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August 19, 2006
IBOs Must Sign BSMAA
By QBlog in Arbitration
What is the Quixtar BSMAA? Well, it's an arbitration agreement (pdf) that all IBOs must sign before buying (or selling) any motivational or training materials. That means an IBO who decides to purchase tools from a Quixtar Line of Affiliation must first sign an arbitration agreement that has been described as "fundamentally unfair."
But if that same IBO wanted to buy a Zig Ziglar training pack or attend a Tony Robbins seminar, guess what he is required to sign. Absolutely nothing.
So What?
Why should IBOs be worry about signing the BSMAA? Well, a better question to ask is why an IBO is required to sign anything just to listen to some CDs or attend a motivational rally? Doesn't that seem like a bit of overkill, especially considering some of the concerns expressed about the agreement?
At least one anonymous IBO has an answer to that question — "There is no requirement by Quixtar to sign the BSMAA to buy tools. If someone wants you to sign it before they'll sell you stuff, that's up to them."
However, if I call up Quixtar and ask if I need to sign the BSMAA I'm told that yes, I need to sign it even if I just want to purchase products.
The Conversation
I recently called Quixtar Customer Support to inquire about the BSMAA. What follows is the audio of that phone call which was slightly modified to boost the Support woman's voice and to remove her name. The audio is less than three minutes long and I've transcribed it for those who'd rather read than listen.
» Conversation with Quixtar about the BSMAA (1.4 MB mp3 file)
Conversation Transcript
Customer Support: Quixtar customer support, (name withheld) speaking, how may I help you?
Me: Hi, yes I had a question about signing up for Quixtar.
Customer Support: Ok, I'll try to answer that for you.
Me: Ok. Do I need to sign a uh... it's called a business support materials agreement?
Customer Support: Yes.
Me: I do?
Customer Support: Yes.
Me: Ok. Where can I get one of those?
Customer Support: Should have been in the kit. Let's see if that's even available online. Business materials. Did you already receive the packet? The information packet? Some literature?
Me: Yes, I've received that. I don't have it with me.
Customer Support: Ok. Yeah, it should have been in there. Let me see if that's available online.
Me: I just want to buy products. I didn't really need to sign... I mean do I have to sign it to just buy stuff?
Customer Support: Yeah, it's part of the... part of the plan.
Me: Oh.
Customer Support: But yeah, you can download that from the Quixtar site.
Me: Can I do that from work?
Customer Support: Uh huh. You go to the Quixtar site you go to the build and manage my business and then under resources which is going to be on the right hand side it will have business support materials. And once you click that on in the middle of the page will be business forms. And when you click that on it will say the Business Support Arbitration Agreement. It's an SA-2033.
Me: What is that number?
Customer Support: SA-2033.
Me: SA-2033.
Customer Support: Uh huh.
Me: Ok. Thank you.
Customer Support: Thanks for calling.
Me: Bye-bye.
Customer Support: Bye-bye.
So, if you read the BSMAA or call Quixtar it's pretty clear that IBOs must sign the BSMAA. It's not optional. But why? Is it to give the Quixtar leaders the legal latitude to do what was done to Bruce Anderson or Eric Scheibeler? Or is there some other reason that I'm unable to comprehend? Because I'll be honest, I see no reason to sign an arbitration agreement if I want to be trained or motivated. I never have and never will. Why would you?
Comments
Well that should put the lie to any continued belief I'm some corporate plant then :-)
Even if you do not sign the BSMAA, the corporation can still take you to arbitration. You agree to arbitrate all disputes with the Corp. by agreeing to their terms in the sign up contract to be an IBO.
Except the BSMAA contract has nothing to do with the arbitration of disuputes with the corp. It's about a disputes between IBOs and third parties.
insider, I don't think you're a corporate plant, I think you're a
donkey's butt.
Intersting that I have not seen any IBOs answer this:
I see no reason to sign an arbitration agreement if I want to be trained or motivated. I never have and never will. Why would you?
Simple. Because we were led to believe that building the business was a good idea and that signing it was a necessary part of getting started.
I'll hasten to add that I never said that my reason was a good one - simply one that appears to be true.
In reality, there seems to be no GOOD reason to sign it. But since when does "reality" and "Quixtar" appear in the same sentence? (oops!)
There does appear to be a reason that, for a few, would be a good one. That would be a legal one.
PW
We were told that our upline would not sell us tools if we didn't sign it, and since "no one has ever made it without the system" (so we were told)it was a simple case of, if we wanted to make it, we signed the paper so we could buy the tools so we could 'make it.'
Dumb, looking back on it now, but made sense so long as you were 'sold out to the system.'
From the Quixtar Compendium -
BSMAA (Business Support
Materials Arbitration Agreement)
An agreement that lets IBOs choose to apply the same arbitration procedures used with Quixtar business disputes to disputes involving BSMrelated issues, provided the disputing parties have signed a BSMAA. The BSMAA (SA-2033) is
offered to IBOs when they register; it is also available online.
What part of the word "choose" am I misunderstanding?
insider, tell it to Quixtar customer service rep. And Quixtar. They say you HAVE to.
insider, tell it to Quixtar customer service rep. And Quixtar. They say you HAVE to.
What a misleading chain of information. If all you want to do is buy product - there is no need to "sign up" as an independent business owner. If you want to build a business you had better get the information you need to do so. Go to a Tony Robbins seminar you will spend thousands of dollars. Build a business and you have a chance to make $$. Do not intend to spend any more time "talking" - going out to make $$. Time is $$ -- looks like you guys are losing by the minute.
Gee...
I could never hope to become the money loser you are, Bev.
Guess I'll just to have to settle for being free.
Our excitable friend Tex, over on my site The Truth About Amway and Quixtar, has confirmed with Quixtar my interpretation of the BSMAA regulations - you don't have to sign it. You can read his post on the forums here. I've still got someone trying to get something in writing to "officially" confirm it. I have however had to change my understanding of the current interpretation of the 70% rule and have made an update on my site about that.
I'll let you know when I get something in writing.
Well I don't want to be too critical of Eric here, since he did call Quixtar and ask.But ....
MYTH BUSTED
I am an IBO, legally you do not have to sign the agreement. Yes, if you call the number they will tell you to sign the agreement as to cover there own backs. It is up to you as the 'independent business owner' to determine which materials you will need. I know, I am still sifting through which materials are that important. You can buy the forms once an IBO without signing the form.
Those, ethically correct people, in the company making a lot money I could see encouraging the BSMAA form. Had you not signed the form and didn't make any money you could go after them.
Honestly, most of this business can be done online. You probably spend about $50 every 6 months on average and if you are not willing to spend at least that then I would have to question if you are really in business at all.
Ask any business person you know and ask them how much they must spend on there business. I'll bet dollars vs anything that they spend more than $100 a year.
I am a Quixtar IBO. I was not asked to sign any type of form nor was i even aware of any forms until i was looking at this site. I think that was just an operator covering there part of the conversation incase it was used for training purposes. I signed up for $55 bucks. I stoped going to the local health food store and now im buying the same stuff that i was buying from quixtar. No forms signed. nothing. Its not a bad gig , im also not trying to get rich off of this neither do i tell to many people that i am even a member ,unless they ask.
Can any IBO in the USA answer this question: how much product does one need to sell just to cover the annual fee and the sign up fee, nothing else? Thanks for any accurate answers.
So if the tools business is seperate from quixtar, why would you need to sign that document?
Posted by: Joecool18 | August 19, 2006 8:49 AM