JAN-PRO Threatens UnhappyFranchisee.com

JAN-PRO Threatens UnhappyFranchisee.com

Read more

THE JANITORIAL AGENCY Scam or No Scam?

The Janitorial Agency aka TJA aka (and formerly GMS Contracts) advertises what it calls a Master Franchise opportunity.

The Janitorial Agency website states:

“Own your own exclusive franchise.  We’re looking for a select group of entrepreneurs or business professionals who hold themselves to higher standards and desire to run their own janitorial agency master franchise with all the assistance and support that is needed to maintain the high levels of success. As an exclusive Master Franchise owner, you will have the freedom to run your own Janitorial Agency master franchise, with the proven model of success, and be rewarded for managing a high performance business. We help you do all of this without all of the hassles brought upon most business owners. You have your own business and you’re not growing it alone.”

The Janitorial Agency Complaints

Despite the friendly tone and assurances of The Janitorial Agency website,  a growing number of complaints and scam allegations are appearing on complaint sites throughout the Internet.

October 17, 2011, babalu wrote:

TJA Company [The Janitorial Agency] is a total scam. I have purchased they program for $7400.00 and they said it is  GUARANTEED business volume of $24000.00. If you get your contract, if you are lucky they will charge 20 % on your first contract. And willl say that $7400.00 was for setup package.

They send you to bogus appointments and then claim that it’s your fault for not obtaining the contracts. The client will tell them, they dont need a cleaning company…

Please save yourself from these company…

Mike d — STOCKTON California U.S.A. – posted this on July 28, 2011:

GMS Contracts/The Janitorial Agency Promised leads of quality janitorial accounts, never called once, Internet

A sales rep from GMS Contracts called me a few years back to sign up with them. She said for 840.00 she would be able to help us get contracts by setting up the appointments. After a year I never received one call. I called to ask for a refund, at this point they were changing their name to The Janitorial Agency. I spoke with Steve I think was his name and he said if they could locate the old records (whatever) that they would refund me…….imagine this, they didn’t locate them..

After trying many times to get a refund they said they would apply the money I was owed towards their new program that cost way more…….?! huh really? So now to get my refund they want even more of my hard earned cash…shut these crooks down….it has been many months since i last spoke with anyone

I looked up this board today after I got an automated call from them wanting me to sign up…the nerve…

April 23, 2011, Rose Gerard — Valley Stream New York, wrote:

The Janitorial Agency TJA Total Scam, Unable to deliver Lansing, Michigan

This company is a total scam. They do not have the contracts to give you and they don’t issue refunds if they fail to perform. They send you to bogus appointments and then claim that it’s your fault for not obtaining the contracts. A lot of the prospects are not looking for cleaning services and the so called “training and consulting” is something you can do yourself for less than $100 at the JanitorialStore. They can’t help you grow your business because they can’t run a business themselves. Look them up on the Michigan Better Business Bureau and the Michigan Attorney General. They have a lot of unresolved complaints. Look out for Sue Bowers and Denise Shattuck, they send them to talk to you when you file a complaint. They try to get you to retract your complaints so that they can screw you over. Google the name TJA scam and TJA complaints. There are over 30 complaints about them. Sue Bowers visit sites and try to write rebuttals when people try to complaint. It is not an issue of training and doing your part, they can’t deliver and want to keep your money as well

RickR wrote:

Terrible.  These guys are terrible. All I can do is beg people not to waste their money here. Imagine a sleezy car salesman, mixed with a con-artist, combine that with a serial liar, and you still wont come close to how low this company will stoop to get your money.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE JANITORIAL AGENCY OR GMA CONTRACTS?  IS THE JANITORIAL AGENCY A GREAT OPPORTUNITY OR A SCAM?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Contact the author or site admin at UnhappyFranchisee[at]gmail.com.

STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS Franchise: Are Stratus Franchisees Successful?

The Stratus Building Solutions franchise, like other commercial cleaning & janitorial franchises,  is under fire from its franchisees.

Our post STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS Franchise Complaints prompted some harsh criticism.

