TheGrooveking
Well-known member
I'd be getting a lawyer if I was them.
TheGrooveking
TheGrooveking
MAC TOOLS Dealer video
- Thread starter TheGrooveking
- Start date
matt1977
Well-known member
Damn that *****, I feel bad for the guy. I wonder where abouts in canada he is since he mentioned Canadian tire. Most of the mastercraft stuff is made by stanley so it doesn't surprise me that the mac flashlight had the same oem.
kiatech
Well-known member
There was one called "matcolady" or something like that with the same scenario.
and to think these guys had to be a distributor to figure this stuff out. They just need to come on garage journal
Last edited:
jamesc
Well-known member
I often wonder how stupid mac tools thinks mechanics are. almost everything they sell is made overseas and not by them. then they are way overpriced for the same items everyone sells. I feel bad for the couple in the video but you should always remember people just want your money.
kiatech
Well-known member
Found another
t4runner
Well-known member
Its just not Mac tools, Snap-on settled with a bunch of franchises over similar complaints a few years ago only after they sued.
hate to sound harsh but maybe he should of done some research on the route and terms of payment first. They ALL (Matco, MAC, Snap-On) operate essentially the same way. Guy did no research on a 100k+ investment (per their claim) and went bust and is whining its MACs fault? The entire point is to sell franchises, its up to the dealer to make it successful. Its much the same way with something on the other side of the spectrum like a Subway franchise.
MAC's catalog really isn't much different from the competition in terms of import/domestic content. Using a light as an example is pretty idiotic. Even the ones Snap-On brands as their own are merely the same lights you can get from Tooltopia (at around $100 cheaper) less the snap-on coating. Heres a good example
http://www.tooltopia.com/uview-413310.aspx
and Snap-On coated for $120 more
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=675910&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
With any of them you're really only safe buying the tool boxes. So much of everything else has been blurred into other product lines. Snap-On dual 80s available as Bahco, Snap-On sockets available as Williams, MAC wrenches made from the same forgings as Proto 500 series, Matco with the same wrench and ratchet designs as Armstrong etc etc..
Heres a blurb on Snap-On from not too long ago
Last edited:
woody 73
Well-known member
No matter how you look at it indeed it is a sad story: Mac, Cornwell, snap on, Matco, etc. The web is full of their stories.
I am not crazy about all the schenanigans from the companies, if the men/women work hard let them make a good living and increase the presence of that tool company.
You wonder why sometimes their good name goes down a few notches...
I am not crazy about all the schenanigans from the companies, if the men/women work hard let them make a good living and increase the presence of that tool company.
You wonder why sometimes their good name goes down a few notches...
I've seen it and many others like it.
Let's put ourselves in the divers shoes for a minute. Even if you've got good salesmanship and a decent territory......I would imagine the last few years in this economy has not been good....
We can argue convienence of the truck coming to the shop all day long, but I wonder what the long term viability of selling tools these days off of a truck is? Or should I say what the profitability is? The overhead of operating a truck is not cheap.....fuel, insurance, routine maintenance costs, and so on. How much does a typical driver have to make in sells just to break even each day?
Regardless of COO, convienence, and warranty..... at what point is enough is enough on what a mechanic will pay for basic tools such as ratchets, sockets, and screwdrivers? I'm not bashing any of the truck brands, its just that I see certain economic realities coming into play.
$120 for a flashlight....my ***...
Let's put ourselves in the divers shoes for a minute. Even if you've got good salesmanship and a decent territory......I would imagine the last few years in this economy has not been good....
We can argue convienence of the truck coming to the shop all day long, but I wonder what the long term viability of selling tools these days off of a truck is? Or should I say what the profitability is? The overhead of operating a truck is not cheap.....fuel, insurance, routine maintenance costs, and so on. How much does a typical driver have to make in sells just to break even each day?
Regardless of COO, convienence, and warranty..... at what point is enough is enough on what a mechanic will pay for basic tools such as ratchets, sockets, and screwdrivers? I'm not bashing any of the truck brands, its just that I see certain economic realities coming into play.
