Time, care, expertise, and patience all describe this business. I am someone who appreciates craftsmanship and knowledge- Sheldon has both. He took time to explain things to me- not just get me in and out. My turntable is fixed, I can listen to my music, and I can relax knowing a knowledgeable , focused person did not rush the job, but took their time and care to do it right. I would rather spend money on fixing something than toss it away and quickly buy something new. I also would rather support a local business in a world of big box stores and mega companies. I read the reviews of people who were upset at putting down a deposit- they seem to have forgotten that a person is taking time to assess their equipment and diagnose the problem, They should not do that for free. Thank You Sheldon for making the down side of my having to repair something be such a positive experience! I highly recommend this business to anyone who cares about high quality work.
When the left channel recently went out on my trusty, 20-year-old Onkyo amplifier/tuner I was concerned it would end up in the landfill. Sheldon was initally unable to replicate the issue - the left channel worked fine when he had the unit on his workbench. Intermittent outages are frustrating for the owner, and the repairer. But he was eventually able to identify and resolve the problem, which turned out to be heat-related damage to the circuit boards - not unexpected in a unit of this age.
He worked me into his busy schedule during the holiday period, did a complete service, and had me back up and running within a few days.
It's important to recognize Sheldon cannot possibly tell you whether he can fix something, or how much a fix might end up costing, without opening the unit up and taking a close look.
That takes time, and time is money. So, it's perfectly reasonable that he charges a deposit up front for that initial diagnostic process. He gives a clear explanation of the problem, and a written estimate of the cost to fix it. It's then up to the customer to decide whether to move forward. If so, the deposit is applied to the total amount charged for the repair.
Some reviewers complain about this. And I was initially a little surprised that he couldn't tell me what it might cost to fix my receiver. But once he explained why, his process made perfect sense.
Sheldon is a true craftsman, a straight shooter, and a natural born teacher: I learned a great deal from our discussions. And I'm completely satisfied with the outcome.
If it had turned out my unit was not repairable, or the repair would have cost more than I wanted to spend, I would have been bummed to have lost the deposit.
But it would have been completely unfair of me to expect Sheldon to spend a few hours opening the thing up and diagnosing the issues, for free.
