Tech Service in Alabama

[Martin McCaffery]

Extremely dissatisfied with my tech service(the tech guy is fine, when we can get him here). I'm in Montgomery, AL). Any reccomendations for someone or some company in a reasonable range?

[Steve Guttag]

I'll tell you...finding good techs is difficult. I've been looking, for years.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I would ask around at some of the smaller manufacturers. But mainly avoid large service entities. There is a guy either here in Tennessee, or perhaps eastern Alabama, but I can not remember his name off hand. Steve is well worth his fee and MIT is also very good.

[Martin McCaffery]

What I hoping to find, which may be totally unrealistic these days, is someone close enough who can get to us without having to drive 500 miles or take a plane. One would think there is someone in AL, TN, MS, FL, GA or LA who could reasonably fit the bill AND do a decent job. The other qualification is to actually be able to service us when they say they will, instead of bumping us for a multiplex hundreds of miles away.
I know several places were put out of business by COVID, and lots of techs quit.
This last year is the first year we've had a contract in the 40 years we've run the place. We've been able to do that because I could do some of the minor work, along with a guy who was very good at the stuff I wasn't (who lives in Atlanta now with his real job). Big stuff we could pay for one off service. And if I didn't like the job they did, I wasn't stuck with them for a year.
I'll be retiring in 2-5 years and it is not very likely they will find an executive director who can do the stuff I do (like change lamps or reseat the IMB). I want to be able to hand it all off to a person or company who knows the place, can maintain it and can take care of it in emergencies.

Unrealistic?

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Martin, The guy I am thinking of was a tech with Tri-State in Memphis. Tri-State apparently only exists any more as a cinema food distributer, but they may know who some of the Techs were. I am just glad I retired when I did. The entire Cinema Sales and Tech industry has changed for what appears to be the worse... it appears to be heading more down hill than up hill.... With Cinema Tech jobs even being posted on Indeed and other job opportunity sites these days, so the chains must be really hard up. When I did retire I left all my customers to a very reliable Dealer in Seattle and they've all been happy so far. A few I will still do remote work for...

[Martin McCaffery]

We did use Tri-State once before the plague and it was a good experience. I did call them after and all the techs were gone. Maybe I can find out where they went.

[Steve Guttag]

I can't take on any new customers, at this time. I do hope that changes, however. I'd say that Chase Taylor is in your area but he concentrates on new installations more than service.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Yes, that's the guy I was thinking of... And it's still a 4.5 hour drive from here to Montgomery, and I really do want to stay retired..

[Leo Enticknap]

Chase is out of Troy, AL, which is only 43 miles from Montgomery. PM me if you'd like his contact details.

[Sam Chavez]

Chase is first rate and then some.