A-1 TV Repair

I would not recommend this place. Got an outrageous quote for an old TV repair problem not worth it. I rather buy a new TV for what he quoted me. Also walking into his shop is like a hoarders place barely clean standing room only. Don’t waste your time here go elsewhere! Not good customer service either!

These guys are great. I received my repaired TV and it still had some issues so they drove out to my house the next morning picked it up repaired it and then return it to me within the same day. it is been working great sense and these guys are a joy to work with! Highly recommend them.

**Updated 12/​8/​2014**
As outlined below the color quality was very poor after the second repair attempt, but it was at least working. In the 2 – 3 months that followed the color degraded significantly so that any color gradient looked like one huge blotch of the same color. Finally the TV started having periods of rapid color strobing (like seizure inducing!) and then it would just turn itself off after about half an hour. Finally in the last week it turns itself off after just a few minutes, the TV is unusable. Called the tech and he wasn’t interested in further repair (nor was I) and he hung up on me when I asked for a refund of any sort. So that’s $ 200 and he never actually got the TV to work right, and within just a few months it’s totally broken. Not a surprise as he soldered and jerry-​rigged the repair with odd parts instead of using the correct method and parts for our TV. Steer clear of this place, it’s not worth any cost savings.
Original review:
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Sorry for the long review, but it’s important to know what you are going to get with this budget priced service (compared to the local authorized TV repair services). If you don’t have time to read, the TV did get fixed, it was cheaper than other shops, but the image quality is bad and it took way longer than it should have to fix.
We recently used A-​1 to replace the color wheel on our ~9 year old Samsung DLP TV. I had done research online and there are guides that show exactly how to do the job yourself, but it takes 1.5−2+ hours plus buying the parts. However everyone that followed directions said it worked like new after. The assumption is you can find a new-​condition color wheel which they seem to not make anymore and Amazon and others are out of stock.
So I called A-​1 hoping they would be able to come install a quality part, but knowing it would probably be used, and if it worked when installed I could get another couple years out of it and delay shelling out for a new $ 1K++ TV. The older Chinese gentleman answered and quoted me at $ 180. This is to come fix at our house in SF as the TV is too big to take there in a small car. Also, he practically speaks no English which is fine with me but might bother you, or be a good thing if you speak it.
For price comparison, Art’s TV which is an authorized Samsung shop wanted around $ 320. I looked up the cost of parts and A-​1 was only another $ 80 or so above the cost of parts to just have them do the job (A-​1 supplies parts as part of the cost but who knows what condition you’re getting) plus I would save the time, so the next day I decided to have them come out. This time I was told $ 200, but I said what the heck close enough. He shows up just before the scheduled 6pm time.
3 hours later the guts of our TV have been in and out of the TV 4 – 5 times, partial parts have been pieced together and soldered or glued, and the TV «appears» to be fixed as we have an image again, but there is still intermittent squealing from the bearing (I think he didn’t replace the whole color wheel housing and bearing, but maybe it was just slightly the wrong replacement unit – as often happens when you order new lamps for these). Anyway he said voila fixed, I said um okay looks like it works and paid the man.
The next morning I turned it on, squealing noise and no picture just like before he did the repair. I called him when they opened and he said no problem will be back again that evening. He came (15 minutes early which was almost a problem just getting off work) and says something to the extent of «new part» and seems to have actually brought a full new part in box. He had it installed in 15 minutes and it had no weird noises and powered up right away like new. So he left and all seemed great. We then watched a football game, looked/​worked great. Later that night we watched a program with much darker lit scenes (The Strain – yes it’s a bit disappointing). This is when we noticed that when an image is dark and has color gradients, the color looks totally blotchy, almost watercolory I guess. So depending on what you watch a bright sport might look great, but a movie can look pretty bad/​weird. I decided another call to A-​1 probably wouldn’t be worth it, especially given there would be no way to communicate this issue to him. (Update: after a couple weeks the color seems to look a little worse, but is still good in bright settings, will update if it gets really bad)
As a final note, the tech clearly has worked on a million TVs as he knew how to work on the parts and take it apart with ease. But he didn’t seem to have done any specific research on this model to have a plan going into the repair or know the correct process and parts for this job.