$120 for a flashlight....my ***...
billymade
Well-known member
I think the failure rate of franchisees of all the tool brands is high; there are a number of factors that increases or decreases ones success in the biz. It is a tough field and it takes a specific type of person, business acumen and tenacity that most people don't have. Sales in any field is tough enough but when you are running the show, keeping up with inventory, paying all the bills and have a less then helpful, supportive company behind you... for your average person, sounds like a recipe for failure and the current economic climate just adds to the issue. Sometimes I wonder if many of these companies; just see new recruits as cash infusions that they need to just keep on coming in as a way to do business. That being said; there are people who have succeeded and in been in the tool truck business for many years; the turn around I typically see locally, tells you something and from what people say it seems that the recruiters, regional managers get paid based upon how many franchisees they "get". So, keeping a franchisee in business maybe less of a motivation for them; as the company and them are getting paid with initial investment capital, signing bonuses etc.; regardless of the success or failure of their new recruits. I think failure in sales is common but unfortunately with the tool sales business; once things go south, they get behind... the franchisee seems to hold the bag and all the financial responsibility that comes with it. It would be interesting to know the failure rate of franchisees in the tool truck biz and franchisee business ventures in general; its possible the numbers might not be a pretty picture! :-(
Last edited:
cryan
Well-known member
Feel for the guy, BUT, as said above. It is a poor businessman who does not do his due diligence before making a deal, especially if it is going to require $100,000 investment. I know that franchises are big business in North America and they are getting that way over here in the UK now, however they are not usually a great deal for the franchisee. If it is a global brand and if it is a product that customers want and can't get elsewhere then its a good deal but if it is just a service or if it is a product available elsewhere then its only going to end one way unless your a super smooth operator. If the guy wants to sell tools then why not go around garages etc BEFORE you drop the investment and talk to the guys on the ground and find out what THEY want. It may be that the best option is to open a local independent tool store and source the best tools at a price the local guys are willing to pay, perhaps add a delivery service to their work places. You then become the go to tool guy. But dropping £100,000 based on what a salesman told you? Welcome to the big bad world son!
MechanicNamedJohn
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2010
- Messages
- 1,344
I was talking to my Mac guy about the videos, he knows the guy who's behind these videos. he's finding failed Mac dealers and then giving them a script to read in return if they win the lawsuit these people get a portion of the suit. he's a total scumbag. At first he sold for snap on and failed as a dealer that moved to Mac Tools and failed. I don't think Mac Tools is treating dealers unfairly if they did I would assume all the dealers would be out of business.not to mention every company rebrands some other companies tool and of course they do the price mark up. I say if you can get a cheaper and pay for it out right then go do that but most techs can't do that so you pay a higher price now but you get to make interest free payments. sorry about the run ons I'm doing this on my phone via voice transcript.
billymade
Well-known member
Mac tools had a long history of not exactly treating their franchisees well; especially, during the stanley buyout, lawsuits were widespread but so have all the other tool truck brands as well.
This site probably would be some interesting reading...
http://www.mobiletooldealersassociation.com/live/
This site probably would be some interesting reading...
http://www.mobiletooldealersassociation.com/live/
truckdriver
Well-known member
News Flash- Going into buisiness for yourself is risky no matter how you do it. It also requires long hrs,weekends,and little to no paycheck until you are established. Anyone who thinks that they will be home more with big checks doesn't know jack about being self employed. It takes lots of hard work and sacrifices to succeed. If owning your own buisiness was so easy everyone would do it.
Brownsfan
Well-known member
Seems like the most disgruntled and unhappy are Matco and Mac. Cornwell seems to not have any. My Cornwell guy says he is free to sell to ANYONE in his territory not just off a list. The way Mac and Matco work is they give you a list of leads and thats who you you can sell to. Thats it. My Cornwell guy cant get to all his potential customers because of his territory has a ton of shops. I tried to get a Matco guy to come to my shop and he told me he couldnt but I could come to him at the shop ACROSS THE STREET. Why? Because I am not on his list.
I got a feeling that lawyer is gonna have to wait in line
Even if Mac does **** as a company (It may or may not)..that one guy who said that the mechanic shops he was supposed to deliver to had been out of business for 15 years.. I mean come on dude..your taking a route get a feel for each shop around the area..thats what I would want to do.
See what kind of shops I will be delivering to. Big dealerships, small Indy shops..whatever the case may be. Get a feel if I could make money..not drop 100 grand and take Mac tools word for everything.
Not to mention.. overhead.
After getting an idea on what I MIGHT be able to sell.
Get an idea of my average overhead..after that I bet most of these guys would have never taken the deal to begin with..
See what kind of shops I will be delivering to. Big dealerships, small Indy shops..whatever the case may be. Get a feel if I could make money..not drop 100 grand and take Mac tools word for everything.
Not to mention.. overhead.
After getting an idea on what I MIGHT be able to sell.
Get an idea of my average overhead..after that I bet most of these guys would have never taken the deal to begin with..
