Panasonic and All Brite Electronics

About two years ago, I bought a home theater system — and was boned about $6,000 for it. One of the components was a Panasonic TH-42PHW5 42″ Plasma screen. The whole system is garbage — but especially the Panasonic monitor.

Anyway — a little less than two years later the monitor would immediately turn off after turned on. After hassling with the installer (since out of business) and getting him to finally call the place he got the monitor from — I was told to call All Brite Electronics — the “Authorized Panasonic Repair Center”.

I did, and knew right away from the evasiveness of the person I spoke with, that I was going to need to grease up and bend over. Long story short, these clowns gave me some mumble-jumble that they typically give old ladies (I’ve repaired electronic boards since the late 70s) about a board repair and gouged me $880.74 (Claim Number BJ65382 9) to no doubt solder in a 15 cent regulator.

6 months later — the TV is dead again. Their warranty for their repairs was only 90 days.

When you pay this much for a Plasma Monitor — you don’t expect to have throw another $880 at them every 18 months. So my advice to all of those who will listen is to stay away from any Panasonic junk, and have just about anyone in the world beside All Brite Electronics repair your stuff. If they were air conditioner repair people — they’d be the type to be pissing on your outside unit and charge you $300 for the clean job.

I’ve not repaired the TV and leave it as a testament for virtually who comes to my house — to convince them to not buy anything from Panasonic — and to not have All Brite repair anything of theirs

All Brite Electronics

3115 Fondren Rd

Houston, TX 77063

713-780-3615

STAY AWAY!!!!!

FTD/Flowers by Adela

Sugarland, TX

http://www.flowersbyadela.com/

Many days in advance of Valentine’s Day 2001, I ordered the largest and most expensive flower arrangement on FTD.com for delivery to my wife.

I had used FTD.com about a dozen times previously and had never had a problem with them.

By about 5PM on Valentine’s Day my wife is starting to ask me if I had forgotten. I told that I had not and that the flowers had to be on the way. Finally, at about 8PM the nastiest little flower arrangement I had ever seen arrived. My wife took it very personal and started to cry - as I had always in the past had a very large arrangement delivered to her on Valentine’s Day.

They next day I logged onto the FTD.com web site to get the phone number to complain - and saw that they had a satisfaction guarantee refund if you were not happy. Now I cannot ever remember requesting a refund on a satisfaction guarantee - but I was down right angry. After wasting a good hour being transferred around and waiting on hold while they got the florist’s side of the story - FTD offered to deliver another arrangement (this is February 15th now!) with their compliments. I told them that would do nothing to salvage the Valentine’s spirit around my home and that I demand a refund. They refused.

I will never use FTD.com again and I feel it necessary to warn everyone that what happened in my love nest last Valentine’s Day can happen to you if you use FTD.com or their florist Flower’s by Adela.

Save your money and go to your neighborhood florist instead of FTD.com

Dub’s Shrubs &

West Houston Tree Movers
PO Box D
Simonton, TX 77476
281 346-1718

Over the last couple of years, I have given Dub Sabrsula many thousands of dollars for dirt-work, underground irrigation to my trees, an underground drainage system to drain my property after major storms, and many truck planted trees.

Last year he truck planted a hundred or so trees - of which seven immediately died. I have called and sent him many letters and postcards over then last eight months, all to no avail. Dub is a nice guy - but I strongly recommend you use someone else to truck plant your trees.

4/26/2001 8:30PM Update: Dub just called me in a very emotional state saying that I’m slandering him and that I need to remove this page from the Internet tonight. I told him that truth is my best defense and that I would be more than happy to remove it when he takes care of the dead trees as he had previously promised. I reminded him that I had sent him many letters and postcards over the last eight months - none of which had I received a reply to. His claim is that there has not been any opportunity since October where it has been dry enough to replace those trees (of which he feels he only should replace 4 of them). I begged to differ! Right now that is the case as it has rained quite a bit in the last couple weeks - but there have been many times since I first contacted him that he could have done it. He says that his solution will be that he will replace them and that he does not care what he tears up on my property doing so. I told him that to come here in anger and purposely tear up my property is not exactly going to make things right.

Stay tuned. If he does the right thing, (replace the dead trees with live ones of the same size and quality as soon as it is dry enough to do so-without destroying anything in the process) I will remove this page. If he does something in retaliation (like bust up my irrigation system, septic system, fences, ditches, dogs, children, building, etc…) - I will report that. The ball has been in his court for many months now. Getting angry and blaming someone who has paid you good money for trees with a guarantee, after not replacing the dead trees, will be the wrong solution. Accepting the fact that you neglected to do the right thing - but then resolving will be the right solution. We do not have to be friends anymore, but he should take care of his obligations just the same.

Another update - Never heard from Dub again. Have talked to another of Dub’s former customers who claims to have also been screwed.

Bishop Irrigation and Landscaping

Aka Dead Trees ‘R Us

Randy Bishop (owner)

Since 1994, I have spent tens of thousands of dollars with Randy Bishop on my landscaping and sprinkler system. This is strictly a case of “Screw me once-shame on you, screw me twice-shame on me” as he has required many phone calls to handle finishing every job or warranty work he has done for me.

The last job he did for me (1996) involved about 10 zones of sprinklers, an acre of sod, 15 Palm trees, and other tress & landscaping totaling over $25,000. Six of the palm trees died immediately, and it took dozens of calls and emails before Randy would come out. He finally after many more months of calling replaced four of the six trees (said he would come back on the 5th) with trees that never showed life. All of those trees still have the pink plastic marker on them. He will not return phone calls or email.

Never have I known anyone to care less about customer service than Randy. I have heard the same from another former customer of his.