MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints

4,850 thoughts on “MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints”

• Cary:

  Your point (I think) is that failing Matco dbrs have unrealistic expectations about their roles vs. corporate’s role and were not prepared to put in the hard work and the long hours required to survive much less thrive.

  Is that correct?

  How do you think Matco ends up with so many unrealistic franchisees? Don’t you think they need to look at this problem so you’re not having to deal with all these whiners hurting your business and suing your franchisor for years to come, like snap-on?

  Look at how Matco is recruiting. First, they are advertising to people who want jobs, not a business. They are currently recruiting people who want a boss telling them what to do and a steady paycheck. But since the desperate unemployed can’t find one, Matco gets their hooks in them and talks them into a franchise. How bad do you think these complaints will be in a year or 2 when all the Careerbuilder people start failing?

  Look at the unrealistic promises of success Matco made. Tim Gilmore recruited a bunch of people with the lie that 91% will be successful. They were told that success was almost guaranteed. Don’t you think that has something to do with dbrs being pissed off when they realized they were lied to?

  Look at how the Matco ads tell recruits that they will have freedom, can take time off whenever they want, that no tool experience is necessary, that they’ll have plenty of qualified customers GUARANTEED, and that they’ll have WORLD CLASS SUPPORT that’s just a phone call away, all in a franchise that hardly ever fails

  Matco sets those expectations. Shouldn’t they have told prospects they’ll have to work long, tough hours, that their LOC contains a lot of nonexistent or unqualified customers, that they are, for the most part, on their own, that there is basically no resale value and that many many franchisees fail or just walk away?

  That would be honest, wouldn’t it? But those who still signed up, knowing the reality, would be prepared for the tough road ahead and probably wouldn’t have bet their house on Matco as a 91% sure thing.

  Why don’t they paint that realistic picture and set more realistic expectations, Cary?

  Could it be that they don’t want to give up the additional tool purchases and fees that come with recruiting people under false pretenses that are doomed to fail ?

  Has Matco calculated that most of them won’t be able to afford Jerry’s retainer by the time the Matco Tools meat grinder is through with them?

  If you think these franchisees are unqualified and unrealistic, why don’t you look to the company that spent more money and effort recruiting them than trying to retain them?

• The Surgeon General has deemed smoking cigarette can cause cancer
  Therefore, the Surgeon General has ordered the WARNING be labeled on every pack
  So that, smokers can risk their health fully aware of the dangers

  ***********HOWEVER; Matco Tools can cause it’s own special form of cancer………….
  …………it can eat away a Financial well being
  ……………..it can destroy a human beings self worth
  …………………it can kill a dream of business ownership

  THE DIFFERENCE……… THERE IS NO WARNING, NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE DANGER

  During the 1950’s, more and more evidence was surfacing that smoking was linked to lung cancer. Although the tobacco industry denied such health hazards, they promoted new products which were “safer”, such as those with lower tar and filtered cigarettes.

  ******In recent months, more and more evidence has surfaced being a Matco Tools distributor was linked to business cancer. Although Matco denied such success hazards.

  In 1964, the Surgeon General’s report on “Smoking and Health” came out. This report assisted in allowing the government to regulate the advertisement and sales of cigarettes. The 1960’s in general was a time when much of the health hazards of smoking were reported.

  ******IN 2011 the Matco Tools Distributor Association was formed and publicly called for change and detailed the wrongdoings and illegal actions of Matco Tools.

  In 1982, the Surgeon General reports that second hand smoke may cause lung cancer. Smoking in public areas are soon restricted, especially at the workplace.

  *****In 12/2011 Lady Matco’s video points out the FALSE statistic in Matco Tools recruitment video and Matco Tools removes the video. In addition, second hand Matco has been the cause of divorce for many distributors………………….

  In 1985, lung cancer became the #1 killer of women, beating out breast cancer!

  ***********In 2012 Matco cancer killed Lady Matco

  People that smoke are WARNED, INFORMED, and accept the risk – fully aware of the possible implications.
  HOWEVER; PEOPLE THAT BUY A MATCO FRANCHISE ARE DUPED

  THERE IS NO WARNING
  THERE IS NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE DANGER

  Bottom line, there are people that smoke their entire lives and NEVER have problems or get cancer.
  That doesn’t mean smoking DOES NOT CAUSE cancer.

  Bottom line, there are people that will succeed at Matco and never have problems.
  That doesn’t mean MATCO TOOLS DOES NOT CAUSE FAILURE…………..

