| Comment Number: | 522418-10891 |
| Received: | 7/16/2006 11:42:57 PM |
| Organization: | Quixtar and Markerman Productions |
| Commenter: | DONALD & DEBORAH CRETEN |
| State: | NY |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
We've been Independant Business Owners (IBO) with Quixtar for 6 months and we also joined an organization called Markerman.com. With the combination of these organizations and the compensation plan offered by Quixtar, we made our initial investment of $280 back in 3 months! We were shown the complete plan and encouraged to ask any questions we wanted. Everything was answered without hesitation and with complete honesty! We've met alot of interesting people we wouldn't normally have and have made some good friends in the process. Both Quixtar and Markerman stress complete honesty when showing the business opportunity. We use brochures to show the plan so everyone gets the same information on how the business works and how the compensation plan works. We do stress the fact that it is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme! We work very hard to try and get prospects to let us show them the opportunity Quixtar and Markerman represent. In doing so, we usually generate alot of excitement and some prospects can't wait to get started in the business so they can begin to generate income. Imposing a waiting period would be like throwing them in a cold bath! It serves no useful purpose, especially since we have a money back guarentee (on the business AND the products!) Instead of requiring us to wait 7 days before we register a new prospect an alternative might be imposing a 7 day period in which they must be given a refund for registration and products/services they haven't used, if they change their minds. For many of the same reasons stated above, giving a prospect a list of 10 IBO's 7 days prior to them registering is a killer for my business. Again, the 7 day refund rule would be beneficial. There are alot of IBO's in my area showing the business, and if each was to give out my name and number to PROSPECTS, I could consieveably get phone calls 24 hours a day! It's an invasion of my privacy and my life in genereal, along with anyone else listed on the reference sheet! IF they join our team, I have no problem with them getting in touch with me to help them with the business. I'm an INDEPENDENT Business Owner. What do I know of Quixtar's prior legal problems (if any!) and how would I even gain access to any other IBO's legal problems concerning this business? Isn't that what the Better Business Bureau is all about? If a prospect wanted that kind of information, there is always the library or the internet! Requiring me to make that information available for the past 10 years is just too much for an IBO. Quixtar has simple to understand income disclosures printed on their information packets. It lists the average monthly gross income for "active" IBO's. There is also a section that states what percentage of IBO's make it to certain levels of income. Requiring anything more would be overkill but, that amount of information should be standard with all business of this type. We make income claims when showing the opportunity but state they are achieveable with hard work and effort. They are more like goals that can be achieved with that work and effort instead of "pie in the sky" claims. I tell prospects of my success simply stating that I made my initial investment back within 3 months. Noone needs to know exactly how much money I make at this business and having to show a prospect is an invasion of my pricacy! I beleive the proposed rules, as stated, would place undue hardships on myself and other IBO's and be an invasion of our privacy. I'm just getting started in the business and would like the chance to make some money at it. If your rules go into effect, I'm afraid it will take away the opportunity I now have to do that. Besides being an IBO, I'm also a consumer and was at one time a prospect. I took it upon myself to check out the business opportunity. It was easy, a few keystrokes on the computer! I got excited and joined. I'm making a few bucks. Don't take that away!