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Review 8/29/2010
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My first experience with them should have been a warning of things to come - BOY do I regret it now!
Started out with a search on ServiceMagic to find someone to install 4 video cameras at my apt building in Hollywood, I promptly got a call from Vladamir, sounded like he was eager to come out and give me a free estimate so I booked it for Saturday at 1 pm, never showed up so I call him at 2;30pm and he said he was "sorry" but was at the aquarium with his family in Long Beach. I asked him why he didn't call me, he said he "forgot". I decided to look into other companies. A few months went by and I hadn't got the cameras installed yet due to finances so I went back to ServiceMagic and once again I get a call but this time from Tommie. I explained I would rather not do business with them considering how poorly I was treated by Vladamir and the complete disregard for my time. He apologized and offered me a "discount" for my troubles, he came out and gave me another estimate and after speaking with Tommie I felt better about going with this company.
Three weeks later they come out and install the cameras, right off the bat I knew there was something wrong with one of the cameras at the back stairwell, it was extremely blurry and Tommie even acknowledged that this was not right, it should be a clearer picture so he has the guys come back out. These two guys spoke Russian back and fourth to each other and then called Vladamir, again speaking in Russian the entire time so I had no idea what they were saying but according to them - Vladamir was the "expert" and that he did not think there was anything wrong with the camera that it was the shadowing in the back of the building that was making the camera look blurry which I knew was COMPLETE rubbish considering that I had another camera in another area that had NO light and far more shadowing.
A week later I have another camera malfunction over the parking lot, this time all I can see if a white ring around the screen, again the guys come out and see it and call Vladamir, this time Vladamir comes out himself and has the nerve to tell me that it is from the light on top of adjacent building next to us, I tell him there is no light on the roof of that building he insists there is, the next day I call the owner of that building and he confirms there is no light on the roof. I even went out at night and took pictures, NO LIGHT. I send Vladamir the pictures and I get NO REPLY FOR 4 DAYS, Tommie gets back to me after me calling and leaving THREE unreturned vm messages over a week and says they will replace. I make an appointment for them to come the following week at 11am, they show up at 4pm and when the guy shows up he does not have a ladder tall enough, funny because they had a ladder tall enough when the initially installed it!
So they come back out and replace the camera ..wanna guess what happened next? The guy came out and said AGAIN that they forgot to bring a high enough latter! I told him I cannot take anymore time off work and they need to get this resolved once and for all! They came the next day 2 hours AFTER they said they would BUT they managed to replace the camera.
So I have one camera that's blurry and one that has been replaced. Not even a few days after they replaced the camera over the driveway it starts getting static then a fluttering image! I call them and they don't have time until next week to see me so I email them video of what was happening. After calling several times and leaving several messages I finally write them an email explaining how completely unhappy I am at this disgusting level of service I am getting. I call Tommie and leave him a message and he writes me back an email saying he was sorry but they were at some technical conference. So the guys come back out and the tech acknowledges the fact that there is something wrong, he calls Vladamir and they start speaking in Russian which I cannot understand, so guess what they did? They go to the back of the DVR recorder and wiggle the wires on the back!! they say "that should fix it cause wires were just loose", I told him the wires were NOT loose as that was the first thing that I checked!
In conclusion - I called them about 6 times and emailed them 3, I never heard back from them, they have never once tried to call or email me since then. I have 2 camers that are USELESS!
I have documentation of EVERYTHING, the videos I took of the malfunctioning cameras, the emails with empty promises, the vm's! If anyone wants to see them PLEASE email me and I will show you myself! I just want to help others from being swindled like I was! MAYBE they are good at installing TV's, but they are horrible with cameras! Email me and I will show anyone who wants to see!
Update: I recieved a retaliatory response from Vladamir the owner of this business accusing me of (and I quote) "making personal adjustments to the cameras and equipment". Does not make sense because i have NEVER once asked for a refund or money to be returned EVER - all I have ever asked for is for them to finish the job to satisfaction.
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