• lady matco
  very well put and it is the truth. no lies or hidden agenda. just the straight and honest facts.

• We should expect nothing but the very best from our KICK ASS PRESIDENT OF MATCO TOOLS DISTRIBUTOR ASSOCIATION.

  THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY WELL PUT COMMENTS.

  TOMMY CHEUNG
  MDAM

• Cary Devitt

  Not sure how long you have been in business however the premise that you are “self employed” is a complete illusion with ANY franchise not just Matco…this has been proven over and over again in court by thousands of Franchisee’s.

  Yes, you go out every day to make it happen for you and your family however you OPERATE under the Matco umbrella (Franchise agreement) and MUST abide by their rules, some of them good and tolerable-the rest are horrible.

  Just the one fact that Matco can terminate you at any time they see fit for a multitude of reasons or the “non renewal” clause pretty much tells says “they own you”

  I can go into more reasons why later but just look at what happened to Todd #40 in the nation at one time, $200K in inventory etc…look at him now, Novak took his success and “sliced and diced” him into Franchise hell.

  Do you honestly think that Plunk, Ramey, Novak etc or even your DM is your friend??

  Watch how many friends you have left when your purchase average drops…

  So Cary, if you chose to help so many other distributors along the way, then why not Debbie or Todd or ANY of the distributors on this blog??

  Guest17 started to show some class the other nite by offering a little help to Debbie, something went wrong, not sure what, but things degenerated back into the toilet…

  Is it that you studs really want to help out but only under your own terms…WHAT???

• A friend of mine “Googled” Lady Matco
  they came up with the following entry

  Matco Tools Distributor Association – Automobiles and Parts – Bailey …
  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matco-Tools…/293379297348041To all the distributors who are tired of Lady Matco’s whining feel free to join the facebook page “Matco Distributors Against Lady Matco’s Whining”.

  I went to their little Facebook page……….
  …………..it has ONE entry, posted by the page’s creator

  Hmm, feeling a little heat maybe??

  Wonder, will their site get almost 4000 comments??
  Wonder, will their Activity Report from FB show 20,000 visits’??

  Nope, not wondering, because I already know the answer!

  I bet they are ‘tired of whining”,,,,,,,,,,, it just isn’t ME they are hearing :)

• Now THEIR facebook page is PROOF POSITIVE!

  Why? why would there be a ‘need’ to create a facebook page
  IF NOBODY WAS LISTENING????????????

  PROOF POSITIVE – people ARE listening

  PEOPLE ARE LISTENING!!!!!!!!!!!

  and Matco doesn’t like it

  silly Matco, you CAN’T make a woman be quiet! hehehehe

• That’s right!

  Matco was listening when I called Tim Gilmore out on his LIE
  MATCO TOOK DOWN THEIR VIDEO

  why? BECAUSE THEY WERE LISTENING!!!!!!!!!!!!

• It may be time to remind Matco their OWN disclosure documents
  also prove my case:

  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-franchise-distributor-churning/
  We have reviewed the data contained in MATCO Tools franchise Disclosure Document issued March 11, 2011 (the “FDD”). The FDD provides information about the franchise system during calendar years 2008, 2009, and 2010.

  In Item 20 of the Disclosure Document, MATCO discloses information which suggests a fundamental failure of its franchise system is taking place.

  ************FUNDAMENTAL FAILURE OF ITS FRANCHISE SYSTEM*******

  MATCO Tools has, nonetheless, continued to offer and sell Distributorships despite the pattern of early failure.

  *************MATCO’S OWN DOCUMENTS PROVE MY CASE***********

• AND let us NOT FORGET there is still a pending SBA LOAN FRAUD case
  that does, in fact, affect all of us………

  “some” may not care, however; the American taxpayer DOES CARE!

  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-class-action-lawsuit/

  MATCO TOOLS ALLEGED SALES PROJECTIONS

  The lawsuit further states that Matco, TD Bank and other unscrupulous SBA lenders preyed upon unsophisticated borrowers because of their perception that the lender would not make the loan unless it believed the Matco franchise was an acceptable business opportunity.

  According to the lawsuit, TD Bank profited through its collection of loan origination fees as well as interest on the loan principal, which it collected from borrowers while these improper loans were current. When the loans would ultimately fail, TD bank and other lenders would pass along the loss to the American taxpayer, as SBA loans are 90 percent guaranteed by taxpayers, according to the FDIC.

