MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints

4,850 thoughts on “MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints”

• Guest17 when they fuel up their car on the way to the dentist, at the dentist they can look on the chair they are sitting on “Pelton and Crane” a Danaher Co.

• matco#1
  you are such an ass a rude ass to be honest.
  some of your quotes are really honest but the rest are not.
  when you honestly believe what others have lived then you will truly understand

• Really “a rude ass” you can do better than that.

• Richard it’s like this, when people are rude I am rude back, when people are nice I am nice back. When Tommy talks decent to me, I talk decent back, but when he starts lying and calling people names, guess what I get rude.

• I read some of the 3000 or so posts on here. I am a tool man myself. I have had ups and downs being in the truck. Some of them include things that are my fault and others the company and new or existing policy’s. Some people on here say it’s all the companies fault and others say it’s there own fault why they failed. Do you people really think only one side is at fault? I will give one example. Maybe the company said you will get this that and the other painting a fantastic picture of what you will earn. Then as you go with this idea you get more frustrated with the end result week after week being not so good. After all those hours and hard work nothing has changed. You then begin carrying more weight on your shoulders and your attitude changes. You aren’t so happy around your customers, you fight with your trade account trying to stay off hold, your customers are wondering where there tools are you ordered weeks ago, your manager says hang in there things will get better. You get mentally drained and feel like your going to war instead of work. After a long battle you throw in the towel. Now in a scenario like this who’s at fault? I say both party’s. The company because they let a dealer drown and really just wasted there time, new dealer and customers in the street. The new dealer too. I say that because if you go to work for free too long it’s time to pack it in sooner. But the company shouldn’t keep all the risk on the individual either.

• STATE THE FACTS AND IGNORE THE MORONS,THE TOOL BUSINESS IS CHANGING AND THE DEFENDERS ARE SCARED .

  Their days are numbered also, they will fail and they will need Jerry. You are employed by matco and you are only a number and they could care less about you.

  DO NOT BUY MATCO TOOLS, THERE TOOLS ARE MADE OVERSEAS AND SO ARE THE CARTS.

  JERRY AND THE GANG WILL PREVAIL IN COURT AND TOOL PRICES ARE GOING UP.

• Ohhh Tommy so untrue, I bet you have posted this same post a hundred times.

  Lets see last 2 posts I have been called an ass twice and now a moron. Tommy wasn’t it you that said you shouldn’t call names….shame, shame.

  I WAS employed by MATCO, but now I am SELF employed, which means if I don’t work, then work doesnt get done. If no work gets done, then I don’t get paid. If I don’t get paid, the bills don’t get paid.

  You are right Tommy I am a number….six to be exact….

  Shouldn’t “There” be “Their’, but still not correct not all tools and not all carts are made overseas. But some are. In fact Tommy the MSC4 carts are overseas, I wonder how many of those I sold this year, oh yeah, close to 40, along with 16 of the MSC4 full drawer carts. I LOVE THOSE CARTS, I SELL SO MANY!

• How can you have sympathy for these two. Tommy lives in almost a half million dollar house, while debbie chooses to only work 4 days a week.

  ■Guest on January 3rd, 2012 6:07 pm
  Former WI Distributor:

  Brace yourself. Here comes the OBC (Old Boy’s Club). They come out at night, like night weasels.

  They refuse to acknowledge any problem, no matter how obvious, any impropriety, or any need for improvement by Matco.

  You tell your story about being forced out after 8 years? No comment from the OBC.

  A 7 year distributor fails without a single call or finger lifted to help by his DM? No comment from the OBC.

  As Tommy says, ignore ignore ignore.

  Todd makes a minor error of no significance (what does it matter who owns fluke?), and they are all over him like a pack of hyenas.

  Guest that areaa of no significance has sold more than 10,000 dollars last year…..we are only here to correct the mistruths spoken by you, tommy, todd and the gang.

  What it proves is the lack of competence by these people…..

• matco#1
  well
  l i have never been rude to you

• Guest back to copying and pasting.

