CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Unhappy Franchisees Launch Site was originally published May 13, 2009 on UnhappyFranchisee.com.  The post – and the franchisee comments that followed – is republished here by permission.  To date, the conflict between franchisor and franchisees has not been resolved.
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The Children’s Orchard franchise owners tried discussing their concerns with their franchisor. They tried complaining, vehemently. They tried organizing and communicating via their chapter of the American Association of Franchisees & Dealers (AAFD).
Now, the unhappy Children’s Orchard franchisees are taking to the Internet.

Having failed to engage the new owner of their …read more

Tell her you love her each day / You’ll make her happy that way.
A simple “I love you” means more than money,
And with a kiss or two her life is sunny. Frank Sinatra
Franchisors:  Have you hugged your franchisee today?
The franchisor-franchisee relationship is often compared to marriage.  Like a marriage, the courtship shouldn’t end once the deal is consummated.  Franchisors who allow themselves to lapse into complacency or indifference do so at their own risk.  Franchisors who are abusive or who get caught cheating on their franchisees (with new concepts or unrelated profit centers) may learn that hell hath …read more

According to a new post on Unhappy Franchisee (CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Unhappy Franchisees Launch Site), the Children’s Orchard franchise owners association thinks it’s got a bad apple in its midst, and they’re afraid he will ruin the whole barrel.
They’ve launched a new website with the intent of warning prospective franchisees about what they describe as an “unconscionable” new Children’s Orchard franchise agreement, as well as the downward spiral they claim the chain has experienced since CEO Taylor Bond and his investor group acquired the franchised resale shop chain in 2004.
According to the overview of The Orchard Cooperative’s complaints:  “Since 2004 when …read more

Franchise due diligence warning:  even the brightest, shiniest apple in the franchise orchard could be hosting this year’s Wormfest.

Franchisers are notorious for playing fast and loose with both general franchise “statistics” and representations of the growth of their specific franchise systems. Franchise attorney and blogger Michael Webster has posted a biting and informative piece on The BizOp News ( Taylor Bond growing the Children’s Orchard Franchise? ) on the importance of checking hyped statements before taking a bite into a juicy-looking franchise opportunity.
As a quick example, Webster quotes a past interview with Children’s Orchard CEO Taylor Bond that appeared on …read more