CUPPY’S COFFEE: Is VP Amy Hiller Threatening Bloggers?
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Some contend that the recent email distributed by Cuppy’s Coffee VP Amy Hiller is a carefully worded threat warning blog commenters to shut their pie-holes if they want to get paid. What do you think?
In her email, Hiller writes: "Corporate is working diligently with strategic partners to put long-term financing in place. Negative press (blogs and emails) is preventing these relationships from moving forward in a timely manner and therefore making it difficult to fulfill financial obligations (paying employees or building out stores)…. Anyone who has interest in this company succeeding, such as…A past employee who wants to receive their last paycheck… A franchisee who wants their store built out… A franchisee trying to keep their store open and successful must be patient and offer support to allow these relationships to solidify."
Here’s the post from Guest in its entirety:
Amy Hiller— Some exemployees rec’d this email from Amy Hiller – Sounds like a threat to me! What do you think?
—– Forwarded Message —-
From: Amy Hiller
To: Amy Hiller
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 1:19:58 PM
Subject: UpdateThe Latest from Medina:
As you know, the last payroll has not yet been issued. Issuing payroll checks is the top priority.
Corporate is working diligently with strategic partners to put long-term financing in place. Negative press (blogs and emails) is preventing these relationships from moving forward in a timely manner and therefore making it difficult to fulfill financial obligations (paying employees or building out stores). More specific information about these partnerships will be made available as soon as it is finalized.
Anyone who has interest in this company succeeding, such as:
· A past employee who wants to receive their last paycheck
· A franchisee who wants their store built out
· A franchisee trying to keep their store open and successful must be patient and offer support to allow these relationships to solidify.
We are aware that many of you are already providing us with the support needed to be successful and we are very thankful. We ask for your continued support.
If you have not provided the corporate office with your forwarding email address (as a past employee), please send to updates@cuppys.com if you wish to receive future correspondence.
Amy Hiller
VP of Operations
Cuppy’s Coffee & More
888-241-4324 ext. 376
amy@cuppys.com
WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS VP AMY HILLER WARNING EMPLOYEES & FRANCHISEES TO KEEP QUIET… OR ELSE? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
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I read Amy’s email/blogg/ threat and I must admit it makes me mad. I have bee one of those franchise owners who has blogged. I also am one of those franchise owners that have invested over $100,000.00 to Cuppy’s/Elite. I also am one of those franchise owners who has a store in a shopping mall where rents and liquidated damages are adding up every day. The reason they are adding up is that with all of the money that has been invested, I have a vanilla shell building with absolutely nothing to put in it.
I am also one of those franchise owners who has been lied to and led donwn a primrose path. I am one of those franchise owners who has listened to Dale, Amy, and others, say the check is in the mail, we will have you open in 3 weeks, I’ll call you back tomorrow, your equipment is on the way. I am one of those franchise owners who has a letter written by Greg, sent with Dale’s blessing promising an opening date of sucha nd such and then never doing a thing to see it happen. I am one of those franchise owners who has met Dale Nabors, sat across the desk looking the man in the eyes, shaking hands with him, and believing every lie he told me.
Heck I’m one of those franchise owners who so believed in Cuppy’s they put my testimonial on their web page so that others would believe.
Well enough is too much, now I am one of those franchise owners/bloggers that will do everything I can to keep money and people like myself from being duped, lied to, deceived, savings flushed down the drain, and forced into a possible bankruptcy by the likes of Amy and Dale. A number of us wanted to Believe and Succeed, unfortunately because of dishonest, lying peole we have believed and failed.
Yes I am a blogger, a franchise owner, and if this blog keeps others from making the same mistake and investing their life savings in Cuppy’s Coffee, then it will have been worth it. I invested, I believed, I lost thousands, I have nothing, nothing to show for it.
I was just called by yet another poor depositor, this one in NJ, who had put down her $40,000 last October and was just getting ready to sign her loan and lease and was worried because she could not reach anyone at Cuppy’s no matter who she called or at what number. She needed some document from Cuppy’s in order to process her loan papers. Lucky for her they are not answering their phones or messages. She got my name from the website (now new and different) because I was listed as one of the franchisees giving a testimonial when Dale took over (yuck – wish I hadn’t agreed to do that – at the time we had no idea that Dale would represent more of the same). At any rate, she was worried about what to do. I told her to be grateful that she hadn’t signed her loan or lease and to contact her attorney ASAP! Today was the first time she had seen any blogs because she googled Cuppy’s since she couldn’t reach anyone. She saw all the blogs and information and called me. Looks like there are still people out there who have no idea what they have gotten into. Imagine if we knew how many there really are!
I too gave Java Joz approx $30000 and received nothing. I cannot reach anyone to discuss this and I have stopped receiving the “disbursement checks” that I was getting for a while. I do not know what to do next- I feel like htere is power in numbers, but how do we all unite to get our money back. Can we go to the news media?
Amy Hiller at it again… Still shoved so far up Dale’s a$$ that all she smells is crap..
Ex-Employees:
It is now the 26th and I know that I have yet to receive my final check and make the assumption that no one else has either. Below is a list of contact information and steps for filing the necessary complaints (If you haven’t already done so):
1) Contact the US Department of Labor (www.dol.gov) and file a complaint. The phone number is (866) 4-USWAGE.
2) Once you have made contact with them and advised our situation they are going to provide you with contact information to the local office that is closest to you. (Make sure that you notate the date and time that you contact them. If more than 3 business days passes after leaving a message for your local office, contact the US Department of Labor once again and they will directly forward your complaint information to the nearest office.) The Jacksonville office is the one that is closest to us. Their contact info is as follows:
Jacksonville Area:
USDOL, Wage and Hour Division
ESA Wage & Hour Division
Charles E. Bennett Federal Building
400 West Bay Street, Room 956, Box 017
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
(904) 359-9292
(904) 359-9279 (Fax Number)
3) Because we have not been paid it is assumable that Dale Nabors did not take it upon himself to pay the government on the money that we are owed either. You can contact the IRS Tax Fraud Unit at (800) 829-0433. They will direct you to either send a letter to them or complete and mail IRS Form 3949A. Below is a link to the IRS Form 3949A. I have completed this form and have included the letter that was received from ACC in regards to the termination of their relationship with Medina as well as the emails that Ms. Hiller sent out to us. The address to mail the form to is:
Internal Revenue Service
Fresno, California 93888
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f3949a.pdf
Hopefully, this will give Dale Nabors more of a reason to pay us what we have earned outside of the fact that we are rightfully due the money.
Amy Hiler is still haning in with Dale even though he has not paid her in 6 weeks. She’s been up Morg’s butt now because she thinks he may take the company back
How is Amy Hiller & Robin donlan paying for their new vehicles? they aren’t getting paid. Who’s paying the notes.
I’m truly concerned with the employees that followed Dale to AL. Does anyone know how they are?
Amy Hiller… why haven’t you been returning call? Still too far up Dales behind i guess.
That’s is exactly why.
Amy Hiller’s at it again. yet another threating email was sent out. t
Would you mind sharing said e-mail?