I recommend you read my long version of the review because I have a lot to say about the terrible service I was given, and the terrible work they did on my car which ended up permanently damaging my interior. I do have a short review here though if you're in a rush.
Short Version:
I was quoted a maximum of three hours to replace my speakers and install one amplifier. It took them EIGHT hours. They also left two screws out, left a dash panel on the floor, and improperly put the rear seats back. The rear driver side seat belt receptor was stuck under the seat. Additionally, the front left tweeter fell out of it's mount completely on it's own while I was driving because they simply glued it to the tweeter grill, causing the grill to warp in the heat. They also permanently destroyed my passenger door kick panel. The head unit system beeps (not adjustable at all via the head unit) were piercingly loud because of improper amplification. There was also a very loud hissing sound coming from the rear speakers that they said could not be fixed. I ended up taking my car to Al & Ed's Autosound and getting ALL of my issues fixed there.
Long Version:
I visited Pacific Stereo based on recommendations from others and had an absolutely terrible experience. I will preface this by saying that the price I paid for the equipment I received was fair, but the service and installation was absolutely incompetent.
Firstly, I visited the store and was quoted a price on a system and made an appointment for installation. On the day of the appointment, the manager on duty said there was no appointment made and that he wouldn't be able to give me the system at the price I was quoted. I was told to come back the next day when the manager I spoke to was available. When I walked out of the store, I was called back in and told he'd be willing to do it at that price after all.
I was told that the speaker installation would take two to three hours at most. It took EIGHT. I drove by on numerous occasions after the time I was told it would be done, and no one was working on my car. I called back several times after and was continuously told that "it will take another hour".
When the car was finally done, the installation was incomplete and shoddy. A dash panel was lying on the floor along with two screws. I had to figure out where the panel came from and put it back myself, as well as try to figure out where the screws came from. The rear seat had been improperly put back and the seat belt receptor was stuck under the seat. I had to fix that myself as well.
The biggest hassle was that I was told that the aftermarket speakers I was getting would produce stronger bass than my stock speakers. When I started my car, the speakers sounded incredibly shrill and tinny. I explained this to the manager on duty, and he told me that the aftermarket speakers always had less powerful bass than stock speakers. This is not what I was told at all by the other manager previously. The manager continued by telling me that I'd have to buy a subwoofer from them.
In addition to all this, my head unit's system beeps were now extremely loud because of the improper amplification done. The system beep is not something that can be muted or lowered. I even had the dealership and a technician examine it, and they confirmed that the head unit system beeps could not be muted via the head unit controls. The beeps were actually painful to the ears.
To make matters worse, the rear speakers let out a very loud hiss all the time. Even if music wasn't playing and the head unit was off, the rear speakers hissed very loudly. The manager told me that it's normal for it to hiss like that and that all aftermarket systems would do that. Having been in plenty of other cars with amplified aftermarket systems, he was either lying to me to avoid correcting his own mistakes, or simply has very little technical knowledge about his own job.
After being unable to correct the issues through Pacific Stereo, I took my car to Al & Ed's Autosound in Riverside and had them fix it. Apparently they get much of their business from Pacific Stereo customers that have had their cars damaged.
A few days ago, the driver-side tweeter fell out on its own while I was driving. Rather than take it back to Pacific Stereo where they would have likely claimed it not to be their fault, I took it to Jason at Al & Ed's Autosound again. He showed me that what Pacific Stereo had done was glue the tweeter to my interior grill, which not only easily gave way, but caused my car's tweeter grill to warp. Jason fixed it, but now I have Pacific Stereo to thank for my warped and destroyed interior.
Update: I recently discovered that the reason my passenger door kick panel was broken was because they destroyed it when shoving in the wiring. This is absolutely unacceptable, and further proof of their terrible service. read more