MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints

4,850 thoughts on “MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints”

• Buy the way! Buying tv’s to give away is this what it takes to be successful Kevin? I was told in an earlier post that I failed in my franchise because I had purchased Ten Thousands of dollars in Matco apparel to shrink wrap with product called package selling in which Matco trained me at DM meetings to do. It was you that stated it. I am confused. So instead of supporting Matco as I have been trained to do I need to support Wal-Mart and buy TV’s. Darn I feel like a complete idiot now. I got a Wal-Mart not even 1 mile away from my house.

• Kevin was probably an EX Snap-On distributor as well. At least with his internet demeanor and all. He sure has that I am God like attitude and loves to belittle others and call them names.

• Todd,

  slamming a sucessfull distributor that created a “family” business hosted by a company that supported his efforts makes you look like a real “heartless” ignorant individual.

  Mr Bergman’s article inspired me to sit down with my little brother (half brother) and discuss options for his future in our little town….. Last year he was Pacific Rookie of the year. This year he will be top 30.

  Read your last dribble back to yourself special one…it doesnt take two trucks, two inventory’s two computers, etc to be sucessful, just a genuine passion for the business.

  More importantly thank you Mr Bergman for allowing your story to be put in print!

• Gary has spoken and I am going to bed! Because he is right “You ain’t woth the salt in my tears.”

• Todd, you should feel like an idiot. I haven’t bought a TV yet, but it’s not a bad idea, if it’s done right. And I never said you failed only because you bought “ten thousands of dollars” in Matco apparel. I’m sure there were many reasons, but that may have contributed, even though it’s “probably” another distortion.

• Reading isn’t one of your better qualities is it Todd??

• Thanks, Cary. Sounds like your brother is doing real well. It helped both Aaron and I having us both in business. We have very different personalities, but using each other’s ideas have helped both of us to grow. I don’t know how we did it, since according to the WMD, it’s impossible to make a living as a Matco distributor!

• Si Si, Billy and I are as different as night and day. I never thought I would take advice from a 15 year younger in reference to sales but he has taught me as much as I ever taught him. He pushes me every day to be a better distributor

• Cary Devitt

  So speaking the truth is me slamming Kevin now. See you guys treat me as an unequal but the fact is I rubbed elbows with you guys in Cancun. I know you don’t remember who I am because so many guys come and go with Matco but I did work as hard if not harder than you guys.

  I don’t know too many distributors who work 12 to 18 hours a day selling for Matco and that does not include stocking your truck doing paperwork.

  You say I am heartless and ignorant.

  If you feel that way I can say that is what Matco has created. A guy who is fed up with lies, fraud and false terminations. You say Matco supported Kevin where the hell was my support? What makes Kevin and Cary Devitt’s little brother (half brother) so special that they get support and I got none.

  What kind of world do we live in where successful people are not open to factual data with names, dates, and places referenced.?

  All you can do is call me names?

  Please tell me you don’t expect a new franchisee to come to Matco by calling me a failure and names like heartless,ignorant, stupid and idiot. You pathetic people are on this website past 1:00 a.m. and have jobs that require work and thinking tomorrow. I will probably get up at 9:00 a.m. and cook breakfast for my family and check to see what crap comes out of your fingers then.

  Just for the record!

  Here is what Matco did for my FRANCHISE.

  First the Distributor before me only worked 3 days on a Matco route and yes I bought it. I also bought his truck. I could have taken a route closer to where I lived but I liked the truck and established customers. Did not want the Isuzu Matco was cramming down my throat.

  So I went to this distributors house and I saw his financials. I cringed he was not doing well. Of course, he only had 3 days on route per week the other two and Saturday he was restoring vintage cars.

  I talked to DM who had told me this was a great business opportunity and explained to him I had my doubts about the route. I told him I didn’t think by looking at the financials and the amount of customers on the books I could be competitive with the 333 customers I was given which was largely made up of very few shops:

  Monday- 13 shops 68 customers (One shop had 5 customers and while I was riding around with Trainer the first week he informed trainer and myself that he had told DM he didn’t want a Matco truck on his property) So -5 equals 63

  Tuesday- 6 shops 73 customers (5 shops were part of 1 Auto Park) it was really two shops.

  Wednesday-3 shops 68 customers

  Thursday- 4 shops 76 customers

  Friday- 7 shops 48 customers

  Grand total of 33 shops and 328 customers.

