MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints

4,850 thoughts on “MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints”

• Todd,
  620 a wk were you working 1 day a week was the fishing that good or was it the whiskey ?

• They make our green ball peIn and soft face hammers, (USA made) hopefully he is at expo again this year. Great guy to talk to.

• Guest 17,

  You are talking about the hammers that I never have to warranty unlike the astro chinese pieces of crap Matco is pushing

• Yes exactly, after I talked to him last year I quit carrying those red shattering piles. I realized then I never had to warranty those green ones. So that’s how I justify to my customers the extra cost..

• I am sorry if i am not like you and grab the butt cheeks of Matco and ram it in a little farther. After asking TWICE to have my route resuveyed and being told both times it would happen at some point you stop buying tools and start trying to manage your overly stocked and overly sized tool truck. I mean how many Distributors have 230 customers and service them with $180,000 in tools and a 26′ Peterbilt.

• Well they do make red hammers also, but not for Matco..

• Oh so you want to talk about the biggest OBC guy in Arkansas Bud Cook. The guy I got to do my Distributor ride with so he could tell me that if I worked hard I could be like him too.

  A guy who is consistantly at the top because he has a route that could accomodate 2 maybe 3 Distributors of 325 head count.

  A guy who warranty’s tools which are not warrantied so when customers leave his area and enter mine he can say I am not doing my job.

  A guy who expected me to honor Gift cards off my truck on his truck.

  A guy who was pissed because Matco Tech cards were coming to me instead of him and being used.

  A guy who told me when I started my franchise that they have always collected and paid 100% on skips for each other. Then my first customer to be a skip (Thomas Chandler) who owed me less than $73.00 Bud gives me a check minus 25% after I had collected and paid 100% of his money totaling over $2500.

  A guy who wanted a shop ON my list of calls because he had it across town and the shop moved into where I lost a shop. So when I refused he turned the shop against me. So when I showed up they refused to let me service. I told my DM at the time (Anthony) and he said what do you want me to do about it.

  A guy who had one of my skips who owed me money. Never collected it. Then the guy came back to me and owes Bud like $800.00. Bud got pissed because I told him he would get paid after I got paid. I even got a call from Anthony stating I needed to give Bud X amount of dollars per week. I told him I don’t give a rat’s azz. I went over a year without my money.

• Todd Ditto on the above.
  Seems like there are Distributors like Bud in every market.

• Hey Ron, glad I could help you. If you need to talk to me, get with Debbie (ladymatco), she has my number. Pass the word along to anyone you know that matco failed.

  BE LOUD AND LETS BE HEARD.

• Matco Tools Franchise Complaints total 3359.
  Snap-On Franchise Complaints 13.

  I wonder why that is?

• Former WI, maybe because people are passionate about both sides…or maybe because there is a lot of re-gifting, one thing for sure this sight has a lot of posts that have nothing to do with MATCO.

  Then on the flip side maybe nobody gives a rats behind about snap on

• Todd,
  Truth is you grew to fast put all of your eggs in one basket. Steady eddie wins the race try business 101 it would help.

  Guest17,
  When dbr’s do their own research looking at all products manufactures ect profits tend to go up this should be common sense but apparently not for some.

  I will reserve my opinion about my Dm and RM but I have never heard them say they would hold my hand Todd Tommy Debbie mabey you heard something else ?

• Todd no matter what area you are in, skips with other DBR’s are just as bad sometimes, as with skips with customers. Some area’s its 75%, some it’s 100%, no consistency, some guys pay others don’t, been trying for years to have matco get involved like how snap on does and they wont…one of my biggest complaints with matco is over the skips.

• tlman, you are right, it’s your business the only person that is going to make it succeed or fail is you. If that means nuclear deals, then that’s what you gotta do.

• Rules for SKIPS,

  #1 ASK FOR YOUR MONEY
  #2 Don’t chase bad money
  #3 Don’t over extend customers

  Very simple to follow but many don’t

• Hey Matco#1, check out tooltrucks.com and look at Peterbilt 335 that was just sold. Name on truck says Todd, it is 26’long and is only rated for 26K with disc brakes…….how can you fit 250,000 at cost of tools on that combination……..just sayin

• Your right tlman, a former #1 about 10 years ago told me if you get a skip, go sell something else to a new customer, if you start chasing bad money, pretty soon the only thing you have is bad money.