Perhaps it is that some of the customers don’t speak Chinese (I don’t) that they had problems with this company but they have done fantastic repair work on my TVs in the past year.
Last year I had them come and check my Sony flat screen and they had to take it back to the shop (I had no car) but repaired it and returned it in one week.
Today I had to have my other flat screen (Samsung) checked out because it wouldn’t turn on. They came, took out bad part and returned and put in new part in under two hours. I really can’t imagine better service and we survived the language differences!
Were they expensive? Yes but I don’t think any more so than other repair shops. So, I have a few smaller repairs needed on less necessary household electronics and I will definitely consider them.

They tried the bait and switch — dishonest business. My TV needed the USB ports replaced. I dropped the TV off and was told I’d get a phone call in an hour with a quote. Phone call came, and I was quoted $ 100. I told them I’d talk to my husband, and call them back. I called right back and confirmed that $ 100 was okay. There was no possibility of miscommunication because I confirmed the price multiple times.
The next day I got a call saying my TV was ready, and it would be $ 180. When I explained that they had told me the previous day it would cost $ 100 they told me that we never discussed the price, and I just told them to fix it. The woman on the phone didn’t even try to claim she told me $ 180 originally, she said we never discussed the price. This quickly degraded into the woman on the phone yelling at me, and calling me a liar. She hung up on me.
I called back and was not able to have a rational conversation — everything I said was interrupted with bursts of «you a liar!» She said they would take out the new part, and I needed to come immediately to pick up the TV. I was at work, and said I’d come the next day. The pickup the following day went just as the previous phone calls did. No rational discussion was possible.
UPDATE: March 29^th — I just plugged my TV in after weeks of it sitting on my desk after returning from A-​1. You guessed it — THE TV DOESN’T EVEN WORK ANY MORE. The audio works, but the picture comes in as one purple line.
Unethical business — DO NOT GO HERE

Great experience! My Sharp 60″ LCD went out. Read the reviews on Unilocal and realized they do house calls… who would’ve thought? Arrived promptly, as scheduled. Efficiently diagnosed the problem, but unfortunately had to order the part. Scheduled follow up on the spot. Of course, they were just as prompt the second time. TV works great now. I also thought it was a fair price, although not cheap, much better than replacing a 60″ tv!

Hard to communicate with the Asian gentleman, but he knows his tvs! I fixed up my tv stand for $ 60 in 30 mins. Very reasonable to me

I’ve taken my Tv there twice with the same problem and now im having it again. I dont feel they are doing their job. i recommend using a place that would ensure your things will work.

Yesterday my Toshiba would not turn on. I searched Unilocal immediately for a tv repair shop. I called A-​1 and they said they could come out at 2:00pm. $ 120 later, and my tv is working. Said it was the power supply. We all NEED our tv’s so I guess you can say I am extreamly pleased with A-​1. The older asain gentleman may be difficult to communicate with, but he sure knows tv’s.

The power supply went out on my tv.350 dollars wasted. Took them 1 month to fix it. When i got home and pluged it in it turned on but the coloring was off and there are alot of pixels. Brought it back they mentioned another part was broken and they would give me a discount. Qouted me 150 for a bulb more. I refused to pay more. It was extremely hard to communicate with this chinese couple who run the repair shop. My insurance rejected the claim because when he called in to verify l, their english was so bad that mis understood what the insurance agent asked them. My insirance agent denied the claim because they werent able to fully describe the problem. Do not go here for tv repairs. Do yourself a favor and buy a new one instead of spending ¾ on used old outdated tv

The trifecta of TV repair, quick, reasonably priced and in my neighborhood.
Oh…also my TV now works. The picture would randomly degrade into vertical stripes of varied colors and put on a light show. The guy at A-​1 fixed it in just a day.

