Today is my last day of the 6-month rule. While I am still under the 2-year rule, it appears that I am free to do whatever I want, just not with whoever I want. That's fine. With counsel from my mentor, and my lawyer, I believe that I am finally out from under Quixtar.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog. Today also marks my last day of following any news about Quixtar, Amway, Alticore, etc. I am closing that chapter in my life. This blog is part of that chapter. I have tried to leave some balanced information about the struggle Team has faced. I cannot say it was not a biased documentary, but I hope that the information here shows the public dialog that surrounded the whole incident.
I hold no malice towards Quixtar, Amway, Alticore or anyone associated with them (including their Amway Business Operators). I have come to a place of peace with the situation. I know there are others who still struggle (legally and otherwise) with "The Corporation," and I wish them good luck.
I leave this site as an internet memorial to what has happened. I hope it helps someone find truth in their life. I hope it serves as a thorn (albeit small) in Alticore that serves as a mechanism for improvement for them. If they do not improve, then I fear that one of the great American Success stories dies in the second generation (as we see in "The Millionaire Next Door").
I do hope Amway can be a success, although I will not be a part of it. When I learned of the origin of the name (shortened from The American Way), I became rather proud of its heritage. I'm sure Jody Victor, as a son of founders of "The Corporation," feels that pride. I hope this whole issue can help strengthen them.
For me, I have other roads that diverge from theirs. With what I have learned from Team, I am starting a new venture that I have wanted to start since before I had children. I am also moving forward with Mona Vie, and my relationship with my mentor.
I wish you all well. I hope you learn from your struggles (and not just the obvious ones we've discussed here), grow and become better, no matter which company you have decided to invest your future in.
Good luck and farewell.
- Thomas Evan Anthony Morris
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
TEAM: Quixtar Legal Defense Update
Original Source
Quixtar Legal Defense Update
by Orrin Woodward on Sun 16 Mar 2008 10:57 AM EDT
I posted an update on the Quixtar Legal Defense Fund article. I do not receive a penny of support from the Legal Defense Fund and instead have attempted to give liberally to support others under attack. I support the fund to help anyone who is being threatened with litigation by Amway/Quixtar. I can and will support my own legal battles, but believe Quixtar should not threaten others that do not have the means to defend themselves. The Quixtar Legal Defense Fund supports all the people that Quixtar may choose to legally threaten and intimidate. I strongly believe right makes might and it would be a shame to have people back down from the truth because they do not have the means to defend themselves. This is why I posted the original article and am very proud of the response by so many people! Many people have sat out there six months and can now turn a new page in their life. If they are threatened by Amway/Quixtar they will have the security of knowing the Legal Defense Fund will be there for them! I never dreamed by signing people up as "independent" business people that they were placed in harms way and feel I am bound to help in anyway I can. I hope this helps in clarifying the purpose for my post on the Legal Defense Fund. God Bless, Orrin Woodward
Quixtar Legal Defense Update
by Orrin Woodward on Sun 16 Mar 2008 10:57 AM EDT
I posted an update on the Quixtar Legal Defense Fund article. I do not receive a penny of support from the Legal Defense Fund and instead have attempted to give liberally to support others under attack. I support the fund to help anyone who is being threatened with litigation by Amway/Quixtar. I can and will support my own legal battles, but believe Quixtar should not threaten others that do not have the means to defend themselves. The Quixtar Legal Defense Fund supports all the people that Quixtar may choose to legally threaten and intimidate. I strongly believe right makes might and it would be a shame to have people back down from the truth because they do not have the means to defend themselves. This is why I posted the original article and am very proud of the response by so many people! Many people have sat out there six months and can now turn a new page in their life. If they are threatened by Amway/Quixtar they will have the security of knowing the Legal Defense Fund will be there for them! I never dreamed by signing people up as "independent" business people that they were placed in harms way and feel I am bound to help in anyway I can. I hope this helps in clarifying the purpose for my post on the Legal Defense Fund. God Bless, Orrin Woodward
Thursday, March 13, 2008
TEAM: Fixing Quixtar - Amway in North America
Original Source
Fixing Quixtar - Amway in North America
Critics often get criticized for being negative or not offering solutions so I thought I would take some time to offer a (partial) solution for Amway/Quixtar in North America.
Here are what I see as the biggest issues with Quixtar/Amway in North America (not in any order):
1. Outdated Compensation
2. Poor Reputation
3. Lack of Product Focus
4. High Prices
Now for my solution:
1. Break up Amway - Quixtar (North America) into four new Network Marketing companies:
XS Energy
Artistry
Nutrilite
Amway
This actually helps solve three of the four major issues, lack of product focus, reputation and compensation. Each product focused company could come out with an updated compensation plan with a focus on balance and the best reward strategy for the product line.
It is should be no secret that the fastest growing companies in Network Marketing over the last five years have been single product or narrow product line focused (such as weight loss). Narrowing the product focus strips away confusion and allows the unique products to shine.
The reputation will be helped by the renewed focus on products and less focus on the "2-5 year plan".
2. Reduce prices and get PV/BV back to a reasonable level ($3 to 1PV is not reasonable). The PV/BV situation overlaps with compensation but it is also needs to be mentioned with pricing. You can't drop the prices by 30% and then drop the PV/BV associates with the products by 50% and claim to now magically have competitive pricing.
