We just celebrated our son's second birthday, and I can't believe how time flies and how life has changed. Gone are the long weekend trips to Cabo. Instead it's Sunday pony rides and romps in the bouncy house at the farmer's market around the corner from our condo. One of the craziest life changes in new parenthood was the amazing volume of laundry that we had to do. I swear the clothes washer and dryer were going all day, every day... that is, until the clothes washer at my former house broke. Talk about an end-of-the-world situation. I called repair people all over the Southland (that's what the news people call Southern California for some reason), and none could rush over with the speed that I needed. I considered just buying a new machine to get us back into the game, but that seemed extreme. One of the repair people I found on Yelp.com suggested that I watch this YouTube.com video, as it explained JUST how to fix the problem. You see, in a Maytag Duet washer, there is this PVC-pipe-looking thing that gets all clogged up with junk. You just need to get torque wrench into about six locations, remove a few gaskets, and boom - you have found the offending filter. Just clean that, and you are all set. Easy, right? Wrong. The first problem was, I didn't have the wrenches, which meant a $22 investment and 60 minutes of driving back and forth to the hardware store. I then had to get the small cleaning lady to help push the washer up so that I could start the surgery. It was a mess; but, 30 minutes of cursing later, I got to the filter. It was filled up with all sorts of crap, including the rubber from our bath mats (never buy that type, it turns out), about $6 in quarters, and 24 ball marks from various Golf Magazine Top 100 courses. I cleaned the sucker out, replaced everything, and started what I thought was going to be my first successful load of badly needed laundry. The machine worked for all of 15 minutes and then broke again. Enthusiastically.
Additional Resources:
CEDIA
HomeTheaterReview.com's Dealer Locator
Imaging Science Foundation
I am not sure how I forgot that I am not a professional washing-machine repairman, but I did. I wasted time that I could have used to sell ads, edit copy, and otherwise run my business trying to do something beyond my skill sets. Ironically, I learned this "let the pros do the work" lesson years ago with my AV gear. Can I set up a home theater from top to bottom? Absolutely, yes. Can I do it as good as Simply Home Entertainment, one of the top AV firms in the country? Not a chance in hell. They know how to rack-mount gear better than I do. They are faster and better at hanging TVs. They pull wires through walls with ease. They are IT experts. They have the best Crestron programmers. They are just better. Can they sell ads for an online home theater publication? Nope. Nor do they try, which likely makes them smarter than me.
Click on over to page 2 for the Nine Questions to Consider Before You Hire A Custom Installer . . .
There comes a time when every audiophile and/or home theater enthusiast needs to call in a pro. There may be many choices in your area, or there may be few, depending on where you live. Not all custom AV installers are created equal, so how do you choose the right one for your situation? Here are nine questions to consider before you hire a custom installer:
1. How long has this dealer been in business? Are they accredited by CEDIA, THX, ISF, and/or the Better Business Bureau? Make sure they have a rock-solid reputation and good track record before you cut them a meaningful check.
2. What does their portfolio of projects look like? Can they show you professional photos of really sweet installations they've done, or are they rocking install photos of seven-inch CRT projectors from 1991?
3. Are there client recommendations on the website, or will they provide you with a list of former clients you can call? Do a Google search and see if there is any chatter about the dealer. Check Yelp. The occasional bad posting is part of any business, but you want to look for a pattern of negativity. If nine out 10 reviews are bad, stay away.
4. What product lines does this installer sell? Is he an "A-list" dealer for the top-end stuff, or is he a "trunk-slammer"?
5. If you ask for a bid for a project, does he or she come in at your budget number, or do they try to tack on 30 percent or more? If the job needs to be larger, a top-level installer will ask permission to send a larger bid. It's a professional courtesy and smart sales approach, yet some lesser dealers just go for the gusto every time and expect consumers to pay more.
6. Does the dealer offer you the chance to play with their programming, be it on a Control4, Savant or Crestron system? These platforms are powerful for remotes and home automation, but they are only as good as the person programming them. Have they programmed slick interfaces with simple-to-understand pages, or are they complicated and poorly drawn? If it's the latter, run, don't walk -- a lame automation system will destroy the entire experience.
7. Does the custom AV installer have a background in acoustics, calibration, and overall system tuning? Anyone reading HomeTheaterReview.com is interested in the best performance even if they hire an installer. Do they have ISF certification? Do their installers get trained at CEDIA? Do they work with people who can do high-level video calibration? Do they work with acoustical engineers that can make your room sound awesome before you install any speakers? The best firms have good solutions for all of these topics.
8. Does the dealer have any kind of trade-in program? There is likely value in the gear you own now. Will they help you with photographing and packing your current gear for sale on eBay or Audiogon.com? You may have certain preferences in gear that may or may not be sold by this dealer. Will they get you gear that they don't sell from another dealer if it's what you really want?
9. What type of after-the-sale support does the firm offer? Is there a maintenance plan that will get you someone over every three to six months to upgrade firmware, check on your system's functionality, and so on? What is the cost for such a service?
For some DIY enthusiasts, the idea of not installing your own gear is unthinkable. Those of us who want get the most from our systems with the best integration, ease of use, and less grief tend to look to the pros, and it is worth a little research before you get going with a new firm. Considering what your time is worth and how complicated much of today's equipment has become, having someone help you through the ownership process can be worth the money and then some.
Do you get anyone to help you with your AV installations? Who in your area is good? Please share your experiences below in the Comments section.
Additional Resources:
CEDIA
HomeTheaterReview.com's Dealer Locator
Imaging Science Foundation
