Complaint Review: HYPE AUDIO

05/06/2007
Debit: $108.03
From merchant 268748738880 HYPEAUDIO 718-787-0817 NY

Order placed with Howard Pierce Direct on 05/04/2007. My card was charged the same day even though on their website they state that they do not charge until the order has shipped.

Received a confirmation email. Order #239661

I waited patiently for my shipment tracking number as promised on their website. Never got one!

I called to find to find out why. I was told that the order had been delayed and would ship on Monday (05/14/07). I called that Monday (05/14/07) and was told my order shipped the previous Friday (05/11/07). When I asked for a tracking number I was told that it is unavailable at this time. Well, I'm not stupid the item was never shipped if you can't provide a tracking number.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited 48 hours to see if a tracking number would be emailed as promised. It was not. I called back on 05/16/07 only to find out that my item is no longer in stock and that my order has been cancelled without my conscent. Which by this time is irrelevant because I know I'm being jerked around. I asked when I could expect a refund and was told 3-4 business days. Keep in mind the company is open 6 days a week and only closed on Sundays. I should have received a refund by 05/21/07 at the latest.

I called them back on 05/22/07 to find out where my refund was. I was told it would be 5-6 business days. I asked to speak to the CSR's manager or the owner. At this point, as if he hadn't been rude enough already, he proceeded to hang up on me. Upon attempting to call back to get the expedited refund fax number, which he failed to give me because he was too busy losing his temper, I was left on hold for about 10-15 minutes before someone picked up the phone and hung it up on me again without saying anything. I called back once again to the Sales Dept. instead this time and was able to get the expedited refund fax number. I don't understand why I should have to fax an expedited refund form to get my money back and why can't you find the form anywhere on their website?

More complaints can be found here: http://www.m4040.com/AssholeFiles/HypeAudio.htm

HYPE AUDIO
1643 McDonald Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11230
718-787-0817
888-766-4442
Fax: 718-645-7890

Customer Service Reps:
Woody ext. 312
Alan ext. 309 (His hobbies: Being rude & Hanging up on people.)
Is it just a coincidence that the only two people I could ever talk to go by the alias of Woody and Alan? That right there is just not quite right.

This firm also does business under the following names. This is not necessarily a complete list.

A. Heffco Technologies, Inc.
Dealz Net / DealzNet.com
Digital Busters
Editors Choice / (EdsChoice.net)
Gigabuyz (Yahoo Store)
Heffez, Heffez, Heffez & Zalta
Howard Pierce Direct AV / HPDirectAV.com
H. P. Appliance Center
Hype Audio
Ideal Audio Video
Ideal AV
LGD Superstore / Let's Go Digital (LGDSuperstore.com)
MLGJ Holdings Corp.
Prices Rite (PricesRite.com)

Other Addresses Used:

936 Kings Highway
Brooklyn, NY 112231122

717 Avenue W
Brooklyn, NY 11223

108 Ryder Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11230

1686 Mcdonald Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11230

1502 Kings Highway
Brooklyn, NY 11229

2382 E. 5th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11223

Phone Numbers Used:
800-229-3905
888-766-4442
718-645-7809
718-336-5469
718-375-5078 (?)
(718) 336-5492 (718) 787-0817 (888) 447-0011
(718) 645-4818 (800) 845-9440 (800) 768-9120
(718) 645-1809 (718) 339-3457 (718) 336-0967
(718) 627-4899 (718) 336-7745

Fax Numbers Used:
718-645-7809
718-645-1809

Website(s):
www.lgdsuperstore.com
www.dealznet.com
www.pricerite.com
www.idealav.com
http://www.hpdirectav.com/

Jack Heffner, Owner

PricesRite
Website: pricesrite.com
Address: 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11223
Phones: 800-845-9440, fax718-645-7890

Domain: registrant: A. Heffco Technologies, 1/30/00; 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11223
718-787-0817, fax718-645-1809; heffez@yahoo.com
[phone reverses to A. Heffco Technologies at 936 Kings Hwy., Brooklyn NY 11223]