• These FDDs are pretty lengthy, but there’s some interesting stuff in them. I am reading Snap-on’s FDD, specifically the completed franchisee litigation of the past decade.
  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/%ef%bb%bfsnap-on-tools-franchise-disclosure-document-fdd/

  It looks like franchisees prevailed in every one of the 26 or so settled cases. Check out these amounts:

  Mike Barnes v. Snap-on Incorporated (OR) Snap-on agreed on January 30, 2007, to pay Barnes $87,500.00

  Tim Barnes v. Snap-on Incorporated (OR). Snap-on agreed on January 31, 2007, to pay Barnes $75,000.00

  George Brenski v. Snap-on (IL). An award was granted on June 28, 2004, in favor of Brenski for $80,000.00 plus fees and expenses.

  Luis Canaveral v. Snap-on Incorporated (FL). May, 2007 Snap-on paid Mr. Canaveral $82,500.00.

  Darin Canetti v. Snap-on Tools Company LLC, Snap-on Credit LLC, Bart Wignall, Michael Montemurro, Nicholas Loffredo and David Pence (NJ). December 2007… Snap-on paid Canetti $240,000.00

  Brian Casey v. Snap-on (NJ). Award granted on July 13, 2004, in favor of Casey for $314,608.00 plus arbitration fees.

  Scott W. Copperthite v. Snap-on Tools Company LLC (CT). December 2007 Snap-on paid Copperthite $60,000.00

  Ronald DeSantis, Matt Setser, Shawn Dickmeyer, William Bradley Freeman, Scott Factor, Scott Ingenito, Aaron Reeves, Anthony Hobby, Dwight Lankart, Richard Fortuna, and Paul Vladyka, on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, vs. Snap-on Tools Company LLC, Snapon Credit LLC and Snap-on Incorporated, Defendants. Snap-on recorded a $38,000,000.00 pretax charge in the second quarter of 2006 representing its best estimate of the costs to settle this matter, including attorney fees, costs and expenses.

  The total that Snap-on paid franchisees in just these 8 cases totals $38,829,608

• Snap-on’s FDD reveals that in the next 8 cases of franchisee litigation, franchisees won every case also
  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/%ef%bb%bfsnap-on-tools-franchise-disclosure-document-fdd/

  The next 8 cases, Snap-on had to pay disgruntled franchisees $898,000

  Michael Dittfield v. Snap-on Tools Company July 16, 2004 Snap-on paid plaintiff
  $15,000.00.

  Mark S. Foster v. Snap-on and Snap-on Credit LLC May 18, 2005… Snap-on paid Plaintiff $60,000.00.

  Francisco Franco v. Snap-on Tools Company and Snap-on Credit LLC (NJ). Snap-on paid Franco $500,000.00

  William Bradley Freeman v. Snap-on Tools Company LLC and Snap-on Credit LLC, Michael Montemurro, David Spence and Bart Wignall (FL). June, 2007 Snap-on paid Mr. Geisel $210,000.00

  Gary Geppi v. Snap-on Tools Company LLC, Snap-on Credit LLC, Michael Montemurro, Rich Meyers, Michael Ward, Rich Fitzhugh, Gary Huether, Frank Steffens and Jeffrey Howell (NJ). June 22, 2005 Snap-on paid Geppi $25,000.00.

  Jeffrey Goldwasser v. Snap-on (NJ). April 25, 2005, pursuant to which Snap-on paid $50,000.00 to Goldwasser and his wife, Abbeye Goldwasser

  Paul Harz v. Snap-on Tools Company and Snap-on Credit LLC (NY). October 1, 2005, Snap-on paid Harz
  $23,000.00

  Justin Hemker v. Snap-on (MI). March 1, 2004, in which Snap-on paid $15,000.00 to Hemker.

  That means that the total of the first 16 cases alone amount to $39,727,608 that Snap-on had to pay its franchisees. Gosh, that’s a lot.

  Do you think that these disgruntled franchisees have any idea about this? Do you think their attorneys know about these settlements from a competitor with basically the same model and franchisees with very similar complaints?

