Thanks and Praise for UnhappyFranchisee.Com
UnhappyFranchisee.Com is Under Constant Fire.
UnhappyFranchisee.Com is a unique franchise discussion and information website that invites franchise owners, former franchisees and others to share their experiences and candid views without having to disclose their identities.
Our detractors (mostly disreputable franchise & biz-opp sellers) are constantly trying to discredit us as a mere gripe site and dismiss those who participate here as a bunch of whiners who don’t take responsibility for their own actions.
That’s because sunlight is the best disinfectant, and Unhappy Franchisee is one of the only truly transparent places to get the real, uncensored truth about franchising and specific franchise from the best source possible: real franchise owners.
If You Find UnhappyFranchisee.Com a Valuable Resource, Please Leave a Comment Below &/Or at One of the Linked Pages.
If you have received value from your visits and interactions at UnhappyFranchisee.Com, please share a comment below or on one of the “Thanks & Praise” pages here:
Thanks & Praise from Franchise Owners
Thanks & Praise as a Support Group for Failed/Failing Franchise Owners
Thanks & Praise for Educating Would-be Franchise Owners
As always, anonymous comments are welcome.
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Please consider making a donation to help us continue our fight for transparency and truth in franchising.
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Help Support UnhappyFranchisee.Com
Why We Need Your Thanks & Praise.
While thanks and praise also is good for our morale, that’s not what we’re after.
Our detractors (ie those selling questionable franchise opportunities) are constantly trying to discredit UnhappyFranchisee.Com as an anti-franchising gripe site.
Open discussion and anonymous commenting are a HUGE threat to those who fear exposure of the truth.
UnhappyFranchisee.Com is, in fact, a pro-franchising website that believes in the 1st Amendment rights of franchisees and prospective franchisees to openly discuss franchise companies and their opportunities without corporate interference.
UnhappyFranchisee.Com agrees with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it’s critical for prospective franchise owners to be able to learn from the experiences and opinions of current and recent franchise owners before they invest in a franchise.
Since the passing of the FTC Rule on Franchising in October, 1979, the FTC has required franchisors to provide franchise prospects with the contact information for current franchise owners as well as those who recently left the system.
Franchisors of sub-standard franchise opportunities have deployed a multitude of strategies (such as gag orders, non-disparagement clauses, threats & intimidation) for short-circuiting the FTC Rule and keeping their inadequacies hidden from prospective franchisees.
However, franchisees and former franchisees are now being heard, thanks to their participation on sites like UnhappyFranchisee.Com and BlueMauMau.org.
How Do You Use the Site & How Can We Better Serve You?
We are also interested in how our visitors are using the site, and how we can better serve you.
So let us know!
PS Hate mail can be emailed directly, as usual ;)
DO YOU THINK UNHAPPYFRANCHISEE.COM PROVIDES A BENEFIT TO FRANCHISEES & FORMER FRANCHISEES? PLEASE SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
Thank you Thank you Thank you. I used to work for the Corporate Office and through the years noticed the hype manufactured for the sole reason of D.R. making more and more money at the cost of other people. (IN MY OPINION)
Without going into the details of what this company did, I DO KNOW FOR SURE, that this BLOG is helping X franchisees know that what they thought is TRUE is in fact TRUE. (LACK OF SUPPORT)
They can see that there was not enough support from the Corporate OFFICE for them and countless others. That their FAILURE now is also BBI’s FAILURE.
IT IS MY HOPE THAT NEVER AGAIN WILL THIS FRANCHISE COMPANY EVER EVER DO THIS TO INNOCENT PEOPLE AGAIN. The slogan reads… There is NO ( I ) in TEAM.
People are talking, the word is getting out…. THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN … STUPIDITY and CRIMINAL ACTION ????
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING READERS TO CATCH UP ON WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON IN THE FRANCHISE WORLD, instead of the unnecessary hype caused by the OWNERS of BBI and the media in TULSA.
David is not the only guilty party in my opinion… There is a team still in the Corporate Office THAT SHOULD have KNOWN BETTER!!!!
I too am a former employee at the corporate office at BBI, and I too saw the questionable tactics and did not stay long.
The problem with the team still there is that they are all related to DR and have nothing else to do. They as well as everyone else there live in fear of being suddenly terminated and left hanging and maybe sued by DR’s henchman.
My question is if the franchisees can prove wrong doing in his practices is ther some sort of legal action that can be taken to try to recover some of their lost dollars?
Thank you Unhappy franchisee for what you have done, I have been on the other side of this lawsuit crazy company and I am proud you stood your ground.
BTW, I don’t believe one thing that he said when he made his apology, I believe they were all lies fabricated to gain sympathy. I have seen him drink, I don’t believe he is an alcololic.
Former Employee
FORMER LTH FRANCHISEE OWNER..NEED A GOOD LAWYER IN THE FREDERICKSBURG AREA TO TAKE ON LTH
Contact Franchise attorney Jeffery Goldstein in Leesburg Va…He only represents Franchisees, is willing to litigate (important) and has taken on the big Franchises…
Good luck
Look around! This website is the only truth you can find in franchising. The IFA, Vetfran, Minorityfran, FTC, Federal Government, State Government and Local Government will not tell the truth or expose the criminal behavior surrounding corporations created to scam investors and tax payers out of their money . Victims are the ONLY way to educate yourself before you fall for a scam. This website provides that education if only you will take the time to learn from victims. Thank You Sean for your work!
A coalition for franchisees would be great for franchising to give support to franchisees but that would end up just like abortion, 2nd Amendment and gay rights. Organizations never resolving an issue because they make so much money off the issue. Without strong leaders who can search their heart to lead our country we will continue to not resolve issues and allow organizations to profit from corruption.
