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Sweeneys , tv rentals

The first TV we ever had was a coin meter 6d,for 4hrs viewing,normally you had more than enough in the box to cover your payments,which were collected every month,i loved it, i used to save any 6ds i got and would have a few shillings to buy something nice each month, most places stopped the meter method of paying when customers started breaking the meters,
 
sospiri said:
That was the trouble with rental people - they didn't employ REAL engineers, just a band of board swappers! If swapping a board didn't fix it, the set went back to the "workshop" and you were given a temporary replacement which was often much better than your regular set! Most of them couldn't even use a soldering iron!

When asked if we could keep a temporary set, the answer was generally "yes, but it will cost you more" - an excuse to put the rent up and not have to return a problem set into service!

Maurice
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Cant agree with that !

a good, trained TV engineer, especially during the 60s had to be multi skilled, unlike most service engineers working in industry or say telephone engineers. They spent longer in training than doctors.

There were of course numpties, there are in any trade. but most TV engineers could turn their hand to just about anything. Had to, the wages were so poor they couldnt afford to pay to get anything done !

Then came the 70s, when Colour TV caught on, and when the bigger rental companies, like Granada & Visionhire, etc, could afford to employ the best, pay really good money, and supply better cars. Althiugh one or two of the Rental firms like Reddifusion, did employ 'repairmen' that wasnt the same thing.

Sweeneys had pretty high standards if I remember right.
 
Astonian said:
Hi guys
i seem to recall the bussiness that swenneys had took over
was orinionaly boyeds tv electricals appliances
and well tvs from duley rd was one of the first to do he coin box operating tv on rentals for 6d
best wishes astonian ;;;
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No I think your getting confused there, Boyds of Bond St, later Boyds Rentals sold out in the 70s, to Visionhire I think.
 
My husband was a television engineer and there wasn't much he didn't know about the inside of a TV
 
I worked for sweeney radio inthe 60s, at there head office in ludow road alum rock as a trainee tv engineer. It was a father and son independently run business, and a great company to work for I was allowed day release for college for many years untill I was qualified. and have stayed in the trade ever since
terry jukes
 
we had one with a box on the back.to pay for it.
when i was on nights,sitting in my patrol van (quiet nights) i would look at the tvs through the shop window,wish i could have read lips. lol
 
Bought our first colour tv in 1972 from MEB spent more time in the workshops being repaired than any tv since. We also rented our first VCR from Granada when the tapes cost £14 each (1976) they can't give then away nowadays.
 
Hi, i just joined this forum.i used to work for rf sweeney radio.. Started as a van assistant in 1983 then as a tv engineer a year later. Not much on the web about the firm.. I left in 1989 as i was a union rep and was always at loggerheads with the md ! He wouldnt expand training for staff in new tech that was coming through.. Laserdiscs.. Satelite tv etcetc... Infact he was still trying to service black and white tvs for rental ! .. Stuck in a time warp unfortunetely.. Radio rentals bought them out in 1991 i think....the md said goodnite to staff on a friday as normal.. The next monday 'radio rentals' managent turned up and announced they were in charge now!!! ... It was a nadty shock for my ex colleagues x
 
Yeah , very hard to find tv repair too now on high st .. But was pleased toread somewhere here someone still has a ferguson tv from sweeneys that still works.. My friends parents still have a 22" phillips 1002 model tv i sold them in 1985 bless! ... An expertly serviced tv i hasten to add ! Lol ! - gawd bless the cathode ray tube i say !
 
When we were first married in 1970 we were lucky to be able to afford to rent a TV, now we have two spare sets in the loft and a further 5 in different rooms, not sure what's changed but a family without a TV must be as rare as rocking horse ****.
 
Yeah bob sweeney was the managing director when i was there.. The family had some boating accident in the 60's indeed i heard.I will always remember the jaquar xjs that bob sweeney drove... The 'poshest car' in the car park ! ... Registration CPU777T ( what a memory) ! .... I later saw this car for sale in the 90's on the tyburn road at a used car site for £1700... It brought back alot of memorys and looked alittle sad really...
 
We had a shop at sparkhill..788 stratford road.
I checked 'my letter of employment' from 1983 which has all the shops listed on the bottom lol!
 
we rented a TV from Sweeny's I think it was an 18" they gave us Portable free as part of the deal.

They had a shop in Sheldon next to whats now Iceland.

We always had the same service engineer, and he always turned up at the time we agreed.
 
I'll always remember 'Phillips' had a promotion in 1984 whereby they gave away with every sale an 'olympics 1984' glossy annual full if pics and info.
Unfortunately it was the year that Russia boycotted the olympics - so half the stuff in the book was irrelevant !
Bob Sweeney even tried to 'sell' the book for £4 - when Phillips supplied us a shedload to be free giveaways! Lol x
 
I worked for sweeneys from 1972 until 1990 when it closed..it was a great firm to work for..I was an field enginer ar harborne and covered many districts..happy days
 
The first telly we hired was from Sweeneys, not sure where we hired it from as my Wife to be lived in Kingshurst, I lived in Perry Barr and the flat we moved to was in Water Orton, long leys court. There was no way we could afford to buy a TV and Sweeneys were our best bet, thank you Sweeneys.
 
I worked for Sweeney radio for 11years. Stratford road then Manager at Yew Tree Nd Chelmsley wood. Company eventually sold up to Radio Rentals who had been after the company for years. Never knew what happened th Robert Sweeney the boss .
 
I aIso worked for Sweeny radio from 1960 to 64 started when I was 15 based at the head ofice Ludlow road and attended garret's green college .They had two delivery drivers Pete Davenport and stan? both served all the shops. I worked with Pete for a short time before going on the bench may well have met you very fond memory's of sweenys Sweeny senior I was told died some boating accident? I only new is son who took over
 
Astonian said:
hi jean
i remember jollys tv and radio shop at witton
when i8 lived in inkerman house new town row in the 70,s
and went scouring around for a tv it was a sunday night and the UB 40
Was making a video for there records and standing in there door way was the lead singer mimeing and they was recording the shot my old dutches got estatic and she got id autograph and thats how i never for got good old jollys he was quite
reasonable in is prices , col h ; i think you was right at first it was bonds , then it changed to sweeneys of the cross have a nice day every body even thou its gonna be a wet one . best wishes astonian ;;;
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Sorry but you are so wrong....I worked for Jollys radio in the 80's. Steve Farley owned the business and I was there helping on the night UB40 filmed part of the 'please dont make me cry' video, myself and Steve even helped the film crew with the video film sync during the filming. Only an actress and a few members of the band was there.The owner Steve took us all for a curry in Erdington afterwards
 
Gary Pitt said:
Sorry but you are so wrong....I worked for Jollys radio in the 80's. Steve Farley owned the business and I was there helping on the night UB40 filmed part of the 'please dont make me cry' video, myself and Steve even helped the film crew with the video film sync during the filming. Only an actress and a few members of the band was there.The owner Steve took us all for a curry in Erdington afterwards
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Also it was a weekday night
 
Gary Pitt said:
Also it was a weekday night
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Gary, the member Astonian is now deceased so is unable to respond to your comments. Please also bear in mind that as these events took place over 40 years ago, it how he remembered it as opposed to being right or wrong.
 
Now that the Birmingham newspaper archives are more readily available maybe the boating accident detail can be found, it must have been around the mid sixties I think.
 
i used to sit outside the tv shops:laughing::laughing: and watch the tv pic, in the winddow from my van on nights
 
terry jukes said:
I aIso worked for Sweeny radio from 1960 to 64 started when I was 15 based at the head ofice Ludlow road and attended garret's green college .They had two delivery drivers Pete Davenport and stan? both served all the shops. I worked with Pete for a short time before going on the bench may well have met you very fond memory's of sweenys Sweeny senior I was told died some boating accident? I only new is son who took over
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My dad worked for Sweeney's for 30 years. Does anyone remember Jim Holyhead
 
I used to service one of their vans at Brooklyn Garage, don't know the man's name but when my Bush tv went black screen I asked him if he could have a look at it, he popped in later the same day, fixed it in about fifteen minutes and charged me just three shillings for the part, I said "Is that all?" he said with a smile "Just a matter of expertise."
 
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