| Comment Number: | 522418-09603 |
| Received: | 7/14/2006 7:54:05 PM |
| Organization: | Quixtar Independent Business Owner |
| Commenter: | Jeffrey Smith |
| State: | IA |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
The proposed rules for (multi-level) business opportunities are inappropriate because: The proposed seven (7) day waiting period is too long. Quixtar offers a full 180-day money-back guarantee to prospects if they are not satisfied with the business opportunity or the products. I, myself, give people information to look over so they can make an intelligent, informed decision. I tell them that if the opportunity is good today, it's good next week or next year. I never pressure them to join. The second proposal, to give a list of references, is ludicrous. Besides, it is a total and complete invasion of privacy. I do not want my name, address, phone number, or e-mail address given out to complete strangers. By the way, what is your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address? And then, could I post it on the Internet? I doubt you wouId want your personal information given out, so I would hope you would now realize that this rule is ridiculous. The third proposal: to give prospects a list of all lawsuits involving business owners and the company is also ridiculous. What brand of car did you last purchase? Did you ask the salesperson for a list of lawsuits against the manufacturer and against the dealership? Every major corporation has had numerous lawsuits against them, legitimate or not. That information is readily available at any Better Business Bureau and all 50 attorneys general's offices. Disclosure of income claims: Not necessary. Quixtar already has a disclaimer: The average monthly gross income of an active Quixtar Independent Business Owner is $115 per month. (It also goes on to define what an active Business Owner is.) It is prominently displayed on all materials relating to the compensation plan. I do not feel that it is the prospect's business how much I earn from my Quixtar business. Did you, when interviewing for your present job, ask your prospective employer how much he (or she) makes? If you did, he would have thrown you out of his office on the spot. It simply is none of the prospect's business how much I or any other business owner makes. By the way, why don't you show me your tax returns for the past ten years? I will post them on the Internet, along with all your other personal information. Get the point? There are dishonest people in this business, as well as any other business, and especially the government. These regulations will just bog down an already over-regulated industry. When wrongdoing is discovered, it needs to be handled appropriately on a case-by case basis which it is now. Quixtar has Rules of Conduct and a Code of Ethics that must be adhered to at all times. If it is not, there is a process that is followed, up to and including termination. The vast majority of us, including myself, run our businesses in compliance with the rules at all times. These proposed FTC regulations are ridiculous and need to be discarded immediately. When I got into this business, I knew that it was going to take a lot of work to earn money and that it was not going to be get-rich-quick. Anybody that gets into this business and thinks they can be earning $100,000 a year within a year or two is an idiot. These regulations will not make those idiots any smarter. All they will do is hinder us honest ones from building a profitable business.