  So I explain to DM that this is a very low number and I think that distributor I did ride with has a lot more customers and definitely a larger route.

  He tells me “that Matco usually gives Distributors a minimum head count and leaves it up to them to grow their own route.” That made sense to me. People who work hard succeed and those who start up a franchise and don’t work will fail. He assures me that I will pick up shops that need a Matco distributor because they will call me when they see my truck on the road and get the number off the back and side of truck. He also tells me to call him if I want to add a shop so that I don’t pick up shops that belong in someone elses area or on an open route.

  So i go to training come back load up my truck and start my franchise. Things were terribly slow in the begining. Learning the computer, talking about tools instead of turning them. But after two months I found myself going home early every day two days by 2:00 and 2 days by noon. The other day 7-5.

  I was hitting all the shift jobs during the daytime when other distributors serviced them and I got to thinking when I was a tech and how it made me feel when other tool guys would not come and service me on a third or second shift. So, I restructured my route and started working longer hours and as people called me and needed service I would add them to my route calling my DM for approval first.

  After about 6 months I was kicking ass! My customers loved and respected me. I would work late come on their shift and not in between shifts. My DM was plastering my walls with sales achievements plaques from meetings. Life was good.

  I filled the holes in my day with shops I added with DM approval.

  Things are going so well I was inventory rich. I was putting on my truck 3/4 in drive everything. I was stocking specialty tools out my butt. I was adding pliers and all kinds of tools I thought I would need when I turned wrenches. I was living the Matco dream.

  In June of 2005 I had a fire on my truck and found myself in a bit of a pickle on a tool truck. It seems that no companies(Not Matco’s Vendors) except for the manufacturer of my truck would take my truck in trade. So I did trade my truck in and got a bigger one because I had grown my inventory to over $200,000 my cost. I bought a 26′ Peterbilt.

  So although I was without an actual tool truck for 6 months I had acheived a top 50 ranking with Matco Tools in 2005. I worked out of a temp truck and it was such a piece of crap that I ended up working out of my Jeep Cherokee a bunch.

  So at Cancun, Mexico Expo in Feb. 2006 I receive an award from Matco being 41 out of over 1500 distributors from my new RM Tim Novak. I also received a GOLD sales excellence ring as well. Our whole District received awards for being a #1 District. Our DM was pumped. He was talking about growing our District and helping our Region become #1 in 2006. I purchased around $25,000 at Expo.
  I remember Tim Novak asking me to tell the other distributors in our Region what I did that made me so successful. I told them say hi and talk to every customer in the shop every week. Work longer hours than your competiton. Tote and promote Matco products.

  In less than 3 months after Expo my DM was fired. A fellow distributor would quit has franchise (I believe he was 45 out of 1500+) and I would be threatened by Tim Novak to surrender shops I had established with my Ex DM (of which I had PSA written and credit apps approved and denied.) or I could lose my franchise.

  Having Tim Novak in my home and knowing that I am heavily invested in tools and truck and with Tim threatening my franchise I caved. He left me with Rick Pena to decide what shops I would be surrendering and I did.

  Before Rick Pena came to me he and another DM surveyed our entire area and only found around 100 shops not getting service between me and another distributor Bud Cook. Rick explained to me that during his surveys he only found two shops that had negative things to say about me and that over 95% of my customers were happy to have me as their distributor. But he also explains to me that one of the reasons my DM had been terminated was because he had promised a new distributor Michael Johnson a Distributor Franchise but had not surveyed a route to put him in. Rick had been tasked with the duty of finding this Distributor a route. I suggested to Rick that there were at least three different routes available in Little Rock and I knew that there were others elsewhere but Rick said that this distributor was promised a route in NWA. I told him I didn’t care and that everything I had had been approved through my DM to call on. I even told him about shops I had picked up temporarily to help prep a route Kevin Hodges dad Gerald had taken so that TP would be established and customers broken tools would get serviced before Gerald got there.

  He showed me his survey sheets and I asked him if I could keep them. I DID!

  He showed me sheets with tacks on them in different colors showing shops with no service, shops with my “LOC”, shops I was calling on but had not been signed into my route list. I asked if I could keep them. I DID!

  I told him that I wasn’t giving up one shop and that I was servicing them all and he himself said my customers were happy. He said that is all true but this distributor was promised a route and my shops that I had added were not secured on my route list. I told him my DM gave me approval to call on them. He informed me according to my contract that they have to be in writing and signed by me and DM. I told him I didn’t care. I also told him maybe it was time to talk to a lawyer.