NYS: A. Heffco Technologies, Inc., 1/15/98; 936 Kings Hwy., Brooklyn NY 11223
[principal contact, according to Importers.com: Gabriel Heffez]

corporate website: heffco.com [inactive since early Dec., 2005]
Domain: registrant: A. Heffco Technologies, 12/11/01; 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11223
718-339-3457, fax718-645-7890; heffez@yahoo.com

HypeAudio
Website: hypeaudio.com, and hypaudio.com [forwards to hypeaudio.com]
Address: 108 Ryder Ave., Brooklyn NY 11230
Phones: 800-768-9120, fax718-645-7890 or 718-336-0967

Domain: registrant for hypeaudio.com: Larry Heffez, 6/26/01; 717 Avenue W, Brooklyn NY 11223
718-787-0817, fax718-645-7890; heffez@yahoo.com
(original) registrant: Karen Levy, same address; checkline2@aol.com, 718-627-4899

registrant for hypaudio.com: Larry Heffez, 6/25/01; 2382 E. 5th St., Brooklyn NY 11223
718-627-4899; heffez@yahoo.com [phone reverses to Karen Heffez at 717 Avenue W]

Let's Go Digital, LGD Superstore
Website: lgdsuperstore.com
Address: 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11230
Phones: 888-447-0011, 800-766-4442, fax718-645-7890

Domain: registrant: A. Heffco Technologies, 5/17/00; 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11223
718-787-0817, fax718-645-1809; heffez@yahoo.com

Dealznet
Website: dealznet.com
Address: 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11230
Phones: 888-766-4442, fax718-645-7890

Domain: registrant: A. Heffco Technologies, 7/25/00; 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11223
718-787-0817, fax718-645-1809; heffez@yahoo.com

Ideal AudioVideo
Website: idealav.com
Address: 108 Ryder Ave., Brooklyn NY 11230
Phones: 800-768-9120, fax718-645-7890

Domain: registrant: IdealAV.com, 4/2/02; 108 Ryder Ave., Brooklyn NY 11230
718-336-7745, fax718-336-0967
admin. contact: Mark Evans, markevans@idealav.com


Editor's Choice
Website: edschoice.net [no longer active]
Address:
Phones:

Domain: registrant: Jack Heffez, 3/22/05; 1643 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn NY 11230
718-787-0817; heffez@yahoo.com


Family Ties: the Heffez-Zalta Nexus

The domain of this family's newest member Howard Pierce's Direct AV, below was registered by Max Zalta, the principal figure behind the Radioactive family. But evidence shows that the dealer is managed by the PricesRite family, whose principals are Gabriel Heffez of Heffco Technologies and other members of his (actual) family.

This is not the first visible connection between Zalta and Heffez. When Don Wiss photographed the PricesRite store in 2001, this sign (ATTACHMENT) showed among the occupants a company called "Heffez, Heffez, Heffez & Zalta."

Howard Pierce's Direct AV
Website: hpdirectav.com
Address: not on website
Phone: 800-229-3905 [near bottom of About Us page]

Mailing Address: PO Box 230561, Brooklyn NY 11223
[found on PC World listing from PriceGrabber, but absent from other shopping sites]

Domain: original registrant and admin. contact: Max Zalta, 12/16/05
c/o Network Solutions anonymous address
current registrant and admin. contact: "Howard Pierce" [since May 2006]

NOTE: membership in the PricesRite family is confirmed in two ways:
three customers have reported in online forums that orders from this company were shipped
from "Heffco"
the phone number (as of July, 2006) for resolving incorrectly entered orders on their website
is 800-768-9120, the number of Ideal AV and HypeAudio

Photos of these locations at:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0197.htm

Resellerratings.com has reviews:
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Pricesrite
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Let_s_Go_Digital
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Dealznet
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Hype_Audio

Better Business Bureau -- 200+ complaints in the past 3 years
http://www.newyork.bbb.org/reports/businessreports.aspx?id=1026&pid=44&page=0&FindStr=lgd&SearchBy=company&Address=&City=&Phone1=&Phone2=&Phone3=&MembersOnly=False

D.B.
San Antonio, Texas
U.S.A.