Only about 10 TV repair shops left

**yaktown** · September-06-10, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by Dustin89

I recently wrote an article about Condon TV repair in Pontiac:

http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/...5259735642.txt

Good article Dustin, I actually read it the first-time around. I see that shop every morning while I'm at the post office picking up mail. Amazes me that some place like that is still around. When I was growing up [[late 70's-early 80's) one of the girls softball teams was sponsored by McNutt TV in Union Lake.

**MCP-001** · September-07-10, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by EMG

Yep - Starlit was [[hopefully still is) a great place for all your electronic repair needs. I don't think I ever took a television there but I took numerous stereo and other electronic devices there. I was always very pleased with their service.

It is.

I took my parents 32" Magnavox in for service about a month ago.

Absolutely no complaints.

**slick** · September-07-10, 09:52 AM

To gogomobile;

We had a tube tester in our store that was serviced by Standard Tube Sales in Ferndale. I seem to recall that the 6GH8A was the most popular.

Being a former RCA repair tech, I think the 25ct chassis had about 6 6GH8A tubes anywhere from oscillators to amplifiers. very popular.

I like your boxerrebellion, where do I sign up, I support the local hardware store, do not need to walk a half mile to fine one item.

**douglasm** · September-07-10, 12:26 PM

There's an interesting article in the current issue of the Ferndale Historical Society's newsletter about Roy's Radio Service on the corner of Allen and Marshall. I remember helping Dad lug the TV down there when it needed repairing.

http://www.ferndalehistoricalsociety..._summer_10.pdf

**Maof** · September-07-10, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by EMG

when it needed repairs we would have the repairman from Hudson's make a housecall!!!!

oh lord, i remember the tv repair man coming to the house too. he would make adjustments while holding a mirror to see the screen. it's official, i'm old

**Danny** · September-07-10, 02:01 PM

Most folks are not into analogue T.V. anymore. HDTV, LEDTV flat screens is the norm. I'm not sure that old school TV repair shop can come up with technological tools to fix HDTVs and LEDTV's.

**Gannon** · September-07-10, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

There are 3 areas for repair shops to make money these days...

A) Warranty Repair - There are several companies such as Gibson TV which has contracts to do warranty repair work. I had a 63 inch Samsung Plasma repaired from them and it cost me nothing to fix since it was under warranty.

B) Out of warranty repair on the larger sets that cost a few thousand dollars to purchase.

C) Older SDTV sets - There are alot of old people out there such as my grandparents where it makes sense to replace their 20 year old counsol TV, yet they are almost afraid to let it go and would rather spend a few hundred dollars on a repair then invest $1000 into a new television.

There is one area they could become experts in and make boatloads of money...setting up HDTVs and source components, making sure they are connected using the best possible connection and wires...CALIBRATING the entire video chain...and creating service customers later down the road. These new sets require calibration and multiple-menu setup choices to insure best performance...way more than the old CRT Standard Definition sets ever did.

Television service has largely been a passive market, they've waited until something breaks...but if they become pro-active, they can fill in the gaps where the big-box retailers fail. Essentially, tv repair joints should become competitors to Geek Squad. Do it better, and probably cheaper.

Plus, that way they can stay on top of technology, too.

Cheers

**marcwigle** · September-07-10, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by mikefmich

The druggist with brush cut in the 60's?

All I remember is I bought my first cigarettes there circa 1962-ish, and my first condoms about 5 yrs later. The later was a tramatic experience for this young lad.

Did you get to use the condoms that night or over the course of a few years? ;-)

**EMG** · September-08-10, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by Maof

oh lord, i remember the tv repair man coming to the house too. he would make adjustments while holding a mirror to see the screen. it's official, i'm old

I had forgotten about the mirrors!

**EMG** · September-08-10, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

Yea, Starlit TV does a great job. The only thing is that I don't think I ever walked out of there with less than a $120 repair bill

Back 20 years ago when I was there and used them, they almost always had coupons for - I think it was - $20 off repairs over $100. Or something like that. But the bills were usually right around or just under $100. So we were always paying at least in the high $80's.

But their service couldn't be beat. We always knew they were going to do the job right. So it was worth it.

**EMG** · September-08-10, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

Yea, I had the same experence with Gibsons back in the 1980's with getting an old VCR repaired.

LOL - shows us how much times have changed. I can't imagine taking an "old VCR" to be repaired these days!!!

But never fear. My experiences there involved a TURNTABLE, so I guess I'm dating myself even more.

**CLAUDE G** · September-09-10, 12:34 AM

Just look at the cost of VCR's and DVD Players these days. I paid $60 at Walmart for a combo unit last year that plays old VHS Tapes and DVD's

I didn't make sense to even attempt to get my 12 year old VCR fixed

**Meddle** · September-09-10, 01:53 AM

I can't imagine taking an "old VCR" to be repaired these days!!!

I didn't make sense to even attempt to get my 12 year old VCR fixed

I saw an episode of Modern Marvels not too long ago about the Library of Congress. In one segment, they showed a room with pallets stacked with old VCRs and other video and audio devices that they cannibalize to make sure they have a number of good working devices in case they come across some media they need to review or archive.

There was a time not too long after home use VCRs came out, that you had to take them in and have the belts and linkage adjusted to keep them running right.

Toolbox · September-09-10, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by English

Totally agree with you about our throwaway culture. There's a great book about this entitled Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture: http://www.amazon.com/Cheap-High-Cost-Discount-Culture/dp/159420215X

I find it ironic how you rail against our throaway discount culture and then link to a major offender.

ferntruth · September-09-10, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by English

Totally agree with you about our throwaway culture. There's a great book about this entitled Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture: http://www.amazon.com/Cheap-High-Cos.../dp/159420215X

My granddad and his brother had a radio repair shop, which became a TV repair shop, in or near Black Bottom [[need to ask Grandma where it was). Growing up, my great-uncle still had quite a few things from the shop in his house and garage, and we were still finding old account books when Granddad died.

Actually, that is how my grandparents met... Granddad came over to repair Grandma's TV. She decided that day she was going to marry him, and she did.

Wow, that must have been one heck of a repair job he did!

**goggomobil** · September-09-10, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

Most folks are not into analogue T.V. anymore. HDTV, LEDTV flat screens is the norm. I'm not sure that old school TV repair shop can come up with technological tools to fix HDTVs and LEDTV's.

True, but it's really hard to slap the top and side of a plasma tv when it malfunctions, so some of us hang on to the old Curtis Mathes..