PLAY N TRADE: Recent Comment, Lawsuit

September 1, 2009 Franchise Publicity

Video Game retail franchise Play N Trade continues to be a contentious topic of discussion.

The number of contentious comments on one lively blog post (PLAY N TRADE: CA Suspends PnT Franchise Registration) will soon pass 500.

One commenter, Former PNT Owner, recently wrote:

I left PNT in June. I suggest everyone read a suit from the state of Oregon: Willamette v. Play N Trade.

The PDF is out there on the net* and is shows how many shell corporations PNT had, the items that were not disclosed and more details on the unethical business practices used by PNT Corporate to sell franchises.

I don’t know the status of the case**, but it is interesting.

I was an early franchisee, in 2006, and had I been provided accurate and correct information I never would have invested in my retail store. I know of approximately 100 out of 250 stores have closed or never opened since I opened my store. That’s a failure rate of approximately 35 to 40 Percent. I think PNT Corporate were approving people who did not have enough liquid assets.

When I started I was told 100K was enough to open a store. Now, 2.5 years later you need a 250K or more! That’s a huge difference and shows they were in the business of selling franchises, not businesses. I hope all the people who were sold a store on probable false and misleading information join the suit.

…Remember, it’s not about “Justice,” it’s about stopping others from getting hurt. An out of business PNT Corporate cannot harm further individuals.

* Here, for informational purposes, is a copy of the franchisee’s complaint: Willamette vs Play n Trade Lawsuit

** The judge ruled that the complaint should be settled via arbitration. The case has been dismissed pending arbitration.