Ocean Basket Head Office

Item: Ocean Basket
Rating: 1
Author: kyri D

SHARKS FOUND IN JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA!!!!!! YOUNG? AMBITIOUS? INTERESTED IN BEING SUCCESSFUL? DO IT YOURSELF!!! CAUSE WITH FRANCHISE PARTNERS LIKE THESE YOU HAVE NO CHANCE. MUST READ!!!! Please share and save another human being before another victim is eaten by these sharks. THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE!!!! THESE GUYS ARE NOT SCARED OF NOTHING... NO COMPETITIONS BOARD, FRANCHISE ASSOCIATIONS, CONSUMER ACT. NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING... After numerous failed attempts to see or speak to Mr Fats Lazarides, he wanted something in writing. Who knows why he wanted it because he didn't reply. Below is the letter written and sent directly to Mr Lazarides. Dear Mr Fats Ask me why? I'll answer you that I once was reading a story about a now successful businessman being told by his lawyer 'the only thing they can take is your shoes' I am Peter, South African born and bred average guy who always dreamed of being a successful businessman but I never wanted to forget humanity and it's only fair to put that first...... we are all just people and we all make mistakes........ trust me when I tell you I have been humbled beyond belief in admitting every mistake which has cost me failing my father...... Let's go back to July 2012, we joined a franchise under the successful protective hands of then, Peter 'fats' Lazarides, Manny Nichas and George Nichas...... that franchise was none other than Ocean basket (my venture I like to later call 'Ocean *******') anyways..... in this venture my brother and myself persuaded our Father to part with his inheritance and invest in us..... everything started great except when signing with head office, we were signing our lives over to a fully law driven devil in ocean basket (the people I like to refer to as The Sharks @ ocean basket) Upon signing the franchise agreement, signing for an unlimited amount of surety......fast forward over 3 years later and you have found yourself in debt but how? The figures of the shop that were produced to us by ocean basket head office were all wrong......inflated by at least 10 to 15 percent plus. In all fairness, we knew we were dealing with an ********* and selfish company within 6 months...... October 2012, in a public meeting with all franchisees invited, we were promised as a group that our fees for royalty and marketing joint amount would be reduced from 8% to 7%! As it states on ocean basket website for all to view. A promise that gaurenteed nothing but 8% charges over 3 years after that. Mr Fats, you were there, you addressed us at that meeting sir.......tell me if I'm wrong? In January 2016, Mr Cleo Artimides lawyer to the ocean basket head office group told us to prove this reduction. When you ask them to produce the minutes to the meeting they refuse to even help or consider any wrong doing on their side? Yet in a meeting with our lawyer they were willing to give us R100000 towards what they said we owed them? Why? Either you stick to your word for the full amount or you fight for what you say we owe you? Which leads me to my next question? You took us to court, and withdrew your case, why if you were in the right? In a meeting with head office to sort out the 1% over charged we asked to see Mr Walter Kingle to discuss the matter, only to be told he is in a bad mood...... for the life of me I never knew that one day I'd have to pray that a person would have to get lucky with his wife/husband the night before for us to have a civilized, helpful and meaningful meeting concerning a serious matter like this? Needless to say until today I haven't even seen or spoken to Mr Kingle. 2 years plus we tried and tried to resolve this matter. Fair enough we were on the back foot from day one and we made mistakes, with no help from head office we tried and battled ourselves......but handing the first and ONLY defranchising letter to the landlord to manipulate us before we were even aware of us been defranchised ****il now we haven't received any paperwork or any form of reason or confirmation to defranchising us). Head office Ocean Basket has taken away every form of credibility from the business, my family and myself and placed it into the hands of the landlord which has caused uncer*****y and panic among st all involved and a bad judgement was used to close the business. Head office went ahead and associated themselves with a landlord who used underhand tactics to close our business and keep our belongs, unfairly because he had no landlords Lein on the equipment. You associated yourselves with a landlord that walked in on a Friday late afternoon and was literally telling people to stop eating and get out......... Mr Fats, hall of fame restaurateur, you should know better than anyone that the only time that a person shouldn't be bothered is when he is eating. Which brings me to the best response that anyone had ever given me