• PASSING THE SBA LOAN LOSSES TO THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER

  ACTIVELY PURSUING OUR YOUNG VETERANS WHEN THEY RETURN FROM ACTIVE DUTY IN ORDER TO GET THEIR STIPEND AND TAX CREDIT

  HEY MATCO:

  HOW ABOUT “THE TELESIS REPORT”

  YOU DO NOT HAVE A GAG ORDER OR A SUPPRESSION ORDER ON ME

  more to come

  ORGANIZED

• HOW MUCH WAS TOM WILLIS’ GOLDEN PARACHUTE??

  HOW MUCH DID DANAHER PAY HIM TO GO AWAY??

  EVER NOTICE HOW CEO’S WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES OR PURSUE OTHER INTERESTS AT THE SAME TIME A SH$T STORM IS BREWING

  COINCIDENCE??

• CONSIDERING THE TIM GILMORE VIDEO (NOW REMOVED, REDACTED) THERE IS SOME TRUTH THERE IF YOU FLIP-FLOP THE STATISTICS, MEANING IF YOU TAKE A 10 YEAR ROLLING AVERAGE OF TERMINATED FRANCHISEE’S AND DISTRIBUTORS THAT WOULD PUT THE FAILURE RATE RIGHT AT 90% SINCE IT IS VERY RARE FOR ANYONE TO GO THE DISTANCE OF 10 YEARS…

  THAT WOULD ALSO IMPLY THAT A MATCO TOOLS FRANCHISE COULD NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED A CAREER

  10 YEARS=90% OVERALL TERMINATION RATE (for one reason or another of course)

  OUCH!!

  NOT A VERY GOOD STAT!!

• Mr Organized,
  i appreciate your honesty and your intestinal fortitude to stand up for what is right. you obviously have alot of insight here and can speak from experience. you have my vote and i have your back. thank you for being a part of this discussion.
  so many of the OBC boys try to humiliate to silence them but it doesnt work too well here. we have already been humiliated enough. it is time for those that need to be held accountable be held accountable. enough lives and families have been destroyed to benefit a few.
  change is coming and it will be good for those that deserve, the others will hate it but thats life. i have had enough of the bs and all the lies. its time to kick some ass and get-r-done. thats going to piss some people off.
  its time to pick a side people and you better do your research before you make that choice or it will be the wrong one.
  kudos and thanks to the matcolady for starting this cause. she is a wonderful person.

• its a love or hate relationship. they love you when you start and hate you when they are done with you. they want to make you feel like you are the one that was wrong when actually they set you up from the word go.

  cary
  bring on your comments. you dont even have a clue as to all of this or else you are a part of it. i would think that you had better know exactly what you are talking about or you might be next. that goes for the rest of the obc boys. run your mouth but pack your bags. time is running out.
  i hear that train a coming, its coming around that bend. its not going to stop till it gets to stow in the end. wooooo hoooo
  somebody needs to wake up because change is coming. there is more and more people willing to come foward as time goes on. that will just make it worse on matco. man up and fix it and make it right. thats all we ask. quit taking advantage of the honest working class.

  MDAM by choice and proud of it

• Guess it is official ;-)

  Matco has muzzled the last of their puppets

  Sorry Cary……

  It seems the silence speaks volumes!

• damn and i thought i had scared him. i was so proud. :)

• Richard

  back at ya…ditto

• Sorry all I have a day job and a life. I do see something now that I didnt really see before. Im not going to do anything more to help draw attention to this site. Without any opposition you seem to just say the same shit over and over, truthfully it is quite boring. So keep patting yourselves on the back rah rah rah. I wont darken your doorstep anymore. I would suggest the same to any other pro matco individuals.

• Hey guys,

  No worries, their massive egos won’t let them
  stay away.

  I laughed out loud when Cary posted, just to say he
  wouldn’t post any more!

  I believe some prior points need to be re-addressed

  The posts from guys that decided, because of THIS site
  to say Hell NO to Matco

  The Chuck Bergen testimony – sworn testimony that WILL
  be heard in court

  I would happy to never deal with the name calling little bullies
  again, but – they won’t be able to hold back

  We will be mopping up their self important dribble soon enough

• ***********SAVED!******

  Don on November 19th, 2011 8:37 am
  Thanks to all of you……….I was just about ready to go with a Matco franchise, my contact is supposedly putting together a business plan and calling on Monday. However after discovering this site, I am contacting him to let him know that I am not going to go through with it. I already had some concerns and questions and it would have taken every dime I have plus a loan that I was quickly told “Matco” would handle to just get started. Thanks again. I thought I was fixing to do something great. At 61 it would have been a huge mistake.

