Does Mr. Sandless have the right to access a franchisee's computer database?
Mr_Sandless Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We will have the right to access your computer database at any time, at your expense, and you must provide us with any necessary user IDs and/or passwords for our access. We may access and download all information stored on your Computer Equipment, including sales and customer information, and there is no limit on our right to access and download this data. We may use the data downloaded from your Computer Equipment in any manner we choose, without compensation to you. Your customer database will, at all times, remain our property. We reserve the right to require you to install a "systems backup solution" which backs up critical data stored in your Computer Equipment using an off-premises storage scheme. At our request, you must provide us with access to your backed up data.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 19–25)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Mr. Sandless's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Mr. Sandless retains the right to access a franchisee's computer database at any time. This access will be at the franchisee's expense, and the franchisee must provide any necessary user IDs or passwords to facilitate this access.
Mr. Sandless can access and download all information stored on the franchisee's computer equipment, including sales and customer information, without any limitations. The data downloaded can be used by Mr. Sandless in any manner they choose, without providing compensation to the franchisee. The customer database remains the property of Mr. Sandless at all times.
Furthermore, Mr. Sandless reserves the right to require franchisees to install a "systems backup solution" that uses an off-premises storage scheme to back up critical data stored in the franchisee's computer equipment. At Mr. Sandless's request, franchisees must provide access to their backed-up data. This level of access and control over a franchisee's computer systems and data is a significant aspect of the Mr. Sandless franchise agreement and should be carefully considered by potential franchisees.