I strongly encourage you to not use this company! I agree that they are ok for ONLY mounting a TV. Paul showed up late, left a huge mess behind on my floor and couldn't even finish the job. I should have gone with my instincts and hired a certified electrician and a more reputable company. After my initial hesitation, since it was a small job, he confirmed that he's been in the business for a long time and could easily do the job....almost 4 hours later, he ONLY mounted the TV, put holes in my wall where a more experienced person probably wouldn;t have and couldn't get the outlet to work that he created. He also knew that I had a hard stop at a certain time, so he asked his girlfriend Evelyn (she sat in a van the entire time, which is also suspect) to come in and pack up his stuff which made me even more uncomfortable since I was home along at the time. He said he would come back the next day to finish the job (assuming after he either googled or asked an electrician how to do the work); however before leaving he begged me to pay him. I wasn't comfortable paying him, but I did agree to pay him after a complete job since I'm honest and believe in being fair. The next day he blew up my phone (I told him I was only available during a certain time and he called me back to back during the time I told him I wasn't available) and when I finally answered, he told me it would take another 3 hours to finish the job. Now please keep in mind that this is a simple mounting job that should only take 2 hours max. It's clear that he has absolutely no clue what he is doing so I strongly suggest using another company. Since he did mount the tv, I ended up paying him $80 since technically he did mount the tv and I also don't want any crazy people lurking around thinking I owe them money. I now have to find and hire a real electrician that knows what he's doing to fix and finish the job that Paul did not know how to complete. read more

THIS GUY IS A FRAUD! He will take your money upfront and bail on you! Buyer BEWARE! I needed security cameras installed for a commercial property in Orland Park, IL. I am from NJ and started looking for vendors that can service Orland Park, IL. I came across a company by the name of Certified AVE based out of Crest Hill, IL. I checked out their website and noticed that they are a " Better Business Bureau- Accredited Business". Seeing that I felt a little more comfortable. So I went ahead and hired Paul B to furnish and install a 5 camera wireless security system for the property. I had to get a commitment on dates from him so I can book my airline, hotel, and car rental. He insisted on getting paid for 100% of the equipment and 50% of the labor up front prior to committing the dates for the "2 day install". So I directly deposit $4,400 in his account and booked my trip. 2 days after he receives the money, he tells me that I need to make sure the lift is rented and delivered for the dates. I told him, why do I need to rent it? , He then throws the 1st bomb, stating that, it is not included in the price. That costed me $700 more, which should of been his expense and not mine. I had no choice at this point but to go ahead as have already paid him majority of the monies. Come on first day of installation ( Thursday Feb 23, he arrives an hour late goes thru the site with his tech and after an hour or so he says he doesn't have all the equipment yet so he can't install today. At this point I am shocked and don't understand. Bomb # 2 So I took it upon myself to contact the manufacturer and they stated that it was delivered at Paul's house earlier the same day. So I tell Paul and he calls his wife and , sure enough it was delivered. So he left to go pick it up and that took a good 2 hours. Time was an issue for me as now that I am renting this lift which is costing me now daily and if he ends up taking longer I will have to pay additional rental for it. He comes back and ends up working only couple of hours. On the second day (Friday Feb 24), again an hour late, he installed 3 cameras on the pole using the lift, but at the end of the day he then realizes that he needs to go back and bring a the wireless antennas down as he has to still program them. He leaves with all the equipment and says will program it at home. That now means that he will need the lift another day. That is Bomb #3. So day 3 (Saturday Feb 25), he shows up without his tech and spent the entire day on the phone with the manufacturer and was not able to even program one antenna. He gets frustrated and leaves for the day and takes the antennas with him and the rest of the equipment and says that he will program it. I told him that you took the equipment to program it at home, he said yeah he didn't get to it. Day 4 (Sunday Feb 26) calls me and says that he will do it on Wednesday. I tell him that I will be leaving on the Tuesday Feb 28. He states that he will get it done. I fly back and I reach out to him on the following week to find out where he is with the completion of the job, he tells me that he will need more money as he has to rent the lift and materials. I told him the delay was on him and materials for what?? I paid you a contract price that should of included the materials and the lift, and that I am not willing to pay any more to him and just want the job done already as a 2 day job has now become over 2 weeks and still incomplete. He tells me to let him know and hangs up the phone. Over the next week there is no communication and he finally tells me to pay him the balance and a extra $4-500 for materials. Now I am completely upset and angry and told him to drop off the equipment that I have paid for and we both can walk away from this. He said NO. The worst part is that after calling the "BBB" they say he is not an "Accredited Business" - so basically he is a fraud and falsely trying to get customers. If you dont believe me please do check the image that I attached then call the Better Business Bureau of Chicago at (312)832-0500 You have my equipment and refuse to return it to me. I will pursue criminal charges against you and your company. BBB states you are NOT an "Accredited Business". You are a fraud! Proof of misleading customers. read more