Stratus Franchisee wrote: “…[Stratus] franchisees are offered accounts that are not profitable. When they are forced to give them up because they lose money, the franchisor transfers the account to another new unsuspecting franchisee… It seems the business is not set up to find new profitable accounts but to find new gullible franchisees because that is how the franchisor can make a quick buck.”

Linda Seneway wrote “I am a former employee at Stratus Building Solutions. I left because I could no longer be a part of scamming minorities. The contracts are set up against you. You cannot win and will never make money.”

SUCKER wrote: “THEY UNDER BID YOUR JOBS AND TAKE 30% OF THE CHECK…THEY LOW BALL TO GET JOBS…”

Nunya wrote:  “Stratus Building Solutions is a scam……period!!!!!! They jack up the price on any and all equipment….uniform attire that one would use… they double that price when it gets to the Franchisee.”

Jonathan Fortman wrote:  “…I filed a class action lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis on behalf of 3 plaintiffs who purchased Stratus franchises. The franchisees allege that Stratus gave them false and misleading information to get the to sign the franchise agreement, failed to provide services it agreed to provide in the franchise agreement and violated Missouri law by terminating franchises without proper notice.”

Stratus Building Solutions Responds to Criticism

How does Stratus Building Solutions respond to such damning allegations about its commercial cleaning franchise opportunity?

A blog named Franchise Chatter recently acknowledged online criticisms from janitorial franchisees.

Franchise Chatter posed the question “Are Stratus Building Solutions unit level franchisees financially successful?”  Stratus Building Solutions Marketing Coordinator Marisa Lather provided an official company response, which is reprinted in its entirety below. Italicized commentary is UnhappyFranchisee.com ’s.

Are Stratus Building Solutions unit franchisees successful? “What an outstanding question…”

Are Stratus Building Solutions unit level franchisees financially successful? Marisa Lather replies:  “What an outstanding question and one to definitely take into consideration. I can only speak for Stratus Building Solutions. It all goes back to creating a system built for success with appropriate margins for every participant. Every Stratus system has been built with the unit franchisee in mind.”

Yes, Marisa, it is an outstanding question!  We have fielded numerous complaints that Stratus underbids jobs and provides franchisees with contracts that yield less than minimum wage. Not to be pushy, but we eagerly await your answer to this outstanding question.

Stratus’ Marisa Lather continues:  “The founding philosophy of Stratus Building Solutions is to draw distinction to the company by being a true bottom up organization. The success of the unit franchisee is paramount to the success of the company. Even in building our tagline of ‘Your Success is Our Only Business’ we wanted to convey how truly committed we are to having successful franchisees on all levels, starting with the unit.”

Marisa, we agree.  It’s a beautiful tagline!  We have not received one complaint about the Stratus tagline! 

However, we have received complaints that Stratus Master Franchisees will take away accounts from unit-level franchisees under the pretense that there were client complaints (when there weren’t) so they can award them to new franchisees at a much higher profit. I’m sure you’ll address this when you answer the outstanding question. Which will be soon, I hope!

Marisa states:  “Every product, system and process has been carefully evaluated to see how it will influence the outcome of the unit franchisee’s investment. For example, we are the only company in our industry to have our own line of Green Seal Certified cleaning chemicals. When we were exploring the idea, we went to our developer and stressed it must be competitive or superior to anything else available in our market.”

Marisa, how will Green Seal Certified cleaning chemicals help unit level franchisees whose jobs are hopelessly underbid or who have profitable accounts taken from them under false pretenses, as is alleged?  You ARE going to get to the outstanding question soon, right?

Marisa states:  “Our Stratus brand HEPA Filtration Backpack Vacuum is a top grade piece of equipment that costs $450 at retail. Through the Stratus program, unit franchisees are able to have the vacuum at a discounted price while still maintaining top quality.”

Marisa?  Seriously?  People are claiming that they are losing their savings and being scammed out of their livelihoods, and you brag about the discount they get on a vacuum cleaner?  Plus, franchisees contend you double and triple the price of such things as uniforms and business cards to franchisees.  Answer the outstanding question, now, please!

