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Jan-Pro Franchising

Jan-Pro Franchising review: SCAM 30

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1:40 pm EST
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Jan-pro is a BIG SCAM. They will be very nice to you up to the point that you give them your money, then it all changes from there. This is not a business you are basically working for Jan-Pro like an ill treated employee. The contracts are underbid and the operation managers lie to franchisees all the time. If Jan-Pro cannot find a contract for a new franchisee they will take it away from an existing franchisee, this means they make money (sales and marketing fee) more than once on the same contract. I know some people who make less than minimum wage on some contracts they actually have to take money out of their pockets at the end of the month. If you want to sign up with Jan-Pro say goodbye to your money and hello to a headache.

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30 comments
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Enpal
Rhinelander, US
Jun 02, 2023 12:31 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I’m gonna be honest, it sounds like an issue with how you run your business, not Jan pro’s model. You should be talking to the clients and getting satisfaction reports, they’re the ones who cancel contracts on you. You should be managing employees, you handle your own taxes because that’s your business. Jan pro can not manage your expenses or your employees expenses, payroll and tax is your responsibility because it is your business.

As far as managing clients and employees, you should be checking what is getting done to make sure the job is getting done properly and on time. Not only that, you should be making time to meet with clients every so often to talk to them. At the very least, an email and some kind of reports to see if they’re happy with the service. If you don’t talk to them and they don’t like how things are getting done, of course they’re gonna want to cancel. You otherwise have a contract in place to protect the business.

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Joseph Zachary
, US
Mar 28, 2016 2:34 pm EDT

Stay away from Jan Pro, the office of 1148 Ambassador Rd services the Baltimore metropolitan area are like vampires. Once they get into your property they don't want to leave. We were told we would be able to cancel a contract yet later they tried to hold us by stipulation in the contract. After they failed to execute the terms of their contract their reply was it was a typo. The business practices are unethical, aggressive and based off of company profits. After further investigation it turns out the whole franchise operates this way while abusing its franchisees they fine them based off of promises that they can't deliver and create great hostility. They state they will continue to bill us, a church, even though we are now cleaning are own facility. Our interaction with them has been most unpleasant so before you fall for their false claims of state of the art equipment, medical grade products and customer satisfaction think twice, pray and stay away from Jan Pro.

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MMSER
Scarborough (Toronto), CA
Jan 24, 2015 10:16 am EST

jAN PRO IS nothing but a scam. I have gained nothing but stress from these people (headoffice). I have even developed mentail illness (severe anxiety) because I feel like I am always walking on eggshells. I work so hard and i know that my services are good yet for some reason my job is not good enough. I feel like I am always threathened by them and this is no way to live. we have invested so much money into this business and that was the worst mistake becuase we have lost contracts due to stupid excuses that could have been easily resolved. Also, my husband is on the business licese and they told me they did not want anything to do with him. this is because he is more agressive with them and blunt. Also, they told me that they do not wish to speak to my husband. they have no right telling me this. he is on the license and he can talk to them if he wishes to do so. Jan pro is always looking for weak owners. once they find your soft spot they will try to bring you down and take full advantage of you. If you are aggressive then they don;t like you. Ive had them even take money from my paycheck to pay another franchise owner that took over the account due to a transfer. their reason was beucase the owners spend extra time cleaning the facility so they took it out of our hard earned money. DO NOT INVEST YOUR MONEY with them them becuase it is not an investment. BEWARE!

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Very Angry Woman
Smyrna, US
Mar 14, 2014 6:18 am EDT

Wow, it's crazy how so many of us have the same exact problems with Jan Pro! I lost 2 accounts as well shortly after the accounts were paid off! With no explanation from the client, only a call from Jan Pro asking for the keys. They say you're the Franchise owner, but they are sneaky. They go behind your back and talk to your clients and if a problem arises, the client contacts them and not you so you're left blind sided! There has to be something we all can do about there scam because people are going to continue to loose money with Jan Pro' s scam!

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hating
Vancouver, US
Jan 25, 2014 7:44 pm EST

I agree with all of you I hate JAN PRO that is the worst mistake
In my life I gave them Money and all I have gained is stress. WE should do something to make them stop and avoid that others give them money.

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MKGK
mississauga, CA
Nov 21, 2013 5:42 pm EST

i hate jan pro. i agree with a lot of people on here. when they want you to sign up with them they lie to you and all are nice and then once they take your money its a 360 turn...they treat you like ### and never take your side for anything. i have to agree that they have personal relationships with the customers. i believe they took one of my contracts on purpose and gave it to someone else and they didnt pay me for one month of work becuase they said i provided poor service even though i never recieved ANY complaints! ###. I dont even feel like a franshise owner to be honest just a reagular cleaner and they make you feel that way too, they put you down and treat you like dirt. I HATE THEM!

