1995
The BAR does a sting on Brake World
With out warning or any previous help or instruction the BAR decides to selectively discriminate against Brake Depot’s predecessor, Brake World. Brake World changed its name to Brake Depot after Brake World could not be trademarked, because someone else was using the Brake World name in Florida. BAR is wanting to enforce advertising rules, that with any price ad, the disclaimer of "additional parts and service are often needed at substantial extra cost" must be included at 1/2 the size of the price. No auto repair shop in San Diego is doing this.
1996
Brake Depot settles civil claim
Brake Depot is asked to sign an agreement not to break any laws, and not sell every car that comes in for a specified price, such as
$300 for every car that work is performed on. We agree to sign because we have never targeted cars or done anything
illegal. Of course we would always sign anything that stated we will not break any regulations. Brake Depot is required to pay $100,000 to the BAR over the next 4 years, but the BAR takes out dated parts in lieu of the money. The BAR informed Brake Depot if they
did not comply with the settlement they would ruin our business in the press at every chance they got. The BAR is trying to enforce new advertising rules, that are not being followed by any auto repair shop
1996
Brake Depot aims to help their customers to better understand brakes
Brake Depot designed displays for all of their stores to show customers the different brake components. Brake Depot
wanted their customers to understand what they were purchasing.
1998
Brake Depot wins “Total Excellence In Management” award
After being investigated in sales, management, and community service by a panel selected by the Business Journal, Patrick Walby and his Brake Brother Philip Walby is presented with the Retail Division Award, presented by Ken Blanchard, author of the One Minute Manager.
July 1999
450,000 cars worked on by Brake Depot
Brake Depot passes its 450,000 customer, a company built on striving to do only brakes, and do them well.
July 15, 1999
Vic DeSio of Mail Boxes Etc. joins Brake Depot
Vic DeSio, Director of Operations at Mail Boxes Etc., joins Brake Depot as Director of Franchising. He begins
implementing the franchise program at Brake Depot. Vic DeSio and his uncle are experts in franchising. Mail Boxes, Etc. opened and franchised 3,500 stores ! We now had Vic on our team.
July 20, 1999
BAR accuses Brake Depot in Entrapment Sting
Brake Depot is accused of false advertising, theft, fraud, and violating a prior settlement agreement. The BAR says we
had too many complaints--33. Brake Depot said, yes, but that was out of 120,000 cars, and from 15 shops. The BAR said,
they just look at it as if Brake Depot had only one location, which is not fair at all.
1999
BAR admits publicly personal vendetta
Quoted in the San Diego Daily Transcript, Ken Wardlow of the Bureau of Automotive Repair says, “ Even if…Brake Depot’s defense proves they did nothing wrong, …they (the BAR) will continue in the administrative court system to revoke the license. (of Brake Depot). Our business plan was to sell stores to individuals that would pay us a fee to use the name and system. We did not need a BAR license for that.
March 21, 2000
Charges Dropped against Brake Depot, and it’s officers
After the district attorney discovered that the BAR had entrapped Brake Depot’s employees by tricking them into recommending parts that were artificially aged, they dropped the charges. All accusations of false advertising, theft, fraud against the company and Patrick and Philip Walby were dropped.
March 24, 2000
Agreement reached between Brake Depot and the BAR
Brake Depot agreed to sell all of their stores in California as franchises. The BAR only needed to look like they accomplished something so that it would not look like a waste of money, and that they won.
June 2000
BAR forces renegotiation of prior settlement
Unsatisfied with the fact that the district attorney could not prosecute the case based on entrapment issues, the BAR was looking for a way to save face.
The BAR has wasted tax money without results and kept any allegations alive, knowing that it would not make financial sense for Brake Depot to keep paying a lawyers. The administrative judge and the
Attorney General Ron Casino were very upset at what Alan Wood, chief of enforcement, of the BAR was forcing them to waste tax money and their time to prove Alan Woods point, at a cost of over $250,000 to the taxpayers of the State of California. The BAR agreed to not hold the administrative hearing as long as the BAR could print that Brake Depot would sell their stores as franchises, which is what our original business plan was. The BAR only needed to look like they accomplished something so that it would not look like a waste of money, and that they won.
July 6, 2000
Brake Depot sells all of its California stores,
Brake Depot sold all of it’s stores in California as franchised stores. It was our plan to sell the stores to individual owners as Franchisees originally. The Franchisee would use the Brake Depot name and system to sell brake service. The franchisee would then pay a royalty for use of the name and guidance.
