MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints

4,850 thoughts on “MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints”

• This policy change depended on your carrier as to when it was effective. With my carrier was effective May 1, 2011. This is not a Matco decision, but a freight company issue and is dictated by them. Your problem is with the freight company as they will not allow a claim since the letter on file clears them of any claim. You need to blame who is at fault and not who let you know of the policy change. So the blame goes to your carrier, not Matco.

• I blame Matco for a ridiculous amount of back order time. I blame Matco for billing – at a minimum could have billed on terms. At the very minimum could have offered to send replacement parts no charge or at least at their cost. I blame my DM for suggesting I sell the un-buildable mess at a discount and “hope to at least get my cost” back. I blame the big and wealthy Matco expecting ME to assume a loss when THEY already made money from me on the cart.

• The question is did Matco damage the cart????????? Probably not. So why should they pay to fix what they did not damage???? The freight carrier damaged your cart, they should pay. Do you realize that once a shipment leaves anywhere it is considered property of the consignee(aka distributor) for anything ordered. Its amazing how you can have email in the middle of the route day without cellular signal. You need to place the blame where it belongs and quit trying to get Matco to bail you out of all situations. You are self-employed, start acting like it, take care of business and move on. Dont dwell on the negatives as NO ONE likes to hang around negative people and quit acting like an employee.

• Here is a little nugget for you Kevin. If you can “spin” this one “falsehood” I will be very impressed, as a matter of fact I’ll even fashion another medallion for you to stick on your truck. (or somewhere else).

  Four of the top distributors in my district were at one time on tool hold anywhere from 3 to 7 MONTHS. It happens from time to time I guess, no way around it. OK, now a DBR could not pay his OPA for 7 months. (contract violation).

  He couldn’t order THE REQUIRED 80% of the national purchase average FOR SEVEN MONTHS ! He couldn’t even order 10%. Not even a single CP1612BC. Is this a contract violation or is this another “falsehood”??

  I was just a little South of the 80% of the average because I bought what I could pay for each and every week. Not once was I ever put on hold, paid my OPA (7 day terms when I could), PSA remittance every week like clockwork. Truck lease paid, insurance paid, $4.00 for diesel fuel, no problem.

  They are all still on tool hold and I am out of a career, broke, bankrupt, swimming in debt. I took care of my customers, ran money jug & 50/50 contests, gave away plasma TV’s, Good As Gold jackets, T-shirts, hats, even a MSC4 a couple of times. The only thing I failed at was listening to a sales pitch full of deceit and lies.

  Now, go ahead and break out your little handbook of MDAC / DM cliche’s that are used ad nauseum and tell us what you think. I am so glad you and your sidekick Jason are around. It only steels my resolve to right a wrong and inform others of this corporate piracy.

  Everyone get ready now, a “shilly” wind is about to blow hard out of the Mid-West.

• Debbie,

  What’s fair is fair. I do agree with Jay on the shipping issues. Once a box/cart leaves the dock it is out of Matco’s hands. I have always inspected boxes, carts and the slides before I signed for them.

  I realize you are in a remote, rugged terrain but surely freight companies operate there. I have had direct shipments to customers and told them to inspect toolboxes from top to bottom before signing on the dotted line.

• You guys are missing the point………………
  When one of my customer’s orders something – I don’t care whose fault it is if the item is damaged or delayed. “I” make it right for the customer, I absorb the cost of making it right.
  CUSTOMER SERVICE
  I am ultimately Matco’s customer – so I understand the “damage” is not their fault
  What I expected was a little Customer Service – It would have been nice IF Matco would have offered me ‘delayed billing/terms” for the damaged cart – obviously I couldn’t sell it immediately
  It would have been nice if they offered me replacement parts at a discount – they would not be losing money, however; their customer (ME) would be able to then sell the cart

• ***********TECH LESSON***********
  OK, while I am no expert – I have spoken to Verizon Wireless on several occasions regarding my service. The coverage area has expanded greatly however; there are still areas that are difficult.
  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO – in some cases a VOICE call cannot be received, in some cases a VOICE CALL will be dropped
  However; DATA can transmit – while it might be delayed until the user is in area of better reception – the DATA eventually transmits
  It DOES offend a CALLER if the call is dropped – thus making the caller feel they were ‘hung up on’
  It does NOT offend anyone if a DATA message is received or transmitted a few minutes later
  so shut up………………….

• So let me get this right. YOU invite me to a forum. I respond with MY opinions. You tell me to shut up…….WOW. I think now I see a bigger problem with your business. Attitude IS everything! I have a rural route a have service deadspots. I use my customers phone with the 800 number if it is a concern for them. No one yet in 13 years has refused to let me do that.

• So THAT is what you’re upset about?
  Pardon me, I didn’t use my teacher voice
  I’ve raised my children, I’ve taught school,
  Trust me I could play your game ALL day
  BUT THIS IS NOT A GAME! Broken marriages,
  Lost savings, Lost homes, 500 PLUS Failed
  Distributors bankrupt
  Not a game, so please be quiet and
  stop talking to hear yourself talk…..

• Gotta admit, somebody has their bully on!
  Pick on the Lady a little more guys, makes
  you sound a little desperate …..

• The problem is you just want distributors on this site who only agree with you. I have given you solutions to your problems and answers to your questions but you don’t want to hear them. Don’t invite someone in to your site for their opinion if you don’t want to hear it. I have not been rude to you or any other person on this site. I just state facts and solutions from the street. I have been with another tool company before that would make all these complaints seem very trivial and chose to switch to Matco over 11 plus years ago all as a distributor. I am not saying they are perfect but they are the best choice out of the 4 major tool companies. I have a very rural route covering an area of 3 counties. I know your pain of dealing with the challenges of rural living. I live them everyday. The only difference is that I have found ways to deal with it in a productive way. If you put the amount of energy into your business as you do this site you will do fine. The hardest part in the tool business is the first five years. If you can survive that you won’t have to worry about the rest of this. Have a nice evening.

