Planet Antares
I bought 3 machines from this company 3 years ago (we spent almost $20,000) after we went to the conference which they told us how easy to earn money with this business. They told us that they will help us to find the locations for all these machines, etc... To make a story short it is not easy to find a good location for all these machines. We moved these machines from one location to another location two times, we are barely to make enough money to pay to the bank that we borrowed to purchase these 3 machines.
I would like to be a part of that class action lawsuit against Planet Antares. Please let me know if you find one.
Thanks!
Sll
Posted on 4/9/2012
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planet antares
I would like to be a part of that class action lawsuit against Planet Antares.
Posted on 2/27/2012
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I bought 3 of the snack/drink combo machines back in 2007, wiped out my retirement, and went into about 12,000.00 of debt in the process. It's been 4 yrs, and I just placed the 3rd machine. I agree the Planet Antares gouged us on the price. But I do feel that it's a decent machine. The tricky part is finding the proper location for them. The distributor services dept at Planet Antares treated me well. But the mailings, the address labels, were a complete waste of time and energy. I sent out 900 mailers, and got NO response.
The issue at hand: I now have 3 fully functioning machines, and no support if something goes wrong.
What I need to find out is where these machines were manufactured, and where we can get parts/service, when needed.
I have the 2005 version of the snack/drink refreshment center. At the present time, I'm looking for the metal insert for the lower right-hand drink lane, so that the lane can dispense standard 12 oz cans. If anyone knows where I can get my hands on one of these, please feel free to contact me.
my email: jdisalva21@hotmail.com
Posted on 11/19/2011
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I agree with a lot of the bad reviews on this company. It was a high pressure, slick presentation. I spent $20,000 on two of the Office Deli machines a year ago. Both are placed and make approximately $25 a week. A far cry from the represented weekly $200 "suggested" amount I could make from these machines. One of the machines looked like it had been used and I have had problems with it from the day I unpacked it. It is currently leaking water on the office floor where it is placed and they call me at least once a week to complain about it. I'm running out of excuses for this machine.
And now Planet Antares is out of business. When I received the notice of bankruptcy I tried to join the lawsuit claiming loss of services that I had paid for in advance.
If anyone knows of a lawsuit against this company, please let us all know.
Posted on 9/17/2011
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I spent more than $45,000 on 8 machines the later half of 2005, half of the $100,000 life insurance from my husbands' death – a WHOLE LOT of MONEY for ME!!! It was WAY, WAY too much money for the machines, and if I knew what I know now, I would have never done it. It would have been a much better investment to put it into some kind of stock with a good dividend, and let it grow. Plus, I think I was misled as to the profits available and the amount of time it would take. I thought I would make all my money back in about 3 years, counting on at least $200 a month PROFIT from each machine monthly, but it has been nearly six years, and I am sure that I am a long way from even making back my initial investment. It has taken me this long to finally be making a decent profit, but if you look at the amount of time I have put in, probably my hourly return is pretty abysmal. PLUS, their resale value is almost nil. The real value I have in the business is the good will and the monthly income that I am now making. I could have sold my "route" easily if I had had the larger machines, but I was refused by every substantial company who was initially interested due to the fact I had Antares machines.
Then, what really made me mad, was they made such a big deal out of the fact that the more you bought initially, the cheaper you could get machines in the future, and I had been suckered hook, line and sinker, so of course, I thought in the future I would want more machines. So against the wise advice of my husband at the time (who said to buy 3), I bought eight, THEN they go and half the price of my identical machine anyway, so I bought 8 for nothing!!! So, to recap, my main complaint is that I think I was mislead regarding the realistic expectations regarding the business, and I feel I was seriously overcharged for the machine. In other words, I was duped and skinned.
You just CAN'T make as much profit with these little machines as you can the larger, more typical machines, due to the fact that there just isn't the selection available like in the larger machines. And even if you could get lucky and find a larger venue (usually the best locations are already taken by the much larger companies), you would have to go every day or two to keep it filled, due to the fact that these smaller machines just can't hold the stock that the larger ones can.
