Let's start with a fun fact. I am an educated man and before you accuse me of being Braggadocios,…read moremy college history applies to this review. I hold 3 STEM degrees with the first of which being as a Digital Audio and Video Engineer. You would think with that background, I would do my own car audio, but it's a different discipline. I can remix the hell out of your favorite song, edit a video worthy of a Marvel movie and acquire a satellite signal, but I don't have a clue about this area of electronics.
For the past decade, my car stereo has sounded terrible. Since CarToys did the original installation 12 years ago, I assumed they would be the perfect choice to restore it to it's original glory. Unfortunately, over the past decade, I have spent between 6-8 hours in each of CarToys locations including Southcenter. Federal Way, Bellevue, Issaquah, Totem Lake and Burlington. With each visit, I was sold more equipment without any improvement in fidelity. Feel free to check my review soon, I will be updating each of those locations with my personal experience.
Realizing I needed to step outside of the box, I thought I would try the south sound since everything from between south Seattle and Bellingham had failed me.
I called a place in Lacey based on positive reviews. I won't name them, but when I explained my situation, they told me they were busy and couldn't get to me for 4-6 weeks, believing they were the best choice, I agreed, then they revised their position to, We'll only do the work if you purchase product from us. I advised I already had the gear for the job, so I wouldn't be buying anything from them, except labor.
At that point, they referred me to two local shops, one in Lakewood and Waves. When I asked which shop they recommended most, they advised the Lakewood shop. When I called Lakewood I got the same attitude. It started with we're busy and it will be a while and when I agreed to the wait they changed their tune to, we'd rather not work with customer supplied equipment.
So finally, as an act of desperation, I called Waves. They really didn't want to quote or accept the work without seeing it, but I explained I was in Seattle and didn't want to make a dedicated trip for something I thought was simple. I advised I thought my system was out of phase and if it's not out of phase, I have replacement amps to solve the frequency issue. They agreed to do the work, but were also busy, so it took nearly a month to get in.
I made the drive today and met Shop Owner, Jeff. Intelligent, easy to understand straight-shooter, that demonstrated a clear desire to ensure my satisfaction in service. He asked questions, gave updates and also got approvals on his approach. In the end, the issue was exactly as described, the system was out of phase.
This is why you use experts. There was a time, I think, when at least the shop manager at CarToys was wise and assuming they blessed all the work that left their shop you could be certain you got what you paid for, but since CarToys restructured those roles to be commission based, that is why their solution is always to sell you something. Here is the deal. There is more profit in labor than product. Rather than selling me marked up merchandise that I don't want or need, provide quality, efficient labor.
I couldn't be any happier with Waves and their positive reviews and scores represent the service they provide. Yeah, it was an hour each way from Seattle, but I don't regret it, and any audio needs I have, Waves will be my first call. Everyone there was professional, courteous and pleasant. And at no point, did I believe I made the wrong choice coming in.
