Return of Amway

A few years ago Amway did a massive restructuring, and launched an online e-commerce presence called Quixtar. At the time, you found most Amway reps started to talk about Quixtar and burying the Amway name as if it didn't exist.

To my surprise, not only is Amway coming back, but they're bringing back the usual litigious stance that earned them an awful reputation as a corporate citizen.

Direct-marketing firm Quixtar Inc., a sister company of Amway Corp., has sued 30 people who anonymously posted what it considers disparaging remarks about Quixtar in blogs and online forums and in YouTube.com videos.

In the lawsuit filed this past week in Ottawa County Circuit Court, Quixtar seeks an injunction and damages of more than $25,000 against the posters, identified only as John Does.

Lawsuits against Amway, and brought by Amway against its critics are nothing new, although the concept of Quixtar suing people had seemingly vanished to some extent. It is disappointing to see them resurrecting the Amway name, and returning at the same time to the tactics of old.

Alticor, a $6.3 billion company based in Ada, Mich., announced in June that it will start phasing out the Quixtar name and rebuilding its Amway brand in the U.S. and Canada.

As the old saying goes - "A leopard cannot change its spots"