The Audio Connection — Local services in Seattle

Seconding the opinions of the other one-stars. Whoever answered the phone is rude and condescending. I actually just hung up on him because he was so offensive, and I don't think I have ever done that before.

I called to ask if they could repair my stereo amplifier. One of the RCA jacks stopped working, which is an absolutely trivial and universally available part. The amp was something I bought off Amazon for a couple hundred bucks and has served me well for 10 years. I didn't remember the brand name.

His first question was what brand it was, and while walking over to it to look at it, I said I didn't recall. He immediately launched into this completely condescending speech. "Well, sir, I have a car I need repaired. It's a car. Do you fix those?"

Once we had established the brand, he asked if it was made in China. Yes, it probably was. "Well, we don't work on those cheap ones." I replied that it wasn't particularly cheap. "How much was it?" A couple hundred bucks. "Yeah, that's one of the cheap ones. We don't work on those, you see. They're actually very dangerous."

Maybe this guy is a tube-amp wizard and will set you up with a fine stereo system for a few grand. I have deep respect for that kind of expertise and ear. But if you can't answer a simple question from a caller who doesn't show proper respect for your tube-amp-jitsu skills without sounding like you're talking to a child who has wandered into a Kurosawa screening asking why there aren't giant robots and lizards battling, then you have a lot to learn about basic customer service and basic human interaction skills.

If you don't service off-brand electronics, it's very easy to convey that without being haughty and rude. Take your...

I don't make reviews without receiving exceptionally good service or lack thereof. I made a phone call introduce myself and proceeded to ask about in home audio repair and diagnosis, which they do not do and gave me referral, which I kindly appreciated and thanked him/her/they. I don't have any experience with in-home audio equipment and was VERY forward about my lack of knowledge. I was asking some questions about audio equipment and the representative quickly became demeaning and began to talk down at me saying things like, "ARE YOU GOING TO CHECK XYZ?!...." "DO YOU KNOW HOW TO CHECK FOR ....!" and using other specific industry jargon and technical terms to intimidate me.

I want to be fair in my review, which is why I'm taking the time write this out. These guys/girls probably do a great job at what they do technically, but their customer service is piss poor and rudely intimidating to patrons like myself who don't know much about audio equipment. I don't think customers (such as myself) should have to be more professionally polite on a basic phone call inquiry than the service provider. If you're looking for professional customer service, this is not a business I...

I have been a customer of John's for about 20 years. Most audio stores and salesmen aren't quite sure what to do with a female customer but John has always been gracious, informative, and helpful. He has never condescended to me nor has he been anything but completely professional. I can go to John for a large purchase or small, my latest purchase being an indoor fm antenna. Whether it's speaker wire or a whole new system, I trust John's knowledge and ethics completely. I have referred him to anyone and everyone looking to start or upgrade their audio system. I am baffled by another customer's experience as it doesn't jive with all that I know of John. He is a competent, polite, knowledgable, small businessman who doesn't need the stain of a incorrect one star review. And that one star review appears to be based on a five sentence phone conversation. Come in to his store, listen to his systems, and buy yourself something that will bring you years of...