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Bear Creek Coffee
Forum discussing business issues for Bear Creek Coffee.
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bearcreekcoffee
since matt took over the corporate name and operations of BCC, Johnsons daily brew has not filed bankruptsy, etc, is he, matt now responsible for jeremie debts? I sure would think so. The name has not changed so I would think he would assume the debts.
Or did he just "buy the assets" of BCC?
In whose name were the debts? BCC, Johnson's Daily Brew, or Jeremie (personally)?
You can hope or wish for whatver you want but it is unlikely.
When will it all end.
I was away from this site for almost two months and now I see a whole new vent going on. Wow. When will it end? Get over everyone. It is over. Why waste more time on this? Nothing will EVER be resolved. Scam, business failure........who really cares?
You all need to get along with your lives. I lost money also. Alot. More than most of you. But since, I have moved on and recovered alot of it in a new solid venture. I decided to put my efforts into working hard and trying to re-coup instead of living to complain.
And you Granville Bean, you are a real loser for spending time all over Blue Mau Mau instigating.
Get over it people. He is out of business, bankrupt, and no money will ever be returned.
It will end when
they all get arrested or can't breath anymore. Until then it won't end. Too many ppl lost hundreds and thousands of dollars to these crooks and they must pay!
When will it all end.
Yea, you are both right. I guess we can hope. Can't believe they got away with it. I am resolved never to get back my $, but I can't believe it.
To Rick-It will end when
I agree with you 100%! Those responsible should also know that every legal recourse will be looked into. I suspect Jeremie is the test pilot in filing for bankruptcy. Mike and Brian will more than likely follow him so they can be absolved all their sins........ah, er I mean........debts!
Granville Bean comments
So, Mr. Granville Bean, you obviously visit all of the franchise comments (i.e. Candy Bouquet, Cuppy's, Filta Fry, Snap Fitness, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Coffee Beanery, Quiznos and the list keeps going). You are all over the place in articles hyping up franchises. My take is that you work for Bluemaumau. Irregardless, you do not know anything about what has happened to all of us that have invested with Bear Creek Coffee's Jeremie, Johnson, Mike Schuller and Brian Gates. We know what happened as we were the ones there, not you. Call it what you want; scam, business failure or whatever. It did start off as a legitimate business. It started turning into a failure and that is when it should have stopped. Instead, they decided to get as much as they could before filing bankruptcy and moving things around. That is plain fraud. I know what I was told. So do the many, many others that were scammed. You have no right or reason to kiss up to these people as you do not know the facts. I understand your desire to support franchises, but, this Bear Creek Coffee is a definate rip-off. And, they are not a franchise. I am a businessman and accept failures as I have been through some good investments and bad. Yes, you win some and you loose some.
I, as well, agree that franchises are typically a good investment decision. I realize they are not magic and that the person buying into one needs to work very hard to make it successful.
Ponzi scam definition: A fraudulent investment plan in which the investments of later investors are used to pay earlier investors, giving the appearance that the investments of the initial participants is a good one. To all of the Bear Creek Investors who got scammed - sound familiar???
Yup, that's what' I'm sayin'...
"It did start off as a legitimate business. It started turning into a failure..."
My point exactly.
Y'all could use some counterweight to all the Hurt Zee testimonials, not every franchise business is a scam, but you'd think that by what's posted here.
The term "scam" is over-used here. It takes skill & effort to pull of a scam. Incompetence followed by failure is a much more common scenario.
and by the way...
I have expressed MORE (not less) sympathy for people who lost money on a Cuppy's, since they had a flat out contractural non-performance. The Zor clearly failed to do what their contract required. As a result several folks have indeed obtained individual judgements. Too bad there's nothing to collect.
This is far deifferent from the usual Hurt Zee here, who is reduced to claiming detrimental reliance on alleged ORAL representations ("the Zor LIED") even though the future Hurt Zee signed a wrtitten contract saying they hadn't relied on any oral representations. So who's the "liar", the side that allegedly made a false oral representaion THAT WAS RELIED UPON, or the side that SIGNED THEIR NAME that they hadn't so relied???
'Cuz an oral (mis)representation isn't actionable unless it was relied upon to the detriment of the party relying. And I hear of few if any of the run of the mill Hurt Zees who claim they were lied to, being able to prevail on a lawsuit regarding said alleged lies. Cuppy's was diffferent, the Zor flat out FAILED.
