Smith & Larsen

Great service back when this was only Larsen’s I had a power adapter that was recalled on a Samsung LCD (found out about recall later). They fixed it for 0.0 dollars, I was astonished.

Absolutely thee worst customer service I have ever experienced, they promise you they can fix anything, they will take your deposit and then never call you back until you call them, they will tell you they can’t fix it and then guess what they keep your deposit, absolute fraud currently filing a claim with BBB and getting a lawyer

I have a two year old Toshiba flat screen that was losing sound volume and then the picture was fading black over a short period of time. I thought that this newer model TV should have lasted longer and I was ready to throw it out. After taking it into S&L, they were able to replace the «inverter board» and got it working like brand new, for less than the cost of buying a new TV. Thank you for the great service.

I’m getting the same stupid run-​around as the other review. They’ve lied to me for the past 4 days, telling me that they’re working on the diagnostic, when it’s obvious they simply haven’t gotten to it yet, and probably have no intention of doing so any time soon. I’m going back today to get my poor t.v. out of there and demand my diagnostic fee back. By the way, they had promised they would have called me 3 days ago with the diagnostic results. Wish me luck. Avoid these losers who don’t take their business or clients seriously.
The old owner, from other reviews, who apparently used to have integrity, is no where to be found.

Do yourself a favor and stay far away from this place!
This place gives a bad name to all the decent mom n’ pop shops still left around! The service is absolutely horrible here and their «business practices», if you can even call them that, are shady.
Here’s what happened:
In the middle of my beloved, «Chopped» tv show, our Sony’s screen blacked out. The sound still worked and everything else was still working but unfortunately, no picture.
Since it’s a more modern tv, we wanted to see if it was worth fixing before taking the plunge to buy something else.
So we took the tv here, after reading decent reviews on Unilocal.Big mistake!
Originally, the people who worked here were all friendly. There was a $ 40 diagnostic fee (which was to be paid up front — seems pretty standard). I was told that we would know what the problem was within a week and that they would call me. That week came and passed, and I needed to call them for follow up.
I was then told that no one had even looked at the tv yet… but that someone would that day and they would call me back. Again. Nothing.
I called again and they told me that they needed a special part and that it was something that they needed to order (from China) and would take a couple weeks. The estimate seemed a bit high (in the $ 350+ range) but we figured that we’d try to repair the tv instead of buying a new one.
I’ve very familiar with international shipping — it doesn’t take 2 months to receive something from China. In fact, I ordered something recently and it takes 2 weeks or so at the most. It shouldn’t be mailed out via the «pony express», if I’m paying $ 350+ anyway.
So again, there was a lot of phone tag involved. Calls not returned and just given the run around by all the people who worked here, especially the woman named Sophia.
At one point, when visiting the store in person, I was told that the tv was already completed and was ready to go but that she couldn’t sign it out and that I would need to wait for the technician, which turns out to be a blatant lie.
Again. No phone calls. I had to stop in and was told that they «couldn’t fix the tv», 3 MONTHS into them having my tv (and supposedly «ordering the part»), that they couldn’t get the part and that was it. No apology. No nothing.
So they had my tv for 3+ months and didn’t do a damn thing with it. It was never fixed and I’m even skeptical now, if they even ordered the part at all… but they were sure quick to take my money.
They did refund our $ 50 deposit for the part but not the diagnostic fee and wouldn’t even give us any sort of written diagnostic so I could have the tv repaired elsewhere.
Definitely a very shady business! Save yourself a headache and months of back-​forth and stay far far away from this place!

Excellent service, very reasonable prices and fast too. I wasted so much time with trying to find a place that could repair my Magnavox DVD/​VCR unit. Everyone told me «parts were not available». «Just buy new». Since these were both only a bit over 1 year old, I knew I was getting sold a «bill of goods». I contacted Magnavox and they recommended Smith & Larsen in my area. What a joy! No hassle, no excuses, no runaround. They charged a reasonable fee and I am a happy camper with my unit running & recording like brand new again. Will keep them on speed dial for all my TV & recording electronics.

«Back when I was a boy, cars and TVs were made out of metal and lasted forever — now what do you young kids have: cheap TVs made in China, and your cars are made out of the bones of American auto workers, and eggshells, BAH…»
– the proprietor of Smith and Larsen is THAT old school, it’s fantastic.
And a little scary, even.
But seriously, after he scolds you for not buying American, he and the rest of the friendly, non-​geriatric staff will fix your LCD or Plasma TV at a reasonable price and with the industrious efficiency of a previous generation of gainfully employed Americans.
Think, grandpa, when he was young, or other people who actually tuck their shirts in.
The shop is visually a time-​warp, too, with woodgrain TVs displayed here and there, and even a few vacuum tubes from the Stone Age (or 1950s, I forget), VCRs with analog dials… It’s like waking up being three years old and being on a road trip with your dad through a small town in the Midwest.
– But actually you’re in the middle of the auto-​strip in Van Nuys, on Van Nuys Blvd.
Whether your TV/​VCR/​DVD player is under warranty or not, Smith and Larsen can fix it! And if they can’t, they’ll tell you. They’re a definite option when your existing TV can be fixed for only $ 100 or so, and buying a new one would be over ten times that.
Explore your options, sexy! Then explore this store.
You won’t be disappointed…
Though, you may get chewed out for having hippie hair and be told that you can’t come in until you pull your pants all the way up and walk with a straight posture that doesn’t scream «arrest me I’m a hoodlum» to the police.