HELP - Ripped Off By Local Audio Installer

[CoutureCoupe]

Hey guys,

I have a small story here about a terrible audio shop located in the Boston area and I was wondering if you could offer any advice or tips...

SO I recently purchased the Kenwood DNX-5120, Bluetooth adapter, Pac SWI-Jack, all of the housing and installation equipment. Basically I had everything except the will to install it. Sorry but I couldn't bear to watch my baby get dismantled before my eyes.

Anyways I call around and find a shop that quotes me at $130 for the install on the provision that I am bringing them everything necessary for the installation. I go down there, check out the shop and everything looked legit. When I bring my car in to get the work down the problems started occuring.

First, the genius doing my install calls me 20 minutes after I drop it off and says "bro your airbags deployed." After I almost had a heart attack he says "ohh I was just kidding, but the Ipod cable you have is sh*t, We have this one and I think you should get it." I spotted his poor attempt at an upsell and declined him.

So I get the call that my car is ready, go to pick it up and everything looks great. When I get in the office however the guy says I owe him $300+ for the install. Needless to say I flipped! He wouldnt even call the owner to confirm the price he quoted me, told me that I was wrong and that they would never do that. Then he told me that if I didn't pay they would hold my car until it gets straightened out. Desparate, I handed over my card and made a scribble signature that did not display my name.

That night I realized they didnt install the bluetooth properly and I had to bring it back for them to program the unit.

At this point I do not know what to do... My questions are,

1) do you think $300+ is fair for an installation where I brought every aspect of the project. 2) Should I call my credit card company and try to dispute the charges? Will this really work?

I really hate the idea of being ripped off, this place is worse than a dealership. Thanks for reading guys, sorry for the length but I wanted you to get the complete picture.

[shortys408]

300 is wayyyy too much, even best buy only charges 100 for a head unit install. I paid 115 for my head unit and bluetooth module.

[notaverage]

I got this kinda BS (changing prices) from an install shop in the Bay area. Fortunately I saw that they were gonna rip me off BEFORE they started work on my car. So I went back and got my car back, and reported them to Better Business Bureau. And wouldn't you know it, this isn't the first time BBB has wrote them up!

I really don't know much about your situation though, you already paid! I think if you had called the police and filed a report before you paid, you could have worked something out...

[Colton92]

thats why i always install it myself cause i could never trust a install shop with my baby.

[AppleBonker]

thats why i always install it myself cause i could never trust a install shop with my baby.

Agreed. However, some people aren't that inclined to do their own work. But, there should be enough support on these boards that anyone can accomplish this. To the OP, you might be out of luck on that one. I wish I could be more help, but I'm not even sure where I would begin if I were in that position.

[rjdmmfl1]

Actually, 300 for navi install, bluetooth, + PAC-SWI is Not unreasonable at all... as you've noticed from the numerous questions Apllebbonker and I have been getting regarding the install, especially the PAC-SWI install, you'll se that its not necessarily a super easy instal to do, and to do it properly, i could easily take 30 mins to do the soldering connecting and programming, especially for someone that has never done this particular vehicle before

Regarding your recourse, I do't think there's much you can do, other than go back and talk to the person that quaoted you and get them to refund some of your money

aside from that, take this as a lesson to either learnm to do some of these things yourself and sav some money, or be sure to get a printed quote of charges before they do it!

300 is wayyyy too much, even best buy only charges 100 for a head unit install. I paid 115 for my head unit and bluetooth module.

nope, most shops charge extra for nav/dvd install compared to just stereo installs, not all, but most

[CoutureCoupe]

Thanks to everyone who has posted... I knew I was gonna hear the whole DIY argument. However, time is money for me... and with my experience it would have taken quite a bit of time. Between the PAC SWI Jack and wiring the bluetooth in the A-Pillar I would have been very lost and stressed out. I guess others can use this as a learning experience and be sure to receive written quotes when having this type of work done.

It still does not change the fact that I was ripped off. Doc, you may say its a reasonable price but when your are charged $200 more than an original quote, it comes to quite the shocker. Its not the money, its the precedence. I will certainly write terrible reviews for this shop on the internet in terms of its customer service, likely file something with the BBB (although I'm quite sure they dont get into disputes over money), and I am going to think about filing a claim with my credit card company. Thanks again everyone

[LongBeachCoupe]

LBC says BBB is for VTEC.

Amex (or other cc) FTW!

[AppleBonker]

Good luck and definitely keep us posted with how things go.