These guys are great if you want your tv mounted on a wall. After that anything advanced gets sketchy. Absolutely do not have them install satellite. After 3 days of screwing around and not successfully getting the Dish system installed in a new construction where I asked for Paul's advice on placing cables. I paid him for his work (way over priced for complex installs) and then never heard back from him until I threatened him with a bad review. Even there the follow up was minimal and despite his reassurance that anything he does he will come back And take care if any problems. He's a nice guy but I came away knowing he doesn't really know what he's doing. Get a pro. read more

Paul did an outstanding job and bailed me out of a major jam with absolute minimal intrusion. He laid out my options in a clear, unbiased manner, and then executed with absolute professionalism and clarity. Ultimately helping me to complete a project that has made our new home better. I was trying to pull through a new 7 conductor wire through the walls that was fastened to a prior 2-conductor wire ( for some home automation fun ) and got 'stuck' in the process. Enter Paul's help: Paul quickly diagnosed the situation, identifying the exact problem point and how we could solve the problem. He showed me exactly what was going on and explained the choices/ pros / cons and risks of the different avenues. This made it very easy for me to make a choice and be confident in the outcome. As soon as I chose, he delivered better than expected and very quickly. With an even smaller intrusion then he thought he would need, he was able to get the wire through. You couldn't even tell I messed up and he bailed me out and it wasn't done this way before we moved in. Excellent work. Everything about how he approached the scenario helped to relieve my panic and fears about the state of things. And the execution was flawless to match. He was extremely professional, he and his partner had shoe covers on practically before I opened the door and cleaned up carefully the debris they created. I look forward to being a repeat customer in the near future for a more proper home theater endeavor, so stay posted for another review! read more

ZERO STARS! APPOINTMENT SKIPPER!! I contacted Paul through Thumbtack, and he assured me that he could hang my TV for me, no problem. I explained to him that the TV would be delivered the same day I wanted him to come (I didn't know what time yet), but that I'd like the mount hung on the wall with or without the TV being physically in my home, as I could always hang it on the bracket myself (that is the easy part). He said that sure, that would be no problem, and that he would be there between 12-4pm on Saturday, but if the TV was delivered earlier, to let him know, and he would come as soon as he could. Well, Saturday rolled around and at around 11:00am, when the TV arrived, I tried calling Paul. At this point, he said, "Oh, I can't come. I only penciled in your appointment because I didn't know if you would have the TV yet, so I made other appointments and I'm an hour and a half away from you, so I won't make it there." He refused to take responsibility for screwing me, even after admitting that he remembered when we SPECIFICALLY discussed this exact scenario. He acted like he was doing me a huge favor by offering to come on Sunday at 7:00am (his "day off") to complete the job that I had already scheduled my day around. I was not about to wake up early on a Sunday, just in case this guy actually showed up this time, so I told him to just forget about it. He called me back a couple of minutes later offering to do it for free if I could have him come during the week (working around his schedule, basically). I agreed, if he could come when I wasn't at work, but even though he told me he would check his schedule and let me know when he could come, I didn't hear from him for 72 hours, until I got a text from him saying, "Are you available tomorrow," at which point I got fed up and told him where to stick it. He got flustered and said, "oh I'm actually coming tonight. I got a call near you" Guess what, buddy? YOU messed up. If you're going to fix it, make THAT the priority. Why should I wait around for your schedule to line up with mine and then hope that you show up when you say you will. I'll find someone else to hang my TV. Thanks for nothing. read more

Paul is a scam artist and a thief. We gave him $400.00 deposit to wire up the house and set up satellite tv. He strung us along for a very long time saying every excuse in the book and never did the job. When i told him I wanted our money back he said .. No Problem.. and never returned it . Stay clear of this thief .. Con artist.. Crook. He said that if i post a review here that would "hurt his income and i would never get paid" I wish i had read more reviews than just the first few. We are out $400.00 and the bad part is that he did jobs for us before and i thought i could trust him .. He is a different person now.. DO NOT TRUST PAUL.. HE IS A THIEF. Wish there were negative stars to give him . He doesn't even deserve 1 star but had to do 1 in order to review and warn everyone BEWARE !!!!!!!!!! read more

