WSVN — Do you have an appliance, an electronic device that is under warranty? Now what happens if it breaks and you send it in for repairs and the company goes bankrupt? Do you lose your machine? That was the outcome for one South Florida doctor, and it’s why he called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Talk about a legacy. Carlos Coro’s grandfather was a dentist in Cuba and the dean of Havana School of Dentistry until Castro took over. Also…
Dr. Carlos Coro: "My grandmother was the first woman orthodontist in Cuba, and my father was also a dentist in Cuba."
And Carlos followed in their footsteps, now in his 23rd year as an oral surgeon in Coral Gables, sometimes treating patients his father or grandfather once treated in Cuba.
Dr. Carlos Coro: "It is pretty unique. It’s a legacy. I think my grandfather would be proud."
Now, as an oral surgeon, Carlos needs anesthesia monitors.
Dr. Carlos Coro: "One of them broke down, still under warranty, and I sent the monitor back in September to get fixed and they sent me a loaner."
The loaner was much older, but it worked. Then Carlos called the company, called Criticare Systems, in December to find out about why his monitor had not been repaired.
Dr. Carlos Coro: "’We are behind in working on warranty problems. It will probably be another eight weeks.’"
When eight weeks passed by, Carlos called them again.
Dr. Carlos Coro: "That’s when I found out the company went bankrupt."
And where was the monitor that had cost him $6,000? He was told he had to claim it by January, but it was already February.
Dr. Carlos Coro: "They have my email, no phone call. Nothing. I talked to some of my colleagues, and they all said the same thing."
The company repairing his monitor filed for bankruptcy, went out of business, and Carlos’s $6,000 device has disappeared.
Dr. Carlos Coro: "I just want my monitor back. I want it repaired, or give me a new one."
Well, Howard, whether it’s an anesthesia monitor, a refrigerator, a phone, what rights do you have if the company repairing it files for bankruptcy?
Howard Finkelstein: "When a company goes bankrupt, a trustee or receivership controls and preserves the assets, meaning they have to return what does not belong to the bankrupt company. In other words, they have to give Carlos his machine back after repairing it."
We started digging and saw a finger pointing game.
The company Carlos sent his machine to, Criticare Systems, filed for bankruptcy in September, the same month they accepted Carlos anesthesia monitor.
All their assets were then sold to a company called Opto Cardiac Care. According to an attorney involved in the process, those assets, including Carlos’s machine, were then turned over to a newly created company called Criticare Technology.
At Criticare Technology, they told us that they checked the serial number of each of the 400 devices turned over to them, and Carlos’s anesthesia monitor was not there. They believe the receivership didn’t turn it over to them, but they told us they will continue to look for it.
Howard Finkelstein: "Carlos is not out of luck. Someone may have the machine. They have to fight it out in court. In the end, a judge will decide who has the machine and if they can’t produce it, they have to compensate Carlos for the missing anesthesia monitor."
Dr. Carlos Coro: "To me, it’s a head-scratcher."
Carlos has now filed a claim to hopefully get some money for his missing anesthesia monitor.
Dr. Carlos Coro: "If it wasn’t for Channel 7 and you guys, I probably wouldn’t have heard anything. At least I have something on record now."
If you are sending something to a company to be repaired, it’s tough to know what shape they are in because a company is not gonna brag they are going into bankruptcy.
Some good news for Carlos: He still has the loaner to use and, we were told by the new company, if it breaks, they will fix it for free. Also, Howard suggested he look at his business policy to see if his insurance will cover that missing monitor. And finally, hopefully, somewhere in that bankruptcy mess, Carlos’s monitor will eventually turn up.
Got a problem that’s put you under? Ready to take a bite out of it? Let us monitor things. We can’t get you out of bankruptcy, but you can bank on us helping you cash in. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmeHoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
On Twitter: @helpmehoward7