Month: September 2009

The great Amway debate continues. Also read:
IS AMWAY A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY?
WILL AMWAY MAKE YOU ANNOYING?
steve howarth writes:

So the cycle of deception perpetuates itself ad nauseum. Amway is, lets face it guys…effing SATANIC.
How many decades of deluded hopefuls have been chewed up and spat out by this systemic, geared deception? “…Check Upline??? My arse!
Keep your OWN COUNCIL. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN FAMILIES.And, while you are at it GET A LIFE!. Amway is a latter day diabolic/infernal/global manifestation.
If you doubt me, just ask yourselves how much are you GETTING OUT OF THIS in the HERE AND NOW?
I am, of […]

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Also read: Is The UPS Store a Good Franchise Opportunity?

Owners call the UPS Store Franchise “Indentured Servitude,” and “A Nightmare”
Most of the comments we receive on The UPS Store franchise opportunity are negative.  Some are from disgruntled franchisees who regret their decision and/or contend that the business model is flawed;  others are commenting on the status of one of the many lawsuits launched against the franchisor and its parent..
However, on 2009/09/19 at 12:38pm PrestonF contends that his The UPS Store franchise is so successful he and his partners are planning to expand with more locations.  PrestonF writes:
I have owned […]

Post from: Franchise Pick

Sometimes the experience of owning a franchise doesn’t exactly match what’s shown on the franchise sales video.
Be forewarned that whenever you own a business that deals with the public it’s only a matter of time before you enter BizarroWorld.
On Unhappy Franchisee recently, a customer accused Curves franchisee Robert Lay of calling “YELLING at a visiting member calling her a f***ing b. She had to have been 55-60!.”
Robert Lay responded with his side of the story, and his encounter with the visiting snakelady:
…she says we were rude to a member by calling her a f+++B.
Well she is correct […]

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We get all kinds of consumer complaints posted to our franchise discussions.  Here’s on posted to our Is LIBERTY TAX SERVICE a Great Franchise?.
What do you think?  Should Liberty Tax Service refund the woman’s fees for not honoring their hours and calling her a crackhead?
Or should the customer focus on her bigger problems – like the fact that she started looking for a tax preparer at 5 pm on April 15th?
All you need is cash! wrote:
It all started for me on April 15, 2009. I had gotten off work late (5:00 pm) and needed to get my taxes done before […]

Post from: Franchise Pick

On-site digitization and storage of personal and business documents, photos, video and more.
Featured Interview: Matt Bills, VP of Franchise Support
Concept Name: iPreserve
Franchisor Corporation Name: Acentra Franchising LLC
Website Listing:  iPreserve
Year Founded: 2005
Year Franchised: 2009
Number of units, company: 5
Number of units, franchised: 4
Initial investment: $41,850 to $154,900
Home-based Business?: YES
Contact information for franchise program:
Christian Faulconer
936 South 2000 […]

On-site digitization and storage or personal and business photos, documents, and more…
iPreserve is a personal memory and information management franchise concept that enables consumers and businesses to convert, organize, preserve, share and enjoy their personal memories and business information.  iPreserve provides local onsite transfer, digitization, or scan of information from any media.
In an exclusive […]

Let’s say you want to get people interested in your franchise opportunity by telling them they’ll have revenue of $150,000 by their second year.
But there’s one problem: the pesky little busybodies at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) insist that you can’t give financial performance claims except in the designated section (Item 19) of the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) you give prospective franchisees.
And if you do that, you need to provide substantiation of the claims you make.
And where is the FUN in that?!
Don’t despair, cloud merchants and dream sellers!  Take a deep breath and […]

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The Meal Assembly Kitchen franchise concept continues to be as fresh and palatable as last month’s salmon.
Meal Assembly Watch has assumed the role of Meal Prep hospice and caregiver TuckerBox is keeping family friends, and acquaintances updated on the slow, painful death of the once-hyped franchise boondoggle.
In the 9/11 post  Store Closings and Meal Prep Failures Tuckerbox writes:
… the Back to School rush didn’t go so well since another 32 companies and a total of 115 stores have shut their doors. It seems the summer was not kind.
Previously, Dream Dinners and Super Suppers were neck and neck as they raced […]

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In the past week, the website UnhappyFranchisee.com was hacked and dozens of posts and hundreds of comments critical of some specific franchise companies were deleted.  All posts related to Brad Sugars and ActionCOACH (except one positive one) and all of the hundreds of critical comments related to that company were the first deleted.
Here is a nearly complete copy of the UnhappyFranchisee.com post ACTIONCOACH, BRAD SUGARS: Overview & Discussion that was originally published April 14, 2009.  Also included below are the 269 comments the post generated through September 2, 2009. 
It’s quite long, but serves as a message to those who […]

Post from: Franchise Pick

ACTIONCOACH: Brad Sugars Answers Criticism was originally published July 11, 2009 on Unhappy Franchisee. It is reprinted here by permission.
He’s the target of much criticism on the web (see 100+ comments on ACTIONCOACH, BRAD SUGARS: Overview & Discussion), so ActionCoach founder & CEO Brad Sugars is promoting his Q&A format blog “Ask Brad Sugars.”
In one Q&A, Brad Sugars directly addresses why he thinks he’s the subject of such harsh criticism on the web.  The text below reflects the entire question and excerpts of Brad Sugars answer.
You have some people who really don’t like you. Why do you think people are […]

Post from: Franchise Pick