And since at the essence of a Ponzi is that the investors don't know it's a Ponzi, that Cuppy's actually told someone that they used his money to build out someone else's store, and would need the next guy's money to build out his, suggests to me that it was NOT an intentional Ponzi, but merely a business in trouble and low on cash and "robbing Peter to pay Paul".
Another thing: to me it seems odd that (if I understand this right) incoming Zees were paying Cuppy's to supply equipment and preform buildouts. So Cuppy's was also in the equipment suppluy business, and general contracting business? Nationwide? What I'm used to is that the Zee buys their own equipment and contracts for their own buildout, but that (since it IS a franchise after all) the equipment and plans must be Zor-APPROVED. That is far different than the Zor actually supplying the equipment and buildout. Talk about quadruple dipping!
here we go again
This is Bear Creek Coffe, not Cuppy's. You are all over the place and getting confused. I am through with you, Mr. Know-It-All who really knows NOTHING about this.
OK, so let's talk Bear Creek...
Basically an equipment supplier. Inside kiosks and oh yeah, little pre-fab buildings as outdoor kiosks. Wanna drive-up to one side or two?
So sure, "not a franchise". But is it even a "business opportunity"??? Cripes, they just sell kiosks. If you want a coffee cart, indoor or outdoor, you don't have to get it from them. We used to have a hot dog cart that we had an employee operate in peak periods outside of one of our full stores.. The hot dog supplier hooked us up with it FOR FREE if we used their hot dogs (that may be more of a "business opportunity"). When we discontinued hot dog sales, it took 'em a while to remember the cart; I had it parked next to a shed at home for several months before they came and got it. But I digress. I've seen coffee carts at various meeting rooms, conference centers, hotel lobbies, etc. Perfectly legitimate business, making and supplying coffee carts.
Now, pre-fabrication of buildings can also be a legitimate "concept". Thousands of mobile homes and modular homes out there, modular classroom buildings, modular offices., etc. are out there. Somebody offering to sell you a modular office building hardly calls it a "business opportunity" to have an office of your own. Transportation distance of the modular unit can be a significant factor. Modular and mobile home makers can be regional as a result. When I worked in the design office of a pre-fab building maker, we only went a few huindred miles, not nationally.
And so ya ordered a Bear Creek pre-fab little building. Or a cart. Whatever. Was Bear Creek offering these pretty much nationally, though the equivalent would be available regionally from others? Did Bear Creek reaaly have that much of a differential advantage to voercome transportaion? And so they didn't deliver. Same old same old. So again, is this just an old fashioned business failure, or an actual "scam"? Apparently people, at least on this forum, feel so much better if they were taken by a "scam" rather than lost money to a business failure. Though I dunno that it makes such a difference in the end.
Bear Creek Coffee ripped me off
My name is Ron. I was excited about this business. I had planned on using my retirement money to open several of these, starting with 2. I got my first one opened in Tampa and got no support from Bear Creek Coffee at all, except when I sent money for something. Then, I only received some things as the supplies were always "on back order". I had $41,000 still on deposit with them and was ready to open my second cafe. They wouldn't send any equipment that I ordered. I continuously called and was fed so many stories of plants being shut down, family emergencies and many more. The best one was "we used your money to supply another store and as soon as I get some money in from someone else I will supply you." Well, that never happened. I won a judgement in the Florida court for my $41k back and the owner filed bankruptcy selling the business name, which can legally be done. So, I got scammed into believing I would get my money back or my equipment and nothing. The person who bought the BCC name was an employee (Matt) who worked hand in hand with the Ponzi scamming that Jeremie, Mike and Brian ran. They are all still involved with Matt in this business as that was a scam too.
There will be comments to this from anonomous that will actually be some of the aformentioned names saying this is all a lie. It is the God's honest truth. Feel free to contact me. My name is Ron and I am at diverboy49go@yahoo.com. I can tell you alot of facts about the scamming Bear Creek Coffee.
The only stores to make it are the ones who chose to keep the name they already started with but basically run independantly away from these scammers. I have since closed the Tampa store and would not recommend anyone to invest with these dishonest people. There are too many honest opportunities out there to get involved with.
just plain non-performance
I feel for ya Ron. The best one was that business about using your money to supply someone else, and then needing the next guy's money to supply you. It's not like there was much of a legal Q about their non-performance. You got your judgement against them after all. But as always, COLLECTING on it is another story.
I wouldn't necessarily say it was so much of a "scam" but maybe more like a run of the mill business FAILURE.