“It’s also worth noting that we have zero litigation (compared to our competitors) and we offer unlimited consultation on what the FDD states so that our prospective franchisees understand exactly what is coming in and going out.”

Zero litigation compared to your competitors?  What does that even mean?  And what about the class action lawsuit reportedly filed against Stratus Building Services on behalf of three stratus unit franchisees?  Have you read STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS Franchise Class Action Lawsuit Filed?

“We’re lucky to have avoided such issues for the most part, but it’s certainly a valid question and it’s best to know all sides of a business — good and bad — when evaluating a final choice. Buying a franchise is more than just an investment in your money – it’s your time, your life really.”

Oh, Marisa, you teased us, then broke our hearts.  You said the question of franchisee profitability was outstanding, and then you dazzled us with your tagline, HEPA vacuum discounts and Green Seal Certified chemicals! And you never answered the outstanding question!

We do agree on one thing:  Buying a Stratus franchise will cost you more than money… so prospective franchisees should thoroughly research this opportunity and get expert advice before buying the franchise.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY?  WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Contact the author or site admin at UnhappyFranchisee[at]gmail.com.

OXYMAGIC Carpet Cleaning Franchise Sued for Bullying, Bad Faith Dealings

Oxymagic carpet cleaning franchise company, it seems, is earning a reputation as a corporate bully.  Now they’re getting sued for it.

(UnhappyFranchisee.com)  Oxymagic franchise owners might be fine people who take great pride in serving their customers.  Unfortunately, it seems like the OxyMagic carpet cleaning brand that they rely on is becoming more and more associated with the bullying tactics and vendettas of the OxyMagic franchisor.

As we reported in an earlier post (Has OXYMAGIC CEO David Iseley Gone Off the Deep End?), OxyMagic founder & CEO David Iseley maintains a website dedicated to smearing a young, ex-employee he accuses of becoming a competitor.  David Iseley has started a YouTube channel dedicated solely to videos in which he personally attacks the ex-employee (whose carpet cleaning franchise is thriving and has outpaced  OxyMagic in both awards and unit growth).

Now another company is claiming to be a victim of threats and intimidation by Iseley’s OxyMagic… and they’ve filed a lawsuit to put an end to it.

Virtual Point, Inc. Plaintiff, v. Oxymagic Franchise Development, Defendant

On September 14, 2011, Virtual Point Inc., a California Corporation dba Crosspath filed a complaint in United States District Court, Central District of California, against Oxymagic Franchise Development, an Oklahoma corporation.  The complaint seeks declaratory judgements that establish that (despite what Oxymagic Franchise Development accuses) they did not infringe on Oxymagic Franchise Development’s trademark, they did not engage in unfair Competition, they did not violate the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, and that they are the rightful owner of the Oxymagic.com domain name.

In addition, the complaint alleges that Oxymagic Franchise Development is guilty of Common Law Unfair Competition and has violated Unfair Competition of California Code section 17200.

Virtual Point Inc. is seeking monetary damages, attorney’s fees & expenses.

Read the full complaint:  Virtual Point, Inc. v. Oxymagic Franchise Development (PDF)

Here’s the gist: it seems that, after eight years, the domain name Oxymagic.com recently became available for registration.  Oxymagic missed its chance to register it, and Virtual Point, Inc. registered the domain name for its own use.  According to the Virtual Point, Inc. suit, Oxymagic then launched a campaign of threats and intimidation to try to coerce Virtual Point into giving them the domain.

According to the complaint, a representative for Oxymagic Franchise Development “sent three separate communications, each accusing the Plaintiff of infringing on the Defendant’s trademark rights.  Within these emails the defendant also demanded transfer of the Domain Names and sought Plaintiff’s legal address for legal service of process.”

“…Defendant’s actions and communications show a clear intent to use any means necessary to obtain the Domain Names…”

“Defendant’s accusations of trademark infringement are objectively specious and baseless, and have been made in a bad faith effort to obtain ownership of the Domain Name.”

