Bammel TV Technology Services

11/6/2023 To say this place is a bit out of the way would be an understatement. Helpful while dropping off a recently acquired reel to reel machine. Estimate is next week for pickup. Hoping it’s a simple easy fix. Will give an update on this highly recommended repair facility when retrieving said machine. 11-16-2023 UPDATE: Got a text yesterday, «IC CHIPS» were needed & ordered. Called today, spoke with Jeff who said the parts are on their way, so next week it should be ready. 11-22-2023 UPDATE: No news concerning this repair, it’s looking like December before ready. 11-25-2023 UPDATE: Got a call, was harder to get through the automated system this time. Thought it was ready, but no. Now needs a control board and will probably take another 2 weeks according to Jeff. I could tell he’s stalling. 12-10-2023 UPDATE: Picked up the machine yesterday, finally met Debbie in person. Also met Chris who was able to retrieve a MiniDisc 💽 that’s been inside THAT machine for 23 years, although his inexperience made the machine unplayable and had to send it to WI. Was excited to finally get the deck home and plug it in. Was very disappointed that after more than a month, and $500+ expended on repairs, it’s still a paperweight! It doesn’t record, nor play in forward mode. When I say play, I mean it doesn’t make sound but for 3-4 seconds and so muffled you can’t make out what what’s playing! Reverse play is better, only in that it’s continuous muffled sound, not just a few seconds. Doesn’t record at all. The reverse play & pitch control knobs were put on, but don’t work either. 😱 All of this is AFTER a call from John Friday night at 6:00, saying that the heads had been demagnetized & cleaned, and the deck was functioning perfectly (which it isn’t). The machine obviously wasn’t tested before release, even though I was told by John that it had been repaired by Dan, who has a history of returning reel to reel machines and this particular model back to factory condition. Which it clearly isn’t. 12-12-2023 UPDATE: Took it back today, Chris was able to replicate the same problems and took it for repair (again). Chris said give them till Monday and they’ll get back to me. 12-22-23 UPDATE: Called Tuesday because I never heard anything, the lady at first said it would take 2 months. Told her this was a „re-do“ on a defective repair, so she put me on hold, said she didn’t realize, would get Chris to tell Dan to put it on his bench and find out what’s wrong. (Thought they had already). She said Chris would call me Thursday. Well it’s FRIDAY, and nothing, it’s nearly Xmas, and they don’t do anything for the few hours they’re open on Saturday. Looks like nothing’s getting done by Xmas. I’ve made a big mistake by not sending it to a specialist R2R repair guy, and just eating the shipping. The wait (and the review) continues. 12-24-23 UPDATE: Got a text saying additional parts were needed, yet AGAIN yada….yada….yada. So called and finally got through the phone maze on the 2nd try. Chris said it needs even MORE «IC CHIPS» which won’t be in until AFTER the 1st (much less actually installed). No explanation of how it passed „QC“ the first go around, but magically went kaput as soon as it went out the door! Will insist on a demonstration of full functionality before leaving the building next time. 1-18-24 Parts allegedly arrived 2 weeks ago, nothing done. 2-19-2026 It’s still not working, have long given up on Bammel. You should too.

I am the proud owner of a recently repaired Kicker ZX350.4. The amp has a history for me. I also have a matched ZX750.1 amp from the same model year. Originally installed new and a vehicle owner by a dear friend that I later purchased with the system. Many years later when the vehicle came to the end of its life, I removed the system. Eventually I built all of this equipment into a air filter dust cabinet for my garage stereo. I knew this amp had problems when I did the build. It eventually died and turned my build into a boat anchor. There are not many electronics repair shops in the greater Houston area who are capable let alone willing to work on car audio amplifiers. It took me more than a year to find a business I believe this qualified. It's an hour drive one way for me, but I have been rewarded.

I never write reviews. I'm writing this one so no one else has the kind of experience I've had with Bammel TV. They are the WORST! You are literally better off trying to fix your equipment yourself. I got Bammel TV's name from the Roland/Korg website as an authorized repair shop. I advised their representative my Korg keyboard was experiencing an intermittent power problem and that it would sometimes boot up if I applied extra pressure when plugging the power cable into the back of the unit. I told him I thought it might be a cold/bad solder joint on the plug or a board. (I'm an Electrical Engineer so have some experience with such things.) We weren't able to recreate the fault (it wouldn't boot up at all at their shop) and he said he doubted that was the problem. After charging me the non-refundable $195 to troubleshoot an intermittent power problem, they contacted me a few days later and misdiagnosed a simple power plug jack defect as requiring a new power supply. They attempted to overcharge me via phone quote. I declined and said I'd come to pick up the equipment. They advised they needed a week to 'put it back together'. Four days later I got a text advising they've lowered their quote. $100 less than the original (so obviously, they hadn't even attempted to 'pack it up' for me). Since they had my equipment and I'd already driven an hour and ten minutes round trip to drop it off, I agreed. A week later they advised it was ready. They had it set up when I arrived. It was powered on so I took it and paid the balance. I got home and it had the same intermittent power problem I'd brought it in for. I called and they said they'd give it a 'courtesy' check. I drove back to their location again and showed the representative and he realized it might be just what I suggested it might be...a bad solder joint on the power jack. They kept it for a few more days and advised I could pick it up again. I contacted the CEO of the company to discuss whether or not he thought they could refund me for the unnecessary work they'd done. He offered me $85 (of a total of $427) IF I would bring back the original (working) power supply (I had asked for this when they did the replacement) so they could remove the (unnecessarily installed) new one. He went on to say however that, if it was determined that the original OEM power supply DID have a problem in addition to the power jack solder joint issue, he'd have to charge me more to reinstall the new one, again. Having driven there and back twice already, having paid them over $400 to resolder a power jack, and being very uncomfortable with their business practices, I declined the credit offer, and drove there again to pick up my keyboard, which now has an aftermarket power supply in it. Never again...

In general, I was pleased with how the repair of my NAD M3 Amp was handled. I cannot give them a rating of 5 because the Amp was not successfully repaired. They determined that the unit’s power amp had been heavily burnt, presumably in an electrical storm. The manufacturer and various parts sources no longer had the necessary parts available. They were very professional and offered suggestions on how to proceed with the manufacturer. Ultimately, I decided that NAD’s current offerings were not a good fit for my speakers. I replaced the NAD with a Rotel RA-6000, which I have been very pleased with. I would not hesitate to use Bammel TV in the future if the need arises.