MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints

4,850 thoughts on “MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints”

• Unfortunately, there are many more autocratic franchise systems that enforce one sided franchise agreements that disrespect franchisee rights and interests, or that otherwise disdain meaningful collaboration and sharing of the fruits of the franchise system’s fortunes. Not surprisingly, such systems are finding it increasingly difficult to attract ‘A’ list prospects.

  ………..WOW, sounds way too familiar

  Matco did NOT want a Distributor Association because they solely want to control EVERYTHING! Which, to date, they are accomplishing

  Which, in the NEAR FUTURE they will NOT…………..strength in numbers

  Secondly, Matco did NOT want a Distributor Association because ALL THE TERMINANTED, WRONGED, MIS TREATED DISTRIBUTORS WOULD COME FORWARD………..AS THEY HAVE

  Well, Matco, you may be able to delete posts on your self stroking web site

  BUT, I haven’t, and I WON’T go away!!!

  What now???

• i can remember when i got my initial inventory that there was a few craftsman sockets in it and one time i ordered a wrench rack from matco and it came in with snap-on on it. the same people are making the same things, just putting different labels and prices too.
  when i was turning wrenches, my boss also owned the napa store. every so often a crew of people would come in and rebox different things. i found out that it was because they changed vendors. so they would just change the boxes on the inventory already in the store. different brand name but the same stuff from another vendor. its all a racket it seems. thats part of the reason there are no jobs. they have all been sent overseas. pretty soon there will be free sushi with every toolbox purchase.

• it is so quiet here. where did everybody go

• I hope everyone enjoyed reading matco;s facebook last nite , we will do everything to keep it interesting and to point out how matco treats people, including employees, distributors and technicians.

  MATCO DOES NOT CARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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• New to Twitter, but willing to play :)

  DebbieSolko@ladymatco

  https://twitter.com/#!/ladymatco/status/165112287705833472

• a comment on
  https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=347385205280783&id=293379297348041

  Steven Bobo DID YOU DO YOUR OWN SURVEY IN YOUR AREA BEFORE YOU BECAME A DBR.
  Yesterday at 5:57am · Like

  That is how they think! This is the stupid excuses that really torque me……..

  IN MY AREA? that is rich,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they wouldn’t even tell me what “MY AREA” was…………constant excuses that they were trying to get the customer count

  ………..when the TRUTH WAS……………….. there WAS NOT A VIABLE ROUTE
  “”IN MY AREA”” so they inflated numbers and gave it to me anyway.

• It seems that I am not the only unhappy Matco Franchisee that served his Country only to find out Matco isn’t all they say they are in their false advertisements to our Veterans.

  It seems Michael Gatewood of North Fort Myers, Florida whom Matco used as a recruiting tool in 2006 for their Vetfran Program doesn’t agree with the $2500 incentive that he got as a Veteran to start what he considers as a SCAM in which he lost lots of money through FALSE hopes and FALSE promises.

  See this link: http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/16040-0.htm

• Hey Todd
  If I’m not mistaken did he not almost go broke from the “World Class Support” he received from Matco

  That $2500-$3500 (whoop-de-do) incentive cost him how much in the end??

• that veteran incentive is a bunch of bs. matco still made 35% or better off of that deal. they dont give you anything unless they can figure out a way to charge you for it

• You said it Organized!

  1)World Class Support!
  2)Recession Proof!
  3)Good Opportunity in a BAD economy! GREAT Opportunity in a strong economy!
  4)Pre-Defrined List of Calls.
  5)Your own Territory.
  6)Work for yourself ! Not by YOURSELF!
  7)Make your OWN hours!
  8)Go to work when you want to go to work!
  9)Take a Vacation when you want to take a vacation!
  10)$5000 dollar bonus for Veterans (tools which would normally cost a Distributor 35% LESS Matco probably paid 1/2 for it)

• Matco’s page tonight:

  Matco Tools
  Sorry for the confusion, fans! We had to remove the Matco Card tab temporarily to cross the “t’s” and dot the “i’s”, but we will keep you updated as soon as its back! ^DP

  SOOOOOOOO What were they doing WRONG, ILLEGAL now????

• Matco Tools
  Sorry for the confusion, fans! We had to remove the Matco Card tab temporarily to cross the “t’s” and dot the “i’s”, but we will keep you updated as soon as its back! ^DP
  Like · · Share · 5 hours ago ·
  44 people like this.

  Matt Harshaw but there’s no ‘i’ in matco
  5 hours ago · Like · 3

  Levi Holmes Who cares
  5 hours ago · Like · 1

  Franky Fisk DP? Donkey Punch??
  5 hours ago · Like · 2

  Adam Routier DP – doughnut puncher
  4 hours ago · Like\

  Rick Martin DP Dumb Puck……….. wonder if they had to remove LIES like they did on their VIDEO?????????????