• Really Richard, did you forget about this post about an hour ago?

  richard on January 3rd, 2012 9:42 pm matco#1
  you are such an ass a rude ass to be honest.
  some of your quotes are really honest but the rest are not.
  when you honestly believe what others have lived then you will truly understand

• Jay on January 3rd, 2012 10:09 pm How can you have sympathy for these two. Tommy lives in almost a half million dollar house, while debbie chooses to only work 4 days a week.

  Wow Jay, my house is almost half that, a $500,000 for Tommy I guess MATCO really didnt take everything from him like he says.

• Jay I wonder, how does a person that has so much “windshield time” get to all of their shops in 4 days.
  I know you are still working, and you have a ton of windshield time, I bet you cant get to all your shops in 4 days.

• hey just got off truck,what did i miss?

• hey I LOVE MY TRUCK,ITS RIGHT OUTSIDE,ITS WHITE AND RED,(like a MATCO TRUCK)

• i just went all though the posts,still no answers from debbie

• man i must have missed all the fun,i guess ill go see if anyone posted on debbies site…..

• nope none there. same as a couple weeks ago. nobody cares i guess,but TOMMYBOY>

• I dont know as my wife would love me to only work 4 days a week, but with 550 miles per week even she has given up on that because it wont work. As far as Tommy goes I would like to live in a half million dollar house while crying poor me????

• i got a question from last night,all those who think matco should be paying us to fix ratchets,do/did you charge your custuners to replace impact cils or did you do that as service?

• Matcoman, you missed Todd saying today that Fluke was owned by Snap On and that he never sold Fluke the entire time he was on the truck because he didn’t want to help Snap On out.
  As you probably know MATCOMAN Fluke is owned by Danaher…the same company that owns MATCO. So, ironically by Todd NOT selliing Fluke, a company owned by Danaher, he was acutally helping his Snap On competitors out.

• Jay, I bet the payment on Tommys $500,000 house must be at least $3,300 a month. Man thats a tough nut to crack every month. $3,300 a month, I bet about $150 a month goes to the principle…makes you wonder if maybe he should be complaining to Jerry about how bad the mortgage company is screwing him.

• Matcoman, found this on Debbies sight tonight, wonder why she doesnt post this one?
  Bruce Molitor If you are so unhappy why are you still a distributor? Matco may have its faults, but I dont think there is any perfect job in the world.I f the bad outweighs the good you should get out

• Matcoman, are you referring to the clips on impact guns?

• Matco 1 after reading your coments on here it is clear why your not a DM anymore.
  If you going to talk on here stick to the facts please. Im tired of opening 15 emails to find your comenting in 13 of them about something not related. (Like someone elses house payment) Who cares????? You might want to switch to FaceBook…

• Debbie, I watched your videos this evening and have a few questions?
  1st. If youve read your fdd section 12 it describes that you are guaranteed 325 customers as of the date of the agreement, not forever. And there is a exclusion saying iy can grow or decrease according to economic conditions etc. So where do you have a complaint against matco for this? You signed it.
  It also says that with the packet you get your list of calls to preview before you sign. So didnt you realize then you would have a 700 mile route? And i don’t see how tou could possibly see 325 guys with 550 miles of drivetime in 40 hours as you have stated before. Just trying to understand your complaints. Have a great day.

• Former WI:

  “Matco 1 after reading your coments on here it is clear why your not a DM anymore.”

  What do you mean by that? Matco #1 was my DM before he decided to step back into a truck……My district was a joke before he took it over…. he brought our district to #2 then sadly for us went back to a truck in a different district.
  BANG back on the route and 10 months he is a top distributor…….good for him and his family….

  It seems to me that everything that #1 has posted is relevant, He brings to light some of the absolutely rediculous claims that the failed have posted.

• Jay

  I will answer that one for her as I am sure that her and my experiences of Matco Franchises are very similar.

  Lets address the 325 MINIMUM customers you are supposed to have to be a Distributor. Lets say the first week on the truck you realize your route is actually alot less than the minimum. What am I saying? You are not an experienced Distributor you have never sold tools ever. Somebody walked up to you and offered you a free Ratchet to fill out paperwork to see if you Qualify as a Distributor and guess what you are good to go.