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Tebow
,
Nov 19, 2008 2:04 am EST

Please Do not buy a Franchise with this company of Augusta, GA. They promise you things and don't stand up to it. From a friend of mine they lost a lot of money with these people. This company is nothing but a scam and give people jobs that not worth working. The list of numbers they give you to call sometimes don't be the right numbers to other franchisee.Basicially, Jan-pro(Franchisor), is like a general contractor, who gets you accounts to clean for anything from $200.00 dollars a month to $1000.00 and up, ( alot of under bidding goes on as well)you the franchisee(self contractor)goes out and cleans the under bid account(s) for much less then you think you are getting paid, first off jan-pro charges a big percentage for royalities, insurance, management fees, etc...(trust me they don't manage nothing)

also, since you are basically a self-contractor, when you receive your check no taxes are taken out just jan-pro's cut, so that way they send you a 1099 tax form at the end of the year, which means you have to pay a sh-t load of money for taxes, while they use you as a tax write off, also jan-pro has a form of modern day slavery going on...what I mean by that is if you worked the whole month of January, you wouldn't get paid until the end of febuary, and by then you would be getting utilities cut off, and you would be behind in bills, etc...

Also, even though they market that they grow your business for you they don't once you get your accounts that you signed up for they send you out a certified letter stating that they have 'FULFILLIED' their legal obligation..even if you lose some accounts, they still won't give you more accounts to replace those accounts, even if you lost them and it wasn't your fault.

Also let's say you think you are making $5000.00 a month, your nor, because they are taking their cut out, and ' uncles sam' will take his, remember that and if you do the math on that type of income you will owe the irs more than $10, 000 in taxes, even if you have all of your business receipts... IN A NUTSHELL, ... DO NOT INVEST IN A SO-CALLED COMMERCIAL CLEANING FRANCHISE...

BIG SCAM DON'T BE A VICTIM!

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Howard r
Augusta, US
Oct 09, 2009 9:26 pm EDT

I am very happy with Jan-pro It is not the place for glorified employees but for business owners. That the diference beween owners and employees.

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Sheila9
Toronto, CA
Oct 29, 2011 1:05 am EDT

I worked for Jan Pro for over 2 years. It is an organized maffia or at least that is what it feels like. You as an account holder have no say in anything, and if you make a mistake, they will confiscate your account only to sell it to someone else. You have no say in, no options to rectify any problems. There are always fees they invent that you have to pay and you have rights to argue, differ because that can result in losing your account. I lost two accounts and I wasn't even allowed to have a meeting to discuss the problems! Hate Jan Pro..they will rob you blind and you work for nothing.

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My own business
Augusta, US
Mar 19, 2011 2:48 am EDT

The New Master Owners in Georgia are Great. He started cleaning at 17 and worked his way up the ladder. Ive owned my Franchise for a year now and followed his advice and hands on training at night, Yes the Master owner helped me clean all night for as long as I needed him. I Have lost no accounts and have 4 employees and am buying my families first home this year. Just thought I would share a positive. God bless

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Connie1960
North Little Rock, US
Mar 02, 2011 7:28 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

What you fail to understand is that your master franchise owner has to pay royalties into the corporate office and does not get to keep too much of that money. Second, the insurance deducted is for your benefit. It is usually lower than you yourself could afford individually. If not, you can get your own. As far as taxes go - you are a business owner. You must pay your own taxes. Jan-Pro is not your employer and is not under any obligation to do tax deductions. If they did, your fees would go up. Basically, it is what you put into it. If you only put in a few hours a week, you do not make much. I know of one franchise owner whose 1099 showed well over 100, 000.00 for the year. He has several employees he has to pay out of that, not to mention other expenses. Speaking of which - did you properly keep up with all your expenses? Remember, as a business owner, you must conduct business. Not just act like an employee.

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ChrisM.
Atlanta, US
Jan 04, 2011 5:45 pm EST

I just recieved the notebook for 14 days and was researching the company. I am confused can the system work at all, depending on how you startegize your approach and francisee are not doing so or is the company really a scam because the BBB rated them an A- which sounds great to me.

Chris
Atlanta, Ga.

