Comment Number: 522418-00983
Received: 6/5/2006 8:06:14 PM
Organization:
Commenter: Phyllis Young
State: HI
Subject: Business Opportunity Rule
Title: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
CFR Citation: 16 CFR Part 437
No Attachments

Comments:

Dear People, Although I appreciate the Government trying to protect its people, I believe that the present tenets of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking are impractical and unfair. I do not think that this Rule should put the onus of responsibility on each inidividual with extreme acts of disclosure. I believe that the Government should continue to investigate multi-marketing companies for those that are unlawful. But to put a 7 day disclosure into place before a member can sign up is not realistic in the real world. What is more important is to give the consumer the right to return products that he has purchased within a reasonable limited time frame. The thought of the paperwork that this ruling would entail is scary, not to mention about the trees needed for all this extra paperwork! I have been a member of Nature's Sunshine for about 10 years. In the beginning, I became a member to purchase herbs at a discount cost--herbs that I needed right then and there for my health crisis. With your proposed regulation, I would have had two choices--pay full price as a customer or wait 7 days to purchase as a member and at member costs. Neither are a good choice! Your point about requiring whether there are law suits against each company is unfair if it does not distinguish between winning and losing lawsuits. In Hawaii where I live, it is impractical to find 10 nearest distributors. This ruling also raises privacy issues due to ID theft and safety. ID theft is a crime that increases in huge numbers each day. We don't need to have a ruling that gives thieves more opportunities. I very much appreciate FTC's Goals in trying to give protection against the fraudulent groups out there, but the FTC's proposed rule would unfairly target legitimate direct selling businesses. When I signed on as a member of NSP, it was purely to receive products as a customer at discounted prices. What I received from Natures Sunshine Products was an introduction to learning about properties of herbs and to learn about how my body functions. I learned what should be taught to every American person--how to take care of the body that God has given me and not to abuse it. As a result, I have regained my health. Empowered with a new understanding of how taking multiple rounds of antibiotics had crippled my immune system, I am able to share this with others and help them to regain their health. I have also learned about ways to prevent sickness and to promote wellness for myself and others. Over time, I became a Manager with very little effort. The extra income and the money that I have saved purchasing my own products has been a big help. Because of this extra income, I am able to give away products to friends who are in need to help them with their health imbalances but can't afford the products. If your Regulation had been in place, I would have been deterred from ever joining Nature's Sunshine Products. That would have been a huge loss in my life. Please don't take away our freedom to choose to use alternative herbs and vitamins in place of pharmaceutical drugs--each of which has a huge price of affecting our bodies in the long run. I often think of a Rheumatologist that I saw in my younger years. He diagnosed me with Rheumatoid Arthritis of the jaw. He went to great length to tell me all the foods that I can never again eat. He explained that his wife had this same problem. The difference was that I was proactive in finding help outside the alopathic medical system. I got well. His poor wife probably never did!  Personal Story -Years selling products -How selling products contributes to your family finances -How selling products has helped you develop as a person (confidence, interpersonal skills, etc.) Your name Business name, if available Street address City, State Zip Phone number, optional Email address, optional