Saturday, January 3, 2009

Amway Cult Youth Initiate's Deaths Possibly Related to Sleep Deprivation


Recently four aspiring Amway Global youthful initiates of the business cult were killed on a dangerous Indiana Toll Road. They had traveled to a convention for Amway cult members and were returning home. Tragically, they went left of center across the median and were struck head on by a large truck and tragically killed. For more background information on this tragedy, click here.

In speaking with Phil Ellenbecker, who lost his own daughter, Mallinda Lillian Turvey, in another accident that could have been avoided, the Janesville, Wisconsin Traveling Sales Crew Tragedy. Phil reminded me that other factors could have been involved in the Amway Youth's accident in addition to road conditions; he was of course referring to the possibility that some form of impairment made the accident more likely to have occurred. Being familiar with how Amway conventions (rallies) operate, the possibility that sleep deprivation (routinely practiced by the cult) could have contributed to the Indiana Toll Road Tragedy.

Since the 1999 Janesville Traveling Sales Crew Tragedy, which took seven lives and badly injured five others, there have been a significant number of other traveling initiates to one scheme or another killed on the road. Mr. Ellenbecker has taken it upon himself to document for all time the increasing death toll, not only of automobile accidents, but of folks who have been victimized in one form or another by door to door sales agents; murders are not uncommon.
At the heart of the issue is the fact that all of these youths, whether traveling sales crew agents or Amway Global cult initiates, are considered 'independents'. This becomes a very convenient circumstance for the corrupt companies that these youths claim to represent: Amway, and all the fly by night businesses that send college youths out onto the road selling magazine subscriptions, Bibles and any number of household goods.

Significantly, Amway Global/Quixtar misrepresents itself as another of these door to door direct sales businesses, although they actually operate somewhat differently than true door to door salesmen. They do, however log much time behind the wheel of a vehicle, not only attending conferences, but late night travels to or from recruitment meetings, open meetings, and 'nuts and bolts' gatherings. I have expounded upon how Amway cultists are basically victimized by the folk who they believe they are in business with. Not only do they go out on the road and represent their Amway/Quixtar affair and themselves as a success, they commit the crime of fraud.

The 'independent' relationship that the traveling sales crews and the Amway believers have formed with their companies have served to protect the executive scoundrels at the heart of the bad affair from legal responsibilities that an employee/employer relationship would entail. Companies like Southwestern Company, based in Nashville, Tennessee, Kirby, and Amway, benefit from the fact that if any of their 'independents' commit crime, they--the company--are insulated by the 'mind numbing' legalistic fine print in the contract absolving them of responsibility.

Malinda's Law, a proposed law in the state of Wisconsin (along with other similar proposed state legislation elsewhere) would seek to make it difficult for companies like Kirby, Southwestern, Amway, and the many other fly by night magazine sellers, to avoid responsibility for the actions of their non-employee salespeople. Door to door sellers--including Amway--would no longer be able to disavowal the tragedies and crimes wrought by their 'independent' representatives. After all, it is these corrupt companies that benefit monetarily by what amounts to the representative's scamming, all of which is done on a grand scale! The law would also seek to prevent many corrupt traveling sales crew practices--like the retention of pay to the end of the summer sales season, abandonment by the roadside of poor sellers, and even horrific situation where poor performers are forced to fight others for the right to sleep in a real bed after a hard day of knocking on doors.

Horrific stories abound in the traveling sales crew business. Please be a supporter of legislation that would stop corrupt companies, including Amway Global, from continuing to maintain their 'independent' farce and thereby exonerate themselves from the frauds that their cult initiates commit. I am reminded that the Green River killer was an Amway salesman. Amway and all these other fly by night magazine sellers would be required by new legislation to perform back ground checks on their representatives, and they no longer would be exempt from responsibility for the horrific crimes some of their present 'independents' commit against the dignity of citizens of these United States. Amway is a perversion of the American Way. They operate a World Cult. Their adherent's are victims of what British author David Brear describes as a 'closed market swindle'. At some point these victims become active participants in the Amway crime.

The Direct Selling Association, along with Southwestern company have actively sought to prevent Malinda's Law from being enacted. For this reason, I have to single out folks like Amy Robinson for their continued opposition of this important Wisconsin legislation. Phil Ellenbecker is continuing to add names to a tragic death toll that keeps rising.