• Gary- As I’ve said before, you reading comprehension is a real problem. Possibly why you didn’t understand the contract you signed with Matco. What I asked of you is to point out any falsehoods that I posted. You must be unable to do that, or simply did not understand the question. So then, you go into a rant about OPA hold, contract violations, etc. etc. that I have said nothing about. I am sorry that you were unable to fulfill your contractual obligations with Matco. Again, if you can point out anything I said that was false in any of my above postings, that you so dilligently chronicled, I would appreciate it.

• Well Gary I will take the bait, bad MNF game on tonight. I will have to appologive first, unfortunately MATCO doesnt give us a MDAC book to refere too. Believe it or not MATCO actually did you a favor taking you out of business. Yep, that’s right!
  You say you were a little south of the purchase average.
  Current Purchase average 3,300
  80% of that is 2,640, but you were a little south, so let’s take off another 10% because I am not sure what a little south is.
  So now your purchase average is roughly $2,376, give or take.
  So if you are buying 2,376 per week, with a advertised wieghted margin of 35% then you would be selling about $3,656 per week or $731.20 per day. Now since the weighted marging is 35%, selling $3,656 you make a profit of $1,279.60 per week or $255.92 per day profit. The average distributor has about $3,500-3800 per month in just business expenses, truck paymant, insurance, gas, phone, cc machine, so that’s about $700-$950 per week in just business expenses. If you are only making $1,279 per week profit, and your business expenses are $950 per week on the high end, then you are only making $329 per week. If you work 50 hours per week, you are only paying yourself $6.58 an hour and you have not even bought tools yet to put back on your truck yet, not to mention the giveaways you spoke of. At any point did you say to yourself, this isn’t worth $6.58 an hour?

• Josh: Hardly, remember she invited us into this, and her own admission she is a woman in a mans world!

• Debbie: I appreciate the entertainment today, didn’t have time to respond earlier as I was working, then did not want to interupt my lunch.
  The Trouth will set you free”
  It is very obviouos from this website that you LIED. You sent me an email saying you wanted to start a distributor association. Hmmm…no name to it, no website, no apparent vision on how this is going to be accomplished, just you and some former distributors pointing fingers at everyone except yourself.
  Today was just another example, when MATCO changed a policy, your immediate reaction was ” I am being discriminated against”. Wow and you wonder why MATCO makes you send emails. You wonder why nobody in your district answers your text on where you should get your windshield fixed. It’s pretty clear to me, I can tell you this they are a lot nicer than my district because you would not want to know what 1/2 the guys in my district would say to that question.
  Its funny I was speaking to a RM about a month ago, and I was upset that I bought over 31 toolboxes this year, and I had to pay the same price as someone that bought 1 box. He told me it wasn’t fair to give me a better price, made me a little upset. But now after looking at this website I see exactly what he is refering too, I could see you filling a lawsuit over that one.
  Take Kevins advice, don’t let your inventory get below what you owe MATCO. Unfortunately most who don’t make it in this business decide too late and ignore the warning signs. I would suggest staying on the good side of your fellow distributors, those are the people who will buy your tools at a discounted price, the ones MATCO wont take back.
  Remember the scary movies you watched as a kid and there was this voice that said, “get out, get out” when you hear that voice listen.

• Kevin- How do you expect me or anyone to point out falsehoods in your posts when all of your posts are complete jibberish ? That is like Don Quixote saying “tell me why I should not attack this windmill”? He was nuts.

  You are definitely a company shill. Totally indifferent to anyone’s plight.

  You have been around awhile so YOU answer one of MY questions for a change. How can a DBR not pay his tool bill OR buy 80% national average for SEVEN MONTHS but still be in business ?

• It’s interesting how Gary criticizes MATCO for having people recruit people to come into business, but yet on the other hand he is recruiting people to join him in his lawsuit with Jerry…
  I will give him credit for being a stand up guy and agreeing with Jay, I just had to point out Gary you are doing the same thing your are criticizing MATCO for doing.

• Jason says “I would suggest staying on the good side of your fellow distributors, those are the people who will buy your tools at a discounted price, the ones MATCO wont take back.
  Remember the scary movies you watched as a kid and there was this voice that said, “get out, get out” when you hear that voice listen.”

  Resorting to threats and bullying? Play ball with the old boys network, know your place and keep quiet… or else? Your threats are not only gutless and cowardly, they show just how frightened and threatened you boys really are.

  The old boy’s network is really getting nervous. They can sense that things are about to change in a big way. Why else would these guys be on here arguing so hard, resorting to outright threats, if they weren’t scared? If they thought this was just lil ole Debbie complaining about her windshield they wouldn’t be getting so desperate to discredit anybody who dares voice an opinion they don’t agree with.

  The old boys network of Matco isn’t used to people standing up for themselves and exercising their 1st Amendment rights. They are used to people failing in silence, or being terminated, and going away quietly. They aren’t used to people who don’t back down to their group bullying. When they have to resort to threatening a woman to a reference to a woman in a house alone, you know they’re paniced.

  Get used to it, boys. Folks are pissed off and want change. They aren’t afraid of you and your macho threats. Time for the walls to come tumbling down on the good ole boys network and mentality. Go Debby! Go Jerry!

