Abt Electronics

They're very responsive and they did what's needed to be done in a timely manner.

It went well, but if the delivery window is 1-3 and you're going to show up after 5, give a call first! The machines are fine, but they were floor models and slightly damaged (cosmetic). They offered to bring out new machines the following week but we would have had to go back into the store and we needed the machines then. So, we accepted the machines as is.

The salesperson working with us was excellent. She had great product knowledge and enough interior design skills to recommend ways to relocate some of our appliances to afford the best flow in our kitchen area. There was no pressure to add or upgrade appliances and she stayed within the budget guidelines we gave her for our needs. She helped us to maximize our rebate opportunities and set up delivery dates that accommodated the rebate deadlines while allowing for timeliness in terms of when appliances were needed for installation by our construction crew. Finally, the deliveries were on time, as promised, and properly stored in our garage so as to allow us to use the garage as needed. I would highly recommend ABT to anyone.

The repair person came on time and was very efficient. Told and showed me exactly what was wrong and what to do to avoid this from happening again. I never knew that I had to vaccum under my fridge to keep dust off the relay sensor. The replacement part was only $20.00, however I had to pay the $150 flat service fee. I thought the fee was reasonable since I didn't know why my fridge was not cooling properly and how long it would take to repair it. It turned out to be a five minute job. I was quite satisfied and will definitely use again.

They did fine work. Neat, detailed installation of a/c compressor unit. No mess left behind. Answered all my questions. Very satisfied. Good value, good price. Glad I chose them, will continue to use them in the future.

After several visits due to part replacement, Was fully satisfied

Bought & installed Kitchen appliances - refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher Salesperson was extremely helpful and knowledgable in helping me select kitchen appliances in my budget range and arranging prompt delivery installation and removal of old appliances. Best selection, price & service in Chicagoland.

My front load washer, which I purchased from them manyyears ago, is not working. I called last week to schedule service. The earliest they could schedule service was nearly a week out. (They charge $149 to travel here, by-the-way) Sadly, they were a no show! A serviceman was supposed to call in the a.m. with a window for arrival. When he didn't call by 10:00 a.m., I called them. The customer service person acknowledged that I called and scheduled repair, but informed me that no one assigned my case and there was no one coming for service. No apology and barely a hint of trying to improve the situation, beyond suggesting that I could reschedule or see if she could find someone in the field willing to come by. NO THANKS

It went very well. The technician was competent, friendly and on time.

i found the price high. i complained and they found a way to reduce it..

An Abt representative came and gave me a thorough estimate, for a new furnace, thermostat and water heater. He took plenty of time to carefully inspect the entire system, explain his findings, and presented me with my options. An Abt plumber was sent out separately to estimate the labor for the water heater. Of three estimates, Abt came in by far the lowest, and their representatives seemed the most competent and trustworthy. The estimate for the water heater installation was $350 vs. Four Seasons estimate of $2000! The installation was scheduled within a week of making the decision to go with Abt. Both the water heater and furnace were able to be installed in a little more than half a day. The four installers (two furnace, two water heater), were all on time and professional. They took the time to fix up some minor preexisting ductwork issues. Before they left they walked me through each part of the system and when I asked for some changes to be made to some of the work, it was completed before they left. I'm extremely happy with my choice of Abt for this install.

Also they have excellent service if needed. We have been there so many time I have lost track how many, but have always been very pleased.

I've been doing business with them for years. Service? I bought a microwave from them a few years ago. It stopped working; they came the next day. They're helpful, reliable and oh yes I always buy the service contract. it's worth it; they perform. Plus they recycle your old appliances. I won't buy another appliance from anyone but them. They may be more expensive but they will price match. Plus they have a great aquarium in the store so it's fun to shop there.

Very professional and friendly. Subsequent delivery and installation also on time and professional. Great experience.

ABT is the only company I deal with for anything related to audio/video or appliances. One of the few vendors I've dealt with that always exceeds expectations. I've used them many times in the past and will continue to use them without hesitation for my future needs. I highly recommend them.

Their prices are very, very good. Their repair is fantastic and everything is taken care of immediately. They are very courteous and very good.