• **********SAVED!******
  Joe Black on December 7th, 2011 11:52 am
  Thank God I was about to buy one of these Matco franchises and now I think I’ll just invest it all @ 22% a year, and live off the interest.

• It is everyones fault but my own. The rich are to blame. If you jerks didn’t work so hard you wouldn’t make us failures look so bad. Sounds like a Obama campain speach. #1 question did any of you failures have a business plan ????? Attention to anyone reading this bull crap a fool and his money will soon part. 3 10k wks in a row great turn, high margin you people must really suck.

• *******FIGURED OUT THE TRUTH!***

  Dave on November 17th, 2011 1:42 pm
  To All:
  I have read all of the comments on this site and I have decided that Kevin is self centered. He refuses to see that there is a problem

• ******ANOTHER CASUALTY*****

  mike norton on November 20th, 2011 10:26 am
  matco tools took me money fast suger coated the whole buisiness.I was in the same group as tommy we went through the same crap.I will never be able to recover me losses,i think thay talk a good talk see you have money take it bleed you dry after you have no more money they kick you to the curb and start the whole prossess over its not the dream i was told good luck to you all if there is anythink i can do I WILL HELP call me or email

• ******AND ANOTHER CASUALTY****

  richard on November 21st, 2011 1:03 am
  okay folks, im new here. i have just been recently terminated for not buying my 80%.

• ****** OH MY – YET ANOTHER CASUALTY*****

  Tom on November 22nd, 2011 11:24 pm
  Okay guys, I’ve read now I’m gonna talk. I was a DRB in Kevin’s district. I got railroaded by the DM’s song and dance. I was lied to from start to finish. Everything Tommy has said and claimed is true, so I won’t rehash that.
  I last 6 months. EVERYTHING that has been said about “started inventories”, “inflated call list”, etc IS TRUE.

• ******HMM, I DON’T THINK I’M ALONE!*****

  Bruce on November 29th, 2011 11:38 am
  I was also a victim of team Darryl Pritchett / Mike Raimey. After two years I was kicked to the curb. What is worse, Darryl replaces me with a guy that has failed the tool business not once, not twice, but three times! He was with MAC, Cornwell, then tried a run independent.

• ******WHEN WILL IT END????****

  Bob Tremblay on December 16th, 2011 7:40 pm
  After reading these post for a couple of days………………………Thanks to this website I will be contacting the attorney and becoming part of the class. I lost over 250,00.00 with Matco. 

• *******tlman COULDN’T STAY AWAY….

  *****THE CASUALTIES CONTINUE TO MOUNT***

  Todd A. Peterson on January 5th, 2012 11:21 pm
  I am not suing Matco for just money. I am suing Matco because:
  #1) Their Employee’s lied to me!. Not the ones who answer phones handling my account with Matco, PSA, Customer Service or Training. But to me the most important ones. The District Manager, the Regional Manager and the Vice President.
  A) Robert Tolbert- I don’t think Robert Tolbert meant to lie to me! He was supposed to give me 325 customers to call on and he did. He just didn’t give me viable ones. I think this can be attributed to POOR training of DM’s.
  B) Anthony Kramer- I don’t think Anthony Kramer wanted me out. Anthony knew what was right when I requested to call on shops on Moberly Lane. He just got the Tim Novak trump card. But he lied to me over it and to my wife in my house. The second lie would be telling me twice in 2009 he would resurvey (at my request) and didn’t. The third lie would be a false survey performed on July 26, 2010. A fourth lie would be three days later when he gave me 405 customers to call on he tried to convince me that I was not doing my job. A fifth lie would be telling me in November 2010 that I had cured, to forget the letter existed and he would warn me if there was a problem in the future.
  C) Tim Novak- Biggest lie! Customer Support! He gave me NONE! He used a GREY contract and false business practices to strip my customers away from me using Mapquest, Google Map and MDBS. He told me I had done wrong to call on my shops that my DM approved. He gave shops to a DIstributor when that Distributor already had more customers than I did (Tim forced me to give them to him) and was not even doing business on that street overlapping THREE Distributors which Matco falsely advertises they don’t do. He spearheaded my Separation Letter knowing that I had MULTIPLE requests for a resurvey due to low head count. Tim said it best when he gave me my termination CALL on February 11, 2011 “I don’t care what you do YOU WON’T BE DOING IT FOR MATCO.” This was repeated by him three different times during the conversation. Tim had acheived his GOAL! He successfully terminated a Distributor by using Corporate bullying tactics. NOT by a FRANCHISEE failing his FRANCHISOR.
  Ernie Lauber and Mike Swanson- Customer Support! NONE!!! I drove 14 hours to try and amicably dispute my termination letter. I told them of all the above happenings only to have them throw in my face a Document that would strip me of my rights to sue and put a gag in my mouth. Not to mention I had already tried to contact Ernie and discuss what I had told them twice before. When I received the Separation Letter which he did tell me then to talk to Tim but would not address any of my ISSUES. Then when I received the false survey he didn’t return a call addressing ISSUES. Mysteriously 3 days after that survey I get 405 customers. I was told by and given by Ernie his proof that made me a Failure. 26 days of missed work from 10/10 to 1/11 which is another lie and false information.
  I can’t wait to go to court and PROVE what I KNOW to be the truth. I don’t think anyone can dispute the accurate and detailed information I have posted.
  The OBC just gets on here and call you names!
  They try just like Tom Gilmore does in the video above to promote and sell the Matco Franchise as an Opportunity to succeed!
  In reality they are lying to you! Matco, in reality, is an OPPORTUNITY to fail. Lies, Deceit and Fraud are their bed partners.
  All you Presidents,
  With your FLASHY cars and BOAT,
  Better run, run, run
  Run from my Attorney.

