Complaint Review: PEACH TRADER DBA ACITY DISCOUNT - Atlanta Georgia

Ripped off by A City Discount Peach Trader, Inc. If youre a small business that depends on fair dealing for high ticket purchasesbeware (my opinion).

• I purchased a commercial coffee/cappuccino maker for my restaurant from this company on-line.
•  I chose them because they were local to my businessthinking that any problems or support would be local.
• When the product arrived, my staff unpacked it and immediately began filling ordersthe first being espresso orders.
• The machine would make espresso, but when we tried to make coffee a day or so later (summer trend for my restaurant), the machine would only spill the coffee into the back of the machine into the catch basin.
• When I was informed of the problem I tested all functions of the machine. I noted that although the machine would produce espresso, it would spill over the front of the dispenser, rather than deliver the product through the stainless steel tubes, as designed.
• I called A-City Discount and was told that they had no responsibility for my purchase, even though this is the company that I paid approximately $1000 to for the purchase.
• They directed me to another distributor in Rochester, NY.
• I called the NY company and was walked through a series of steps to test the functionality of the product.
• After the first middleman company walked me through a series of tests to try to correct the operation of the machine, they stated that the machine may not work with the fine grinding functioneven though this was a setting from the manufacturer.
• My response was that the quality of the coffee drinks listed in the manufacturers specs would be compromised if I could only grind beans on the coarse setting.
• The first middleman company replied that I should just return the machine to A-City if I wasnt happy with it.
• I therefore called A-City back and asked to return the machine if there was no field support (independent or otherwise) to troubleshoot the machine.
• A-City told me that they were not responsible for the condition of the machine and that I would have to call the first middleman back for a solution.
• When I refused to be put into an endless back and forth A-City told me that they would contact the first middle man and get back with me.
• After I didnt hear back from A-City I called them back for a response and was told that the position of the first middle man was that my problem was not a warranty issue and there was nothing they could do.
•  I then asked to speak to a management person at A City and was refused.
• I then asked for the corporate agent for A-City to allow me to file a small claims suit. Again I was refused.
• When I informed A-City that I would have my attorney identify their corporate agent for the small claims suit I was told that they would contact the first middleman again.
• I received a call back from A-City and was informed that if I would pack/crate the machine and send it to the first middleman in NY that the NY company would determine whether or not my problem was a warranty issue.
• If the problem was not a warranty issue, according to a company that had already decided that my problem was not a warranty issue, I would be credited  the cost of the machine minus a 20% restocking fee. Of course, fat chance that they would change their mind after I paid to pack the machine and wait who knows how long for them to inform me that they were wrong regarding their initial position.
• After additional phone calls and the promise that I would expose A-City for their bad faith dealing via the Internet and my networking system, I was told that they would agree to take the machine back and credit me for the cost.
• The next day I received an e-mail for A-City that documented their intent to credit me the cost of the machine minus a 20% restocking fee.
• When I tried to point out that their fee was not our agreement, and that I would protest the credit card charge as a result, I was informed that there was nothing they could do to assist me further.
• I traveled to the A-City discount office to return the machine, as required by the credit card company, and delivered the defective machine.
• After waiting approximately 20 minutes, the customer service manager came out with the customer service rep I had dealt with on multiple phone calls and e-mails.
• Their approach was to repeat what I had experienced on the phone calls and e-mails (deny any responsibility for the purchase I had made from their company).
• The customer service rep repeated no less that two time that the moment I signed the UPS delivery receipt that I owned the machine. A very telling position regarding the customer service philosophy of a company.
• During the exchange I asked no less than four times for a written record of my delivery of the machine, per the request of the credit card company.
• My request was refused.
• The customer service rep had told me that my purchase was like buying a caryou dont go back to the selling dealer to handle warranty issues.
• The manager that I spoke with while in their office told me that when you buy a washing machine from Sears you dont go back to Sears with a problem, you go back to Maytag.
• Of course, both analogies are inaccurate and absurd.
• I left the office and basically wrote off the $1,000 dollarsthe credit card company and a possible small claims suit being my only options.

 Hence, my suggestion to youavoid this company like the bubonic plague. God Bless.