Geeks on Call franchise, Richard Artese
Geeks on Call President Richard Artese is promoting the newly relaunched franchise as a low-cost, high-potential opportunity.
The new Geeks on Call franchise, according to Rich Artese, does not require technical expertise, just a love for sales, “helping others,” a $20,000 franchise fee and a flat monthly fee of $500.
In exchange, according to Artese, Geeks on Call franchise owners receive use of the “trusted brand,” as well as “back-end support including national brand marketing, sales advisors, a national call center, access to a national network of technical experts and partnerships with several telecom and IT Service products.”
A number of former Geeks on Call franchise owners have expressed concern, dismay and warnings about the rebirth of the Geeks on Call franchise program, which ceased selling franchises a few years ago amidst financial turmoil, lawsuits and controversy. Many of the former franchisees expressed concern about the leadership and ethics of Richard Artese, the controversial president of the Geeks on Call.
On 9/17/2011, commenter Luis wrote:
As long as Richard Artese is part of this organization, I would highly recommend not becoming involved with this venture.
The original concept was a sound business model until Richard Artese and Richard Cole took the company down a very unethical path. That is one of the reasons so many of the executives who started and grew this company into a leading franchise brand left the company.
The company has fallen far from those days with Artese running the show.
By 2005 over 350 franchise locations were granted or operating but today that number is well under 100.
There have been many failures and many people have lost money betting on the current management team.
My advice – While the new model and low monthly franchise fees may be attractive, do not do business with Geeks On Call while Richard Artese is still involved due to ethical reasons.
Are you familiar with Geeks on Call, or the leadership of Richard Artese? Are the warnings justified, or is the new Geeks on Call franchise a great low-investment opportunity in the dynamic service sector? Please share a comment below.
Read past posts and discussions on Geeks on Call here:
GEEKS ON CALL Franchise: They’re Ba-a-ck! September 15, 2011
GEEKS ON CALL Notice of Default & Foreclosure November 5, 2009
GEEKS ON CALL: Latest Franchise Rumors, Allegations October 14, 2009
Geeks On Call Franchisees Allege Their Franchisor is Breaking Law December 26, 2008
Geeks on Call Franchisees Sue Struggling Franchisor December 20, 2008
Email the author or site admin at UnhappyFranchisee[at]gmail.com. Commenter’s opinions are their own and are neither endorsed nor necessarily shared by UnhappyFranchisee.com.
Doing your Due Diligence
I would first suggest reading as much as you can about this or any franchise company and its executives on Google before spending your money in this economy. I assume if you find smoke there could be a fire somewhere so you should probably tread carefully.
I would ask if any of the parent companies for this or any franchise have ever shown a profit since their inception. If so; when/how much? What did the current parent company show for a profit or loss in 2010? What is their current and projected profit or loss for 2011 without the sale of any franchises.
Do they have funds to help and promote new franchisees in this economy?
I would ask how many owners, out of the 300 plus franchises originally sold, this franchise lost while Rich Artese and Richard Cole ran the company. How many owners filed lawsuits against Geeks on Call America or its executives, how many walked away with their customers under a settlement agreement and how many transferred their franchises back to corporate or to another franchisee in order to get out of their 10 year agreements?
Next I would ask how many franchise owners out of the approximately 57 franchise agreements taken over by Rich Artese and new CEO Glenn Davis after foreclosing on Geeks on Call America are still left. How many of the original owners of these agreements transferred their franchises back to corporate or to one of their own techs since the new CEO taking over? How many of these owners or territories were reported on Franchise Disclosure Documents? How many franchises or territories were given away to owners since the new CEO taking over?
Was this done because the original territories were too small or to pad open franchise numbers?
Lastly I would ask for a complete list of all Geeks on Call franchise owners past and present across both parent companies so you can speak to as many as possible who may have worked for past and current president, Rich Artese. Ask these franchisees if they ever showed a profit, if they were able to pay themselves a salary or how many new customers Geeks on Call passed their way over a one year period.
I would also suggest looking into Computer Troubleshooters and Fast Teks while performing similar due diligence. I do not think it is ever wise to choose the cheapest option because you usually get for what you pay.
Check your books if this guy is in charge, 2 for you, 1,2,3 for me.
Uncle Frank taking his vig too. Run, run fast.