ComplaintsforThe Discount Vending Store, Custom Vending

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Complaint Against Discount Vending Machine Dear BBB,I am writing to file a formal complaint against Discount Vending Machine, a company from which I purchased a *** vending machine in July of 2022. I have experienced significant issues with the product and have encountered unsatisfactory customer service, leaving me with deep frustration and dissatisfaction.Details of the Complaint:Faulty *** Vending Machine: Upon purchasing the *** vending machine from Discount Vending Machine for the substantial cost of over $9000,00, I encountered immediate problems with its functionality. The machine has consistently failed to operate correctly, leading to numerous disruptions and inconvenience for my business operations.Ongoing Issues: Over the past year, I have been diligently attempting to get the vending machine repaired, but I have encountered obstacles and a lack of proper assistance from Discount Vending Machine. Despite my repeated efforts to seek resolution, the company's response has been unsatisfactory, prolonging the inconvenience and distress caused by this situation.Lack of Proper Support: Discount Vending Machine's customer service has been suspect. Their technicians have been consistently unavailable for times I am available , even when I have raised urgent concerns about the non-functionality of the vending machine. This lack of efficiency and professionalism from the company has reflected poorly on my own business and affected my ability to serve my customers adequately.Failure to Comply with Legal Requirements: I have repeatedly expressed the need for an age verifier to be installed on the vending machine, as required by law. However, Discount Vending Machine has been resistant and indifferent to my request, only acknowledging the issue after a mass email was sent out regarding a legal battle related to the age verifier machine software. This negligence and lack of accountability have had a detrimental impact on my business operations.Thank you

  

  Business response

  07/20/2023

  We acknowledge that Roz has a CBD Vending machine that is not working properly.  We have been trying to help her fix it and have sent 3 replacement Age Verification units free of charge. One of them she cut the cable on it while the machine was still on, which should have voided the warranty, but we continued to give her support anyway. Attached is the latest email chain from Roz and the Technician *********  You can see that an appointment was set up for last Thursday at her request but she missed the appointment and blames us for not getting back to her.  We need to speak with her on the phone in order to resolve the issue but *** refuses to call when we are available, but instead sends emails which don't provide enough information to properly diagnose the problem.  Despite what she says, we are doing everything we can to resolve her issue but she just isn't communicating the way we need her too.  We don't have long waits on the phone like many tech companies do.  We are very easy to reach Mon-Fri 8:30-5pm.  However if the customer requires a call in the evening or early hours of the morning, we just can't accommodate that. When *** first called in for support she was very verbally abusive to our technicians and we told her that she couldn't have help if she continued to act unprofessionally.  Since then, she was calmed down on the phone.  The only issue we have right now is that she won't call us at all but insists on us solving the problem via email which we just can't do with her specific issue.  We are more than willing to help as long as it's done professionally and in the time we are open for business. 

  Customer response

  10/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 20351788
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  Discount Vending Store, and Identivend has displayed a shocking lack of accountability throughout my entire ordeal. They've consistently refused to take responsibility for any aspect of the issue I've faced.
  
  To provide more context, the email they're referring to was sent long after my patience had worn thin. I had been dealing with this company for months, making zero progress, and experiencing an overwhelming amount of stress. The problems with the Age Verification (**) unit started long before ****'s email.
  
  What they conveniently omitted from their response were all the previous emails that would have shown just how frustrated I was with having a $10,000 paperweight that was supposed to be the cornerstone of my business innovation. My experience dealing with Discount Vending and the never-ending ** issues turned into an absolute nightmare.
  
  Rather than placing blame solely on me, a more customer-centric approach should have involved rescheduling and offering alternative solutions. However, customer satisfaction appeared to be far from their priority in my case; I was unfairly made the scapegoat for all the problems.
  
  Regarding the incident with the ** unit cord being cut, yes, I did make a mistake and cut it while attempting to fix another issue. Strangely, they failed to mention this detail. Due to the multitude of problems I was encountering at the time, they decided to send me another ** unit. Ironically, this replacement didn't work either, marking the third ** unit I received. During this frustrating process, I discovered that IdentiVend is also owned by *********************, the owner of Discount Vending Store.
  
  Finally, on June 6, 2023, after months of complaining about the ** unit, the credit card device, making countless calls, and spending endless hours on the phone with no resolution, we received an email (please see attached). Throughout this entire time, I had been labeled a difficult customer, despite my valid frustrations and financial losses due to the vending machine's continuous malfunction. I was utterly overwhelmed by the extensive hoops Discount Vending put me through, only to open an email revealing a heated legal battle concerning the very issue I had been grappling with.
  
  I returned the third ** unit they sent me, and it still remains unusable to this day. In my opinion, focusing on my past displays of frustration as a customer is far less relevant than addressing the ongoing issue at hand. I have attached an email to tech support back in December of 2022, ****'s email that was submitted was July 2023, just shows how long this has been and still no resolve. Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  

  Business response

  10/12/2023

  We acknowledge there have been issues and we feel we have taken an extreme amount of accountability. Due to the limited space allowed, I will be brief in this response but Id encourage anyone interested to see the attached response that has more detail. 