“At best, Defendant’s trademark rights are weak and narrowly limited…”

Oxymagic was granted a federal registration by the US Patent & Trademark Office last year for the service mark “Oxymagic” in the area of carpet cleaning.  Virtual Point Inc. maintains that it is not using the name to promote carpet cleaning, so the trademark claim is irrelevant.  Further, the suit points out that there are hundreds or thousands of legitimate websites using “oxy” and “magic” in trademarks, domain names and websites owned by third parties promoting such things as wood floor refinishing, a stain removal pen, a face cream, several different cleaning services and a model of refrigerator.

So while the franchise company might be under the impression it owns the word Oxymagic, “At best, Defendant’s trademark rights are weak and narrowly limited to the field of carpet cleaning” according to the complaint.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH OXYMAGIC FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT, DAVID ISELEY OR VIRTUAL POINT, INC.?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Contact the post author or site admin at unhappyfranchisee[at]gmail.com.

 

STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS Franchise Class Action Lawsuit Filed

Attorney Jonathan Fortman has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of 3 franchisees against the Stratus Building Solutions janitorial franchisor.

According to a message left on UnhappyFranchisee.com earlier today, the 3 Stratus franchise owners (all based in Missouri) claim they were enticed into signing the Stratus franchise agreement through the use of false and misleading information. 

They claim that once they signed up as Stratus franchise owners, the franchisor failed to provide the services promised in the franchise agreement. 

The franchisees’ suit also alleges that Stratus Building Solutions violated Missouri law by improper termination of franchisees.

Jonathan Fortman invites Stratus Building Franchisees who want to discuss their experiences with this franchise to contact him directly.

Fortman’s message and contact information follows:

Jonathan E. Fortman

Submitted on 2011/08/13 at 3:59 am

My name is Jonathan Fortman and I’m an attorney in the St. Louis area, the hometown of Stratus.. On August 13, 2011, I filed a class action lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis on behalf of 3 plaintiffs who purchased Stratus franchises. The franchisees allege that Stratus gave them false and misleading information to get the to sign the franchise agreement, failed to provide services it agreed to provide in the franchise agreement and violated Missouri law by terminating franchises without proper notice. We are seeking to have the case certified as a class action on behalf of all Missouri franchisees who had losses due to the improper conduct of corporate. I would be happy to discuss any of your experiences you had with this franchise. Feel free to contact me anytime at (314) 522-2312 or by email at jef@fortmanlaw.,com. . If you are already represented by an attorney, please pass this message to your attorney. I wish you all the best of luck in this matter. Just remember you are not alone.

Jonathan E. Fortman

LAW OFFICE OF JONATHAN E. FORTMAN, LLC

79 Hubble Dr., Suite 101

Dardenne Prairie, Missouri 63368

(314) 522-2312

(314) 524-1519 fax

jef@fortmanlaw.com

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS FRANCHISE? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Contact Unhappy Franchisee at unhappyfranchisee[at]gmail.com

STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS Franchise Complaints

(UnhappyFranchisee.com) Is the STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS Franchise a scam?  At UnhappyFranchisee.com, we’ve received a number of Stratus Building Solutions franchise complaints.

Strangely, Stratus Building Solutions is ranked #20 in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 (READ: Top 100 Franchise Opportunities 2011: Behind The Hype)

In fact, when Unhappy Franchisee asked for commercial cleaning franchise complaints, half of the negative comments were against Stratus Building Solutions franchise opportunity.

Why are some franchise owners calling Stratus Building Solutions franchise a big scam?  The complaints are the same as those levelled against Jani-King, Jan-Pro, Coverall, Cleannet USA and the other commercial cleaning franchise companies out there:  Underbidding accounts, fraudulently taking cleaning accounts from one franchisee to give to another, etc. etc.

The question remains:  Why are these janitorial franchise companies allowed to get away with these despicable practices?

Chris wrote:

Stratus Building Solutions, Especially the one is Pittsburgh is a big scam. Please do not go to Stratus.

“I bought a franchise and now they plan on taking the one and only account off of me. That leaves me with zero income. The way the contract is written is that they are able to take off of you any accounts they say. They tell you they have complaints about the cleaning you have been doing. They tell you ‘We warned you now the account is taken from you. We need to protect our intrest too.’