• Gary- In other words, you can’t find anything I said to be false. Thanks for the confirmation.

  As far as your question goes, the distributor is probably surviving by buying tools elsewhere. If you’re wondering why Matco hasn’t cancelled his franchise, I can’t help you. You might want to ask your district manager.

• “Gary- In other words, you can’t find anything I said to be false. Thanks for the confirmation. ”

  Yes Kevin. We all agree that every tedious, mind-numbing thing you’ve said is correct. You can now go away knowing that you are the smartest pig farmer in the room. Your superiority in all things is acknowledged. Your work here is done. Please go spread your light and wisdom elsewhere… quickly.

• Well Josh, she invited me, I was just trying to answer her problems.

  Well Guest, I am not nervous, just finally understanding what dms for matco say about distributors and why their businesses fail.

  YOU HAVE TO HAVE
  RESPONSIBILITY………..for your

  actions
  attitude
  faults
  you
  your family
  customers
  tool bill
  and finally BUSINESS

  If you take responsibility for these things the rest falls into place. As soon as you start shirking your responsibilites on any of these the house of cards will fall and then you have a real mess of
  divorces
  lost money
  bankruptcy
  etc

  There is no old boys network, Debbie just happens to have invited 3 highly successful distributors to her forum who have worked through the same issues as herself.

• Guest- I’m sure Gary appreciates you carrying his water. You may want to go all the way to the top of the page, and read the line right under the date. I’ve never raised pigs, but I thank you for the compliments.

  I’m still waiting to hear how much you paid for your franchise.

• Wow, are we having fun now or what ?

  Just one more post then I’m hitting the sack. I have to get to the local food pantry early to grab a few cans of Spam so my kids eat tomorrow.

  Jason, On the recruiting issue I was just making a point that Matco has to constantly recruit to keep fresh bodies on the road because they just dismiss distributors left and right. It always made me curious as to WHY they had to do this, now I know. It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.

  I am not recruiting for Jerry Marks. (Even though he is one of the few with the “testicle fortitude” to fight for us) I AM recruiting people to get off their ass and fight for themselves. Debbie, Tommy, Richard, Carl, myself and hopefully many others have no intention of going away quietly.

  Just to throw this out there…………….I enjoyed being a distributor, I liked the fact that techs liked me and knew I wasn’t going to give them the run around on warranty……….I had some great times at expo. from what I remember. ;-)………I treated the customer service people with respect, and for the most part they treated me the same, especially Anita, she is awesome!

  Toolboxes? Matco makes the best box IN THE WORLD, hands down ! If I didn’t like these things I would be happy to be out. The “suits” in corporate that just see numbers and nothing else. THEY are the ones I am after.

  I hope successful distributors stay successful, I really do. I just wished I had the opportunity to grind it out and get over the hump, but I was taken behind the shed and shot like an old dog.

  Guest, I appreciate your support and your comments, keep it up ! I am tired, I am tired of the endless bickering, going to enjoy Thanksgiving and take a break. Happy holiday to all.

• Pingback: MATCO TOOLS Class Action Lawsuit, “Secret” Sales Projections : Unhappy Franchisee

• I have posted the full Matco Tools TD Bank Class Action Lawsuit complaints here:

  I have also posted a copy of the alleged “secret” three year projections that the lawsuit claims Matco furnished to TD Bank but forbade them from sharing with the loan applicant and Matco distributor.

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

• Pingback: MATCO TOOLS 2011 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) & Other Resources : Unhappy Franchisee

• Just added a reference page for documents, including the 2011 FDD which includes number of distributors, number of terminated distributors, as well as financial performance claims (Item 19) and lots of other info:

  MATCO TOOLS 2011 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) & Other Resources
  http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/matco-tools-2011-franchise-disclosure-document-fdd/

  If anyone has relevant docs or links to add to this page, email unhappyfranchisee[at]gmail.com. Thanks

• @ADMIN – thank you for posting the information and reference documents. There has been an eerie silence since……….

• I would also like to add the OFFICIAL word from Verizon wireless………. maybe questioning the truth behind my lack of cell coverage can be silenced now too…..
  —– Forwarded Message —–
  From: “wfmweirt@HQ.VerizonWireless.com”
  To: ladymatco@yahoo.com
  Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 3:13 PM
  Subject: RE: Coverage Map (WFM84365607)

  Good afternoon Debbie,

  My name is Mandi and I hope your having a great week! Thank you for taking time out of your day to contact me requesting information about cellular service in your area. I understand how important it is to be familiar with the workings of a cellular network and I will be more than happy to assist you. In some spotty areas of coverage, calls may drop and text message or emails may fail to send due to a lack of reception in the area.

  Voice calls and text messages run on the same frequency while emails and internet connectivity flow through another. This explains why although your call may drop, your email may still go through because the internet and email frequency is still available in that area. Text messages and emails have a higher success rate in spotty coverage areas due to the fact the system will continue to attempt to send the email or text message until sufficient coverage is found and it can be successfully delivered. Voice calls require a continuous signal which may be interrupted (causing drops calls) when service is unavailable. Another call must be initiated in order to continue the conversation, which can be frustrating in an area where signal is inconsistent. You can view information about our coverage map anytime online using the link below.

  http://www.vzw.com/coveragemap

  Additionally, I want to take a moment to let you know about our great online Support Tool. Our support pages include documentation, tutorials, and video guides to cover many different device-specific issues you may encounter. In addition to this, you may also access our forums, which host numerous answers to various questions. In order to access our support tool online, you may do so at the following link:

  http://www.verizonwireless.com/support

  Debbie, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with you today. It has been a pleasure providing information about service is spotty coverage areas. If you have any further questions in regards to this matter please don’t hesitate to contact any of our spectacular customer service representatives at 1.800.922.0204 or *611 from your handset. We value your loyalty to Verizon Wireless for over six years and it is our commitment to ensure your satisfaction with our products and services. We realize you have a choice when it comes to your wireless service and I would like to thank you for choosing Verizon Wireless. Have a wonderful day!

