Healthier4Uvending - anyone with direct experience?

[NYvending]

Greetings all,

I'm considering purchasing equipment from healthier4Uvending.

I'vm aware the most common complaint I see on the forums is the price point for there machines. I'm currently operating a business that has some similarities so I'm happy to invest in a more expensive machine as long it's with a company that has a strong in house ability to locate placement for the machine so the price point I feel is fair if they deliver. My question is more if anyone has direct experience with them delivering on what they say after the equipment purchase.

I've tried using 3rd party locators in the past and am routinely disappointed by the results so I would rather pay a premium to use a vendor that keeps the whole process in house and does what they say and not over promise. I've found no registered complaints or issues with them. I've found a TON of complaints when it comes to companies like 1800vending, healthyyouvending, and HUMAN so I will be staying away from those companies without question.

Thus far all my research on healthier4uvending is positive other than experienced operators feeling they are expensive. I also feel the training they offer is worth something as a crash course for a newbie. So if we're not looking at the price point of there machine is anyone aware of any feedback from individuals who have used them?

[AZVendor]

Welcome to the forum.  It's good that you found us before buying anything.  Please use the search function within this sub-forum and read as much as you can about healthy vending.  The short of it is that if you're certain you want to sell those products then you'll be better off buying used machines and putting healthy graphics on them yourself.  There's no need to use any franchise biz-op just so you can get ripped off.  Again, search and read so you can decide if you even want to go that direction in vending, regardless of what the news sources want you to believe.

[cosvending]

Vending franchises offer absoulutely no added benefit to your business.  I have no experience with Healthier4You, but I do have some knowledge about one of their competitors.  As far as those other biz ops go;

 

1) Their machines are far too expensive and WAY marked up over what you can get from the manufacturer.  It's common for them to charge $10K for a machine that you can get new for $5-6K.

2)  It's very difficult for them to find quality locations for you when they are doing it at a distance and over the phone.  On top of that, the person doing the locating has likely never run a vending business.  They will want to get you any location possible in order to sell machines.  They will offer up contracts with high commissions and easy outs, just to get someone to sign.

3)  Once you are in and your machines are in place (you likely will find your own locations), what do they have to offer?  They can put huge restrictions on you as to what you can sell, limit your ability to be flexible, and charge you a royalty for all of that.  They will force you to buy their machines, of which they get to set the price.  They may not allow you to buy parts or used machines or anything from anyone but them.  They will give you a product list and a list of distributors that you can use.  You also may be forced to buy their own "signature" products and even higher costs.

4)  They will try to get you into high volume locations (and they will likely fail) with combo machines that are completely unsuited for the task.  If you are lucky enough to get one of these accounts (again, probably from your own efforts), you will need to service these accounts every day because the machines don't hold enough products.

5)  You will be under contract with them for a LONG time with no way out.

 

Don't do it.  If you want to do Healthy, or unhealthy vending, you DON'T need a franchise to tell you how to do it!  Once you are in, they have nothing to offer you except high priced machines and no profit.

 

Again, this isn't particularly about the company you asked about, but they all have the same drawbacks.  As far as their competitors go, I know for a fact that Human has MANY franchisees suing them right now, with more joining that fight daily. 

[Feral Vending Mechanic]

Bizop scammers.

 

 

But, that's just like, my opinion, man.

[kiwi]

Greetings all,

I'm considering purchasing equipment from healthier4Uvending.

I'vm aware the most common complaint I see on the forums is the price point for there machines. I'm currently operating a business that has some similarities so I'm happy to invest in a more expensive machine as long it's with a company that has a strong in house ability to locate placement for the machine so the price point I feel is fair if they deliver. My question is more if anyone has direct experience with them delivering on what they say after the equipment purchase.

I've tried using 3rd party locators in the past and am routinely disappointed by the results so I would rather pay a premium to use a vendor that keeps the whole process in house and does what they say and not over promise. I've found no registered complaints or issues with them. I've found a TON of complaints when it comes to companies like 1800vending, healthyyouvending, and HUMAN so I will be staying away from those companies without question.

Thus far all my research on healthier4uvending is positive other than experienced operators feeling they are expensive. I also feel the training they offer is worth something as a crash course for a newbie. So if we're not looking at the price point of there machine is anyone aware of any feedback from individuals who have used them?

 

The President of Healtier4UVending (Brian Swain) is actually a member here... while I don't necessarily know a lot about his company or agree with everything he has had to say... he does come across as a pretty knowledgeable person in regards to healthy vending.

 

Not sure if you have read this topic on Helthier4UVending... http://vendiscuss.net/index.php?/topic/16482-healthier4u-vending-company/?hl=healthier4u

 

From face value they seem a lot different to the other biz-op companies that are out there & may actually suit what you are looking for in your circumstance.