• debbie you signed papers without knowing your route,without checking your route , without inspecting your route,what me stupid?? duh i want a job will you hire me i work cheap…..

• matcoman,
  go put your head back where it came from. you donty have the first clue what anyone is talking about here and if you did you wouldnt admit that matco was responsible in any way.

  matco has taken advantage of alot of people in so many ways. you may be one of the lucky ones but in the end you will get your just like all the rest did so pay attention.

• i was thinking about something earlier where you are on a 2 year purchase history but you never really know it nor how it all works till they have railed you a few times.
  you get taught customer service comes first. customer gets on truck with a tool that you dont stock, needs it quick. so you warranty it and have to order it.it comes in ,you exchange it for the customer. then when you do your broken tools you dont get credit, you get the new tool sent to you which you dont need now. the reason is because you never ordered one before. the one that you got for your customer was a warranty not an order. so you get stuck with the tool that no one needs or uses. oh well.that happened alot, never did really figure that one out. if i ordered it for warranty then i should get credit not another tool.

• ah I see, Matcoman is Steven Bobo

  Steven Bobo
  Matco Lady, so much for a open discussion. Let be get this right. Before you became a dbr you knew where your territory or list of calls would be. Are you telling me you did not go out yourself and check your list of calls and head count. All do respect to you, but you may call it ridiclous, I call it covering your butt. I did it when I started and if other dbrs would do it , it may save them alot a grief. I have been in this business for many years. Have seen the good, bad and ugly in this business. It’s a tough business and not everyone is cut out for it for whatever reasons and sometimes its hard to except that. I have expierenced about every type of problem in this business and have found out the best person to take of that problem is the person looking back at you in the mirror. If the solution is to get out of business, then so be it. Life is too short!!
  Like · · about an hour ago ·

  matcoman on February 2nd, 2012 11:04 pm
  debbie you signed papers without knowing your route,without checking your route , without inspecting your route,what me stupid?? duh i want a job will you hire me i work cheap…..

• matcoman/steven – Regardless of MY lack of homework ……………..

  MATCO GUARANTEES 325 POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS – they weren’t there
  MATCO HAS A LEGAL OBLIGATION TO MAINTAIN 325 CUSTOMERS – they did not

  Matco WILL BE held accountable – want to borrow my mirror?

• nothing in my contract says the must maintain 325 custumers,i think you should read yours. i also heatd that matco added to your route,true? if is is that not helping?

• matcoman:

  If I understand you correctly, you are saying

  1) Matco is under no obligation to do anything that’s not explicitly stated in the contract, so buyer beware. If you sign it, you’ve got to live with it.

  2) You signed a contract that obligated Matco to provide 325 potential customers and you cannot sell to anyone not on that list.

  3) Matco is under no obligation to ever add or substitute any other potential customers to that list. So as shops downsize and close, your list and number of potential customers will inevitably continue to shrink year after year. Conversely, if your area booms and adds new shops, you will get no benefit from it.

  4) Unlike real business owners, you do not have the freedom to go after new customers or grow your customer base. If your LOC shrinks, your survival is at Matco’s full discretion. If they decide to let you fail and resell to someone new, you will not complain cuz that’s the deal you signed.

  Your agreement sounds like a sucker’s bet. Why would you sign an agreement that limits your ability to grow your business, that ensures a customer base that cannot get larger but can (and will) get smaller each year, and that gives a 3rd party complete control over your destiny?

  It sounds like a really really bad business deal that you signed, one that a better informed businessman would have demanded be changed. Who in their right mind would sign that bad of a deal, matcoman?

• Good Point GUEST.

  I will tell you who BUYS into it. Those who wanted to “TAKE CONTROL OVER THEIR OWN DESTINY” those who wanted to “Work for yourself, NOT BY YOURSELF” those who wanted to receive “WORLD CLASS SUPPORT” those who didn’t go out and make their own route but receive Matco’s “NO HASSLE of HAVING TO DO COLD CALLS wtih YOUR EASY PRE-DEFINED LOC” those who wanted to be “EMPOWERED” those who wanted “PUNCH THEIR OWN TIME CLOCK” those who wanted to “HAVE CONTROL OVER THEIR OWN INCOME” those who wanted to “BE PART OF A #1 FRANCHISE” and ALL the other LIES Matco put in their ADS and LIES DM’s told Mechanics, Service Writers, and Entreprenuers who wanted to OWN their own BUSINESS.

