back."

you should have asked to see the pimples on her back and apply the soap on her

not a quick thinker, aren't you ?

[robuzo]

^I was getting there when she chastised me. I don't think she would have understood had I said, "I'll buy the soap if you promise to drop it in the shower."

[Smug Farang Bore]

These companies pray on people with little or no income and sell it as an easy way to make a large amount of money.
These people intern sell to their friends who also have little or no income. The products vastly over priced for what they are and basically would be aimed at the disposal income market in the west.
Herbalife was taken to court in the states but being America it won its case.

A product with no real value that is sold from person to person purely on hype.

Sand to Arabs.

They knocked Callaway golf off the No 1 spot in the US markets one year.

[Bexar County Stud]

A cult that needs extermination.

Indeed. Few seems to know that Amway stands for "American Way." The owners have been multi-million dollar contributors to the Republican party and other conservative/evangelical Christian causes for decades.

Sadly, Amway (and other MLM scams) seem to be tailor made for Thailand. I've seen the scams sweep through my workplace several times. It's popular with the low-to-mid level functionary crowd. For example, the bosses' secretary starts selling weight loss coffee or some such nonsense. You get the picture.

[Thetyim]

Sadly, Amway (and other MLM scams) seem to be tailor made for Thailand.

Got to agree with you there.
I had one stupid bitch trying to sell me an Amway air filter for the bedroom at 30,000 baht.
When I said "No" her claims just got more and more ridiculous.
Starting with "you will sleep better" then "you won't have nightmares", then "you won't need to change the bedsheets" and finally "you won't get lung cancer."

[Smug Farang Bore]

I'm with you lads all the way on this.

Jesus couldn't make better products. He could of learn t a bit off the sales pitch too.

[BaitongBoy]

^I thought it was Jesus who started Amway...wtf...
You know...God and country...

[Trip]

I registered just to warn people on here about Amway. The whole organization should be viewed as a bunch of criminals and exterminated.

My wife has fallen hook line and sinker for this scam. All their stuff is a gigantic rip-off, and especially so in Thailand where all items are obtainable locally for very little cost. Our house is full of overpriced Amway goods that are mostly useless junk. We have water filters in boxes that she cannot sell - even a replacement carbon filter costs more than a complete water filter from Tesco's and lasts only a few weeks.

Our money is spent on gas for the car which was also purchased by my wife for delivering these goods to customers, and giving promotional material at her own cost, and on attending rallies.

I have been to many of these Amway rallies (which cost a fortune to attend) and I know many of the IBO's who have been in this for a long time. I have yet to see one who has made any money. Why do they fall for it? Well, my wife really believes she is going to get rich. She believes she will one day win a holiday on a cruise liners visiting ports around the world, trips to visit the Amway factory in the US, and so on.

At these rallies, hordes of brainwashed Amway IBO's scream "fired up" and watch fake "Diamond" and "Emerald" distributors claiming to be rich spouting nonsense on stage while eating handfuls of Nutrilife Vitamin Pills to prove how faithful they are to their "uplines". It is like watching trained monkeys in a zoo. I feel so angry I cannot bear to watch. My wife fails to notice that even the rich "Emerald" distributors register a total income of around 100,000 baht a month - a paltry sum for an "Emerald" after 13 years selling Amway! And they drive old battered cars which they park out of sight ... but again, my wife refuses to come and look.

Anyone who reads about Amway will know the motto "fake it until you make it". It is no different in Thailand.

Our son now hates his own mother, all our friends now avoid us like the plague, and our marriage is unlikely to survive much longer. This is the American Way?

Not when I was at home, it wasn't.

The prices of the goods we have in our house which my wife expects us to use, are all about 6 times higher in price than I can buy at the supermarket. Except that the supermarket goods all work whereas the Amway ones, which claim to be "concentrated", don't work. But my wife buys them because of the "discount" and because she has been brainwashed into believing they are the best, and nothing now will change her mind. Not even seeing filthy clothes coming out of the washing machine or the buildup of a thick scum on our plates and dishes. You cannot criticize Amway products... and anyone who does is the "enemy". Anyone who is not an Amway convert is also your "enemy".

They call themselves IBO's, which means "Independent Business Operators" and are issued with silly ID cards and important looking stuff with Amway all over them. They actually work their butts off 24 hours a day for Amway and it's distribution organizations, who make all the money. It's hugely successful in Thailand because the people here are simple and extremely gullible.

If your GF or wife ever brings any of this sh*t home, you better watch it, your life will never be the same again.

Good luck to you all!

[Smug Farang Bore]

^ Correct - well put.

[Sailing into trouble]

My armpits are always dry and stink free!

Do AMway say what they put into their products. Many deodorant sticks simple block the pores. With stuff like Aluminium! This can lead to series side effects over time. I had an episode once that is too gross to spell out.

Try not to smell but always read the product info now.

[Thormaturge]

^^
Very good post.

I have fond memories of an Amway distributor who tried convincing me that I could become rich beyond my wildest dreams by selling this stuff. He has a Skoda parked outside and lived in a council house.