  
  The email the customer uploaded from June 2023 reflects our accountability. We identified a software issue, returned the customer's ** unit free of charge, and swiftly uploaded new software. However, after receiving it back, the customer reported connectivity issues. We suggested it might be her internet connection, but she declined to use a dedicated hot spot, insisting that since her phone had good signal, the ** Unit should as well. We explained that these ** units require a strong, uninterrupted 2.4 signal, different from a mobile phone.

  
  In a demonstration of our cooperation, we agreed to test her unit at our warehouse, covering the shipping costs. She refused to send it back and demanded another replacement unit. We clarified that a new unit wouldn't fix the problem if her internet connection was the issue. We need to test it to determine the actual problem.

  
  We've been responsive and made every effort to assist, but there are limits to what we can do. We can't provide internet access or physically retrieve the ** unit from the vending machine.We've covered shipping and offered remote assistance, but the customer hasn't fulfilled her part.
  As for the time the process has taken, we acknowledge its been a long process. However, we've provided a return address label for inspection, repair, or replacement, but the customer demands a new unit without returning the original. We suspect the unit is fine,and the problem lies with her internet connection, so we won't send further replacements without inspecting the original.

  
  

  Customer response

  10/13/2023

   
  Complaint: 20351788
  
  I am rejecting this response. Please see attachments.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  Customer response

  10/13/2023

  
  Complaint: 20351788
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Please see attached 

  

  Business response

  10/17/2023

  See uploaded response

  Customer response

  10/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20351788
  
  I'm dissatisfied with this response for several reasons:

  
  The entire situation is incredibly overwhelming, and I find it challenging to deal with this company. I've included the email thread concerning the ** unit, which has now been returned four times. It's becoming frustrating as they consistently shift blame onto me, the customer, rather than recognizing the ongoing issues with the device.
  I believe there should be some sort of consumer protection akin to a "lemon law" for this product, especially since they've admitted to recurring problems and multiple device returns. Meanwhile, I'm bearing all associated fees, even though the device remains non-functional.

  I'm at a point where I'm unsure how much more of this I can endure. While they might appear to be helpful, I can assure you that they are not. Their approach seems to involve merely applying temporary fixes to a fundamentally flawed machine, which they consider a resolution.

   
  Sincerely,
  *******************************

  Customer response

  10/25/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of Mediation. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID .********, , and find that Mediation is  absolutely necessary in this case. 

  Regards,

  *******************************

  

  Business response

  11/13/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of Mediation. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the consumer in reference to complaint ID .********, and find that Mediation is necessary.

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  11/29/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of Mediation. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID .********, , and find that Mediation is necessary.

  Regards,

  *******************************

  

  Business response

  11/29/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of Mediation. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the consumer in reference to complaint ID .********, and find that Mediation is necessary.

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  04/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In March 2023 we bought 1 vending machine from Discount Vending Store, then we upgraded to 2 and got a lease for those 2 from ***********. *********** funded $18633.53 to Discount Vending Store for Invoice ******* (detailed attached). After going through training we found out the sales Rep ******** sold us the wrong machine for our needs despite being told several times we need a temperature controlled unit. She owned her mistake and we then changed our purchase to just a machine that suited our needs. ****** updated the invoice to the new amount of $11522.36 and then sent us an email saying we have a credit in the amount of $7111.17. Per our lease with *********** we are only to be funded for what is listed on invoice ******* - that amount has now changed. The Discount Vending Store is refusing to issue the surplus back to *********** or our company. So essentially we are paying a high interest lease for equipment we have not received and a credit we do not want and will never use. Both companies (*********** and Discount Vending) have been contacted. ****** at Discount vending hung up on us when we asked her to have the president of the company call us. Bri at Discount Vending is being evasive and will also not assist with resolution. We have now spoken with 2 people from *********** (************************* and ****) and sent all of this documentation to them as well but have not received any resolution. In the meantime ***************** has no equipment but we have paid 1 installment of $767.51 toward the $18633.53 balance.

  

  Business response

  04/11/2023

  The customer was told exactly what the ********************** machine was capable of. They are using us a an excuse to get out of their loan once they realized the fees were higher than they expected.   After the purchase was finalized, they realized the **** Mini wall mounted vending machine was not capable of refrigeration, so we agreed to swap out the the 2 non-refrigerated machines for one refrigerated machine and yes they were left with a credit.  Since this was a financed deal, we were unable to issue a refund to the customer. The customer needed to work out details for a refund with the 3rd party finance company, ***********.  ****** told the customer this multiple times but they refused to go to ***********.  ****** was very patient on the phone but the constant abuse she received including yelling and swearing did result in ****** hanging up on the customer.  We continued to email the customer but refused to listed on the phone when they are not being professional. The customer then took out her anger on our Office Manager Bri who patiently listened, but was unable to help as our contract was not with the customer, but ***********.  *** told the customer that they needed to talk to *********** about the refund or cancellation, but they wouldn't believe her either.  When we talked to *********** they told us to inform the customer to talk to them.  That's what we have been doing but we've been the target of abuse from the customer. 

  
  At this point, we don't want anything to do with this customer because of the lies they are spreading, and their unprofessional manner they've handled the sale.  We have already design costs, but we are going to walk away so additional time and money isn't wasted.  We can't refund the customer as the money went through the finance company, but we are refunding the finance company what they paid us and then it will be up to them to work out a refund with the customer. 
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