  Sincerely,

  Mandi

  Verizon Wireless, Customer Service

  Internet Response Team

• Oh, one last comment………

  To the “old boys” or successful distributors that are so happy to point out that they were “invited”, Emails were simply sent to EVERY email address I had. The more emails I sent, the more email addresses were sent to ME.

  So, I just took a page out of Matco’s play book ~ much the same way they “qualify” the number of mechanics placed on a new distributors “List of Calls”………………

• Perceived Value vs Value

  A distributor buys a tool box at regular cost – retails $10,000
  Offers mechanic #1 $5000 trade in and sells the box for $5000

  A distributor busy a tool box a regular cost – retails $10,000
  Mechanic #2 wishes he would have bought the box when it was on sale
  distributor offers mechanic #2 $3000 trade in (the used box is identical to the box mechanic #1’s traded)
  AND tells mechanic #2 he will STILL honor the expired sale price $2000 off ………AND SELLS THE BOX FOR $5000

  END RESULT – BOTH MECHANICS PAY $5000 AND THE DISTRIBUTOR HAS A TRADE IN BOX TO SELL – perceived value

  FRANCHISEE FEE??????????

  MATCO *REQUIRES* a distributor to purchase 80% of the National Avg/WEEKLY
  currently $2756 – let’s say, for argument’s sake – Matco’s mark up is 50%
  $1378 ~ but Matco is not charging a franchise fee

  OR – take MATCO’s *required* purchase 80% = $2756
  Again, for the sake of argument – Matco’s mark up is actually 40% – $1102
  AND THE FRANCHISE FEE IS $275/WEEK

  Distributor is paying Matco the same amount each week $2756
  Perceived value……….. or I believe Matco calls it “No franchise fee”

• If I couldn’t meet 80% of the NPA, I’d make myself go out of business..

• 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.

  Now is where I go out on a limb and potentially lose a very good friend. Before I started as a DRB, I was a tech AND customer of Kevin’s. I have know Kevin and one other DRB in that “district” for nearly 20 years. Kevin really is a good guy. HE bleeds Matco red. And whne Kevin says he doesn’t let “company guys on HIS truck” he isn’t lying. I spoke with Kevin at great lenght about my going in business with Matco. Kevin was one of ONLY two DRB’s that gave me the “straight shit”. They painted VERY ugly pictures about how rough it would be to get started. Neither discouraged me, but told me cold hard truth.

  NOW, that said. Other than an occansional email, I have not talked to Kevin face to face since about ’08, when I was a DBR. I have talked to the other DBR that I knew. I can tell you that they BOTH were VERY dissappointed in the way I was handled by our DM.

  I was told, by one of Kevin customers and a former co-worker of mine, that when he told Kevin I had decided to “exit”, that Kevin was hurt and made a comment something like “well I guess (insert DM’s name here) screwed another new guy”.

  Kevin may be a “golden boy” as far as sales, but I can tell you that he can be and probaly has been one of the biggest pain in their asses, if he thinks they are fucking the DBR’s it’s gloves off!

  I here that DM is retiring, I hope so, he was one of the bad apples. Kevin is one of the good ones.

  I can tell you that I did retain Jerry Marks to represent me and my wife (now ex-wife, and Matco had A LOT to do with that) against Matco. All I am allowed to say is that we reached an agreement.

  Matco is a shell game. I learned many things in our lawsuit against Matco. Things that IF I had known BEFORE, I would have NEVER signed on. But you can’t find this info anywhere because Matco has a department in Stow that does nothing but comb the web, magazines, etc to remove “negative info”. Now once you know where to look, the bad is out there, and boy is it.

  I’ve probably lost a friend of 20 years now, but Kevin knows what goes on. He does NOT like or agree with it. TRUST ME! Our district has/had the “million dollar boys” in it year after year. BUT it also had a lot of “6 month wash outs”. And yes, the “million dollar boys” have SWEET routes AND have been at it, this is just a guess from memory, at least 15 years.

  The district typically has 20-25 DBR’s in it. Around 12-15, back in ’08 anyway, were “established” guys that had been doing it awhile and probably still are. They other 5-8 are a revolving door.

  Kevin takes it personally when someone washes out. That shows classes. Kevin and one other are the only ones that would and still do, acknowledge me as a person. The rest of the DBR’s were given their “marching orders” by the DM and trashed me good. I could hardly get a job where a Matco guy stopped.

  Kevin and the other rose above that. The BOTH helped me with trying to find another tech job. I owe that to them.

  To sum it up, Matco DOES suck and screw new guys. PLEASE call and speak to Jerry Marks!!!!! They is SOOO much I wish I could say about what I learned, but I can’t.

  But ease off Kevin. I know first hand he is a great guy. Maybe he doesn’t know even the stuff I learned about Matco’s “business practices”? I’m guessing he doesn’t. Because knowing Kevin, if he did, he’d be a thorn in Matco’s ass that they WISH they could get rid of.

• John- That would be a good theory if it were actually true. If we’re comparing to Snap-on, the retail price I sell my products for (I’m talking about identical products from the same manufacturer) is almost always lower, and my markup averages higher, plus I have no fees of ANY kind to pay. Your theory doesn’t hold water, and if you were a Matco distributor, you would know that. I would like to see prices lower, but item for item, I’m much more profitable with Matco than I would be with Snap-on.

