Comments for Franchising Plus

Comment on Franchisor ignorance allowed internet bad press for the franchise by tinagleisner

tinagleisner — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:20:19 +0000

This situation doesn’t surprise me at all. Franchisors haven’t had any checks & balances on their behavior for years. They’ve become arrogant and developed an attitude where they think they can do whatever they want, including use & abuse their franchisees … who are stuck in a bad contractual situation with no ability to negotiate for a fair deal.

Social media is certainly going to change franchising over time. The sooner franchisees learn to develop and use their voice, the better as some franchisors are already trying to control everything online. They simply don’t, and likely never will accept the “social” part of social media which can’t be dictated by the home office.

Comment on Terminating a Franchisee by Franchising Plus

Franchising Plus — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:42:34 +0000

Your franchisor is behaving very unprofessionally Tina. All Franchisees should always be treated in exactly the same manner. Whilst I can appreciate the Franchisor’s wish to protect the brand and avoid confusion with several websites, it would seem that considering your obvious skills and S.E.O. accomplishments in this area, the Franchisor and the network as a whole may have benefitted from consulting with you with regard to their new website.
Tina, I think you have to ask yourself whether you have any benefits from being part of this franchise, and seriously review whether you have any future or indeed can gain any satisfaction from being a franchisee. It may be time to move on.

Comment on Unbelievable but true franchising story by Franchising Plus

Franchising Plus — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:29:19 +0000

Tina, It is very sad that you have not been involved with a professional Franchisor who cares about the system and the people within that system, you the franchisees. I promise that there are many Franchisors who really do care about being supportive. It must be very frustrating being in this type of unprofessional system.
Here in Australia, Franchisees and Franchisors have easy access to mediation services. This could be an avenue for you? It would be an ideal opportunity for you to have some necessary honest dialogue with your Franchisor. By the sounds of things, The Franchisor needs to hear a franchisee’s perspective before the whole franchise collapses through mismanagement. Interestingly ,my soon to be launched book, deals with very similar issues and could provide some clarity around the situation in which you find yourself.

Comment on Terminating a Franchisee by Tina

Tina — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:23:37 +0000

There are I’m sure, valid reasons to terminate franchisees, but it should be done professionally and allow the owner to leave with dignity. Unfortunately my franchisor applies what I’ve nicknamed “bully tactics” picking on a few owners and trying to drive them out because their not happy with the franchisor. My recent battle is over my local website and domain name. I’ve owned the site/domain for almost 8 years and have been #1 organic in my state for more than 6 years. The franchisor website is only starting to work, mostly because they’ve built a micro-site for each business with more than 4,000 webpages … and then they link them all across multiple franchise systems. Now they want me to shut down my site which has far more content & give them my domain, ignoring the fact that they gave me permission when I opened in 2003, to have my own site. Of course what is VERY, VERY wrong here is that they aren’t telling other owners with local websites to take those sites down … just me, hoping that if they’re obnoxious enough, I will leave.

Comment on Unbelievable but true franchising story by Tina

Tina — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:16:03 +0000

Too funny, and at the same time sad as I haven’t found a franchisor who would do this. Mine just collects royalties and delivers little to no support of any kind. They’re simply incompetent. As an example, for years they told owners to do a newsletter with Constant Contact. Then a year and a half ago they started driving owners to use a newsletter service from Market Smart and it was “free,” but not really as there was a $49/mo admin fee. Franchisor wrote newsletter & didn’t understand sticking to a schedule so it only went out every 4-6 weeks? Then Market Smart shut it’s doors in February leaving everyone without a newsletter. Worse, they didn’t get the opt-outs so they’ve pretty much destroyed the owners lists. Who needs this kind of support?

Comment on Can franchise fees ever be too low? by Nicky Mann

Nicky Mann — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:42:14 +0000

Dear Carolyn,

I honestly enjoyed this article and it brought a few interesting points to mind and for us to consider when we eventually go down that route. I always believe you get what you pay for – so lower franchise fees spells lower support in all areas I suppose. Look forward to reading more of your articles – keep up the great work:-) Thanks Nicky