Someone can correct me if im wrong and i'll be a little surprised but I doubt "lists" become a factor until you start arguing about franchise boundaries and impeding on another guys turf. They do give you a fairly generic list just to give you an idea of where to start, usually based off a quick area search of shops, but you aren't ONLY allowed to stop at those locations. Imagine the time and effort (not to mention manpower and hours) they'd need to waste to scout independent locations for each dealer.
I can give you a good reason why Cornwell doesn't have guys making youtube videos. Far fewer franchises on the road and being employee owned they don't have deep pockets like Danaher, Stanley, and Snap-On for disgruntled self entitled failures to try to stick their hands into.
Last edited:
Brownsfan
Well-known member
Maybe I didnt understand what he was saying then. This was a Matco dealer that told me this. And the youtube video of that disgruntled Lady Matco sadi the same thing. It had little to do with territory but only the list they gave. There has to be a process to add clients to the list in your territory. I have seen 2 different Matco dealers in my area at the same time. One was at a independant shop and the other was at a dealer next door. My nephew is a Mechanic at a dealer and has no matco guy. But they have a "rep" that comes in a car and he is corporate Matco. He can order stuff for them and warranty stuff but no actual truck. Why? I guess they are not on the "list" and they are seeing who the account should go to
I watched both of the posted videos. Neither one of those people knew enough about the product's reputation before getting into the business. Neither one of those people were prior mechanics. It helps to know the product and its popularity before trying to sell it.
vssjim
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Cornwell routes are bigger than a tool guy can stop at all locations so it gives them some room to stop at places or not based on how the stops work out for salesman and customer, IE: if its not working out the tool man has options to try some where else. Not every stop on a tool route is a good stop so when they count tool boxes like alot of the companies do it leads to short life span tool dealers, can't say it's all the dealers fault but they needed to talk other people first. They should have made sure they had a large enough area to make it work most dealers will be honest with you and tell you what you need to do before you lay down the big lump and fail because of not enough possible customers.
X1 Mike
Well-known member
How bout you spend as much time doing your due diligence as you do reading a script?
Did these people read their franchise disclosure document?
Did they figure out their financials and what kind of sales it would take to give them the sales they wanted? That information is in the FDD.
Did they contact any of the distributors in the area that are listed in the FDD.
Did they ride along with any distributors?
Did they take the FDD to an attorney?
Did they treat it as their company or did they expect it to be a job where someone else would take care of everything?
If three guys failed on a route I was going to take over I’d want to know why.
Who says you can’t stop at any of the shops before you sign papers and ask techs what the problem was?
Did these people read their franchise disclosure document?
Did they figure out their financials and what kind of sales it would take to give them the sales they wanted? That information is in the FDD.
Did they contact any of the distributors in the area that are listed in the FDD.
Did they ride along with any distributors?
Did they take the FDD to an attorney?
Did they treat it as their company or did they expect it to be a job where someone else would take care of everything?
If three guys failed on a route I was going to take over I’d want to know why.
Who says you can’t stop at any of the shops before you sign papers and ask techs what the problem was?
Brownsfan
Well-known member
So it seems that Cornwell would be the best bet if you were looking into the tool biz. Just having that flexability alone is a big reason to choose them. Plus the areas not being saturated with other dealers. My Cornwell dealer is frustrated because of too many accounts and no shortage of paying customers. The tools are great and the price is right
Exactly! Why invest so much without first putting "boots on the ground" With full catalogs, studying the competitors, and representing yourself as the tool guy YOU want, and NEED..and backing it up? We are all in the same boat. Im not making as much money as I should either, and I have a lot invested in tools, but Im not suing my boss over it. At the same time, I feel for the dealers, I dont know how they can make a living with the expenses they have.
"snappy" here is a real professional, I will say that. He never walks into the shop empty handed, he always has a hand full of flyers, and at least one tool, or set of tools that is new, or on sale. He sells himself..and the tools. I think that is what makes him good. Hes fair and easy to get along with, but just "pushy" enough to make you wanna buy stuff..and the guy KNOWS TOOLS. We havent had a Mac guy for years. Got a new one a few months ago. Hes a great guy, but hes no salesman. He likes to stand around and talk too much. Snappy takes care of you, and lets you get back to your job, so he can get back on the road.
SKAutomotive
Well-known member
I feel for all tool truck guys. Technician pay is going down more and more and that means we can't buy tools to support these guys. Cause and effect.