There is a niche for them in like smaller manufacturing locations with around 25-30 people, or a white collar place if there are at least 50 folks, then you can do pretty well going once a week. The only reason I am making as much as I am now, is that I got someone with a large business to mentor me and to assist me in finding locations. (He would give me locations that he didn't want.) Not many people have that luxury though of real expertise. I never felt Antares really had it to give. If I could get at least half my money back in a class action suit, I would go for it in a minute. Plus, what do we do now they are out of business, when we need to have coin mechanisms that can taken more than a dollar!!!! We would have to find someone to design manufacture it for us!
Posted on 7/22/2011
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This company needs to be thoroughly investigated by the law. I made complaints about this fraudulent company called Planet Antares last year concerning the way they were treating me after collecting my life savings of $11,000 for a vending machine. They have exploited the vulnerability of families based on the economic hardship and situation. I was informed by some very rude crooks that work at Planet Antares after calling several times that my assigned coach "EMILIO CATANO" no longer worked at the company only for me to call the company with a different number weeks later and the same EMILIO CATANO answered the phone. Planet Antares is a well planned scam executed by professional fraudsters. I do not see a reason why these crooks should not be jailed for the pain they have inflicted on the lifes and finances of people who genuinely wanted to do business. I am also suprised that some former employees of this company who knew this scam initially are now coming out to speak out against them because they are no longer recieving their largese. They are all part of this fraud. I am very much interested in the class action that was proposed as I understand that this company has exploited the system several times by declaring bankruptcy and changing their name only to do the same thing all over again.
Posted on 5/26/2011
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Not satisfied with their service. Never forwarded any info to me. Had to contact them through this link and all I have gotten so far is an answering machine. Will keep trying. To everyone, if you are serious, cache or save this page. Should Barb S. be dishing the BS (and I have no evidence whether she is, only if) everything she has said on here can be used in court. A website exists to get a law suit going, but it just started. We would need to join these people and start a critical mass in order either to find an attorney, or to petition FTC or to lodge a complaint with District Attorney. You can go here and make a contact: http://plantaressuit.wordpress.com/.
Posted on 5/9/2011
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I have the same complaints as everyone else but the answer you're not getting any response from the company is because they filed bankruptcy in early 2011. I am trying to find out information about a class action lawsuit and have put inquiries into a couple of different areas. THIS COMPANY IS ONE BIG SCAM AND THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE PROSECUTED. This is no different than an investment firm doing wrong to people.
I will post information if I find a class action lawsuit.
IF THERE WERE NEGATIVE STARS, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD RATE THIS SCAM OF A COMPANY.
Posted on 5/9/2011
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i think you people should deal with it and shut up these people are real good at what they do and i love them
Posted on 5/6/2011
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I am so glad I found this site, and also, I was NOT surprised in the least to see that the BBB gives, Planet Antares, or whatever name they are using today, an F- rating. My story is the same as almost everyone else in these reviews. If I could find the woman I dealt with when I took this ignorant step(Who's name I wont mention here), I would give her a look that would, IF she has any conscience, make her shrivel up. This woman manipulated a very terrible family situation, which, I should have never fallen for. What bothers me most, is I have been a very good business man all my life, and HOW I ever fell for this scam, is beyond me!
What I am saying right now is, I have 2 machines, one has never been placed, and the other was placed for 8 month's, with very little use. They have been sitting idle now for almost 2 years, I moved from FL to MN, and have not even bothered to try and place them here. I would love to sell them, so anyone interested, please contact me. I also would LOVE to be a party in a class action suit! Anyone that would care to talk, you can reach me on FaceBook,,,,Johnny Northfield. One more thing, it is SO blatantly obvious that the "Reviews" in the early stages of these postings are BOGUS, just as the 5'2'' woman at the presentation was, telling us all that she is able to set up the machines on her own,,,LMAO, I am a strong man, and it was rough, and even I was not able to stack the square units alone,,,Dana? How do you sleep at night?
