FTC Reportedly Investigating Why McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines Are Constantly Breaking
McDonald’s is notorious for their ice cream machines seemingly always being out of order, but the problem is so bad the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly looking into this issue.
Per The Wall Street Journal, “The FTC reached out to McDonald’s franchisees this summer seeking information on what, exactly, is going on with the broken ice cream machine problem…Owners of McDonald’s outlets have long complained the devices are overly complicated and their breakdowns hard to fix.”
WSJ adds, “The machines require a nightly automated heat-cleaning cycle that can last up to four hours to destroy bacteria. The cleaning cycle can fail, making the machines unusable until a repair technician can get them going again, owners say…Desperate for a fix, some franchise owners have paid to train their staff on how to fix the machines. Others have contracted the primary manufacturer of the machines, Taylor Commercial Foodservice LLC, or an authorized repair company.”
WSJ‘s full report of this issue is surprisingly long considering this issue is just about ice cream machines, but what it boils down to is this: Some are accusing Taylor Commercial Foodservice LLC of purposely making these ice cream machines too complicated to fix, unless it’s by the manufacturers, themselves, or company’s authorized to repair the machines, thus, providing more business for them.
What comes of this whole situation is anyone’s guess, but hopefully this doesn’t take as long to resolve as it does to actually fix these damn ice cream machines. Some of us really miss getting our Caramel Frappés!