Sorry Granville, I'm with
Sorry Granville, I'm with Ron. It wasn't a "run of the mill business failure".......it was a scam and there are many of us out there that know it. If it wasn't a scam, why would all the stories be very much alike?
what if they merely failed in the same way
A number of existing Zees in our system were using the same General Contractor for some interior renovation build-outs. The GC started to become very agressive in billing and attempting to collect bills that per the contract weren't quite due yet. The work also slowed down and their personnel were mysteriously absent from the sites.
Well turns out they were going out of business. The GC failed. They didn't complete the projects. We and many others had to bring someone else in to finish up. All our stories were pretty much the same. All the Zees were involved in the same upgrade project. The GC bid on dozens of them and got the jobs, but they choked trying to complete them. Did that make it a scam? No, it was just a business failure on the part of the GC.
Whether it was a scam or not isn't determined by whether those effected by the failure had similar experiences. For example if an airline failed, every passenger with paid reservations would have the same story. Was your coffee Zor a scam or not? Well if they were, there ought to be criminal convictions along shortly. I guess that would prove it. So far I'm manly hearing about civil judgments. BTW, if there was a scam, where are the scammers' profits? How much did they make off the scam? Not what you paid, how much did they make?
It's pretty common for a troubled business to start having cash flow problems, "rob Peter to pay Paul" in trying to keep the doors open, and then find themselves in so deep they can't get out. At some point they can't keep that many spinning plates balanced any more and then they're done. It isn't always a scam but if yours was, your Attorney General ought to be getting some convictions. Not every business failure is a "scam". If this was proves to be, well that's fine, but "scam" is a term I see too often on this forum, used synonymously with business failure.
I agree with you guest
How can all the stories be alike if it weren't a scam. Granville lives in a land of make believe successful zees or he may be successful. We haven't had proof yet. He sure sound slike a zor. That is the problem we will never know exactly how successful Granny is?
so what does a Zee sound like?
According to BJ, apparently to sound like a Zee, you must cry about how you were scammed and how your life is ruined and how families lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. BJ tried it once, failed quickly, and to salvage her self esteem needs to think all Zors are scammers and all Hurt Zees were scammed.
Lots of non-franchised businesses fail too, with no Zor to blame. Buying a franchised business is no guarantee of success so therefore some of them will fail too, in normal course of business. Now indeed there have been some wannabee Zors that failed spectacularly, as well as some "concepts" (well known here in BMM land) that to say the least had a very low likelihood of Zee success, even though the Zor (like Donald Trump) structured the deals so that they made out no matter what happened to the Zee.
Not everything that fails is a "scam". Sometimes it was just a poor deal.
So BJ, do you have any other identity than "Hurt Zee"? Will what happened to you a few years ago define the rest of your life? We've been doing this for 15 years now and it works for us. But then we are a rarity here, this is the symbiotic forum for Hurt Zees, Wannabees and Consultants. Sorry if the only way to "sound like Zee" to you, is to cry in your beer.
Klub espresso machine
I am looking for other Klub espresso machine owners who have had their boilers go bad and need to be replaced. When I mentioned to Matt Swenson that my Klub espresso machine needed to have a new boiler after only two years of use, he suggested that I just get a new machine because there have been many problems with these machines.
I am wondering if anyone has contacted the manufacturer of these machines??
Dawn Tangeman
Bear Creek Coffee
Omaha, NE
402/991-9101
Klub machines stink and Burgess knows it
I have been told by my service tech that Burgess knows these machines are bad. I have put 4 heating elements and 3 boilers in. The 4th element just today went bad. I plan to contact Burgess and attempt legal action on these machines. I asked for this machine to be replaced last summer under what I would think the lemon law would apply.
Klub espresso
I used to work for them in Taiwan. Shoddy company, no real QC, and stainless steel boilers which rust due to a cost cut too many on the boiler side.
They have been dropped by their importers in australia, and I would not be surprised if every other importer they might get over time drops them as well.
The company has been close to go to the wall several times, and has a very low market share in Taiwan.
I would avoid them.
for commercial coffee machines???
"I asked for this machine to be replaced last summer under what I would think the lemon law would apply."
Your state has a "Lemon Law" that applies to coffee machines in commercial service???? Never heard of that. Typically a "Lemon Law" is a specific statute that applies to passenger vehicles sold to consumers. You have something different?
Bankruptcy
Jeremie has officially filed a Chapter 7. I received notification today.
Another happy cusotmer from
Another happy cusotmer from Florida joins the forum. My husband and I were looking to purchase a cart; dropped over $10,000 and have not seen one single thing from that money. Not a phone call, not a piece of equipment - NOTHING!!! The economy continues to decline and the only thing we are looking for is our money back. Does anyone have any current open/pending legal action against the company? Has anyone been successful in recouping any money that was invested? We are just sickened that we gave up the money we did (which came out of a 401K). I could have rolled that money, but we felt we could be successful in this buisness. They definitely talked a good game, but dropped the ball.
