28 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

...$2500 espresso machine...

WOW! That's the cost of a lot of vente-size macchiatos even at Starbucks prices!

[Bob Fugger]

WOW! That's the cost of a lot of vente-size macchiatos even at Starbucks prices!

But the coffee is of WAY higher quality and costs much, much less per cup - and just as convenient. I'm guessing that for $2,500, the unit is plumbed with on-demand hot water and all you need to do is throw the beans in and empty the grounds bin every so often (I suggest you empty the ground up pucks into your houseplanes).

Mine, for example, is not plumbed but is other wise fully automatic - and probably worth about $900. That's 897 vente macchiatos (I'm guessing $2.55 each, plus GST & optional tip). If you drink two per day, it pays itself off in a little over a year.

If you love caffe (as much as myself and, apparently, cagleyleslie), it's really the only way to go...and a Bodum at the office. Both 'powered' by yummy Caffe Artigiano Private Reserve.

[LJ]

Cuisinart can top (or bottom?) that. If something breaks, even if it is under warranty, you not only have to pay to ship it to ONTARIO because they have no service on the island (and they didn't have a service contract with ABC even when ABC was still going), but you have to send them a cheque to cover the return postage when they ship it back to you. In my experience, when they do ship it back to you -- four months later -- it will arrive looking like someone kicked it across most of Canada.

We have a Cuisinart coffee maker and needed a replacement for the drip-stop mechanism. Called Forum appliance in Vancouver and they shipped the part over (the whole basket and drip-stop) and we received it in 3 days. ($3.65 + shipping - less than $5)

[Jacques Cadé]

Why didn't I catch the spill in time? Because at that exact moment, two Jehovah's Witnesses came to my door, and God help those unfortunate JWs that get into a theological conversation with Holden West. Actually, that was probably God getting revenge on me. I'm glad He and I share the same twisted sense of humour.

Speaking of twisted humour, here's an old communist-era joke I heard in Czechoslovakia:

Q: What's the difference between a Skoda (Czech car) and a Jehovah's Witness?

A: You can always slam the door shut on a Jehovah's Witness.

[Holden West]

^Those poor Skodas. At least the Trabant has commie chic cachet.

I've already put in a call to Dewalt and told them they need to come up with a replacement service centre in Victoria as ABC Electric was the only one in town. Dewalt told me I can ship the tools to Vancouver AT MY EXPENSE and they would be happy to fix it

Apparently Troy Electric services DeWalt so maybe they'll pick up the local contract.

[Bob Fugger]

Looks like some folks might be able to hunt down their stuff.

Some appliances 'rescued' for owners from ABC Electric closure

By Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist

Colin Piggott appears to be one of the lucky ones.

The retired Victoria resident just got his scroll saw returned from the now-closed ABC Electric after wondering if he would ever see his beloved $700 hobby tool again.

But there doesn't appear to have been happy endings for a number of others whose appliances were caught behind closed doors and papered windows when ABC Electric went out of business earlier this month.

Piggott got his saw back after contacting ABC Electric's owner Sterling Corbin's legal representative, Mark Hundleby.

"He made a promise he would contact the owner, Mr. Corbin and [Friday] I had a phone call from a man called Sterling. He told me where my saw was and how I could get it," he said. "So I went and got the saw and fixed it myself and it's working fine."

The saw was left with one of the technicians who worked as a subcontractor for ABC Electric.

According to Piggott, that technician had a number of other items from ABC Electric. Piggott also said during his conversation with Corbin, the store owner did not explain why no one had contacted customers to tell them where they could find their tools.

Bruce Sandy of Bruce Sandy Electronics, one of the subcontractors, is the technician who had Piggott's saw.

Sandy said he has absolutely nothing to do with ABC or its books, and in fact was owed thousands of dollars by the company. "But there's no use suing because they have no money," Sandy said, alleging that over the years he has been given a number of cheques by the Corbins that did not clear.

When the store looked like it was closing, Sandy "rescued" a number of high-end microwaves and coffee makers, noting that if the bailiffs moved in it could be months before people got their machines back.

Sandy said he has repaired about 25 of them and as he finishes he contacts the owners. He says he has 15 more to fix.

He said ABC customers who are wondering about high-end microwaves or coffee makers could contact him at 250-479-9558, but added he did not have all of the items that were left with ABC. He also said he does not know how to get in touch with Corbin.

"At one point Sterling had a home number and then he had it disconnected," he said. "I don't know very much about where all this gear has gone."

The 70-year-old store, which recently moved to a small location near the McDonald's on Hillside Avenue, shut down in June with no notice to customers.

Phones were cut off, and while the website remained online, e-mail links for owners Sterling and Eileen (Clare) Corbin were either disabled or the e-mails themselves were simply ignored as both customers and the Times Colonist repeatedly tried to contact them.

Hundleby, who was listed as representing the Corbins and ABC Electric in another matter, told the Times Colonist he had not been authorized to speak on behalf of the parties but said he would try to contact them. The Corbins did not return calls by press time.

Piggott said the situation was infuriating and wondered why the Corbins didn't bother to give customers a heads-up.

"I felt absolutely powerless and I was getting angrier by the minute because I felt they had stolen it from me," he said. "I wish they had gotten in touch with me when clearing the store and explained the situation and given me a chance to recover [the] saw and take it somewhere else. But no one was in touch with and that's what made me angry."

He wasn't the only one. A number of former customers contacted the Times Colonist to ask what they could do to recover appliances they had left with ABC Electric to be repaired.

Each complainant told the Times Colonist no one told them the store was closing and they were not advised where their tools and appliances had been taken.

According to court documents obtained by the Times Colonist, ABC and the Corbins are being sued by Royal Bank of Canada seeking payment for an $18,631 line of credit and a Visa card with a balance of $23,145.87. The Bank of Montreal also initiated court action to recover $12,460.40 charged to a MasterCard.

© Copyright © The Victoria Times Colonist

[Holden West]

I didn't know (but am not surprised) that ABC subcontracted its repairs. So it looks like we can still get things fixed locally. And eliminate the middleman.

The Corbins are made out to look like real scum in that article, worthy enough to get locked in a room with Morrison, Asfar and all the other local "entrepreneurs" that can't seem to balance a chequebook or keep one step ahead of the tax man.

[Jill]

I can't claim to know the Corbins, but I have met Sterling. He supported a fundraiser I've been involved with for the past few years by bringing espresso machines to the event and making complimentary drinks. Volunteers had to arrive at 6 a.m. or earlier and work for seven or eight hours, so Sterling's cappuccinos were much appreciated. I'm reluctant to put him in the same category as Morrison, who surely has a much longer and more notorious history.

[spanky123]

Unfortunately for the Corbins actions speak very loudly.

I don't know the circumstances surrounding the business closure but I can tell you that people would have viewed the Corbins much more favourably had they simply communicated with their customers.

Deserved or not they will be tainted by this. 70 years of goodwill can be eliminated very quickly.