• I say again did any of you failures have a business plan ??? A simple yes or no will do. Answer the freaking question !!!

• *********ANOTHER, SADLY ANOTHER***

  Anthony on September 30th, 2011 4:49 pm
  I started a Matco Tools business and have been unhappy ever since. I came across the below and find it to be completely true…………
  Matco Tools Dirty Dozen- 12 Reasons Why Distributors Fail

• ******THANK YOU TOMMY CHEUNG*****

  We received the following franchise warning about the MATCO TOOLS franchise opportunity.  According to commenter “TOMMY CHEUNG” :
  “STAY AWAY FROM MATCO TOOLS. THEY WILL SELL YOU A BILL OF GOODS,WHICH IS NO GOOD.
  “RUMOR HAS IT ,MATCO MAKES MORE MONEY SIGNING NEW FRANCHISES THAN THEY DO TAKING CARE OF THEIR CURRENT ONES.
  “DARYL PRITCHETT AND MIKE RAMEY WORK TOGETHER TO SIGN YOU UP AND THEN KICK YOU TO THE CURB. I AM WORKING ON A LAWSUIT AGAINST MATCO, HOPING TO TURN IT INTO A CLASS ACTION SUIT. YOU MAY CONTACT JERRY MARKS AT MARKS AND KLEIN LAW FIRM AT [redacted], IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.
  “I INVESTED ALOT OF MONEY IN MATCO AND AFTER 3.5 YEARS THEY SHUT ME DOWN. WHEN THE ECONOMY SLOWED IN 2008,THEY PUT ME OUT OF BUSINESS.
  “I ALSO SPOKE TO A PREVIOUS EXECUTIVE, WHO CALLED ME, AND STATED THATS THE WAY MATCO DOES BUSINESS. STAY AWAY FROM MATCO TOOLS AND RUN LIKE HELL WHEN YOU SEE THEM. I REPEAT DO NOT BUY OR INVEST IN MATCO TOOLS…”