2 years after I bought my TV the inverter failed. A-​1 diagnosed and replaced it. The repair was fine except that they charged me for a new inverter and installed a refurbished one. My TV lasted another 7 months then the inverter failed again. Dishonest business. Cost me half the price of a new TV… in retrospect I should have put that money toward a new one.

These guys are great!
So, on the Thursday before the super Bowl, I turn on my TV (a decent 42“LCD) and it goes «POP» and won’t turn on again. I hit Unilocal!to find a repair shop and come across A-​1. The reviews are very good and they are 5 blocks from my house. I call the number and a very nice young lady answers the phone and says,“it sounds like the power supply, can you bring it in now?”
No, I can’t bring it in now. It is the middle of the day on Friday. So I bring it in around noon on Saturday. The shop seems tiny, because it is over-​flowing with broken TVs. There are even a couple spilling out onto the sidewalk. I am having second thoughts, and am think I am never going to see my TV again. The technician is there, but his english is not so good, luckily the young woman from the phone is there. She explains that the technician has to go out on a call, but will call me with an estimate. I am not feeling very confident, but off I go with my little claim check.
Well, this morning I get a call saying my TV is fixed! And in time for the game!

I called A-​1 yesterday and asked how much it would be to replace that coax jack that broke off my TV. The woman quoted me $ 120. Yes, it’s insanely high for $ 1 in parts and 20 minutes of labor… but… that seems to be the going rate as I received similar quotes from other shops.
Today I went down, got there are 1:30. I showed her the jack and she said, «Oh, it’s the cable jack, I thought it was the antenna jack.» I said «it’s the same thing» and she didn’t reply. She said, «That will be $ 150.» Lucky for me, an insurance company is paying for the repair for me, so I didn’t really care. That said, I don’t think she was trying to bait & switch. I think she just misunderstood me on the phone, and I feel like if I pushed it she probably would have settled on $ 120.
Anyway, I took my TV there on the bus and really didn’t want to do that again. She said the technician (who, after seeing him, is almost certainly her father) was on a house call so the repair might take a day. I know it’s a 20 minute job. I explained how much easier it would be for me to have the TV back the same day and offered an extra $ 20 if that were possible.
My girlfriend and I got lunch, walked around a market for a while and then came back at 3:30, just 2 hours later. As we walked up my phone rang, it was A-​1 calling to tell me the TV was fixed.
Perfect. Great service. High prices, but it’s San Francisco and I don’t know how to fix TVs. So… I’m kind of at their mercy.
Minus 1 star for the prices and for the mis-​quote which may have been intentional.

Called them late afternoon Sherry gave me a flat rate for coming out to fix it. and they came by first thing in the morning… A seasoned Asian gentleman came carrying two large bags filled with parts and tools. I wasn’t able to give them to much info over the phone since I made the call from work. Sony rear projection 53 inch was all I told them. fixed it right there. I’m happy!

The bulb on my DLP burned out, part of normal wear and tear. I could order a bulb online but had to wait 2 weeks (screw that) so I called around to a bunch of different TV repair shops in the city. Even the sony auth. repair shop didn’t have any in stock, so I called this place. Nobody spoke english, except for a really helpful dude working the phones. They said that I could take the bulb down there and they would take a look.
So I did, and holy CRAP. This place was a small hole-​the-​wall with some seriously delapidated signage outfront, and when you walked inside the entire place was stacked to the ceiling with old TVs.
BUT, the old chinese guy that owned the place walked over and inspected my bulb, reached into a bag and pulled out a replacement without saying a word. Took it home and it’s worked ever since, so props I guess!

This is what I did when talk thread haters laughed at me when I asked where I can still get a CD player fixed:
1) Call up this place to tell them I was coming, and they waited.
2) Walk down the street to this rickety shop.
3) Give them the $ 40 dollars they ask for, even though the man said no promises.
4) Pick up my outdated electronic with sentimental value and try to forget that I got a little ripped off. At least it’s fixed and it didn’t take long.
To my defense, I have a Pioneer Micro-​system in a lovely color called «White Mist.» Trust me, it’s really cute!