Here are some of the questions I get asked the most (or some you may be wanting to ask) & my slightly sarcastic and meant to be humorous answers

– “Why do I have to wait so long to get my gear into your shop?”

I’m a small home based shop. Its just me, and I am very busy now that this website is showing up on Google searches. I work in a very small 150 sq/ft room with limited shelf, storage, and work space. I have a waiting list due to this. I prefer the “first come, first served” method so its fair to everyone. I offer an expedited repair fee so you can cut the line and be the next item on the bench with a turnaround time of a week or less (usually less) But this service does not work for every situation. If I have the parts needed in stock and its not a major repair, then it should work out great and I can have your gear back to you in a in a few days. Repairs like this are: Pioneer DJ button failures, *minor* drink spill issues, *some* last min cleanings, fixing those scratchy controls on your Marantz receiver, turntable tuneups, turntable RCA replacement, etc. The best way to determine if your repair can easily get expedited & back to you quickly is to contact me. Then we can talk about it and schedule a visit so I can inspect your gear in person to see what the best options are.

– “Why do I need to pay a service deposit up front?”

This is how its worked for years in the electronic repair industry. I call it a “service deposit” but other shops will call it a “diagnostic fee” “bench fee” etc. I prefer deposit in the name because that’s exactly what it is. You are paying for the first hour of my time on your repair. This amount it taken off your final invoice total when completed. This amount also helps keep some money in my bank account for ordering parts, tools needed, coffee etc. You would also not believe how many people will drop off gear at a repair shop and then disappear off the face of the planet when the job is finished. Ask me how I know. I don’t charge a service deposit unless you actually leave your gear with me. Once you do that It is non refundable. Gear just taking up space on my shelves actually costs me money & time. I usually do initial testing and ordering any obvious parts that may be needed first, before actually starting your repair to keep things moving forward. Paying a service deposit shows that we both have an investment in your repair and it can be taken seriously. If you take your equipment to someone who does not have a policy like this, please use caution.

– “Whats your repair guarantee?”

Its was 30 days, but I have recently raised that to 60 days. I did this probably due to overconfidence. Just kidding, I rarely have repairs come back so I figured why not pass that on to customers? I will probably regret this decision. Basically this means that the labor performed during your repair is covered for 60 days from the invoice date. For example, if I replace a part, make a repair, or fix a feature on your equipment and it fails within 60 days, I will cover the labor to make it right again. This does not included failure of parts installed. Keep in mind many parts these days are not made very well and tend to sometimes have a high failure rate. If that happens I will try to prove the part itself failed and pursue a replacement from the vendor under its own warranty. Those are usually a min of 90 days.

– “Why is it taking so long to get my repair finished?”

Repair shops are not Amazon. I know crazy right? There are very few people left out here doing this kind of work and we are all super busy. Things go wrong, parts are back ordered, repairs were in front of yours, rush repairs come in, parts sometimes take time to find, research, and acquire, some jobs just take longer than expected. Having a small shop I really only have the space to work on one thing at a time. I promise, you will be the first one to know the moment your repair is done. I want your equipment finished and to settle up as much as you do. So no need to email, text, or call every few days asking about its status. Feel free to read those last two sentences again. Thank you for understanding.

– “Can I just buy parts from you?”

Its normally my policy to not sell parts to the public, sorry. I’m not currently a dealer for any brands or have secret ways to get better discounts than you right now. If its small cosmetic things like knobs and fader caps I keep in stock, or used stuff I might have around, that can be possible. But if you are looking for parts that require me to take the time to find and order them, and require you taking your gear apart, soldering, etc. Its just too much of a liability if a customer does something wrong and messes something up in the process. I don’t like to mark up parts that much when I’m actually the one doing the work. But if I *did* sell parts to the public, It would probably be cheaper for you to order them off eBay or somewhere else. Mostly due the amount I would have to mark them up to really make it worth taking my time away from customers repairs.

