Home > Display > 8K TV > EXCLUSIVE: Savant & Dynalite Slammed By Failed CEDIA Dealer

The CEO of an award winning CEDIA custom install business that was recently placed into liquidation has hit out at several leading brands claiming “poor quality” products and support were a major contributor to his downfall.

However, one major supplier claims that his business which operated as Look & Listen in Queensland was “a shambles and poorly run”.

The former CEO of Queensland based Look & Listen Craig Samson, a CEDIA Award winning installer has confirmed to ChannelNews that his debts were over $1M dollars. Shadow Ghost Pty Ltd was formerly known as Look and Listen Pty Ltd according to the Companies Liquidators.

Samson has hit out at brands such as Savant, Control 4 and Dynalite.

At the 2018 CEDIA Awards the Vuze Luxury Condos project in Queensland which was managed by Samson was awarded Best Multiple Dwelling Unit Design for the Asia Pacific region.

He claims that it was problems on this project that bought his business unstuck.

He also singled out Philips owned Dynalite and Savant as two Companies whose service and products contributed to his financial woes.

He claims that one of the problems was the “Archaic” support system run by Emersive the New Zealand Distributor who lost the distribution rights to the Savant home automation system and faulty Dynalite product used throughout the award winning project on the Gold Coast.

Savant is now distributed by Queensland based Company Avation who are listed as one of the creditors of the

Samson claims that the New Zealand Company ran a support ticket system and that dealers such as himself were unable to engage quickly with the New Zealand run Company and that Emersive refused to take telephone support calls.

ChannelNews understands this was because the Company operated in New Zealand and operated on different time zones to Australia.

Samson said that this process resulted in dealers having to wait days to get a support answer which on large projects was not “practical “he said.
Some dealers have told ChannelNews that they have had to wait up to five days to get a reply to a ticket question.

Samson also claimed that some of the supplied Dynalite and Savant product was faulty and that Philips have since acknowledged in writing problems with the product supplied to Look & Listen.

Emersive Technologies was founded by Graeme Fraser who claims to be a specialist home and commercial automation distributor.

The Company is still claiming to be the exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor for Savant’s Apple based automation products. This is despite the Company losing the business in August 2017 to Avation who dealers claim is doing a significantly better job than Emersive service offered in Australia.

ChannelNews understands that in the past that Look & Listen have also had a falling out with Control 4 over their home automation system which Samson used on prior jobs.

Last week Brisbane based Liquidators, SV Partners was appointed to wind up the Company known as Shadow Ghost Pty Ltd formerly known as Look and Listen Pty Ltd.

Prior to the appointment of liquidators, the BMR Group a Queensland based Company acquired the name Look and Listen and is today operating a business under the same name.

Craig Samson who working for the new owners of Look & Listen, describes himself a sound engineer who has always worked in the custom install business and at one stage worked for Len Wallis Audio.

What is not known is why the BMR Group is continuing to trade using a name that is now on the Australian Securities and Investment Commissions Liquidation database.
Several organisations have told ChannelNews that prior to BMR Group taking over the Look & Listen business the Company was poorly run with the Company placed on a “cash” basic with several suppliers.



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