by one lady that was being asked to leave midway through her meal and I quote 'some people are so pathetic and poor that all they have is money'. I also remember Mr Artimides, lawyer to ocean basket head office, telling me that head office had nothing to benefit by teaming up with the same landlord the previous 2 owners of the same business had issues with. Yet only to find that there was a buyer in place to buy the business from the landlord and ocean basket head office. You guys even had meetings with the potential buyer in your lawyers offices, sure there was nothing to gain? R250000 cash and a R250000 revamp to the store? Nothing to gain? Why could nobody help us during our venture...... some sort of support, protection or advice? In 3 and a half years I only received 2 phone calls from head office When was i good enough to receive a phone call from those Sharks @ ocean basket? When their head of operations wanted us to part with R25000 for a liquor license *******ly, which wasn't submitted over 3 years later? Mr Audagnotti, what was done with our money? Powder problem as one of your franchise consultants working under your wing once told us? Always telling my brother don't worry we sort it out.....telling us sell and don't worry? When signing with ocean basket I never once thought I was contracted to liquor board or government..... maybe these guys are more powerful than I first had realized. I contacted the lawyer that John Camacho advised me had my money for the Liquor license and 8 months later still nothing? No money and no paperwork to prove what happened to my liquor license monies in over 4 years? Why does this Anya Audagnotti know nothing about liquor license monies? In all fairness, I was also good enough for a second phone call...... once again Mr Audagnotti and ourselves (the gullible idiots that made plenty mistakes but no help whatsoever from head office) decided and agreed to sell the business.....great news but not really when you take into consideration the poor state of acceptancy policy at ocean basket head office whom have to accept any buyer for the business first....... Needless to say no buyer was ever presented to us from head office side..... no attempt was made from them at all and why would they even try? They had a dumb **** in me that signed a franchise agreement for an unlimited amount of surety according to Mr Artimides. Step in Mr Nkosi Moyo..... a man who was interested in buying the business. With a deal in place, Mr Nkosi was sent to the Sharks @ head office for an interview which turned catastrophic for me...... in the phone call with Mr Audagnotti, clearly stating they said 'that he doesn't fit the criteria' clearly and loudly stating that he is a 'black man in the worst form sayable' and a 'typical Mavro' Mavro meaning black in greek..... firstly the right terminology for an African black man is a 'Melagrinos' not a 'Mavro' Mr Fats, who are 'they'? The ones who chose the buyers for ocean basket stores based on colour? Mrs Harding had told me it's also based on habits..... have you seen John Camacho down a beer on Facebook? Like it's his mothers milk......Dale Audagnotti's white powder problem? Even better yet your own co workers and shop owners past and present say about you Mrs Harding? What other habits could any black person have to make your guys habits look like good habits? In January 2016, in the lawyers offices of ocean basket in rosebank, 20 baker street..... they issued me an acceptance letter for Mr Nkosi...... but not for the business he wanted and app**** in the first place for! But for a QSR (quick service restaurant). Take away style concept which wasn't tried and tested and hence the fact not successful at all. Why was he good enough to be your test dummy in a venture not tried or trusted but not good enough to own the restaurant he wanted? Maybe his money handling s****s would have been better than my brothers and could have been a benefit to this scenario? Mr Lazarides, Mr Audagnotti, Mr Camacho and Mrs Harding your acceptance and refusal policy at ocean basket head office is rotten, ****** and very ********* to the max! Why could Mr Moyo not be the next ocean basket store owner that doesn't run or manager his own store? Like many of your stores are? How did you accept me and my brother, where between the 2 of us the highest educational certificate is a standard 7? How can you accept my brother and I for a store where we can't even fry an egg? Making a sandwich is a disaster for us...... ask me how to boil an egg and I'll tell you to drop it in a kettle, boil it 3 times and pray it doesn't break for the perfect boiled egg! We fitted the criteria? To serve and prepare food? Why did I not need to do any training and my brother needed only one day training? Whereas you guys wanted 2 months training from Mr Nkosi? ********* how you are not willing to take any chances on the black people in this country in your business but they solid enough to be your customers? When I was told