• TO ALL DISTRIBUTORS , FORMER DISTRIBUTORS,AND FORMER DISTRICT MANAGERS, IN MY OPINION, MATCO IS NOT A BAD COMPANY, THEY HAVE THEIR PROBLEMS. WHEN YOU HAVE A BAD FEW EMPLOYEES LIKE MIKE RAMEY AND DARRYL PRITCHETT, THEY RUIN THE COMPANY GOALS AND PHILOSPHY.

  ALL COMPANYS HAVE BAD APPLES, BUT WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT, YOU GET RID OF THOSE PROBLEMS. YOU CAN NOT DECEIVE POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTORS AND FORMER DISTRIBUTORS AND GET AWAY WITH IT, FOR EXAMPLE, INFLATED CALL LIST, MADE UP SBA INCOME PROJECTIONS(FEDERAL), BAIT AND SWITCH, CHURNING LIST OF CALLS, TAKING NON PERFORMING SHOPS FROM OTHER DISTRIBUTORS AND ADDING THAT TO A NEW ROUTE. GIVING DISCONTINUED ITEMS FOR A STARTER INVENTORY, TO GET THOSE ITEMS OUT OF MATCO’S INVENTORY.IF MATCO WOULD CHANGE THE WAY THEY SIGN NEW DISTRIBUTORS, THEY WOULD PROBABLY OUT PERFORM EVERYONE ELSE.

  WHY DOSENT MATCO GO BACK TO THE WAY FRANCHISES WERE DONE BEFORE? LET DIST RUN THEIR BUSINESS AND MATCO KEEP THEIR NOSE OUT OF IT. WHY DIDN’T MATCO IN 2008 , KICK ALL THE DISTRIBUTORS WHO WERE NOT AT PURCHASE AVERAGE OUT? CAN ANYONE ANSWER THAT? WOULD IT HAVE BLOWN MATCO SALES FIGURES WAY OUT? WHY DID MATCO PRODUCE THAT CD IN 2007 ON SNAPON TOOL BOXES AND THEN THREATENED TO PULL OUR FRANCHISE IF WE DID NOT RETURN THE CD TO THEM?

  IT SOUNDS TO ME ALL THEY LOOK FOR IS A REASON TO PULL A FRANCHISE AND NOT TO HELP A FRANCHISE GROW, BY THE WAY IT IS NOT YOUR FRANCHISE, IT IS A TEAM THING WITH THEIR INTENTIONS OF FINDING FAULT AND SHUTTING YOU DOWN. THIS FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY IS MISLEADING TO THE INVESTORS, WHO ARE TRYING TO BETTER THEMSELVES. FORMER DISTRIBUTORS, WE NEED TO JOIN TOGETHER, MAKE THIS PROBLEM KNOWN NATIONALLY, NOT SHUT UP AND SPEAK LOUDER THAN EVER, BE HEARD, WE SHOULD ALL GET TOGETHER AND PROTEST OUTSIDE MATCO HEAD QUARTERS IN STOW.TELL EVERYONE TO CALL JERRY.

  LIKE I SAID “GO GET THEM JERRY”.

• Tom’s comment really got to the heart of things:
  “Matco is a shell game.”
  “Our district has/had the “million dollar boys” in it year after year. BUT it also had a lot of “6 month wash outs”. And yes, the “million dollar boys” have SWEET routes AND have been at it, this is just a guess from memory, at least 15 years.”
  “The district typically has 20-25 DBR’s in it. Around 12-15… were “established” guys that had been doing it awhile and probably still are. They other 5-8 are a revolving door.”

  So is this Matco’s strategy? They know that in a given area there can only be so many viable routes? Established guys likes Kevin and Jason have those routes locked up and do well. But there are also unviable routes that are doomed to fail… and Matco just keeps selling them to a revolving door of new guys that they know will spend what they got upfront and never really have a chance of making it? At a certain point they just flush them out of the system and bring in a new sucker?

  If that’s true and it is a shell game, then Tommy is wrong about it being a good company with a few bad apples. The whole game is rigged.

• *Happy Thanksgiving* to everyone. I personally appreciate ALL the posts. I never imagined the response would be SO overwhelming. The message is important. It is awesome that so many people have stepped forward, showed courage, and shared their painful stories. The truth HAS been exposed. Matco’s house of cards is about to crumble.
  I am giving thanks that this Thanksgiving the campaign I started – amid much continued opposition and personal verbal attacks – has SAVED at least one person from falling prey to the game. (Don posted on 11/19 “I am not going to go through with it. It would have been a huge mistake”)
  I am thankful for the ‘debate’ – yes we should hear from both sides. I am thankful that debate has only cleared the smoke and made the injustice ever so clear.
  The Matco militia will have a hard time now burying ALL the information that is now on the internet. Their dirty little ‘secrets’ are much of a ‘secret’ any more.
  My final thanks is that today’s ‘successful’ distributors may now realize that even they can and probably WILL be next. It has already happened to many – NOBODY is safe………I am thankful, and do wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

• Let me clear up some of the deceptions via creative wordplay, such as the claims that Matco doesn’t sell franchises (even though its website says “Own a Franchise”) and the nonsense about no franchise fees, royalties, etc.

  The truth is available from the FTC’s explanation of its Franchise Rule http://business.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/bus70-franchise-rule-compliance-guide.pdf

  Quick version, it doesn’t matter if you call it a franchise, distributorship or a duck, if an offering contains three specific elements it’s for practical purposes a franchise. That’s why Matco might not use the term “franchisee” but they still have franchise disclosure documents, etc.