  Fact of the matter is I was still paying off tools ordered from Expo. I owed over 10,000 on deferred payments of inventory that was rolling in months after Expo. I couldn’t afford an attorney at that time.

  But soon Tim Novak flew in from Texas and threatened me with my franchise. Showed me the same tacks on a route maps (which I kept Yes I have Tim and Rick copies of the same goople map crap) I ask him point blank “Can I lose my franchise if I don’t surrender shops” he says “Yes”.

  So I surrender because although I was sure I was right and I new my fired DM gave me those shops it did say it had to be in writing. I felt it would be better to float in the boat than hire an attorney and maybe sink it.

  Tim left and I gave Rick enough customers to give Michael 338 customers on his “LOC”.

  So I am thinking it is a shitty deal but it is over. Not so. Rick comes back to my house and tells me that I gave Michael “JUNK SHOPS” and tells me “Michael deserves the same opportunity you had to become a successful distributor.” I tell him. Yeah he is right and that him being successful is going to destroy me. He tells me I am a good salesman and that I can build it agian but this time make sure your DM does his job. I tell him I am “but I have a large inventory and a new truck. How am I going to make it with the bills I have. He tells me I will manage. Then he tells me he has been authorized to give me 3 MB4725 for my trouble. I told him I could buy four in one month with the over $2000 a week in TP I was being forced to give up before I give up more customers. He tells me well you can take the boxes and surrender the shops or not take the boxes and surrender the shops either way Matco was going to give him more of my shops.

  So, I gave him every 2nd and 3rd shift shop I had. My thinking was if this guy wanted my success he was going to have to work the same way I did to get it. So Mike ends up with over 450 customers to call on. I am reduced to 350 and a lot of what I was given were shops that Bud Cook didn’t want to call on. Yeah I can say that too because I have Matco route sheets to prove it.

  One of the last things I asked Rick to do was when I found new shops that I would be allowed to call on them. He told me he wasn’t my DM and he thought that my new DM Anthony Kramer (who was a previous Snap-On distributor and had been in my District as a Distributor for less than a year) could help me establish new shops on my route list.

  So within two or three months of surrendering shops I have two brand new shops opening up on a street where Bud Cook and myself overlap on Moberly Lane in Bentonville. I call and ask Anthony about a month before they actually open if I can call on them and he says to get him an address when they open with the name of the shop and customer count and he will add them to my route list.

  So I swing by on Wednesday, the day I service that area , and they inform me they already have a Matco distributor and he came by the day before. So I call Anthony and ask him if he gave the shops to Bud Cook and he tells me “No”. I remind him that he told me I could call on them and he tells me to call Bud.

  So I call Bud Cook and ask him if he is calling on the new shops. He tells me “No. I gave those shops to Michael Johnson.” I say “Okay” and I call Anthony back. I ask Anthony “Since when do distributors assign shops to other distributors?” Anthony tells me “They can’t” and I tell Anthony “Then why did Bud tell me he gave the shops to Michael Johnson?” He tells me “He can’t do that.” I tell him “That’s your job. Right?” and he says “Yes”. So we hang up with the understanding that I will be calling on those shops. Then I get a call from Anthony telling me that “things are going to stay the way they are.” I can’t believe it.

  So I don’t give up I tell him I need to talk to him. He comes to my house and tallks with me and my wife. I tell him that is wrong to let a distributor call on shops when he doesn’t have any shops on that street already. Not to mention the fact that I put him in business and he already has more head count than I do. Anthony once again tells me those shops are mine and that I am right and this should never have happened.

  Two days later Anthony tells me that this decision is not his and that “It is out of my hands.”

  Over the course of the next two years I will lose a large percent of my customers due to an ailing economy. I will have multiple shops close and work reduction in every shop I have. Hardly no new businesses will open doors and many will open and close within a years time.

  Sometime in the Spring of 2009 I will tell Anthony I need a route resurvey done because I do not have anywhere near the minimum a new distributor has to start a new franchise. He tells me he is very busy but can get it done around the fall.

  In Nov. 2009 I will call Anthony and plead with him that I am fixing to lose an Important dealership who is closing their doors forever Bob Maloney Ford and that it is imperative that my route be resurveyed. I am told once again that it is the Holidays and in the New Year it will happen.

