MEINEKE Consumer Complaints
July 13, 2012
Do you have a complaint with Meineke Car Care Centers or a particular Meineke franchise location?
Please share your Meineke complaint or problem below.
Meineke Car Care Centers seem to have a disproportionately large number of angry complaints and serious allegations leveled at them across Internet complaint sites.
Have you had a bad experience with Meineke?
Do you think it’s a problem throughout the chain, or with a single Meineke franchise location?
Angry Meineke Customer Vents on YouTube
This angry Meineke customer broadcast his Meineke complaint on YouTube.
The man claims his wife brought their van into a new Meineke location in their small town in Virginia to get a $19.95 oil change.
The Meineke worker allegedly told his wife that the car was not safe to drive and needed many immediate and expensive repairs.
The Meineke worker told the woman that there were major problems, that the timing belt was bad, there was water mixed with the engine oil, and the water pump was bad.
The woman claims that the Meineke worker told her she should not drive the van, as the engine could seize up at any moment.
The husband took the van to his trusted mechanic who told him:
There was no water in the engine oil.
The timing belt was fine.
The water pump was fine.
The man said that he spoke to three local women who all had the same experience: they went in for the advertised $19.95 oil change and were all told they needed major, expensive repairs.
On our MEINEKE Franchise Complaints post, we reported that many Meineke franchise owners are struggling to keep their centers open.
For some, like this center in Virginia, it is just a matter of time before they’ve damaged their reputation enough that they are sure to fail. This man even suspects Meineke switches license place bulbs with burned-out bulbs just so they can charge to replace them. Whether they do or not, it just shows how far this Meineke has destroyed consumer trust.
Meineke Care Care Centers: Share Your Experience
Are you familiar with Meineke?
What was your experience – good or bad – with your Meineke Care Care Center?
What steps should Meineke and Driven Brands be taking to stop bad consumer experiences?
Do you think these consumer complaints and bad practices are the result of a few bad Meineke centers, or are they all the same?
Please share a comment, opinion or insight below.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH MEINEKE? PLEASE SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
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MEINEKE Franchise Complaints
July 13, 2012
The Meineke franchise has a very high SBA loan default rate of 31%.
With nearly 900 locations, the Meineke Car Care Centers franchise is owned by Driven Brands, Inc. and is sometimes co-branded with fellow Driven Brands Inc. affiliate Econo Lube.
Are you familiar with the Meineke franchise opportunity? Please share a comment below.
The initial Meineke concept of providing quality exhaust service at discount prices has expanded to include complete brake service, oil and lube service, front-end alignment, shock and strut service and Catalytic converters.
According to the US Small Business Administration, Meineke franchisees have received 280 SBA-guaranteed loans since 2001; nearly a third of those loans have been defaulted on by Meineke franchise owners.
The Meineke Franchise has a failure rate of 31% for SBA-backed franchise loans
It’s likely that Meineke franchise owners who received SBA loans may have collateralized their franchise loan with their houses or other personal assets, and nearly one-third were unable to repay those franchise loans… despite serious incentive to do so.
Another area of concern for prospective Meineke franchise owners should be the large number of Meineke consumer complaints posted on the Internet.
MEINEKE Franchise Owners Share Their Complaints
On our post Is MEINEKE a Great Franchise Opportunity?, commenter John Marshall wrote:
I was a Meineke franchisee in Atlanta for 10 years. The Meineke franchise is overpriced and a broken business model. The fees are some of the highest in the franchise world. They have one of the highest SBA failure rates of any franchise.
There are a few shops that are the exception and perform very well. The bulk of the shops are run by owners that work 60-70 hours a week and make less than what they send Meineke each month. The rest of the shops fail with the owners losing their savings and sometimes their homes. Google search “Meineke shops for sale” and you will be amazed how many shops are for sale. Why would a good operator want to sell a very profitable cash flowing business?Google search “Meineke Car Care Center litigation/lawsuits” and see how many lawsuits Meineke brings against franchisees…
Anonymous from San Diego wrote:
The failure rate of this this franchise is staggering! I am a current Meineke franchise owner for many years now and in that time the failure rate of this business model is about 40% this is approximately 700% higher than the national failure rate for franchises. About 40% of the owners of these businesses are out of business in 3-4 years and replaced with the next franchisor.
