Based on my personal experience, as well as on reading several accounts from other former IBOs, it's very evident that the higher uplines are absolving themselves of issues and problems by delegating their dirty work to others. However, while some leaders have the audacity to make blundering pronouncements on stage, many uplines rely on their "eagles" or platinums to do their dirty work, which is to provide their downline with incorrect and frequently self-serving counsel. Providing them (upline) with advice that will enable them to profit directly from the losses sustained by their downline.
For example, a diamond may take the stage and speak on the benefits of getting out of debt, which is a popular topic these days. Now, getting out of debt is a wonderful thing, and no one should allow themselves to become entangled in credit card debt or other forms of debt. There have been countless meetings where the group was told that they had to be at the next function no matter what happened. To get there, you must do whatever it takes, even if it means selling your personal goods. In an ironic twist, selling Amway items did not provide the solution to obtaining access to the next significant function. So many independent business owners (IBOs) made sacrifices in terms of time and money in order to advance to the next function, but their businesses did not expand in terms of volume or downline. I observed a large number of crossline IBOs attending meeting after meeting and function after function with no downline. They devoted their time and resources to following a goal that was founded on lies spread by their upline leaders. Our group was informed that upline made no money from the tools they sold. While several groups now acknowledge that profits are generated from tools, there is still a lack of transparency regarding the profits earned from tools, and as far as I am aware, there are no official written agreements regarding the profits made from tools.
Also, I recall our platinums holding meetings with the rest of the group while we were at major functions, and it seemed that the platinums always had something to teach the group that was in direct opposition to what we had just heard on stage, and the platinum would tell us that he had the most up to date information from the meeting. It's as if the platinum served as a henchman for the diamonds, carrying out their nefarious activities on their behalf. Another example is how the diamonds taught vertical alignment, in which God comes first, followed by your spouse, your children, your job, and your Amway business, which comes in fifth position. The group, on the other hand, was instructed to "attend all meetings" if an event such as a friend's wedding, an anniversary dinner, or your child's soccer game occurred at the same time as an Amway meeting. Our group was advised that "all" meant "everything." That is in direct conflict with the concept of vertical alignment, as you can see here. In fact, Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) have become less beneficial to their communities and churches as a result of their regular attendance at meetings and functions and their inability to contribute in other roles. I was also curious if their Amway business and tool consumption took away their ability to tithe and donate to local organisations, which I suspected. It used to be that our upline would instruct us to go diamond and then send in $10,000 checks, as if doing so made it okay not to serve others and help the less fortunate.
As a result, despite the claims of Amway apologists that my experience was twelve years ago, I am of the informed opinion that this is still happening today. There is a great deal of data to imply that very little has changed since the 1990s. In reality, many of the leaders from my IBO days are still in the business of promoting unethical practises today. Numerous Uplines convey incorrect information downline, but they do so in a stealthy manner, such as by instructing their downline leaders to pass the information on. This is also a means for Amway to get around some of their own problems, because IBOs are not Amway employees, but rather "independent contractors." However, the majority of people in North America are now aware of the truth, and it is hoped that this article can shed some light on that truth.
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