| Comment Number: | 522418-09755 |
| Received: | 7/15/2006 2:35:58 AM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Paul Lane |
| State: | AZ |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
July 14, 2006 FTC, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 (Annex W) 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington DC 20580 Re: Business Opportunity Rule R511993 To All Parties of Influence, This letter is in regards to the proposed Business Opportunity Rule R511993. I would like to explain why I feel this proposed rule would cause an unnecessary hardship on my wife and me, and on every other person trying to run a legitimate Home Based Business, as well as the Companies we represent. There are many good, honest companies who choose to operate as a Direct Selling Business. They supply good products and a legitimate business opportunity to many people like me. I’m a retired telephone man and my wife is an Administrative Assistant who is still working because my pension and social security don’t provide enough money for us to keep ahead of the cost of living. We found the XanGo™ Business Opportunity and became Independent Distributors of their great product. Now, I can see the need for you folks to try to do something to stop the people who are running unethical and in some cases illegal businesses. I applaud your efforts in that and would support you whole heartedly if I didn’t feel very strongly this rule will not stop the unethical and illegal business people. They will just lie and deceive their victims the same way they are now. They have no respect for the law or the people they are deceiving. They just do their dirty work and move on before they get caught. However this rule would greatly impact my business. The proposed waiting period could cause the people I talk to about my product and my business opportunity to think there is something wrong. When in fact XanGo™ offers a 100%, 30 day money back guarantee, I don’t see the need for a 7 day waiting period. The total cost of starting a XanGo™ business is $35.00. I recently had to buy a new car, a somewhat higher cost than $35.00; there was no 7 day waiting period and no 100%, 30 day money back guarantee. In fact when I drove it off the lot it was mine, if I suddenly decided I didn’t want it I would have taken a significant loss, if they took it back at all. Another point I noticed in the proposed rule is the added paper work. I see this as a real challenge when trying to talk to a new prospective business partner who is already working 40+ hours a week and trying to spent a little time with their family, that the new business he/she is considering has a lot of paper work. The part of the rule that requires me to provide the names and numbers of 10 recent purchasers of my product I see as a real deal breaker. If I knew in advance of my purchasing something that my name, phone number and my email address was going to be given out I really doubt I would buy in the first place. I am also really very sure that the people who are running scams are not going to give real names and numbers out and if somebody doe answer the call it will be a plant. This requirement seems to be totally wrong in the light of the identity theft problem that is running out of control at this time. This rule will seriously impair if not totally wipe out the legitimate direct selling industry in the United States which I’m sure you are aware is a multi-billion dollar industry and a major part of our national economy. As I stated earlier my wife and I are in this business to earn the extra money we need to stay ahead of the cost of living. When my wife retires in a couple of years we will be living on a fixed income with the problem being the cost of living is not fixed, it just keeps going up. We are building this business so we won’t end up a burden to the state or our kids. We want to be self- sufficient in our later years and not have to depend on anyone. I agree something needs to be done to help the victims of unethical people, but I ask you to rethink this proposed rule and let us continue to provide for our future. Sincerely, Paul and Jan Lane