About Technology

By W. Braverman

In this article, we will focus on the bad business practices and outright fraud prevalent in many TV repair shops around the country. As an electronics technician with 27 years of experience, I can tell you what really goes on with your expensive electronic equipment, when you're not looking. But let me warn you. After reading this, you may be shocked, appalled, even sickened by how you may have been taken advantage of in the past. Just take comfort in the fact that you now have the information you need to next time choose a servicer that is truly a professional. OK, fasten your seat belts. Here we go.

FREE ESTIMATES Let's get to the bottom of this idea right now. Yes, it sounds like a good idea for you and the shop. But this is what really happens when you drop the unit off. Because the shop has not been paid for the time it takes to diagnose the problem, the technicians are forced to repair the easy ones first. That means that after a quick look at your set, if any real troubleshooting is required, they put it back on the shelf. Where it will sit. And sit. And sit. Now here's where it gets interesting. When the service manager or owner asks the tech the unit was assigned to (if such a system is in place) what is going on with it, He'll quickly say it's a dog. In our jargon, a "dog" is a really tough, highly technical repair that requires lots of time.

The service manager will now ask the tech to get back on it ASAP and resolve the problem so that the repair estimate can be given to the customer. By this time, at least a week has passed and the customer has not been called yet. When the customer has waited long enough and finally calls, no one knows whats going on and in some cases, has no idea even where the unit is.

Sound familiar? Has this ever happened to you? I thought so. But it gets better.

The technician will now spend a little more time on the unit. If he can't fix it now, he will appease the service manager by "stalling". In other words, he will order a part that will take a week or two to get, but will not fix the problem. This way he can put the real problem off until then.

And there you were thinking that the part you may have been required to pay a deposit on before it was ordered would fix your set. I'm afraid not. And this gambit can go on for months. This is exactly why you should always use a shop that charges a small bench charge to look at your set. This will usually go toward the cost of the repair, and covers the shops' time and materials. Typically, your job is done faster, and by a technician with a higher skill level.

SENDING A "TECHNICIAN" TO LOOK AT YOUR SET IN YOUR HOME That seems to be an everyday thing, doesn't it? But you are being deceived. In this scam, the person looking at your expensive big screen TV is NOT a trained technician. They are only there to take the back off, give it a quick once over, and then tell you it could probably be fixed for "Y" dollars or less. But he won't tell you what the problem with the unit is. Of course, he will collect a pickup and delivery fee while he's there, even though you called them because their ad said all repairs are done in the home.

Practices like this are a big problem all over the country and should give you cause for concern. Why? Because a REAL technician can tell you exactlywhat the problem is and what the cost will be to repair it. As well, it may be a small problem that can be fixed on the spot. Only an experienced service person knows the difference. Not to mention the unskilled person looking at your TV may cause unintentional damage to it. Think it doesn't happen? I've seen far too many broken picture tubes and broken boards caused by people touching something they shouldn't have or tugging on wires or parts trying to look like he knows what he's doing when the customer is looking over his shoulder.

So make sure the shop is sending you a skilled professional and not a poser. At the end of the day, this is the much better program for everyone.

USING "GENERIC" PARTS TO FIX YOUR UNIT, WHILE TELLING YOU THEY ONLY USE FACTORY ORIGINAL PARTS This is a huge problem. In my opinion, it is outright fraud. Because of the high level of sophistication of modern electronic product, factory original parts are a must. In high quality products like Sony and Panasonic, If the shop uses anything else the unit will fail and have to be serviced again at their cost. If your just repaired unit failed again after about a week, this is probably what happened. And a word of warning here. If audio or video equipment is involved that uses expensive software, be especially careful about the shop you choose. Equipment re-failure could mean irreparable damage to discs, video tapes, or expensive speaker systems.

Accept no substitutes or excuses! Make em' fix it right the first time and have them bring you the old parts.

STEALING YOUR GOOD PARTS AND REPLACING THEM WITH THEIR BAD ONES, CLAIMING THAT YOUR UNIT IS "NOT WORTH REPAIR." This is so they can fix the dogs that are hanging around in the shop at no cost. As well, this phrase is also used to save face because the technicians employed there are not skilled enough to fix your unit, but enough of it works to repair something else they have. The theft can be anything from individual parts all the way up to entire boards and sub-assemblies. Happens all the time. The only way to fight this problem is to get your unit back in the same condition (this means with the same problem) that it had when you gave it to them. Not much else you can do otherwise.

INTENTIONALLY DAMAGING YOUR UNIT Many unscrupulous shops will damage your unit to the point of making it un-reparable if you refuse their estimate. The reason is that they don't want you to take it to another shop and have it fixed AFTER they have told you what the problem is.

This is a despicable practice and is a huge problem in places like Florida. This type of shop will even remove the labels showing the model and serial numbers (this should be illegal) or cover them with tape so that when the tape is removed, the label is unreadable. This is wrong because many models of TV's, VCR's, and other products look almost just alike, and without the model numbers the unit cannot be properly repaired. You may as well just throw it away.

Again, the only defense is to make sure you get it back exactly the way you gave it to them.

GOUGING CUSTOMERS WITH OUTRAGEOUS PRICES ON VERY SIMPLE REPAIRS This is another big problem. What can I say? This type of business owner will play on the fears of someone that has no knowledge of anything electronic and take advantage of them. To be sure, charging someone $85 to replace a old fuse that simply gave up is just plain wrong. But unfortunately it happens. Sometimes you will see shops like this exposed on one of those "Caught On Tape" TV shows. I say that's too bad for them. Fortunately, there's no way back from that kind of publicity once it happens. Just make sure YOU stay away from them once they have been caught.

ADDITIONAL TIPS
Here are a few additional ideas you need to know to keep from getting scammed. Keep these tips in mind:

1.Go in to the shop and take a look around. Is it littered with wrecked TV's and other types of products? Is it dirty and disorganized? Clearly, don't leave your expensive plasma TV in such a place.

2.Make sure you drive by the place on a regular basis and make sure it's open. Why should you do this? Because if the place is locked up tight when it should be open, say around 10 in the morning, you are most likely involved with a shop that is struggling to pay it's bills. This owner obviously has more important things to do than concentrate on repairing customer product.

3.Do they have the required equipment to properly repair your unit? Take a look around and see for yourself. Modern electronics are extremely complicated, sophisticated devices. The failures that they have can be so subtle, that it takes highly advanced equipment and techniques to resolve the problem. If they don't have the proper tools, your set may be the next one sitting in the junk pile. Don't risk it. Do yourself a big favor and take the set somewhere else.

With this information in hand, You should be able to choose a high quality, reputable shop for your electronic service needs. I hope this report was helpful to you in your quest for quality repairs. Wishing you the best of luck, take care and be careful out there!

By W. L. Braverman