The contract favors them. I lost $13,700 Also even tho you think you own a franchise you really do not. They get you accounts that belong to them. so you can not sell your franchise. The only way you can sell it is to go door to door and get your own accounts. You could have started you own cleaning and keep all the cleaning money yourself. Please listen to me. The contract does not protect you at all. The contract benefits them.

Please help me stop Stratus of pittsburg and Stratus corporate from swindleing any one. The solution to me is to go clean places on your own. By the way, if you do get your own places to clean while you are with stratus, you still have to pay percentage.

Ale wrote:

stratus is all bull shiet !! its a fucking fraud!!!

Javier Santos on March 31st, 2011 7:27 pm wrote:

STRATUS is A Big Scam! Don’t let them ruin your dreams they take advantage of good people to fill up their pockets.

guest on May 14th, 2011 10:15 pm wrote:

Stratus Building Solutions Franchise has received a grade of “F” from the Better Business Bureau of Orange County

http://www.la.bbb.org/PublicComplaints.aspx?CompanyID=100103761

Stratus Building Solutions Franchise complaint 1:

“Posted 3/11/2011 Summary – Consumer alleges services were not rendered as agreed.

Complaint Description Consumer alleges services were not rendered as agreed. Consumer paid your company $1000.00 down for a franchise business opportunity on 7/19/10. She completed the classes needed to get certified on janitorial services on 8/24/10. Once the classes were completed she was going to start getting job sites were she had to provide janitorial services, using her own equipment and would receive a check for services rendered minus a 25% fee from your company. To date consumer has not received job sites. Every time she calls to get assistance she is given the run around. She requested to get her money back for the down payment on the franchise however you refused. Consumer wants a refund of her monies.”

Stratus Building Solutions Franchise complaint 2:

“Posted 4/15/2011 Summary – Consumer alleges services were misrepresented and no refund has been issued

Complaint Description Consumer alleges services were misrepresented and no refund has been issued. Consumer purchaser a franchise from your company on 7/14/09 and paid $22000.00. He was promised to have his own business, his own building to provide the janitorial service that will pay $120000.00 a year. To date he has made $17000.00 in one year. He is not running his own company, instead he is introduce to clients as if he was working for your company. He had to pay 25% fee from each check for insurance, processing fees etc. When consumer complains to your company and ask for a refund of the money he invested you refuse. Consumer wants a refund of the $22000.00 he paid because the franchise was not as represented.”

Stratus Building Solutions Franchise complaint 3:

“Posted 4/21/2011 Summary – Consumer states company failed to provide proper services.

Complaint Description Consumer states company failed to provide proper services. Consumer paid $14,500 to the company. The company stated they would assist her in getting contracts with franchises, to clean their facilities. A list of potential leads would be provided to her. The lists they provided are not valid. When she requested a refund, she only received the runaround.”

Rob on June 2nd, 2011 wrote:

Stratus Building Solutions Franchise in Philadelphia is a big SCAM, Please don’t made same mistake I did and do not Buy franchise from them, they take advantage of good people, You are actually paying 10′s of thousands of dollars to make between $8-$10hr. You can’t even hire people without taking a loss, the ONLY people making real money are the people selling the franchises.

anonymous on July 15th, 2011 3:22 pm (Edit)

What bothers me the most is that with all the cleaning companies out there, they all repeat the same deceptive, abusive, misleading and unethical practices. They prey on the average american who wants to legally make money and work hard doing it. Often people have invested their life savings into the hope of making a better way for their families. It is unbelievable how the state and federal government aren’t doing anything after years of complaints and law suits to protect people from these modern day ponzi schemes.

I invested my money into Stratus Building Solutions to later find out that im not a owner of my own business but merely a employee, i paid $11000 to work a job. The gross revenues arent guranteed, they underbid contracts just to build their portfolio. Some of the jobs break down to be less than minimum wage. A business is meant to grow, not keep you stuck in one place where you have to do all the work to get by. If you speak against their actions they totally cut you off, no contact, even when they still owe you money.