Just get reasonable here. Mercedes has proven that you don't have to be the cheapest to be successful, but there is a line where the average consumer will say: "I don't care how good you say (the product) is, I'm not paying that much for (fill in the blank - Amway Product).
3. Update the compensation plan for the 21st century. Adding $60 million in new bonuses and then making them twice as hard to achieve is not updating the plan. Add some money for the newest growing associate. The IBOAI propaganda is suggesting that Quixtar/Amway now has the best compensation plan in the industry.
Uh, yeah. If I was driving a car from 1959 and claimed that it got better gas mileage than a 2008 hybrid, you would laugh at me. In the same manner, people that understand compensation plans within the industry are laughing at the IBOAI.
Lastly, this breakup would help address the core of the reputation problem by nullifying the power of the IBOAI, who haven't really represented the newest IBO in decades.
March 13, 2008
Fixing Quixtar - Amway in North America
Critics often get criticized for being negative or not offering solutions so I thought I would take some time to offer a (partial) solution for Amway/Quixtar in North America.
Here are what I see as the biggest issues with Quixtar/Amway in North America (not in any order):
1. Outdated Compensation
2. Poor Reputation
3. Lack of Product Focus
4. High Prices
Now for my solution:
1. Break up Amway - Quixtar (North America) into four new Network Marketing companies:
XS Energy
Artistry
Nutrilite
Amway
This actually helps solve three of the four major issues, lack of product focus, reputation and compensation. Each product focused company could come out with an updated compensation plan with a focus on balance and the best reward strategy for the product line.
It is should be no secret that the fastest growing companies in Network Marketing over the last five years have been single product or narrow product line focused (such as weight loss). Narrowing the product focus strips away confusion and allows the unique products to shine.
The reputation will be helped by the renewed focus on products and less focus on the "2-5 year plan".
2. Reduce prices and get PV/BV back to a reasonable level ($3 to 1PV is not reasonable). The PV/BV situation overlaps with compensation but it is also needs to be mentioned with pricing. You can't drop the prices by 30% and then drop the PV/BV associates with the products by 50% and claim to now magically have competitive pricing.
Just get reasonable here. Mercedes has proven that you don't have to be the cheapest to be successful, but there is a line where the average consumer will say: "I don't care how good you say (the product) is, I'm not paying that much for (fill in the blank - Amway Product).
3. Update the compensation plan for the 21st century. Adding $60 million in new bonuses and then making them twice as hard to achieve is not updating the plan. Add some money for the newest growing associate. The IBOAI propaganda is suggesting that Quixtar/Amway now has the best compensation plan in the industry.
Uh, yeah. If I was driving a car from 1959 and claimed that it got better gas mileage than a 2008 hybrid, you would laugh at me. In the same manner, people that understand compensation plans within the industry are laughing at the IBOAI.
Lastly, this breakup would help address the core of the reputation problem by nullifying the power of the IBOAI, who haven't really represented the newest IBO in decades.
March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
TEAM: CALL TO ACTION IN MISSOURI
Original Source
CALL TO ACTION IN MISSOURI
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The IBO Rebellion has received a great deal of e-mail regarding Quixtar's latest game of non-fee renewals in order to further trap IBOs. This is obviously yet another ploy to extend their shameful contract provisions. I received the following email which calls for the beginning of a letter writing campaign. It was suggested that the most effective way to have your voice heard was to both e-mail and snail mail your letter to the representative and follow that up with a telephone call. If you feel compelled to stand up and be counted please do so. Here is the letter I received which was written to all of you.
It’s time to let your voice be heard. Contrary to what Quixtar’s blogger thinks, this is not about spinning stories or spreading rumors. This is now about corporate bullying and an out of control company who is intent on destroying anyone who disagrees with them. They have everyone bound in an arbitration agreement that several Judge’s have declared unconscionable. Yet they continue to use this unfair arbitration agreement to harass, bully and intimidate anyone who tries to voice an opinion.
It’s time for criminal investigations now. There are many elected officials around the country who are aware of some of the unethical actions of Quixtar/Amway. But most of these officials have no idea how many people are being affected by these actions. It’s time to start a letter-writing campaign to make sure elected officials know we are counting on them to take action.
A few places to write are to your personal state legislators, the FTC, the Better Business Bureau and your state’s Attorney General. However, there is now quite a bit of interest in this case moving to a higher level in the state of Missouri. Every letter you write helps to urge officials to move these investigations along at a faster pace.
Make sure you point out that Quixtar claims you would not be allowed to contact your own personal family and friends for any new business venture because Quixtar claims them as their “property” for 2 years after you resign. Point out that it was your connection that led them to Quixtar, not Quixtar that led them to you. Therefore, this restriction of free enterprise should be declared illegal. Make sure you tell them Quixtar's non-compete clause would require you to leave the continent in order to compete. It's shockingly broad language must end.
Make sure you point out if you have had any bonuses withheld, had your resignation delayed (in an attempt to delay the 6 month inactivity clause). Make sure you point out that Quixtar needs to be investigated for knowingly promoting an overpriced illegal pyramid. Make sure you point out the unconscionable arbitration clause which you are currently bound to. Make sure you mention about Quixtar abusing their arbitration agreement to violate our first amendment right to freedom of speech.