"So why aren't you rich?"

"I hide my money"

He was doing a bloody good job.

[Hampsha]

My armpits are always dry and stink free!

That's good but how do you get rid of the sweat on the rest of your body!



I noticed an Amway shop is being built in Sisaket and one was also being built in Surin. Are they going to have walk-in shops? I can't see a lot of Esarn people being able to afford their crap.


About six months ago my neice got into one of these companies. it was a Thai company called AmStar.. Real original. Of course, she got one buy out of everyone and got all her aunts and uncles to sign up to their membership for 100baht. My niece, a college student, was going to make great money while goign to school. All the stories came out how others got quick cash, blah blah blah. My wife wouldn't listen to a word I said about these things. I haven't heard a word about this since then. It was quick cash and names for the company. This Thai company is expanding to America as well.


Isn't Mistine one of these multilevel marketing companies as well?

[Thormaturge]

^
It is AimStar and they have a huge office/meeting point on Sukhumvit, usually full of young people. I often wondered what this place was until I looked it up on the internet, and then I just groaned.

My assistant, who is paid very well, showed interest in this after I mentioned it. Once I explained how these things work and my experience of Amway distributors she went very quiet for a while...until I mentioned we needed a new "gopher" whereupon she introduced me to her impoverished sister....an Amway distributor.

What angers me about these things is that people who do have capabilities are misled into thinking Amway/Aimstar provide real opportunities. False hope on the scale of the Christian church.

[BaitongBoy]

Interesting diatribes here...I would hate to be involved in it, especially when it might break families and friends apart...
Like I stated many moons back, we bought a 5k bag of rice, (vacuum-packed, which I'd never seen before), for about 200 baht...so that was a 'fair' price for good rice, I think...
The easiest price comparison was the juices...Malee brand is 55 baht at Lotus, 52 if you're lucky, and Amway charges, I think 64 baht for the same thing, if you've paid your 100 baht fwit fee!
I was never aware that DamnWay had entered the food business, so that's why I started the thread...
Ffs, I shudder when I hear the shite stories...and I wish Trip good luck in his situation...

[sabang]

I knew an American couple in HK who went over there to make their fortune as Amway distributors. Very American- the type that momentarily pauses and takes a half breath, before saying "America" in a suitably deep, sombre voice. The type that assumes that everyone wants to be American, or at least live in America- and, naturally, 'buy American' while they vainly wait to realise their lifes dream of being American. They even had a frikkin flag in their living room, ffs. Needless to say, they didn't get far with the hard nosed Chinese, and slunk away with their tails between their legs and a depleted bank account after a couple of years. Of course they blamed the chinks, HK, 'stuffy Brits', everything except the fact that they were trying to peddle overpriced detergents to people who's eyes definitely do not glaze over when you mention 'Amway', "America" (in a suitably deep voice), or 'American way'.

I've sometimes wondered what percentage of Amway's sales are made to their army of distributors, but I doubt that is something Amway would want you to know.

[FarangRed]

There are many Thai MLM companies also whats the name "Gifferine" is one of them, I think Thai's like this MLM shit.

Having said that I did know a guy back in England who was in at the start of one company and he made a fuking fortune no kidding

[sabang]

There is one Swedish MLM company here doing quite well, called Oriflame. They have quite a potent 'USP' (unique selling point) in Buddhist Thailand, being that they do not use animal products, neither do they permit animal testing on their products. For this reason- plus the fact their prices are competitive with the cosmetics & toiletries you will find in Boots etc, we are quite happy to use them.

[Thormaturge]

they do not use animal products,

No shit....

[BaitongBoy]

^Leave that to Japan...found a way to eat shit...with no harm to the donors...
At least no abuse we've heard of yet...unless they kick the shit out of the cows...

[Rascal]

heard their feminine hygene spray has nice scent and tasty!!

[BaitongBoy]

^ Eau de Hoi...

[KAPPA]

Many deodorant sticks simple block the pores.With stuff like Aluminium!

Most anti perspirants have aluminum in one form or another and yes, it is poisonous and I believe a factor in Alzheimer's ( as is cooking with aluminum pots.) Iuse those crystal sticke but even many of those have aluminum. There is a Thai brand in some mom and pop stores that doesn't.
Even the outrageously expensive Bath and Body.. brand type sticks have aluminum.

[Carnwadrick]

I have fond memories of an Amway distributor who tried convincing me that I could become rich beyond my wildest dreams by selling this stuff.

Me too but I turned the tables on them by selling them a big fancy house that I claimed would show everybody how successful they are and in turn would generate more sales and massive new recruits..I think it must have worked because the once impressive house is sadly in need of repair because they must be too busy

[thaisold]

Amway has a cult following in Thailand, the way they sell their stuff is by giving false hopes and false dreams to gullible Thai's, I see them all the time, what's annoying is the only good thing about Amway is their plastic containers, and they don't have them for sale at Amway Thailand, all the prices are more expensive but they do have the goods.
I agree, exterminate!