  So, you thought about it and said what the heck if Tim Gilmore says it’s a good idea in a bad economy and a great idea in a good economy what have I got to lose. So you get your UFOC and have to wait to sign until you have an opportunity to rewiew it with an attorney. Your DM shows up and says what do you think. You say, Yeah! Tim Gilmore would never steer me wrong. The DM says did you read the UFOC. Well Yeah! Did you have an attorney preview it. You say, Do I need too. You told me I could trust Matco. Oh Yeah says DM. We take GOOD care of our distributors. So you sign. Then you sign a route list. Because the good Lord knows if Matco actually let you see all your customers two weeks before signing papers they would never get people to sign up for Franchises.

  Now that you signed a route list. You only have so long to complete the process and get in a truck or what you signed will be null or void. So you wisk off to training learn all about Drop/Add forms and how to secure shops on your route list and what your territory is. OOps! that don’t sound right. So you wisk off to training and learn about Google Map and MDBS and how they can be UTILIZED by Matco to control your every move. Like a dog on a leash. OOps! that Don’t sound right either.

  Let’s just get on the truck and start our first week. So were driving around and trying to get guys to give us their socials so we can tell how much money our customers are screwing the last poor Franchise smuck out of. Hold on why would I care about that failure of a Distributor. Matco told me to tell the customers that collecting for that failure is not my problem. So yes MR CUSTOMER I will charge up more money on a truck account even though you want to pay the previous guy. Just give me his payment who cares about that failure. So you hit all the shops and after a week you got 100 customers in your computer. You look at trainer and say Where’s the BEEF. He states that more will come next week. So you ride around for a month and only have 309 customers on your route list. You call DM and say where the HELL is my minimum of 325. He says they’re on your list. You say whatever! He says okay I’ll try and find more shops. But you have pissed in his bowl of Wheaties now and he decides he will give you some more shops in the next time zone.

  I hope this is a good informative response to your intellegent and intellectually stimulating questions.

  Sincerely!

• Hey Cary!

  Ridiculous! Not rediculous. Jason Neal took 325 customers and in less than 10 months he was a top Distributor where a previous failed? COUGH COUGH Bull S*&%!

• I would like to be a man and admit that I am wrong about FLUKE.Sorry ! Jason ! As hard as that is I have been to FOUR Expos in my 6 1/2 years with Matco and I don’t recall seeing a booth. If I remember correctly the reason I didn’t buy FLUKE is because our profit margin was like 30% and it was hard to be competitive with Snap-On price. Come to think of it that is exactly why I didn’t sell them because Snap-On had negotiated price for X amount of years when they sold it. I don’t know that for a fact either. I will say this for a fact I sold a crap load of Matco meters Snap-On carried Fluke and I didn’t care. I serviced all his meters and sold them Matco ones too.

  I always thought FLUKE was way overpriced.

• Please forgive me Jason! It Happens.

  Hey! Did Justin ever get that 88 tooth Ratchet?

• Sitting at my desk this morning, drinking coffee, getting a laugh out of you all.Who cares what who has, lets stick to the facts and the facts are:

  MATCO SCREWED ALOT OF PEOPLE AND THEY MUST PAY. THEY SCREWED AMERICAN TAXPAYERS AND ALL THE FORMER DISTRIBUTORS.

  Stats show more people fail with matco (because matco lies)than succeed. Their are only a few who will succeed and thats because matco wants them too, they have large areas and large headcounts and are called charters.

  The defenders are on here, just to have someone to talk to, and trying to save azz with matco. Their is no one on the defenders site to talk to, because no one cares about matco, when in fact their support is here with us, they want change to come and its on the way.

  If matco is so good, why are they not on the defenders site?