To start things off, the first letter needs to be written immediately to:
The Honorable Jim Lembke
MO House of Representatives
201 West Capitol Ave
Room 303A
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: 573-751-2315
Email: Jim.Lembke@house.mo.gov
Anyone in the state of Missouri is urged to write to Mr. Lembke and urge him to help speed up investigations into Quixtar/Amway. If you are in his District, that’s a huge plus. However, as a state representative he represents everyone in the state of Missouri.
All that needs to happen for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Make your voice be heard. Start writing those letters today and tell anyone you know to start writing letters. I will provide you with the next address on Friday.
There you have it folks. The message is clear. Email, snail mail, and follow up telephone call. I will keep you posted with any developments.
CALL TO ACTION IN MISSOURI
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The IBO Rebellion has received a great deal of e-mail regarding Quixtar's latest game of non-fee renewals in order to further trap IBOs. This is obviously yet another ploy to extend their shameful contract provisions. I received the following email which calls for the beginning of a letter writing campaign. It was suggested that the most effective way to have your voice heard was to both e-mail and snail mail your letter to the representative and follow that up with a telephone call. If you feel compelled to stand up and be counted please do so. Here is the letter I received which was written to all of you.
It’s time to let your voice be heard. Contrary to what Quixtar’s blogger thinks, this is not about spinning stories or spreading rumors. This is now about corporate bullying and an out of control company who is intent on destroying anyone who disagrees with them. They have everyone bound in an arbitration agreement that several Judge’s have declared unconscionable. Yet they continue to use this unfair arbitration agreement to harass, bully and intimidate anyone who tries to voice an opinion.
It’s time for criminal investigations now. There are many elected officials around the country who are aware of some of the unethical actions of Quixtar/Amway. But most of these officials have no idea how many people are being affected by these actions. It’s time to start a letter-writing campaign to make sure elected officials know we are counting on them to take action.
A few places to write are to your personal state legislators, the FTC, the Better Business Bureau and your state’s Attorney General. However, there is now quite a bit of interest in this case moving to a higher level in the state of Missouri. Every letter you write helps to urge officials to move these investigations along at a faster pace.
Make sure you point out that Quixtar claims you would not be allowed to contact your own personal family and friends for any new business venture because Quixtar claims them as their “property” for 2 years after you resign. Point out that it was your connection that led them to Quixtar, not Quixtar that led them to you. Therefore, this restriction of free enterprise should be declared illegal. Make sure you tell them Quixtar's non-compete clause would require you to leave the continent in order to compete. It's shockingly broad language must end.
Make sure you point out if you have had any bonuses withheld, had your resignation delayed (in an attempt to delay the 6 month inactivity clause). Make sure you point out that Quixtar needs to be investigated for knowingly promoting an overpriced illegal pyramid. Make sure you point out the unconscionable arbitration clause which you are currently bound to. Make sure you mention about Quixtar abusing their arbitration agreement to violate our first amendment right to freedom of speech.
To start things off, the first letter needs to be written immediately to:
The Honorable Jim Lembke
MO House of Representatives
201 West Capitol Ave
Room 303A
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: 573-751-2315
Email: Jim.Lembke@house.mo.gov
Anyone in the state of Missouri is urged to write to Mr. Lembke and urge him to help speed up investigations into Quixtar/Amway. If you are in his District, that’s a huge plus. However, as a state representative he represents everyone in the state of Missouri.
All that needs to happen for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Make your voice be heard. Start writing those letters today and tell anyone you know to start writing letters. I will provide you with the next address on Friday.
There you have it folks. The message is clear. Email, snail mail, and follow up telephone call. I will keep you posted with any developments.
Monday, March 10, 2008
QUIXTAR: Rumor re IBO Renewals Without Permission
Original Source
Rumor re IBO Renewals Without Permission
March 10, 2008
Frequent blogger Utah shared a rumor apparently appearing on some blogs to the effect that some IBO's businesses were being renewed without their permission.
Utah, we don't know where you are getting your information, but like much of what is currently circulating on certain blogs, this is more fiction than fact. The IBOAI Board (which at the time included some of those now affiliated with TEAM), and the Corporation partnered several years ago to make sure that an IBOs' business was protected against all possible negative actions (accidental or planned). Automatically renewing all Silver Producers and above was the jointly agreed upon solution. There is nothing unusual going on, Utah - sorry you spent time on this one.
Posted at 04:55 PM
Rumor re IBO Renewals Without Permission
March 10, 2008
Frequent blogger Utah shared a rumor apparently appearing on some blogs to the effect that some IBO's businesses were being renewed without their permission.
Utah, we don't know where you are getting your information, but like much of what is currently circulating on certain blogs, this is more fiction than fact. The IBOAI Board (which at the time included some of those now affiliated with TEAM), and the Corporation partnered several years ago to make sure that an IBOs' business was protected against all possible negative actions (accidental or planned). Automatically renewing all Silver Producers and above was the jointly agreed upon solution. There is nothing unusual going on, Utah - sorry you spent time on this one.
Posted at 04:55 PM
QUIXTAR: Orrin Woodward is a "Mis-leader"
Original Source
Mis-leader
March 10th, 2008 @ 1:00 pm ET…
Terminated IBO Orrin Woodward’s recent decision to ask for contributions to his “legal defense fund” was such a low point that we cannot let it pass without comment.
