Is Hydrodog obligated to provide ongoing maintenance to the Computer System?
Hydrodog Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
l also incur fees for the telephone lines and high-speed Internet connection.
We do not have any obligation to provide ongoing maintenance, repairs, upgrades or updates to the Computer System. Nor do we have any obligation to reimburse you for any Computer System costs. You must maintain your Computer System and keep it in good repair. You must update or upgrade the Computer System, including any point-of-sale system components and software, as we require at any time during the term of the franchise, at your sole expense. We estimate that the cost of optional or required maintenance, updating, upgrading or support contract will be between $100 and $1,000 per year. While we provide an estimate of the annual cost of any maintenance, updating, upgrading, or support contracts, there is no contractual limit on the frequency or cost of your obligation to upgrade or update the Computer System.
We have the right to independently access all information you collect, compile, store or generate at any time without first notifying you, and you must give us password access to your Computer System to enable us to obtain such data. There are no contractual limitations on our right to access or retrieve any information contained
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 22–30)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Hydrodog's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Hydrodog is not obligated to provide ongoing maintenance, repairs, upgrades, or updates to the Computer System. The franchisee is solely responsible for maintaining the Computer System and keeping it in good repair, as well as for any costs associated with updates or upgrades required by Hydrodog during the franchise term. Hydrodog estimates that the cost of optional or required maintenance, updating, upgrading, or support contracts will be between $100 and $1,000 per year. However, there is no contractual limit on the frequency or cost of the franchisee's obligation to upgrade or update the Computer System.
This means that as a Hydrodog franchisee, you will bear the full responsibility and cost of keeping your Computer System operational and up-to-date. While Hydrodog provides an estimate for annual maintenance costs, the actual expenses could exceed this range, especially if significant upgrades are mandated. This is a common arrangement in franchising, where franchisees typically handle their own IT maintenance, but the lack of a contractual limit on upgrade costs introduces a degree of financial uncertainty.
Despite not being obligated to provide maintenance, Hydrodog retains the right to independently access all information collected, compiled, stored, or generated by the franchisee's Computer System at any time without prior notification. The franchisee must provide Hydrodog with password access to enable data retrieval. This unrestricted access underscores the importance of using only the Computer System specified by Hydrodog and ensuring its security, as Hydrodog has complete oversight of the data handled by the system. This level of access is not uncommon in franchise systems where data collection and brand consistency are critical.