How to Not Get Ripped Off by a TV Repairman
When your TV begins malfunctioning, your first inclination may be to look into getting a new one. Getting it repaired, though, is much less expensive. Unfortunately, many TV repair places use these opportunities as a way to rip off consumers. Since you may not know much about the inside of your TV or about TV repair in general, a repair place may try to find ways to take advantage of you. Don't let them by following these tips.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Find the lowest service fee for inspecting your TV in your area. Most places will charge somewhere between $50 to $80 just to inspect your TV to find what is wrong. Call at least three local TV repair stores to get the best price possible.
-
2
Make sure the repairman looks at your TV carefully and ask him to list everything that is wrong with your TV right away. Some repairmen will magically find "other problems" with the set once they have the TV in their possession. Have the repairman write down exactly what is wrong with your set and what needs to be done for your set to be fixed.
-
-
3
Get an exact quote for repair costs as well as a guarantee that the price won't go up. Once you get this quote and you know exactly what is wrong with the set, call around to a few other local TV repair stores to see if you can get a better price. Since you now know exactly what is wrong with the set, there shouldn't be any price increases from here on. If the repairman cannot guarantee you this, move on to another store that will.
-
4
Learn how long repairs on your TV should take and get the repair place to stick to that timetable. Have them make a guarantee that you will receive a discount on repair services if your set is not returned when you are told it will be. With a little bit of arguing and threatening to take your business elsewhere, the repair place should be willing to give you this guarantee.
-
5
Get a warranty on both the new parts as well as the repairs. Some repair places will try to rip you off by either using faulty parts or doing a "less-than-great" job on the actual TV repairs. This way, your TV will break down again within 3 to 6 months, causing you to come back for more repairs. If you don't get at least a 90-day warranty on the repairs and parts, take your business elsewhere.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Find online reviews for local TV repairmen in your area. These reviews will be written by consumers such as yourself. If you read about others getting ripped off by a repair place, you'll know better than to go there. Trust your instincts when dealing with TV repairmen. If something just doesn't feel right, contact another repair place. Threaten to call the Better Business Bureau if the TV repairman starts acting untrustworthy. You'll be surprised at how fast your problems will go away when you mention the BBB.
More Like This
Comments
View all 13 Comments-
Consumers should know who they are doing business with. A reputable repair business with have all the following: 1. They do warranty work for several major manufactures. 2. They have been in business many years. 3. Their Technicians attended a real school and have a real college two or four year degree in electronics. Not a certificate in Electronics or only on the job training. 4. They are licensed and or insured. 5. They provide a written warranty. 6. They provide a written itemized estimate after examining the unit in question, BEFORE they do the repair. AVOID verbal estimates. 7. They return the old parts to the customer. This is the customers property. 8. They have a modern vehicle, Test equipment, computer and service forms. 9. They have a good history of favorable on line reviews spanning years. The history is much more important than their current rating. 10. Itemized billing on a form not a piece of notebook paper.
-
electronagetec
Oct 27, 2009
I understand that you feel this way perhaps because of a bad experience with a TV technician, and you feel that somehow this will do some good. However, I just want to tell you what I have told many of my fellow technicians, and that is "Too many times we sit and post blame, but we don't want to come out and say that there is an element that has provided inferior service. This in turn makes those of us who do perform excellent services look bad, however there are customers who want to condemn the whole and thus group the good with the bad." I say this to make this point. I know what good service is and I know what bad service is. Most TV techs want and do believe in good service because, to let the truth be told we would rather serve 10 customers 1 time, then 1 customer 10 times, because when all is said and done those ten people will refer us to at least one other but the 1 per... -
electronagetec
Oct 27, 2009
I understand that you feel this way perhaps because of a bad experience with a TV technician, and you feel that somehow this will do some good. However, I just want to tell you what I have told many of my fellow technicians, and that is "Too many times we sit and post blame, but we don't want to come out and say that there is an element that has provided inferior service. This in turn makes those of us who do perform excellent services look bad, however there are customers who want to condemn the whole and thus group the good with the bad." I say this to make this point. I know what good service is and I know what bad service is. Most TV techs want and do believe in good service because, to let the truth be told we would rather serve 10 customers 1 time, then 1 customer 10 times, because when all is said and done those ten people will refer us to at least one other but the 1 per...
-
electronagetec
Oct 27, 2009
2) Make sure the TV repair technician can tell you what the problem is and if the TV must be taken or can it be repaired in home. Ask the TV technician, that he provide information as to what is wrong, and if the TV is even worth repairing, (Most TV technicians will not waste time on TVs that are bad apples, and will opt to tell you to replace the TV).
-
electronagetec
Oct 27, 2009
1)Find the lowest fee for quality service, understanding that the lowest fee may mean the lowest quality of service. Ask for certifications, and or references