The BAR does a sting on Brake World
With out warning or any previous help or instruction the BAR decides to selectively discriminate against Brake Depot’s predecessor, Brake World. Brake World changed its name to Brake Depot after Brake World could not be trademarked, because someone else was using the Brake World name in Florida. BAR is wanting to enforce advertising rules, that with any price ad, the disclaimer of "additional parts and service are often needed at substantial extra cost" must be included at 1/2 the size of the price. No auto repair shop in San Diego is doing this.
1996
Brake Depot settles civil claim
Brake Depot is asked to sign an agreement not to break any laws, and not sell every car that comes in for a specified price, such as
$300 for every car that work is performed on. We agree to sign because we have never targeted cars or done anything
illegal. Of course we would always sign anything that stated we will not break any regulations. Brake Depot is required to pay $100,000 to the BAR over the next 4 years, but the BAR takes out dated parts in lieu of the money. The BAR informed Brake Depot if they
did not comply with the settlement they would ruin our business in the press at every chance they got. The BAR is trying to enforce new advertising rules, that are not being followed by any auto repair shop
1996
Brake Depot aims to help their customers to better understand brakes
Brake Depot designed displays for all of their stores to show customers the different brake components. Brake Depot
wanted their customers to understand what they were purchasing.
1998
Brake Depot wins “Total Excellence In Management” award
After being investigated in sales, management, and community service by a panel selected by the Business Journal, Patrick Walby and his Brake Brother Philip Walby is presented with the Retail Division Award, presented by Ken Blanchard, author of the One Minute Manager.
July 1999
450,000 cars worked on by Brake Depot
Brake Depot passes its 450,000 customer, a company built on striving to do only brakes, and do them well.
July 15, 1999
Vic DeSio of Mail Boxes Etc. joins Brake Depot
Vic DeSio, Director of Operations at Mail Boxes Etc., joins Brake Depot as Director of Franchising. He begins
implementing the franchise program at Brake Depot. Vic DeSio and his uncle are experts in franchising. Mail Boxes, Etc. opened and franchised 3,500 stores ! We now had Vic on our team.
July 20, 1999
BAR accuses Brake Depot in Entrapment Sting
Brake Depot is accused of false advertising, theft, fraud, and violating a prior settlement agreement. The BAR says we
had too many complaints--33. Brake Depot said, yes, but that was out of 120,000 cars, and from 15 shops. The BAR said,
they just look at it as if Brake Depot had only one location, which is not fair at all.
1999
BAR admits publicly personal vendetta
Quoted in the San Diego Daily Transcript, Ken Wardlow of the Bureau of Automotive Repair says, “ Even if…Brake Depot’s defense proves they did nothing wrong, …they (the BAR) will continue in the administrative court system to revoke the license. (of Brake Depot). Our business plan was to sell stores to individuals that would pay us a fee to use the name and system. We did not need a BAR license for that.
March 21, 2000
Charges Dropped against Brake Depot, and it’s officers
After the district attorney discovered that the BAR had entrapped Brake Depot’s employees by tricking them into recommending parts that were artificially aged, they dropped the charges. All accusations of false advertising, theft, fraud against the company and Patrick and Philip Walby were dropped.
March 24, 2000
Agreement reached between Brake Depot and the BAR
Brake Depot agreed to sell all of their stores in California as franchises. The BAR only needed to look like they accomplished something so that it would not look like a waste of money, and that they won.
June 2000
BAR forces renegotiation of prior settlement
Unsatisfied with the fact that the district attorney could not prosecute the case based on entrapment issues, the BAR was looking for a way to save face.
The BAR has wasted tax money without results and kept any allegations alive, knowing that it would not make financial sense for Brake Depot to keep paying a lawyers. The administrative judge and the
Attorney General Ron Casino were very upset at what Alan Wood, chief of enforcement, of the BAR was forcing them to waste tax money and their time to prove Alan Woods point, at a cost of over $250,000 to the taxpayers of the State of California. The BAR agreed to not hold the administrative hearing as long as the BAR could print that Brake Depot would sell their stores as franchises, which is what our original business plan was. The BAR only needed to look like they accomplished something so that it would not look like a waste of money, and that they won.
July 6, 2000
Brake Depot sells all of its California stores,
Brake Depot sold all of it’s stores in California as franchised stores. It was our plan to sell the stores to individual owners as Franchisees originally. The Franchisee would use the Brake Depot name and system to sell brake service. The franchisee would then pay a royalty for use of the name and guidance.