A franchisor won’t provide me with a list of all its franchisees. What should I do?

The answer to this depends very much on what stage of the franchisor’s recruitment process you have reached.  If you are in the early stages of your research, and perhaps haven’t even completed an application form or had an initial meeting at the franchisor’s office, then it wouldn’t be unusual, or unreasonable, for them not to supply a list. After all, the franchisor won’t want his franchisees being bothered by people who may be unlikely ever to be judged suitable to join his network.  However, if you are in the later stages, and both parties are keen to proceed, then you should be given all possible assistance to complete your due diligence, and I would be disappointed in any franchisor who didn’t supply you a full list from which you could choose a sample to contact. Many franchisors prefer to point you towards a small selection who you can visit, which is fine, but you should still be able to phone your choice of others from the full network. It is quite normal to get a variety of responses from “totally delighted” to “most unhappy”, and you must then make up your own mind whether to proceed.  If any franchisor won’t provide you with a full list, and cannot give you a valid reason (and I’ve never heard one), all I can suggest you do is look for another franchise opportunity.