• Continuing to read the Snap-on FDD (gosh, this legal stuff gives me a headache!). If I’m reading this correctly (no promises!) reveals that in the next 8 cases of franchisee litigation, franchisees won every case also
  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/%ef%bb%bfsnap-on-tools-franchise-disclosure-document-fdd/

  In these 9 cases Snap-on had to pay its unhappy franchisees $734,500

  Perry E. Littlejohn and wife, Betty H. Littlejohn v. Snap-on Tools Company. December 2006 Snap-on paid the Littlejohns $50,000.00.

  Peter LoRe v. Snap-on (NY). June 29, 2005, pursuant to which Snap-on paid LoRe $45,000.00.

  Kevin Meehan v. Snap-on Tools Company (NJ). Snap-on paid Meehan $315,000.00.

  James Miller v. Snap-on (CA). October 2, 2002, pursuant to which Snap-on paid plaintiff $53,500.00.

  Christopher Palmerini v. Snap-on Tools Company and Snap-on Credit LLC (NY). June 6, 2005, paid Plaintiff $50,000.00.

  Michael T. Rowley v. Snap-on Incorporated (OR). July 2007 Snap-on will pay Mr. Rowley $150,000.00.

  Lee A. Smith v. Snap-on Tools Company (IL). September 29, 2006, Snap-on to Smith of $30,000.00.

  Bryan Van Curen v. Snap-on Tools Company LLC and Snap-on Credit LLC (NJ). July 15, 2005 Snap-on paid Van Curen $23,000.00

  George Wutz v. Snap-on Tools Company LLC, Snap-on Credit LLC, Michael Montemurro, Robert Jaros, John Doe Field Managers 1-20, Steve Schmidt, Dave Cimermancic and John Doe Branch Managers 1-10 (IL). December 12, 2005 Snap-on paid Wutz $18,000

  If my reading is correct, that means that Snap-on has paiid out more than $40 MILLION to unhappy franchisees like Tommy, Debby, Todd, Former and the rest of this gang! Yikes! That’s a lot of money!

  What’s weird is Snap-on was always called #1 until they started getting pounded by all these lawsuits.

  Sure seems like the courts are symapthetic to unhappy tool franchisees!

  Sure seem like these lawyers have had a lot of practice successfully suing tool companies on behalf of unhappy franchisees.

  Do you think that’s what’s about to happen to Matco? Gosh I sure hope not.

  I’m sure MATCO#1 and the OBC gang can explain that the Snap-on situation was NOTHING like the Matco situation is now.

  Thank god there are just a handful of unhappy Matco franchisees out there, or this could be a real situation. Especially as it seems that the franchisor DIDN’T WIN 1 CASE (at least by my layman’s reading).

• Does anyone know if Jerry Marks and Marks & Klein were involved with any of the above lawsuits? If so, how many?

  Isn’t he also the one representing Matco franchisees?

• Yes, he is representing most of us on here. Call Debbie, matcolady, she can give you my number or call MarksandKlein. Yes he sued snapon and won millions against them.

  Debbie, can also give you Jerry’s number.

• Guest yes I am sure they know (Marks & Klein).
  Get on the wagon….Its time for Mato to pay back franchisees for its’ bad business practices.
  Matco 1 can talk arrogant on his “So Called” Top Dog Sales but cant stop a moving train by the rest of us…

• Hard to argue when MILLIONS of dollars have
  Been WON by unhappy franchisees from unscrupulous tool companies.
  It has been said – many times over, there ARE successful distributors,
  BUT that doesn’t mean the franchise system is not broken.

  Matco Tools is broken, it IS a franchise that Falsely advertises itself
  as a Family company and a partner in a distributors’ success.

  Nothing can be further from the truth.

  Franchise attorneys have been taking tool companies to task for years, and
  the tool companies have had to pay unhappy franchisees
  MILLIONS,

  So a few arrogant, pompous attempts to derail the conversation,
  Simply Won’t Work!

  Their misguided posts of meaningless banter,
  WON’T STOP THE TRAIN…… ;). !!!!

• Looks like this “Wagon” Train comes to a screeching halt without any constructive criticism. No meaningful posts in like 11 hours….LOVE IT!!!