I thin everybody loved them. They're very professional. They actually came and replaced it and all I have to do was pay for the increase cost of the upgraded model. I didn't have to pay them for additional re-installed charge or anything. They stalled it in half an hour and it's still perfect. And, anytime I need something installed, I am going with them.

Update 3/31/14 Had a bad start (see below), however, the service manager, Tony, called and made things right. Gave prompt, courteous updates, and corrected the repair with no additional charge (ended up paying just the original $300). Apologized for the original poor service. First added 3/23/14 Will be the first and last time I use ABT for any repairs. Ice maker not working. Technician #1/Trip #1: Diagnosed as needs a new ice maker, had to order. Technician #2/Trip #2: Installed new ice maker, charged $300. Ice maker worked for a week, then stopped. Technician #3/Trip #3: Needs new control panel, have to order parts Technician #4/Trip #4: 'Other technician did not know what he was talking about, no new control panel is needed' Claimed to need new filter and valve. Again, had to order parts. Trip #5 scheduled for two weeks from now. Been going on for over 2 months. Still not fixed, won't refund me original part and new valve/filter another $250. Terrible, Terrible, Terrible, STAY AWAY!

It took most of the day to install the new furnace and AC unit. Professional installation , but, we expected they would have booties on coming in and out of the house. I put down a carpet runner over the tile. My rugs are 100% wool and I should have covered them. Units are high efficiency Trane models. Have not used the AC unit as it was too cool out to really try it out. Overall very satisfied with the quality of work provided.

It’s a huge electronics and home items like stoves, refrigerators, cameras and computers store. They have very good products and very good prices. They always have a great selection which is useful about going to them. It’s a customer loyalty thing. They look at my history. One of the things I like about them is that they give some economy to their sales people to adjust prices in accordance with the conversation that they have with their customers. I ask questions like if they could do better or could you throw in warranty. A lot of companies don’t give their sales people the freedom to make those decisions. I think Abt Electronics has a loyalty amongst its employees and amongst their customers. In terms of punctuality, they had to bring something and install it. I just remember waiting a long time for them. There wasn’t good communication along the line as it should be. Something broke in our refrigerator and I needed to replace some part. The refrigerant wasn’t working. They not only sent the wrong part but they sent fully packaged. Even if I needed it I would not have been able to use it because it was bent. When I called them, they dealt with it immediately. The first attempt to deal with the problem was a failure. The second one was much more responsive but then there was a communication issue when I got a message asking when I wanted to pick up the item. I had to call back up again asking them to deliver it. Then they left a message about scheduling a service call. It’s a very big operation but I certainly think they can improve on their internal communication that customers have to go through. If they were dealing with someone in person and filling the products; it’s fine.

They did a fabulous job. They were friendly, helpful and just great people. I would recommend them.

The job was good overall. My wife mentioned to the installer that she thought one of the speakers was defective and the installer just brushed it off. My wife decided not to pursue it any further, but it turns out we were right and would have appreciated them doing their due diligence. We called them Monday night and they came out this morning (2/25/14) to make the necessary repair.

