Hello all, this is my first post to this forum. I have been in the vending business for 16 years. It seems once I get a great location, a company hundreds of miles away wants to run things. I got an email from such company stating they are now managing the coin operated machines for the company I have my machines in. They told me;
New or like new equipment
Beverage machines should be Energy Star Rated (mfg w/in last 3 yrs)
Snack and combo machines must be less than 5 years old
25-35% of snacks should be healthy
Vendor must provide type, model & SN (if available)
Commission
15% (payable to them) on soda, snack, and coffee, no commission on food
Is there any way I can fight this? It seems VERY unfair that a company wants to dictate what I can and cannot put into MY MACHINES! 
On top of that wants 15% of what is made. I don't charge much to begin with and I don't even get paid to do it. All the money made goes back into the business. Please HELP!
At the end of the day vending is no different than any other business and we have to decide what makes sense and who we do business with. It would be no different if you were doing car repair, mowing lawns, etc. If you were a mechanic and a customer demands you use premium oil, oil filter, wash, wax and rotate their tires for the same price as a regular oil change then you would most likely say no.
It all depends if the account turns enough revenue for you to adjust to their demands. It has to fit what you know works for your company. Worst case scenairo is try it their way for a few months and if it is not working , explain to them the issues and if they dont work with you then pull out. ONLY do that if it makes sense to even try it....
Let us know how it goes and what you decided.
BTW: Did a vending management company take over "managing" the account or is this coming from their own corporate people?? Did you have a current contract with them??