• OK, a point from Tim Gilmore’s video…

  “Matco has 1500 distributors serving a half million customers”

  500,000 / 1500 = 333
  SO, there are ONLY 333 customers for each distributor.

  There are several distributors that claim they have 400+ customers,
  How can that be?
  Could some distributors have LESS than the guaranteed 325?
  Then there was Brandon, in school he boasted of 650 customers.

  That is just the beginning of what I found wrong in that video

• MILLIONS of dollars paid in settlements

• Millions of dollars????????? Millions of dollars paid in settlements from who …….support it. Not real concerned about you supporting it. You have not addressed any opposition to your rants. Sorry about that whole queen thing that was unfair.

• crickets……………………..jump on that jery train. tomy is throwing coal he will take you to stow??????

• Dear VetFran,

  My name is Todd Peterson and I am a Veteran serving 3 Years for my Country in the United States Army. I received two AAM’s(Army Accommodation Medals) for contributions in making my Motorpool “Best in Army” and for meritorious support in Korea.

  On February 11, 2011, after owning a Matco Franchise for 6 1/2 years I was forced out of my Franchise by Management who used fraud, lies, spy ware and false documents to unfairly and improperly Terminate my Distributorship Agreement with Matco.

  I took the word of my District Manager(DM) that as long as I worked hard I would succeed. But my Franchise with Matco was difficult from the start

  Not having a proper route with the 325 minimum customers I was promised was the start of my problems. Although my route said I had 333 customers I would learn that my DM had inflated my head count and included shops that did not want service. This would drop me below the minimum of 325 which was CONTRACTUALLY GUARANTEED and promised by Matco.

  However, having been a mechanic 6 years before my Franchise I realized servicing my customers on their own shifts would individualize them and make them feel unique. Having four multiple shift shops I spread them out calling on them when my competition was at home. This would prove to be very successful for me as I became 41 out of 1500+ Distributors in the year ending 2005.

  In May of 2006 Matco used SPY WARE in the MDBS sales reporting software it gave me to locate the shops I had added by expanding my hours and then force me to surrender them or lose my Franchise.

  I surrendered those shops only to have Management say it wasn’t enough. After surrendering more shops my headcount was reduced to my start up head count even though I had opened all those new stops.

  With the reduced head count and a bad economy over the course of the next two years my business fell WAY below the minimum head count which CONTRACTUALLY Matco said is NOT THEIR PROBLEM. I requested on two separate occasions a resurvey of my route only to have my DM say he would but never perform them.

  On July 12, 2010 I received a Separation Letter from Matco stating I had 90 days to cure a 80% of the National Purchase Average violation of my contract. If repeated in a year I would be terminated.

  On July 26, 2010 my route was surveyed after 1 1/2 years of begging. This survey was a completely false documentation of my route having inflated head count, closed shops and shops not assigned to my LIST OF CALLS.

  On February 11, 2011 Matco terminated my Franchise based on failure to meet the National Purchase Average which is totally irrelevant to the area in which I was selling tools. How can you be expected to buy tools to meet the national purchase average when the economy is so bad in your area that your customers can’t buy any more tools from you?

  I prayerfully hope you will consider removing Matco as a VetFran option as there are many more stories like mine out there. Matco continually advertises to veterans even though a US government agency, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has found that 37%+ of its loans to Matco distributors failed! Matco is now being sued for SBA loan and franchise fraud for their business practices of using false information to get veterans loans which they later can’t pay. I FEEL that Veterans who have fought for their Country and survived IEDs etc. deserve more than a company that is looking to rip them off all in the name of CORPORATE greed.

  If you require proof I am HAPPY to show you it or you can just go to: http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com to learn about all of Matco’s deceptions.

  Please let me know how you are going to warn all veterans about Matco’s franchise fraud.

  Thank you,

• I asked this before but no answer. Didn’t jerry try this before and Matco beat him.

• if you look back you will see a post from tom. he used jerry and won.

• Richard,

  Snap on or Matco? Who was the tool co.?

• with tom it was matco

• Realty never knew that I know Snap on has had problems and settles per jim on the other site.

• And Todd comes up with a new one…spy ware! Boy Matco is so evil they just wanted you out of there!
  Todd is there a new distributor in place now?