Posted on 4/25/2011
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Hi Planet Antares , and or Barbara S.
I am a vendor, and have 3 or your Beverage/Snack machines
Please provide me with a phone# for tech. support or Customer Service.
I can't believe you would not contact your us or with forwarding contact info.
Fara K
Posted on 4/12/2011
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Just so everyone here knows...Planet Antares formally Antares Corporation, formally Orion has closed it's doors! The scam has finally seen its last days. I used to work for Dana Bashor and the other crooks at this company for 5 years. I know first hand how they have scammed people out of thier money. When they realized the "gig" was almost up here in the USA...Canada became the next victim. Without going into every detail I will say this: Dana is broke! The company could not even afford to pay rent at the Buckingham address. He has had to move from his home in Hidden Hills, sold most of his cars and yes laid off about 75 employees. I for one am glad he can't run this scam on anyone else. He did it for 23 years! REMEMBER THIS NAME...DANA BASHOR, JULIE TAYLOR, CHARMAINE HEDGE and BRENDA SPENCER! If you see any of these names attached to ANYTHING...RUN RUN RUN!!!!!
PS...BARBARA S. AKA BELINDA COTTON...please respond so I can really begin to state facts and back it up with proff LMAO!!!
Posted on 4/1/2011
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My wife and I live in Canada and bought 8 of these machines and feel similar to many of the other posters.
I have also read many of the company responses. I know from our machines location is everything. Our best machine does $280 a week and our worst $30, so clearly we need to find a new location for a couple of them. My beef is not about the income potential, it's the service.
All machines that ship to Canada are to ship with 7slot coils in the chip trays not 8. When we spoke to our coach she said she could have some sent and how many did I want. Since some of the smaller products vend fine in the 8 slot I said send half for now. I did not realize this was a one time offer. When I asked to exchange more they told me it would be $25 a piece. Just about then my old coach was gone and the new one had a NEW email address. I emailed him last week because we had a bill collector fail and his only response was see the manufacturer. Of course the manufacturer warranty was only one year. There were only two reasons we finally made the decision to buy these EXPENSIVE machines, the initial marketing and placement help and the 6 year warranty.
This company can try to explain all they want but they are crooked and should be taken to task!
Posted on 3/14/2011
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We have three "office deli" machines. I have been trying to contact the tech support person at Planet Antares Inc without success. The e mails also have bounced back. We have not been able to talk to anybody.
Barbara, will you please send us the new customer care nos.? We need the plastic connectors(between motor and spring) ASAP.
Thanks
Varsha Doshi
Vend-O-Deli,
Vermont
Posted on 3/10/2011
Business responded on 3/11/2011
Ms. Doshi, we are not certain as to why you did not receive notice of the new Customer Support phone number, but we apologize for any possible error on our part. We have left the new phone number on your home answering machine and have emailed it to you as well. We look forward to serving you.
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Planet Antares is not responding to our phone calls. There is no response at all. They took our deposit and did not ship the equipment. After 5 recorded phone calls they have not responded. Barbara S? Please contact me and let me know if you will refund our deposit? We need it. None of your phone numbers are working.
Posted on 3/9/2011
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I am a distributor or Planet Antares vending machines. My purchase was around 57,000 dollars and was let down the road like others. Now after one year, I need help from my team at Planet Antares and they are no where to be found. This is a hugh investment for me and now I am on my own. I have found the exact machines for much less, around 2900 and was very disturbed. I have been ripped off and seeking support from the other distributors to come together for a class action suit. Planet Antares has not upheld their end of the contract and they must be stopped before continuing on to rip off the public anymore. Planet Antares puts on a good show, but can not follow through with the support....
