Customers of a now defunct Aurora drum store reached out to Speakers Corner saying they’re out thousands of dollars after the abrupt closure of the business.
Jake Adams, a lifelong drummer who lives in Etobicoke, went to the Drummer’s Hangout in June to sell one of his older drum kits.
“It was a six-piece kit and I was selling it for $2,500,” he said. “I asked the owner if he does consignments, and he said, ‘Yeah, we’ll put it in here.’”
After not hearing back for months, Adams decided to reach out to the store in January.
“I went to check my messages to see if he sold it but I couldn’t get a hold of him,” Adams said. “No response to emails and phone calls, the owner just vanished.”
Signage on the Yonge Street store remains but all contents that were once inside have been removed.
According to a message posted on the store’s website the business was shutdown.
“Many factors contributed to this decision, most beyond my control, like my health, economy in general, the environment for small businesses like mine,” the owner posted.
But what the statement did not address is what’s next for customers like Adams. His drum kit is nowhere to be found and neither are proceeds from any sale. He soon found out, he wasn’t alone.
“My other buddy had a very expensive ride cymbal in consignment worth $700. I think he lost that.”
Adams then visited several online forums that cater to drum enthusiasts and discovered dozens of other customers from Canada and across the globe all searching for money and answers. Some of them, like Adams are waiting for proceeds from items that were put in consignment, others say they paid money to secure drum kits being sold by the business online.
“The owner of Drummer’s Hangout in Aurora took full deposits from customers and never delivered their drums,” a customer from Maryland wrote in an email to Speakers Corner. “He’s now abruptly closed up shop and deleted all his social media accounts, leaving many customers screwed out of either their money or their prized possessions.”
The owner did not respond to our request for comment but an agency working with him did.
“He wants to make good,” said Joanne Mercurio-Russo who owns Russo Helps, a licensed insolvency trustee. “To be clear, he has not filed for bankruptcy but he’s filed with our office so that he can make good with his creditors. And if they happen to be a creditor, they need to file a claim with us.”
Russo says she’s in the process of investigating all claims.
“Please encourage these individuals to reach out to my office. For those that did, I did get their emails and let them know that I’m investigating to see what happened to their drum set, and sadly, if it’s not available, they just have to file a claim.”
Adams has already reached out, patiently waiting for some type of resolution.
“If he’s watching I’d say you owe me some money. I don’t know, like the kits gone. That’s fine. That’s what I wanted anyways. But you owe me my money. He was taking 20% of the $2,500 I was selling that kit for so I would get $2,000. That’s all I want.”
Any customers who feel they are owed money can reach out to Russo Helps.
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