If a false business opportunity is supported by a coalition is the coalition responsible for the behavior of the organization providing the opportunity?
If you are thinking of investing in ANY franchise please pay attention to this website as this website is unique. Thanks again!
I cannot say enough good things about this site. I wish there was not a need for a site like this though, which would mean franchisors are taking care of their franchisees. As a franchisee that has a franchisor who keeps franchisees from communicating it’s nice to see that others feel the same way about this franchise as I do. Our franchisor made us feel we were the only ones who felt that way, and the only ones not making a profit. After doing digging around on this site I have come to the conclusion it’s just the opposite. This would’ve never happened without unhappyfranchisee.com. I only hope that future franchisees look to this site before buying into the gimmick. It’s refreshing to have a site that protects the franchisees anonymity.
Franchising today is nothing more than modern day racketeering, supported by and protected on behalf of the US Chamber of Commerce, the International Franchise Association and other high powered industry lobbyist and lawyers who get rich off the backs of franchisees. I live in a state (Indiana) that has franchise protection laws, when I filed a complaint, their reply was to say they would wait to see how my civil case turned out before they would take action :(
The only thing franchisers fear are powerful, chartered Franchise Associations with lot of members. If your franchise doesn’t have one, start one !! Wolves run in packs for a reason, be a WOLF !!
Sean does a great job at unhappyfranchisee.com, support him all you can.
This is a great website for people to share stories and experiences dealing with franchisees. Starting a franchised business is a difficult task, full of uncertainty and the necessity of being tightly linked to the franchisor’s business practices and philosophy. This site helps potential franchisees learn about the franchisor before signing on the dotted line and putting (possibly) their life savings on the line.
I know firsthand how I was defrauded by a franchise. If this site existed when I got entangled in the franchise I was involved with (liberty Tax Service), I would have been much wiser and less susceptible to their marketing lies. Keep up the good work here!!!!!!
WOW this site is such a great source of info that you WILL NOT GET from the franchise corporate office. Gives me (you/us) a powerful tool to question them. We are just starting our franchise search and armed with this site, we won’t have the wool pulled over our eyes.
Rock on Unhappy!
^^This is a remarkable site started by a remarkable man. If I were you, Steve, I’d find another way to earn a living other than franchising. You will not win, no matter what. At anything. The contracts are so heavily slanted toward the Franchisor. Everyone knows it, except the poor (shmuck) who is signing it. They lie, steal, cheat, throw you under the bus, rip you off, sell you things at a million % up charge, they spy on you, they take & take & take and offer little to no support………….back away, please. Franchising is SO NOT WORTH all the heartache, aggravation and stress. Hopefully this site will open up many people’s eyes BEFORE they just plunk down their money & sign on the dotted line. Thank goodness for “unhappyfranchisee”. It’s about time someone stood up to those bleeping, bleeps. :( Unfortunately there are way too many people out there ready to rip you off and franchising is a huge way to do it. :(
******WARNING BE ADVISED******* WARNING BE ADVISED********WARNING BE ADVISED*******
If you are considering a tool franchise opportunity DO NOT continue your efforts.
Read any and all posts regarding these type of “rip off’ organizations. Be especially weary of the ones who say they’ve been at it many many years because they aren’t disclosing all the details of the “dark side” of the corporation’s operations.
These “old timers” claim that everybody who says something bad about these corporations were losers or didn’t know what they were doing. DON’T BELIEVE THAT B.S. That isn’t always accurate but, just a lazy way to defend the shady practices they run to stay afloat. You have to operate this way in order to survive. It’s called ‘screwing the customer” Bet that.
If you are a veteran and these corporations offer you any discount to sign up use your battle smarts and know this is just propaganda from the enemy and you know what happens if you fall prey to the enemy.
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS TYPE “HIGH TURN OVER” TYPE BUSINESS.
*******WARNING BE ADVISED*******WARNING BE ADVISED********WARNING BE ADVISED******
Everything posted on this website about the Franchisor Dickey’s Barbecue is accurate and true.
If only we had known of Sean’s website we would not have lost our life savings, our house, our minds and our dignity at the hands of the predatory Franchisor Dickey’s Barbecue.
From email:
Thanks always Sean you have done an amazing job challenging many corrupt companies and without you many would not have a voice! I commend you for all you do and continue to do. It seems you are starting to make a real difference in the franchise world and that is music to many ears. So many have no voice and they needed one badly.
Unhappyfranchisee.com is a Pro Franchising site. The unfortunate fact is that there seems to be a very large number of bad franchisors in the market today. But even with so many bad Franchisors in the market today, there are very very few organizations or websites dedicated to truely serving the franchisee. Fortunately if your reading these comments you have found the best one I have ever found and one that is not out to destroy Franchsing but wants to see Franchising live up to what it has been advertised to be! Franchising can be a positive business model. But greed and egos have been allowed to take Franchising over in many cases and in the current environment there is very little help for the franchise who did not do adequate research before making his or her purchase. I know because I was one and it cost me everything . Sean has been a Voice screaming in the Wilderness willing to take on the corruptness in Franchising and has endured attack after attack on his character when he has done nothing but tell the truth. We need to support Sean and Unhapoyfranchisee.com as they attempt to spread the truth about Franchising Today.
Out:
Thank you very much. UnhappyFranchisee.Com is very much a pro-franchising site.
The power of franchising comes when the systems and support of a franchisor organization are in synergy with the local presence, the energy and drive of franchise owners for MUTUAL success. When is works (and I have seen it, lived it, been part of it) it is a beautiful and powerful thing. Unfortunately, the good people in franchising have allowed the con-artists, the charlatans, the bullies and some downright predators to seize the wheel and steer the ship.
Sean