It was not that I said “no” to Jeff and he kept bugging me. In fact when I told him “no” he did back off. The problem I had with his technique was that he was underhanded about it. He took advantage of my kindness, was not upfront and basically lied the entire time we interacted.

I do agree with your point about pushy sales people though.

I hope no one thought I was telling you (Adam) ‘get over it’. This was the first blog I have ever done and think I was too emotionally charged when writing my comments. Unfortunately, I didn’t read it before sending it and could have written it better.

My comments were for the people who persist in contacting me to join in on these programs. There’s no harm in people mentioning or even offering these things but NOT after I say, “No thank you.” and then they keep on and on. What part of “No thank you.” do they not understand?!

This is one of many reasons companies like this have a very bad name. May have a good product but the promoters are usually so focused on getting people ‘in’ that they appear to be brainwashed. They will not or can’t ‘let it be’.

After I wrote this last blog to you, I got another ‘invite’ by way of a link. Hmm. Wonder what it could be. I KNOW what it is and have told the people sending it that I am not interested … still comes.

Oh well. Scripture says, ‘the poor you will have with you always’. Now, which one of us is ‘poor’? The one who keeps pushing me or me? I know I’m not poor so that only leaves one other person on the other end!

By the way, Julia, you are totally right! Many of the people who get into these types of programs are poor and remain poor (or poorer) because it wasn’t meant for them. It really feels to me like a ‘grab it all while you can’ type of thing. That is why I am not interested any more in them. I made the majority of my money by selling the products (they were acutally good products) and had some good people under me. However, after a while I could see the ‘greed’ in the program by many and it didn’t make me feel good. People would actually begin to really believe their motives were pure and for others when, in fact, it was just for themselves. That is why I am NOT interested … at all. I can purchase and enjoy products elsewhere that are just as good and not have the hassle to make quota, levels, etc.

Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better!

Don’t be too hard on yourself. I was optimistic that what Jeff had to offer might be legit.

This is America and we have the right to freedom of speech. So, I’d like to begin my comment by saying to all those who asked you to “get over it” or to “get a life” etc, that you are well within your right to your feelings and because we are in this great country, to express those feelings to us. Thank you for your post.

I am, by nature and upbringing, a bit cynical and so I distrust anything that seems to be “too good to be true.” Even when I got my LASIK eye surgery, a small part of me wondered if I would truly be able to see, glasses free (which I was, it was awesome).

Anyway, I work as an account manager for a company where we pride ourselves on our world-class client relations skills. A few days ago, I was on the phone assisting one of our clients and the service I offered my client, which may have seemed above and beyond to her, was really just our standard level of excellance. Nevertheless, my client was impressed with my desire to ‘go the extra mile’ and said she likes to keep an eye out for people like me. She asked for my email because she wanted to send me a link (they have moved on from CDs apparently).

I don’t know why I said yes. I think I was in a really good mood and felt optomistic about it. Afterall, she was my client, the CEO of her company, I was having a good day and she gave me a great compliment – so I went aainst my better judgement and I gave it to her. I reviewed the link only to find a man telling me how great it is to be financially free and spend so much quality time with his family. Wow! Sounds great!! But my first thought was, so what do you do? Well, it never went into anything other than how wonderful it is to have money and realize your dreams (yeah, obviously)…

Well, ok, maybe some people take the bait. In fact, I have a friend who is totally broke, lost her car, her house and has moved at least 5 times in the last 2 years – each time, the place is smaller and smaller…and guess what she does? Yup, you guessed it….anything and everything that preaches riches and financial freedom, she does it…its sad really.

So anyway, the link she sent me was for INA. I immediately googled it and found nothing at first. Then I looked a little harder and found something about a pyramid scheme on yahoo answers and then I found your post. I am not surprised since “Pyramid Scheme” were the first two words that popped into my head as I watched the video. But I saddenned that my client sent me this link. I am also dissapointed in myself for giving out personal information to a client. I know better.

