Just curious to know how many (or few) of you guys do repair work on displays as a separate line of business.

If so, how is it working out for you?

When customers want us to take away a set that is not working we often take it back to the shop and do a quick checkout.

Often there will be power lights that blink codes to let you know what failed and needs to be replaced. We Google the codes and often we cn find on YouTube a video of what has to be done to crack the case and get to the bad part.

If the part is cheap and it doesn't look ltoo hard to repair we give iit a shot. If the fix works it goes to my house or one one the techs.

Would not want to do this for a customer because of the amount of time it takes us to do these projects.

I have a 42" Panny PDP on the wall in the garage that took a $10.00 repair to bring back to life..

Like so many others, it was bad caps on the main board.

Had this been a repair for a customer, the bill would likely have been well over the TV value due to the time involved.


Just turned down a 52" LG LCD. It had some serious main board issues that I didn't feel like messing with.

We pretty much do the same as Dave. If we suspect its an easy fix, almost always a blown up capacitor, we will take it off their hands for them. $3 later there is a TV someone can use for free.

To answer your question, NO, we do not offer repair services on TVs. And no, we wont always take dead tv's off customers hands. THAT can be a PITA!

Service, Service, Service.

If a TV is repairable, we repair it. It's not a money making endeavor. It's not a separate business. It's a service we provide to customers that reinforces why they use us... This is what drives referrals.

We almost always take old TV's and electronics. We make sure it ends up with a charity or proper recycling center. Again it goes to an investment in customer service.

We are an authorized servicer for Sony, LG and Samsung. We have one guy that does service all week. We do a ton of service.....ask Rick :)

Most TV's only have two boards. If the TV turns on but doesn't something weird its the main board. If it doesn't turn on its the power board. Sometimes its a little more complex, but thats the just of it. We have a dealer account with Encompass, Shop Jimmy, and Union Electronics. We also can purchase direct from LG, Sony and Samsung. Sony and Samsung tend to discontinue boards when a TV is only a year or two old. Then have to get the board from a distributor. Shop Jimmy also has repair kits too.

Mike

now we know who to call! lol

This place is a great resource for getting boards, they do component level repair and actually test what they sell.
http://www.ptselectronicsinc.com/

I service non working TV's off the wall and into the clients trash can.

If it's a good sized CRT, I find a friend's truck to put it in. The best is when he leaves work after dark and has no idea until he goes around a curve and 200lbs slides from one side of the bed to the other.

I end up with that LG, I'll yank the main board and send it to Mike... ;-)


First TV I've seen that won't turn off.

If, when it's plugged back in, it comes up component one,it lights up, has sound, no video, then turns back off. Over and over and over.

Get lucky and get it to HDMI input before it starts all that weirdness, it stays on and works just fine.


Until it is unplugged once again...

I will sometimes repair things for customers, if it was bought from me and they are a good customer. I don't do it for everyone. And it certainly isn't a money maker.


That's the whole reason EVERYONE that was worth a damn got out of the repair business. Manufactures won't pay peanuts to authorized repair centers for their warranty work.
And they drove new TV prices down to the point, that charging the proper amount for a good repair - isn't worth it.
So now all you have is a bunch of 1/2 wit repair centers, throwing things in & out as fast as they can, to make pennies. And tons of e-waste filling our landfills, polluting our environment, and slowly killing us all.

We were an authorized servicer until 5 years ago, decided it was no longer worth it.

When I started in this biz (early eighties) I would collect a few old CRTs for outdoor bowling parties. Plug in the TV, set it on a bench (with a tarp on the ground for easy cleanup) and use a 2x8 as a ramp. Fun drinking game.

No

We haul old TVs to recycling center. If they still workin they get gave away to a needy. We like imploding CRTs, so those usually don't get gave away.

Currently have a few stacks of AVRs in warehouse - only prob they have is no HDMI. Those get gave away whenever someone needs a "stereo".