 

I would still want to do more research & make sure the numbers added up first though if I was you!  

[orsd]

Greetings all,

I'm considering purchasing equipment from healthier4Uvending.

I'vm aware the most common complaint I see on the forums is the price point for there machines. I'm currently operating a business that has some similarities so I'm happy to invest in a more expensive machine as long it's with a company that has a strong in house ability to locate placement for the machine so the price point I feel is fair if they deliver. My question is more if anyone has direct experience with them delivering on what they say after the equipment purchase.

I've tried using 3rd party locators in the past and am routinely disappointed by the results so I would rather pay a premium to use a vendor that keeps the whole process in house and does what they say and not over promise. I've found no registered complaints or issues with them. I've found a TON of complaints when it comes to companies like 1800vending, healthyyouvending, and HUMAN so I will be staying away from those companies without question.

Thus far all my research on healthier4uvending is positive other than experienced operators feeling they are expensive. I also feel the training they offer is worth something as a crash course for a newbie. So if we're not looking at the price point of there machine is anyone aware of any feedback from individuals who have used them?

The advice offered here is probably drawing from hundreds of years of combined experience, which most likely trumps any traing they might offer

Read as many back posts as you can.

Also, if you cannot locate on your own, vending will be hard for yu, so try to learn.

BTW, any reason for heathy vending?

Also, if you would like loactions, try buying existing routes.

[NYvending]

I appreciate the answers all.

Why them? Simply because I've been a business operator for a long time and there model business model is very similar to my existing franchise which appeals to me. There are many scammers and I was able to quickly eliminate all there competitors however I can't find a single negative thing anywhere from people who did business with them.

They have no franchise fee, no royalties, or recurring costs. I can buy my own food and set my prices they only provide suggestions to give me a starting point. My potential risk at entry point is within manageable expectations and if they want repeat business they have to earn it on intrinsic values which would be machine quality and more specifically there ability to provide strong locations. I believe I have the ability to do some of my own locating if necessary but I like to approach a new business from the standpoint of know base knowledge and what can potentially go wrong.

As to buying an existing route I've looked and I find you simply don't know what your paying for. People want to sell you a route for $60k claiming it makes 30k in cash yet they report a 5k years profit on there tax return. I'd rather spend 1/3 of that and learn the business from the ground up with a company that locates and trains you. I'm sure an experienced operator could do it on there own cheaper but it's not a fair comparison because I could operate my franchise business without my franchisor at a 30% cost savings now that I have 7 years hands on experience but I'd never have gotten to where I am without my franchisor so while I do pay royalties I look at my ROI and where my business is in 7 years and I feel it was fair deal for both parties.

My personal feeling is business is its ok to pay a premium on a purchase as long as who your buying from has knowledge you want and will deal with you in an honest manner. Honesty is business is paramount which is why I wanted to see if anyone has done business with healthier4u because I can quickly tell from Google there competitors are a bunch of con artists but this far no one has anything negative to say about them specifically.

[HustliN]

hey give me a PM. I recently bought a healthy vending machines from a franchise show. Been in business 2 months. My first ever real business. you can pick my brains.

 

Overall understands the risks involved and realistic expectations 

[moondog]

Bizop scammers.

 

 

But, that's just like, my opinion, man.

Seems to me it'd take a lot less effort to just dump the cash off a bridge if it's burning that much of a hole in your pocket     

[orsd]

If you want to learn do this

Get a used soda machine 500 off craigslist or 1000 with warrantee from refurbishing company

If any thing is broken we can trouble shoot it for you(actually its probably member az vendor does all the work but he can sell you all the parts you'll ever practically need)

Then place it into a blue collar tire shop or something like that

For this line of business this forum and all its back posts will be more than enough to get you started, if you would like to read it

Also like many have said traditional far outsells healthy

[treadmill]

This is nothing more than a biz op.  Why waste your money on overpriced machines when you can buy enough good used equipment and snacks for the price of 1 machine. 

[treadmill]

Nah.  Don't do that, just send me the money.

[MidStateVending]

I call it the "H" word. I avoid anything that is healthy, unless it were a school account with no commission where there is no choice but to eat healthy.

 

No experience but here are the facts:

 

1. The machines are horrifically expensive. Buy used.

2. Healthy snacks are very expensive. If you cant sell it for twice what you bought it for... don't do it. Who is going to eat a $4 healthy candy bar that you paid $1.99 for?

 

I have clients all the time that ask me to put more healthy options. I say "OK... but just one or two to start... if they don't sell I pull them". I always pull the healthy snacks, except for nuts and Nature Valley bars (if you even consider that healthy).

