Complaint Review: All Tune And Lube International - Millersville Maryland

My first contact with ATL, Inc. was due to an email that I responded to requesting information about their franchise. I was immediately contacted by one of their sales people who called me promptly everyday at 2 pm until I finally signed on.

I was told things that really convinced me that I was doing the right thing. They even called my home and convinced my wife because I used her as an excuse for my skepticism. I paid them approx. $11K to sign on then the crap started.

I went through the loan process and was approved. They kept insisting that I pay the franchise fee but someone told me that once I paid it it was not refundable. I waited until I had all of my ducks in a row before I committed to the $32k franchise fee.

I entered the franchise school in December 2006. I opened in March 2007. I found out then that I was on my own.

I was instructed to purchase all of my equipment from them and then I had to pay someone to provide all of my electrical hook ups, buy all of my piping for air service to my lifts and buy my bulk oil containers. Then the real rip off started.

All Tune passed me around to all of their buddies in crime. They purchased all of my supplies from Service Champ, their one source supplier. I received more Bosch plugs than I could sort through only later to find out that Bosch is not used on most vehicles...that is if you don't want comebacks.

They started out my coupon campaign for $10.90 and they sent so many to the same people that one customer could sit in the waiting room and give coupons to several customers who came in without coupons. Basically, I was giving oil away to get customers. I didn't mind that but then I found out that their advertising was $685 per week minimal or 8% and they sent them to the same 10,000 customers weekly.

The operations manager that they sent down to me spent most of his time on the cell phone (arguing with his wife) and the rest on the internet looking at porn sites. I still have his screen name now and some of the sites he visited even though he tried to erase his history. I knew nothing about the industry when they lured me in and nothing when their quack ops manager left me.

I learned what they taught me only to find out on his next visit that I was giving away my a*s down here (his words). I was following the coupons and my training. All Tune took my dreams of being a business man and turned them into a nightmare.

I bought everything from their partners in crime and later as I learned better I found that I could get the same services cheap and make my own coupons and paper products.

Long story short, ATL, Inc. gave me no help or support whatsoever when things really got bad. Even my debtors and landlord gave me break but if I could count on one thing from All Tune is that they took money from my account religiously every Saturday morning.

They made sure that I was trained in reporting my income to them so that they weren't short changed but other things were my fault. I have witnessed several All Tunes go out of business in my area...at least four. All are telling the same story.

I want to hear from others who have gone through similar experiences and if we can come together as one I want to launch a class action suit against them. This (ATL) is a predatory franchise business. My credit was in great standing and now I owe so many people it is ridiculous.

I am on the verge of losing everything that I have worked for all of my life. When I told ATL that I was thinking of contacting other franchisees about a suit they immediately set the same ops manager down. He buttered me up all week and at the end of his visit he tried to get me to sign paper work stating that I was at fault. Like hell!!!!

There is more to this story. I want you to know that I did a bit over $200K worth of business in 10 months. I paid over $50K in royalties. An average of 25% vs. the 15% that I was told.

I put in over $57K out of my own pocket. That is what I put in after the business was up and running not to mention my credit card debt. I am probably not a good business man for sticking with their formula for success but I didn't fail from lack of trying. I failed because all of the money was taken.

Anonymous

Forsyth, Georgia

U.S.A.

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