The national media might be a good tool to help us find out as much information as we can about the FTC seizure and how long it will take to untangle the financial mess they have inherited. The media may also be able to further investigate and interview anyone connected to AED, including the local employees, who may have a lot to say about AED and its operation.
I was probably one of the last few people to receive a machine. Their tech, Dave Guzman, installed it on September 10 at my location in Gardena, CA (I placed the order in late April). He said he was the only tech doing any installations that week because all the others were staying home due to the hurricane. When he finished at my location, he was headed to another installation in the San Fernando Valley and I think to another one in Canada.
Like most everyone else who has a machine, my experience with tech support, once the machine was installed was poor. The feeling I got was that they were just too overwhelmed to provide good tech customer service. I figured as such, because the machines require a little more than just basic computer skills to operate them.
Michael Paz was also my sales rep. He claimed AED was not really making any money from the sale of the machines at the close to $40,000 price tag. The more important part of their income, he claimed, was the residual income such as commissions from Ingram Entertainment from the DVD sales made to us when we restock our successful DVD rental machines. I thought that the DVD rental machines must really be successful if that was how they planned to sustain their business. Of course I never heard from him once the machine was paid for.
When I finally ordered DVD's from Ingram, I expected a complete market research of my area in order to determine which DVD's to stock the machine with, since this is what AED said was included as part of the package from Ingram when purchasing their machine. When Ingram did not seem to know much about this, I called AED and talked to Ed Farlow in customer service, who said he would email Ingram's representative for AED's customers, since it was part of Ingram's agreement with AED to provide this market research service and to spend several hours over the phone with first-time customers.
After not hearing anything from Ingram, I called Ed Farlow again to let him know Ingram had not contacted me. His response was that there was no agreement with AED and Ingram! I could not believe what I was hearing. I asked to speak to a supervisor. He advised me that he was the supervisor. I asked to speak to or leave a voice mail for the president of the company. He advised me that the president of the company does not speak with the customers. I could not believe my ears. Among all the AED personnel I dealt with, my experience with Ed Farlow was the worst.
There was only one person in AED who I felt I received professional service from, and that was Lloyd Dobson, in the locations department.
I am sorry for all of us who took a chance with this company and invested money, and especially for those whose fortunes and dreams of making life a little better for themselves have been taken away.
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