On Mon, 26 Apr 2004 3:21:18 -0700, Mark A wrote
(in message ):

For many years Sony and most other manufacturers have had independent
authorized service centers for warranty and non-warranty repairs run by
independent electronics service companies.
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------

The only problem there is, many (but not necessarily most) of them suck.
I've dealt with a dozen independent service shops in LA for the better part
of 25 years, and have yet to find one that can do a consistently good job.
(VTR Service in North Hollywood is good for video gear, but they ain't
cheap.)

Also, my experience is that the factory-owned service centers generally do a
better job the first time, and they also have a much better access to parts.

The point of the message was that consumer electronic manufacturers
everywhere are cutting way back on service, which is a real shame. They're
also making it much harder than ever to get parts, as reflected by David
Satz' message about his DAT deck.

--MFW