Posted on 3/2/2011
Business responded on 3/2/2011
Mr. Skaggs we are not certian as to why you did not receive notice of the new Customer Support phone number, but we apologize for any possible error on our part. We have left the new phone number on your home answering machine and have emailed to you as well. We look forward to serving you.
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I spent nearly 40,000.00 on 4 machines I was ripped of the machines only cost 2995.00 eac, they said they would be there to help and get all my part replacements for free for 5 years now just 4 months later they are missing. I cant get ahold of anyone from the company. if there is a class action law suite I want in.
Posted on 2/18/2011
Business responded on 3/2/2011
Planet Antares is very disturbed that you falsely claim “we are missing” when you and your partner have had numerous recent conversations with our Customer Support department. The last conversations were on Feb 15th & 18th well after the time we launched our new contact phone numbers. Mrs. Rossiter, you were never informed verbally or in writing that all parts would be provided to you for free for 5 years, and this is the first time we can recall seeing a complaint with this baseless allegation in Planet Antares 24 years in business. Please take a moment to review your warranties. As per your purchase agreement all machines come with a 12 month manufacturer warranty plus a 4 year manufacturer warranty after the one year manufacturer’s warranty expiries. All requests for replacement parts under warranty are subject to review by the manufacturer to ensure it is a warrantable item prior to replacement. Please contact the manufacturer directly for assistance with troubleshooting the problem with your machine and follow the appropriate process to request replacement parts.
Mrs. Rossiter, as you knew prior to purchasing the published reorder price for an Office Deli is between $4,999 and $6,999 depending on which plan you started with. Due to extenuating circumstances, namely the identity theft of Planet Antares 50 plus websites, which include Vending Journal, and the ongoing litigation, our distributors have the tremendous opportunity, for a short time, to purchase machines (factory direct) at probably the biggest discount in our company’s 24 year history, which is extremely exciting to most distributors. As you know these discounted prices do not include 4-5 year extended warranties, shipping (up to $1000 per unit), marketing materials and location assistance. We recommend you take advantage of the price while it lasts…
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My mom purchased 8 of the 2005 Planet Antares Refreshment Center Combination units, they have been nothing but a headache ever since.
The entire concept is great, and to be completely honest probably could thrive and succeed in particular locations, these locations are far and few between though and seldom worth the time invested. If you're going to buy into the vending machine industry, buy real machines, not these.
Anyways, I am trying to sell all 8 of these machines either together or individually and am asking for $500 a piece O.B.O. If I don't sell them in the next couple of months I'm going to research converting them into mini fridges or keg-o-raters. Has anybody seen this done yet? Keep me posted.
Thanks all!
Posted on 2/15/2011
Business responded on 3/2/2011
Mr. Curtis C., we do not believe that you are one of our distributors because your name and the details you give do not match anyone in our data bank. In your blog you state that your mother purchased the machines more than six years ago. Please provide us with her first and last name, so that we may review her file. Because of the nature of your complaint, we seriously question if your mother put in the necessary work and dedication to make the business a success
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Planet Antares lies at every step of the way. They tell you how easy it is to set up equipment with companies - big lies. Most companies already have the vending machines. If you are able to place the machines then you cannot in general place any of the national drinks in the machines because of exclusive contracts the company has with these companies. Once you purchase the equipment they will send you out to one of their vending companies; they will give you a list of about 10 companies to choose from. By the way, they pay these people and after your initial contact with the people they will not return your call. I visited one of their vending companies and was told by the operator how great it was; a pack of lies. Their presentations are great but full of deceit. Losing proposition!
Posted on 2/13/2011
Business responded on 3/2/2011
Mr. Sitterson your complaint is full of deceit & liable and we are forwarding it to appropriate legal counsel.
