Complaint Review: Home Helpers Franchising

In response to the person who discovered the requirement to buy expensive marketing materials from a particular vendor (or pay for the right to use logos and content to make your own) I ask that all potential franchisees do a bit of research on who the owner of the vendor is.

Yes, it's true that the success of a franchise depends in large part on the work ethic and attitude of the franchisee. However, having worked for this company and having two friends who just invested in reputable franchises that carefully selected them and were not interested in bringing on a franchisee for any amount of money if they were not quality candidates, I would like to offer some words of advice to you if you are considering investing in a Home Helpers, Caring Transitions, Fresh Coat, Tru Blue or Growth Coach franchise. Strategic Franchising tells its sales force to make it sound like they will only "award" a franchise to you if you meet their high standards when in fact if you have $50, 000 for the franchise fee they will gladly deposit it. There is extraordinary pressure, often in the form of intimidation and threats, on the salespeople to bend the truth and close at any cost. The turnover rate at the company  is approximately 40% companywide per year because employees don't want to scam good people out of perhaps their life savings. Most of these franchise models and low-quality branding and marketing could be improved upon in an independent business...these models are extremely simple and flexible by nature. Potential income models for Caring Transitions are smoke and mirrors...please trust me that only one frachisee with multiple territories and employees is even close to whatthey will present to you in thier sham income excercise.. If you are an entrpreneur and want to be in control of your own destiny you can do it! Please be good to yourself and approach Strategic Franchising with care...research other franchises and start-ups so that you don't find youself in a terrible situation. You will do much better elsewhere. 

I'm glad I came here. I was looking at a franchise with Home Helpers but after reading what I have read here I plan to keep looking. Before I go I have one question. Has anyone contacted their attorney general or the attorney general in Ohio about this company? Every scam I have come face to face with has been reported to the attorney general for follow up. Try that. I am pretty sure that misleading the public is illegal but dont quote me on that.

This franchise has many territories fail out on an annual basis and really don't care because they just resell the territory to some other unsuspecting person.  The sales people tell you it is highly lucrative and it is not.  They tell you they will "make you successful" and they don't really have the ability to do so.  For them they are in it for the upfront franchise fee.  Think about it - they get you for close to $40K, you fail and they take your territory back and sell it to another person for another $40K.  This strategy is much more lucrative for them than the royalties.  Buyer beware - ask it the territory has been previously owned.  Better yet - contact the local "referral sources" they speak so highly of and as if they have any previous experience with this brand.

I hope you've learned from your failure to run a home health care company, a demanding job
indeed. But moreover, I hope you have learned by now to accept
responsibility for your mistakes, and have stopped accusing Home Helpers
of not spoon-feeding you a successful business. Oh, and if you want anyone to take you seriously, perhaps you
should use a real name instead of hiding behind 'anonymous.'

YOU bought the franchise without doing any research. YOU bought the franchise without any legal assistance, which you were advised to do. Your failure is YOUR fault. You sound like a whiny child. 

Oh, and if you want anyone to take you seriously, perhaps you
should use a real name instead of hiding behind 'anonymous.'

Talk about one percent...that is the percent of actual owners really making any money out of this business...you will find out...the hard way. You know that the majority of the people you opened with are gone. So take that bull somewhere else.

I can not beg people enough to do your detailed research before being scammed into this franchise. That is all I can say.

I have been a Home Helpers and Direct Link owner for almost 9 years and can categorically say it is not a rip off. My experience has been the most satisfying and rewarding in a +40 year working career. During my time with Home Helpers I have seen many people who bought a franchise who believed that the Franchisor would provide them immediate success without much work. As with any business, especially your own, success requires a solid plan, determination and a commitment to excellence. When my wife I opened our office it was 24x7 for almost 3 years. Today we are managing 3 territories with over 160 caregivers who are providing compassionate care to over 250 clients. What Home Helpers gave me when I bought my franchise, for less than mid priced car would have cost, was a solid plan and a road map to success. Yes, there have been times that I wish the franchisor would do more but then I dont think there is a Franchise owner in the county that couldnt say the same for their system. And, over the past two years the Home Helpers system has even become stronger under the direction of our new President, Emma Dickison. While other industries are suffering with our economy, my business grew almost 20% last year and that strong growth has continued into 2010. I attribute this growth to not only hard work and a great staff, but also the continuing development and strength of the Home Helpers brand. While there were other franchises I considered when I brought my franchise, in hind sight buying into Home Helpers was blind luck and single best business decision I have ever made. I am in an incredible growth industry, with an industry leader who is commitment to help me grow my business.

John Squires - Media PA

I am a current franchise owner that has had a positive experience with Home Helpers. I understand the frustration that people have trying to get the business up and running. Nobody said it was easy if it were everybody would own a business. I purchased my franchise about 2 years ago and since that time have enjoyed solid growth and our future looks bright. To all who posted on this ripoff report site I feel you all have frustration coupled with anger, you all need to backup and look in the mirror and ask the question - Why is it Home Helpers fault that I failed? I am not going to lie to you I have worked extremely hard  - a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Home Helpers continues to provide exceptional operations support, the training and webinars are excellent and continue to improve.

The licensing process varies from state to state and Home Helpers has no control over all 50 states home care regulations. Prior to purchasing the franchise you need to look at what if any requirements the state requires, also how long it normally takes to get licensed. Most people that buy a franchise treat the process like a business and do the homework before purchasing.

One last note, this business is not a build in they will come - In-Home Care is based on solid community relations, and that takes time. Afterall, we are not selling subs or burgers we are intimately taking care of the aging population and people with disabilities.

They were very interested is how much $$$ I had available and how much financing I could access and told me they had all of the resources to make me successful.  Don't believe it!

I am curious. Since the president said they evaluate prospects. How did they evaluate you?

Thanks

Jim

If the President of Home Helpers has this much difficulty spelling and composing a coherent response to a concern it should be an indicator of the true quality of the Franchise System.

If the President of Home Helpers has this much difficulty spelling and composing a coherent response to a concern it should be an indicator of the true quality of the Franchise System.

Gary, I pray that your organization gets what it deserves very soon. By the way, why is it so hard to get a response from your legal team at this time?

As president of home helpers and Direct Link, I would like to address the recent negative posting on www.ripoff.com. Home helpers, in operation since 1997 with more than 12 years of experience and serving more than 500 communities in North America, has been recognized as the top-ranked senoir care franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for the last five consecutive years. Home Helper has also been honored by G.I. Jobs magazine as a military-friendly franchise for 2010. This places Home Helpers in the top 10% of all franchise opportunities nationwide.

the Home Hlpers support system is extensive and currently provides ongoing training, marketing material and support, regional and national meetings, field visits and national account support at no charge to franchisees.

With more than 12 years of experience, Home Helpers has built a strong record of continuing success and steady growth. If that were not the case, the above honors for Home Helpers would not be ongoing. However, as is the case in any business, and especially franchise systems, not all are successful. If we failed the people who posted these comments, it was not in our support, our marketing, or our system- it was in granting them a franchise in the first place. Some people are good at managing a business and some are not, just as some people are artistic while other can't draw a straight line. We try very hard to evaluate whether a candidate has what it takes to be a successful Home Helpers franchisee before we grant them a franchise, but it's very subjective and impossible to be right 100% of the time. With over 600 franchises, the few that have chosen to post via www.ripoff.com represent less than 1% of our overall franchise community.

I encourage anyone who is reviewing the post concering Home Helpers on wwww.ripoff.com to review our website at www.Homehelpers.cc and more specifically our Newsroom. there you will find several of our most rec ent news articles and broadcast that document the success Home Helpers enjoys.