| Comment Number: | 522418-00310 |
| Received: | 6/1/2006 2:19:42 PM |
| Organization: | Shaklee Corporation Independent Distributor |
| Commenter: | Margaret Landrum |
| State: | IN |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
Re: Business Opportunity Rule, R511993 I am strongly opposed to the proposed Business Opportunity Rule R511993. Although I certainly feel there may be a need to regulate renegade companies who simply take the money of prospective business builders and offer no real opportunity to earn, my own company will suffer greatly if this legislation is enacted. I have been a Shaklee Distributor for more than 25 years. I joined as a distributor initially to acquire a discount on my purchases, as do most people who are looking at Shaklee. I developed a respect for the product line over time and chose to market it. The seven-day waiting period proposed will make it difficult for those who sign an application under these circumstances. When they sign an application with Shaklee, they are entitled to buy products at a discount and/or build a distributorship with the company for only $19.95. This sum is considerably less than the amount spent by the public for almost any purchase, let alone an opportunity to develop an income through the sale of credible products. Requiring a disclosure of at least 10 prior purchasers nearest to the prospect would also make my business much more encumbered with both time and “busy-work”. Surely, there would be other ways to protect innocent seekers rather than exposing our current customers/builders to this invasion of their privacy. We are proud of the integrity of Shaklee and have nothing to hide in terms of litigation, unfair practices, etc. It would seem that lawsuits that were ruled against a company might be information that would be applicable to a prospect, but any suit at all would be ridiculous considering the current legal climate. Over the years I have developed a nice income from the sale of these products. Your proposed regulation would certainly make my business more difficult to operate and could cripple my ability to earn the income I have come to depend upon. Thank you for considering my comments. I trust you will work as hard to protect the legitimate companies as you do to protect the consumer from illegitimate companies. Sincerely, Margaret E. Landrum Shaklee Distributor