glenn j.

READ THIS: IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!

This article is intended for those persons and businesses who are likely to be wanting to purchase
Laundry equipment for private or business purposes and happen to come across the www pages of Sebco Laundry Systems.

BEWARE OF SEBCO LAUNDRY SYSTEMS. [N. J.]

My wife and I are travelling pensioners and, having decided to settle in Tonga a little island in the south pacific, we decided to set up a much needed coin operated laundry here to cater for the many cruising boats that visit this island. Hence we enthusiastically went about the usual search via the internet for suitable equipment that our laundry would need. Regrettably and confidently we thought our search over when we discovered Sebco Laundry Systems. BIG MISTAKE

Vanessa [my wife] first contact was with Dina Carrasquillo the sales representative we had the misfortune of being assigned. Telephonically Vanessa was assured that it would be no problem
To supply220v 50Hz washing machines and tumble dryers to Tonga as they had export models.
By request Dina sent the specification of the models agreed upon and true enough there in black and white were the export models indicating. 220V 50Hz Satisfied that everything was okay the order was placed and the full amount paid for the equipment required. We arranged and paid for the shipping of the equipment to Tonga. Then the waiting began. Dina indicated it would take about
6to 8 weeks depending on the ship sailing time which we accepted. After about 4 weeks we contacted Dina to enquire about the progress of the delivery and were informed that the equipment
Had no yet been sent because the payment we had made was short by $25.00. After numerous unsucessful emails and phone calls to Dina we resolved to pay the further $25.00 dollars which by now had delayed the delivery by 10 weeks only to learn later that the shortfall of $25.00 was in fact a deduction made by Sebco's bank. By now we were pretty dissillutioned not by the $25.00 but by the fact we were now entering the cruising season and our equipment had not arrived. Finally after four months of waiting and two months into the cruising season the equipment arrived. On inspection it was discovered that Sebco had sent their domestic models 110V/60HZ instead of the 220V /50HZ that had been discussed with Dina. The entire season was now lost to us in terms of an income but as disstressing was the fact that we had secured premises, paid the necessary deposits and monies associated with the of the leasing premises. Vanessa contacted Dina immediately indicating the error.

AT THIS POINT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SEBCO WENT PEAR SHAPED

Dina immediately took on an offensively loud and defensive attitude and told Vanessa that we had received what we had ordered and that Sebco don't deal in export models ie. 220V /50hz. After being told that the problem was all ours and that Sebco was not taking any responsibility for what we felt was their error the call ended on hostile note. Vanessa followed up this conversation with emails to Dina on two occassions. NO RESPONSE WAS FORTHCOMING

Our next step was to make contact with Richard Kovatch the sales director/manager. We outlined a detailed senario to him concerning the error in an email. This email was also CC to Dina. Getting no response from either parties Vanessa resent the same email. STILL NO RESPONSE

Following the chain the chain of command in the hope of getting somewhere Vanessa phoned Nick Braverman the Customer Satisfaction Director. After explaining the whole senario in detail to him he confirmed after looking at the transaction on screen that domestic models had been delivered instead of export models. Feeling somewhat relieved that at last someone was listening the conversation ended where Nick promised to look into the situation and get back to her as soon as. Two days later Vanessa again followed up with a telephone call. Nick was in a meeting'' and that he would phone back shortly. The following day Vanessa phone again only to be told that he was out of the office. ONCE AGAIN NO RESPONSE

By now we were concerned that following our repeated conversations and emails that Sebco indeed was not going to do anything to adress our issues and that perhaps they were hoping that we would just go away. Vanessa next sent off an email to John Petruska the Service Director once again setting out the issues in detail and sending him the correspondence sent to Sebco so far.

NO RESPONSE WAS EVER RECEIVED FROM HIM EITHER BY EMAIL OR PHONE

At this point in the proceeding I had to fly to Cape Town for personal reasons. After discussing our dellimma with my son in law Bernard he volunteered to act on our behalf to see if he could get some kind of response from Sebco. He immediately took up where Vanessa had left off and phoned Sebco requesting to speak with Nick Braverman. After explaining his motivation behing the call after being requested to do by the recetionist Bernard was told that he was in a meeting and that he would phone back.

ONCE AGAIN NO RESPONSE WAS FORTHCOMING

Dissatisfied Bernard decided to go to the top, Steve Breitman, to involve him in settling the issue. After being refused his contact details Bernard managed to get the contact details through an internet search and fired off an email to him to which at long last we received a positive response that he would look into it immediately as he did'nt want unsatisfied customers
I immediately phoned my wife in Tonga and indicated the matter was at last being resolved by the CEO no less. That was over a month ago and have attempted numerous phone calls.

TO THIS DAY WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FOLLOW UP WITH STEVE BREITMAN

Finally as all avenues have been exhausted in trying to solve the issue a final email was sent to Steve Breitman and his entourage of incompetent directors and suggested that if they didnt respond to the email within 7 days I would have no alternative but to follow a different course
Of action. Starting with this article in numerous magazines and following it up on Twitter, Facebook Linkedin {to name a few] and any other avenue availible, I hope to make future prospective buyers of laundry equipment aware of the pitfalls which they may encounter should they elect to deal with SEBCO LAUNDRY

NINE DAYS HAVE PASSED SINCE MY FINAL EMAIL AND TRUE TO FORM THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE FROM ANY OF THE MANAGEMENT STAFF.

HOPEFULLY THIS ARTICLE WILL SAVE SOMEONE OUT THERE
FROM BEING TREATED WITH THE ABSOLUTE DISREGARD TO BASIC
HUMAN STANDARDS AND BUSINESS ETHICS THAT WE HAVE BEEN
SUBJECTED TO.
My contact details; *******@yahoo.com for those wanting any further information