by email by Mrs Grace Harding, company leader at head office, that they have no need to answer to me the acceptance and refusal to new franchisees..... I responded that there is certain people out there with the power and means to make you tell them the ****** and ********* truth behind all the madness..... When I asked Mr Artimides ' what about my staff?' Along with John Camacho, from head office Ocean Basket, their response was purely 'that's not our problem, we don't care, that's your problem' Wow..... well done guys..... the sad reality is that those 20 workers you've decided to put out of a job are another 20 families gaurenteed to suffer and forced to do the unthinkable. That's 20 families out of 1 store out of 200 stores in 1 company in this country...... there are a lot more companies in south africa. To the ocean basket team, what happens one day out of all those families the unwanted is done to your family and the government officials and police say to you 'we don't care, that's your problem?' Because replacing a TV or a radio or even a car is doable, ask Mr John 'pawn it' Camacho.....(from pawning for second hand dealer to head of operations for a seafood chain, only God knows how) What about all the bad things that come with the ****** TV ect...... the ****, the ******ing, assault and mental tragedy that comes with it? The ocean basket team please tell me, still don't care? Pity it doesn't work that way that they probably wont land up breaking into your guys homes and not hijacking you, what about the beautiful country we live in and the amazing people who have made you the rich, powerful and successful people you guys have become? Still don't care? Still not your problem? In my venture I came across 4 great people..... 2 of whom are not with the company anymore. The 2 that are still involved I feel for you guys cause this country needs more people like you and it was a privilege meeting you both. I'm saddened to hear that they still in the same positions you were when I first joined the group..... positions in my opinion are very very low for both of you. Sandra from training, I only got to work with you one evening, pity from my side. And a few conversations with franchise consultant, José, you are a big character and the most helpful of guys. I salute both of you as great people in my eyes. I think companies like ocean basket should come to reality and realize the years of manipulating countries policies should come to an end...... Mr Artimides is not the only lawyer out there, there are many many more. With old apartheid mentality and ways of thinking this country cannot go forward and only a matter of time before Mr Artimides and every other lawyer and man of power that thinks like that gets what is coming their way! Threatening me in his offices like Mr Fats was God.... 'if Fats tells me to come after you I will'. Maybe I'm mistaken, who died and made Fats ruler of this world? Come after me for what exactly? The only way, sir, that threat would tickle me is if it were to **** me........financially you'll take my shoes because that's all that's left. I personally dare any black South African to test my theory! Go apply for an ocean basket franchise and see the result first hand....... who is the engine in every ocean basket store in this country, who does the work in the shops? In a country like South Africa, with 9 times more black people than white people, how is there so few black ocean basket owners? Are there even 2 or 3 black shop owners? You see, Mrs Grace Harding, with all due respects you cannot replace solidarity and experience with failure and expect great things. The solid table of foundation that lost 2 legs in Manny Nichas and George Nichas and try replace it with one person, who in all fairness couldn't save her own husbands store, to help 200 stores go forward. I wish you guys would send undercover people to find out how exactly how they think Grace Harding even got the top job to run Ocean Basket head office..... ask past and current workers and shop owners, the words maybe a good blow job will ring over and over in your ears. Every franchisee will tell you the group has gone south ever since you've been at the reigns in terms of quality of stocks, cost controls, management and service in every aspect thinkable and the group has lost that magic touch to make things happen...... you guys have become this money hungry group where bottom line is all that counts and that is not what Mr Peter 'fats' Lazarides and Mr George Nichas and George Lazarides built this empire on! Protecting the brand is always a big thing but what when it comes at a cost to the franchisee? Where is the help from head office? Advising us to use margarine in the lemon BUTTER sauce and recycling the tartar sauces, garlic and chillies from the tables after been dug into and used to save costs is disgusting and sickening to the bone. Serving calamari that has more elasticity than my tyres on my car is not moving forward my friends...... stop