  Then in January of 2010 Anthony sends me an email stating I am at a YTD purchase average of $1,608.02 and that I am not at 80% of the National average. It also states that “Our end-user customers expect and deserve Matco products from their Matco Tools Distributor. Since I didn’t find this email until after I was terminated because Anthony knows I have never communicated by email. I ask you why would a DM who’s job is supposed to be supporting distributors not at least call me? Is it because I had already asked once and begged another time in the same year for a resurvey?

  So Anthony said resurvey in the new year. It never happened!

  On July 12, 2010 I get “THE LETTER” stating I have 90 days to cure a violation of my purchase average. Not being at 80% of the National Average. If I do not cure within 90 days Matco has good cause to separate. If I repeat same violation within a year Matco can terminate my franchise.

  As soon as I get the letter I come home and start raising hell with Tim. I told him that it was pretty shitty that He would separate me from Matco after I had been begging for a resurvey of my route Anthony said he would perform. I also told him that I had not received one shop added to my route list since he ruined my business in 2006.

  I felt like I was getting nowhere so I started calling corporate and gathering route list to prove I had a low head count to corporate.

  Thats when I received a letter from Anthony stating he had performed a survey of my route and found I was only servicing 67% of my of 328 customers. A totally fraudulent survey. There were shops on the survey that had not been open for over 9 months, there were shops I never heard of, there were shops that he asked me to call on but never added them to my route list. There were shops with inflated numbers.

  Again, I RAISE HELL. I try to talk with Tom Willis and Ernie Lauber but I am not getting any returned phone calls with messages I leave.

  Then, on July 28, 2010 I get a call from Anthony. He has good news and wants to meet me the next day. We set up a meeting at McDonalds because when he lied to my wife and I over those two shops on Moberly Lane my wife told him to never set foot on our property again.

  At the meeting he hands me a route list to sign which says I will have 405 customers to call on. I am overjoyed! I felt someone at Matco had heard of the fraud and made it right. I ask Anthony “Why did it have to come to this for them to take care of me.” He told me “I have more freedom than I did in the past and I deserved this opportunity.

  So I go right to work. I take a purchase average of 620 per week off the false survey performed on July 26, 2010 and turn it into a 1,472 per week purchase average by the end of the year. I was above the 13 wk National Purchase average at the end of the year.

  Yes, I did take three weeks off at the end of the year. One Thanksgiving week and Two Christmas into New Years. I have two kids who were 10 and 11 who were at home as well. The weather would not be kind in the new year having over two weeks of snow days in which I would have to take care of my kids because my wife has worked full time every since Tim cut my route in 06.

  On February 11, 2011 I would receive a conference call from Tim Novak with Anthony Kramer in attendance where Tim informed me that I was no longer a Matco Distributor. When I asked why he told me I had gone back to doing what I did before. I asked specifically and he told me I was not at 80% of the National Average. I told him what about the four feet of snow in my driveway. He told me its too late. I asked if I could start another route somewhere else where their wasn’t a distributor. He told me “I don’t care what you do you won’t be doing it with Matco.” I asked him what about moving to Kansas and selling tools for Matco their? He said “I don’t care what you do you won’t be doing it with Matco.” I asked him if I could at least service my customers till Matco found a replacement. Again he said “I don’t care what you do you won’t be doing it with Matco.”

  What really blew me away was sometime in late November 2010, after my cure period Anthony shows up out of the blue on my truck. I ask him “Oh No! What did I do now?” Anthony proceeds to tell that I am “doing great”. I ask him what about the letter and he tells me “forget the letter ever existed” “your doing great” “just keep doing what you been doing.” I ask him specifically about the one year clause in the letter and he tells me if anything is going to happen he will contact me first. Just like he always did he lied again. Noone ever called and asked if I had a Death in the family. Noone asked if I was sick. Noone called to tell me what a terrible distributor I am.

  Matco didn’t do a damn thing to help me and lied to me every chance they got.

  Did I mention again that Anthony Kramer and Tim Novak hired Robert Demers a long time Snap-On distributor who won a Harley Davidson and a BMW Mini-Cooper for his sales excellence with Snap-On to come on board with Matco as a District Manager in San Antonio Texas less than 6 months after he filed bankruptcy in Arkansas.

  Did I mention Bob told me personally that he hated being a Manager for Snap-On for the year he did it and he told me he would never do that agin.

  Did I mention that Bob was made a Distributor a few months after I received my Separation letter from Matco?

