| Comment Number: | 522418-00969 |
| Received: | 6/5/2006 7:48:26 PM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Arkady Vladimirsky |
| State: | TX |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
Dear Sir or Madam, I am deeply concerned that if proposed Business Opportunity Rule R511993 is adopted in its present form, my livelihood will be significantly undermined. The excessive governmental interference in the free enterprise process always strikes fear in the hearts of Americans. FTC needs to be aware of the dangers of ill considered action. The public is not well served by the FTC's overregulation of an industry that is causing absolutely no harm and more than adequately polices itself by remedying any and all complaints by members of the public. I work with several direct-selling companies, and all of them comply with all applicable buy back requirements and always make it easy for individuals to exit the Company, if the business opportunity is not right for them. While the FTC needs to protect the public where necessary, this proposed rule is hopelessly overbroad and misguided. The seven-day waiting period is unnecessary and will interfere with my ability to enter into lawful transactions and enroll new distributors. People buy TV's, cars, and other much more costly items without such a waiting period (the telemarketers force consumers to buy their products without giving them even a minute to think, and it is completely legal!?) The proposed waiting period will give the impression that something is wrong with the plan. And, the burdensome paperwork, which will not even be read by the public, makes it extremely difficult for the individual participant to fully comply, thereby risking fines and other penalties for such failures, however innocent. By these actions, the FTC does a disservice to the consuming public and Americans everywhere who are trying to get ahead by starting their own business, or earning necessary supplemental income to help support their family. While I appreciate the work of the FTC in protecting consumers, I believe this proposed new rule has many unintended consequences that could be avoided by a less burdensome approach. I think that FTC would do much better service to American consumers by protecting our privacy from intrusive telemarketers that poison our lives and steal our time, and by banning collecting and selling personal information of any individual without his/her explicit written concent. If you are really interested in helping American consumers and need more input in this matter, feel free to contact me and I will share with you more of my ideas and concerns. Thank you for your time in considering my comments. Sincerely yours,