• ******THANK YOU CHUCK BERGEN FOR
  YOUR SWORN TESTIMONY!!*****

  Charles “Chuck” Bergen was with Matco for 10+ years as District Manager (DM), Franchise Sales Specialist (FSS), and Franchise Sales Manager for the North East. The Matco class action lawsuit document (http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-class-action-lawsuit/) includes a sworn statement from Bergen:
  “In my capacity as Franchise Sales Manager, I became fully aware of the numerous distributor abuses that were developed by upper Matco management and have identified the following nine practices that account for the large failure and turnover rate among Matco distributors:
  “i. Inflated List of Calls
  The “List of Calls”, or number of potential tool buying customers surveyed and developed by Matco District and Market Development Managers, sold to the distributor is inflated and inaccurate. It also includes customers that have little or no chance of ever buying tools from the distributor and, more importantly, qualifying for PSA (Purchase Security Agreement) financing which finances “big ticket” and big profit items such as tool boxes and diagnostic equipment.”
  “ii. Churning List of Calls
  List of Calls or territories that have failed before are resold time and again by DMs to unsuspecting prospects to ensure that Matco keeps a distributor in the territory regardless of their ability to be successful and the company’s knowledge that the territory is unlikely to support a successful route. In addition approval of a new applicant is also based upon Matco’s self-interest in terms of PSA exposure in the route, meaning that the more Matco financed PSA debt outstanding, the lower the standards will be for distributor qualification.
  “iii Deceptive Distributor Rides
  The prospective distributor is taken on two “check rides” with distributors that have a much better or “established” route rather than the “cold” or churned route the new prospect will receive.
  “iv Underestimate of Distributor Expenses
  Up and through 2007, the expenses Matco distributors were expected to incur were all “low balled” All expense and cost estimates were provided to recruits by Matco. This would include, but not be limited to under estimating bad debt, warranty return costs etc. Only after 2008 did expenses become more realistic as is evident from the difference in the 2008 estimated expenses cost from the 2007 estimated cost sheets attached to this declaration (see attached estimated costs sheet)
  “v District Manager conflicts of interest
  An inherent and undisclosed conflict of interest exists between district managers (DMs) and distributors because although DMs are represented to distributors as “business coaches” and “partners”, they are paid commissions on tools sold to distributors. If distributors don’t buy, DMs, whose compensation was based, in large part, on distributor tool purchases, don’t earn their sales commissions. Accordingly, distributors are subject to aggressive sales tactics used to sell more and more tools to distributors regardless of their ability to re-sell the tools.
  “vi No Room to Grow – Over penetration
  The List of Calls given to a distributor will shrink over time. Matco locates too many distributors too close to each other and consequently when the natural reduction in customers occurs the distributor has no place to go to replace these lost customers”
  “vii Credit Hypocrisy
  Matco will extend credit to mechanics to purchase large purchase items from the distributors such as diagnostic equipment , but will not extend that credit to mechanics that do not have Social Security numbers or other proper worker documentation. Yet Matco expects the distributor to extend his own credit and guaranty on PSA “gold card” purchases to those mechanics who do not have Social Security numbers or other proper worker documentation.
  viii Non-supervision/Assistance – Diluted district Manager Supervision
  There are not enough managers per distributor to provide meaningful business assistance which should include sales assistance to business reviews.
  “ix Usurping new customers
  When a new customer is located in a specific territory, the customer is often not given to the distributor but used by Matco to create new Lists of Calls so that Matco can use the new shop as part of a new List of Calls to create another route and sell an initial inventory to a new distributor.
  Additional quotes from Chuck Bergen’s signed Declaration:
  “In addition, new Matco recruits were never told during the recruiting process that they would have non-sales duties that would include performing non-warranty repairs; collection of PSA monies for Matco; and repossession of PSA equipment where the customer failed to keep current.”
  “Finally, upper management would turn a “blind eye” to making of income representations by FSSs and DMs.
  “The usual manner in which this occurred through year 2007 was by telling a distributor prospect that “Matco does not permit us to make income representations, but why would you want to join Matco unless you can make more than you are presently earning”. The clear message sent was an income representation that the prospect will earn at least what he was earning in his present job and likely much more.””
  – Former Matco Franchise Sales Manager Charles “Chuck” Bergen
   

• #1 reason people fail no plan.

  Debbie ,
  If you had no plan you planed to fail congrats you succeded.

• **********WHAT NOW BOYS???****

  ..,,,,,still going to argue?
  …………you can try

• ******ONE I THOUGHT FUN TO REPEAT***

  Author: Organized
  Comment:
  MATCO TOOLS…I HOPE YOU ARE LISTENING

  OBC…I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE LISTENING AND SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING A CHANGE OF HEART, DEBBIE/TODD/TOMMY ARE FIGHTING FOR YOU GUYS TOO

  MATCO AND THE OBC CLUB SERIOUSLY UNDERESTIMATED THIS WOMAN AND MADE ALL OF YOU LOOK LIKE CHUMPS WHILE HELPING HER BRING ALL THE PROBLEMS AND LEGAL ISSUES AT MATCO OUT IN THE OPEN

  THERE IS A TERM COINED MANY YEARS AGO FOR HOW SHE MASTERFULLY HANDLED THIS, IT’S CALLED “ROPE A DOPE”

  “ROPE A DOPE” DEFINITION:

  Today rope-a-dope refers to any strategy that involves “playing the loser” to “come out the winner.” Rope-a-dope strategy implies the need for sharp technical skills to “take the hits” on the downside, and shrewd timing to break through at the proper moment to claim victory. Political strategists, pundits, politicians, business men and even combat tacticians use the phrase to refer to risky maneuvers that take one from a position of the seeming underdog to one of victor.