In my opinion Meineke intentionally sets franchisees up for failure with overpriced leases, 7% royalties and a whopping 8% of gross revenues HAVE to be spent on marketing. 15% off the top and they generally stick the franchisor with a $3,000 to $6,000 padding they add to the real estate lease cost. If the lease is $6k Meineke pays the building owner $6k and bills the franchisor $9.5k-$10.5k to cover the triple net lease. Next Meineke will create phony overinflated revenues and under report the expenses factors so that the opportunity looks good but, not too good to potential investors.WHY? Because it is more profitable to turn over franchisors that pay $50,000 franchise buy in fee and put that franchisor out of business and get the next franchisor in the door with another $50,000 in franchise fees. Average Meineke dealer does about $700,000 year, if they can put that franchisor out of business in 3 years they get 4 year’s worth of revenue from that store in 3 years.
Lastly, the owners of the franchises are honest hardworking people of all persuasions trying to build the American dream for their families but instead are intentionally set up for failure by Meineke with lies and deceit.
I am still in business and want any potential franchise investors to be warned to stay away from Meineke or EconoLube business at all costs.
Meineke Franchise: Add Your Opinion Below
Are you familiar with the Meineke franchise opportunity?
What do you think accounts for the SBA loan failure rate of Meineke franchise owners?
What steps should Meineke and Driven Brands be taking to stop further franchise failures?
Has Meineke taken serious action to address the problems that led to the 31% loan failures?
Does Meineke & Driven Brands intentionally churn franchise locations?
Are Meineke consumer complaints a result of the economic pressure Meineke franchise owners are under?
Please share a comment, opinion or insight below.
ARE YOU A MEINEKE FRANCHISE OWNER OR FORMER MEINEKE FRANCHISEE? ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH DRIVEN BRANDS INC & THE MEINEKE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY? PLEASE SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
Tags: Meineke, Meineke franchise, Meineke complaints, car care franchise, muffler franchise, automotive franchise, franchise opportunity, quick lube franchise, franchise failure rate, worst franchise, sba failure rates, SBA franchise loans, franchise information, Driven Brands, franchise churning
Is MEINEKE a Great Franchise Opportunity?
May 1, 2012
Is Meineke a GREAT franchise opportunity?
Why or why not?
Share an opinion in the comment section below!
According to Meineke Muffler franchise marketing: “With 4o years of business under their belt, Meineke provides its franchisees with a proven business system.
“Meineke provides all of the tools that a franchisee needs to be successful.
“By following the system provided, our successful franchisees have enjoyed the fulfillment and pride that comes along with running a profitable business.”
Meineke Car Care Center franchise marketing promises franchisees a competitive edge in the huge automotive market:
“Meineke Car Care Centers has successfully adapted its automotive business franchise system to the one-stop model that today’s consumers are looking for. Together both franchisor and franchisees share the advantages of a nationally recognized name with a strong new image, broad range of services, hands-on training, and a Meineke system that’s geared to business success.
“Benefits like these give each Meineke franchise a significant edge over the automotive competition in their market area. With a strong desire to succeed, you too can forge a Meineke success story in today’s expanding automotive service market place.”
Meineke franchise marketing promises the benefits of the top automotive service brands and one of the most comprehensive support programs in the industry:
From business plans to day-to-day store management to best repair practices, this kind of knowledge and experience is accumulated after operating more than 900 shops worldwide.
Meineke passes this invaluable knowledge to franchisees through one of the most comprehensive training and support programs in the industry.
Meineke Franchise Investment Requirements
According to Franchise Gator, the Meineke franchise investment requirements are as follows:
- Liquid Capital Required: $70,000
- Net Worth Required: $150,000
- Total Investment: $190,883 – $352,497
- Year Founded: 1972
- Home Office Location: Charlotte, NC
- Total Units: 945
- Awards: #1 in Category, Entrepreneur Magazine 2012, Ranked in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchises for 2011, Forbes Top 20 Franchises for the Money
- Business Type: Franchise
- Financing Assistance: Available, via third party
- Training and Support: Available
ARE YOU A MEINEKE FRANCHISE OWNER OR FRANCHISEE? ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE MEINEKE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY? IS MEINEKE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