  Those three elements are that the company grants use of its name, it exerts control over how the business operates, and it has a required payment. That payment isn’t just necessarily called a franchise fee, but can be required payments for equipment, business supplies, training, software. IMHO Matco is obviously charging a “required payment” or else they wouldn’t be doing franchise registrations, etc. They just aren’t calling it “Franchise Fee” or “Royalties”

  I hope the FTC will take a look at their misleading advertising. Matco claims they don’t charge any of these fees, while their total revenue from the sale of Products to its franchise distributors was $230,903,000 last year.

• Hey Tom- Good to hear from you, and I appreciate the positive comments. I never did know all the details of your departure, but as you already know, I wanted nothing but your success. Without question, Matco has some problems, and some problem personel (although Glenn has been the best DM that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing). Distributors fail for many reasons, some possibly caused by problem people at Matco, and some not. My reason for being here is not to defend Matco, but to oppose the fabrications and outright lies by some of the posters here, some of which have never been Matco distributors. If everybody would be truthful, cases such as this would be benificial for all. I take absolutely no offense to your comments here, and sincerely wish things would have worked out for you with Matco. It may be hard to believe, but Glenn wishes the same. He takes it very personally when a distributor departs on bad terms, and I’ve seen many times where an individual wants in, but Glenn steers them away when he knows the fit just isn’t right. I’m not looking forward to his retirement, as I remember what we had before him. There are changes on the horizon at Matco, and I have confidence that it will result in a better company. Good luck with your future.

• Guest- I wish at least one of your posts would make sense. You can attempt to read in anything you want, but the simple fact is, Matco charges no fees or royalties. I pay for my products, and nothing else. That’s the facts. Your last paragraph shows the extent of your ignorance. Of course they had revenue from the sale of their products. Did you think they just gave tools away?

  STILL waiting to hear what you paid for your Matco franchise….

• Kevin writes “My reason for being here is not to defend Matco, but to oppose the fabrications and outright lies… If everybody would be truthful, cases such as this would be benificial for all.”

  This Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for Kevin’s tireless dedication to truth and honesty.

  So, Kevin, to be clear, you are saying that Tom is lying when he says that you said about your DM: “well I guess Glenn screwed another new guy”?

• Kevin- Thanks. I know you and Doug had high hopes for me. And I honestly felt like I let both of you down. It took me a year to even face or talk to Doug.

  Doug knows a lot more details about me and what went on. From the lies I caught Glenn in BEFORE I even signed the dotted line. Doug is the one who encouraged me to “take a stand NOW” against ANYTHING that didn’t seem right to me. And trust me there was A LOT. But Glenn is the BEST used car saleman I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been in dealerships for over 20 years!

  Glenn came to our house and set down at our table and flat out LIED to us. He told us so many lies “off the record” becuase legally he couldn’t tell us things. Legal or not, didn’t stop him. We just got that good ole Glenn wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

  So once I started Glenn was GONE! My “seed and display truck week” he was with me 3 days! Not the 5 I was told he would be. My first week “on the street” he was with me 3 1./2 days ans split.

  He sold to people, and outrageous ammounts, while I was talking to customers. Which I appreciated, UNTIL it was time to collect! I was lucky IF Glenn had got a first name to put into MDBS! Some customers were put in as “fat guy at south end of shop”! NO ssn! And when I would ask someone for their ssn and the hesitated, GLENN would step in and say “Tom understands! We don’t need it right know. Tom needs to earn your trust first!”

  Since you don’t let Glenn or Matco guys on your truck, you haven’t experienced the joy of Glenn “helping you”. He is “out of control”. He acts like it’s “not his money” and could care less who he sells what to. He just want to get “tools on the street”. Fuck, I can do that. But when it’s time to start collecting, the DBR is left to clean up the path of Tornado Glenn AND Glenn is NO where to be found.

  Glenn helped sell my first box. Great I though. When it came in, it was EXACTLY like the one I got in my starter inventory! I could have sold the one on ethe truck! When I asked Glenn why his response was “I wanted to try the new online ordering system”! What the fuck! And Glenn KNEW that I was having MAJOR cash flow issues at that point. Having to pay for the ordered box EMPTIED my checking account! HE didn’t check with me first to see if I could cover the tool bill!

  And anytime I questioned Lord Vanderwall with something like, “Matt taught us in class to do XYZ, not QRS” he would get the “who are you gonna listen to? Guys in Stow or me?” Whats a new DBR to do? Start off fighting with his DM? I went along with some of his shit just to “keep the piece”.

  Luckily I documented “EVERYTHING”. When Larry Fisher, my trainer, came out it made this statement. “I hear you have some new guy jitters”. I told him to sit down, shut up and watch. Then when when he saw enough to let me know IF I had “new guys jitters” or REAL concerns. By NOON Tuesday he looked me in the eye and said “Matco screwed you”. He made MANY phone calls to Stow that week. HE sat in my truck and just shook his head at what I had. HE said SEVERAL times that “any other DM would have been FIRED for just ONE of “errors” Glenn made regarding my route”

  On Larry’s last day here, he came into my house to talk with Angie and I. He gave us the “matco pepe talk”. Then OFF THE record Larry told us that as a father, grandfather and just a guy that cared we HAD to “get out and get out now’ IF we wanted to keep from losing everything. That route, as Glenn had done it, would take 6-8 turns to even break even and we were out of money 6 months in.

  Glenn is so far out of touch with “the street”. He is use to selling to DBR’s and playing cheerleader. He has NO CLUE how to sell on the street anymore.

