Truth About Amway

Is the real "truth about Amway" that "Insider", site owner of "The Truth About Amway" that he is actually a professional Reputation Manager? If so where would we find out more information about these services - does this evidence leave IBOFightback exposed?
This question has been asked by many over the years.

Massive News for those familiar with the history of deceitful Amway business practices, We have some startling new facts about David Steadson AKA IBOFightback / IBOFB / Insider / Insider201283 / Icerat who runs the pro Amway site "The Truth About Amway". For years many have suspected him to be paid by Amway for public relations efforts and positive reporting. Finally he has been found to intend to offer such services to direct marketing corporations as a service provider of professional public relations image management and we have proof by his own admission below!

Talk about "selling your soul" for the almighty dollar.

For those who are not aware of David Steadson, he's known to go to any lengths to make his point. Accused by many of lying and spinning the truth on several other high profile Amway sites, it now appears he may in fact offer his spindoctor services for a living. He is the only vocal pro-Amway person on the internet we know of. He runs at least 20 (we found 23+) sites dedicated to attempting to improve the public image of Amway, Network 21 and Multi Level Marketing schemes in general. Unlike most information sites on the subject his have a positive slanted point of view, not in balance with the majority opinion that these companies do in reality suck.

What do we know about his role as a distributor? Details are shady and confusing, his answers on the matter are often vague and appear to contradict.
In one source from November 2008 it was claimed IBOFB was not building an Amway business and was "last fully active in 1999" and "this business" was "handed over to his ex-wife". We found reported that a "David Steadson" had a 100 PV business in Australia in 2008. On the Amway Australia website data reported IBO number 6195154 David Steadson from QLD Australia qualified for the minimum bonus level in 2008!
How does this contradiction occur? "I've operated 6 different and separate Amway businesses" IBOFB says.
Why would anyone operate that many Amway businesses? Cause for suspicion.
On Dec 17, 2009 he stated "I currently have three" when asked about his many Amway businesses.
That is not even more than a year and a half ago, yet last night we were informed of this interesting claim by Insider made only the other day "More than a decade ago I actively built an Amway distributorship, I have not done so for many years and that business was transferred to my former wife. Like many other people I continue to maintain a membership primarily for the purpose of getting Amway products" It seems the "truth about Amway" and David Steadson changes whenever it suits him? These conflicts and lack of clarity only hurt your credibility.

Some of the propaganda sites linked to him include:
http://www.amway.com/nedami
http://www.thetruthaboutamway.com / www.thetruthaboutquixtar.com / ttaa.biz
http://www.amwaywatch.com/
http://mlmliberal.blogspot.com/
http://amwaynorthamerica.blogspot.com/
http://quixtarbusinessreview.blogspot.com/
http://quixtatic.blogspot.com/
http://amwaylatin.blogspot.com/
http://www.amwaywiki.com/
http://amwayaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.amwaytalk.com
http://amwayeurope.blogspot.com/
http://www.amwaywatch.com/
http://amquixvideo.blogspot.com/
http://ibofightback.vox.com/
http://ibofightback.livejournal.com/
http://www.amwaypricecomparisons.com
http://www.mlmfacts.net
http://www.nedami.com - Network 21 promo site
http://www.youtube.com/user/insider201283 Copyright issues?
http://twitter.com/#!/ibofb

and these are just the ones we found with a few minutes research, there are possibly many more.
Is the name a slip up anyway, "Insider", a reference to working from the inside of the company, not just an IBO? Or perhaps a reference to the movie about the real life situation of big tobacco companies, law suits, cover-ups and public relations gone mad?

Why would you, and what would motivate someone to run so many sites dedicated to one cause? Running a hobby site or 2 is way more effort dedicated than most people would want to waste time on, 20 is beyond obsession, more like profession. His rants on Wikipedia are enough for a part time job in themselves. I don't have the time nor inclination to read and dissect his over 2000 contributions efforts, mostly on Amway, Network 21 and MLM related articles under the alias Insider201283, but the truth is obvious to any half intelligent person that reads any of his edits.