  Guess where Bob assumed his route where two failed distributors had ran a franchise?

  Yes. Bob is back in his home town in Michael Johnson’s old route.

  Now! You smart intellegent people can probably find something to smart off about I am sure. But anyone who has a brain can figure out this is one SCREWED UP FRANCHISE

• While those are very touchy comments on unhappy franchisee don’t you think you guys ought to get a room and bond rather than do it over a website. I am sure their is a coffee place somewhere you can have deep meaningful conversations. Try Bob Evans that is where Ernie Lauber and Mike Swanson met me for breakfast. Then after I plead my case they supported me by throwing papers at me that would allow me to give up my right to tell my story and take away my ability to sue. In return they would give me 100% of the inventory they choose to take back. Hell I didn’t even get back the money for what I sent in.

• Talk about support.

• Todd, you don’t get any support from Matco

  August – BEGGED for more customers, threaten to quit if more were not added
  Sept.6 – asked for survey results
  Sept.13 asked for survey results
  Sept 28 asked and finally given an answer with WILDLY inflated numbers – asked for copies of the survey sheets – Tim Novak supposedly had approved the “new” survey numbers
  Oct 4 asked for copies of the survey sheets
  Oct 7 asked for copies of the survey sheets – told Doug Heersink surveyed the shops he had ‘missed’ the first time
  Oct 16 asked for copies of the survey sheets and copy of budget

  —– Forwarded Message —–

  From: Debbie Solko [mailto:ladymatco@yahoo.com]
  Sent: Monday, October 17, 2011 10:04 AM
  To: Heersink, Doug
  Subject: Re: This Week

  Well, the big error in the budget is for salary –
  Carl and I are currently at the ER –

  From: Heersink, Doug
  Sent: Monday, October 17, 2011 10:04 AM
  To: Debbie Solko
  Subject: Re: This Week

  Ok sorry about that. Here are the new figures.
  Hope everything goes well with Carl.

  SO, re-survey that was to be done in AUGUST, is done by OCTOBER but has wildly inflated customer numbers – AND I have to repeatedly ask to get copies of the survey sheets………………………

  The budget that had been asked for since AUGUST – is finally given to me in OCTOBER with ADMITTED MISTAKES…………………………

  AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER…………………..

• MATCO1, GO TO SCHOOL AND LEARN TO READ, I SAID ALREADY I TAKE PART BLAME. READ UP WHEN YOU SEE A POST, THAT IS IF YOU CAN READ, MATCO IS MOSTLY TO BLAME AND I WILL STATE THAT IN THE COURT OF LAW.

  MATCO IS THE CAUSE FOR ALOT OF US HERE, YOU DONT WANT TO ADMIT IT
  FOR FEAR OF YOU LOSING YOUR JOB WITH MATCO, BECAUSE YOU ARE EMPLOYED BY THEM.

• MATCO, LIES, MISLEADS AND HAS DECIETFULL TRADE PRACTICES, STAY AWAY FROM MATCO AND RUN LIKE HELL, SAVE YOUR MONEY AND DO NOT INVEST IN MATCO TOOLS.

  They teach their D.M.’s and R.M.’s to ignore the distributor, don’t answer any questions and to look the other way..

• Matco supports only the distributors, they choose to support, chaters,obc club,and top select few only, the rest can go away, the matco way, be terminated, resigned, they don’t care about their distributors.

  Keep posting and be loud, and post everywhere.

• Todd,
  The point I was trying to make was they are doing well because of hard work… Nothing to do with you.

  Time to sell more tools… Good Day

• Many of you defenders keep talking about 12K + weeks, but you don’t explain the facts. 12K a week, would mean nothing to me if it is 50% PSA collections.

  I want to know head counts, average per customer, percentage of collections / headcount, active and inactive customer count.

  Then maybe I could believe you and understand your success.

  Also, Keep in mind, Kevin Bergman is ‘probably’ a Charter Distributor. He added a second truck to his route, but what is his head count to support that?

• So now is Debbie trying to say she doesn’t have 325 potential customers. And if she was leaving Matco and threatening to sue Matco why would they go out an re-survey?

  Debbie, maybe nobody had told you this, it sounds kind of bad for you, but the only time Matco is required to do a survey and provide 325 potential customers is at the time you signed your doc’s and at the time of renewal.

  So demanding Novak to do a re-survey probably won’t get you very far

• After leaving Matco, my collections increased almost 20% because I no longer collect PSA Money. My large $ sales go in my pocket now.