  My experience with Franchises? Your not EMPOWERED but CONTROLLED!!!

• matcoman=Steven Bobo!

  Now things are starting to make a LOT of SENSE!!!

• Matco uploaded three new videos today, all distributor testimonies, extolling the virtues of being a Matco distributor……………………………

  However; Matco HOLDS comments on the page, until they decide if they are worthy

  Wanna bet, nothing NOTHING negative will appear?

  I entered comments TODAY – bet they never make You Tube,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  These experiences were not mine, nor were they the experience of HUNDREDS of other distributors that were terminated or ultimately failed because of Matco. We did not receive the promised support, we felt treated like the black sheep in this “family” company. See proof:
  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-franchise-complaints/

  Additionally, I took a screen shot and recorded these videos,,,, remember Matco;
  you CAN’T un ring the bell

• if you understand you contract,you can add,all you have to do is fill out sheet and get signed, all matco wants to do is make sure our custumers our taked care of.and just because a dealer(debbie) could not get 200 custumers,out of her route dose not mean they were not there,if you worked on fri just imagine how many more you could get, and still did not get the answer from her about matco adding to her route,oh and by the way matco might not let negitive comments on there facebook but so does debbie, i had coments removed from hers and oh its ok..its me.

• Nothing has been removed…..

  Savvy Facebook users know to select
  “Everyone’s comments” from top

  Just another erroneous comment

  Been told lies

  Lies have been told about me….

  Sticks n stones ~ that’s all

• i never knew that debbie was in charge of this site. if she was then there might be a few jerks that would have been barred along time ago just for stupidity, just saying.

  let your mouth and fingers say what you know for sure not what you think you know

• matcoman wrote “if you understand you contract,you can add,all you have to do is fill out sheet and get signed”

  Nice try with the doubletalk. What you mean to say is “You CAN’t add.”

  You can fill out a sheet and submit it for approval. Then it’s up to Daddy to decide whether you have been a good little OBC and give it to you, or whether he would rather use it to help hook a new sucker, I mean, distributor.

  So you DO NOT have the power to add new customers, right? It’s not your decision. You criticize Debbie for not doing her homework. Why did YOU sign a contract that only allows you to PRETEND that you’re a real business owner?

  Don’t REAL business owners have the power to grow their business and replace lost or closed accounts? Sounds like you signed a bad contract, matcoman. Didn’t you do your homework?

• i understand mine and am doing fine, i love this business, could not find a better one for the price,.

• i checked into alot of businesses, wanted to open my own shop rent 7kand up a month, utillities 1-2 k a month, shop tools, 2-4 k month miss exp 3-4 k hey for the investment this is great and in any business there is no easy way,think about it .

• if it was so bad why are there so many doing good?

• and when you get someone like harbor freight girl who only nworked 4 days and complains not enough calls and matco adds to her route and not using it and not telling all the others out there and blaming matco. that is wrong and that is ——lying——

• matcoman writes “if it was so bad why are there so many doing good?”

  Nobody is saying that it’s bad for EVERYONE. Congrats that you are one of the lucky ones, matcoman. Some have been granted sweet routes. Some are operating on older, more favorable agreements. Some have schmoozed and azz-kissed their way into the Old Boys Club.

  However, there are many many others who have failed and are failing. Some were given unviable LOCs spread out over hundreds of miles that contained closed shops, nonexistent shops and inflated employee numbers. Some had good accounts and were successful until Matco decided to take them away and then terminate and resell their LOCs to fresh meat.

  According to Matco’s own numbers hundreds are flushed out each year, unable to sell or keep going, only to be replaced by fresh meat the next year. It’s all right here:

  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-franchise-distributor-churning/

  Why do you think that because YOU were given the chance to be successful, and that chance wasn’t taken from you (like Todd Allen Peterson and others) that others don’t have legitimate complaints?

  Why does it bother you so much that they are pushing for improvements?

  Because you are doing fine and are happy, they should be quiet and fail quietly?

  What’s YOUR problem anyway? Why are YOU here? It’s not enough to be successful, you need to throw salt in others’ wounds? Mock them and try to shut them up?

  The facts are clear. Matco Tools have one of the highest loan default rates in all of franchising, nearly 40%. CNN called it the “riskiest” franchise. It’s all right here in black and white:
  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/failure-rates-of-the-10-most-popular-franchises/

  matcoman, you are like those holocaust deniers or those who say the moon landing was a hoax. If it didn’t happen to you, you will just ignore all the evidence that’s so obvious to intelligent or honest people.