IS THE STRATUS BUILDING SOLUTIONS FRANCHISE A LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY OR A FRANCHISE SCAM?  SHARE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.

 

SYSTEM4 Commercial Cleaning Franchise Complaints

Entrepreneur magazine ranks System4 cleaning as the #41 franchise in its top franchises list.  According to the System4 commercial cleaning franchise opportunity website, “Commercial cleaning is a $100 billion industry and System4 is the most innovative and fastest growing commercial cleaning business in the country.

“We’re made up of thousands of local entrepreneurs who have dreamt of having their own businesses. System4 makes these dreams possible by handling all the sales and administrative responsibilities while letting the franchisee focus on exceeding customer expectations…”

According to the System4 franchise website: “Master Franchise Owners operate a sales and management company that provides guaranteed cleaning contracts to Local Franchise Owners. They manage the relationship between the Local Franchisees and their customers and they provide administrative support to them. This allows the Local Franchisees to concentrate on servicing their individual customers, and when ready, building their business with additional accounts. With System4, Local Franchise Owners can generate supplemental income by servicing the accounts themselves or building their own full-time commercial cleaning business!”

However, one franchise owner raises complaints common to most other janitorial franchise opportunities, including underbid accounts and fraudulently taking accounts away from one franchise owner to give to new franchise owners. (READ:  Commercial Cleaning Franchise Complaints)

Is System4 a Commercial Cleaning Franchise Scam?

Franchisee ABBASI HUFF write on Thu 1 Jan, 2009:

it looks like all the cleaning company they are doing the same thing. I have bad experience with SYSTEM4 as franchise owner- I had to get out faster before it si too late.

The operation manager not trusted.

low bid contract – system 4 makes money and you work for nothing

System4 will tell you that you will make a lot money and be own boss in reality they are the ones making your money.

You will have no money to pay someone else to do the job unless you pay them less than 5 dollor and you make 5 dollars less expenses.

I DO NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO INVEST WITH SYSTEM4 LAMKEN ENTERPRISES INC THEY ARE NOT ALL WHAT THEY SAY THERE !

HOW WOULD THEY GIVE NEW INVESTORS THIER CONTRACTS- SCAM AS WELL WATCH OUT SCAM !!

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE SYSTEM4 JANITORIAL FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

 

VANGUARD CLEANING SYSTEMS Franchise Scam Complaints

Vanguard Cleaning Systems is ranked by Entrepreneur magazine as the #7 franchise in the nation.  (Seriously?  Vanguard beat out Subway?  Dunkin’ Donuts? Hilton hotels?)

Entrepreneur magazine also named Vanguard Cleaning Systems its #1 Low-Cost Franchises and #1 Home-Based Franchises.

Wow! Vanguard Cleaning Systems franchise ranking gave us a serious WTF? (Why This Franchise?) moment.  Could it be that Vanguard was an actual legitimate commercial cleaning franchise?

UnhappyFranchisee.com decided to scour the web to find out what was so special about this particular janitorial franchise to receive such high praise when their janitorial franchise competitors were being branded as scams and ripoffs.

Our optimism was short-lived. On a site called Webanswers.com,  we quickly discovered that Vanguard Cleaning Systems franchise owners have the same complaints as other janitorial franchises:  underbid contracts, hidden fees, lack of support, overpriced equipment, and a franchisor that will fraudulently take away your accounts to give them to other franchisees.

If you’ve had any experience with Vanguard Cleaning Systems – good or bad – please share a comment below.

