Home Helpers Home Helpers Home Care, DirectLink Scammed me for a franchise deposit Cincinnati Ohio

I reached out to express interest in purchasing a franchise in 2017. As with any other business purchase, I was expecting a period of due diligence between the deposit and paying the full amount. After paying th deposit, I was immediately asked to pay the balance without the company providing any proof that this would be a good investment. I asked for my deposit back within 3 days, and they refused. I was lied to mutiple times. They said they would put me up in a hotel, until the awkward moment when the hotel they booked asked me for the payment. They told me current franchisees have first right of refusal on surrounding zip codes. A current franchisee told me that is not the case. I have the text messages proving that’s what they promised. I see many other people were actually scammed into paying the entire fee. I am very thankful I only lost the $5000. But I still want it back. This has to be the worst business operation I have ever seen. Where they make more money from selling franchise fees and deposits than they do from helping entrepreneurs thrive. The value of a franchise should make the local operation simple, safe, and profitable. There is no value to the consumer in this segment of a Home Helpers brand. They look for local businesses, not national franchises. You do NOT need to buy a franchise in this segment. This is NOT like buying a McDonald’s, where the name and logo attract customers. According to the franchise contract, you have many obligations to them including paying royalties on a certain revenue threshold even if you do not earn that revenue! You are obligated to have a store front, and they can mandate you to build to certain specifications. They will tell you on the phone that you can run this out of your home. What they don’t tell you is that is only good for 2 years, then your obligation kicks in. They promise very little in return. Do you want to build YOUR dream or someone else’s? There are lots of good opportunities out there, so don’t worry. But this isn’t one of them.