It has long been reported on other sites sly tactics are used a lot on Wikipedia and on David's sites and other people's. Weasel words and examples like not even mentioning the phrase "pyramid scheme" when referencing the recent court case against Amway for alleged fraud, racketeering and operating an illegal pyramid scheme. Yet media outlets are using such phrases in their headlines and throughout the articles to discuss the matter, but why not David? This gives the impression to be an attempt to spin and distort the truth. Smart people can filter out cheap trickery and whitewashing, however it may work on a certain demographic, such as those less intelligent, more desperate in life people that pyramid schemes seem to attract that are not by nature critical thinkers but more like easily led sheep.

There seems to be a couple of minor efforts to keep him in check, but I think most people have better things to do with their time than sit on Wikipedia and makes hundreds and thousands of edits childishly arguing the rules to the same extent and a few other people on there do. Whatever the case, that is one sad excuse for a life.

So is there smoking gun evidence to backup these claims that David Steadson is paid to promote such companies, and trawl the internet all day attempting to fix their image?

There is circumstantial evidence, as mentioned by others in the past, made obvious in his own posts, and little things like Amway/Network 21 removing other people's videos due to copyright claims, yet allowing "Insider201283" to post all of these official Amway videos (and who do you think gives him these videos in the first place?), but this is not proof, only circumstancial evidence and just further raises suspicion.

Our attention was recently directed to these mysterious sites discovered:

www.tribetalk.net
www.tribetech.net

Registered to one: David Steadson

Phone Contact: +46.732536211 Email: david@steadson.com

From these sites:
"Reputation management in the Internet Age"
"TribeTech provides professional internet community development, monitoring, reputation research and crisis response services"
"Whether you like it or not, you and your company are being discussed on the Internet. With our unique cross-discipline experience in internet technologies, public relations, social media, and marketing we can help you build a positive brand presence on the internet, and in the marketplace.
• THREAT ANALYSIS
• CRISIS RESPONSE
• SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
• MARKET RESEARCH
• COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
• SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
• REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
• STRATEGIC INFLUENCE"

Funny, isn't that the description of exactly what he is already doing for Amway with his websites, even if "hobby" level? That many sites pushing a positive Amway point of view by definition surely must be "reputation management" even if you wern't being paid cash. The content on those public relations service websites is clear admission and evidence he runs a website with a public relations reputation manager theme, they content boasts "experience" in the field, and implies they had intentions to enable his effort and services to be bought to fix companies public relations / reputation.

When you're already dedicating enough effort to your tonne of Amway sites, way beyond what we would call a hobby level, arguing on the internet, doing legal document research and constantly corresponding with official Amway employees, enough to easily be a part time (if not full time) job, where do you get time to run your reputation management / propaganda business? Everyone we've read on the matter, on what we deem neutral independent Amway blogs and websites have long been making accusations he does this for the direct marketing companies he mentions. At first glance this would seem to be the obvious conclusion, but apart from suspicions there was never any hard proof apart from his posts - that are not at all trustworthy. People on other sites have for years been taking stabs at disproving what they feel are lies and his credibility (and attempting to report his honest level in the Amway business), and most of us know not to trust a word of what he says ever, especially when he disguises his warped views and opinion with an undeserved authoritative tone.
Now it might make perfect sense that some part of the Amway organisation could be paying Mr Steadson, and if you ask us, the fact he has a site offering his services for these exact accusations is pretty damning though inconclusive, but the public relations service sites he operates are an admission to the extent he is willing to go and the experience he has already.