• Good morning all,

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU0X30i9eBM

• Franchisee Satisfaction Report
  For anyone researching a franchise, Franchise Business Review knows how important it is to get feedback from current franchisees. To expedite this process, we conducted an independent survey ofMatco Tools franchisees on their satisfaction.
  All active franchisees were invited to participate in the survey. 746franchise owners elected to participate (approximately 51%). The survey was completed on December 2010.
  WHY would only 51% respond??  
  Could it be – the 49% remaining have been so jaded by non-assistance, complacency, and general “nobody gives a rat’s butt” attitude that they didn’t bother to fill out the survey? 
  No matter – the results in each category were an overwhelming – middle of the road.  Not exactly a gushing with excitement review.

• I’ve been thinking after Expo and the Matco Distributors Association
  Conference, I would really like to attend the Danaher
  Stock Holder Meeting.

  Interesting reading from Business Week
  Snap-on
  Wives Against Snap-on vs. Snap-on Tools Inc.
  In 2005, automotive repair tools franchisor Snap-on was sued by four wives of Snap-on franchisees, who claimed the company falsely advertised income potential and customer bases, and extended precarious lines of credit to franchisees. The wives claimed financial and emotional debilitation to their own lives, and filed the case because of an arbitration provision in their husbands’ contracts that prevented them from suing their own franchisor.
  Outcome: The wives won the verdict and opened the door for a California Superior Court ruling that allowed dealers themselves to file a class action against Snap-on. In 2006 they did just that. The franchisor settled their suit for approximately $38 million in damages and attorney’s fees, forgave about $61.6 million in debt, and agreed to change some of its business practices, such as reducing the required investment for initial inventory.

• debbie how about answer the questions you were asked

• Debbie, just ignore them, do it the matco way.

• Pingback: MATCO TOOLS: Franchisee Alleges Franchise Fraud (Video) : Unhappy Franchisee

• Below is a link in which Tim Gilmore appeals to Franchisee prospects using that potential customer list LOC, territory, VetFran and more. Just go and watch.

  discwww.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztaxdoa3P4Q

  Kind of Ironic that the OBC states Distributors have an opportunity to preview shops before signing and the Vice President states that you don’t need to do anything because Matco does it for you!

  Kind of funny how OBC states that your LOC is your business but Tim SPECIFICALLY mentions TERRITORY!

  [Todd is this the video? This might be a better link: http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-franchise-information/ ADMIN]

• New post:

  “Matco Tools has posted numerous video franchisee testimonials on YouTube extolling the benefits of the Matco Tools franchise opportunity.

  “However, the latest franchisee videos have been unflattering, to say the least.

  “Debbie Solko is a current Matco Tools franchisee who is fighting for survival on a sparsely populated route in the Rocky Mountains.

  “Solko (the self-named “Lady Matco”) has posted her second video claiming that she is the victim of a fraudulent franchise investment scheme that sets up its distributors to fail.

  “Her video (entitled “Matco tools franchise FRAUD”) begins:

  “’Hi. My name is Debbie Solko and I’m a Matco Tools distributor.

  “’I’ve been a Matco Tools distributor for the past two and a half years… soon to be ‘former’ tool distributor.

  “’I am the victim of franchise fraud and let me tell you why…’”

  See the video here:

  MATCO TOOLS: Franchisee Alleges Franchise Fraud (Video)

  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/franchisee-franchise-fraud/

• Pingback: MATCO TOOLS Franchise Information Video : Unhappy Franchisee

• Truth: the most deadly weapon ever discovered by humanity. Capable of destroying entire perceptual sets, cultures, and realities. Outlawed by all governments everywhere. Possession is normally punishable by death.– John Gilmore

  TRUTH – Capable of changing the current broken tool franchise system.

  Incredible that one can invest hundreds of thousands of dollars, hours upon hours of time, with a franchise that feels NO NEED to address any of their concerns or answers any of their questions.

  Yet individuals on a blog site feel they are entitled to demand and receive answers from a total stranger.

  And, it doesn’t matter what they answer – it will be wrong and ridiculed.

  For example;
  Several have stated, “They followed the plan and did everything as instructed by Matco”
  ……………to that they are answered “Well if the plan wasn’t working YOU needed to find one that did, lazy!”