• Debbie would have to say there have been far more than a few attempts to just get answers to mine,matco#1,cary,guest17 etc questions which you have chosen to ignore. Most of us are not trying to derail, just trying to see where you are coming from. But you chose to ignore and not answer and cease a discussion which i thought this website was about.

• Jay! Just so you know this web site was created to give a voice to those who need a voice and as you will find out in the next few months VIOCES will get LOUD! Very LOUD!

  Debbie is a prime example of Matco’s false advertising. Using a NON-VIABLE ROUTE to churn a Distributor who wanted to do what Matco advertises. She is not a failure but a VICTIM. A VICTIM of Corporate GREED.

  Go Ahead, get your chums to call us names but the bottom line is WE WILL find out who is lying. I assure you that the in court when I take the stand your detracting tail end will not be there. Unless they try and make you a credible witness and I and my attorney look forward to the challenge of exposing some of the false statements made on this web site in relation to head count and selling unauthorrized inventory, etc.

  You see I WELCOME probes nothing anal but probe my life and see who I am. You will not find any skeletons in my closet because there are non to be found. They don’t exhist.

• guest17

  You like the SPY WARE comment?

  So you disagree with it. WHY?

  Yes! Guest17. There is another Distributor. His name is Bryan Tegethoff. He is my son’s Cubscout Master.

  Bob Demers is the reason he became a Distributor. You know the guy that filed bankruptcy as a Snap-On Distributor and less than 6 months later became a DM in San Antonio, TX for a couple of years before he took over a Distributor’s Route named Richard Richardson. Richard wasn’t given the opportunity to call on shop’s in Siloam Springs, Ar. I wonder what kind of impact that would have made on his Franchise if HE could have had the ADDITIONAL head count.

  Now, when Tim Novak took my customers that left Mike, Richard and then Bob’s route with an LOC well above 450. But with Bob being given Siloam Springs which easily has two hundred head count. That leaves Bob with 650. HMMM! and WHY! Now I am sure that even BOB might get on here and state that this info is false but I know facts.

  Regardless Matco is in a pickle. If they say that I had enough head count to succeed then why would they give a guy who ASSUMED another distributors route more customers to call on.

  If they say I was not doing my job or servicing my customers then why the need to send a false survey with inflated head count.

  If I was doing so poorly as a Distributor then why not give me annual Distributor rides and document as such.

• That is a good point. Company blame you for not running the route right, you complain about not having a good head count but yet a new guy comes later in your same route they give him more customers. Very good point…

• it has been quieter tonight than it has been through the holidays. i wonder what is going on.

• MATCO#1 Thanks for making you comments clear to me. Time I get to look at this it is late and usually sleepy. It dosen’t sound like you are a looser, and glad your route is successful and making money.

  Matco cut my route because they had a MAC employee distributor at the time who they wanted to put into Matco. I never got all the details, but from what I understand Matco made him a sweet heart deal on tools ect, as opposed to me and everyone else who paid for all their tools.

  As for the DM here I know he was very unhappy with his position, what he was having to do, it was several years later he quit, but may have been asked to leave. Jason took over as DM at that point, and it sounds like he is still in that positon by the posts here.

  Glad you can selll some stuff to the lube guys and tire busters on your route, on mine they did not buy much, were very slow pay, and moved around.

  I really got to hate feeling like all I was doing was trying to collect my money at a number of shops, but had a few good guys who would tell me when they were going to move on. And am still friends with a number of them to this day.

  I also hated/resented Matco telling me what to do and when to do it, after all it was MY MONEY at risk, I quit carring a lot of Matco Air Tools because they were crap, and they were way over priced. I could buy from ISN and sell for less than my cost from Matco and make more $$ and be competive with Snap-on, Mac, and all the others who sold the same stuff!

  As for me after Matco, took some time off, worked for an automotive chemical distributor for a year and a half, a lot like Matco, route, and like Matco, could go into a shop stir the s##t, leave and see what came of it the next week! But wanted to be in my own business. So based on some prior (minmal to be honest) experiece-opened up a sign shop. It is not a franchise as I did not want anyone telling me what to do, when to do it, who I could sell to, or what I could sell-had a belly full of that with Matco. Enjoy the challenges, don’t like deadbeats any better (and there are a few 2 or 3 per year who are a problem) getting old enough now to have some medical issues and my hands are about shot from what I did for 30 years prior so will be looking at retirement in the next year or so.

