Sender: ph@postoffice.srv.cs.cmu.edu
Message-ID: <39E3698A.B49C0507@cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 15:10:02 -0400
From: Paul Heckbert <ph+@cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Carnegie Mellon University
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: "Harry Q. Bovik" <bovik@cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: VCR & TV repair shops
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I've tried two VCR/TV repair shops

** Daniel's TV on Murray Ave
I urge you to stay away from this place!
First off, you walk in the place and you can hardly see the shop or
the owner past all the old TV sets, boxes, and crap that are piled on
every shelf and surface in the store.  It's hard to find a surface on
which to set whatever it is you brought in!  The guy seems to have a
problem throwing anything away.  When I had him look at my VCR, I
dropped it off one day, then three days later I checked back and the
most he could tell me was "I put it on my workbench"!  (With a shop as
cluttered as his, I can see how that might take a few days).  After he
cleaned my VCR, its audio was kind of erratic for the next month, but
the problem has since gone away.  I don't know of anything specific
that he did wrong, but his work was slow and the condition of his shop
suggested very poor work habits.  I'm not going back!

** Carl's TV, 5025 Penn Ave, Bloomfield, 362-2264
These guys seem quite good.
When I call, they remember me.  They call me to let me know when a
part has been ordered and how long it will take; they seem to be on
the ball.  They fixed my 14-year-old Sony TV and are repairing my
Mitsubishi VCR.

Incidentally, they suggest that old Sony TV's are quite reliable, but
that newer ones come into their shop with problems all the time.  I
asked Carl what kind of TV he'd recommend buying, if he had to buy a
new one, and he said Hitachi, Toshiba, or Mitsubishi.

PS: Harry Bovik: you must be getting lonely; nobody has sent you any
VCR email in five years!