  And I quickily experienced that unless you’re one of Glenn’s “million dollar boys” when you start to have trouble he is NO WHERE to be found. I begged for help/advice from him. But since I wasn’t makimg him money he cut me loose. He basically dumped me off on Doug. I didn’t feel right taking up Doug’s valuable time to help me. Doug was busy and besides it wasn’t Dougs job, it was Glenns!

  They are long gone, but I wish I could show you the emails between Glenn and I. It would show you Glenn isn’t the great guy you all think he is. Wolfe in sheeps clothing. Glenn is smooth. He can turn it on and turn it off when needed.

  I won’t go into the problems I had with Glenns Mowequea pet DBR. Under Glenns marching orders, that DBR trashed my reputation as a tech every where he stopped. He didn’t even know me! Luckily Doug, and you , were above that. Doug was good enough to call me each time he heard of any job that I may be interested in. Rather than keep me from making a living, Doug tried to help me anyway he could.

  I will defend you and Doug to the death. You are both “the good guys”. Hell I still buy stuff from Doug now and then.

  I wish you knew the things Matco does. The things they did to us. I truly believe that most DBR’s and a lot of the “support staff” in Stow are good people. It’s the DM’s and some of the top dogs that are the problem.

  Matt, Tracy, Larry and 99% of the people in Stow went out of their way to help me and address my concerns. From day one right up to helping me understand how to box a return. Once I signed my exit, I was was dead to Glenn. I did the rest of it on my own or with telelphone help from Stow. ALL of those people were great. They were also DISSAPPOINTED that my DM was not there to help with this. But when the found out my DM’s name. they just said “oh, that’s normal for him”!

  Do I think Matco has the best product? Absolutely! Will I keep buying Matco? Yes, ONLY because I use my tools to make a living and I want the best. Now if Mac, Cornwell or Snap-On start making a better product, ALL of my Matco tools will be gone. If 90% of my persoanl tools would have not been Matco, I would have thrown every Matco tool I had in a lake after what they did to me.

  Matco took my money and laughed. My perfect credit was trashed, marriage ruined (yep divorce after 20 years) and left me with nothing.

  Kevin, it probably WAS a great company when you started and remained that way for awhile. It’s still the same company whose name is on your trucks, BUT it is NOT the same company with the same values that it was when you started.

  My training classe had 12 new DBR’s in it. To my knowledge, 3 1/2 years later only 3 still are in. And those guys have SWEET routes. Half of use were out in 6 months or less. I made it 6 and thought I was first out and felt like a failure. I later found out that I wasn’t the first. AND that ALL of us had experineced EXACTLY the same issues, had brought up those issues to our DM’s and Stow and were ALL treated EXACTLY the same way. It was “ALL OUR FAULT NOT MATCO’s”.

• Guest- I want to clear up what I said regarding what Kevin said about “well I guess Glenn screwed another guy”

  I did NOT hear that directly from Kevin. It was told to me by the person that told Kevin I was getting out. I have no proof Kevin said that. It sounds like something Kevin would say, but he may not have.

  Like I said I will defend Kevin to the death.

  I will ask that EVERYONE on here contact Jerry Marks and talk to him! He knows his shit and will open your eyes. He has several FORMER Matco people on his side.

  I think I can say this much about our lawsuit with Matco and I’m given no settleemtn detail.

  It was funny to see. Matco had “lawyered up” against us. When we walked into the room Matco must have had a dozen people there to “fight us”. We walked in with only Jerry! The look on “team Matco” was priceless! Their jaws dropped and I’m pretty sure, based on smell, some of them shit their pants!

  They wanted NO PART of Jerry Marks! They KNEW he “had their number” and wasn’t afraid to dial it!

  CALL JERRY MARKS!!!!!!!

• Again, thanks for having the guts to tell your story. It takes a lot of backbone and integrity to tell the truth sometimes when you have nothing directly to gain. Everyone is justifiably outraged at the people in the Penn State scandal that didn’t speak out and didn’t rock the boat. But how many involved with Matco are outraged at the news stories but just look the other way and refuse to make waves, like Kevin? [Corrected at commenter’s request]

  I get that you appreciate his personal encouragement, but he’s on a high horse preaching honesty and bullying people who are raising the same objections you have. Of course he’ll deny saying it, but even if “It sounds like something Kevin would say” it seems clear that he’s not being honest. From what you’ve said, he has firsthand knowledge of injustices done to new distributors, but he’s on here fawning over what a great guy Glenn is and telling failing and failed distributors they only have themselves to blame.

  While I am looking forward to seeing Kevin’s upcoming tapdancing response, I think Kevin has already provided a great lesson for prospective franchisees or dealers that they not only should be skeptical about what the company tells you, but what franchisees and distributors say as well.

  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

• WOW !

  Is it just me, or can anyone else feel the avalanche rumbling beneath their feet ? I know Debbie feels it high up in the Colorado mountains. LOL!

  Kenneth Metzgar, with Matco for 25 years 1982-2007. Stating all the dirty little secrets in a signed affidavit (Exhibit D in the complaint).

  Charles Bergen, 10+ years with Matco verifies the ugly truth that DM’s are “awarded” a $1000.00 bonus for putting a new distributor on the road. (signed affidavit – exhibit G). Proving they do not care who’s future, credit, marriage they ruin in the process.