Our records show that you have put no effort into the business whatsoever. Prior to purchasing you were thoroughly informed both in writing & verbally that our distributors spend on average $130 in postage per Deli to properly locate their equipment. You started with 5 machines, which means you should have spent on average $650 to properly locate your equipment. To date you have spent less than $100. Shortly after you took deliver of your machines, our Customer Service department called you on 4/27/10 to advise you about locations that wanted your machines. You informed us that you no longer owned your machines & were no longer pursuing the business.
In our 24 year history we have never had a distributor claim they were not able to place national brand drinks in their machines (Coke, Pepsi, etc.). This is an absolute fabrication. Additionally, you were thoroughly informed by the company and the distributors you spoke to prior to purchasing that our Deli is designed to replace the existing single brand Coke and Pepsi machines that most locations are forced to live with. In fact, you went out & visited with one of our distributors, who through their dedicated efforts and hard work have grown their vending business up to several hundred machines.
Out of the last 50,000 vending machines shipped, to Canada, US, Latin America, & Europe, Planet Antares warrants that for every 1000 machines shipped our company’s mgt. received less than 1 written complaint requesting a refund over profitability or a locating issue. This study reflects paid distributors through 3/31/10.
Mr. Sitterson you put no effort in to the business & quit.
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My wife and I also fell for the sales pitch at the "seminar". We spent all we had saved and went into even more debt purchasing 8 of their machines. They pressure you into getting everything done in quick order to give you minimal time to check them out. When we did check them out they looked fine. On placing the 8 machines 1 came from the mailing list we sent out. It is our business and we are ultimately responsible to make it work. But....They definitely misled us as to what Planet Antares would do for us and what we could realistically expect from 8 machines of this type. I found the service from Planet Antares to be HORRBLE. We would have a machine issue and would call our coach for help. I NEVER got straight through to my coach. It would take a minimum of 4 hours to get called back. We would send e-mails that would take them days to answer. After this happened a couple of time we sent it so when our coach opened up the message we received confirmation. Knowing the message was read we called the next day and our coach actually called us back about 2 hours later. She said that she had been out and just read our e-mail that morning....We knew better.
They definitely exaggerated what 8 machines would do for us. The profit margins are so tight that it is impossible to make payments on the machines, keep them stocked and have enough left over for any type of income. Also. The vertical drink isles are not secure. Anyone can reach up in there and remove product when it is a certain position. When I asked about a fix for this I was told by my coach to find a new location.....The vending business may be a good business but I would recommend to you....DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY! As Planet Antares is maintaining web sites to help control their image for all I know this may be one of their sites....
If anyone knows of a current class action suit please contact me.
Posted on 1/27/2011
Business responded on 3/1/2011
Mr. Sanderson out of the last 50,000 vending machines shipped to Canada, United States, Latin America and Europe, Planet Antares warrants that for every 1000 machines shipped company management has received less than 1 written complaint from distributors requesting a refund over profitability or a locating issue.
Our records show that you have spent less than $190.00 in postage to properly locate your machines. Prior to purchasing you were thoroughly informed both in writing and verbally that our distributors spend on average $130 in postage per Deli for the initial and repeat mailings of your target flyers to properly locate their machines & practice Self Promotion. You were also informed both verbally & in writing that Distributors may need to relocate some of their machines. You started with 8 machines in June of 2009, which means you should on average spend $1030 to properly locate them. To date you have spent less than $190.00, which is only a small fraction of the mailings to properly locate your machines.
Regarding your allegation “they definitely exaggerate what 8 machines would do for us…” As we clearly stated to you both verbally and in writing prior to purchasing, Planet Antares does not make any earnings claims or projections, because we have no way of knowing if any given distributor such as yourself will accept responsibility for their business, follow procedures, self promote their business and give the commitment and hard work required to make the business successful.
Our Customer Support department is here to assist you with answering questions pertaining to the development of your vending business. They have limited technical knowledge. Technical support is handled by the Technical Advisors at the manufacturer, which you and all of our distributors have direct access to. We suggest that you contact them to discuss the problem you are experiencing with your vertical lanes.
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