On Webanswers.com, bmorrison wrote:

Yes, they do receive alot of fees. With Vanguard Cleaning System/Services, Besides the high cost of buying the contract through them, they get 15% a month from each contract you get from them, and they don’t even protect you or care for you when there’s a complaint even though it’s not your fault. They’ll pick the client over you any given time. They are even the first one to accuse you of doing something wrong. They seem motivated and/or more interested in you losing the contract maybe it’s because not only they get to keep your money that you use to buy the contract but they can sell the contract again to another franchisee for the same amount you bought the contract for if not more. And they continue to get their 15% cut a month. Sweet huh?! Please do an extensive research first especially the janitorial company. One important advice, DON’T GO AND SIGN UP WITH VANGUARD CLEANING SYSTEM !

rusty22 wrote:

Yes 10,000 they give you contracts you have to buy.+ they get 15% off the top on each one.They start you off ok ,then they swamp you with work.And you can’t do a proper job. You can only turn down two. After a time they go around and ask your customer if everything is ok,but they are trying to get them to change to a differant vanguard franchise so they can keep the money rolling in. You will never own the contract. And the mistery deductions never will they itemize.

cleaninglady wrote:

If you can turn away from this company- Do so! Not only the staff are very rude and unprofessional.. their only concern is getting their money. The Vanguard staff are nice in the beginning, until you buy their franchise and they’ll just don’t give a %&^8 anymore. My advice- buy mine! because, I want to get away from their @ss3S! lolz.

MiSTaHTeeZaH wrote:

I’ve been with vangaurd(TAMPA FL AREA) for about 4 years…They arent worth a Sh*t….They’re never on your side…takes them forever to get you to the volume you paid for…They deduct from you even if you dont have your full volume…They sale you CHEAP useless equipment for the most part…And they dont care if you get paid a fair amount on the buildings they bid on…(THEY BID EXTRA LOW)…so if you plan on hiring people on,dont deal with them because you wont be able to afford it…Also after they get your money that you needed to start up the franchise,its hard to catch up with them…i wish i would have stayed on my nine to five and kept my money where it was…I know there other things to invest in..

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE VANGUARD CLEANING SYSTEM FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY?  PLEASE SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

 

Janitorial & Cleaning Franchise Scams

…there was actually a clause that said, “We can terminate our contract with you, at anytime, for any reason and for no reason at all” I thought “Are you kidding me?” Who on God’s earth would enter into a contract with a clause like that?”  Robert, former franchise prospect

A surprising number of prospective franchise owners abandon logic and common sense when they are bitten by the entrepreneurial bug.  These are people who have amassed a certain savings from not only years of hard work, but scrupulous budgeting and planning, and rational financial practices.  But for some reason, many are willing to abandon the logic and practicality that guided them for years and risk it all by entering win-lose binding franchise contracts that basically puts their financial futures completely in someone else’s hands.

Lured by the (relatively) low investment, bogus franchise rankings and awards and aggressive franchise sales forces, many otherwise smart individuals get enamored with the idea of owning a janitorial cleaning franchise.  Robert was one such franchise prospect.  However, Robert actually took the time to read the contract he was being asked to sign, to think about the potential ramifications, and to actually “do the numbers.”

Here’s what Robert discovered about “franchise cleaning scams.”  Anyone considering a janitorial or cleaning franchise would do well to consider the ponts he raises:

“I almost bought into one of these cleaning franchise scams, Think about the insanity of this business, I actually considered handing over $10,000 to an outfit for them to allow me to clean an office building that was totally under their control, and not only pay them that huge amount of money so I could do all the cleaning, but pay them 21 percent of what they were promising to pay me, after i gave them $10,000.

“I always pictured having a conversation with the office manager and saying, ‘You know, I paid $10,000 to have the opportunity to clean this for you and earn an hourly wage’ I just imagined them saying ‘You fool, the sales person was on the phone with me maybe 10 minutes to set up the walk-through, we agreed on the contract within an hour, I gave him the ok after thinking about it for 24 hours, and you got suckered into handing over $10,000 when I could have let you have it for free and you would not be paying 21 percent off the top.’ 

“Just food for thought of the insanity of this business.

“After interviewing with the scam artist (Master Franchiser) I read over the contract, Totally in their favor, there was actually a clause that said, ‘We can terminate our contract with you, at anytime, for any reason and for no reason at all’ I thought ‘Are you kidding me?  Who on God’s earth would enter into a contract with a clause like that?’

I questioned him on this, the answer I got back was, ‘As long as you are doing your job, there is no reason to terminate you’

“I said, ‘its sounds as if I am your employee And regardless of what you are saying to me hear, what is in that contract book is what will count in a court of law, if you terminate me for no reason what so ever, I have no grounds to fight back because I signed your agreement’

“I told them to amend that clause, they would not.