• Happy Thanksgiving everyone, lets remember over these holidays to continue to blog this site, let everyone know about it. We have to stand up for what is right and set the record straight. We all need to take time and enjoy thanksgiving and
  do not let matco and their deceitfullness get us down. Enjoy time this holiday with family and friends and remember to fight the fight for what is right. We can turn this into a major headache for all franchises that treat their franchisee,the way Matco treated us.Debbie and I are not going away, we will be heard and someone will listen to us and that person is Jerry Marks and Matco. I would like to take a minute and thank Marks and Klein Law Firm for being there and understanding what position we got into with Matco’s help. We distributors have been lied to and mislead by Matco and their District managers.This claim should be listened to when you have former Matco employee’s coming on board. I want all former distributors to pick up the phone and call Jerry Marks. Do not go away
  quietly, be heard , and stand tall. Debbie, I enjoyed talking with you today, call anytime you need someone to vent to about Matco. It will all work out for all of us,just keep pushing.Like I said ‘ Go get them Jerry’

• I wanted to let all former distributors and current distributors know that you should take some time and call the contact person on your route sheet to check and see if Matco came by and did a head count on techs, When your route shhet was done the D.M signed off on the head count. I contacted my shops and the person noted on the route sheet and was astounded to find that my D.M did not come by half of my shops and do a head count. He only called, and did not call all of my shops. How do you get an accurate count? Alot of my shops had an inflted head count, that was a big surprise to find this out. I called my shops, documented who I spoke to ,date, and time.These are lies and problems Matco will have to face. Time will tell, size dosent matter in court, bigger companies have fallen harder. Like I said, ‘ Go get them Jerry’.

• Tom- Your experiences with Glenn certainly surprise me. I’ve known him over 20 years, and he has never lied to me. Not at all doubting what you say, it’s just not what I’ve known him to be. A couple of years ago, I had some serious problems with the PSA dept (IMO, the armpit of Matco), and was about ready to walk because of it. Glenn looked me in the eye, and said if I go, he’s coming with me. I don’t doubt that he would have. I have never questioned his morals and integrity. That being said, since he has been our DM, I have been a very low maintenance distributor, not really requiring much from him or Matco. I am extremely independent, as I think anyone who owns a business should be. A new distributor doesn’t have that luxury. Again, I sure wish things would have worked out for you.

  Guest- Here’s something for you from the top of this page:

  “MATCO TOOLS Franchise Complaints: Have you had any dealings with MATCO Tools or the MATCO Tools franchise? Please share a comment about your experience – good or bad – below, as well as advice for those considering investing in a MATCO Tools franchise.”

  So why are you here? You have shown, by your ignorance of how the Matco franchise works, that you are not, nor ever have been, a Matco distributor. You act like a typical liberal- throw out a lie, get caught with nothing to back it up, and throw out another one.

  And what’s the deal with this:

  “But how many involved with Matco are outraged at the news stories but just look the other way and refuse to make waves, like Jerry?”

  Heck, I thought Jerry was the lawyer making the waves.

  And as for that statement that Tom was told I said, no, I didn’t say it. Something obviously changed in the translation before it got to Tom. Don’t really care what you believe- you have no skin in this game.

• For a CYA response you worked on til 3:55 am, gotta say it was a little disappointing. 6 out of 10, maybe. Blaming the liberals was a nice touch. Can’t go wrong with blaming the liberals. Damn Obama! Damn liberals!

  The problem with your response is that you argue that Glenn never screwed YOU over. The point was whether you had referenced Glenn screwing over NEW distributors, not the privileged “million dollar boys” of the old boys club. I believe the statement you’re squirming out from under was “allegedly” “something like”:

  “well I guess Glenn screwed another new guy”

  Maybe you should take the opportunity to specifically deny that you ever acknowledged that new distributors are recruited, given unviable routes once their checks clear, then “screwed over” to make room for the next creditworthy hopeful.

  I’d recommend stating that in your years and years, tireless service, MDAC representation, blah blah blah you never saw new guys fail except those lazy slackers who didn’t work hard enough, blamed others, didn’t take responsibility, expected the “nanny state” to do their work for them.

  Add that the SBA default stats are obviously a lie from the socialist bureaucrats and liberal media , and that all these people telling the same story here have been brainwashed by a group of liberal Snap-on dealers who hate Thanksgiving and detest America.

  Yeah, go with that! That should get you an extra piece of cake at Glenn’s retirement party!

• So Happy Thanksgiving everyone…I trully mean it, even to guest who tells everyone it takes a lot of backbone and integrity to tell the truth, and somehow drags Penn State into this, but IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HASNT SIGNED IN WITH A NAME…very impressive GUEST! Tells us Jerry isnt afraid to make waves. Of course not. He is an attorney, thats his job! I think most know he has made a career out of suing Snap On, in the 90’s and early 2000’s apparently has received enough money from them, so now he has moved on to MATCO. Youg guys are pathetic, you talk about recruiting, I havent seen a group like this recruit this hard since the last time I was in vegas walking along the sidewalk. The only think I can guess, is the more you recruit for Jerry, maybe he will reduce his charge from 40% down to 35%, or maybe drop the $5,000 retainer fee.
  Debbie, maybe I should hire Jerry to sue you. You said in the email your are sending out you want a voice to be heard and you want to start a distributor association. Well…not seeing it! The only thing I see is a lady constantly complaining thinking she is being discriminated against, I think you should change the email to read the truth, you are mad at MATCO and you want a bunch of other people to join you so you can talk about it all day. And you wonder why when you send text out in your district you hear crickets?
  One last thing before I watch some football, earlier on in the posts a couple guys said matco’s purchase average is exagerated, but then went on to mention they sold $263,900.000.00 in product. Well here it is folks $263,900,000 divided by 1,500 distributors equal $175,933.33 purchased from each distributor, divided by 52 weeks in a year equals $3,383 per week, per distributor, on average….which just happens to be right on the national purchase average this year. Wow numbers that make sense.