  As we continue to spread the word, I think American taxpayers will be disgusted with you and your approval of the corporate bailout and fraudulent subsidy of Danaher profits via fraudulently obtained SBA-guaranteed loans.

  And as we continue to spread the word I’m sure you’ll be pleased that more and more franchise seekers will make more informed decisions and decide to JUST SAY NO TO THE MATCO FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY!

• Matcoman, matcoman……….. stick and stones

  But, seriously dude, a little creepy
  ………….you don’t pick on anyone else, why?

  ***********Stalker Alert****************

• guest,where was your route?

• from what i have read i have a problem with what happen to todd. that bothers me. but most of what i read here is dbrs own doing. short weeks short days, thinking this is an easy job,it is not i work hard long hrs 5-6 days a week, mosy on here should just let it go and get a job,

• then you have harbor freight girl who will not answer questions, did matco give you more area on your route,did you only work 4 days, hey i and many outhere would like to know the truth, and let matco be,and on the delete of comments on matco dist. ass why were comments deleted?

• nobodyelse called me on my phone,that is my business phone and i did not want to be called by you or anyone else on here,..

• matcoman wrote: “i and many outhere would like to know the truth, and let matco be,and on the delete of comments on matco dist. ass why were comments deleted?”

  matcoman wrote: “nobodyelse called me on my phone,that is my business phone and i did not want to be called by you or anyone else on here,..”

  Wtf are you even saying? Have you been drinking? Hit in the head with a toolbox? Or is English not your native language?

  Why don’t you wait til you actually have something to say, then have someone with at least a 3rd grade education write it for you. Til then, why not leave the commenting to those with something to say and the education to say it?

• well your mom is typing for for me

• Apparently a nerve has been struck

  However; that last comment was completely
  out of line and in extreme poor taste, I feel sorry the
  person commenting lacked maturity to engage in
  an informed and intelligent conversation, and needed
  to resort to childish attacks.

  I would like to direct the conversation back
  to the illegal and fraudulent practices that continue
  to exist and mislead potential distributors into
  believing a viable opportunity exists with Matco Tools.

  Remind everyone that Several law suits are pending
  and they allege SERIOUS violations by distributors
  Againsts Matco Tools.

• How many-distributors have come forward saying
  the following is completely true and has happened
  to them?

  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
  1. Bait & Switch Distributor Rides
  The prospective distributor is taken on a “check ride” with a distributor that has a much better territory than the new prospect will receive.
  2. Inflated List of Calls
  The “List of Calls”, or number of potential tool buying customers, sold to the distributor is inflated and often includes customers that have little or no chance of ever buying tools from the distributor.
  3. Misleading use of branch paid sales figures to prospective distributors
  Use of misleading sales figures based on average sales of a Regional Branch, which are by their nature higher than a prospect can achieve.
  4. Churning of List of Calls
  Lists of Calls or territories that have failed before are re-sold time and again 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.
  5. Overselling of Tools
  Employees are paid commissions on tools sold to distributors by the company so distributors are subject to aggressive sales tactics used to sell more and more tools to distributors regardless of their ability to sell the tools; after all, you “can’t sell from an empty truck”.
  6. District and Regional Manager conflicts of interest
  Inherent conflict of interest between company managers and distributors because although managers are pitched as “business coaches” and “partners”, the managers are paid commissions on tools sold to distributors – if distributors don’t buy, managers don’t eat.
  7. Extension of Excessive Amounts of Credit
  Matco extends excessive amounts of credit to distributors to allow them to “purchase” more and more tools from the company regardless of the distributor’s ability to sell the tools and regardless of the distributor’s ability to pay that credit line off – eventually, the distributor suffocates on his debt and his route fails (this allows the territory to be re-sold to a distributor with a “fresh checkbook”)
  8. 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.
  9. Credit Hypocrisy
  Matco will extend credit to mechanics to purchase big ticket 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 its own credit to mechanics that do not have Social Security numbers or other proper worker documentation for the sale of smaller ticket items.
  10. Non-Supervision/Assistance –– Diluted District Manager supervision
  There are not enough managers per dealer to provide meaningful business assistance which should include sales assistance to business reviews.
  11. 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 in can sell another initial inventory and more tools to a new distributor.
  12. False Recession Excuse
  Matco blames the current economic difficulties and failures of its distributors on the recession. The truth is that had the List of Calls had been sufficient, meaning enough customers to sustain the amount of tools purchased (and the debt service of those purchases) far fewer distributors would have failed.

• Another victim of the fraud…pay particular attention to the timeline, who made money and who DID NOT!!