[adidas2go]

Aint that the truth. Robert and I spent a few hours trying to get the PAC-SWI to hook up correctly. Finally took a pure solder technique to get it to work correctly

[rjdmmfl1]

Aint that the truth. Robert and I spent a few hours trying to get the PAC-SWI to hook up correctly. Finally took a pure solder technique to get it to work correctly

yeah, I think the soldering technique is the ONLY way to do it properly and ensure a strong connection between the resistors and the wires...

without soldering and T-Taps, it took Blake and I over an hour to get it to NOT work properly

On my Kenwood 8120, after soldering the wires as shown on my diagram, it only took me about 10 minutes to disassemble the deck, install the PAC-SWI, set it, and re-assemble my deck...

on that note... I'll do SOCAL PAC SWi installs for $30 (hey, gas is a b*tch )

[CoutureCoupe]

yeah, I think the soldering technique is the ONLY way to do it properly and ensure a strong connection between the resistors and the wires...

without soldering and T-Taps, it took Blake and I over an hour to get it to NOT work properly

On my Kenwood 8120, after soldering the wires as shown on my diagram, it only took me about 10 minutes to disassemble the deck, install the PAC-SWI, set it, and re-assemble my deck...

on that note... I'll do SOCAL PAC SWi installs for $30 (hey, gas is a b*tch )

The funny thing is that I brought in the Doc's diagram for the wiring of the PAC-SWI. I'm not sure if they did do the solder, however it appears to be working properly (its just not as sensitive as stock)

The time should be irrevelant for their price to me, they sold the same PAC-SWI set at their shop. That should mean they know how to it install properly. Basically, it doesnt seem fair to be paying them $100 an hour for an install where they dont know what they are doing

On a side note for The DOC or AppleBonker... The 5120 says it powers 50x4 Watts for the speakers. I am looking to upgrade the speakers from this crappy stock to some infinity refernce or kappa. Do you think there is enough power in the HU amp to power these speakers? Im really trying to avoid installing an AMP. Thanks again for you help

[AppleBonker]

On a side note for The DOC or AppleBonker... The 5120 says it powers 50x4 Watts for the speakers. I am looking to upgrade the speakers from this crappy stock to some infinity refernce or kappa. Do you think there is enough power in the HU amp to power these speakers? Im really trying to avoid installing an AMP. Thanks again for you help

You could power them off the HU amp, but I would not recommend it. That 50 by four rating is peak power. That unit puts out 22 watts RMS (which is the far more important number), and this is far too little for any quality aftermarket speaker. Ideally, most infinity speakers should probably be fed at least 50 watts RMS. So, the speakers will work off the HU amp (as in, they will produce sound) and wont get damaged (unless you turn the volume up too high). However, for the stereo to sound decent, an aftermarket amp is basically a requirement.

[rjdmmfl1]

The funny thing is that I brought in the Doc's diagram for the wiring of the PAC-SWI. I'm not sure if they did do the solder, however it appears to be working properly (its just not as sensitive as stock)

The time should be irrevelant for their price to me, they sold the same PAC-SWI set at their shop. That should mean they know how to it install properly. Basically, it doesnt seem fair to be paying them $100 an hour for an install where they dont know what they are doing

On a side note for The DOC or AppleBonker... The 5120 says it powers 50x4 Watts for the speakers. I am looking to upgrade the speakers from this crappy stock to some infinity refernce or kappa. Do you think there is enough power in the HU amp to power these speakers? Im really trying to avoid installing an AMP. Thanks again for you help

I actually would have demanded that they solder... honestly, with my diagram, it should have onl taken them 15 mins, the soldering would have taken another 5 -10... regarding the repsonse.. yes, the response time is ALWAYS slower with the pac units than original.. but hey, its better than not having steering wheel controls

You could power them off the HU amp, but I would not recommend it. That 50 by four rating is peak power. That unit puts out 22 watts RMS (which is the far more important number), and this is far too little for any quality aftermarket speaker. Ideally, most infinity speakers should probably be fed at least 50 watts RMS. So, the speakers will work off the HU amp (as in, they will produce sound) and wont get damaged (unless you turn the volume up too high). However, for the stereo to sound decent, an aftermarket amp is basically a requirement.