[gmoney]

In 2006 I purchased 4 machines from the first "healthy vending" franchise".  I was their first customer.  The machines were delivered to me by a third party delivery company.  After taking possession of the equipment the owner of the delivery company informed me that I had just been ripped off.  He was right.  I paid a $4,000 premium per machine for some useless graphics and the unfulfilled promise of great locations for my machines.  I stopped doing business with them.  However, I did not let this stop me from building a successful business.  There is a place for healthy vending. Schools, Schools, Schools!  On my own, I grew the business into what it is today.  60 machines in 20 locations almost all of which are schools.  The opportunity is still there for healthy vending.  However, traditional vending companies that in the past would never consider healthy vending are now realizing the opportunity in the right locations.  Once they get in the game the opportunities for start up vendors will be minimal.  If you really want to get into health vending, do it soon, do it yourself.  There is little to no value in working with any of these biz op companies.  

[moondog]

In 2006 I purchased 4 machines from the first "healthy vending" franchise".  I was their first customer.  The machines were delivered to me by a third party delivery company.  After taking possession of the equipment the owner of the delivery company informed me that I had just been ripped off.  He was right.  I paid a $4,000 premium per machine for some useless graphics and the unfulfilled promise of great locations for my machines.  I stopped doing business with them.  However, I did not let this stop me from building a successful business.  There is a place for healthy vending. Schools, Schools, Schools!  On my own, I grew the business into what it is today.  60 machines in 20 locations almost all of which are schools.  The opportunity is still there for healthy vending.  However, traditional vending companies that in the past would never consider healthy vending are now realizing the opportunity in the right locations.  Once they get in the game the opportunities for start up vendors will be minimal.  If you really want to get into health vending, do it soon, do it yourself.  There is little to no value in working with any of these biz op companies.  

Best posting on Healthy Vending to date!!!  Covered all the bases in one paragraph.

[HustliN]

In 2006 I purchased 4 machines from the first "healthy vending" franchise".  I was their first customer.  The machines were delivered to me by a third party delivery company.  After taking possession of the equipment the owner of the delivery company informed me that I had just been ripped off.  He was right.  I paid a $4,000 premium per machine for some useless graphics and the unfulfilled promise of great locations for my machines.  I stopped doing business with them.  However, I did not let this stop me from building a successful business.  There is a place for healthy vending. Schools, Schools, Schools!  On my own, I grew the business into what it is today.  60 machines in 20 locations almost all of which are schools.  The opportunity is still there for healthy vending.  However, traditional vending companies that in the past would never consider healthy vending are now realizing the opportunity in the right locations.  Once they get in the game the opportunities for start up vendors will be minimal.  If you really want to get into health vending, do it soon, do it yourself.  There is little to no value in working with any of these biz op companies.  

 

You are an inspiration to me!

[Poplady1]

You need to be careful when working with the Healthy Vending companies.  With that said, over the past few years they have changed some of the issues that hurt any investor.  Now if they have a location that wants just a portion of the machine to be stocked healthy, some of the companies will allow the vendor to install used equipment with their wrap.

 

Normally this happens when bidding on Cities or large School systems.  HUMAN has shown a lot of flexibility.  They offer the machines but will be flexible allowing the customer to put in machines of their own as long as they wrap them with their HUMAN wraps.  If you give them your machine model they will order the wraps for you.  

 

I have worked with a few of them on my accounts that want 100% Healthy (schools).  One of the largest vending companies in SCA (First Class) has a relationship with Gilly Vending which has really grown into a large management company.  They have joined up together to land some major accounts with lots of flexibility in machines.

So the Healthy Programs are changing...

[Healthier4UVending]

Hello to Everyone,

 

I am always happy to answer questions and unlike some companies, I am proud to be President of Healthier4U Vending and want everyone to know this upfront. I will address a few points below and please, for those who dislike healthy vending, don’t just start flaming me because you don’t understand what we do.

 

 

#1 – Vending healthy products is a very real and very much growing industry. I understand if you sell traditional products, you simply can’t understand how it works because you probably have tried and it didn’t work for you. Numerous reasons explain why putting “a row or two” of healthy products in a machine isn’t a success story. However, understand our locating services target locations with healthy eaters. Simply put, most traditional sites are targeting the transitional market and thus putting healthy food in a machine is not going to work out well for the operator. This is the fundamental difference between us and traditional vending. We are looking for people who want to either snack healthy, or are already doing it. We are not trying to convert a cola drinker to coconut water. That battle is to be fought somewhere else, not in front of a machine necessarily.  We are growing the industry putting machines in locations that simply didn’t have vending, or into locations supplementing their existing traditional machines who are not for everyone. Easiest way to summarize this would be to say not everyone eats healthy or junk food, they are two markets. We are seeking the market that is currently being underserved. Where there is 50 junk food machines we might place 5 healthy machines (only removing a few of the junk food units). It is not necessarily competing product, because we are working with different customers. For those of you out there that have traditional junk food machines and need a partner that can help you serve your locations with healthy products, I am happy to put a machine into these sites. It isn’t a threat to either of us, we are simply growing the account.

