Houston TV Repair, TV Sales and Electronics Repair

No matter how long you have been working as a TV repair specialist, nothing is better than receiving an email or phone call from a happy customer. It not only tells us that our work is appreciated, but also that we made a positive impression. Today, we received customer correspondence that brought a smile to our face. Here it is:

Thanks Gus! My husband went online and followed the directions! It seems to have fixed the restoring of the picture. Thank you so much for helping us resolve the problem ourselves! Good to know what an honest person you are and we will recommend you to friends and family needing TV help!!!! Thanks again Gus!!

-Judy Bauer

It was our pleasure to help Judy and her husband out.  We understand some people want to handle repairing their television on their own, and we do whatever it takes to give them what they want. That’s one way we stand apart from our competitors.

Bookmark It

Right now, there is a big movement to go “green” as much as possible.  Quite frankly, that is a good thing.  If we do not protect our environment, we will not have to worry about handling TV installations.  Instead, we would be lucky to not wake up covered in our own filth every day.  That is no way to live if you ask us, and we think you would agree.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a movement for recycling old electronics has gained momentum.  Generally speaking, the screens of most electronics contain some toxic materials, such as lead and mercury.  By dispersing those chemicals into a landfill, over time, they will produce harmful atmospheric consequences.  By recycling electronics, you help prevent those harmful atmospheric conditions from occurring. Sadly, West Virginia does not understand this.

Yesterday, the West Virginia Senate voted to lift the state’s ban on disposing electronics into landfills.  Talk about depressing.  While state representatives cited the fact the recycling option was being ignored by citizens, that is not a good excuse for lifting this ban.  There were plenty of other options they could have exhausted before giving up on the concept of electronics recycling.

For example, give citizens incentives to recycle their old electronics. With the economy in shambles, they could have given a gift card to buy groceries or gas to anyone that recycled an electronic device.  Or, they could have even gone a step further and offered a small tax break to anyone that dropped off electronics at a designated recycling center.  Whether you like these ideas or not, the point is, West Virginia took the easy way out.  That is a shame.

Bookmark It

It is March.   Warmer weather is on the horizon, and leaves are turning back to green.  It also means it is time for “March Madness” on TV.   Millions of people will be hovering around the television, cheering for their favorite teams and rooting for dramatic buzzer beaters. Last year, 9.3 million people did exactly that.  No wonder March is such a popular month for TV installations.

However, no one wants to be “that guy.”  You know who we are talking about.  The guy that agrees to host a March Madness watch party and his TV goes on the fritz the day of the games. Instead of having a joyous time with his buddies, he spends his day dealing with upset friends while frantically trying to get a hold of someone to fix his television.  Talk about a real buzz kill. Luckily, there is a solution: Have a TV repair company come and check out your big screen TV before the games begin.

By being proactive, not only will your television get fixed, but you get to avoid the shame of being embarrassed in front of your friends.  Furthermore, you get to watch some really exciting basketball. That is winning in our book.

Bookmark It

With more television shows being available for online viewing, less people feel the need to own a TV set.  To be honest, we don’t blame them.  If we were in their shoes, we would strongly consider doing the same thing.  It’s much cheaper to stream your favorite episodes on a personal computer than to pay for cable every month.   Furthermore, whereas you probably have multiple TVs in a house, a family can survive with one computer if needed.

This means that TV repair shops must revamp their business models to account for the changing times.  No longer is it going to be good enough to simply service televisions. Instead, it’s time to diversify the services we provide.  One option is branching out into all forms of electronics repair, including computers, cellphones, and tablets.  Another option is to venture into the world of home automation.  We chose the latter.

Now, this isn’t to say that there still won’t be televisions to install or repair.  Far from it, actually. But in any industry, you either learn to adapt to what your customers need and want, or you won’t be in business for long.  The trend of online streaming is only going to increase, so simply relying on TV installation and repair services to be profitable is not smart business.

Bookmark It

In today’s technology driven society, a nice television is often the centerpiece of a great room. Put another way, it is the ultimate eye candy for any home. That is why so many people change out TV’s every few years as new technology gets developed.  However, just like buying anything else, a little bit of research and planning goes a long way.  When it comes to purchasing a new TV, factors to consider include price, customer reviews, industry reviews, screen size, picture quality, and the size of the room where the television will be placed.

Of these factors, price obviously ranks near the top.  With the economy in shambles, many families lack the disposable income to purchase the latest and greatest TV’s on the market. However, we strongly recommend to not just purchase the cheapest television you can find. Often times, there is a reason that television is available on such a good deal.  It could have an issue with picture quality, or it may come with a shorter manufacturer’s warranty and service agreement than more expensive models.  The key here is to evaluate numerous customer and industry reviews prior to purchase.  If the reviews are good, go ahead and make the purchase. If they aren’t, look for a different model. Being forced to call a TV repair company within days of buying your new toy is not fun.

Besides price and online reviews, it is important to think about the screen size, picture quality, and where the TV installation will take place in your home.  If the TV will be placed in a small room, a 100 inch TV is probably not the best choice.  Conversely, if the TV is going to be the defining feature of a large space, a 32 inch TV is too small.  Then, when it comes to picture quality, 4K technology costs more than ultra HD, which costs more than standard HD. Therefore, you must determine how important picture quality is to you, and how much you are willing to spend on it.