So, if it were true, who would pay the money to Mr Steadson for his efforts, is it Amway Global, Network 21, Jim Dornan, Alticor or perhaps some obscure shady Delaware corporation? It is doubtful he will ever come clean and admit who pays him for his reputation management services no matter who (if anyone) it was, but if I had to guess my money would be on the IBOAI, or some other general Multi Level Marketing association or other Amway front group.
Just another tick in the box for these merchants of deception.
To be clear, that should not be taken as a claim of fact we are inferring any of these groups pay for such services. There is no proof we know of to say who if anyone has ever paid Mr Steadson, but people will naturally draw conclusions based on his own statements and history.

Another piece of the puzzle has been put in place about his credibility, not that he had any credibility online with us and many others in the know to begin with, as you can see by Googling some of his many aliases.

Operating these businesses, and working in other IT fields as reported on his other sites is proof enough that the Amway system is a failure. After more than 10 years being in Amway he obviously is not living on an island paradise, but we get the impression he is in fact working at least one JOB or at least worked in several jobs whilst in Amway, constantly busy, and divorced? Not really the picture of a successful Amway person is it? Can you believe this guy through all his online efforts is essentially the public face of, and self proclaimed expert on Amway?
It is almost impossible to know the truth about the claims people have made, even if one day it was irrefutably proven Amway was not paying David Steadson and for arguments sake let's just imagine he had no vested interest, was earning no commissions from Amway, and honestly was just doing it for the love of the company, success or not. At best, he comes off as a zealot with questionable motives, and a bit mad. What sane person would champion Amway so fiercely, and waste so much time with all those websites, trying to fix their tattered image as a complete business scam for tools, supporting someone who is considered a pyramid scheme and a scam by many normal people? We could never do such a thing, we have too much integrity and think you'd have to be not quite right in the head to be living such a lie when we know the truth about these companies. Who would put up with such a man?
With enough MLM dedicated sites and tasks to potentially be more work than a full time job. Spending thousands of hours hyping up Amway and Network 21 would be enough to drive anyone away.

Let's suppose everything he said were true and he was just legitimately sticking up for Multi Level Marketing scam groups (though only selectively for obvious reasons), this still would equate to a tragic excuse for a life.

Now, the other far fetched hypothesis that even if Mr Steadson came out and admitted he was on the payroll as a paid representative or employee of Amway (even if it was technically disguised as a 3rd party consultant or other covert tactic), is he not doing such a poor job, accused by many of spreading lies, stretching the truth, and giving a biased representation of the truth that people can see through the marketing hype? When your stories, research and opinions you present as gospel seem so biased, do not seem at all genuine, why would Amway pay (or even allow for free) anyone to stuff up their reputation so badly. Isn't he doing a lot more harm than good, which is hilariously ironic if they are paying for such poor service. Don't assume he is a paid shill, consider it a possibility perhaps as you would for anyone, but do assume he honestly is not paid by Amway to promote them, to be fair he adamantly expresses this to be true, and may well be. If you consider this does this just make him seem illogical and fit the definition of insanity? What sane person would run 23+ sites dedicated to a company normal people hate or feel is a scam? It seems extreme, and over the top, and definitely not quite right, whatever the motives, love or money.

Many others have made logical conclusions and accused him of being a paid shill. I think the far more interesting conclusion is that he is not paid to promote, but rather he genuinely actually believes every word of what he states as fact, even though he knows so much about Amway, all the court cases and satanic claims etc etc, he choses to support it!
Reminds me of how often women in a domestic violence cases use the line "No, he doesn't mean it, he loves me", but others see something completely different.
Especially when it has been proven time and time again their products are expensive and the business model flawed. The person who should know the flaws most is someone who runs an unhealthy amount of themed Amway websites, yet through thick and thin supports it.

Very special thanks to those who wrote in and helped provide research and Wikipedia references, I can't use it all unfortunately. We've had a surprising spike in feedback lately, and we appreciate it all, from the poorly typed insults and rebuttals from scammers, spammers and brainwashed idiots, to the cries for help from those family members who feel their loved ones have been suckered in, and of course all the helpful feedback and support.