« Orrin Woodward Leaves Quixtar | Main | Figure It Out »
September 2, 2007
They're Taking Notice
By QBlog in Quixtar
PRWeek has an interesting article about Quixtar and IBOs using the Web to spar.
...Ashton Partners has been hired to represent a group of 15 distributors in a lawsuit against Quixtar, the American Amway operations. Ashton Partners, which has a practice dedicated to litigation support, has been brought on board to provide strategic communications counsel, drive media relations and outreach, and manage the plaintiff’s Web site, www.freetheibo.com.
“Ashton Partners, like other media consultants with whom we deal, are essential to the overall management of the litigation, much more now than in years past because of the power of the [Internet],” said Poyfair.
Quixtar has struck back with entries on their own blog, http://media.alticorblogs.com, taking an aggressive tone in touting a recent ruling in their favor by a Michigan court...
I hope you readers are following this because it seems like a real fascinating MLM Soap Opera (pun intended).
Comments
Geeze. Just wasted about 3 minutes of my life at the alticor blog. Not that freetheibo is any better, but my expectation for the corp was, apparantly erroneously, higher than my expectation of the bloodsucking Orrin Woodward and his ilk.
That the comments are sophomoric is neither a surprise nor a dissappointment, but the actual posts by bloggers who are presumably employees of and spokespersons for the Corp being of equally scurrilous nature is a bit disconcerting.
My error, though. The driver of the getaway car, or in this case the financial beneficiary of the abuse perpetrated by the AMOs, is no better than the triggerman.
It's probably both. He probably exaggerated his claims and decided trying to fight Amway was just not worth the cost.
I would bet TEAM is eventually going to come to the same conclusion.
http://www.amquix.info/scheibeler_defamation_apology.html
I don't think I'll believe this until we see official Amway/IBOA sources trumpeting it and the book removed from the website.
This might be a little off the point but I'm confused about the non-competition provision in general.
If the provision implies you can't join another MLM then I can understand that. If you work hard to build a downline and one of your immediate downline joined another MLM at the same time and siphoned off all the other downline, that would dilute your business and destroy most of the hard work you put in. Makes sense to me.
But suppose one of my downline wanted to sell certain products of his own. Not as an MLM. Just as a regular salesman working for a commission or as a store owner. No risk of recruiting away other downline or anything. Is this acceptable?
If not, that would be unfair IMHO. Quixtar has so many products that virtually anything you sell on the side could be considered competition.
For further clarification: suppose a Quixtar IBO decided to buy a GNC franchise and run that during the day while working as an IBO at night. Kosher? Would Quixtar say its illegal because of Nutrilite?
If so, there's another thing that has me confused:
When I signed up as an IBO the agreement said Quixtar considers me an independent contractor and not an employee.
If you're an independent contractor doesn't that mean you're free to "contract" wherever you want?
Am really confused about this. Any comments?
Well where is the positive? Gosh talk about Slander. This business has been nothing but a positive for our family. You guys should be ashamed of your self for just being negative critics. If you looked at this for good as hard as you do for bad you will find that much more good. The problem is a negative mind set which has polluted our generation. Look for the good in people and you will find it. That is why people every day keep getting started in this business and grow it big or to there comfort level. It is awesome and the best business opportunity out there. Check out www.thisbiznow.com and it is only getting better:)
We've discussed this in the forum ( http://www.webraw.com/quixtar/forum/viewtopic.php?p=73109&highlight=#73109 ). We've discovered that it's more likely that the word "lied" was used by the newspaper and not by Scheibeler.
The suit may have been settled, but it doesn't mean he admitted lying. And since the decision was sealed, we are not privy to who said exactly what.
PW
PW
Uh....that one is not entirely correct.
http://www.amquix.info/scheibeler_defamation_apology.html
2nd, what does Eric S. has to do with this lawsuit?
According to Eric, it seems the reporter got the story all wrong. I bet the reported or baited with wrong information possibly from "the other side". Scheibeler told me it is all wrong. Here is my page on it. Funny how the IBOAI website and the Alticor Blogs are not crowing about the "rumor" that he admitted lying.
http://www.amquix.info/scheibeler_defamation_apology.html
Scott
Pah, if this lawsuit is the same as that involving Orrin Woodward et.al, then I smell a rat. I find it amazing that crooks like Harteis are ganging up to sue Amway and have the gall to say they're sticking up for all the "little people". Bullcrap. These are same kingpins who have been robbing IBOs for years via tool scamming. More likely, Amway is *at last* starting to clamp down on their ongoing tool rorts, and the kingpins are biting back with this trumped up lawsuit. The years of fat are coming to an end....
"Well where is the positive? Gosh talk about Slander. This business has been nothing but a positive for our family. You guys should be ashamed of your self for just being negative critics. If you looked at this for good as hard as you do for bad you will find that much more good. The problem is a negative mind set which has polluted our generation. Look for the good in people and you will find it. That is why people every day keep getting started in this business and grow it big or to there comfort level. It is awesome and the best business opportunity out there. Check out www.thisbiznow.com and it is only getting better:)"
It's been great for my upline too! Just recently they couldn't afford to live in their tiny apartment because of the cost of the business and moved into their parents basement, again. It's so great after 6 years in the biz and 7 years married they announced their divorce last week. Actually, his wife announced they were getting a divorce while crying at an alter call during Sunday service. Her "going diamond husband" has spiraled into such deep depression that he spends every evening at the bar. He was the hardest working IBO I ever met on the team, and now he is a self loathing lush. His daughter hardly saw him all summer due to the time he spent at the bar, but that might not even be worth mentioning due to the time he spent away from her in the business. The business gets better and better all the time!!!!
Speaking of using the internet to spar, do a google news search of quixtar and you'll find a story where Eric Scheibler admits that he lied about being threatened by Amway, being offered hush money, and "uncovering billions of dollars of fraud." In response, Quixtar dropped their potentially costly defamation suit. Do you think Scheibler actually lied, or did he finally decide that it was just too much money and time to fight for what's right?
Posted by: Jon | September 2, 2007 4:08 PM