CarePatrol is a young, rapidly growing franchise system whose franchisees provide senior care consulting and referral services.
Recently, an anonymous commenter, claiming to be a friend of a failed CarePatrol franchisee, posted a scathing attack on (and warning about) the CarePatrol franchise opportunity.
CarePatrol CEO Chuck Bongiovanni responded with a point-by-point rebuttal of the complaints (read both complaint and rebuttal at CAREPATROL Franchise Complaint – Updated), and angrily criticized UnhappyFranchisee.com for writing about the complaint.
Since Mr. Bongiovanni’s response, 3 CarePatrol franchise owners have posted comments praising the CarePatrol franchise and rejecting the anonymous critic’s contentions that most of the young chain’s franchise owners are struggling.
CarePatrol franchise owner Paula Vaughn of Tucson wrote:
As being one of the first franchisees with CarePatrol I totally disagree with the comments made by the anonymous submission posted on Sunday, August 1, 2010.
This franchise model is proven, works and is extremely successful. CarePatrol is based upon many years of hard work, experience, honesty and above all ethical practices when servicing our senior population. There is extensive support and training offered and required for each franchise owner. CarePatrol promotes success and is always available to assist with any issues we may have.
I am very satisfied with the growth and anticipated growth of my franchise. My greatest reward is the heartfelt thanks that I receive from my many clients when I have helped them solved their eldercare need.
CarePatrol franchisee Mike Messer wrote:
I purchased two CarePatrol franchises and ended up purchasing another a few months later. All three are profitable and growing every day. There are many negative people in the world who do more complaining then working. The anonymous posting lacks creditability. I have nothing but great things to say about CarePatrol…Well let me say 100′s of my clients have nothing but great things to say about CarePatrol.
CarePatrol franchise owner Sandy Messer wrote:
My husband and I currently own three franchises of this company. We purchased the first two in April of 2009 and then, because things were going so well and we were so pleased with our experience, we purchased the third franchise in June. I was amazed by the letter your Web site received from an anonymous coward. I personally take strong exception to anyone who doesn’t take responsibility for their own words, but that is only the first issue I have with this person.
My second issue is my franchises are not failing; we have made a steady income and rather than feelings of stress and sleepless nights, I go to sleep every night knowing that I have helped people. I have countless letters from families we have worked with thanking us for the blessing of finding our services.
As to a steady stream of free leads, we do receive a steady stream of leads. We don’t pay any fees until a placement is made and then the costs of those fees is minimal in comparison to other franchise opportunities. Apparently, the author of the letter has never worked with our corporate office; it has always gone above and beyond to answer my questions and offer support.
It is most disturbing to me that this Web site would post anonymous letters from a person committing libel. It is truly sad that a company that has helped countless seniors and their families is being attacked by a nameless coward who knowingly and aggressively lies.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE CAREPATROL SENIOR CARE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY? WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
Company responses, clarifications or rebuttals welcome. Contact the author/site admin at UnhappyFranchisee[at]gmail.com.
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I purchased a franchise from this company for the Denver market at the end of April and can tell you my experience has been excellent. I spent about 6 months doing due diligence before the purchase and talked for many hours with the staff at corporate, and with other franchisees. Everyone was very honest and upfront about the business and what to expect. At no time did anyone promise me a pot of gold, or an easy time of it, after all you are starting a new business. What they did promise me was support, training, and a business model that has a proven track record. All of those promises have been kept and exceeded. I received training at corporate prior to start up, they sent staff to Denver that worked with me and provided more guidance and training during my initial weeks with clients and providers. We had weekly phone calls, to talk about problems and solutions, along with this there are monthly calls and training sessions with corporate and the other franchisees. Along with all that any time I need advice or help, I can reach someone by phone or email within a matter of minutes, any day of the week. I am not sure what corporate could do to be more supportive. The business model was a big part of the training, and I knew going into it, that my time and effort would be the key to success. Once again everyone was up front about that and I know what to expect. While I still have a long way to go, as I have only been in it for about 6 months, I am seeing positive results. When I was investigating the franchise, they told me they had a system that generated leads, which some would be good and some would not. Because I talked with the other franchisee’s I had a pretty good idea of what to expect for a conversion ratio, again no promises, just honest answers and based on my prior business experience about what I would have expected. Corporate also told me that to be really successful I would need to market and develop my own leads in Denver. They provided training and support on the method they use to do that, its implementation is up to me.
Am I happy with my purchase of this franchise? Yes, I believe the opportunity is there, I know the support is there, the rest is up to me. Franchising is not for everyone, you need to understand this is a business not a job. There are no guarantied paychecks, you have to work for it, and you have to want it. If you can do that, and live with the unknowns that go with starting your own business, then do your due diligence and find one that is right for you. That is what I did, and I can say that this one is the right one for me.