Hi all--

Hopefully this is the right forum to post this in.

I am looking for a good home theater installer in the Los Angeles area. When I have looked at the CEDIA sites and talked to a few of those installers they all require me to not only use their brands (one hates Denon stuff, another insists on using Universal Remotes, etc.) but they also require I buy all my gear from them -- and their prices are not competitive....

I like doing research on sites like this. Deciding what gear I want, and then getting it myself. What I need is a skilled installer who will put the cables in the walls and wire the system...

Can anyone recommend a good installer in the LA/Sherman Oaks area?
Thanks,

Daber

Uh-humm, let's put it this way. Once you decide to have a steak, so you will bring a piece of steak to a steak house?

Yeah I can recommend a couple of good guys... but I'm not going to.... Either your gonna hire a pro to deign and install the entire project or you're not....
As a pro we design sell and install equipment we know and believe in and trust....

No pro would ever touch a project like you describe… What a disaster...…

Now if you're looking for a real pro that you wont dick around and that you wont play games with... I can steer you in the proper direction... if you choose to do it your way...cant help.

Best analogy ever.

What do you consider competitive? You will have to pay for someone that really knows what they are doing and is insured and licensed to do it. Yes you do need insurance and a license to legally walk into someone's house to do work and get paid for it. As a homeowner you would be taking a huge risk bringing someone in that isn't.

Yeah, anyone I would consider a good installer isn't going to want to touch this.. Put an ad on Craig's List and hope they don't mess it up to bad..

I actually had a client who's son in law worked for his chain of steak houses. He started trying to order parts cheap on the Internet after I recommended them. I used that same analogy on him, being that he ran a few steak houses I thought it made sense. Well he said I was belittling him, I never heard from him again after we went back and forth, which was fine. But I lost his father in law at the same time, which was kind of a shame, nicest guy, had no problem paying for labor, but didn't like putting money into quality gear.


Any way, to the OP, you sound like every client that has ever shopped me on the Internet, and this is what I say to them. No problem, time and materials, special rate being that you are buying all of your own gear. There is no warranty on any of the installation, that time includes reading all of the manuals from front to back, and things probobly won't work 100% because it took me years to learn the few brands that I do work with inside and out, and I only have a few days to work with your gear.

Wondered this myself! I have known CIs to charge up to 20% over MSRP, well, if they can get away with that, good luck to them. I try to charge MSRP or if a model is comming to the end of it's run and is being discounted by the supplier, I'm happy to pass on the saving.

Secondly, it can be interesting checking the OPs' profile, Dabers email starts with 'filmcutter'. I guess he would be ok with a client turning up with a box full of film cuttings and telling him that "I've cut out all the parts that I don't want, can you put the rest back together and make it look right?". "Oh, and as I've done most of the work, I want a discount as well!"

I know that it's a very cynical way to look at it, but I often wonder, don't these people talk to their collegues and friends about the stupid and inane comments that THEIR customers come up with!!!

Daber,

Customers like yourself that do research and choose products based on reviews and forum feedback are becoming more common these days. Honestly customers that put their trust in a reputable installation company that can design a system within the ballpark of your budget requirements have better results when allowing the installation company to choose the equipment and design the system. Servicing and future upgrades are less costly and are more streamlined.

Innately customers like yourself have a want or need to control and participate in the process. Its not a bad thing although it does take a more patient installer to work with. Here's my recommendation for what it is worth. Instead of interviewing installers at this point take the time to design the system to your liking, choosing the equipment that you feel would be best. Then when you are looking up potential installers look at their websites for the brands of equipment that they work with too see if they offer mostly what you picked out. That way your chances of being compatible with the installer increase greatly. Then contact the installation company and tell them that you would like to pay them for a 2-3 hour consultation in your home where you will show them your design and equipment list. At that point the installer will give some insight and recommendations on why you should do something different for some items or keep some the same. But ultimately if the installer makes a great case go with his suggestion because at the end of the day he will be wiring, installing, and servicing it. After the consultation you can finalize your design and then shop it with a couple more companies if you so choose too. Most importantly remember that there are very valuable differences in the opinions from forum threads, magazine reviews, and the installer opinions. The installer has the advantage of working with products over the course of years to know over time what items have less service calls and more customer satisfaction.

e-mail me if you would like a recommendation if you agree with my advice.
[email protected]

We do a lot of work for clients like the OP. I can tell you that our best installers are not the ones that get these jobs. My best guys are busy doing systems that we designed and sold.
For what these DIY designers need, my newest guys (2-3 yrs. exp.) are usually just fine. When there is a technical issue like a Denon receiver that we recently installed for a client that had issues arises it always costs the client way more in billed time than if he would have gone with a manufacturer that we know inside and out and that we can call tech support on and we also have the director of tech support's personal cell number for emergencies.
I would find a company from whatever product you want's dealer finder and then strike a deal with them.
I have a client that is an architect. He says people bring him plan magazines all the time and they ask him to draw the plans for cheaper than they sell in the magazines. You can imagine what happens next. :-)

Well said Jed

This post is exactly what I have been experiencing on the phone for the last couple months. Everyone is calling after purchasing their own equipment, mounts and cables; but when you show up on site it's a complete mess. I guess that the economy is picking up but everyone feels that they are owed a favor for planning to spend money these days.

To the consumers reading this please understand that there are many grades of home technology installers. The ones with the most experience and best planning abilities charge for their time and know what products work. Desperate installers that need work are happy to come by for free for a chance to get their foot in your door and piece together what you found at Costco. Established companies that are good at what they do cannot provide a free design or consulting time. Nobody works for free, I'm not sure why so many potential clients expect us to do the same. Consumers should also be aware that many of the free consultations offered are frequently not properly licensed or insured.

Architects, Interior designers, custom cabinetry or any other specialized design field do not provide free planning. We are happy to talk to you, but at some point you have to choose to retain our on-site services. I'll gladly provide someone with installation advice and a complete proposal (not estimate) if they pay a consulting fee.

Daber, try a few more companies with the above advice and you will have favorable results.

|they also require I buy all my gear from them -- and their prices are not competitive....

There is nothing you can not find cheaper on the internet. But 99% of these internet sales are unauthorized and therefore the equipment carries no warranty.

What do you call competitive? These whores who sell stuff dirt cheap on the internet have no overhead, have no vehicles to maintain, pay no workman's comp, pay no liability insurance, pay no employee benefits, pay for no training, dont have to worry about warranty service calls, do I need to go on? It is fools like you who consider price alone that fuel these unauthorized sales.

you forgot to mention that all the parts they sell are "ALWAYS" in thier "OWN" warehouses and would never drop ship from another distributor. Also that thier responsiveness to returns or defective products is immacualte because of thier direct relationship with the manufactuer.

Oz-

Actually that happens all the time. My job is to make the best film with what I'm given.

As to the original post, you seem to suggest its all or nothing. One installer I interview tells me Denon receivers are crap. Another tells me he ONLY uses Denons. I've heard people say Logitech Harmony stuff is incredible yet the next guy tells me he only has horror stories. My point is, I dont mind (and in fact I enjoy) doing research to find the components of a home theater that are suited to me. I am, after all the one is who paying for it and using it.

What I am looking for though, is someone who will install it properly and professionally.

Bad analogy. If I was hiring a chef to come to my house to prepare a meal of my choosing I would have no problems choosing the meat for him to cook. I'm still paying for his expertise and knowledge.