  On the other hand, if they had stated: “When shops were taken away, I tried to find my own – so that my business could survive.”
  …………………that wasn’t right either and to that they were answered, “Matco has a tried and true plan for business success, you didn’t follow, YOU failed.

  In the beginning posts on this site, I would attempt to ‘debate’ the topics and post my side and circumstance
  ……………only to be dismissed as rantings, no more.

  I will only state, one last time, I invested a lot of money, I dedicated 60-70 hours a week to my business, I toted, I promoted, I followed all the sales techniques of a successful business, I went to every shop, spoke to every technician, every week. Much like many, many, many other distributors I lost customers. Much like many many many other distributors I was selling to customers that had suffered economic difficulties and were financially unable (NOT UNWILLING) to purchase tools. Much like other distributors, I ASKED Matco for help. Much like other distributors, I asked for a re survey. Much like other distributors I complained that my 325 base customer base had been inflated. Much like other distributors I contested the validity of my head count. I learned the features and benefits of the tools I was selling. I ASKED for assistance and education on diagnostic tools – and received none. I wrote letters to the corporate office – and received NO ANSWERS. NO help, NO answers, despite REPEATED attempts………….

  Really? Does anyone really expect I will answer to a total stranger on a blog site? Why on earth would I?

  The dynamic of the relationship Matco Tools has with its distributors is much a kin to an abusive marriage – BOTH need counseling!!
  “Keep your mouth shut and nobody gets hurts” – no longer works in either relationship!

  Matco Tools, much like the abusive spouse, repeatedly spews deceit and expects their distributors to cower and accept the lies. Much like the battered wife is told, “It is her fault” That no longer will work.

  So, I respectfully request you stop the bully tactics, the name calling, and accept I am here to post the stories of distributors that have, if fact, failed – through NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. These are true stories, told by many. Since no one here has personal knowledge of these people or circumstances – no one here has reason to doubt.

  If you want to question me, I would direct you to my attorney.
  This will only be settled in court.

• New post:

  Matco Franchise Information video featuring Senior Vice President of Sales Tim Gilmore. Comments welcome:

  MATCO TOOLS Franchise Information Video

  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-franchise-information

• Debbie watch the video in the link at the bottom on my last comment. ADMIN was kind enough to fix it so it would work. Tim Gilmore rattles on for 8 minutes to explain WHY matco is the best choice for ANYONE to quit their job and come to Matco.

  It will make you cringe with the false info he provides to new Franchisee prospects.

• Tim Gilmore has not been VP for how long????? So is this video even of substance???

• Former Debbie,
  I think I asked fair questions, without bullying tactics. I am sorry you fell the questions were worded that way.

• Jay writes “So is this video even of substance???”

  I assume by “of substance” you mean “relevant”?

  I first saw this video where its posted on the Matco YouTube channel. The video is being used CURRENTLY by Matco to recruit distributors. If future dbrs are watching it and being sold by it, why wouldn’t it be relevant?

  I particularly like the part where Gilmore puts forth a 90% SUCCESS RATE for all of franchising. Why doesn’t he give the “success rate” of Matco franchisees instead? Oh yeah, he’s trying to SELL franchises, not send people away screaming in horror. Silly me!

  By the way, there is no such study that he quotes and the 90% success rate for franchising has been proven to be A LIE. If anyone is thinking of buying a Matco franchise, please ask the company for a copy of the study they quote from.

  Their answer will SPEAK VOLUMES.

  By the way, nice video Debbie!

• Hey JAY! You didn’t know that Tim Gilmore is the new President of Matco Tools. WOW!

  Talk about living life with blinders on.

• I knew that before the NEW YEAR ball dropped.

  Yes! as of January 1st Tom Willis has stepped down and Tim Gilmore is your new President!

  Anyone want to guess WHY?

  All you Presidents,
  With your FLASHY cars and BOAT,
  Better run, run, run
  Run from my Attorney.

• Look Jay. Guest is fingerless.