Since his termination for unacceptable business practices last August, Mr. Woodward has done nothing but confirm, repeatedly, our decision to let him go.
We think that any objective person viewing the record would agree that:
He has abused the legal system by filing multiple, frivolous lawsuits that have been dismissed with prejudice.
He has abused business relationships of people he partnered with for more than a decade by repeatedly violating his contract commitments to respect the Line of Sponsorship of others.
He has abused his fiduciary responsibilities to his trade association by inducing others to disgorge confidential information and violate court orders.
Now, true enough: in response to those abuses, we threw him out of the company, the IBOAI threw him out of their boardroom, and judges threw his cases out of court.
So why drag our dispute back out into the light?
Because we believe that Mr. Woodward now is using distortions and untruths to justify bad ethical decisions he made – and attempting to get others to pay for his own ill-conceived lawsuits and mistakes. He is putting his downlines at legal risk without telling them. And he is attempting to raid Quixtar organizations, in further violation of his contract.
We can’t tell people how to react to these behaviors, other than to advise our business owners to contact Rules or Sales immediately if there are approaches made to your groups.
But in the face of a new round of misrepresentations from Mr. Woodward, we can – yet again –set the record straight.
So we will.
Mis-leader, in court
The original dispute: We terminated Mr. Woodward in August 2007 after he repeatedly refused to clean up his abusive business practices. Well before his disciplinary meeting approached, Mr. Woodward had hired a big-ticket law firm and ordered them to draft a federal lawsuit. He then filed that lawsuit within hours of his termination.
Mr. Woodward claims filing a lawsuit accusing us of operating an illegal pyramid was a negotiating tactic, part of a spiritually motivated attempt to reconcile our differences. It would be more accurate to say it was a premeditated attack on our business model, designed to drive every IBO in the US out of business and into the arms of a new venture he was planning.
Mr. Woodward and his legal team then coordinated an astonishing blitz of more than one dozen lawsuits against our company filed across the country. The timing and language of the suits were nearly identical, Mr. Woodward’s associates seemed to know instantly about all of them, and the same attorneys seemed to showed up in case after case.
Mr. Woodward claims the blitz was a spontaneous, grass-roots uprising. How he can say that in the face of all evidence to the contrary is beyond belief. We’re sure his behind-the-scenes communications tell a very different story.
And Mr. Woodward fueled his litigation attack with confidential documents belonging to the IBOAI, a trade association where Mr. Woodward had been a board member. Mr. Woodward’s associates stonewalled court orders to return the documents, which did not belong to them, and which they had sworn – twice! – to keep confidential.
Mr. Woodward claims he had nothing to do with the documents. The fact is, it seems obvious his lawyers used those purloined documents to write their lawsuits. In fact, a judge has now held Woodward associate Billy Florence in contempt of court for violating a court order related to those documents.
The result: Mr. Woodward’s federal lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. Most of the spam lawsuits have been dismissed or evaporated. (And a recent Georgia legal document circulating online was never entered. Therefore it does not carry legal force – a fact Mr. Woodward’s associates, unsurprisingly, failed to point out.) Instead, courts have ordered Mr. Woodward and his associates to abide by their contacts and arbitrate. Mr. Florence has defied a court of law. Mr. Woodward’s strategy of legal harassment and attack is failing, miserably and utterly.
Mr. Woodward is a businessman. He knows what contracts mean and why he signs them. He could have honored his contract, followed the rules that govern moving to a competitive business. But he chose not to play by the rules, chose to initiate this massive legal fight, chose to jeopardize the businesses of thousands of IBOs.
Mr. Woodward could still choose to pay for the fights he picked. To watch him leave his money in the bank – and ask others with less to foot the bill for his poor decisions – well, call it what you want, but just don’t call it “leadership.”
Mis-leader, in the field
And a final thought: When we choose to fight, we choose to fight to protect the businesses that Quixtar and our IBOs have built.
But when Mr. Woodward and his associates encouraged mass resignations from our company, they did so knowing they would devastate the businesses of a number of Quixtar business owners who refused to be bullied into following him.
When Mr. Woodward encouraged those resignations, he knew some those who did follow him would lose income when they left Quixtar, and that he had no way to replace that income for them. But that did not stop him from encouraging those same people to spend hundreds of dollars replacing his lost income at rallies in Louisville and St. Louis.
When Mr. Woodward encouraged people to follow him to a business with “Wal-Mart pricing”… and then instead abruptly threw in his lot with a company that offers only a handful of ultra-premium priced products… he knew he would lose more of the people who followed him once and for all.
And when Mr. Woodward permits forays into our sales groups, seeking to split more people away, he knows that he is encouraging people to break rules and court orders and put themselves at risk. Worse yet, he does so knowing he’s leading people down a path of promises that lead to disappointment.
Mr. Woodward would no doubt find some historical figure to justify his actions.
But we cannot.
Because when we look at Mr. Woodward’s actions over the past six months, all we see is a manipulative person, abusing the principles of values-driven leadership that our business tries to teach. Put plainly, his recent actions are enough to make all of us who care about helping people build businesses more committed than ever to protecting IBOs from this kind of malicious manipulation.
