Why (not) franchise?

As I was reading some articles on the internet about franchising I came across two very opposing points of view on franchising.

The first article was written by the British Franchise Association (BFA) based on a franchise survey BFA conducted in 2005. The article lists 10 reasons for anybody that is starting a business why you SHOULD get into franchising. The second article is written by Michigan-based attorney and expert on small business law: Fred S. Steingold. In his book ‘The Complete Guide to Buying a Business’ Steingold gives 10 reasons why you SHOULDN’T get into franchising. The two articles pretty much cancel each other out. I’ve made a list of some of the most contradicting arguments:

British Franchise Association (BFA)	Fred S. Steingold
Proven success Franchising has been proven to be one of the safest ways of starting a new business compared to other business start-ups. 88 per cent of franchisees reported profitability.	High start-up costs In addition to the non-refundable initial franchise fee, there are also usually high start-up costs associated with furnishing a franchise
Safety Franchises operate under an already-established brand that has been developed and proven in the marketplace.	Limited independence Most franchisors impose price, appearance, and design standards on franchisees, limiting the ways they can operate the franchise.
Strategy in place The franchisor has a marketing, sales and advertising strategy to promote the franchise network.	Advertising fees Many franchisees are obligated to make regular contributions to the franchisor’s advertising fund, without any guarantee the contribution is being used for their specific franchise.
Reselling the franchise Franchising gives you the opportunity to build a profitable business that can be resold, if you choose to.	Restrictions on post-term competition Due to noncompetition clauses built into almost every franchise agreement, franchisees are not allowed to become independent business owners in a similar business after termination of the franchise agreement.
Support A good franchise will offer you a proven business format with initial and continuing support. Franchisors often have field support staff to help franchisees	Lack of legal recourse As a franchisee, there is little legal recourse that you can take if you are wronged by the franchisor. In the USA less than 6% of the franchise-related complaints are being investigated.

Both parties (BFA and Steingold) have fine arguments to support their case but I think it’s smart to keep in mind where they’re coming from; The British Franchise Association (BFA) benefits from a growing number of franchisees and Mr. Steingold (attorney & business expert) seems to be more of an objective observer. Therefore I tend to agree more with Mr. Steinfold than with the BFA on this issue. Tell me, what do you think?