I am here in Chicago for few days taking care of my rental property and this is the first time I am using a TV wall mount service. I called three different services and I ended up with Paul. 1. He accommodated my availability. Called him and in two hours, I got a confirmation that they can mount my TV in an hour. 2. Very good price!! We all want to save money and at the same time receive quality work.. This company lived up to that expectation. 3. Lance who installed my TV and soundbar gave me reviews regarding the wall mount I bought. Good thing is that he has an extra wall mount with him. Saved me another trip. Lance really knows all about mounting!!! 4. After my TV was mounted, Paul followed up with a phone call to make sure I was happy with the installation.. Highly recommend this company! read more

Messaged 3-4 places on Yelp and these guys reached out first. Paul let me know they could install my 55 inch the same day. I've mounted TVs myself but couldn't find the studs in my new living room. Robert fought his way through late Friday afternoon traffic even after I offered for them to come the next day (it was getting late). Sure enough Robert was able to get the job done and made suggestions for wire management. Go to guys for tv mounting from now on. Also, very fair price. read more

Certified AVE - TV mounted by CertifiedAVE. I haven't taken care of the wire management yet. - Home Theatre Installation Near Me

This review is for installation of TV mount above the fireplace wall. I called Paul in the morning to see if he can fit me in his schedule for the day and even though he was busy, he did fit me in his schedule for the same day and kept me up to date on what time he will be able to arrive at my place. Plus he gave me the best prices which would beat anybody in the market. Very friendly, courteous and professional in his approach and very easy to talk to. Would definitely recommend his services to anyone looking for getting professional quality work done. read more

NO STARS HE Paul is a THIEF and a SCAM ARTIST! He was in our home to install a TV wall mount and said he was also with Direct TV/ATT and did Comcast as well. He claimed to be a broker and was able to get us set up with internet and DTV as well. He requested money upfront which we were very concerned about but he had DTV gear and credentials and a real business so we unfortunately trusted him and paid him $500.00. WE NEVER RECEIVED ANY INSTALLATION, EQUIPMENT, MODEMS, ETC AS PROMISED. WE CALLED HIM MANY MANY TIMES. He made excuses kept rescheduling us and then would not answer until we threatened to call the police. We asked for our money back and he refused, said he did not have it. HE STOLE OUR MONEY KNOWING HE NEVER INTENDED TO GET US DIRECT TV OR INTERNET. The police are involved and we can only stop him and his girlfriend Evelyn Boehm who also was with him if we join together. I urge anyone who has had a similar experience to call the police and make a report on BBB the better business bureau. Feel free to email me as I will supply the police with any information on my open case. NICR2426@GMAIL.COM. We have to stop this man from preying on any other victims. He is sketchy and he can be very convincing. He will play the role and get you to be comfortable and then he will disappear. Let me guess, his daughter was in the hospital, he was busy on appointments all day, he needed to get away for a few days with the family, he had the appointment before you run over an it got hectic so he can't make it. If any of these sounds familiar than you were played as well. We have to do something to stop him! read more

My schedule was bouncing all over the place, so I was having a hard time letting Paul know when I'd be available to get our 60" TV mounted. I called him Friday morning and he accommodated me at 5:00pm on that same day. Pricing was competitive with the other installers I connected with, so I can't complain on that front! The install was quick and easy. He was even very courteous to my 2-year-old son who named him "Builder Paul". He showed me how sturdy the mount was, helped me understand how the swivel feature works and made sure to keep things tidy as he worked. He was in and out in about an hour. I would 100% recommend his service for TV mounting. Book an appointment with confidence! read more

Paul did a great job. He was very responsive, easy to deal with and extremely reasonable. He and his partner walked me through set up of the TV and were nice enough to carry my old TV down to the basement. He cares about his business and keeping his customers happy. read more

Paul setup my wall mounted tv with surround sound speakers and sound bar and not a wire in site! Looks super sharp. He was friendly and knowledgeable throughout the whole process. Will use him again in the future! read more