Anyway, I don’t really care if this is a pyramid scheme or MLM or whatever. It preaches an easy life and we should all know that there is no easy button in life. Fad diets, miracle weight loss pills, get out of debt fast, credit cards, etc, etc…it all boils down to one thing – we have forsaken discipline, determination and will power for the quick fix or the miracle cure. Why work hard when we can spin our wheels looking for the next easy way out?

Oh well, to each their own, but I truly beleive the degradation of our country results from a lack of discipline – when it comes to weight loss, finances, you name it, we want to skip the hard work and go stright to the rewards. Anyway, I will get off my soapbox now and conclude my little rant with my gratitude. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for allowing me a moment on my own soapbox.

Julia

I, too, am disgusted by some people and sad for others that they just can’t take “NO THANK YOU” for an answer and they ALWAYS (in my case) can’t leave me alone by the people who can’t seem to understand that when they propose something that has to be sugar-coated before they can tell you exactly what it is they are ‘selling’!

In one instance, one of my fellow actors said, “My wife and I would love to come over and show you something just wonderful. (something similar)” I tried to find out just exactly what it was as we are extremely busy but because I had respect for him, we had them over to our home. He started in on his presentation (so to speak) and we kept asking, “Hmmm. This sounds like Amway. Is it?” Because we had NO INTENTIONS of doing anything even remotely similar to it because I am extremely knowledgeable to things like this. We kept asking and he was very evasive. Finally, it did come out and my husband, who is “Mr. Gentle Ben”, was so angered he basically threw them out of our home. We felt violated and were so angry we refused to ever see these people again. Trickery? You betcha! This is a common practice for these types of organizations because they KNOW people will probably not give them the time of day if they told them up front. They THINK that if they can just get their message of FINANCIAL SALVATION out to you, you will be overcome with the thrill of it all that you will sign up right now. Dah? I’m old and blonde but NOT dumb.

I’m with you … be honest, upfront and if someone is not interested – let it be.

Tired of being harrassed and tricked. Let it Be! Leave me to do what I enjoy doing, even thought YOU might think I could do better.

Old SMART blonde!

In the second paragraph you refer to Amway as “Scamway” twice and then go on to defend them as not being a pyramid scheme or a scam… it’s a bit confusing but completely in-line with the half-assed excuses others have been giving for Amway, TEAM INA, and Jeff.

The only thing anyone defending Amway, TEAM INA, and Jeff have been able to offer is their assertion that it’s not a scam, pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing and it “really does work.”

After all this huffing and puffing by supporters there are really important things that we don’t know or have:

• What TEAM INA is selling, or intends its participants to sell.
• What TEAM INA’s business plan is.
• How much the individual has to invest in TEAM INA to get started.
• Any proof that anyone is making money from TEAM INA.

“Amyway has only gotten bigger and can be seen with commercials on Tv and in magazines.”

Oh, really? Well then if they are on TV sign me up! Because everything you see on TV is legit. Gosh how could I have been so stupid!?

Excuse me, I just got an e-mail from a Nigerian prince who wants to send me a million dollars. All I have to do is email him my bank account information!

Scamway is just a way to start a business for people that don’t have any other way to do it. They may get brought in under the assumption that they can make large amounts of money, but when you start any job, you think that you will be there forever and make it to a highly paid management job or higher in the company, by working hard or kissing the right A$$. Scamway is the same way, but you get paid for the effort you put into your company. Will you make as much as the person that started the company, no, but you can certainly make money.

I don’t agree with the way they go about getting their clients and wish that it was as easy as approaching someone and saying do you want a job. For some reason they believe in the song and dance of building your dreams and showing you what the company can do for you, instead of telling you straight out who they are. Most people have a bad taste in their mouths for Amway and a traditional approach is not possible. The bad taste has come from people thinking or being told that it is a pyramid scam, you can never make money and only are comfortable with earning money by working the boring traditional way and don’t think outside the box. It is by no means easy money, but it is a job.

