Handyman Matters franchise

Handyman Matters franchise Andy Bell, Handyman matters, handyman matters franchise Denver, Colorado

28th of Jun, 2011 by User463767

I recently owned several Handyman Matters franchises. I bought my franchises from 2 other owners who were struggling and wanted out. I bought them for pennies on the dollar of what they spent buying the franchises. When I purchased them, Handyman Matters charged little to nothing for "transfer fees". After about a year and $110,000 spent, I realized that this business model has serious problems and that it does not work in cold-climate areas. I decided to sell my territories. I was directed by the franchise toward a buyer that they found. I spoke with this potential buyer for about a month and he was interested in buying my territory. Then they dropped the bomb on me that this guy came with a business broker who would charge me 40% of the total sale price. Oh, and Handyman Matters corporate was going to charge me $24,000 in transfer fees. What a crock. I got on the phone with Andy Bell about these two issues and he basically told me "then don't sell it". I was dead broke after losing over $100k in this piece of crap franchise, and I had found one person in the world who was interested in buying it, and he told me "don't sell it then". I ended up walking away from the sale with about $14k, Handyman Matters made $24k, and their worthless broker made $27k. The $24k that Handyman Matters took from me basically had no expenses attached to it, and even though I was in a financially desperate situation, they still charged the full amount to me. I find that to be totally unethical. I would highly recommend to anyone considering buying this franchise to study the numbers very closely. Very few franchisees make money and if you want to sell it down the road for a profit, good luck. They'll tell you about a couple who have, but the sun shines on a dogs a** every now and again. Get the numbers and profits that owners are making and ask around at how easy or hard it is to make that money and decide from that. Don't let Careyanne or Andy with his charming smile and smurf-like ways endear you.

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4921 days ago by Handyman

A recent complaint lodged against The Handyman Matters Franchise on Scam Informer warrants much clarification.

"Anonymous" from Denver, Alabama has stated that he recently owned several Handyman Matters franchises. This much is true.

Let's address his accusations in order:

He states that after about a year into his agreement, he realized that this business model "has serious problems and that it does not work in cold-climate areas."

As it happens, three of our most successful franchises have operated in the Chicago area for more than six years now. It doesn't get much colder than Chicago. We also have franchise locations of even longer duration in Denver, Colorado: another area well-known for its cold winters.

What Anonymous unfortunately did not mention while making his complaint is that he was simultaneously running an entirely separate business franchise while he held his Handyman Matters franchises. He left the day-to-day operations of his Handyman Matters franchise to a customer service representative/office manager, who had no official training from our Corporate office. And while we urged him to send this manager to our corporate offices for a week of orientation and training, he never complied. Nearly every new franchise owner attends this vital training, given how critical it is to the successful operation of their franchise business. Furthermore, Anonymous had numerous opportunities to take advantage of this important, required and FREE of charge training, as we offer these classes six times a year. Yet he never trained anyone in his office and left them alone to run the business.

Additionally, we provide "field support" in the form of experienced consultants who travel to all of our franchise locations, as well as providing daily support via telephone and various forms of electronic communication. One of these consultants traveled to Anonymous’s locations TWICE during the time he was an owner. On both occasions, our consultant discovered that this former owner was leaving the day-to-day operations of Handyman Matters to someone else, and that he indicated no interest in taking a more hands-on approach to his business; even as it continued to struggle.

When Anonymous made the decision to sell his business, he states that Handyman Matters "dropped the bomb" on him that the purchaser of his territory "came with a broker who would charge 40% of the total sale price and take $24, 000 in transfer fees."

All financial information is clearly stated, not once, BUT THREE TIMES, in the Financial Disclosure Documents that Anonymous signed upon the purchase of his territories. And since Anonymous bought three territories, he signed three entirely separate contracts. This means he affixed his signature NINE TIMES to documents that stated EXACTLY what his costs would be, but then he said it caught him by surprise. I can only conclude that he put his name on these contracts without bothering to read them. We are absolutely transparent to any and all prospective franchisees regarding financial disclosures.

Anonymous is accusing Handyman Matters of being "totally unethical, " when the real challenge here seems to be a lack of personal responsibility in understanding the agreements, and the lack of commitment Anonymous demonstrated to run his franchise effectively. He repeatedly ignored advice and violated sections of the contracts he signed relating to the standard procedures for operating his Handyman Matters franchises.

I do, however, agree wholeheartedly with one point he raises: He "highly recommends to anyone considering buying this franchise to study the numbers very closely."

We couldn’t agree more! This is why we make that effort so easy and transparent to our prospective buyers. In fact, I firmly believe if Anonymous had taken his own advice, he would now be operating a highly successful Handyman Matters franchise, as many other people across the country do every single day.