  SOUND FAMILIAR GENTLEMEN??

• Tlman
  Can you please turn the “boring post” and “boring cliche” buttons on your keyboard to the OFF position…thank you for your cooperation

• **************OTHERS DO SUCH A FINE JOB ANSWERING MY CRITICS***
  ……., and since “others” have such a tough time remembering,,,,

  Guest on January 17th, 2012 2:37 pm wrote:
  tlman wrote: “Debbie, New career I see, telemarketer are you sure you can handel it ? and when are you moving to India ?”
  Debbie doesn’t need to outsource overseas. Who do you think she is? Matco?
  matcoman wrote: “debbie you mwant matco to answer your questions, why not answer mine?!!!!!!!!!!!LIES!!!!!!!!! ALL LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
  Lies, all lies? Maybe she DID learn something at Matco training. I believe Tim Gilmore ran the “LIES!!!!!!!!! ALL LIES!!!” workshop.
  guest17 wrote: “Quite humorous though, that you think Matco actually gives a shit about what we post on this cesspool.”
  Hmmm. The day Debbie posted her “Gilmore Lies” video and exposed Gilmore’s fraudulent claims Matco scrambled to pull its video and edit out the content the UNHAPPY FRANCHISEES objected to.
  You really don’t think they’re reading every word? Debbie speaks and Matco jumps.
  Think you could make the legal dept of a Fortune 250 company pee its pants, guest17, or publicly expose the President of a large corporation as a LIAR his first month on the job?
  I believe that makes Lady Matco officially a badass.
  The big lesson here is that if Matco put half the effort into fulfilling their sales promises as they are going to be putting into damage control and legal defenses, everyone would be too busy selling Matco Tools to have time making videos and posting blog comments.
  Nobody joined Matco with the goal of being disgruntled. Read the honest accounts of what happened to hardworking dbrs who put their trust in Matco. Look around. Matco has themselves to thank for all this.

• Organized, maybe Tlman has a 20 word limit?

  Maybe he can only be boring and cliche ;)

  Or, maybe that’s HIS plan!

• FTC Rule 436 prohibits the making of income projections in the sale of a franchise, unless it is set forth in item 19 0f the UFOC, or its successor, the FDD.

  Matco;s district manager out of Tampa, John Clark, indicated to me a projected income of 75k quote “by sitting on my butt “.

  UFOC ITEM 19, states neither matco or its agents or salespersons were allowed to make income projections.

  TO ME THAT IS VIOLATION OF THE FTC RULES, AND THIS WAS PRESENTED TO ME BY AN EMPLOYEE OF MATCO.

• Tommy,

  Let’s get this straight your plan was to make 75K by sitting on your butt ?
  Several words come to mind and IDIOT is one of them.

• Debbie , Tommy, Todd,ect

  Google business plan you might learn something

• tlman,

  first of all that was stated by a district manager to me.

  Second of all , I worked 12 to 14 hour days and matco still shut my doors, and read my previous posts.

  Third of all ,I am still making it, my wife dosent have to work, able to be a stay at home mom and not relying on matco’s lies to get by and doing well, no thanks to matco.

  I GUESS YOU WILL FINALLY ADMIT THAT MATCO DISTRICT MANAGERS ARE IDIOT’S.

• Google success,

  it comes up, not with matco.

  DO NOT PURCHASE A MATCO FRANCHISE.READ THE POST HERE AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY.

  LIES, DECEIT, AND MIS LEADING.

• MATCO TOOLS, ARE YOU LISTENING??

  EXPO…THIS YEAR…WE WILL HAVE MULTIPLE VIDEO CAMERAS RECORDING ALL SPEECHES AS WELL AS COLLECTING INFORMATION AND OPINIONS BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF THE COMPANY…SO SINCE YOUR EXECS, RM’s, AND DM’s ALREADY HAVE PREPARED COMMENTS (PROPAGANDA) IN THE WORKS ABOUT UNHAPPY FRANCHISEE’S MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALONG THE LINES OF FREE SPEECH, NON SLANDEROUS AND TRUTHFUL…

  OR BETTER YET MAYBE SAY NOTHING AT ALL AS DEBBIE/TODD/TOMMY/GUEST/RICHARD & OTHERS CLEAN YOUR CLOCK EVERY TIME…

• There is a reason you are ORGANIZED, you got your sh_t together, thanks alot for all of your help, just as Richard said, I will have your back also.