I think of a pyramid scam as a company that asks you to send money straight to them and you get nothing in return. Then they tell you to recruit more people and they pay you what you sent to the person when you joined and then you send money to the top of the pyramid and so on. There is a fee to start up, but you are a small business owner then, with discounts on many products that you already buy, and you get a start up kit of products. If you do nothing else, you have simply bought some products, which in turn doesn’t sound like a pyramid scam.

Amyway has only gotten bigger and can be seen with commercials on Tv and in magazines. It is starting to get more main stream and more accepted, but the biggest thing, is that it is not for everyone, but neither is selling real estate, writing computer programs, or flipping burgers, but people don’t attack those jobs.

I’m starting to think, that the Jeff this post is addressed to and you are one in the same. Of course the IP address you’re posting from is in California, not Oregon like I’d expect.

In any case, whether you’re the same person or not my point(s) remain the same. It’s obvious you are deluded beyond hope so I will save my fingers from typing the same thing over and over again.

In your defense of Amway Global and TEAM INA you’ve resorted to Ad hominems. If you have no better resource to back up your claims that TEAM INA is legit, then I agree our conversation is over.

NO company can stay in business for 50 years like Amway Global and being an illegal pyramid scheme.

Team INA has been in business for 25 years and they do not sell a specific product for you to review. Team INA is not secretive, they are a FOR PROFIT organization (like many groups) designed to help support and encourage people to build Amway Global IBOs.
Before you go on a tangent of if they want to help us why do they charge us, don’t go there. Yes they make money by selling the material, but so do many others groups like Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, Dale Carnegie and Brina Tracy. Its a business and they run it as such. I don’t begrudge anyone for selling their work.

They sell support material to help and encourage people in the development. No one is required to purchase the material. People like me buy it to help us grow and succeed. It is optional to buy and we choose to buy it.

Also it’s very arrogant of you to say “If TEAM INA is such a success why had I never heard of them before?” I am sure there are several individuals, groups & organizations that are very successful that you have never heard of!!! Just because you have never heard of someone does not mean they are not successful.

I happen to know Wade Simmons personally, he is a very successful person, a great person to know, he cares and loves his family very much and it shows. Just because you don’t know someone does not take away from their success.
You don’t get the business and most likely never will, Jeff tried to be kind and share a great opportunity with you. He did not try to manipulate you nor take advantage of your kindness, which at this point I seriously doubt you have much if any kindness. No approach is perfect, someone will always disagree with it. get over it and get over yourself.

Adam good luck with your pessimistic view of like and people. It’s people like you that can’t stand to see other people get further in life, that can’t fathom that there are people in the world willing to help others better themselves.

First let me say that pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing schemes are the same thing. It’s akin to the sugar coating of creationism by calling it “Intelligent Design” it’s all the same.

I would agree people do make money from multi-level marketing/pyramid schemes. No doubt. If someone wasn’t making money then they wouldn’t exist.

However, the people that are making the money are not the people at the bottom of the pyramid, the average every day folk that get sucked into these things. No, the people that are making the money are the people at the top of the pyramid, i.e. – the people running the scam.

If TEAM INA is such a success why had I never heard of them before? Why is the TEAM INA website lacking information on who they are, and what they do?

I mean I can walk into a Best Buy and know exactly what they are selling, why is it such a secret with TEAM INA?

Being around for 50 years does not make Amway Global or TEAM INA legit. All it means is that there good at staying just behind that legal line.

I understand that people like you who are involved with these things are desperate and diluted enough to think that it’s working for you. You spent money on TEAM INA (or similar) and are desperately trying to justify to yourself and everyone else that it was worth it. I understand that when you read things, like this post, it can be hard because it’s like someone yelling WAKE-UP when you’re sound asleep.

I find it ironic that you tell me to “GET A LIFE” implying that my writing of this post indicates that I don’t have one. The irony being that you took the time to comment on a post that you imply was a waste of time. This post was published as an open letter to Jeff explaining the reason I was declining his offer.

Listen, if Jeff was upfront with me from the get go. If he’d of just asked me if I wanted to join his pyramid scheme I would have said “no thank you” and it would have been a non-event. Instead Jeff lied and manipulated my kindness in an effort to try to suck me into a scam.