The Janesville Tragedy didn't have to happen, and neither did the New Carlisle, Indiana Tragedy. The blood of these youthful initiates is laid at the feet of Amy Robinson and the Direct Selling Association, all to their significant shame!

For more information, please follow the following links:

Dedicated Memorial

Traveling Sales Crews

From Parent Watch:

Grim Tour on Magazine Crews

Mag Crew

7 comments:

Unknown said...

To blame a company because a person murdered another person seems irresponsible. For example: Remember the game dungeons and dragons. Some youths killed and committed suicide and because of the anguish of the loved ones left behind, the game was blamed. Even as a distributor, I agree that great care and training need to be done for all potential and existing representatives. Ultimately though this is YOUR business and amway/quixtar is just your supplier. A good distributor screens their prospects thoroughly before inviting them to become an independent distributor. If you would like to GET ALL THE FACTS then please contact me.

Thank You

Anonymous said...

This seems lke a tenuous conclusion to come to, coupled with an even more tenuous link to magazine sales crews. These poor schmucks might not have gotten enough sleep (with nothing to substantiate that claim present), and that might have had something to do with the crash. The crash Phil Ellenbecker's daughter was involved in had nothing to do with this except for the fact that it was a crash involving salespeople, but hey, a crash is a crash and salespeople are salespeople, and tying it to something else gets you more hits. Should I send you links to articles where Best Buy employees get into car crashes as well? After all, they're salespeople too?

As acts of journalism go, even by internet journalism's admittedly low standards, this is pretty weak. I hate Amway as much as the next guy, but stick to what you know, maintain your integrity by maintaining your focus - Amway.

quixtarisacult said...

Jones, I notice you make some rather 'tape-speak' like statements which prompt me to say you are operating under some severe cult like mental aberrations.

Possibly you screened out Gary Ridgeway--for starts?

For facts, I've provided a email that Phil Ellenbecker provided. Why build a new road, when Phil has already built one marking out the horrors of the door knocking industries some of which end up as crosses by the highway.

You hide behind a myth my friend. The myth that you are an 'independent contractor' and you own your own con of a business! This is very convenient for Amway, right? It lets you go out and prey on the others with a closed market swindle while your independent status allows the dirty world cult swindlers, Amway, to blame any of your wrong doing on you. Their lawyers wouldn't want it any other way, right? It insulates them from responsibility for your crimes--intent to defraud, and lying misrepresentation of certain truths; massive consumer fraud.

You mention murders, this post is arguably about a unfortunate automobile accident. More significantly, you make the following exact statement:

'...this is YOUR business and amway/quixtar is just your supplier. ...'

How wonderful. I will have to ask world renown Amway critic, Joecool, if he has ever heard this delusional classic Amway logic hogwash before?

I am sharing an informational email that Phil Ellenbecker provided. You said "GET ALL THE FACTS" did you not? Please see what Phil is documenting about corruption in the industry you significantly are most likely involved in yourself, if not directly, indirectly; after all, fraud is fraud, and intent to defraud is fraud; sorry Jones, I don't think I want to keep up with anyone as obviously deluded as you.

*******************

To whom it may concern,

I would like to provide you with more information on Kirby, the Direct Selling Association, and 'traveling sales crews.'

Southwestern and the DSA:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/southwestern%20company.html

Southwestern and the DSA lobbying against a bill in Wisconsin to protect kids and homeowners
from the crimes committed by traveling sales crews:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/wisconsin%20legislation%202007.html

Kirby: a brief chronology of crimes:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/kirby%20vacuum%20crime%20research%20%20021908.htm
Traveling sales crews:
Specific to door to door magazine and cleaner sales:
Wanted Page:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/wanted.html

Traveling sales crews:
Specific to door to door magazine and cleaner sales:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/door%20to%20door%20sales%20profiles.html

Featured Articles:
Houston Press:
What Mainstream Publishers Don't Want You to Know About Door-to-Door Magazine Sales:
http://houstonpress.com/2008-07-17/news/what-mainstream-publishers-don-t-want-you-to-know-about-door-to-door-magazine-sales/1
New York Times:
For Youths, a Grim Tour on Magazine Crews:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/us/21magcrew.html?ex=1329714000&en=be91678aaac7038d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