suppling that **** please. Supplying that cheap calamari and telling us franchisees to soak it in milk and bicarbonate of soda isn't helping the shop owners! You guys should consider turning back a page to looking after the brand. So the next time you visit your local ocean basket, keep in mind what that franchisee goes through to try serve you a healthy meal while he makes his money and keeps his money hungry head office happy with their cut like drug dealers! For what you get in return from this franchise is definitely not worth it at 7%......nevermind in my case it was 8% Let's do the maths, over 200 stores averaging between 500k and 3 million turnover a month at a juicy 7% return equals = is is safe to say they collecting nothing under 15 million rand a month for usage of a name and no support whatsoever and no ethics for the human race at all! I've met a few black people in your company that are pretty jacked but very lowly positioned.....how far down would you say the first black person is? I'd say personally from owners downwards maybe 30 to 40 job titles down? Definitely a BEE motion that hey......but you'll be just fine guys, you have a very good lawyer It's only a matter of time someone opens a good seafood restaurant and you ********* Sharks are done. Just because you have the market with no real good opposition is no reason to do things the way you do! Guys how about investing back into the country of your great success and give back to the people who made you guys great and rich...... how about a training center of some sort for everyone including black people so that they also one day can own an ocean basket? If voicing my opinion, experiences and views are enough to get me into trouble, well so be it! If helping every person in this country by sharing this is a crime, well let me pay the consciences then. I've lost everything in this battle and I've paid for the mistakes we made I accept it...... cause I invested in a solid company guided by the Lazarides brothers and George Nichas..... not a circus that Grace Harding, John Comacho, Dale Audagnotti and co have turned it into. Yes we made mistakes, we also did wrong. We bought stock from external suppliers, we were warned twice by head office yes and we tried to buy only from head office, but the store could not afford the prices you guys were charging us. I have invoices to prove there was a 50 percent difference on your prices. We had a small store guys, we needed help! Prawns from a solid well known supplier at R69 per kg compared to yours at R99. We were advised that it wasn't against the law according to the consumer act. If we not going to obey the consumer laws why are they even there? The reality is that it wasn't only the prices that made us buy out. Due to lack of funds we used to buy on a daily basis when head office placed us on a costing system which means we had to pay upfront for the stock to be delivered on Fridays. Every Friday we were always the last shop to get deliveries and always after 4 o'clock. How do you defrost, clean and fillet everything in time to serve the people that come in at 5 o'clock Mr Fats? And please don't ask that pawnbroker, his reply is classic 'buy extra stock'. We were not *******, we were not bad people, we were in trouble financially guys. We needed guidance and help not dictatorship and threats. The only reason the landlord and yourself decided to work together and close the business was to receive the amounts you both claim uncontested yet both of you selfish excuses of human beings have both dropped cases in court? Even if we owed you what you say we owed aren't the shops worth good value anymore? It was a good business that could have been sold for at least double what the claims against us were right? Was it better we became *******? Because I see recently you guys have given one of your franchised stores 3 months to sell his stores because of hiding turnover? So you basically saying we would be better off *****ing and maybe would've been given 3 months to sell our store? Mr Fats, numerous amounts of times I tried to call you in January and you didn't even want to speak to me, which is your choice I guess. The mere fact my 67 year old father is back working in a factory because of me is exactly why I have to apologies to him. You told me to have a meeting with Grace and that didn't turn out well, turning and wording everything I said to suit ocean basket and I have the emails to prove it.....very talented......but it didn't work. You asked me for 2 things, have a meeting with Grace and secondly put something for you in writing. So here it is Mr Fats, in all honesty, for a human whose life depends on another humans donated organ you really have turned ocean basket into a really 'people come first' type of business.......totally. “Philotimo to the Greek is like breathing. A Greek is not a Greek without it. He might as well not be alive.” I'm sorry dad Your failed son

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