| Comment Number: | 522418-02074 |
| Received: | 6/14/2006 12:18:42 AM |
| Organization: | PartyLite Gifts, Inc |
| Commenter: | Amber Ivy |
| State: | OR |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
To: The Federal Trade Commission Regarding: Changes to the Direct Selling Association rules of conduct. My name is Amber Ivy and I have been with PartyLite as a Consultant for almost 6 years. I am concerned about two FTC rule changes that could potentially harm my home business. My 1st concern is about the seven-day waiting period that would be imposed upon the potential new Consultants joining our team. It takes an act of courage to step outside of your comfort zone and try a direct sales business. Standing in front of a group, meeting new people for the first time, and trying a business that the mainstream regards as a hobby or worse is difficult enough. Waiting an additional week, the whole time anticipating a speech in front of your first crowd, can cause a person to decide against a potential life- changing career! I know first hand because I was one of those scared newcomers. I plunged in and am now more confident in myself, I am comfortable in new settings, and I can speak in front of a crowd of people without fear. I train and encourage others to take the challenge of learning by doing! Those skills are a free gift to society from direct sales companies like PartyLite. It would cost thousands of dollars if everything I've learned from PartyLite were taken as college courses in a traditional learning environment! My 2nd concern is about requiring 10 references to be given to each prospective new Consultant. I answer to over 60 teammates and would be overwhelmed with the extra burden of talking to all the prospective Consultants who are signing up every day. My personal business would suffer, as my time would be taken up talking to total strangers instead of taking care of my customers and team. This new rule would also cause some very nasty relationship issues. It would be very easy for myself or another seasoned Consultant to sweet talk the prospective Consultant into signing up with our team instead of the person they originally met. We work so well together now and this new rule would ruin our commitment to: Respect and Trust each other, Wanting For and not From each other, that is part of our PartyLite Cultures and Values statement. I am extremely supportive of the FTC's vigilance in taking down companies that have no regard for their Customers or the Consultants that work for them. Please take into consideration the above comments and rework or rethink what would be detrimental to legitimate companies, such as PartyLite Gifts, Inc. Sincerely, Amber Ivy PartyLite Consultant