Mis-leader
March 10th, 2008 @ 1:00 pm ET…
Terminated IBO Orrin Woodward’s recent decision to ask for contributions to his “legal defense fund” was such a low point that we cannot let it pass without comment.
Since his termination for unacceptable business practices last August, Mr. Woodward has done nothing but confirm, repeatedly, our decision to let him go.
We think that any objective person viewing the record would agree that:
He has abused the legal system by filing multiple, frivolous lawsuits that have been dismissed with prejudice.
He has abused business relationships of people he partnered with for more than a decade by repeatedly violating his contract commitments to respect the Line of Sponsorship of others.
He has abused his fiduciary responsibilities to his trade association by inducing others to disgorge confidential information and violate court orders.
Now, true enough: in response to those abuses, we threw him out of the company, the IBOAI threw him out of their boardroom, and judges threw his cases out of court.
So why drag our dispute back out into the light?
Because we believe that Mr. Woodward now is using distortions and untruths to justify bad ethical decisions he made – and attempting to get others to pay for his own ill-conceived lawsuits and mistakes. He is putting his downlines at legal risk without telling them. And he is attempting to raid Quixtar organizations, in further violation of his contract.
We can’t tell people how to react to these behaviors, other than to advise our business owners to contact Rules or Sales immediately if there are approaches made to your groups.
But in the face of a new round of misrepresentations from Mr. Woodward, we can – yet again –set the record straight.
So we will.
Mis-leader, in court
The original dispute: We terminated Mr. Woodward in August 2007 after he repeatedly refused to clean up his abusive business practices. Well before his disciplinary meeting approached, Mr. Woodward had hired a big-ticket law firm and ordered them to draft a federal lawsuit. He then filed that lawsuit within hours of his termination.
Mr. Woodward claims filing a lawsuit accusing us of operating an illegal pyramid was a negotiating tactic, part of a spiritually motivated attempt to reconcile our differences. It would be more accurate to say it was a premeditated attack on our business model, designed to drive every IBO in the US out of business and into the arms of a new venture he was planning.
Mr. Woodward and his legal team then coordinated an astonishing blitz of more than one dozen lawsuits against our company filed across the country. The timing and language of the suits were nearly identical, Mr. Woodward’s associates seemed to know instantly about all of them, and the same attorneys seemed to showed up in case after case.
Mr. Woodward claims the blitz was a spontaneous, grass-roots uprising. How he can say that in the face of all evidence to the contrary is beyond belief. We’re sure his behind-the-scenes communications tell a very different story.
And Mr. Woodward fueled his litigation attack with confidential documents belonging to the IBOAI, a trade association where Mr. Woodward had been a board member. Mr. Woodward’s associates stonewalled court orders to return the documents, which did not belong to them, and which they had sworn – twice! – to keep confidential.
Mr. Woodward claims he had nothing to do with the documents. The fact is, it seems obvious his lawyers used those purloined documents to write their lawsuits. In fact, a judge has now held Woodward associate Billy Florence in contempt of court for violating a court order related to those documents.
The result: Mr. Woodward’s federal lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. Most of the spam lawsuits have been dismissed or evaporated. (And a recent Georgia legal document circulating online was never entered. Therefore it does not carry legal force – a fact Mr. Woodward’s associates, unsurprisingly, failed to point out.) Instead, courts have ordered Mr. Woodward and his associates to abide by their contacts and arbitrate. Mr. Florence has defied a court of law. Mr. Woodward’s strategy of legal harassment and attack is failing, miserably and utterly.
Mr. Woodward is a businessman. He knows what contracts mean and why he signs them. He could have honored his contract, followed the rules that govern moving to a competitive business. But he chose not to play by the rules, chose to initiate this massive legal fight, chose to jeopardize the businesses of thousands of IBOs.
Mr. Woodward could still choose to pay for the fights he picked. To watch him leave his money in the bank – and ask others with less to foot the bill for his poor decisions – well, call it what you want, but just don’t call it “leadership.”
Mis-leader, in the field
And a final thought: When we choose to fight, we choose to fight to protect the businesses that Quixtar and our IBOs have built.
But when Mr. Woodward and his associates encouraged mass resignations from our company, they did so knowing they would devastate the businesses of a number of Quixtar business owners who refused to be bullied into following him.
When Mr. Woodward encouraged those resignations, he knew some those who did follow him would lose income when they left Quixtar, and that he had no way to replace that income for them. But that did not stop him from encouraging those same people to spend hundreds of dollars replacing his lost income at rallies in Louisville and St. Louis.
When Mr. Woodward encouraged people to follow him to a business with “Wal-Mart pricing”… and then instead abruptly threw in his lot with a company that offers only a handful of ultra-premium priced products… he knew he would lose more of the people who followed him once and for all.
And when Mr. Woodward permits forays into our sales groups, seeking to split more people away, he knows that he is encouraging people to break rules and court orders and put themselves at risk. Worse yet, he does so knowing he’s leading people down a path of promises that lead to disappointment.
Mr. Woodward would no doubt find some historical figure to justify his actions.
But we cannot.
Because when we look at Mr. Woodward’s actions over the past six months, all we see is a manipulative person, abusing the principles of values-driven leadership that our business tries to teach. Put plainly, his recent actions are enough to make all of us who care about helping people build businesses more committed than ever to protecting IBOs from this kind of malicious manipulation.
