What happens to the survey costs paid by a Mr. Sandless franchisee?
Mr_Sandless Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
| Type of Fee | Amount | Due Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surveys | $140 | On demand | If we conduct a customer satisfaction survey for your Business and the results of the survey are below our minimum standards, we have the right to bill you for the cost of the survey. Any survey costs paid by you are contributed to the Advertising Fund |
Source: Item 6 — OTHER FEES (FDD pages 10–13)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Mr. Sandless's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, if Mr. Sandless conducts a customer satisfaction survey for a franchisee's business and the results fall below Mr. Sandless's minimum standards, Mr. Sandless has the right to bill the franchisee for the cost of the survey. The cost of such a survey is $140.
The FDD specifies that any survey costs paid by the franchisee are then contributed to the Mr. Sandless Advertising Fund. This means that while the franchisee is responsible for covering the cost of the survey if their customer satisfaction scores are low, the money does not directly benefit Mr. Sandless. Instead, it is pooled with other advertising funds to support marketing and advertising efforts for the Mr. Sandless brand as a whole.
This arrangement could be seen as both a penalty and an investment. It penalizes franchisees for poor customer satisfaction by making them pay for the survey, but it also ensures that those funds are reinvested into advertising that could benefit all franchisees, including the one who paid for the survey. Prospective franchisees should consider this when evaluating the potential costs and benefits of joining the Mr. Sandless system.