I recently needed my LCD TV mounted on the wall above the fireplace so I found Paul at Certified A.V.E. thru Yelp. I contacted him and made an appointment. They came as schedule and I had also asked him to get a mount since I was not quite sure which one to use. They were able to mount the TV but the full motion mount was not perfect so Paul came back at a later date and replaced it with a more studier wall mount. I will continue to go with him for all of our home electronics needs and will refer him to others. Excellent, on-time service and fair pricing. Highly recommended. Thanks again, Paul! read more

We recently moved and needed all of our TVs mounted, surround installed upstairs and downstairs, to find out how to use the devices that were left with the house, advice on which electronics we needed to buy etc, and since we had such a good experience working with Paul at Certified A.V.E. the first time, we knew that we wanted to go with him again, and he did not disappoint. We will continue to go with him for all of our home electronics needs and will refer him to others. Thanks again, Paul! read more

BUYER BEWARE!! Awful experience with Paul. Do not let this man in your home, he is a con-artist & thief. After first appointment made he failed to show, made a second appointment showed up several hours later and appeared to be drunk based on his disheveled look, and inability to hold a conversation, my husband and I were very uncomfortable. He asked for " $200 or more"to order supplies, he had not even began, had no idea what to order as we heard him on the phone speaking to a Customer service rep which we could have done ourselves. My husband regretfully gave Paul $60 cash for supplies, asked him to supply a receipt the next day & he promised to return back the next day, he never returned, never responded to our call or text. I have message as proof of his shoddy business practices. Reporting him to the better business bureau read more

Robert came out and on time prepared to work. I was a bit nervous because I've heard how hard mounting TV's to steel studs can be. I was assured that the process was safe and secure and would look nice and neat (cords tucked). Robert walked me througheverything that he was doing and even hung from the mount to show how secure it was!!! All in all it was a great and affordable experience an would definitely recommend these guys for future installations! read more

Illbe totally honest wih my review. Paul was late but it didnt matter. After he mounted my 55inch TV, I was totally pleased!!! He and John was so professional and they definitely know what they were doing. The installion was so fast and just perfect. The price he charged was also reasonable. I would defenitely resommend him. read more

Found Certified Ave. through Thumbtack called Paul B. gave him a $500 deposit to install cameras on my home. He came out install wires and never came back nor return my calls. I am in the process of taken legal action. Please do not use this company; you are at your own risk. Thumbtack is no longer using this company as one of there pro's. He also changes his home/business address. read more

Robert arrived on time, did a great job at mounting our 60" TV on our plaster wall and was incredibly professional during his visit. It's rare to encounter a business that cares so much about customer satisfaction, but Robert and Certified AVE obviously do. Robert setup a blanket to protect the floor, along with a piece of kraft paper to catch any dust. Once he left, there was no dirt or trace of his work except for a perfectly level, mounted tv that now looks great. These guys are highly recommended! read more

I wanted the wall mount/TV in the middle of the wall, but faced some potential challenges considering where all the outlets were. Paul was professional and great at offering various suggestions on where and how to mount everything all while trying to be cost efficient, which I appreciated. He was quick with the installation and even changed out the black coax cable for a white one so that blended in with my baseboard to give it a cleaner look. I would definitely hire Paul again in the future. read more

Zero stars for Paul. Consumers beware -- he will charge you thousands of dollars to install no-name equipment, and tell you he will come out to fix ANYTHING any time there is an issue, for no cost. UPDATE: Gave Paul another chance at his request, and he stood me up AGAIN.....for the eighth time. Guess I'm the fool for believing he would make things right. Stay FAR away. He'll do everything right to reel you in and get him to trust you. What he doesn't tell you is that no one else can touch the equipment after he installs it or the warranty goes away....and no one else in the industry has ever even heard of this equipment. So now you're stuck with him. Then on top of that, he also doesn't tell you that he will cancel on you at the last minute or not show up (yes, this happened to me six times), and he will tell you it's YOUR fault because you have a tough schedule and can only take service calls on weekends (yes, sorry, Paul, I have a full-time job). So now, I've spent $6,000 on a job that was never finished, and the part that WAS finished does not work, and he refuses to fix it. Paul will come up with every excuse in the book to say this is the consumer's fault, not his, but I am telling the truth. I even caught him in an "I'm sick today" lie. All the negative reviews on the sites have something in common, so take a look. There is truth to them. Now that I'm out thousands of dollars (and then some, for a different repairman to re-do the system), my only hope is that I can save another consumer from wasting their hard-earned dollars. I'm not writing this review in the hopes of getting any recompense from Paul, as he doesn't care about the negative reviews. And on top of it all, the entire job was performed cheaply and incompletely. So very disappointed after an initial good experience. Beware and do not hire. read more

