Complaint Review: Dollar Store Services - Las Vegas Nevada

fact is, drss misleads people into believing that they will be successful in their venture if they follow the steps outlined by their company. the promise of support regarding financing, leasing, ordering merchandise, and running the store, leaves much to be desired. wheni first heard about drss,  i was on the fence about going with them but their sales people convinced me that they have low risk and thousands of successful franchisees. i tuned into their youtube videos never realizing that many of these new owners were out of business already. everything about this company felt sleazy and unprofessional. from the sales pitch, to the financing, to the build out process, and the so called "support". i actually thought they were going to help me sign up for a bank loan when i started the financing portion! boy was i surprised when they had me sign up for multiple credit cards. they were actually feeding me lines on what to say to the credit card reps, as if i were scamming the credit companies. to this day i don't think they know that i was using their cards to finance my store. the location we agreed on, i actually liked. it was located next to a savemart grocery store but i had a huge concern. wal-mart was right next door! here's what the leasing agent told me. "don't worry, walmart will actually help bring in business for you." being that these guys have been doing this for a while and this was my first time going into a business venture i trusted him.

when it was time to look over the leasing papers, again i had some concerns. the lease was for 3yrs. naturally, i have an averrsion to contracts and leasing agreements, especially long contractual agreements that involve large amounts of money. again, i brought my concerns to the agent and he reassured me that he could get me some free months and that with the support of drss i should be fine. of course, after the hyping from the financing dpt. the sales rep. and the leasing guy, i felt pretty good that i would be just fine so i signed the lease. boy, that was the next worse decision only to dealing with drss in the first place. they gave me a list of "required"  things i had to get done or else risk delaying my store getting built. things like, making sure the floors were cleaned and waxed, walls were freshly painted, buy a fire extinguisher, rent a giant trash bin, and on and on.

i ended up spending over a 1000 alone making sure all these were in place by the time the build out supervisor arrived. guess what? none of that was necessary for the build out process. turns out i could have gotten all of that stuff done during or after the store was built out. it was only afterwards that the build out suprvisor explained that i didn't need to get everything on the list done right away. especially renting the trash bins which cost me over $300 when i couldve just used the ones provided by the shopping center. turns out the build out would be delayed any way. the fixtures and the merchandise weren't delivered on time thus pushing back the original opening day. we were either sent wrong items or never received it. i had to call and complain before they sent me some of the items they promised me. they ordered me a variety of unnecessary things, like a fax machine, 3 tiny shopping carts, a stereo, "professional looking" indoor signage. the point is, it was all a huge, waste of money. we could have used that money for ordering more merchandise or promoting the store through local ads.

as for the support, i believe they were just as inexprienced as we were. they would tell me to take 1/2 of what we made a week and purchase merchandise for the following week. sounds reasonable enough right? then they would tell me to make sure i ordered as much as possible to offest shipping costs. which of course resulted in more than half of our weeks profits. when sales were slow they reassured us it was only "that time of year and would evetually pick up again" not sure if that's the kind of support they were advertising. they had us buy a seasonal package without knowing what was being ordered." trust us" they said, "we'll only get you what sells." hah. i still have a lot that stuff laying around the house right now. when things between us and the landlord started heading south, i asked for their help. they told me they couldn't do anything except to have me document mine and the landlords conversations. oh and also hire a lawyer. that's it. so much for their "support" once i realized for sure we were not going to make it i asked them to help us find a buyer for our stuff (something that they proudly advertised on their website) they said they would try. never heard frm them again. i had to find buyers on my own. don't you think that a potential drss client could have used those fixtures? it would help save them money allowing them to purchase more important things like merchandise or advertising. this company is incredibly inefficient and a huge waste of time and money. the sole reason i decided to go with them was because i felt they had the expertise to guide my busiess towards success. i trusted their advice and believed that if i did what the experts told me, i'd be fine. sadly that isn't the case. today, i have a mountain of debt and in the middle of filing chapter 7. i'm sure many are experiencing the same things i am right now. i have never in my life felt so dissatisfied or taken advantage of than i have with drss. they talk a good game but do not deliver on the goods. you've all been warned. stay away. far far away.

as for you john lafronz. please, i'm looking forward to a rebuttal. i've tried contacting you multiple times. not gonna waste another second doing it agian. you know where to reach me. (((redacted)))

I believe that this complaint names our company in error !!  We do not take a $10,000 deposit or any payment until a store location has been secured and the lease has been negotiated.  When we begin working for a potential store owner, we ask for a $1,500 deposit that is fully refundable if the applicant cannot secure financing, or we cannot find an acceptable location.  The applicant can also request a full refund at any time in the  process for any reason at all.  We have been in business since 1995, we have an A+ rating with the BBB, and accept and return a great number of deposits each year.

There were two other dollar store developers also located here in Las Vegas.  Both are out of business; one of them re-opened several times using different names, and asked for deposits of $10,000 or $15,000.  There were any number of instances with those companies not returning monies paid to them in good faith by their customers.  One of these companies is featured here in the Rip-Off Report--(search MCN dollar stores)--you will see that in that complaint, the customer was allegedly cheated out of $15,000 !

As we do not know the name or the contact information of the individual posting this complaint, I have no ability to speak with them.  I would welcome the opportunity to do so, to clear up the confusion regarding our company and to assist them in any way that I can in opening a store if they still desire to do so.  I can be reached at 1-800-829-2915 x134, or via email at: [email protected].  We open a great many stores each year; a visit to the testimonials on our website: www.dollarstoreservices.com will show many examples of new owners very pleased with our company, our services, and our support.

Once we are all agreed that our company has been named in error, I would expect that the RipOff Report would re-file this complaint under the proper company name.

Sincerely,
John LaFronz
General Manager,
Dollar Store Services

I have been involved with Dollar Store Services and was actually looking up this because I was speaking to someone who told me of this story.  That is what this is, is a fabricated story.  The reason I know this, is because I was involved in the process of opening a business with this company.  First, they ask you for $1500 for a deposit, not $10,000.  I was going through the same problem of finding a location, but they never promised me anything but a continuous supply of possible locations, and that I would be able to pick the one I felt was best.  I couldn't blame them for my area not having a great location available.  I think it says something that you could not find a location because they did not try and stick you in something bad.  I am disappointed, but have noone to point a finger at but myself because I live in a small town.  I sent a email to Dave M in finance and my deposit was refunded in exactly 9 days.
Sorry, but whoever wrote this story should first learn to spell, then learn to lie about something that  is more believable.  This company is good.  Whoever wrote this fabricated lie about them should be ashamed or come clean about who they are.  I am betting it's a competitor that has been outwitted, outworked and outdone by them.