Business Franchise

Many of our nations 400,000 franchisees run their businesses out of their homes and therefore their home addresses and phone numbers are listed in the Unifrom Franchsie Offering Circulars, attachments. Uniform Franchise Circulars, UFOC, are for franchise buyers and they explain the investment involved. It is required by law that they be given out to potential buyers in advance of any sale by 10 business days. How can a franchisor be assured that someone sending an email or filling out a form is a real entity? Most franchise sales people see email addresses all the time that do not match the names they are purporting on the forms. They are suspect.

Are franchisors to call the FBI every time they send a UFOC to an anonymous person who gives me a quick email that says Hi, I am interested in your franchise for washing aircraft out at the airport in Tampa, Florida with the name of Abdul, Hamid, Abdallah, Rahman, Mohammad? Well, you are never going to believe the Federal Trade Commission who over seas franchising and what their answer was to that question? In their latest adoption of new franchise disclosure law after being enlightened to this fact was; YES, yes in fact they do wish us to send out a UFOC to these folks. The UFOC contains specific information and personal data of each franchise ownership along with phone number and name, thus making many small business franchise owners who operate out of their homes quite nervous. They are not the only ones who should be nervous, we must also think of America as many of these small business owners have company vehicles, which could be used in an international terrorist attack. Vehicles like mobile spray rigs, re-fueling units, lawn company sprays and carpet cleaning units with special spray units inside.

Many franchisors can show you emails of such names on online inquiry forms? If they have to send these people or fictitious people out a UFOC as per the new franchise FTC disclosure rule, they are risking the lives of their franchisees, brand names and American Citizens. I thought it was the governments number one job as outlined in the Constitution, to protect her citizens. Apparently the political correctness has so infiltrated the FTC that they believe it is okay to put American lives in jeopardy? What do you think?

By Lance Winslow