Ex-Con Creates Charity Franchise? Or a Con?
March 13, 2009 by Sean Kelly
Filed under > FRANCHISE DUE DILIGENCE, x Franchise Opportunities, xBuyer Beware
The press release says ex-con Tristan Dunn has created the first charity franchise.
Or it may be an un-franchise.
Actually, it may just be a press release that says he created the first charity franchise.
Or it may be a con job.
This press release appeared on PR.com:
Ex Con Creates Charity FranchiseTristan Dunn, a Wisconsin man who spent 7 years in prison, has created the first charity franchise, a fund raising company that benefits schools, churches, and other non profits.Milwaukee, WI, March 13, 2009 –(PR.com)– Fundraising System Benefits Schools and Non Profits.Tristan Dunn, a Wisconsin man who spent 7 years in prison, has created the first charity franchise, a fund raising company that benefits schools, churches, and other non profits.
Dunn’s company is called “www.Your Charity Shop.Com.”
“We give 60-85 % of the profits from our sales to the charities,” he said.
“Most companies, if they participate, give an average of 50 %,” he said.
“It’s a way of giving back,” he said.
An internet brokerage firm that leverages with the largest retailers in the country, customers shop through Dunn’s web portal, with the majority of the profits going to the charitable entities.
So far, Dunn said, over 50 schools have signed on board. More are sure to follow, he said.
“The economy is challenging all aspects of our country—particularly for those entities that depend on discretionary dollars.”
“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Dunn said.
For more information contact Dunn @ 1-800-806-6857.
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Contact: Tristan Dunn @ 262 707 9062
I don’t know what’s more intriguing: A guy who leads with his unexplained prison record, a franchise that gives money away, or a franchise press release that leads to a website touting the “un-franchise.” On the website, there’s no mention of a franchise opportunity or information about Mr. Dunn.
At the bottom of Mr. Dunn’s alleged website are tiny letters “Independant [sic] UnFranchise Owner © and Independant [sic] Distributor for Market America.com”
Anyone familiar with Mr. Dunn’s “YourCharityShop” franchise, Market America or MarketAmerica.com?
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Pure Weight Loss Employees Also Suffering Losses
February 20, 2008 by Sean Kelly
Filed under LA WEIGHT LOSS, PURE WEIGHT LOSS
(FranchisePick.Com) Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of comments have been posted on FranchisePick.Com by victimized Pure Weight Loss (until recently LA Weight Loss) members, some of whom lost several thousand dollars when the 400 unit chain closed abruptly last month with seemingly little regard for its members or employees. While most media attention focuses on the former group, an article posted today in The Times of Northwest Indiana also describes the plight of the Pure Weight Loss employees who were as surprised as their members at their employer’s abrupt closing.
The Times interviewed Ruth Moton, the former assistant regional manager for 11 Chicago-area stores. In September, Moton sold her house and moved to Chicago from Pennsylvania at the company’s request. She signed a lease and incurred thousands of dollars in reimbursable moving and related expenses.
Then, a few weeks before Christmas, Moton and other employees were told the chain would close January 2, 2008, and they would start the new year unemployed. Pure Weight Loss has since filed for bankruptcy protection. The company and its founder Vahan Karian are being sued by the PA Attorney General for fraud.
According to Moton, the company owes many employees. Some final paychecks bounced, and while some employees have been able to roll their 401(k)s into IRAs, “trying to get her 401(k) savings has become a ‘full-time job,’ she said.”
Moton said consumers continue to suffer. Chicago-area stores alone had almost 1,000 active customers who came in every week. Customers who were excited to sign up during promotions in the final months could be out large sums.
“A lot of my centers had open houses in October and November, a time when prices were reduced and a lot of the clients took advantage of that and bought more products that apparently (the company) didn’t even have to get to them,” Moton said.
Last month, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Pure Weight Loss and its owner Vahan Karian, also known as Vahan Karabajakian. The lawsuit alleges deceptive marketing and sales of long-term contracts for weight loss supplements, prepackaged food and weight loss counseling services.
In a statement, Corbett said the company owes more than a half-million dollars to Pennsylvania customers alone.