  Not only an increase in collections, but an increase in profitability, No more paying matco for the PSA or the increased product cost. I have a lower cost to my customer and still 15% higher margins.

• Ok, former. Last week 17k in sales, 14k in cb, of the 14,000, 2,000 was a Psa. Currently have 248 active tp customers.

• That’s good former, a lot more people would probably do the same as you except for the fact with Matco on the side of the truck I can run double if not triple the business as I would do without it, I don’t have to carry my own contracts and hopefully other dbr’s collect my skips….so far only been an issue with one guy.

• Oh Tommy, again with personal attacks I just laugh at you, probably the same thing your customers did. That’s why the guy that has your area now is doing better

• Thanks Matco#1, that helps people understand what they need to do on their routes.
  You obviously have several $100/wk customers.

  Knowing what the average / wk / customer is…

  In my old route, the best I could get on the books was 210. Once the customer count dropped because of the economy, the best I could do was 140. The customers just weren’t there. Not counting the bad debt because of closings, layoffs, deaths.

  Your local economic situation is a lot different than here in the rust belt.

  PS. You don’t need to tell me it was MY fault. Thank you.

• READ BETWEEN THE LINES, MATCO1

• Yeah I won’t former, you asked I answered.

• What lines Tommy, not sure what your talking about

• Tommy FYI it’s MATCO#1, kind of like how Matco had been #1 5 of the last 6 years…about the time you left…ironic?

• IGNORE, IGNORE, THE MATCO WAY, RUN,HIDE,DON’T ANSWER QUESTIONS, AND MAYBE THE DISTRIBUTOR WILL GO AWAY,

  THIS IS HOW MATCO DOES BUSINESS. STEAL THE TECHS TOOLS WHEN THE BOX IS REPOSSESSED AND THEN TELL THE DISTRIBUTOR TO SELL THE TECHS PERSONAL POSSESSIONS. WAY TO GO.

• Tommy, what the hell are you spewing now? Matco doesn’t steal anybody’s tools or personel posessions. We reposses what the tech owes for. The rest is his. If you did it differently, then YOU were breaking the law. Lies and exagerations will not help your case, and only make you look like a fool to potential distributors.

• ■MATCO#1 on December 28th, 2011 9:28 am
  That’s good former, a lot more people would probably do the same as you except for the fact with Matco on the side of the truck I can run double if not triple the business as I would do without it, I don’t have to carry my own contracts and hopefully other dbr’s collect my skips….so far only been an issue with one guy.

  Matco#1

  Do you realize by your above statement that you are saying that the reason you are successful is because of Matco and not your own hard work on the franchise you own? I know better, right? You are stating that Matco is the reason your franchise is successful and that is not true, Right?

  You know in one breath you state we have failed our franchises and in one statement you claim your success is because of Matco.

  I think these new Distributor Franchisee prospects deseve the truth. That name on the side of the truck enslaves you to BUY from one company Matco. That company controls pricing. That company controls MDBS. That company tells you when and where you can do business! That company controls PROFIT margin!

  Think about about it! When you log in time stamp through MDBS. When you make a sale time stamp through MDBS. When you quit time stamp through MDBS.

  When you start your franchise did you choose your customers? NO!

  When you pick up a shop your DM tells you to call on MDBS records that too and a new red tack is created to show your Regional Manager that you have picked up a shop that he can pluck from you at will. Because noone knows what the HELL a Drop/Add form is and again it is not even in your franchise documents which is where all documents are supposed to be! I think a drop/add form should have definitely been in there wouldn’t you agree Matco#1 since you have openly admitted that you have been a DM and you used them on a regular basis.

  You see people who lie get caught.
  So maybe you are right Matco#1. Maybe you are an Employee of Matco. At least when I read your post thats what I get.

  A guy who would not be where he is today without MATCO!

• Here I am Mr. Bergman!

  You can resume your name calling, NOW!

• Kevin, I was instructed to do repo’s by my D.M, who is employed by matco just as you are, if there were tools in the box, I was to hold box and tools for ten days, if they were not claimed by then, I was to sell them.

  What is that spewing, the cold hard truth, I was not only instructed by my D.M, but also matco repo department.

  Matco had me doing repo’s and selling the tech’s tools, does that hurt your feelings, by telling the truth, it hurts dosen’t it?

  WE CAN HELP YOU TOO.