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unhappy franchisee
, US
Aug 24, 2010 2:39 pm EDT

Janpro changed their agreement this year, and since i can't afford to loose my small franchise i had to sign the new agrement...i had no choice and i'm pretty sure they can do that as many times as they want...is either take it or loose it..
unhappy franchisee from Portland

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Alex12
Oceanside, US
May 22, 2010 11:50 am EDT

This is just more information for any current Jan Pro franchisees out there. I can't stress to you enough to get everything positive you can in WRITING from your customers. It's you against jan-pro. They are NOT your friends, they are in this to make a profit. Their profit comes from selling and reselling accounts. You job does not stop with the cleaning. Get your evaluations every month. Make the customers YOUR clients, not theirs. Tell the customers they have to call YOU if there is ever and issue with the cleaning. Trust me, if jan-pro sees you doing this and showing them in writing you are a smart business owner, they will treat you well (as well as jan-pro will treat a franchisee anyway). Keep all your evaluations and ask for positive reviews, this will keep those little pesky ops managers away from trying to take your accounts. GET IT IN WRITING, GET IN WRITING, put this on your mirror in the bathroom. Look at it every morning, trust me, this is the only way to win against this franchise.

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Alex12
Oceanside, US
May 22, 2010 11:31 am EDT

I bought a Jan Pro franchise 6 years ago. At the top of the business (2008) I was billing 20k per month. I was doing none of the cleaning myself, and I was taking home close to 7k after all my expenses. This is no lie, and no, I'm not some corporate employee. Then the recession hit and boy did it hit me hard. I had 3 large accounts that were about 15 k of my billing. All 3 canceled around the same time. Now I'm billing about 4k per month and bringing home maybe 2k. Needless to say Jan Pro is no longer my main income source. But I gotta say, when it was good, I was making some Easy money. I've heard MANY nasty stories about jan-pro and believe them all. They do pretty much whatever they want if they think they can get away with it. You need to show them from the beginning that you are a smart business owner and you have the means and ability to take them to court if they mess with you. Stand up for your Rights, don't be Afraid of these guys, they're just a bunch of folks trying to make a buck just like you. If they try to take an account from you, fight them for it. Go to the customer and have them write you a letter on your behalf. Jan-Pro is deathly afraid of anything in writing and will back down immmediatly.

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The Voice of Reason
Vail, US
Mar 19, 2010 5:43 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Nope, just a franchisee.

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T.Walton Jr.
Saint Louis, US
Jan 18, 2010 4:44 pm EST

I agree totally, when I signed with Jan-Pro from the 1st check until now, I've had problems that nobody can seem to answer for me. I also noticed that everything done with them should be in writting! Better yet, don't fool with Jan-Pro, if your looking to build a foundation under youself. The biggest problem that I had with them is that I was told that 10% would be taken out of my payment, but in fact there was an extra 10% taken out of my check when I received it! Further more, I had no problems with any of my account til it came time for the contracts to be expired! Last, but not least, it seems to me as if Jan-Pro has personal relationships with the customers even before the contract is being service.

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1st Amendment
Bloomington, US
Dec 04, 2009 6:13 am EST

This person who calls himself the voice of reason is someone from corporate at jan-pro. How can you people sleep well at night ripping of so many people. You people are sick.

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The Voice of Reason
Vail, US
Dec 03, 2009 11:43 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Perform due diligence. That means do your homework. If you want to own a business, run it like a business.

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mbere
, US
Nov 14, 2009 8:01 pm EST

i am interested in buying a unit, can someone ( owner) give me some further insight.
i am young and in college, i am trying to make a buck as a business owner.
Please feel free to let me know what's up.

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smurf10
Simpsonville, US
Aug 25, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

i have to say me and my wife have bought a franchise in western south carolina and they have been more than fair with us. yes it is hard work but it is extra income, you have to be willing to put in the work.

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1st Amendment
Bloomington, US
Aug 17, 2009 4:43 am EDT

Please read the following link that talks about the National Class Action Lawsuit we have against jan-pro.
http://franchisetimes.com/content/story.php?article=01374

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Tommmy
, US
Aug 08, 2009 9:24 pm EDT

I seem to be the only contributor who has had a relatively positive experience with Jan-Pro over the last 4 years.

No business or business opportunity is perfect. You have to be prepared to put in the work, though you will never get rich with a cleaning franchise. You ARE working for someone else - at wage rates THEY set and manipulate.

You should be aware of this from the very start.

You should also be aware that commercial cleaning is probably the most competitive industry in the USA.

However, it's not true to say that they prey on minority groups or people who can't make it in other industries. In fact, some of the most successful franchisees I know are from such minorities. It is not in Jan-Pro's interests to scam individuals, believe me.

I must have a very good sales team working for me. They work closely with me in pricing new accounts and add-ons. But times are tough right now. I have had to accept extra work at no cost to the customer to keep the account. Prices are being driven down, even though Jan-Pro's hourly wage rate has increased from $12 to $14 in the last 4 years.

