| Comment Number: | 522418-11741 |
| Received: | 7/17/2006 3:00:30 PM |
| Organization: | Buccigrossi and Associates |
| Commenter: | Mike Buccigrossi |
| State: | PA |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
I am an Independent Business Owner affiliated with Quixtar. My experience with the company has been extremely positive. I feel that the proposed legislation will be ineffective at deterring scam artists and non-legitimate business opportunity sellers, while hindering honest, professional business people from expanding legitimate business opportunities, especially Quixtar. In response to reading the propsed legislation, I have to ask 2 fundamental questions, "Why is it assumed that a criminal will comply with any new laws pertaining to disclosure in the 1st place, and how would these laws be enforced? I recognize that consumer fraud in the "business opportunity" industry is a problem, and because it exists, I am always dealing with the ongoing task of legitimizing, defending and educating others about the business opportunity that I believe so much in. For this reason, I am strongly in favor of anything that can be done to minimze business opportunity scams, as well as hindering dishonest people from taking advantage of people even within a legitimate business model. The problem cannot be solved through legislation/regulation affecting what happens at the point of sale because if the buyer is uneducated, and the seller is a criminal, what is going to stop the transaction from taking place and the consumer being ripped off? The solution is to create more barriers of entry into the direct selling/business opportunity industy by enacting legislation that will require certain qualifications be met by new companies wishing to offer business opportunities in the marketplace. Another focal point needs to be in the area of consumer education. Direct consumers to companies like Quixtar and other good, legitimate businesses who have proven themselves over the years. Highlighting what makes us different, so that people can form a basis for comparison, is much better than throwing us in the pack of scams and schemes by putting us under the same laws that only further regulate the type of honest business practices that we are already do willingly.