stereo-needs carstereoneeds Mom & Pop Audio Speedsounds, Inc. Elizabeth Ann Paz (owner) WARRANTY NO GOOD. WON'T RESPOND TO EMAILS AFTER GETTING RETURN OF STEREO FOR REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT Murrieta California

The company goes under several names: "stereo-needs" on eBay; "Mom & Pop Audio" eBay Store; "carstereoneeds"; and "SpeedSounds, Inc." as a registered business entity with the California Secretary of State, which shows the owner as Elizabeth Ann Paz.

I purchased a car stereo from this person in August 2016.  The stereo worked fine for almost 6 months, then failed completely. Prior to making the purchase I specifically asked the seller about warranty coverage because the manufacturer of the item a) only has a one year warranty on their products, and b) states explicitly that there is NO WARRANTY if purchased from anyone other than an authorized retailer. Ms. Paz assured me that there was a "Full 3-year warranty" on the item and that if there was any problem to simply return it for repair or replacement. With that assurance I made the purchase.

When the unit failed I contacted the seller through eBay, but received no response until after I contacted eBay about it.  Ms. Paz sent a reply through eBay suggesting that I reset the unit and that if that didn't work to send it to her for repair/replacement.  I was also instructed to enclose a $15 money order to cover return postage. (It cost me $20 to ship the unit to Ms. Paz) and to make the money order payable to Speedsounds, Inc.  UPS tracking showed that the item was delivered to the address she provided: 27890 Clinton Keith Road, Suite D Box #349, Murrieta, CA 92562. 

After sending the unit I again emailed Ms. Paz to provide her with the UPS tracking number and  asked for an estimate on how long it would take for repair/replacement.  It was at this point Ms. Paz ceased all communication.  Calls to the phone number shown on the original shipping label are answered by a recording saying that, "Due to the high volume of calls, contact us by email."  I sent numerous emails  both through eBay and every other email associated with this seller. Absolutely no response.  Sadly the 90 day time limit for eBay and the 180 day time limit for PayPal had expired so they were of little help.

At this point I became concerned enough to run a Google search on all the names this company does business under.  I am alarmed at the number if hits such a search generated, including a couple  on ripoffreport.com. The only conclusion I can come to is that since 2012 this company has made a practice of having defective equipment returned under warranty, only to then cut all communication with the buyer.  Many complaints indicate the buyer never received their property back or heard from Ms. Paz again after the property was sent.

If you find yourself in a similar situation my suggestion is to file a complaint with the California Atttorney General under a Consumer Complaint Against A Business/Corporation.  A form is available online at:

https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company

This form may be completed online or downloaded as a fillable pdf form which can be completed and mailed.

If you have experienced a similar problem with this company, please take whatever time is necessary to pursue a remedy and expose this company.  Thanks, and good luck!

JD - Augusta, GA