  Kevin McSparren on February 4th, 2012 3:55 pm
  I just shut down my business after 18 months and $85K, I was unable to pay myself a dime for personal living expenses. The business was paying for itself ie Matco, Trans Lease, Crane Agency were all being paid but I was working 10-14 hours per day for free. When I signed the original agreement we had yet to finalize my “List of Calls”, My DM said not to worry as we could make changes later. To the day I handed in my 30 day notice we had yet to agree to a “List of Calls”. I feel that although Matco does provide a decent product and excellent delivery their Distributors bear a larger portion of the burden than they should. It is apparent that their mentality is “sign em and churn em” In Dec I was ranked 516 in the nation but was not able to pay myself anything unless I didn’t pay my tool bill or something else. I expected at least an acknowledgment of so kind from Corporate after giving my notice to terminate our agreement and instead it was nothing. I had to ask my DM if they got my notice to ensure I was adhering to the agreement and he didn’t have a thing to say other then let me get some pictures of your truck to show to some new recruits they had on the hook.
  After all is said and done I agree their money is earned by signing up new distributors not retaining existing ones.

• matco has to be held responsible for some accounting here and just destroying peoples lives and finances.
  some on here say it is the dbrs fault for not checking this and that.

  matco sends out supposedly honest people to assure you that there is nothing that you need to know to run this business. they get you on the hook and then they smoke your ass. you are done. its a sad thing that supposedly nice people can destroy others in return for their own advancement and financial gain.

  corporate and personal greed. tghats what is wrong with the economy today. all the good jobs are sent overseas so a few can make more money. technology, self checkouts and such reduce jobs , again just for the increased profit of a few.

  its a sad day when we have to destroy our own people just to prove how good we are ourselves.

  matco, i will be here till the end to help you get what is due to you. you smoked my ass and now it is my turn to smoke yours. oh what a feeling.

  all you nay sayers need to shut your mouths if you cant speak from personal experience of the misfortune that others here have had. you are just being a part of their little party which is coming to an end.

  there are some people that you shouldnt mess with. im one of them. its not the size of the dog in the fight that counts. its the size of the fight in the dog. with all of us together here it amounts to a pretty good size fight in this dog.

  MDAM by choice and proud of it.

• And another victim comes forward…

  James Bunch on February 5th, 2012 2:48 pm
  Todd, How coincidental. I too was in your district and was done the same way. They put me in a route that was doomed to fail in a very short time. I had the Mtn Home route and after a major truck breakdown, slow economy, and major shops closing, I was (forced) out of the business after only 2 years. I loved what I did and most (95-98%) of my clients were happy even though I had to build it back up because of the last distributor. My major mistake was to truct Anthony as well. When things were looking bleak, I was abandonded by Anthony and was “black-flagged by other distributors. I couldn’t move toolboxes to other distributors that Matco wouldn’t take back for some odd reason. Now I have tools, toolboxes, and a huge balance with Matco, since they would only give 40% of inventory price for credit. Now all I get is when are you going to start paying more to get your bill paid.

• Debbie

  As you know I have posted on your facebook page. This is my first posting on this web page. Sorry Todd matcoman does not equal Steven Bobo. Try again.

• Would like to know who matcoman is.

• …………and they will KEEP COMING FORWARD!

  Are you listening, YET, Matco????

  ………will there still be ‘those’ that say it is OUR FAULT? really???

  THEY KEEP COMING FORWARD, IT WON’T STOP!!!!!!

  Matco WILL be held accountable, I’d love to know the number of ‘new’ distributors in the last few classes,,,,,,,,,,,,, betting recruitment is DOWN :)\

  As well it should be, I just wish instead of ANOTHER terminated distributor coming forward, I wish it were another potential distributor sharing they
  …………….JUST SAID NO!

  Of course, I am aware there are PLENTY of those – thankfully :)

• *******FREEDOM OF SPEECH*******

  a beautiful thing……………..
  …….Post on Unhappy Franchisee

  …………..Post on http://www.ladymatco.com

  ………………….Post on https://www.facebook.com/matcotools
  (AND when they BLOCK you,,, simply MESSAGE everyone!!)

  ……………………………Post on https://www.facebook.com/pages/Matco-Tools-Distributor-Association/293379297348041?skip_nax_wizard=true
  (where FREEDOM OF SPEECH LIVES!! I don’t delete!!)

  ………………………………………HELL, take out an ad on CRAIGSLIST

  ……………………………………………………..TWEET on TWITTER :)

• Thank you James for sharing your story, call Jerry and get on board this train to stow.

• Matco’s district and regional managers are liars and will do whatever is necessary to pad their pocket at whoevers expense and this must stop.

  Matco is costing tax payers millions of dollars as alleged in the lawsuit, I will do everything to make this known to all.