What I wanted to do was to make a comparison. I started as an IBO in 1997. I was never able to get a group going, and due to the challenges of the old distribution model, let my membership lapse after moving too far away from my direct to deal with getting product. I never blamed Amway for my lack of success, nor do I now. I did, however get negative feedback whenever I showed the plan due to the name. I recently worked for another company that had a similer problem, Sprint. I was hired by Nextel about 6 months before they merged with Sprint, and found myself washed along with the tide. Durring the merge process, they had to decide what name to use for the new company. Many of us wanted them to use the Nextel name because it carried with it the reputation for value and quality, but they chose Sprint because it had greater name recognition. The problem was that, like Amwy, that recognition was a bad reputation. Since that descision, Sprint has closed hundereds of stores and let go around 10,000 employees as they continue to lose money. Amway is in for a similer fate f they do not change. The only difference is that with Sprint, I had the choice of quitting and going to work for a company that is succeeding. With Amway, I was locked in by an obscure clause that I never knew existed until I wanted out. Nik