(Unhappy Franchisee)  Comments are pouring in in response to reports on franchise watchdog site Unhappy Franchisee that Creative Concepts of America and Red Bull North America defrauded investors through an alleged vending scam.
Unhappy franchisees of the Red Bull vending franchise claim that the business opportunity in which they invested induced them to invest an average of $25,000, then set them up to fail.
Red Bull North America then purportedly bought back their machines at 30% of the original investment, then resold or placed them themselves.
However, they may have made a critical mistake in their choice of victims.  Jesus himself left an …read more

Franchise Pick reader and ex-Red Bull “franchise owner” Larry contributed a woeful tale of intrigue with Tom Clancy-like dramatic potential (The Hunt for Red Bull-oney?).
According to Larry, Red Bull allegedly sold exclusive licensing rights to place its Red Bull vending machines to a individuals we’ll call “Exclusive Licensees.”  It them, somehow, violated that relationship by granting another company, CCA, the right to sell vending franchises in the same protected territories.  After being confronted by angry Exclusive Licensees, Larry alleges, Red Bull then conspired with the Licensees to perpetrate an elaborate con on the franchisees to bleed them dry, then buy …read more