Again i'll bet you they aren't stuck to a supplied list. Minimum amount of stops? Maybe. But forced to stop only at locations some manager hours away told you to? Makes no sense. No idea what your Matco guy told you or what he thinks is going on but it sounds like BS or you're on the territory line of another dealer and they've squabbled. The better reason to go Cornwell is for what you said below.
pay has not gone down, the real problem is its been pretty stagnant for about 15+ years.
Last edited:
SKAutomotive
Well-known member
I don't mean rate, I mean available work.
redline380
Well-known member
agreed. the only thing mac, snap on, matco, or any business, franchise or not, cares about is making money. that would be like mc donalds telling there franchisee "you are only allowed to sell to 100 customers a day." that makes no sense. the more they sell, the more they make, not to mention the profit margain on the stuff people buy most, like specials, is low so quantity is where the money is at
Conductor562
Well-known member
So the Mac guy sells a flashlight for $103 with a "wholesale" price of $95. Canadian Tire sells the same light for $21 
This just reaffirms what I've always though about the truck brands. Kool-Ade anyone 
This just reaffirms what I've always though about the truck brands. Kool-Ade anyone
Last edited:
redline380
Well-known member
So the Mac guy sells a flashlight for $133 with a "wholesale" price of $95. Canadian Tire sells the same light for $22
from the looks of your sig, you've been drinking the plomb kool aide.
we all like what we like. theres things ill buy off the mac truck, and things i wont buy. i like our rep, and he likes me. i'll buy things like big allen bit sockets off him all day for $25. his neat led light for $100 on special the last couple weeks? i'm smarter than that, although it was a really neat lightIm glad I never drank the "Kool aid" but the same snappy I speak of gave me a great deal on a used roller bottom years ago..I thank him for it. Since then I havent bought really anything from him..but he is still very friendly. He still pushes his products, but realizes that techs will not always buy them, due to the cost. This is what dealers need to understand, understand the tech, and the shop they are in. KNOW THE TOOLS! Understand all policies regarding warrany..dont come back next week, and tell me you cant replace it when you told me it was covered!
Last edited:
Conductor562
Well-known member
from the looks of your sig, you've been drinking the plomb kool aide.
Guilty
So the Mac guy sells a flashlight for $103 with a "wholesale" price of $95. Canadian Tire sells the same light for $21
I really don't feel sorry for the mechanic who thought MAC made the flashlight; he should know better than that.
ultimately..its up to "us" and how we spend our money, and use our skills. tool dealer, or tech. As I stated, we are in the same boat.. The economy especially in this trade, affects us all. I dont think the couple in the first video understood what they where taking on..maybe Im wrong..but it is dumb to jump into something like this without a clear understanding of all the consequenses. I dont want to insult the couple, but I doubt they would know what i meant if I asked for an overhead valve spring compressor.
MAC tools has done this before. There used to be a web sit MAC tools ***** and Stanley Tools *****. I stopped buying MAC Tools when they started with the China/Taiwn tools. There correct...The stuff on the MAC truck will cost you $100 and you can get the samething at NAPA for $30.00
Alta_Racer
Well-known member
De j-veu?
I seem to remember this video, or one like it a few years back on iATN. All the same stuff was said then as in this thread. Tool dealers here do ok, the Mac dude is deaf and ... nice guy but lingers way too long and no inventory. The snappy guy has a wild lifestyle so a little inconsistent showing, but has great inventory, and sells as hard as he plays. Both can pay rent and eat, the snappy guy has a 600hp boat, cant be doing too bad.
If you want to play the tool game, you have to work hard and know your market, I dont believe all the stuff my boss tells me, and neither should they.
I seem to remember this video, or one like it a few years back on iATN. All the same stuff was said then as in this thread. Tool dealers here do ok, the Mac dude is deaf and ... nice guy but lingers way too long and no inventory. The snappy guy has a wild lifestyle so a little inconsistent showing, but has great inventory, and sells as hard as he plays. Both can pay rent and eat, the snappy guy has a 600hp boat, cant be doing too bad.
If you want to play the tool game, you have to work hard and know your market, I dont believe all the stuff my boss tells me, and neither should they.
Brownsfan
Well-known member
Take a look at unhappyfranchisee.com The most complaints are Mac and Matco. Snap on is third and Cornwell has 1 lonley post. So is it the lower number of franchises out there or do they really take care of their people that much better?
MikeF2316
Well-known member
Can someone enlighten me on how the whole tool truck credit thing works? This guy said that MAC wanted their money in 5 weeks, and mechanics often couldn't afford to pay off expensive tools that quickly. So is the truck guy left doing the financing? Also, if the mechanic skips out, who's left holding the bag? I can't believe there's any truck guy anywhere that can afford that.