The bottom line is you need to know the type of television you want before you ever step foot in a store.  You also need to have a decent grasp of what a television with all the features you want will cost.  By doing so, you prevent a salesman from trying to up-sell you on more expensive TVs, and wrecking your budget in the process.

Bookmark It

Although we specialize in TV repair, we love all forms of personal electronics.  That is why flying is a sore subject to us.  You step on an airplane, find your seat, get buckled in, and start watching a favorite TV show on your smartphone or tablet.  Then, after a few minutes, you hear a beeping sound, and a voice bellows, “Please turn off all electronic devices.”  Talk about a major buzz kill. Especially in this day and age.

Want to know why this policy is in place?  For years, airline pilots reported that their plane’s technology would go haywire until they asked passengers to turn off their electronic devices. Therefore, in 1993, the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) passed a law that disallowed the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing.

However, considering the popularity of smartphones and tablets today, the policy must change.  A recent survey indicated that 40 percent of passengers neglect to turn off their cell phones during takeoff or landing as it is.  What good is a policy if nobody abides by it? Because that is pretty much what is happening now.

The good news: The FAA is starting to see the light.   Currently, a detailed review of the airplane electronic device policy is underway.  Hopefully, sooner rather than later, there will be no restrictions regarding the use of personal electronics on an airline flight.

Bookmark It

When you think of television manufacturers, Panasonic is one of the bigger players in the industry.   So, when news broke earlier this week that they are considering getting out of the LCD TV market altogether, it definitely caught our attention and took us aback for a second.

For years, Panasonic LCD TV’s have been common sights in Houston homes and it’s hard for us to envision not seeing Panasonic’s name slapped on LCD TV’s in electronic stores across the city.  But, yet, that’s exactly what might happen in the near future.

Now, you may currently own a Panasonic LCD TV and wonder if you will be able to get your TV repaired in the future rather than spend lots of money on a new set.   Honestly, if this ends up coming to fruition, any Houston resident with a Panasonic LCD TV in need of repair would still be able to get their television fixed.   Remember, all of our TV repair specialists have been specially trained by Panasonic on how to fix all the existing LCD TV models they have produced.   The only way there would be an issue is if the world ran out of Panasonic LCD TV parts, and that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.

Bookmark It

In today’s society, many people believe technology is king.   Considering the amount of requests we get from people needing tv repair in Houston, that’s no surprise to us.   And when you think about it, it makes sense.   Many people would rather relax on the comfort of their couch and watch their favorite show or movie, than do anything else after work. Furthermore, some people may prefer watching sports rather than playing them.    However, a new study shows that too much TV may be worse than smoking, which we seriously doubt.

According to the results of the study, if you are 25 years old or older, every hour of television you watch reduces your life expectancy by approximately 22 minutes.   Compare that to smoking a cigarette, which only reduces your life expectancy by 11 minutes.   Look, we understand that too much of anything can be a bad thing, and that watching TV in lieu of exercising is not the healthiest thing you can do.   But, we can’t agree with the notion that watching an hour of TV is worse for you than smoking a cigarette.   That just seems preposterous to us.   One of those is proven to cause serious health problems later in the life, the other isn’t.

Bookmark It

Televisions constantly are evolving and, thus, the TV repair needs of Houston area people will constantly change as well.   Years ago, digital TV’s weren’t even a figment of our imaginations, as everything was analog based.  But, sure enough, digital TV’s are the industry standard nowadays. Then came the creation of the flat screen TV, which led to TV’s being mounted on walls throughout the world.  Before that, most TV’s either stood alone, or were placed in cabinets to hold them in place.   Not anymore.  After that, there was the development of HDTV’s, whose popularity spawned the creation of the 3DTV.  Finally, TV manufacturers have found a way to create an even clearer picture than HD provides, and these “4K” TV’s will start hitting the shelves of local electronics retailers soon.

With the rise of new technological developments for televisions, it’s like being back in school all over again for any Houston TV repair technician.   When a new television model is introduced, they have to undergo and pass specialized training courses implemented by each specific manufacturer before they can service the model in a residential or commercial setting.

All of this begs the question:  What kind of TV’s will a repair technician be servicing in 10 years?

Bookmark It

As is common with technology, once a new product hits the market, people rush to the store to pick it up.   There’s nothing wrong with that, either.   However, when new technology is purchased, it usually means it’s time to throw out that old, obsolete technology that it’s replacing.   Now, as we’ve already discussed in this blog, we advocate recycling your old TV rather than trashing it.  That said, it is important to note that TV’s(along with most electronics) contain chemicals that will harm the environment if not properly disposed. Therefore, researchers at Purdue University are feverishly working to develop tools that will make recycling old TV’s more environmentally friendly.

Honestly, we love the idea.   No matter where our technicians are tackling TV repair in the Greater Houston area, they do everything they can to protect the environment in the process. If we don’t protect the environment, the natural resources needed to develop new technology will dry up, and there won’t be new technology created.    That would make us sad.   While we spend our work days helping Houston families get their TV’s back up and running, at night we are playing with our smartphones, HDTV’s, and iPads.  We wouldn’t be a leaders in Houston TV repair if we weren’t always staying current on the latest technology trends.

Bookmark It