TEAM: POSSIBLE INVESTIGATION OF QUIXTAR UNDERWAY IN MISSOURI???
Original Source
POSSIBLE INVESTIGATION OF QUIXTAR UNDERWAY IN MISSOURI???
Monday, March 10, 2008
The IBO Rebellion has just learned that some high-level elected officials in the state of Missouri have become extremely interested in the actions of the Quixtar Legal Department, the selective enforcement of rules, the validity of the arbitration process and the business practices of one former particular long-time IBO Board member.
This could get interesting. Ironically, these issues caught the attention of the state of Missouri before the TEAM situation ever came about. Imagine the impact if the state of Missouri was made aware of just how many people have been affected by the unethical practices of Quixtar?
It’s time for citizens of Missouri to rise up and make your thoughts known to your elected officials. Later this week, the Rebellion will begin posting names and addresses of elected officials in Missouri for your convenience. Elected officials are there to represent the people of their state and actually enjoy getting feedback from citizens. The only way they know there is a problem is for people to write them and let them know. This is your country.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 3:25 AM
POSSIBLE INVESTIGATION OF QUIXTAR UNDERWAY IN MISSOURI???
Monday, March 10, 2008
The IBO Rebellion has just learned that some high-level elected officials in the state of Missouri have become extremely interested in the actions of the Quixtar Legal Department, the selective enforcement of rules, the validity of the arbitration process and the business practices of one former particular long-time IBO Board member.
This could get interesting. Ironically, these issues caught the attention of the state of Missouri before the TEAM situation ever came about. Imagine the impact if the state of Missouri was made aware of just how many people have been affected by the unethical practices of Quixtar?
It’s time for citizens of Missouri to rise up and make your thoughts known to your elected officials. Later this week, the Rebellion will begin posting names and addresses of elected officials in Missouri for your convenience. Elected officials are there to represent the people of their state and actually enjoy getting feedback from citizens. The only way they know there is a problem is for people to write them and let them know. This is your country.
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 3:25 AM
Friday, March 7, 2008
TEAM: DECEIT AND TREACHERY
Original Source
DECEIT AND TREACHERY
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Rebellion has recently obtained a copy of an actual letter written this week by a former Silver who was recently renewed without their consent or permission. Not only that, but they weren’t even notified about this renewal. They happened to randomly attempt to log in to the Quixtar website the other day and much to their surprise, they found out they had been renewed. Then when they called to complain, they were hassled by Ron Mitchell who refused to send them a written letter confirming that they were in fact no longer IBO’s as of their original date of Dec. 31.
Is this the new level Quixtar is stooping too? Are they attempting to delay the 6 month inactivity period for IBO’s? Who ever heard of someone being renewed without their permission with a special ‘non-fee renewal’.
Even more interesting is that this particular couple had made the decision to non-renew with Quixtar without ever having been a part of the Team organization, ever attending a meeting of the Team organization and no one in their downline had ever had any contact with Team in any form whatsoever, or attended any form of a Team meeting.
Copies of this letter have been mailed off to the FTC, the Better Business Bureau of Michigan, the Attorney General for the State of Missouri. Sources also tell me some high-level elected officials in the State of Missouri are now taking an interest in all the activities of the Quixtar Legal Department and their application and unfair enforcement of the Rules of Conduct. More on this later.
Looks like there may also be more to follow on this upline who was given access to names, addresses, and phone numbers in possible violation of a protective court order. Could Quixtar have possibly violated a court order by giving this access? Could this person possibly be opening up a new can of worms for Quixtar in the state of Missouri by making these phone calls? There will definitely be more on this later too.
For now, here’s the letter….
Mr. Steve Lieberman,
It has come to our attention that on 2/29/08 our Quixtar business was renewed without our consent or knowledge. We did not renew nor did we ever have any intention of renewing. Along with the fact that we did not renew, we also sent a registered letter dated 1/18/08 to Quixtar to confirm this fact. In that letter we requested a confirmation that we did not renew and did not want to be associated with Quixtar. Instead of a letter of confirmation, we received an e-mail on 2/4/08 stating because we were silvers you would renew us and "charge our monthly summary" and if we did not respond to this e-mail within 15 days Quixtar would take this to mean we did not wish to renew. Since that was our desire from the beginning, we did not respond. That, however, is not what happened. We were renewed as a "no charge renewal" under restricted status. Exactly who is to benefit from that type of renewal? This is just one example of the lack of business integrity that has been a part of our decision not to renew in the first place.
In an attempt to resolve this matter, we talked with two members of the Quixtar associate staff on 3/3/08 to inquire as to who renewed us without our permission and why, expressly against our wishes. Neither of these associates had the answers to our questions. However, we were informed we would be receiving a call from Ron Mitchell who would have these answers.
