What is the Big O Tires franchisee's responsibility regarding internet connection for transmitting Shared Information, and under what condition might this responsibility change?
Big_O_Tires Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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- (e) The Shared Information shall be exported from the Software System and transmitted to Big O, which transmission may involve transmission through the Internet or other prescribed means, as part of the end-of-day or end-of-month processing performed by Franchisee, as discussed in Schedule A. Franchisee will maintain a high-speed Internet connection at Franchisee's sole cost until such time as Big O may develop an extranet or other system that provides the required connection to all franchisees for transmission of the Shared Information.
- (f) Franchisee shall fully cooperate with Big O, Navex, and/or their third party consultants with respect to any diagnosis or troubleshooting that may be necessary to resolve problems which prevent the Shared Information from being transmitted on a reliable and daily/monthly scheduled basis. Such cooperation shall include, without limitation, permitting Navex or its designees access, in person or via an Internet or direct modem to modem connection, to Franchisee's computer system running the Software System for the purpose of diagnosing and resolving such problems. Big O shall use its best efforts to cause any such third party consultants, other than Navex, to be bound by all use restrictions or confidentiality agreements that apply to Big O.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 102–535)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Big O Tires' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are responsible for maintaining a high-speed internet connection at their own expense. This connection is necessary for exporting and transmitting Shared Information to Big O Tires as part of the end-of-day or end-of-month processing. This transmission may involve the internet or other prescribed means, as detailed in Schedule A of the Technology Agreement. Shared Information includes customer and service history, vehicle information, and future service reminder information.
The franchisee's responsibility to maintain a high-speed internet connection continues "until such time as Big O may develop an extranet or other system that provides the required connection to all franchisees for transmission of the Shared Information." This indicates that Big O Tires may, in the future, implement a centralized system that eliminates the need for individual franchisees to bear the cost and responsibility of maintaining their own high-speed internet connections for data transmission.
In addition to maintaining the internet connection, Big O Tires franchisees must cooperate with Big O Tires, Tekmetric (the software provider), and their consultants to troubleshoot any issues preventing the reliable transmission of Shared Information. This cooperation includes providing access to the franchisee's computer system, either in person or via internet or modem connection, for diagnostic and resolution purposes. Franchisees are also expected to use their best efforts to resolve any hardware or communication issues that are not attributable to the Software System or the Consumer Database.