We live in the Atlanta, GA area. We were newly retired and doing fine financially. Then All Tune and Lube began contacting my husband everyday just as the investor from Forsyth, GA stated. So, not having that much to spend his time on since retirement, they convinced my husband that he could become a successful franchisee. We went to Millersville for the training and were told areas we could put a location in. We found several good locations, but the company did not agree. The location we ended up in was a terrible one. I am a realtor in the Atlanta area and have been for over 20 years. I knew this was a very bad location. However, my husband opened the location, worked 14 hour days six days a week and on Sundays would go in just to check on some issues. We opened the business in 2004 and closed it's doors in 2007. It drained us financially. We had to short sale our beautiful custom built home we had built for our retirement. We lost all of our retirement money and investments. He used it all to try and save this horrible, disgusting business. I certainly wish the name All Tune and Lube had never come into our lives. It has ruined our financial future. We are in our late 60's. He is working two jobs and I am also working a retail job standing on my feet all day.
This is definitely not the way I envisioned our retirement years. I feel so robbed. Even though we made these decisions, I feel we were definitely misled. The guy they sent to help us only stayed for a few days and they sent him somewhere in Alabama.
If you ask me, those of us who feel robbed definitely need to file a class action suit against this horrific, sham of a business.
In the initial phone conversations I had with ATL representative I expressed reluctancy of commitment to invest in ATL without knowing if I would qualify for a loan. They immediately transfered me to upper management who assured me that after looking at my financials I would be approved for the loan and if I wasn't, ATL would refund my deposit.
Well, I was denied a loan and when I asked for a refund it too was denied. I insisted that the person I spoke to on the phone guaranteed me my refund and that is when I was refered to the contract, section: watever, sub section: whatever, number: whatever. Stating that the contract superceeds any verbal agreements...etc.
if I choose to challenge this I would have to do it in Maryland (I am not in Maryland) and that maryland laws would be used (Maryland laws do NOT reimburse someone who is suing their lawyer fees) so even if I took them to court I would be getting my deposit back and giving it to a lawyer IF I even won. I found this out from a lawyer I hired.
My lawyer was ready to go to court (of course at my expense to Maryland) but after a few legally daunting letters back and fourth my lawyer refered to as "saber rattling" I agreed to a MUCH smaller refund (10% or so of deposit) which just about covered the lawyer expense which was a lot of money for his research on Maryland Law and a few letters written in legal mumbo jumbo.
To sum this experience up: It Sucked! Lost alot of "seed money", missed other opportunities I believe I would have qualified for if I had the money. Lost time, patients, frustration and most of all a little belief that humanity is mostly good. this was a big money mistake to the rough tune of about $15k.
Advice to anyone thinking of investing in ATL: RUN AWAY!!!
All Tune & Lube Reviews
We live in the Atlanta, GA area. We were newly retired and doing fine financially. Then All Tune and Lube began contacting my husband everyday just as the investor from Forsyth, GA stated. So, not having that much to spend his time on since retirement, they convinced my husband that he could become a successful franchisee. We went to Millersville for the training and were told areas we could put a location in. We found several good locations, but the company did not agree. The location we ended up in was a terrible one. I am a realtor in the Atlanta area and have been for over 20 years. I knew this was a very bad location. However, my husband opened the location, worked 14 hour days six days a week and on Sundays would go in just to check on some issues. We opened the business in 2004 and closed it's doors in 2007. It drained us financially. We had to short sale our beautiful custom built home we had built for our retirement. We lost all of our retirement money and investments. He used it all to try and save this horrible, disgusting business. I certainly wish the name All Tune and Lube had never come into our lives. It has ruined our financial future. We are in our late 60's. He is working two jobs and I am also working a retail job standing on my feet all day.
This is definitely not the way I envisioned our retirement years. I feel so robbed. Even though we made these decisions, I feel we were definitely misled. The guy they sent to help us only stayed for a few days and they sent him somewhere in Alabama.
If you ask me, those of us who feel robbed definitely need to file a class action suit against this horrific, sham of a business.
In the initial phone conversations I had with ATL representative I expressed reluctancy of commitment to invest in ATL without knowing if I would qualify for a loan. They immediately transfered me to upper management who assured me that after looking at my financials I would be approved for the loan and if I wasn't, ATL would refund my deposit.
Well, I was denied a loan and when I asked for a refund it too was denied. I insisted that the person I spoke to on the phone guaranteed me my refund and that is when I was refered to the contract, section: watever, sub section: whatever, number: whatever. Stating that the contract superceeds any verbal agreements...etc.
if I choose to challenge this I would have to do it in Maryland (I am not in Maryland) and that maryland laws would be used (Maryland laws do NOT reimburse someone who is suing their lawyer fees) so even if I took them to court I would be getting my deposit back and giving it to a lawyer IF I even won. I found this out from a lawyer I hired.
My lawyer was ready to go to court (of course at my expense to Maryland) but after a few legally daunting letters back and fourth my lawyer refered to as "saber rattling" I agreed to a MUCH smaller refund (10% or so of deposit) which just about covered the lawyer expense which was a lot of money for his research on Maryland Law and a few letters written in legal mumbo jumbo.
To sum this experience up: It Sucked! Lost alot of "seed money", missed other opportunities I believe I would have qualified for if I had the money. Lost time, patients, frustration and most of all a little belief that humanity is mostly good. this was a big money mistake to the rough tune of about $15k.
Advice to anyone thinking of investing in ATL: RUN AWAY!!!