Latest Grump

2012 - Another New Year For Consumer Service

By The Grump

(This is a mostly annual Grump Report revisted) A New year has begun, another CES is here and the independent service companies are just now getting paid for work we did in mid-December. Those that go to CES for the show, get to see the new toys. Some attend the NESDA board meetings and generally leave exhusted and excited.  As LG would say, "Life Is Good". That lasts for about a week. Then expectations and reality return. 2012 will have the same financial hits as last year. Most service agreements renew on the 1st of the year. That is when we either agree to them or... »

NESDA to NSA. Drop Dead.

By The Grump

The following is commentary and opinion. On our news feed there is a headline, "National Service Alliance .. Again?". That bulletin was done prior to the National Electronics Service Dealers Association's (NESDA) NPSC and since the closing of the trade show there have been dozens of reports of outright hostility and anger over the Mitsubishi/NSA pairing culminating in an astonishing (for NESDA) report... »

Encompass Parts Toast? Liquidators Appointed? Great Goodley Moodely! Updated

By The Grump

UPDATE 07/30/2011 Note to readers. The Comments period has been extended until August 2, 2011. The Head Grump has offered a Grump Report to be published, unedited, to Encompass and they have not responded. Please note the comment from Encompass does not refute anything in the report. Please note the comments from Mr. Summers. Gowens association with Pheonix was not noticed... »

Repair Parts and Delays, Why Beat Up On Service Companies

By The Grump

In the years prior to about 1993, there was much commonality with major parts between brands and models. Picture tubes, high-voltage transformers, IC's, etc. An IC for one brand frequently could be sourced from another brand or distributor. It was cost... »

Samsung Installs Keyloggers - WHOOPS!

By The Grump

The Grump reported in large point "Samsung Installs Keyloggers To Spy On You" which was originally reported by Network World and picked up by virtually all news media. One problem - it was false. We had been hearing rumors about an unknown OEM... »

Samsung Has Had A Bad time

By The Grump

(This was orginally titled "Samsung Installs Keyloggers To Spy On You". That part of the report was excised and is part of the current "Whoops!" report.) Samsung hasn't had a good last several months. They have multiple product class-action  and patent lawsuits... »