As for the claimed class action lawsuit, we are all covered if a judgement is made in favor of franchisees. Don't loose any sleep over it.

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spiral down
Phoenix, US
Aug 06, 2009 5:52 pm EDT

i am also a jan-pro franchisee. And, i'm to the point that i'm exhausted with dealing with jan-pro. I have been with them for close to 3 years and i have experience a spiraling downfall with this company. From a supposed 60k annual income to realistically making less then the poverty line. as well, dealing with the ingnorance of their sales team and not quoting actual cleaning rates, undercutting and having the franchisee's work for peanuts, and then get shafted with all these managements fees. It is ridiculous!
And yes i understand that people have been succesfull managing this business. At the same time, it's individuals that have no means to make it in other industries. This company targets poor somewhat uneducated hispanics with no legalities to be in this country, and rapes them financially. Since they don't have a voice they deal with all the unfair business tactics, and since franchisees like this are taking the abuse, we all must as well. i want to know more info on this civil law suit. i called tommy, so if you read this please contact me freely

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Myron Johnson
Reidsville, US
Aug 05, 2009 8:37 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Jan-Pro of Greensboro, NC tells you that you don't work for them but you work for yourself. I made $2020.00 working for Jan-Pro and only brought home $678.00 which turns out to be less than minimum wage.My Jan-Pro purchase vacuum broke after a few uses, I had to buy another one after they didn't offer to let me use another .I cut my losses and got out .I was working 7 days a week and only cleared $678.I was pushing the mop but That Midget Wayne "Boris" Cross made off with all the money, yes Boris as in Natasha and Boris and he has that sneaky grin to match. Don't buy these Franchise! They prey on people that's not working and drill in you that this is your business.Hey Boris, what is a "sweat Equity"?That was one of the fees they took $561 out.I was the only one sweating.

Wize64@yahoo.com

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1st Amendment
Bloomington, US
May 10, 2009 8:06 pm EDT

Tommy I already e-mailed you 2 weeks ago and you haven't responded ! Call me I have questions for you. [protected] or my e-mail Grvz5247@cs.com

Tommy I'm waiting for your call or e-mail.

Jerry

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1st Amendment
Bloomington, US
May 06, 2009 9:18 pm EDT

This is a total scam. They gave me accounts that payed less than minimum wage! I talked to people who had there accounts taken away for no reason. They also fine you for litle things. How is anybody supose to make a living making 4 to 5 Dollars an hour! I'm now involved in a Class Action Lawsuit were people from all over the country are comming together to stop jan-pro from hurting so many people. Please call me if you would like more information [protected]

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Tommy
Nashville, US
May 06, 2009 9:07 am EDT

Michael, I have been a Jan-Pro franchisee for 3 years now. I am based in Tennessee. The opportunity is NOT a scam. It is 100% legitimate. I know many successful individual franchisees who work anything from part time twice a week for $300 a month, to those who have incorporated and employ half a dozen people making $5000 a month. However, there are drawbacks, as with every business opportunity. The master franchisor does take 20% of your business income in royalties, fees and insurance. And if you lose an account after 12 months they are not obliged to replace it.

Email me at tsgrainger@gmail.com if you have any questions, as I will be pleased to offer you my opinion.

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Karen Jones Collier
, US
Jan 05, 2021 3:12 pm EST
Replying to comment of Tommy

What are you talking about? I am in Tennessee which is awful! Stop misleading. You get what you pay into the franchise and they take away after so many months and give them to other franchises. They do take 21% off the top. Glad you are dong well, but truth is that most are not. Bad business move! Go out and get your own Michael. It is not hard to do!

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Michael
Missouri City , US
Apr 13, 2009 9:22 pm EDT

5000.00 Per Month if this is the number your working with there would be aproximatly 20 to 25% the company would take for its services and 15% would be a resonable amount to withhold for taxes leaving about 3800 remaining monthly. You had mentioned 12 accounts and I am not sure of the frequency of visits or the size of each account that would determine the hours invested into each account. It sounds like a fair amount of money and you really don't have to worry about the accounting aspect of the business. Please believe me that the collections, bookwork and accounting is a real bear to keep up with.

I plan to look at the The Uniform Franchise Offering Circular and in that circular thee is a list of other franchise owners that will share with me or anyone else their successes, likes and dislikes are for Jan Pro and its operation including bidding practices. The dicision to make this work really needs to be base on all the facts and some old fashoned research. I apreciate your input and I will take it to heart but I will also contact many of he other franchisors to get their take on the business opportunity offered by Jan Pro. I am sorry you had what seems to be a very frustrating time.