SOUND ADVICE

I originally purchased a Sony TV from Sound Advice at the Ft Lauderdale location (4008 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308) in July of 2015. The cost of the TV was $2,499 + tax. Additionally, I purchased a 5-year extended warranty for $250. On June 9, 2017, I called Sound Advice to inform them that I was experiencing problems with the TV. Devices connected to the TV through any of the HDMI ports were not transmitting a signal to the TV. I spoke with Sean Forbes, who was my original salesperson, who in turn set up a service call in accordance to the warranty plan. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from Electronic Laboratory in Pompano Beach (who Sound Advice contracts for service repairs) to schedule a service visit. Electronic Laboratory visited my home on June 13th. The diagnosis was a defective PC board assembly on the main circuit board. The part would need to be replaced. EL informed me that they would order the part and return to install it within a week. On June 28th, I called Electronic Laboratory to inquire why my follow up visit was not scheduled. I spoke with the owner of EL, Alan Schatten. He informed me that Sound Advice did not pay EL for previous service related work. He also informed me that Electronic Laboratory would no longer service Sound Advice client issues until the past due balance was paid in full. At that point (also on June 28th), I contacted Jim Arico, the General Showroom Manager for Sound Advice. Mr. Arico expressed shock and confusion regarding the Electronic Laboratory past due balance. He assured me that there was a miscommunication, and that he would take ownership of my repair issue and seek an immediate resolution. He committed to communicating the resolution to me within 48 hours. I called Mr. Arico on June 30th, July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd after not receiving the promised communication. Mr. Arico was not available every time I called. On July 4th, I visited the Ft Lauderdale location to seek the promised resolution. Mr. Arico and I had a contentious conversation. He informed me that there was nothing he could do to resolve the issue. He said the issue could only be resolved by Doug Price, the Chief Operations Officer and/or Peter Beshouri, the CEO. Mr. Arico volunteered to act as a conduit between the executives and myself, and again committed to communicating the resolution. On July 12th, I called Sound Advice requesting an update because no one from Sound Advice had called me. I spoke again with Sean Forbes. he informed me that Jim Arico was unavailable. I expressed my frustration to Mr. Forbes at that point. I relayed the timeline of the issue in question. I also questioned the business ethics of Sound Advice and lack of customer service. I told Mr. Forbes I would seek a legal remedy if this issue was not resolved immediately. Mr. Forbes indicated that he would raise my concerns with upper management. Shortly thereafter, I received a call form Peter Beshouri. The phone call was verbally abusive, threating and menacing. Mr. Beshouri accused me of harassing his employees and told me I should “watch my back”. In preparation for filing a lawsuit and submitting a complaint with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations, I performed a public records search. Currently, Sound Advice has had several vendors sue them for unpaid services and was recently evicted from their Boca Raton location. Additionally, dozens of customers have posted negative reviews and they currently have an “F” rating with the BBB. I sincerely regret ever doing business with Sound Advice.

I needed a stereo system and wanted something that would work with my wireless router rather than the traditional, amp, speakers, etc. I had researched possibilities and was interested in Sonos products. Sound Advice was listed as a local dealer of their equipment. I was greeted promptly the moment I entered the store. I explained what I was looking for, including nuances like powering existing patio speakers that were installed by the former owner. The salesperson explained exactly what Sonos components I needed to achieve the results I wanted. I purchased the recommended components, brought them home and installed everything in under 30 minutes. Everything that was recommended worked exactly as described.