• ANYONE CONSIDERING A MATCO TOOLS FRANCHISE!!

  MATCO IS NOT LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO TELL YOU:

  THERE IS 90% FRANCHISEE FAILURE RATE ON A ROLLING 10 YEAR AVERAGE OVER THE LIFE OF THE COMPANY…ASK MATCO HOW MANY TOTAL DISTRIBUTORS, CHARTERS, FRANCHISEE’S AND EMPLOYEE TRUCKS THERE HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, YOU WILL NOT GET AN ANSWER

  HOW IT IS FAR MORE PROFITABLE TO CHURN AND BURN FRANCHISEE’S THAN TO KEEP THEM IN THE “FAMILY” LONG TERM

  THE FACT THAT ONCE YOU BECOME SUCCESSFUL (IF) AND BUILD UP A PROFITABLE CLIENT BASE THAT THEY CAN SLICE AND DICE YOUR AREA INTO MORE FRANCHISES

  THE ODDS ARE TOTALLY AGAINST YOU EVER MAKING A CAREER OUT OF MATCO TOOLS

  THE LANGUAGE IN THE NEFARIOUS CONTRACTS YOU SIGN WITH MATCO IS NOT NECESSARILY LEGAL OR ILLEGAL IN YOUR STATE. SOME TERMS CAN BE ILLEGAL OR BORDERLINE ILLEGAL ACCORDING TO STATE STATUTE BUT IT IS UP TO YOU TO CHALLENGE THEM…IF YOU CAN FIGURE THEM OUT

  UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR IS NOT ALWAYS ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR

  WORLD CLASS SUPPORT ONLY EXISTS IN THEIR MINDS

  and the last thing Matco is not obligated to tell you…

  IS EVENTUALLY IT IS GOING TO BE YOUR FAULT!!

  ETHICS WILL BE A WHOLE NEW TOPIC

  [Organized: Please stop typing in all caps. Thanks. ADMIN]

• ETHICS – oh boy, I’m going to have FUN with that one!!
  ………….wait and see :)

  HE can ONLY be boring and cliche , and word count has diminished to 7

  Tonight’s “icing” , Thank you for such thoughtful and meaningful criticism!
  COMMENT on http://www.ladymatco.com from a distributor in CT

  Comments : Ur a looser that when into the wrong business and now want to blame Matco for ur failures stop contacting dealers and waisting our time with bull SHIT

  such eloquence and insight!!

• After reading thru the last few days of posts as a former Matco distributor with the advantage of time to temper my feelings about Matco I have a few observations/comments on this.

  First kudos to Debbie, Todd and others for being so vocal. The stories they and others tell show that the operational practices by Matco have changed very little over the years. One example is Richard was told not to be concerned with the former distributor on the route. That is exactly what I was told about the former distributor on my route. In fact I was unable to get any information about him from Matco. And since the guy who took over my old route was told not to buy any of my inventory I bet he was told not to worry about me either.

  Some of the folks here have bashed Debbie, Todd, and others. Take a moment and think about it. When you became a distributors you too were looking for the great American Dream of owning your own business. Did you have any idea on how to evaluate a route? Selling tools seemed or looked like such a good business to be in, no employees, mobile sales you go to the customers, a franchise by implication a proven system to for you to be successful, and besides there were most likely no Snap-on routes available in the area you lived. Then when you got your 1st truck (bet you wanted to sleep in it the first few days you had it!) Then you got on your route, the trainer was gone, the DM was gone and the realization sets in, sales are slow, collections are even slower, you have sold some PSA contracts and the guys are behind, you need to sell another box, so you make a payment or two for the guy who is behind (putting it on his TP account that he is weeks behind on paying too) By this time you have put all your money into this, income is low, loan payments are high, probably addional stress in your marriage over this. Sound familiar?

  I have read that someone bashed Debbie for accepting a poor route, well unless she was experienced in tool route sales how on earth would she know if it was good or bad? She relied on the company to treat her fairly in her quest of the Great American Dream, and it appears that she was betrayed on a number of levels.

  Cary, I think you were a distributor when I was,(and congrats on still being with it and happy) and if memory serves me correctly you and I were so far away from where the DM was based we very rarely saw him, which allowed us to operate much more independantly than many others were. Thus resulting in much less interferance, which in my case and most likely yours was a huge advantage.