I hope I'm not too late. I joined primarily just to post to this thread.
Avoid "Foss Car Audio" on 38th Street. I recently bought a JVC deck and an Installcard from
Crutchfield and they were the installers.
I went in on a Saturday. First, they said it would take 1 1/2 hours for the install. When I told them I had a wedding to go to and I needed to leave town in 2 hours, the installer came back and said "OK, we bumped you up in line, so it'll be 30-35 minutes."
I checked back in on it after a half an hour. My Isuzu Rodeo hadn't been touched. After an hour, it hadn't been touched. An hour and a half, it hadn't been touched.
Finally after 2 hours and 10 minutes total of waiting, one of the installers finally popped open my car and took it into the garage. By this time, I was expecting to miss my friend's wedding.
So, I got to the shop at noon that day and didn't get to leave until 2:45. I can understand installations taking a while, but there's no call for it to take almost 3 hours by "professionals."
Also, a bad experience with Car Toys by the mall. A couple years ago, I went to them to get a stereo and 4 speakers. Up front, I told them my total budget was $500 (even though I was willing to go to 700-750). I picked a 100.00 stereo (with free install) and speakers that were 150.00/pair (2 pair). It sounded about right to me. If the stereo install was free, then installing the speakers shouldn't be more than 100.00.
When the salesman added everything up, he said "OK, your total's going to be...$1100.00. I was speechless. I said "But I told you my budget is $500." He looked disappointed and said "Well, there isn't much we can skimp on here. I guess we could downgrade the speakers, and..." A few minutes later he said "OK, how about 850?" I'm not much of a confrontational person, so I took it. While the installers were working on my car, I asked why it was so expensive if the hardware was about $400 (or less by that point). He said that not only was the installer working on my car being paid, but all the installers in the shop were. So my equipment was like $400, but the install charge was probably another 300-400.
In the end, the stereo didn't sound great (definitely not $850 worth). I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. A month later, I got a letter from Car Toys offering me a $2.00 CD Wallet to make up for the experience. I refused.
So Foss and Car Toys are 2 I recommend steering clear of. Now, some people would scoff at this idea, but how about Circuit City? I've never had a disappointing install from them. They're always timely and professional. I talked to them recently because I'm planning on upgrading my current speakers. The salesman there said that they would be willing to install speakers that do not come from them (thinking of perhaps another
crutchfield purchase). And they're install is only like $50 (plus any harnesses or wiring you might need, of course).