On 3/4/08, we received that phone call. It was indeed a very informative phone call. We were told that we were not singled out in any way and that all silvers from this organization were renewed. Mr. Mitchell was either woefully uninformed or intentionally inaccurate with this information. An upline silver is a very close family member of mine and as of 8:00 PM the previous night had not been renewed nor informed of the intention of being renewed. We were also informed that I "caught this before Quixtar had the opportunity to notify" us. We wonder why Quixtar chose to wait until after the event to inform us as opposed to doing so prior to this event. We were also told that "it was Quixtar that renewed" us and no single individual was involved. Ironically, before we were even aware of our renewal, we began receiving phone calls at the rate of one per day starting the day after our forced renewal from an upline whom we have never had any contact with whatsoever. Apparently he was also very "quick to catch". We assure you that given the content of the first phone call, he was not calling to inform us of our newly renewed status. Incidentally, this person had a court order preventing him from contacting us.
Regardless of what the company's intent is or was, it still should have never happened. It was our understanding when we started we were Independent Business Owners. Independent meaning that what we do with our business, at least in part, was our decision not Quixtar's. In our opinion we should have at the very least been contacted before you made the decision to renew us. The decision and responsibility for that decision rests solely with Quixtar and the individual or individuals who initiated it. This is not the type of business mentality or ethics we wish to be associated with. After not renewing, sending a registered letter, and not responding to Quixtar's e-mail there should have been no doubt that we had no intention of renewing our business. We have also demanded a written letter stating our resignation started as of 12/31/07, not just an e-mail. The e-mail we did receive was vague on that point. We want absolutely no doubt that as of 12/31/07 we were no longer a part of the Quixtar organization. We continue to await the written notification delivered by standard mail.
For your information, this letter has been forwarded, by registered mail, in its entirety to the Attorney General of the state of Missouri, the FTC, and the Better Business Bureau of Michigan. I reserve the right to forward this letter to others that may not be named here. We feel it is in our best interest to inform these agencies of how Quixtar had made decisions for us without our consent or knowledge.
Sincerely,
IBOs S & M
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 1:01 AM
DECEIT AND TREACHERY
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Rebellion has recently obtained a copy of an actual letter written this week by a former Silver who was recently renewed without their consent or permission. Not only that, but they weren’t even notified about this renewal. They happened to randomly attempt to log in to the Quixtar website the other day and much to their surprise, they found out they had been renewed. Then when they called to complain, they were hassled by Ron Mitchell who refused to send them a written letter confirming that they were in fact no longer IBO’s as of their original date of Dec. 31.
Is this the new level Quixtar is stooping too? Are they attempting to delay the 6 month inactivity period for IBO’s? Who ever heard of someone being renewed without their permission with a special ‘non-fee renewal’.
Even more interesting is that this particular couple had made the decision to non-renew with Quixtar without ever having been a part of the Team organization, ever attending a meeting of the Team organization and no one in their downline had ever had any contact with Team in any form whatsoever, or attended any form of a Team meeting.
Copies of this letter have been mailed off to the FTC, the Better Business Bureau of Michigan, the Attorney General for the State of Missouri. Sources also tell me some high-level elected officials in the State of Missouri are now taking an interest in all the activities of the Quixtar Legal Department and their application and unfair enforcement of the Rules of Conduct. More on this later.
Looks like there may also be more to follow on this upline who was given access to names, addresses, and phone numbers in possible violation of a protective court order. Could Quixtar have possibly violated a court order by giving this access? Could this person possibly be opening up a new can of worms for Quixtar in the state of Missouri by making these phone calls? There will definitely be more on this later too.
For now, here’s the letter….
Mr. Steve Lieberman,
It has come to our attention that on 2/29/08 our Quixtar business was renewed without our consent or knowledge. We did not renew nor did we ever have any intention of renewing. Along with the fact that we did not renew, we also sent a registered letter dated 1/18/08 to Quixtar to confirm this fact. In that letter we requested a confirmation that we did not renew and did not want to be associated with Quixtar. Instead of a letter of confirmation, we received an e-mail on 2/4/08 stating because we were silvers you would renew us and "charge our monthly summary" and if we did not respond to this e-mail within 15 days Quixtar would take this to mean we did not wish to renew. Since that was our desire from the beginning, we did not respond. That, however, is not what happened. We were renewed as a "no charge renewal" under restricted status. Exactly who is to benefit from that type of renewal? This is just one example of the lack of business integrity that has been a part of our decision not to renew in the first place.
In an attempt to resolve this matter, we talked with two members of the Quixtar associate staff on 3/3/08 to inquire as to who renewed us without our permission and why, expressly against our wishes. Neither of these associates had the answers to our questions. However, we were informed we would be receiving a call from Ron Mitchell who would have these answers.
On 3/4/08, we received that phone call. It was indeed a very informative phone call. We were told that we were not singled out in any way and that all silvers from this organization were renewed. Mr. Mitchell was either woefully uninformed or intentionally inaccurate with this information. An upline silver is a very close family member of mine and as of 8:00 PM the previous night had not been renewed nor informed of the intention of being renewed. We were also informed that I "caught this before Quixtar had the opportunity to notify" us. We wonder why Quixtar chose to wait until after the event to inform us as opposed to doing so prior to this event. We were also told that "it was Quixtar that renewed" us and no single individual was involved. Ironically, before we were even aware of our renewal, we began receiving phone calls at the rate of one per day starting the day after our forced renewal from an upline whom we have never had any contact with whatsoever. Apparently he was also very "quick to catch". We assure you that given the content of the first phone call, he was not calling to inform us of our newly renewed status. Incidentally, this person had a court order preventing him from contacting us.