“Also, if the office manager of the building you are cleaning wants to cancel their contract for any reason, they allow that, even though they tell you they have a one year or two year contract with them, It was told to me, ‘We don’t want them unhappy and we are not going to hold them against their will’ But you will keep my money, I cannot get my money back if they cancel,

“But what it came down to for me was the math, I was told $17.00 to $21.00 an hour they get out of the contract, OK, subtract, the 21 percent right of the top for the Master Franchise Owner, now factor in the $10,000 I was going to pay for the account, it would have taken me i figured, 7 months to just earn my money back, If the contract was for two years, I have one year and three months left on this contract where i have to see a profit, I will have basically worked for 7 months for free on a two year contract, so far, not adding up. $17.00 minus the 21 percent, leave me $13.43, now subtract about 20 percent in taxes you pay, uncle sam wants his cut, now i am in the $10.00 an hour range, still need supplies, gas for the car to get to the site,

“And all of this is hanging in the balance of if the contract stays for a whole two years, if it cancels in one year and they often do, or you are terminated because the Master Franchiser knows where his bread is buttered, on the resale of those accounts bebore they cancel completely.

“Between the contract being totally in favor of the Master Franchise owner and the wages dropping below $9.00 an hour, I thought, why on earth would i make an investment in a businesss that sits on shakey ground, actually this business adventure sits on water, as soon as you hand over your hard earned savings, you will sink like a rock. I spared myself the headache and tossed the contract book where it belongs, in the trash, I hope for all of you people that got ripped off, you get your money back.

“The people running these scams should do some jail time for this fraud.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  ARE JANITORIAL CLEANING FRANCHISES SCAMS OR GOOD OPPORTUNITIES?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

ALL PRO CLEANING SYSTEMS: Another Janitorial Franchise Lawsuit

All Pro Cleaning Systems is being sued for the all-too familiar allegations that the cleaning franchisor sells janitorial franchises to immigrants, then fails to provide the promised jobs.  Also alleged is that All Pro Cleaning Systems misclassifies its employees as independent contractors and makes unlawful deductions from their pay.

(Also Read:  Commercial Cleaning Franchise Complaints, JANITORIAL FRANCHISE ISSUES, JAN-PRO Franchise Complaints)

According to a story in the News Telegram, the civil lawsuit has been filed by Boston attorney Shannon E. Liss-Riordan on behalf of Plaintiff Leila Munik of Lowell.  However, Ms. Liss-Riordan said there are about 10 All Pro franchise owners who want join the case. If a judge certifies the case as a class action, according to Liss-Riordan, it would cover all of All Pro’s franchise owners

The lawsuit alleges that All Pro Cleaning Systems sells franchises, mostly to immigrants, to whom it guarantees a certain level of cleaning accounts  per month. The suit alleges that All Pro is guilty of what so many other commercial cleaning franchises have been sued for:  Not providing the promised level of work and taking away accounts from one franchisee to sell to another.

Last March, a judge ruled in U.S. District Court in a case against Coverall North America established that employees who purchased franchises from that company were in fact employees of the company rather than independent contractors.  The lawsuit alleges that All Pro Cleaning Systems also misclassified their franchisees as independent contractors (rather than employees), which made charging workers for jobs and making other deductions from pay unlawful.

Ronald Showalter, president and chief executive officer for All Pro, said franchises are sold in accordance with federal guidelines and denied that the company has treated franchise owners unfairly.

Showalter denies the franchise “churning” allegations, stating that his company has never taken an account away from one franchise to sell to another.  He also said allegations in the complaint that franchise owners aren’t allowed to seek their own accounts are false.

Despite the fact that all of the All Pro Cleaning Systems franchise owners seem ready to join the suit, CEO Showalter claims “We satisfied our franchise owners, that’s we how got here.”

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE PRO CLEANING SYSTEMS FRANCHISE?  WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Email the author or site admin at unhappyfranchisee[at]gmail.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »