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Categories: Local Services, Electronics [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMAMon. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tue-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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If you have any audio/visual technology needs Avista is the place to call. I've used Avista several times for my job and have had a great experience every time. David and Doug are extremely personable, helpful and professional.
In fact, my organization no longer debates where to rent A/V services and equipment from any longer, it's automatically, "Call Avista." You should have no qualms about relying on them for your most important events. My boss used Avista for a their wedding as a matter of fact.
And not only is their service top-notch and the equipment excellent, the value is stellar. We have literally saved thousands of dollars and innumerable headaches by sticking with Avista and we will continue to use them for the foreseeable future.
I found Avista from you, my fellow Yelpers! Making a reservation was easy. Clayton, took my order and made useful suggestions like having two speakers is better than one so your audience isn't blasted by overcompensating and having a mic stand even if you're using a handheld wireless mic.
I arrived to pickup the gear. I was told that it wasn't ready. Huh? I had ordered it well in advance. The SF office is downtown and not that easy to get to, so I said I'd wait. The man who assembled the equipment was friendly enough, but the woman processing my order was giving me major attitude.
After the equipment was tested and I given a quick overview, off I went.
That evening the setup went well enough until I tried turning on the microphone. It didn't work. Hmmm...80 people are coming for a major fundraiser and the mic isn't working. What to do? Panic?!?
I did call the tech support line and was told to replace the batteries.
I was lucky enough to be downtown and able to run out and get some AA batteries. However, I'd been SOL if stores weren't close. Either Avista should put a backup pair of batteries in the case, or let you know that you should have some. They do tell you that extension cords aren't included, so I had brought those.
It was $185 for two speakers, wireless microphone and related gear. Not cheap, but worth it. Be sure and check the batteries and have spares to boot.
I needed a projection screen for my friend's wedding on friday. It was going to be about 250 people and our problem was a) we didn't have a projection screen and b) we were flying up from Orange County.
Luckily, the yelp page for Avista came up in my google search and I booked one of the 8x8 screens to pick up (it was about $40).
We BARELY got this thing to fit in our nissan altima rental but the avista peeps helped us out and the screen was PERFECT for the wedding. Every seat in the tent was a GOOD seat.
Since they aren't open on weekends - I had to have the groom drop of the screen before noon on monday so total days we had this screen was three but I only paid one day's price :)
We probably should've played some massive wii on it! lol.
Anyway, I wish they had an avista down here! but all you bay-area peeps - I definitely recommend avista!
It's a little bit hard to find on stillman .... but location is about 15 min away from the airport and in the center of the city. I lucked out and it was only a few blocks from st patricks where I attended the wedding.
I've rented from them twice to do a video shoots at some friends' preschool. Got a nice video camera, shotgun mic, boomkit, and tripod. Both times they were very friendly and efficient, no attitude which seems to be everywhere in this town. The 2nd time I really needed some tech help on the fly over the phone once I got to the site and they calmly walked me through it step by step as about twenty 5-year olds jumped up in down in front of me, and we resolved my issue easily. They employ a cool woman there too (if a tech place only has guys, it bugs me). The parking is always easy, and they accommodated the hours I needed the equipment (I needed it from 9am on - most places I called would rent only starting from Noon, forcing me to add on an extra half day which I didn't need).
In my mind, this place exemplifies good service.
My husband and I rented speakers from Avista for our wedding. The employees were helpful in making suggestions about what would work best and the speakers looked and sounded great. There have been some problems with their billing system (i.e. extra charges on my credit card), but Avista's owner quickly responded to my previous negative Yelp review, so it looks like that will be resolved. Otherwise, the rental went very smoothly and I would recommend using their services for your next event.
We rented a microphone and speaker from them for our wedding. They were really helpful on the phone in figuring out what to rent, they delivered and picked up (for an extra fee, of course) and it all worked great with great sound quality.
I've rented from Avista twice now and both times were flawless. Being able to have the rentals over a weekend, and have the equipment dropped off and picked up is a life saver. They respond to inquiries super quick and have always been able to provide anything I needed. Their website is well detailed too, which is a good plus for someone as busy as me and who has a lot of questions.
The equipment always works perfectly and they're happy to give you a "how-to" even though they also give you easy instructions.
Next year I'll go to these folks again if I need more equipment.
latest update:
I'm upgrading to 3 stars for their accommodating service, even though the mic didn't work out. When I called and came in to use my credit, the staffers said, "oh, I know who you are." I pictured everyone sitting around talking about that yelper who had the chutzpah to show her face there. It was ackward.
But in Avista's defense, they were very accommodating and even friendly. We had some trouble on our shoot with the mic (we rented wireless lavs) and afterwards the staffer walked me through how to use them --of course it worked fine in the store.
It turns out that at least the wireless lavalier mics they rent just aren't the greatest quality. They are probably fine if you have a quiet room and controlled situation, but we were shooting in a noisy kitchen with lots of machinery and we got all kinds of interference and static. So, lesson learned. Know what your needs are and what you're getting. Unfortunately for us, I don't think their mics are rigorous enough for my needs.
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Update: After writing this review I got an email from Avista's owner offering me an apology and $100 credit for future rentals. Importantly, he never asked me to change my review (that happened before and it feels like a bribe). I appreciate the attempt to make things right and for now I am giving them an extra star for that.
I'm also taking them up on their offer... so maybe more stars to come if the mic works out this time.
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original review:
Prompt customer service and a reasonable price.... But the microphone didn't work. We rented a wireless for our wedding in September and there was so much fuzz and interference it was unusable. Thankfully, our DJ had a backup mic, which he said was unreliable but in fact saved the day.
When we returned it we complained and were told they'd "look into it." Never heard nuthin after that.
I contacted them because I needed a flat panel TV, DVD player, extension cord and power strip for a public event at The Cannery on Fisherman's Wharf. They delivered exactly what I needed, arrived exactly when they said they would and made it the easiest part of pulling off this event.
They're absolutely the best folks to contact if you want something done right so that you don't have to worry about anything.
I never actually rented anything for Avista (hence less 1 star), but I'm giving them 4 stars for honesty and true customer service. I'm was looking for an outdoor lapel mic system for our wedding and the person I spoke to was very honest about what they could offer, best practices, etc. As per the other reviews, the lapel mics they have are probably best in an indoor setting. I really appreciated the honesty and consideration. Will keep you in mind for future AV needs!
At the end of April I was in dire need of a specific camera for rental. I had two camera rentals fall through two days before the shoot.
In a pinch, I contacted Avista to see if they could save the day, and they went above and beyond anything I expected.
They didn't have the camera I needed in stock at either location, but were able to purchase an additional camera for rental, and priority overnighted it to SF in order for me to have the camera for my shoot. They took care of shipping and handling on it, and the gear worked flawlessly.
I've used Avista several times on various projects over the last year, with great success. Their staff has great customer service, equipment, and a willingness to go the extra mile to keep their clients happy. I contact them often for quotes, always with good service and prompt responses, even if I don't end up going with the product I'm quoting.
I'd highly suggest using them on your next project.
I've used Avista's video rental services to rent both audio and video equipment for three shoots… Read more »
These guys were spectacular - I rented a DJ package and had a friend do the audio at my wedding at 1 Fort Mason and their customer service, flexibility in altering my reservation at the last minute, and exceptionally well-maintained, brand new and very high-quality equipment positively shined! There's no better choice for the price.
This review will sound very much like the previous one, but iit's legit. For my wedding we also rented an iPlay system (speakers, stands, soundboard, wireless mic) and it worked out great. They had the equipment ready to go on Friday, so we were able to load up quickly which was a relief since we were short on time. Same thing with the return. Quick and painless.
Earlier I went in to the office and they gave me a nice demo on setting it up, and when we rented they had instructions printed out as well. And the price was very fair. All in all a great experience. Just look out for the microphone, people had a good time snatching it to 'karaoke' along with the music!
Great customer service! David really helped us when we were down to the wire and needed a projector for our company benefit party. So much so that I'm sure they will be our "go to place" when we need electronic equipment again. The slide show on the wall looked great :-)
The folks as Avista are great. We rented a projector screeen and battery generated speaker system for our wedding. The price was great compared to what I was getting quoted from other places.
I called avista at 3:30 on a Thursday and they were able to deliver what I needed (a rear projector screen for a work event) by 9:00 am Friday. Great customer service and the product was exactly what we needed. The price was almost half of the quote I got from another place. I would definitely call this place again.
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