Florida joins the forum. My
Florida joins the forum. My husband and I were looking to purchase a cart; dropped over $10,000 and have not seen one single thing from that money. Not a phone call, not a piece of equipment - NOTHING!!! The economy continues to decline and the only thing we are looking for is our money back. Does anyone have any current open/pending legal action against the company? Has anyone been successful in recouping any money that was invested? We are just sickened that we gave up the money we did (which came out of a 401K). I could have rolled that money, but we felt we could be successful in this buisness. They definitely talked a good game, but dropped the ball. Law School - Phd degrees - Master degree
A Message For Another unhappy customer
Please send your contact info to the bearcreeksux@gmail address along with your story and someone will contact you.
sorry for ya BUT
"My husband and I were looking to purchase a cart; dropped over $10,000 and have not seen one single thing from that money."
Sorry that ya got ripped off. But it is easy enough to google up several vendors of coffee carts. AFAIK this outfit wasn't really a fabricator anyway, they just got you a cart someone else built??? So order a cart from a reputable fabricator, and pay by credit card so that you might have the opportunity to use your consumer rights on a non-delivered CC sale (as long as the timing unfolds okay!). Ehh, hindsight is great. The guy you want is bankrupt, doubt you'll get much back from him.
Don't liquidate a 401(k) for a franchise or business oppty. Going into business is risky and one should protect their existing retirement savings (little as they may be) even more when in that situation.
Another happy customer from
No money will be re-paid. The only thread is if he can be brought up on criminal fraud. He is laughing all the way to his secret bank. And now he and Matt are selling businesses again.Re: Another happy customer from
Matt's earnest posting from 6/10 said that he had no intention of rebuilding the "Business Opportunity." Change of heart? (And he'll gladly train you after installing your equipment. What equipment -- the stuff that former customers paid for and never received?)To another happy customer
Please send your story to bearcreeksux@gmail.com. Please include when you went into this venture with them, your name, address and phone number. Someone will contact you that can help.
Bear Creek Coffee website update
Check out the new Bear Creek Coffee website at http://www.bearcreekcoffee.com. From the looks of things, they are ready to start selling more "business opportunities," equipment, training packages (a new addition), etc. The website says that they're not taking applications for the "business opportunity" at this time, but if you go into the sidebars to get information about drive-thrus, cafes, carts, etc. they have an application asking for all kinds of financial information. They tout their "ongoing support" (probably in the form of their Operations Manual, which you get to keep as a souvenir). Check out ALL the links -- there's lots of new stuff, but their locations page is at least two years old, their pricing is from 2007, one of their documents lists Pete Lambros as National Sales Director, and another lists Brian Gatewood as Senior Vice President and Jerry Delventhal as Director of Project Management. They have a picture of a cart in Richmond, Indiana, but officially have no locations in Indiana. In their "Gallery" section, they include pictures of locations which have closed and, in at least one case, show a drive-thru which was built locally and NOT by them. What's wrong with this picture?Can anyone recommend an attorney in IN?
I need to pursue BCC legally as well. Can anyone suggest an attorney based in Indiana who is familiar with the BCC matter to use for this? Thanks.
Re: Can anyone recommend an attorney in IN?
Any attorneys who have represented other people in civil suits against Bear Creek Coffee will probably not take on another client in a similar case because of conflicts of interest. (And contrary to Jeremie's claims to licensees, vendors, and even a judge, neither he nor the company has filed for bankruptcy as of this writing.) Bearcreeksux@gmail.com is the way to go.To The Person Who Wants An Attorney In Indiana
You would be doing yourself a better favor by contacting bearcreeksux and relating to him your story. Judgements are easy to get but you won't get paid. He has no assets. You would only be wasting your money since any attorney familiar with the situation would be fee based rather than a fee based on a percentage. Get with bearcreeksuxTo the person who wants someone to recommend an attorney in IN
Please send your story to bearcreeksux@gmail.com. Please include your name, address and phone number and someone will contact you. Thank you.attorney
Contact:Hinkle and Gibbs, 35 West Marion Street, Danville, Indiana 46122, 317-745-5441. These a------- have burnt me too and I have a judgement against them. They (Bear Creek Coffee) are slimy though as they still refuse to pay and have diverted the assetts to the business to Matt Swenson. I gave them cash ($41k) and they gave me NOTHING. They said they are sorry but they spent the money and are filing bankruptcy. Now Matt is the director on paper but Jeremie is still running the show. It is a crime and anyone who wants in this business should definately look into doing it with someone else.You are right!!