– “Why are you so strict about making appointments & pickup/drop off times? Why cant I do those things at 8am/9pm?”

While I don’t technically have “shop hours” I prefer to be on the clock and in the shop from 12pm to around 7pm M-F. I need to have some time to do life stuff, emails, part orders, book keeping, invoicing, drinking my coffee, petting my cat, etc. The mornings for me are usually that time. Of course I can be flexible with enough heads up, but when appointment times and dates change last min its not ideal for me. If  a customer also says they are going to show up at 2pm and I don’t hear from them until 5pm with “my dog was sent to space by accident with my gear and my phone got thrown in the ocean so I couldn’t let you know” Is also not ideal. Repairing electronics is a practice in focus and discipline for me. I mentally make time and usually schedule my days around appointments so that way I’m prepared to shift gears and focus on you, not a circuit board etc. So I respect you keeping dates and appointment times once they are made, or at least giving me 24hrs notice. But keep in mind (and this is important) I have a waiting list. If you had a spot in line and we made an appointment that you miss, I may be forced to move to the next job on my list and that can ultimately delay getting your gear on the bench.

– “What happens if you cant fix my equipment?”

I usually try to not take in repairs that I don’t think I cant fix, that’s what the initial in person inspection and testing are for. Its rare, but sometimes stuff happens. Correct parts become unavailable or cant be found, comparable replacement parts don’t work out. Sometimes Its just very difficult with the tools at my disposal to find the cause of the issue, especially if the issue is intermittent. If any of these things do happen, you will only be charged for the initial hour of labor (your service deposit) no matter how much time I spent on your repair. (This would not include any special order parts costs that you pre-authorized beforehand) In the past 6+ years this has never happened. *knocks on wood* Whats more likely to happen is that a repair in progress may become way more involved than expected, causing the repair to end up not making financial sense for you to have me keep working on it. In that case I am always clear about progress on your job, time already spent, and communicating with you if I should keep digging or if there are other options.

– “Whats involved with you doing pickups or deliveries?”

This can be arranged for an additional fee, but should be Local to Reno, Sparks, or Carson City NV

– “I live in another city/state/planet, can I send my repair to you?”

Yes, I can & do accept shipped in repairs on a limited / pre-approved basis. Please be aware of the additional costs involved when it comes to: shipping, shipping insurance, return shipping, packing materials, and the potential risk of damage to your equipment as it seems most shipping companies these days only hire ex football players who enjoy throwing boxes. Please fill out my website form to discuss this process further.

– “Whats with this storage/late payment fee thing?”

As mentioned before, my shop is small. I appreciate you paying for and picking up your finished repairs as soon as possible after you receive an invoice. If repairs are not picked up or paid for within 1 week (7 days) of completion, an additional storage/late payment charge or both may be added to your invoice total. Completed repairs on my shelf after 7 days are slowing down my ability to be able to take care of other customers that are waiting in line…costing me money, and possibly customers. That’s why I charge this fee. In addition, any completed repair jobs not paid for or picked up within 30+ days of the invoice date may be considered abandoned and become the property of Peak & Valley. These items may be sold to offset part & labor costs already invested.

– “Do you take donations of old audio electronics I no longer want/need?”

Yes, I will take in your old audio related electronics, but I will need to know what they are first. If its something I can use for parts…that’s ideal. Old stereo equipment, dj gear, speakers, amps, etc. It might be something I can use to practice on, teach a future employee how to disassemble and reassemble, or something that I may just want to tinker on (if and when I ever have free time to do such things. *rolls eyes*)

– “Can you explain in more detail about your maximum labor charge policy?”

coming soon

– “I have a repair that needs to be done onsite, how do we do that?”

coming soon

– “How do consignment sales work?”

coming soon

– “I have a bar/club/restaurant/retail location, whats your consultation process for system design or equipment purchases?”

coming soon

 

Life at an authorized service center (2016)