Regardless of what the company's intent is or was, it still should have never happened. It was our understanding when we started we were Independent Business Owners. Independent meaning that what we do with our business, at least in part, was our decision not Quixtar's. In our opinion we should have at the very least been contacted before you made the decision to renew us. The decision and responsibility for that decision rests solely with Quixtar and the individual or individuals who initiated it. This is not the type of business mentality or ethics we wish to be associated with. After not renewing, sending a registered letter, and not responding to Quixtar's e-mail there should have been no doubt that we had no intention of renewing our business. We have also demanded a written letter stating our resignation started as of 12/31/07, not just an e-mail. The e-mail we did receive was vague on that point. We want absolutely no doubt that as of 12/31/07 we were no longer a part of the Quixtar organization. We continue to await the written notification delivered by standard mail.
For your information, this letter has been forwarded, by registered mail, in its entirety to the Attorney General of the state of Missouri, the FTC, and the Better Business Bureau of Michigan. I reserve the right to forward this letter to others that may not be named here. We feel it is in our best interest to inform these agencies of how Quixtar had made decisions for us without our consent or knowledge.
Sincerely,
IBOs S & M
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 1:01 AM
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
TEAM: THINGS PEACHY FOR IBOs IN GEORGIA
Original Source
THINGS PEACHY FOR IBOs IN GEORGIA
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
BREAKING NEWS OUT OF GEORGIA
Quixtar was dealt another blow in Georgia. In the Superior Court of White County, the Honorable Chief Judge David E. Barrett ruled that the non-competition clause of Quixtar's contract was "invalid" and will not be subject to any arbitration.
Quixtar's non-compete agreement is ridiculously broad. Here is how it reads:
6.5.4. Every IBO agrees not to Compete, directly
or indirectly, with the business of the Corporation
in the U.S., Canada, and all offshore markets
operating under the Quixtar Independent Business
Owner Compensation Plan during the six-month
period following (a) the voluntary or involuntary
resignation, non-renewal, or termination of that
IBO’s independent business, or (b) any violation by
the IBO of this Subsection 6.5.4., whichever is later.
In response to this IBOs Todd Campbell and Dwayne Turner both sued Quixtar for relief from this slavish clause. In Judge Barrett's opinion signed March 2nd, 2008 he stated:
The scope of geographic coverage of the Rules takes one's breath away.
This is yet another blow to Quixtar and their desire to hide in arbitration. Judge Barrett's remarks were a direct criticism concerning the absurdity of the geographic boundaries of the clause itself. One would need to move to Europe or some a remote island in the Caribbean to escape this globe covering clause. Effectively this clause was considered so unfair that the court decided that it was unenforceable and refused to let it even enter the arena of arbitration. This decision comes on the heals of the Morrison v. Amway case in which a judge overturned an arbitrators award of $6 million dollars on the grounds that the arbitration process was so unfair it was unenforceable. I am not completely clear as to the next step in this process as this ruling is a Interlocutory Injunction. Still, each and every one of these decisions further erodes Quixtar's legal position.
Click here to read the Courts Decision
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 8:44 PM
THINGS PEACHY FOR IBOs IN GEORGIA
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
BREAKING NEWS OUT OF GEORGIA
Quixtar was dealt another blow in Georgia. In the Superior Court of White County, the Honorable Chief Judge David E. Barrett ruled that the non-competition clause of Quixtar's contract was "invalid" and will not be subject to any arbitration.
Quixtar's non-compete agreement is ridiculously broad. Here is how it reads:
6.5.4. Every IBO agrees not to Compete, directly
or indirectly, with the business of the Corporation
in the U.S., Canada, and all offshore markets
operating under the Quixtar Independent Business
Owner Compensation Plan during the six-month
period following (a) the voluntary or involuntary
resignation, non-renewal, or termination of that
IBO’s independent business, or (b) any violation by
the IBO of this Subsection 6.5.4., whichever is later.
In response to this IBOs Todd Campbell and Dwayne Turner both sued Quixtar for relief from this slavish clause. In Judge Barrett's opinion signed March 2nd, 2008 he stated:
The scope of geographic coverage of the Rules takes one's breath away.
This is yet another blow to Quixtar and their desire to hide in arbitration. Judge Barrett's remarks were a direct criticism concerning the absurdity of the geographic boundaries of the clause itself. One would need to move to Europe or some a remote island in the Caribbean to escape this globe covering clause. Effectively this clause was considered so unfair that the court decided that it was unenforceable and refused to let it even enter the arena of arbitration. This decision comes on the heals of the Morrison v. Amway case in which a judge overturned an arbitrators award of $6 million dollars on the grounds that the arbitration process was so unfair it was unenforceable. I am not completely clear as to the next step in this process as this ruling is a Interlocutory Injunction. Still, each and every one of these decisions further erodes Quixtar's legal position.
Click here to read the Courts Decision
Posted by The IBO Rebellion at 8:44 PM
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Comparing Traffic: Quixtar vs. Mona Vie™
Here is a live updating graph of Mona Vie™'s website versus Quixtar. The graph shows how much traffic has risen (or fallen) in the last 6 months. This will be an interesting graph to watch over the next few months.
Here is a static image at the time of the post:
Here is a static image at the time of the post:
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