Matt Swenson is nothing more than a front dummy to allow Johnson and his thieving partners Brian and Mike to operate Evans and King. Soon, Matt, I mean Jeremie, will be going back to the same old business of selling Bear Creeks and stealing the money.attorney
Please send your story to bearcreeksux@gmail.com. I would definitely like to talk to you. Please include your name, address and phone number and someone will contact you. You are one of many who have been burnt by the owners of Bear Creek Coffee.Truth in Advertising
I was up late the other night thinking about all the money we've lost and decided to read all the posts on this site going back to the beginning.. I noticed a post from Pete (aka Guest) on June 22 that said "There were no license fees which would have obligated the company to provide post-opening marketing, advertising, and training support." Then I looked through my Bear Creek sales literature, including a website page from 2007 and an informational card from around the same time period. Here's what they say (emphasis mine):
"Bear Creek maintains a strong corporate relationship with consistent licensee support."
"Bear Creek Coffee focuses on assisting our licensees/partners with running and maintaining a viable and profitable business."
"We maintain a strong corporate infra-structure with.......a national ongoing marketng program.
Don't you think a reasonable person would be led to believe that the "support" would last longer than a few days after opening? If that's the case then the advertising is misleading, promising people something that the conpany had no intention of delivering. Any idea of where to go with this information?
Truth in Advertising
You are right in what you are saying. They did not provide the post support necessary. I agree. But neither was there any license fee that was charged. Only a "training fee" which may or may not have been a way to hide charging a license fee. If I were to guess, that is why they called it a training fee.
But there advertising never did coincide with their support. But as you say, where can you go with it? Your guess is as good as mine. Does anybody even know if he is still in Avon?
No Bankruptcy Filing Yet
As of this morning, there are no bankruptcy filings for either Jeremie Johnson, Daily Brew Building Sales LLC, or Johnson's Daily Brew LLC. According to the Southern Indiana district of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the claimant does not have to file in person; it can be mailed in. It goes into the automated system the same day it is received. If anyone else would like to check it out, the number is 800-335-8003. You'll be asked to enter the name using the numbers on your phone, so you might want to write out any names in advance.
Funny, Jeremie's attorney told our attorney that he was filing for bankruptcy back in March. What's taking so long? Transferring his assets?
Too bad the bankruptcy court isn't in the same building as the Hendricks County Courthouse, where he was scheduled to appear this morning on DWI charges. One-stop shopping!
Hahaha. That was good
Hahaha. That was good
Hello
I've been reading this blog pretty actively for quite a few months. I am wondering where everyone went to. With the exception of Erik, it seems no one is any longer interested. Mostly people affected have come and gone with only one or two blogs. What's up. Is Erik the only one who cares anymore?
Don't be fooled by the
Don't be fooled by the silence. Good things come to those that wait and this is no exception.
Hello
Don't worry about Erik, there are many more behind him. Sometimes it is just good to sit and wait for the right time, that time will be soon. Yes, Bear Creek stole from many.
RE: Hello
I think you grossly over state, Sparky. But you are not alone when it comes to that. By the way, Jeremie is doing just fine regardless of this silly blog.
Yes, this silly blog, but
Yes, this silly blog, but enough for Chris and Jeremie to continue to watch and write about
"just fine"
Yea Im sure jeremie is doing "just fine" with all the money he stole. Shoot I would be just fine too if I had Eriks money alone.
Jeremie is doing "just fine"
Jeremie is doing "just fine" despite this blog? So court visits on a weekly basis, getting served numerous papres, getting arrested for a Dwi And public intoxication is just fine? Haha, I doubt it, unless he's found a new scam he's now using. I did get a e mail saying a won a million dollars from a guy in England and he just needed my personal info to collect my winnings the other day. Hmmm wonder if Jeremie is in England now?
I would have to agree with
I would have to agree with Guest1, it seems like Erik is the one constantly trying to fuel this fire. You made a bad business venture, move on...not like you didnt make any profit from Bear Creek.
to the rocket scientist
I made a profit from Bear Creek? Haha, how is that? More like gotten $180,000 STOLEN from me. So yes, there is plenty of fuel left for this fire and its not getting put out anythime soon. So "observer", get your facts straight before you start typing please. Jeremie Maldolf Johnson and crew will get what they deserve eventually.
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