Agreed 100%

[AppleBonker]

yes, the response time is ALWAYS slower with the pac units than original.. but hey, its better than not having steering wheel controls

Doc (or anyone else for that matter), have you ever had some of the controls give out on you? For example, occasionally I can't get the track forward button to work. When this happens, I can still control everything else (Source, previous track and volume up/down). Because of that, I don't think it is a wire connection issue. Also, this problem comes and goes. I've noticed it a few times lately, but sometimes I can't advance tracks and sometimes I can (so I'm doubting it's a programming issue as then the button should stop working altogether). Any ideas as to what is wrong?

[CoutureCoupe]

I was afraid of that response for the AMP. I can handle swapping out the 6x9's in the rear and the components in the door would be a project but managable. However wiring an Amp and Im lost, I'm like a complete idiot when it comes to wiring. I would need some serious directions with pictures for that one lol.

[AppleBonker]

I was afraid of that response for the AMP. I can handle swapping out the 6x9's in the rear and the components in the door would be a project but managable. However wiring an Amp and Im lost, I'm like a complete idiot when it comes to wiring. I would need some serious directions with pictures for that one lol.

There are some pics of certain parts around, but not of everything. We're always here to help if it is needed. Next time I get the chance, I'll try to take some more pics of taking the car apart to help people. Also, you might be able to find someone near you who is willing to help. There should be people on this board that will help you run things if they've done it to their car. If you were in Chicago I'd help you if I had some free time. Maybe for the cost of a meal and a few beverages.

[RussTee]

Sorry to hear about your situation, man. While I really don't know if the price is unreasonable, what they did was unethical. If they quoted you a price, then charged you a much larger amount when you went to pick up your car, they NEEDED to call you with the updated price BEFORE installation. Any reputable place would have done this. I don't know if you can get any of your money back, but here's what I would do...I had a situation with my coupe a few months ago. It's different than yours, but here's what happened. I brought my coupe in to see about installing XM radio. My local Nissan dealership gave me his name. They send all aftermarket audio installations to him. Anyway, while he was checking things out, the 'technician' set the airbag light off. He couldn't get it reset. He told me that it wasn't a big deal. Well, I called the dealership and they told me that the airbags might not deployif I was in an accident since the light was on. That little @@#@%# lied to me. I called and told him that I didn't appreciate his lying to me. I was really ticked off even though I'd not paid him any money. So...I called the BBB and made a report. Well, they sent the report to the stereo shop and he flips out. Calls me, calls the dealership, just losing his mind. He knows that this is now public knowledge (his lousy service and his lies that could have killed me if I was in an accident). My report is now located on the BBB site, so anyone checking out this crappy stereo shop will read it. He was not happy. In addition to all of this, I was told by the service Manager at my Nissan dealership that because of what he did (he had received other complaints), that they were not going to refer any more customers to this guy. And trust me, this is a huge lose to him. The Lithia dealership consists of Nissan, Mazda, and Hyndai. So, he's screwed now. Sorry to go on for so long. I'm just saying that you should think about making a report. That report will be sent to the shop and they will have three days to respond. Depending on the outcome, you can keep pursuing the matter.

good luck, my friend.

[KGNickl]

What you did was most likely right. I would talk to the person who quoted you the price or the manager of that person. Say that the installer would not honor the price and refused to contact the person who quoted you the original price. Since you needed your car you paid and figured you would take it up with the person who gave the quote and/or a manager. From my experience you are best saying the install looks great, but I was quoted another amount. I would love to continue to do business with your shop and refer friends, but this problem needs to be resolved. If your willing on losing a customer and possibly many other referral customers over a few $$$ in labor then great. Otherwise make this right and you keep a customer and you will most likely earn the money back in time. When I'm trying to get money back I try to make the person feel like the are doing me a favor (even though they or someone they work with caused the problem in the first place). If you get them on the defensive they will want to piss you off and no better way to do that than to not refund your money! Make them feel good and joke around, if the person likes you they are way more likely to want do you a favor and refund you money. This method is for the small local shops.

For corporate places like BB and CC just complain and complain till the place gets sick of you and gives you your $$$ back. They usually follow policy until they get sick of looking and hearing you. Then to get you to go away they give your $$$ back.

Also if that fails I'm not sure if you the credit card company would help, but call and give them the honest story and ask if you can dispute it. Never hurts to ask!

Another note: When you leave your car for an install always have sign a release slip that quotes in detail the work to be performed, additional parts needed, and all prices. Keep a copy. Then you have proof to argue about and if they will not budge then its much easier to dispute the charge through your credit card company with proof on paper.
Modified by KGNickl at 11:33 AM 8/20/2008