Southeast Treats

Also, the regional rep for Crane Merchandising is out of Miami, he is a good source if you ever want new equipment. Good guy to deal with.

If you haven't looked in the food and beverage forum yet, that is where you will get the most and best responses on this type of vending...

Orlando has Vendors Repair Service and Locking Systems, a company based in Atlanta; GS Vending Repair, a one man shop that I like to deal with for fixing changers and validators; and an office for Betson, which sells mostly game equipment but some vending also, but not much in stock. Danny at Vending Florida CO in Apopka has a lot of odds and ends equipment he buys and sells, but no one with an open warehouse of used equipment that I know about. I have seen advertising for machine sellers in Tampa and Miami but have not dealt with any of them..... Clearwater - http://vendingdepotfl.com/ Miami - http://www.vendingdiscount.com/index.php

That is simply equipment that is clean, working, and ready to put out on site. I still like to pull stuff in and go thru it anyway if I have time. I can see where you are there may be a few less people selling equipment! I'm near Daytona and Orlando. I know there is a big equipment seller in the Tampa area but have never dealt with them, I buy a lot of used equipment direct from other vendors. I like the way you are thinking about the telemetry, saving trips and being more efficient is exactly what it's there for... good luck!

No reason that you can't gut the cabinet and reinstall all the insides from something else and eventually get it to work - but because you can do something does not mean it's a good choice. You say your time is valuable, and I presume you need to get machines back on location before you lose those accounts. The quickest (and probably cheapest truth be told) is to go shopping for site ready used equipment. Salvage any common parts (changers, validators) and sell the rest to the scrapyard. If you must, store it for future parts or projects; but don't spend good time and money on a bad project if you can help it. The MDB/DEX equipment you want is out there, I see many good deals that I have to pass on for lack of space or money...

Back to the original question about the Asian market - like any market some "field research" should help. In other words, ask some of the employees if there is something specific they might like to be able to buy from your machines. You probably won't be able to provide everything, but finding a few good items will earn goodwill. If there is an Asian grocery nearby, drop in and look over what they carry for ideas as well. They may also be willing to share some supplier info if your regular sources can't deliver the goods.

When I take over an account on a customer call I usually reach out to the current vendor beforehand, sometimes if the equipment on site is good (not like yours sounded) I even offer to buy it. Either way, I am upfront with them and have yet to have a big issue with anyone. I try not to solicit locations of certain others and hope they do the same for me, but when the customer reaches out for you then a change is going to happen, so if I can provide what the location needs I do it. I never worked for any other vendors so non-compete issues are not involved; if you were an employee who went on their own I think it's very important to give a wide berth to your old accounts, at least for the first few years. I wouldn't want to bite the hand that fed me...

I like them, they can be a bit pricey compared to generic locks, but the key you get is yours and yours alone. When you buy them the company you use originally will be the company you always use, as no other distributor will be allowed access to your key codes. I deal with Locking Systems in Orlando (part of Vendors Repair); if you order be sure to get at least one extra key in case you need it, you can reorder keys but it takes time and you don't want to be locked out of your own machines. Also, ask if they have any used lock cylinders available, it's cheaper to have them rekey used cylinders than buy the new ones (that are about $20 each). They also have padlocks and puck locks that can be set up on your key as well...

You could put them in the spirals of a chilled snack or combo, or vend them warm in an ambient snack...

I actually tell my prospective accounts that they will not be responsible for "third party damage". If the location owners smash my machine that's one thing; but part of selling the service for me is selling the location on it being problem and risk free for them. I have pulled machines over vandalism but not always. And I like plexiglass just fine! Cages will work where the machine is not unattended too long, but I had two machines demolished right thru the validator opening without touching the cage - they had all night to work on it. $3,000 in repairs and they stole $100 between both machines. My bigger losses have been theft using keys before I switched over to all medeco locks. Nice that I only have to carry one key also...

The MEI bezels sell new for over $200 but I have bought them used for a lot less, about what Chard said. You need the adaptors for Nayax or USAT to make them work; with USAT there is also a small power supply required. With nayax the swipe feature works but not the contactless (4 in 1) reader. I use them mostly with the bevmax these days to keep them ADA compliant, the knockout in the upper panel is too high for a wheelchair user. Also use them on some bottler assets to keep from drilling the machine. I think they look pretty good and I like the attract lights on them. Problem is you still can't get them repaired anywhere as far as I know, unless Crane has changed something for their authorized centers. If you are going to unload the newer 4 in 1's I would be interested in picking up a few... Never fooled with cantalope, the only time I spoke to my crane rep about it was told I was too small....

It can be frustrating, but even with drop sensors failures happen. If customers know you will make good on problems they have more faith in using the machines. And yes, some few people are crooks and will lie to scam a dollar. I try to talk to the customer and find out what happened of course, so I can identify and fix real problems; but also to let the scammers know I am not an ATM. When they realize they have to face me and earn their lousy dollar most lose interest in trying again. My biggest issue with refunds is when I have to deal with a third party, like a hotel front desk. Often you are paying off the refund to the clerk on duty, not the one who issued it. A lot of time spent educating the desk people and front managers about machines, but it does help. I get the cash out slips when I pay them back - and I keep them for a long time. I can go back and look for patterns and repeat offenders if needed; it also keeps me from paying off the same slip twice! Usually I'm just happy when they pay a refund and don't rush back to hang an "out of order" sign on a working machine!!

With no contract you are at the will of the location. It would be nice to get notice, but that's business sometimes. If they damage the machine (real damage, not some stray scratch) you may be able to recover something in small claims court if you can prove who is responsible, but just moving it or unplugging it is not a crime as long as you can still retrieve it from the location in good condition. Try to leave on good terms, sometimes you end up getting these accounts back in the long run if the new vendor falls flat...

Just in the few years I have been vending, cards have gone from a rarity to almost a necessity. So many people carry no cash today, and without some type of card acceptance they are not able to buy anything. You can't afford to put them on small accounts, but you almost have to have them for any good sized account....

Wondering why he doesn't have a drink machine at the first location. I would move the 721 there if possible... but the numbers are still pretty low.