Cuppy's Coffee And More And Elite Manufacturing Company Cuppy's Coffee and Elite Manufacturing not returning down payment on contract Fort Walton Beach Florida

My partner and I researched franchises and decided on a Cuppy's Coffee and More franchise to be put in Texas. We sent the down payment to Elite Manufacturing that was requested of us ($35,900). After trying to obtain financing for our partnership failed (due to one partner that was overextended) we requested our down payment back from Elite Manufacturing. We were told by Elite to change our partnership so that one partner had 80% ownership and the other had 20% and we could get the loan. We are a 50/50 partnership not an 80/20 partnership. We tried to get other financing and we could not get any other financing.

Elite and Cuppy's have refused to give my money back, and I need to know who else have these people ripped off and how can we band together and take care of these thieves.

Philip
Cottonwood, California
U.S.A.