Harris Research took over 20 years of our lives out from under us after spending untold time, dollars and investment away.
I ran a chemdry operation that grossed near $600,000. They terminated me and demanded the doors be closed and phone turned off with 14 days of notice.
I had just completed a painful divorse action. They demanded that I resign a new contract and pay for a new contract.
The old one I had with my ex husband had two years left and they would not simply drop his name off. I was taken advantage of in that I was in a postion that I could not fight. They would not allow me to continue with a contract I already had my name on.
Under the old contract I was allowed to go out of area provided I had referral cards. I was not allow to produce them.
I had talked with Greig Donaldson about complience issues that I agreed to have corrected in a letter addressing each and every problem I was sighted for. He agreed and gave me the hope that I could correct these problems. Nine days later, he reniged and said no and that I was terminated no if ans of buts.
I looked to friends of mine who also run a franchise and they wanted to buy mine. They wanted and said that I had a job still with them. I had over $200,000 of equipment and trucks that was 90% paid for and a building with $100,000 clear equity.
I was in a very stressed emotional state of mind and they too took advantage of me in that the day I signed my business, equipment and building over to them, they fired me and said I could not work for them because Harris Research said they would not sign the paper work for them to continue the franchise I operated unless I was gone.
So I sold it for very little of what it was worth, had no job was thrown out and then 3 months later the new owners stopped paying me for the business.
I was told over the years that steam cleaning was the wrong way to clean carpets. We were forced to buy a portable machnine called a velda for more than twice the worth of other machines with similar capibilities. We no longer were bonnet cleaning but HWE. We were told we were not HWE, but the truth of the matter is we were.
We never used the machine because of the problems we had with it.
We discovered long before the CTS 450 Machine that HWE was superior cleaning than that of bonnets.
We Purchased two of the machines at twice the cost of any other machine similar.
The chemical products we were told were patentend and we learn much later on, most of them were not.
We were constantly lied to.
The Contracts are punitivly binding in that they change the rules every five years and you cannot get out of them volintary or otherwise.
We invest our hard earned money to raise the brand name with expensive advertising and other overhead needs to run our businesses while they over sell an area that makes for serious conflict with other franchisees.
Example.
A county above me has a man who was able to have all of the franchises available to buy in his area yet did not have to spend one red scent of his money to advertise in the YP like us in our county did. We were required to pass on the name of people calling us to give to him. He did not have to pay for royalties or referrals from any of us.
We constantly heard from customers that they tried his service and did not like him or his services. We were told by Harris that it did not matter. If they did not use his service they had to find someone else other than a chemdry because we were not allowed to service in his area.
He is out of complience in many ways. We have seen an abundance of selective reinforcement.
It should be illegal for someone to be able to buy up an area to keep people out. It cuts off free trade and enterprise.
Customer do not have a choice. If the franshise in they're area are doing a bad job and have a terrible reputation, it hurts all the franchises. The customer only has one choice, go to a completely different service all together.
I don't see how, or what sense that makes.
My chemdry had the finest reputation in the area, we had an impeccable service with many quality skills we offered.
The other chemdrys in the area were jealous of my success, complained about things because they themselves were struggling with making they're own businesses succeed.
I worked very hard long days and long weeks to have Harris Research just had no heart to destroy me. They have done that to many, many others who are afraid to come forward.
They crush you, and destroy you.
The answers you get about what the magazines and top notch publishing sources have to say do not know the details and shaddows of this company, if they did, I think the tune would change.
I even told DeAnn and Greig that I would be glad to go to Utah for the formal training as I never had been. I married the man I divorsed 12 years after he operated it 10 years. I never did go through they're training.
I was more than willing to make what they're concerns were right. I repeatedly expressed that.
After going through the horrible divorse I went through, the abuse I endured while being married to the original owner and being very exhausted because of the work load, I was taken advantage of by both the ex husband, Harris Research and the new operators of the Franchise I used to run.
I was crush, but not destroyed. I have risen, and I am glad today to be out from under the terrony and deceptions of harris Research.
They rule by terrorisim and legal tacktics
and make people feel threaten. That is why the contracts are written the way they are. They hold all the control and you are at they're mercy.
They say false things to make them selves appear to be innocent.
They need a tast of they're own medicine.
Many have tried to help them by giving ideas and stradigies only to find them selve being terminated after doing so.
They have bankrupted many fine people over the years.
They boast about 4000 franchises when in fact only 2500 are in the United States and many of them are operated by one owner.
Example:
One individual may own 10 or more franchisess making it appear they have 2500 individual operators.
They lie to the franchises, manipulate and then steal what they have worked so hard to earn.
How they can sleep at night is beyond my comprehension.
When you are as cold as they are and you have done this so often, you consceince becomes seared.
I think they have such a wall of greed around them, they cannot see the tree for the forest.
My only hope for so many is that the time will come when they will finally come to the end of themselves and a class action will one day be a reality.
Enron thought they were above and beyond too!
I have so much more I could say, but I think I will close this. I think the point has been made.
Chem-dry is a horrible rip off and a night mare to be tied up with.
You have signed you life away. If they choose, they can and will destroy you and everything you have worked for and hold dear.
I hope all former chem-drys and disgruntled chem-drys and with good reason will come forward and light up the switch board.
I am not the only one. They're are mulitudes of us from over the years.
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