New York Times:
Life on a magazine crew - Video
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=cc441f37425c1403e086b3f96ab5c21bf296dc36

Our battle to protect homeowners and children from the door to door sales industry is mainly focused
on the National Field Selling Association: www.nfsa.com the trade group for most of the magazine and cleaner door to door
sales companies, and the Magazine Publishers of America: http://www.magazine.org the trade group for most of the
magazine publishers in this country. Extreme crime and exploitation of children, young adults, and homeowners is occurring in this immoral
and corrupt industry.

The NFSA and the MPA are separate trade groups and not associated with the DSA.
However, the DSA, Kirby and Southwestern have now taken up arms against us and
legislation in the state of Wisconsin that was created to protect Wisconsin kids and homeowners
from crimes associated with the door to door sales industry.

Thank you for your article and your time.

Sincerely,
Phil Ellenbecker
Director
Dedicated Memorial Parents Group
www.travelingsalescrews.info
www.dedicatedmemorial.org

*********************

For more information please visit Quixtar Cult Intervention

**********************

Anonymous...

I rather doubt that any of these other generally legit businesses practice sleep deprivation to the extent that these Amway scammers practice it?

All these youthful supposed door knockers were all involved in crime possibly unknowingly at first, but their pursuits were and are criminal intent to defraud.

The Amway scammers by representing themselves and Amway as a success--an absolute intent to defraud consumers; all done in wide scale consumer fraud. The other traveling sales crew people are also engaging in their particular frauds and schemes as well. Why maintain the myth that all these supposedly disparate folks are any how any different?

It's good to know that you hate Amway. Are you really sure about that?

msawyer said...

I came from a soap crew and I was abused by most of the staff and the owners too. Its really hard to find some place to go when you give your life to these people. I had no clue that for the first year I would be stuck selling this junk. They treated me good at first. and then when my mom ended up in the hospital thats when I saw there true colors. They would extort me and threaten me. you guys that dont have a clue what this is about are foolish and blined. these companies trap,brain wash and threaten. They take your pay that you earned so you cant go any where .Then you feel lost and homeless , so you end up going back to them so you have some place to go. Its Sad and I will help to get all door to door sales companies to be gone, they are thr devils.

quixtarisacult said...

msawyer...Thank you for your comment. You are indeed my witness and the reason Phil has gone to such great effort to make document and archine the ever increasing toll. Some legislation gives a glimmer of hope that Malinda's law might be passed far and wide. A pipe dream maybe, but to those brave enough to speak out, like you, Phil's efforts are ratchetted up one notch.

darkdevilmessiah said...

The fact is that all these sales crews are nothing but bad news. I worked for one for 2 days and I had to cut my contract with them because in my opinion I didn't like how my reactions were by other people.

Its bad enough that people don't think the companies who employ these crew members are responsible when in fact it really is. There should be laws everywhere that would hinder these unlawful practices. The fact the FBI isn't doing much because it's a "State Issue" and not a Federal one. When it means transporting crews of young adults like myself in Virginia to Delaware for 2 days of work is in fact a federal issue.

Now, I am going to focus my problems with these companies employing these affiliated crews: all of them should shut down their practice of having people under contract. Independent contractors don't travel in groups, lodge in the same hotels, and sale the same items/goods. The last time I checked most independent contractors are hired on the basis of making one event, job, etc. to make money. The contract should only state one place to work around with not 50+ places.

Now the vans they drive these people around with are usually out of state with dings everywhere. If you want something to be scared about is the driving habits of these people. I wouldn't have a doubt in my mind that half of the people employed in the management field ever had a license to drive in the State they practice in showing that they know the laws in one state. And the driver that took me to that dingy hotel was sleep deprived and looked like a loser to boot too.

Anonymous said...

You give no account of how you were threatened. This needs to be explained, thoroughly. My mother in law says she is being verbally abused if her husband disagrees with her (this usually accompanies her already being in a rather foul mood prior to their discussion). I'd be encouraged to hear what your definition of being threatened applies to...