Complaint Review: Gulfport TV Repair

This guy Paul is typical TV repairman crook.

A week after returning from my tour in Afganistan I took my older model box TV(not flatscreen) to his shop. I unloaded it from my truck & told him about the problem, he informed me that he needed a $25 estimate fee that would be taken off the repair total once it was repaired. I didnt really wanted to part with a fee upfront because I know about shady business' like this, but I did. WHAT A MISTAKE!

He took down my name & phone number. 2 months later, NO CALL BACK. I stop by his shop and he has no type of filing or organization in his pig-stied, thick cigarette smoke riddled, shop. I had to find the TV and point it out. I asked him why he hasnt called me & he says hes still looking for a part which he cant find because the TV is old, blah, blah, blah...(it wasnt too old to shake me down for the initial $25 though).

So he says to give him a coiuple of weeks & he'll call me back.

1 month down the road & NO CALL BACK. I stop by the shop again & its the same snake-oil salesman song and dance. He tells me to give him 2-3 more weeks.

1.5 months down the road, same story except this time he comes to the door wheezing and claims hes been sick. This time he claims he called me & didnt get me on the phone, so I ask him why he didnt leave a message & he gives me the dumbo look like hes never heard of an answering machine. Same story, give me two weeks...

So 1 month later I stop by, he acts like he doesnt recognize me, except that I pull out my initial quote receipt and THEN he remembers who I am.

This time after searching, and searching he realizes the TV isnt there, he gives me a story how I left it there too long and he wasnt responsible, and that perhaps it was at his storage, but bottom line, HE DIDNT HAVE TO PRODUCE IT because I left it there over 30 days.

WHAT ?!  So I ask him where my $25 is and he tells me it was an estimate fee and that wont be returned either. And I tell him, "an estimate for what, you never did anything?"

So, Im on the verge of dropping this fat wheezing POS with a shot to the face when he tells me that if I want I can report him to the Better Business Bureau, but he aint giving me anything. So he basically robbed me of my TV and $25

Call this shop at your own risk, but dont say you havent been warned.

This guy is a low-life scammer.