Keep these guys away from your furnace room! They are either A) selling faulty products B) completely incompetent with installation and service or C) operating a complex scam or D) all of the above. We purchased a new home in September 2013 and found out we needed a new furnace and water heater through, first the inspection process and then due to the fact that our whole family was getting sick due to fumes from the furnace and water heater. We interviewed a number of providers and chose Abt based on a referral from a relative and their general reputation for good quality in the Chicago area. What has followed is a comedy of errors and 5 months later we still do not have a working furnace, despite 12 (yes 12!) visits from Abt personnel and $5000 spent. Buyer beware of this company - save your money and time and go with someone else who can do the job. Below is my excel log of Abt visits and the outcomes. The format may not be pretty in this forum but you can see the terrible experience we have had with them. Abt visit # Date of Visit Issue Issue Resolved? Remaining Issues after Visit Tech Name Comments New Issue as a result of Visit 1 10/8/2013 Quote for new Furnace, A/C and Water Heater Yes Bill Martus Quote due to age of equipment in home purchased 9-28-2013 2 11/7/2013 Revised quote requested for 1-stage furnace, dual zones, UV Lamp and new filters Yes Bill Martus Quote becomes urgent as whole family getting sick due to fumes in home. 3 11/8/2013 Furnace Installed Trane Xr95 Partial - unable to do dual zone due to structure of ductwork. Family still sick due to fumes. Tony M Truck 600 Found fraudulent vent attached to old furnace. Some improvement in sickness for approximately 3 days. New hot smell in upstairs bedroom introduced. New furnace clunks on and off 5-7 times before starting (assumed this was normal with new furnace until "broken in"). 4 11/22/2013 Tech out to investigate continuing fumes including water heater. No Family still sick due to fumes. New furnace clunks on and off 5-7 times before starting (assumed this was normal with new furnace until "broken in"). Rich Rich performed backdrafting test on water heater - stated ok. Advised to get duct cleaning with brushes. 11/25/2013 Duct cleaning - Royal Air Ducts Yes Family still sick due to fumes. Royal Air Ducts Because the furnace is no longer vented through the chimney, the water heater fumes are not making it all the way out of the chimney. Internet research confirms this is a known issue. Abt did NOT alert homeowner of this common problem when installing furnace or during sales process. Advised water heater IS backdrafting into home and needs to be replaced/repaired. 11/27/2013 Quote for new Power Vent Water heater in order to bypass chimney. Family still sick due to fumes. Alan Martinez Due to furnace no longer venting through chimney, now need Power Vent water heater at $1848 instead of standard replacement water heater at $896. Forced to spend a "surprise" extra $1000 to fix issue not properly identified during quote process. 5 12/2/2013 Water heater install Yes ? Family no longer sick after water heater install. Sump pump system not reconnected properly after Abt disconnected. Homeowner had to fix. 6 12/2/2013 Tech out to investigate the following issues: 1)Why furnace and humidifier clunk on and off multiple times before furnace starts. Homeowner validated that even if humidifier is shut off/no water on, that furnace still struggles to start prior to Abt visit. 2) UV Light sometimes on, sometimes off, should be on all the time 3) Fumes continue 4) Hot air leaking from plenum as not sealed properly. Partial - UV light and humidifier in wrong outlet configuration, plenum sealed with tape. Furnace and, therefore, humidifier continue to clunk on and off. Jason Assumed outlet mixup was reason for Humidifier/furnace clunking on and off and humidifier running more than furnace. 7 12/3/2013 Heat stops working - fan blows but no heat. Asked about furnace clunking on and off - advised that his job was to just get heat working again. Yes Hot smell in upstairs bedroom remains. Furnace continues to clunk on and off. Reed Found grit in restrictor pin within pressue switch. Restrictor pin damaged (squished). New propane-like smell introduced throughout house. 8 12/18/2013 Tech out to replace damaged pressure switch and investigate continuing smell. Partial Hot smell in upstairs bedroom remains. Furnace continues to clunk on and off. Danny Replacement of pressure switch eliminated propane-like smell. Tech also adjusted dampers for summer/winter setting. Loud squeaking noise introduced in vents due to damper change. Homeowner adjusted to mitigate squeaking. 12/26/2013 Homeowner performs test to determine if hot smell in upstairs bedroom is due to UV Lamp. Yes Hot smell is due to UV Lamp installed by Abt. Can be mitigated by keeping furnace fan on (and wasting energy doing so!) Furnace continues to clunk on and off. 9 1/1/2014 Furnace stops working completely - no fan and no heat Yes Furnace continues to clunk on and off struggling to start. Danny Fuse blown because wire is touching ground on outlet on side of furnace. Wire is stuck in the side of the outlet. Says nothing can be done about smell from UV lamp. Water leaking from furnace due to leaky drain connection. Tech also fixed this issue. 10 2/20/2014 Tech out to determine reason for furnace clunking on and off. Struggles to start 5-7 times before starting when thermostat calls for heat. Worked better temporarily when -30 degrees outside. No Furnace continues to clunk on and off struggling to start. Rich Motor replaced 11 2/24/2014 Tech out to fix clunking issue. No Furnace continues to clunk on and off struggling to start. Reed Circuit board replaced 12 2/24/2014 Tech out to fix clunking issue. No Furnace continues to clunk on and off struggling to start. Reed Motor replaced - again. Reed stated he has no additional ideas as all parts have been replaced. Left with fresh air pipe not connected to furnace. **Update 2-27-14** Abt has been to my home the last 4 days this week. During this time, they installed a new furnace, which had the same issue as the old one, struggling to start. The installer tried many permutations with the 3" fresh air and exhaust pipes with no luck. He spoke with the Trane (manufacturer) rep who advised that for our specific setup, 4" pipes should have been used, not 3" pipes. Today (visit #15), the 4" pipes were installed. I am hopeful that this resolves the issue. For the last few hours, so far, so good. I am also hopeful that Abt takes this as a learning opportunity for their staff to contact the manufacturer sooner in the process. The correct answer to the problem was right there on page 17 of the Trane furnace user manual. However, due to miscalculations during the initial installation of what was required for our specific setup, it resulted in 2 complete losses of heat and a terrible user experience for both Abt and the, us, the client. The Abt reps solved the wrong problems (or symptoms of the real problem) and created new problems many times before identifying the true issue. To Abt's credit - during this process, we were not charged for these numerous service calls, as the furnace included a 1 year parts and labor warranty when we bought it. The service techs and installers all seemed to be giving the best they could and all had good customer service skills. The manager at Abt did agree to provide a 10 year parts and labor warranty on the furnace at no additional charge. So for these reasons, they pass with a grade of D. For the record, below is the rest of the visit log. 13 2/25/2014 New furnace install No Furnace continues to clunk on and off struggling to start. Tony M and Chris New furnace behaves the same as the old one. Issue was not due to furnace. Tried many permutations of 3" pipes but did not fix issue. Tony spoke with Trane (furnace manufacturer) rep who said that due to the specifics of our setup, 4" pipe should have been used, not 3". Was told next day new 4" pipe would be installed. Left with fresh air pipe not connected to furnace. 14 2/26/2014 Install 4" pipe No Furnace continues to clunk on and off struggling to start. Fresh air pipe still out. Danny He took some measurements, spoke to another Trane rep who confirmed 4" pipe needed. Did not bring materials required to install 4" pipe. 15 2/27/2014 Install 4" pipe Yes Tony M and ? 4" pipe installed per Trane user manual and per advice of 2 Trane reps. Wiring for UV lamp corrected to only turn on when furnace fan is blowing, remediating hot smell in upstairs bedroom issue. So far, the furnace seems to be working as expected.

