Comment Number: 522418-06103
Received: 7/5/2006 1:28:04 PM
Organization:
Commenter: Deborah Peterson
State: FL
Subject: Business Opportunity Rule
Title: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
CFR Citation: 16 CFR Part 437
No Attachments

Comments:

Dear Sirs: I'm writing this letter due to concern over the proposed Business Opportunity Rule R511993. I believe that, in its present form, it could prevent me from contined success in my small business. I'm a distributor for a nutruitional company called Xango. I've been a distributor for over a year; I love this product because of the health benefits I've received. I'm working hard to create a small business for myself and family, as are thousands of others. Working from home has allowed me to spend more time with family than my two previous careers, and is much less stressful. This business will soon take over as my full time and only income. Small businesses are the backbone of this country and the economy. I'm concerned that his Proposal will destroy mine and hundreds of thousands of others' small businesses. I belive you must think this is a good idea to make these changes and you believe you're trying to protect us. Perhaps whoever developed these ideas didn't think them through thoroughly from the perspective of hundreds of thousands of American small business owners, let alone the international ones who will be affected negatively as well. Some of the sections in the Rule would make it hard or impossible for us to sell our product or build our businesses. The 7 day waiting period gives the public the perception that there's something wrong with us and our business and would cast us in a bad light. I am a professional and value my reputation and standing in the community and feel I deserve to be treated accordingly. This waiting period is unnecessary, because Xango already has a 100% buyback policy. This restriction isn't imposed on other businesses Americans frequent such as Discount Warehouses or the purchase of cars, televisions, or appliances; why should they have to be treated like children who don't know what's good for them and wait 7 days to spend $35 on an enrollment/membership in a company or buy some product if they wish to? This makes us legitmate business owners look like scam artists that the public should be afraid of. We are decent, hard working, tax paying, law abiding citizens -- not criminals. Finally, the Rule requires disclosure of at least 10 prior purchasers nearest to the prospective purchaser. While I'm happy to provide references, this is frightening and an invasion of privacy. I market a health product and shouldn't have to tell strangers the names of anyone else nearby who's taking it. Do drug stores have to share this information with their customers who buy their prescriptions from them? No, they don't. And, we wouldn't want them to. This Proposal lacks common sense. Can you imagine how much increase there would be in identity theft if we have to give out personal information to strangers? What role does privacy play here? Who is going to regulate and police all this? The scammers who are out there will not be stopped by this Rule. Please don't make rules that greatly hinder legitimate business owners who serve others yet pave the way for shysters to circumvent the system. Please don't make our jobs harder and more difficult to make an honest living. I don't understand who is pushing this legislation and what is to be gained. I can't imagine what they were thinking when coming up with these rules. Please stop them and help us citizens and business people go about our business and be treated with the same respect as other business owners. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for acting on my behalf. Sincerely, Deborah Peterson