 

 

#2 – Claiming our ( I am not defending the other low quality machines some companies sell, only ours specifically),  machines are overpriced is a great misconception. USI manufactures our customized machines that are specifically built to service our accounts and vend healthy products. I see comparisons to other off the shelf machines USI manufacture, and the assumption is I buy these units and put a custom wrap on it. This is like calling a kit car the same as the actual car it has been built to resemble externally. We use a base chassis and modify every major component in the machine to meet our criteria. We make entire production runs between 100-200 machines per run every 6-8 weeks. If I were wrapping an existing machine, you can clearly see entire production runs of equipment on our Facebook and website. I would not tie up half a million dollars in machine inventory unless we had to manufacture totally customized equipment. Also factor in the warranty, the white glove install to the location, the location services, the training, the support services, and the use of our brand as all part of the price. What is a guaranteed location worth that supports a less than 2 year payback on a $8,000 machine? I would wager most of you have locations that couldn’t produce that volume and that is why an $8,000 machine seems illogical. This is what we strive to achieve with every machine we place, is a realistic payback for our machine owners, so they continue to reinvest into more machines growing their routes.  

 

 

#3 – We have a unique business and I am not defending other company’s practices or equipment quality. I am simply saying we offer, in my opinion, the best machine, locating services, warranty, and training of any company in the industry. The other companies out there are a creative bunch and they deserve the reputations they have earned. I ask not be lumped into this category, as we simply came into this industry to change it. Take a look at usedvendingmachines.com and you won’t find much (or any) of our equipment on there. You won’t find any “brand new, never used” (meaning never placed and never had a chance) of our machines because we do deliver on what we offer.

 

 

Another interesting point made in one of the comments was pertaining to “the person never owned or ran a vending route” on the other end of the phone. I agree this industry is full of people misrepresenting themselves. When I founded this company, I also setup a route that I managed as well. My Father and I ran a route for almost two years, only selling it when I had a potential operator in Las Vegas that insisted if he was buying 20 machines, he wanted my placed units as well. I still miss operating those machines and I think I use my time better now (like responding to you here), but servicing units lead to almost every innovation and change we made to our equipment.  When I decided I didn’t like mechanical sensors, software setups, certain door latches, internal machine designs, I didn’t have to just accept this is the way it is made. I called up the designers, engineers or whoever built whatever I didn’t like and we changed it. It lead to massive innovation in refers, latches, software designs, ergonomics just to name a few things we changed because of servicing machines. So I do know how to run a route and service machines. Not every employee here operates a route, but they all know how to because that is what we train every month. Every member of my team understand our goal is to get our machine owners into a position to purchase more machines, and the easiest way to do that, is to show them success. It is a simple model and I would say we are all up to speed on operating a vending machine business.

 

 

I appreciate you taking the time to read this rather long post. I hope you have a better understanding of what we offer and at least respect our uniqueness in the business. When you factor what we actually provide, I think are packages are easily the best value in the market of anyone. For those of you that have a demand for healthy products on your traditional routes, look us up. Maybe we can put some of our equipment on your route to be serviced by one of our H4U Affiliates. We have partnered with many companies like this before, and it always surprises the transitional provider, we are able to make money selling healthy products in locations they service. It is about growing all of our businesses together and ultimately servicing the needs of the customers in those locations.

 

 

Thanks,

Brian Swain

Managing Partner/ President

Healthier4U Vending

http://www.Healthier4UVending.com

Brian@H4UVending.com

[Discount Vending Store]

Healthy Vending does work and can be very profitable but I agree that it takes a certain amount of skill and strategy as to the location and products that go into it.  I think the biggest mistake that new vendors make is buying the $8000 machine without any experience and any real plan.  I tell people all the time that it doesn't take an expensive $8000 - $10,000 machine to make you money.  You will be much better off with three machines which cost you $3000 each placed in good locations. At The Discount Vending Store, we help new vendors get into the industry without liquidating the entire 401K. Our new healthy and combo machines come with a one year warranty and free tech support for the life of the machine. The big difference is their cost which is typically half to a third of retai costsl!!!