Fact of life.... not a lot of places to go anymore for a technician to install a car radio or even to free lance and install a home entertainment center. In looking for a place in town to do the installation of a replacement radio in my daughter's 10 yr old Saturn, I ended up with two options for intown Atlanta.... Best Buy (Geek Squad) and Dyno Audio. ALL the other places I had gone in the past in downtown or buckhead were out of business (including Car's of Atlanta).
So when I first called Tre or Tez (not quite sure of his name) of Dyno Audio, I was reluctant because it didn't really sound like a biz.... He was listed on Yelp at a buckhead location and as it turned out, he was a guy that professionally installs for dealerships but has found that there is a good side business to be had since there is a lacking of other options...and he comes to you. He was very helpful and eager to help me figure out what all I needed for my installation. Geek Squad you have to make an appointment and take the leave the car. Which is OK if you have a good book I guess to read while you wait or want to kill time looking at electronics. His fee is only a little more than Geek Squad.
I had a problem too in that the 2006 Saturn had come with Onstar integrated into the system. So 'technically' I was supposed to buy a $120 wiring harness that would maintain the integration of the onstar system into the radio system. Geek Squad would not have let me arrange installation there without purchasing all of that equipment and other things, bringing my install cost to $197 for a $109 radio. OUCH. Crutchfield.com and other radio supply online stores said the onstar wiring harness was listed in the manufacturer's recommendation but was not necessary for the operation of the radio, and only necessary if you wanted to maintain operation of the Onstar, which we did not. I could but the Sony Radio at Crutchfield AND get all the installation materials, standard wiring harness, dash kit, and antenna extender for free with my purchase, and they matched competitors price....shipped in two days for free.
AND for just a little more on labor, I could get a skilled technician to come to me. That is a good plan. But here is where it broke down and why this is 3 stars instead of 5 stars,
Even though the appointment had been booked 2 weeks in advance and confirmed via phone conversation and text. Most recent confirmation just 3 days before when I requested the start time to be 10:30 rather than 10:00 am.... at 11:00 i'm calling and texting wondering where this guy was. Our whole day had been planned around a morning appointment. When I did reach someone, a woman, she at first acted like she had no idea why I was calling. She quickly went into customer service mode though. By the time she had reached Tre, it was noon. She claimed I had cancelled and he was waiting on a new date from me. Not Me. It was my daughter's birthday and this was the big present...something that had been shared in multiple conversations. We agreed on a new time of 1:00. I gave them my husband's number so they could communicate about his arrival since he was the one at the apartment now waiting on his arrival. So at 1:15 I get a call from him, telling me he is there waiting on me.... But I'm not there of course because I went about my day expecting him to connect with my husband. That seemed to be a foreign idea to him.
When it was all said and done, he did the installation in a professional manner, guaranteed his work, and so far so good.
And I think he will get his scheduling and communication thing worked out since it seems he has a friend to help with office admin.
Bottom Line: I would recommend him for the knowledge and expertise and efficient install...well worth it for $75 and the convenience of him coming to you, but don't assume he has the date and time locked down. Call the day before and the morning of to confirm. And have CASH or Money Order on hand. read more