Up to nine people may have been involved in the fake Green Acres ironing scam that fleeced around 200 people who bought non-existent ironing franchises.
Green Acres has come up with what it calls a rescue package offering real ironing franchises but it is already been criticised as unworkable.
Chief executive Andrew Chisholm says Green Acres is also a victim.
"I think that the hit that we've taken to our brand to date is absolutely substantial," he says.
The company says its master franchisee, Keith Lapham, raked in millions by selling fake contracts worth up to $25,000 each. And it says he had the help of eight or nine others who created false paperwork and delivered ironing.
Green Acres wants to help the victims - not with cash - but work.
"What we're trying to do is offer 200 plus people the opportunity to take up what, in some ways, they thought they were getting," says Chisholm.
But the new contracts have strings attached. Weekly income is no longer guaranteed and franchisees must provide their own vehicle to pick up and deliver ironing.
"We don't want to get our own vehicles and invest more money and
go and find our own customers - we can't afford to do that," says
Kevin Rodrigues from the Franchise Watch
Group.
Many people won't qualify for contracts because of their immigration status, their inability to drive or because they don't speak good english.
Green Acres also admits that there is not enough ironing work to go around but says it wants to grow the business.
"We're going to take this business to the next level. We're going to commit marketing, advertising resources to it," says Chisholm.
Victims won't get the compensation they are demanding because Green Acres says it has got no legal obligation to pick up the pieces but the company says it has a moral responsibility to help the mostly Chinese and Indian immigrants.