• Tommy Matco had a 3rd party repo company, you do not have to do repo’s I only do repo’s that are voluntary, if not I tell Matco to have the company do it, or the dm, I had to do some as a dm.

  Todd, I have said it a ton of times, not a Matco employee don’t believe me ask junior. I have nothing to hide

• Todd, never looked to see if a drop add form was in FDD, but I did utilize this form. You can get mad at me all you want, I can’t help it if Robert didnt do his job, maybe thats why he got fired.,I did mine, didn’t get fired, and know if I want to go back as a dm , I could!

• MATCO#1 provides an important warning to prospective Matco distributors / franchisees:

  “the only time Matco is required to do a survey and provide 325 potential customers is at the time you signed your doc’s and at the time of renewal.”

  MATCO#1 gives this important warning: Although Matco stresses that you’ll have 325 potential customers, READ THE FINE PRINT! Matco is not obligated to maintain that many potential customers. SO, if there are layoffs, closings, etc. they are free to let you die by attrition and bring in a new replacement with a new truck lease, new financing, new initial tool purchase to take your place.

  Excellent warning, MATCO#1!

  “So demanding Novak to do a re-survey probably won’t get you very far”

  MATCO#1 makes another important warning for prospective distributors here. Forget the feel-good ad copy about wanting you to succeed, world-class support, etc., once that agreement is signed it’s only the letter of the law that counts. According to MATCO#1, if top execs aren’t REQUIRED by the contract to do something, even if the survival of your business depends on it, they “probably” won’t.

  Don’t expect anyone to lift a finger unless the contract specifically requires it. Tough lesson, MATCO#1, but franchisees should know what they’re in for before signing… if they DO sign after reading your powerful warnings.

  MATCO#1 writes: “So now is Debbie trying to say she doesn’t have 325 potential customers. And if she was leaving Matco and threatening to sue Matco why would they go out an re-survey?”

  Another excellent warning to be considered:

  If you DO sign on and find yourself drowning, don’t expect Matco to throw you a life preserver. In fact, if you scream for help, you will be criticized for bothering them and not just drowning silently.

  And as MATCO#1 puts it, once you start making a gurgling, choking or sputtering sound, why should they offer to lend a hand or toss you a rope? Especially if you screamed for help with an angry tone?!

  MATCO#1 makes a strong case for NOT becoming a Matco distributor: If you become a Matco distributor and ever run into problems, you’re “probably” on your own and will get no sympathy or support from management. In fact, you will probably be criticized by the Old Boys Club for not dying quietly like a good churn victim.

  You can’t say MATCO#1 didn’t warn you!

• Could matco and their employees have given me wrong information, or did they have me break the law?

  THEY HAD ME BREAK THE LAW.

• When I was with matco, I was team player, when I was asked, to do something, I did it whether it was a repo or helping out, so matco had me do repo’s , never told me I was breaking the law, why, did dicaudo not know the law was being broken, he is their lawyer or is he just filling a spot?

  Matco had me break the law.

• Wow! Now today Robert didn’t do his job and that is what he got fired for. Seems awfully funny that creating a #1 District is grounds for termination with Matco. I thought creating a #1 District where there hadn’t been one in previous years would be bonus points with Matco for Robert? I would think that would have given him job security with the company. I thought that Robert being a District Manager helped Matco become MORE PROFITABLE than they had been in previous years in that DISTRICT. Of course, when you have a route that is making $4000 dollars a week in profit I guess you have Matco to thank for that too. I mean without them it would not be possible right? I mean Snap-On, Mac, Cornwell could not possibly do $15,000 in sales per week. Because then maybe Matco isn’t the best company to work for. Maybe Matco lied to me when I signed up to become a Matco franchise Distributor stating that they were the best commany to work for. Who strive to be a supportive partner in your franchise. Churn and Burn is what they should have advertised.

• Tommy said: “THEY HAD ME BREAK THE LAW”

  Good thing you have a lawyer, tommy. He may have to defend you.

  As MATCO#1 said, I’m not an employee of Matco, and I only do reposessions that I choose to do. Matco can deal wit the rest. If Matco would have told you to steal a car, would you have? You may have tried to think for yourself when you were a distributor. It may have worked out better.,

  Hey Guest! Welcome back! Did it get too hot for you here last time? I don’t see any answers to those questions you were asked. So again, since you’ve never been a Matco distributor, why are you here? Do you have a degree in copy-and-paste?

