Did you know that when you enter in a business you are required to follow there rules? You are also entitled to all information listed below BEFORE you enter into a business agreement.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/ruleroad.shtmLAWS ENFORCED BY THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Listed here are some FTC laws about specific marketing practices and the promotion of
products and services in specific industries. For copies of the rules
and commentaries relevant to your Internet enterprise, contact:
Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC
20580; toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357); TDD: 1-866-653-4261. Or
visit the FTC at www.ftc.gov.
Business Opportunities
The Franchise and Business Opportunity
Rule requires franchise and business opportunity sellers to give
consumers a detailed disclosure document at least 10 days before the
consumer pays any money or legally commits to a purchase. The document
must include:
- the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of other purchasers;
- a fully-audited financial statement of the seller;
- the background and experience of the business's key executives;
- the cost of starting and maintaining the business; and
- the responsibilities of the seller and purchaser once the purchase is made.
In addition, companies that make earnings representations must give
consumers the written basis for their claims, including the number and
percentage of owners who have done at least as well as claimed.
See Franchising and Business Opportunity Ventures.
Multi-level marketing (MLM)
MLM - also known as "network" or "matrix" marketing
- is a way of selling goods and services through distributors. These
plans typically promise that people who sign up as distributors will
get commissions two ways - on their own sales and on the sales their
recruits have made.
Pyramid schemes
- a form of multi-level marketing - involve paying commissions to
distributors only for recruiting new distributors. Pyramid schemes are
illegal in most states because the plans inevitably collapse when no
new distributors can be recruited. When a plan collapses, most people -
except those at the top of the pyramid - lose their money.
MLMs should pay commissions for the retail sales of goods or services,
not for recruiting new distributors. MLMs that involve the sale of
business opportunities or franchises, as defined by the Franchise Rule,
must comply with the Rule's requirements about disclosing the number
and percentage of existing franchisees who have achieved the claimed
results, as well as cautionary language.
See Franchising and Business Opportunity Ventures.
Credit and Financial Issues
The Truth in Lending Act requires
creditors who deal with consumers to disclose information in writing
about finance charges and related aspects of credit transactions,
including finance charges expressed as an annual percentage rate. In
addition, the Act establishes a three-day right of rescission in
certain transactions involving the establishment of a security interest
in the consumer's principal dwelling (with certain exclusions, such as
interests taken in connection with the purchase or initial construction
of a dwelling). The Act also establishes certain requirements for
advertisers of credit terms.
See Truth in Lending Act.
The Fair Credit Billing Act is important if you are a creditor
billing customers for goods or services. The Act requires you to
acknowledge consumer billing complaints promptly in writing and to
investigate billing errors. The Act prohibits creditors from taking
actions that adversely affect the consumer's credit standing until the
investigation is completed, and affords other consumer protections
during disputes. The Act also requires that creditors promptly post
payments to the consumer's account, and either refund overpayments or
credit them to the consumer's account.
See The Fair Credit Billing Act.