Words can not describe how grateful I am to stumble upon Paul through Yelp. I reached out to him to install a 55" TV and soundbar to the wall in our living room along with concealing all wires behind the wall. He responded to my call right away when I first reached out and talked to me for nearly a half hour detailing what I was looking to complete and roughly how much it would cost. When he completed the job he was very respectful of our home. Did not create a huge mess, and any mess that was made was instantly cleaned up. This was appreciated as it is our first home! He provided me with his professional opinion about where the entertainment system would be best placed in our living room as we had a few different options. He took into consideration where we would be seated as well as how extensive the job could be based on location. Overall he did an amazing job that I could have never done myself. Since installation around a year ago we recently had an issue where we weren't getting any sound or picture to our tv. After troubleshooting as much as I could myself and speaking with Comcast and having them provide their opinion about what may be wrong, I suspected possibly I had a bad HDMI cable. Unfortunately it appeared that possibly it was the cable that was concealed behind the wall. I emailed Paul and reminded him about the job he did for me last year and asked for his help in the matter when he was available. He called me minutes later on a Wednesday night after 9:00 pm offering his assistance. He talked me through troubleshooting all the possible scenarios that may have been causing us not to have any picture or sound. After 1-2 hours on the phone with Paul he helped me remedy the situation without having to replace any cables. He didn't charge me for his time and never once seemed frustrated to help me out. This most recent interaction with Paul goes to show what a professional and passionate person he is. He loves what he does and it shows through his work and commitment to make sure you are happy. Any home entertainment installation projects I have in the future will no question go through Paul and I would highly recommend him Thank you Paul! read more

Had them put up a new TV mount. The guys were friendly, professional and knowledgeable and they even came the same day I called. Would definitely recommend them read more

Paul was excellent. Very courteous, prompt and willingness to help. He even cleaned up the wall shavings! I would strongly recommend Paul and his company. read more

Paul & John were awesome. I got same day service at the time that worked for me, at the exact price that was quoted to me. I was concerned about the studs/drywall situation in my new apartment but they were able to secure the mount to my wall and Paul literally hung from it. This tv isn't going anywhere. If you're in Chicago and need a tv/home entertainment center setup, these are the guys! read more

I highly recommend ACE. The owner Paul really takes care of his customers. His guys came on called when they were on their way and did an awesome job. Paul even called me to discuss my install when they arrived. I'm thinking of doing another area and l will call ACE!!! read more

Paul installed our surround sound about two years and I was impressed with his workmanship knowledge and competitive pricing. In the two years since, I have had some minor issues and Paul has been there to assist, morning, noon or night. He never disappoints and always has the answers to the questions I have. If you need an AV guy, call Paul. read more

I have Paul coming to my house to mount TV on Mar 13, 2015, and get electric wire. He did pretty good job. Even I had some argue with my wife about the position of TV, but Paul is very patient. He gave me solid advice and suggestions. Then, he adjusted the position a little bit. Now it is good and both my wife and I are happy. I will give 5 star. read more

Paul is absolutely wonderful. He and his nephew showed up early and explained to me what he would be doing the next few hours as he mounted my TV. He also broke down pricing and did his absolute best to find ways to save me money. It was a very tough job seeing is that he had to mount over my brick fireplace, the bricks were uneven and contractors didn't create any outlets near the fireplace. Paul worked so hard to come up with a solution to all of these problems and took time to think about the best way to go about this and more importantly, how to make the job look as clean as possible. It ended up costing more than I expected, but it was worth it. No visible cords anywhere! Also he was able to hide cable box behind the TV. I didn't think it was going to look this good. The job took over 4 hours but like I said, it looks amazing. read more

I found Paul through Thumbtack. I submitted my job to thumbtack yesterday and Paul called me within an hour. He said he had availability that afternoon. Came over, mounted my TV exactly as I wanted it. He ran the cables through the wall and had several extra cables that I needed for my new setup. Got everything done in about 30 minutes and went above and beyond cleaning up any mess. Hire him. Reasonably priced too. read more

Unbelievable service!!! I called at 8am on a Sunday in a panic. I couldn't figure out how to hang my new TV and was hosting an Oscar party that night! Paul rearranged all his appointments that day to accomodate me. He saved the day for me. Great guy - great price- great work! He's amazing. Hire him! You won't be sorry. read more