They did a wonderful job. They also gave us a good price.

Calling ABT is NOT a typical call center experience, ie painful. The people you reach are good. You have a sense they know what they're doing, and could even do their jobs if they didn't have a screen in front of them. They're familiar with the geography, and ask logical questions about the appliance. I was not surprised to learn that they're local, and that ABT is known to be a decent place to work. It shows. | |Re REPAIR. |I do at least basic troubleshooting before calling for help, but aside reporting a problem is fixed, and no new ones appeared, of course I don't have skills to judge the quality of appliance repair. The two techs I've used from ABT were on time, worked quickly, and seemed very competent. They checked out the problem, gave me options, and seemed not to have any stake in whether I chose to repair or replace. Clearly their deal is to give info, let the customer decide. | |I also appreciated that there was no hustling sales for other products, warranties or services. None of the "oh I see you don't have a water softener, lots of homes around here do, let me tell you how it improves performance...." | |Neither the dishwasher repaired within the last year--on its last legs--nor the clothes washer (over 2 years ago) needed subsequent repairs. The washer guy was all business. There was some part he didn't have, but I didn't end up being gouged on labor cost. The dishwasher tech was also really good. Not rushing, but not chilling either. He struck me as competent, and was also personable. And not in a "I'm here to be personable" kind of way. He can do any kind of job. | |I was torn about calling re dishwasher because it at least 10 years old--was purchased by prior owner--and I thought it might be done. That ABT deducts part of the service charge from the cost of a replacement makes calling less risky. I know people can find slightly better prices on new appliances by shopping around, but then you're shopping around. When I am ready to replace DW, I will be calling ABT.