• LIKE IT OR NOT , YOU WORK FOR MATCO, THEY TELL YOU, WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN NOT DO, THATS WHY YOU UPLOAD MDBS EVERY NIGHT, THEY OWN YOU.

• YES. GET OVER IT, THERE ARE YOUR EMPLOYER, JUST DEAL WITH IT.IF THEY ASKED YOU TO REPO, YOU DID IT. THEY OWN YOU.

• Kevin,

  You own two routes! They are not separate! YOU OWN THEM BOTH. Chris has nothing to do with YOUR franchises. All he does is RUN YOUR business.

  You are FREE to manipulate YOUR purchases from Matco as long as YOU buy a minimum for both trucks. You can add the rest of YOUR purchases to the truck YOU run and stock both trucks.

  This being said “How many times has Chris’s route been in the top 30”

  Oh WAIT! He is just an employee! Like I said before. Good FOR YOU!

  Now! Other people who were told Matco was the best and with Matco you can succeed and not have to have twice the investment to do it, is kind of a fib isn’t it?

  How is a new distributor suppose to compete with an Awesome veteran like KEVIN BERGMAN on purchase average. Thanks for your support in my lawsuit against Matco Tools as this is a prime example of how Matco destroys people who put everything on the line to try and compete with the likes of Kevin Bergman.

• Tommy, considering yourself an employee could be one of the reasons you failed as a distributor. Every franchise owner with any company has an agreement to follow. You didn’t follow yours, and you failed. Get over it.

  Also, you may need a new keyboard. Your caps button is stuck.

• Todd, you’re sounding like an idiot again. You obviously know nothing about the Distributor Plus program, so your words mean nothing. As I said before, I was in business for 14 years before I started the second truck, so I guess a distributor might possibly be able to make a good living that way. Nobody has to compete with me. Each of my franchises has it’s own purchase avarage, and guess what, they’re both over 80% of the NPA! How could that be?

  Have you ever heard of a stock transfer? If product goes from one franchise to another, it gets transfered. You probably won’t be able to understand that, so dream up something to make it sound like I’m screwing someone.

  I hope, for your sake, you don’t have to testify in your lawsuit. Matco’s lawyers will really enjoy that.

• WOW! 248 active customers. How many NEW Franchisees will ever see that kind of #. NONE!

  I had respect for you Matco#1 but I worked my ass off to support my Matco Franchise and I NEVER had 248 customers on the books. You are either lucky enough to have no other competition on your route or your head count is out of this world. One other possibility is that you work over 16 hours a day but hey judging by the time you spend on here that can’t be true.

• Guest, yes you should always read your contract. And Matco does follow the contract because they are required too. The contract protects Matco and the dbr. You wouldn’t know about being a dbr.

  Didn’t you read your contact guest???Debbie should read hers.

• Well Todd, based upon your own admission you never knee what a drop add form was? Robert went to the same training class I did and I sure the he’ll knew what one wad and utilized it . You said, he told you to go to all these shops and didn’t document anything, then he disappears for a month! Now you question Matco firing him… ?

• There is the Kevin I know. Calling names and denial.

  I have done stated that you have to maintain 80% of the NPA for BOTH trucks. You also have to maintain 80% of the cost of a new Start-up inventory of a new distributor.

  So like I said one truck gets minimum purchases the other gets the rest propelling Kevin Bergman into a top 30 distributor. GOOD FOR KEVIN! Good for Matco! Proud of you both.

  As for a witness stand I welcome the opportunity! I will sieze the day when it comes! I got money and I am getting more money! Matco will be exposed for its UNLAWFUL, DISGRACEFUL and UNETHICAL business practices in my lawsuit.

  I promise!!! Like I said before I HAVE PROOF!!!

• Testy,testy, Kevin, its ok that matco owns you, we will be here for you, when you fail or matco fails you, its coming.

  do you upload mdbs, do you tote and promote, do you collect psa, do you repair broken ratchet heads, you work for matco, like it or not, thats the way it is.

  I fixed my caps button, have you learn to do as matco tells you to do, sell foreign made tools and carts, have they cheated you on returns lately.

• Todd your jealousy flatters me, my headcout was 351, and yes 248 are on the books, I didn’t say they were all great payers.

  See your comment is typicall though, I saw at as a dm and I see it now, whenever somebody is doing good, the bottom feeders always say it’s the route? So I will tell you what I tell everybody, it’s for sale!