Comment Number: 522418-04198
Received: 6/25/2006 1:30:07 PM
Organization: Independent Consultant for Party Lite Gifts, Inc.
Commenter: Kerri Strow
State: MA
Subject: Business Opportunity Rule
Title: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
CFR Citation: 16 CFR Part 437
No Attachments

Comments:

I feel that these rules that are being proposed are unreasonable. For any company who is part of the Direct Sellers Association as Party Lite and other home based businesses are, anyone who is interested would be able to contact the DSA and receive impartial reports about the company that they are considering. By requiring 10 references you are asking already busy people to give out personal information and to take time out from their families and businesses in order to talk to these people who are searching. Also, we do get our leaders involved when we have perspective consultants and they are able to ask any questions they have at that point and they are given our leaders phone number in case they have more questions. Furthermore, I feel the 7 day waiting period would discourage a lot of people from enjoying the benefits of being their own boss and working around their families schedules. I have been enjoying the benefits of my business for 1 1/2 years now and it has benefited my family. I feel that if I had had to wait 7 days after my business launching to actually start working, it would have been discouraging. When an individual decides to join a Direct Selling company like Party Lite, they are given detailed information about the business. It is common knowledge who our parent company is and where we have come from. Also, when a company has been around for 33 years, it's reputation speaks for itself. When you decide to go into the work place, once you are hired and make the decision to join that company, you start working right away not 7 days later. After that it is your choice whether you stay or not. If you find that the company is unscrupulous in its practices you have the right to quit and to report them to the correct agencies just as anyone who is thinking of a Direct Selling Company has the same rights. One of the many benefits is that you start making money right away and that is one of the biggest reasons that people join Direct Selling Companies. I feel that it is the responsibility of the individuals to investigate a company through reputable resources before making their own educated decisions. If they find unscrupulous practices going on then it is their responsibility to report it to the DSA and any other organization that handles complaints of that nature. To put unreasonable restrictions on all the companies just because a few are not practicing fair business practices is unjust. We already have laws in place to protect the individuals and the companies and I feel that these new measures being talked about are extreme and unneccasary. In closing, I feel that you will be hurting the Direct Sellers market by implementing these new rules. You will be discouraging people from working for themselves and being home for their families and making extra income which can make a difference between living in poverty and being able to pay their bills every month. We already have a big enough problem with the parents not being home because both have to work. With this kind of system unless they are single parents, usually one parent is able to stay home while the other parent works and usually only for a couple of hours! I feel that it is a great way to get Mothers back at home to be there for the children!