  Not to defend Matco, BUT if you got into this thinking you were going to have your own business and were only going to work 40 hours a week, where on earth did you get that idea? I average 70 hours a week in my business to make it work, and most independant business owners I know do the same

  And no I did not buy a mansion, same house for last 16 years. Same wife but we never discuss the Matco experience.

  I think that the system is not set up for most to do well, and those that do well are a fluke. At one time I figured that the turnover rate for Distributors was about 17-20% based on number of classes, and class size. But must be wrong if the 36% failure rate is accurate.

  Gawd, I did not mean to get into this again!

  Best wishes to those who are successfuy, and to those who have been wronged.

• Little quiet on here over the weekend. Thats ok, some people needed a break. To those defenders, just because it was quiet over the weekend, dosen’t mean we are going away, were are not going anywhere.

  We are here until we get our day in court, until we are heard loud and clear, until we get resoulution and change happens.

  Caryboy, yea I am throwing coal and alot more. I will be mailing out more flyers also, and posting anywhere, everywhere, including your hometown.

  I can sell my mansion, and have more money than you will ever see with matco, so go sell you defective tools and overseas made carts, and lie to your customers, pull off the stickers that say made in where, not the USA.

• Tommy, yes this site was a bit quiet

  It was wearisome listening to the mindless, meaningless hero worshiping banter among the apathetic successful.
  (IRRELEVANT BANTER DISCUSSING DINNER PLANS OR VACATIONS HAVE NO PLACE HERE – PICK UP A TELEPHONE.)
  Multiple posts from those not satisfied with the acknowledgement of their greatness. Those that lacked the understanding TOP inherently means somethings fall beneath.

  Those that deemed themselves entitled to answers
  ……. in spite of the FACT Matco takes hundreds of thousands of dollars from earnest distributors and
  NEVER GIVES anything back – including ANSWERS.

  I learned from example, the Matco example, IGNORE

  This site in intended to shed light on the fraudulent practices of Matco Tools.

  I have multiple examples and I will happily post. I will happily share video – although I must comment the Alec Baldwin video was not germane to the tool distributor.
  Mr. Baldwin’s video was a sarcastic mocking of REAL ESTATE sales – a sale that consisted of one CLOSE and was PAID in full by customer.

  NOT THE TIME PAYMENT DYNAMIC THAT EXISTS IN THE TOOL DISTRIBUTOR’S WORLD.

  A RELATIONSHIP THAT IS FORMED AND DEPENDENT ON REPEAT FUTURE BUSINESS.

  I’ve personally been told by mechanics – that hard ass approach is not what they want, it is the specific reason they stopped buying from the competition and only bought FROM ME.
  In addition, anyone can sell ONCE using that technique, getting the mechanic to actually PAY after that treatment would be difficult, and future sales would be non existent.

  I still have much to share, and will do so as time permits.

  As far as the “quiet” – history shows us the ‘stealth’ attack is typically quite effective.

• SOLD MATCO TOOLS 4 15 YEARS, PLEASE LOOK UP MEANING OF SELF EMPLOYED, THEN LOOK UP FRANCHISE.

• Look up CHURNED;

  ANYONE WHO PURCHAES A MATCO TOOLS FRANCHISE.

• Look up Spy Ware!

  Software used to pluck hard working Distributor’s customers from their route even though their DM said they could call on them.

• hey i like this new game, Make Up Your Own Meanings. it sounds like the one matco has been playing. can you buy it from matco.i bet that you have to be a current dbr to purchase one. really it should go with your termination letter huh.

• im wondering if some people were told to keep their comments to their self or what. its getting close to party time in stow.
  im hoping for a happy outcome for me. i would love to have my life back before matco. it was so much better. i had good credit, money in the bank, a decent job.
  that was before all the lies and bs so now i dont have good credit, no money in the bank, and no job in an ailing economy. it will be alright though. karma come and get you some.

• Tick tock, tick tock………………………..

  Jerry has the troops amassed on the borders of Stow

  The battle lines have been drawn

  The days of the churn & burn are over

  Time to bring this train into the station