The Light Bulb Source

A couple of weeks ago, I contacted these guys because I needed to install cabinet underlighting for a kitchen remodel. The experience was pretty good for the LED strip lights. They wired up some transformers at pre-​cut lengths and basically prepared everything according to spec. Those worked fine as described.
HOWEVER, there was an additional request for some puck LED lights for a sink area. I told them about a quick turnaround deadline and asked if they would put something together. I had a look at some lights they had on stock which didn’t fit the cabinet profile. They said that they would look for some lights locally to satisfy the order. When I got the lights, the first thing that annoyed me was that they didn’t even bother to ask me about the color of the lights and just grabbed whatever they could find.
Secondly, instead of using the stock transformer, they cut that off and charged me for their own generic transformer and said that it would work because they had tested it. They DID NOT TELL ME THEY DID THIS. Instead they just declared that they needed to use their own transformer and proceeded to charge for that. I believed them. Before delivery, they said they they saw some strange strobing at first, but they declared that it was OK and had gone away.
Later, when I had my licensed electrician try to install it, the electrician noted the same strobing after a few minutes. It was only when I took the store’s transformer back to the shop did they tell me that the stock setup was modified. They said «we thought we would use our own transformer because it has a direct wire.» They took back their transformer and gave me the cut stock setup, which was a standard plug. I proceeded to give this to my electrician to splice back together… now the lights didn’t work at all… I sent an email to the rep I was working with asking for a refund for the puck lights and got no response.
So, I’m just going to write this off as a completely loss for electrician time and materials. I don’t even want to give these guys another shot because I don’t want to waste more money on electrician fees.
Reasons I’m upset:
1) They basically modified a PERFECTLY GOOD stock setup and sold me their transformer which probably shorted the LED lights.
2) I wasted a ton of electrician fees.
3) I am stuck with a light color that I don’t really want. but didn’t have a chance to change because I have a tight timeline with people moving into my condo.
4) Most importantly, I wasted my own time.
One pro:
1) They will work with you to customize strip LED lights, and they know how to do this.
All in all, a pretty costly experience for me. Not happy at all. Should have just listened to the reviews.
A word of advice, work first through licensed electricians who know their products and their vendors and know what to order.

I was in the neighborhood today when a light bulb went on lol! I noticed this store, which I had never noticed before. I had been on the lookout for a certain kind of light *fixture* (not a bulb), so I stopped in to see if they sell those too. Turns out, they do! They also sell specialty flashlights (like big, impact resistant light «wands» and «UV leak detectors»), LED light «tape» and other stuff not normally sought by the casual residential lighting customer, like me!
The sales associate who helped me today (he wasn’t wearing a name tag, so I’ll just call him «Alvin») was knowledgeable and helpful. He took time to demonstrate the various features, benefits, and such so I could comparison shop, and he cheerfully trotted inventory out of the back when he noticed they didn’t have all the varieties on display. So I appreciated that.
The prices seemed a bit steep, but I got what I was after, so all’s well that ends well. As Denalee pointed out, at least we did our part to help the local economy!

I was feeling a little brighter when i walked out of here yesterday. Not necessarily like I could get a 180 on the LSAT, but definitely cheerier.
The Light Bulb Source is a great place for speciality light bulbs. My vanity mirror has a daylight bulb which burnt out and the last time I went on an adventure all around town to all the typical places one would search trying to find a replacement. I finally got a tip to try the Light Bulb Source.
So this time, I went straight to the source. The man who helped me was super friendly and very attentive. At first he thought they were out and offered to call me when they came in but somehow magically found me one in the store. I could not have asked for better service.
The bulb itself was a bit expensive: around $ 10. Which sound ridiculous when I tell you the mirror cost me $ 20, but hey, that’s like buying printer ink… right? The printer costs $ 200 and the replacement ink is $ 100, or something like that. I did find a similar item at half the cost online, but you could say I’m helping the Hawaii economy. I have a thing for small businesses. Plus, where else can you find specialty bulbs in Honolulu?
Hard to find items + great customer service = a brighter me!
side note: they are open on Saturdays…

Informative staff and specialize in Lightbulbs. Some of ya need some lightbulbs above yo head

This is the type of store that if you bring in a light bulb or know what type of bulb you need, they will get you the bulb or carry it and can order you the bulb if they don’t have it. Never had problems with the customer service. Can’t say much for the pricing as I haven’t shopped around, but pricing seems reasonable at least for harder to find bulbs. If you need a certain bulb I’m sure you’ll find it here.

When I went a few month back, they didn’t have the exact bulb I was looking for to replace the one that burnt out in my house.
I went back yesterday and they were able to help me better by suggesting reasonable alternatives to the one I brought in.
In the end, I was able to re-​light my house so even though they didn’t have the exact bulb, I’m happy since I can see better at home now.

Wow, where do I begin to describe the worse service on island? I was referred to this establishment by Home Depot as I was looking for a special light bulb size. I should have read the other Unilocal reviews first, but instead I called the store and the guy that answered was clearly unfriendly. I told him what I was trying to purchase, and he said «I’m sure we have it.» We’ll, after going all over town and no one having it, I wanted to be sure, so I asked him if he could check before I drove over. I hadn’t even finished my sentence, when he cut me off and asked what size it was. I told him, and he said «hold on.» I assumed he was checking, but when he finally came back on a full six minutes later, he just said «yeah?» Excuse me? Not knowing what «yeah» meant, I said «hello» again and reminded him that he was checking on the lightbulb. He then put me on hold again for another five minutes. Back on the phone again, he asked me what I wanted. Unbelievable! I told him that I was confused because I already told him twice and he put me on hold twice for a long time, so I thought he was checking for the bulb. Then he accused me of not giving him all the information and told me «look, on the weekend I’m the only one in the store and when customers come in, I need to help them.» Great buddy, so clearly you’ve never been trained to tell your phone customers that your with another customer and you’d be happy to take the information and call them back or, at the very least, give them a time that they could call back. So, I told him that maybe he should have told me that instead of putting me on hold ten minutes, and he replied «do you want me to help you or not?» Which I then told him he was being very rude, and he replied «you’re rude and hung up on me!» Somewhere in between, I asked him if he was the owner or manager, but he never answered. No matter, because whether he is or not, this is clearly a reflection on the owner and management team. I don’t care if they’re the only light source in the state, I’d burn candles before I’d buy anything from them. Shame on you Light Bulb Source, you are a despicable establishment and blemish to our Aloha state. By the way, I teach customer service training and can’t wait to share this as an example of what not to do. Thanks for the perfect example; I couldn’t make up a better one!

I’d been to this store about twice before. The last time I went, I swore I’d never go back again. Why? Poor customer service. But, I went, as I thought I’d give them another chance… to see if anything had changed. NOT!
I walked in, and there were 2 guys working in the shop. One was on the phone, and didn’t even acknowledge me, when I went up to the counter. Mind you, it’s a small shop. The other guy came over. No greeting, no smile, no nothing. And, they didn’t have what I needed. No apology, no referral.
So, I’ve written them off for good. Ordered what I needed online. Don’t go there, unless you’re too happy and you need a major downer to suck the life out of a great day. Besides, with this kind of customer service, this «business» won’t be around much longer. Especially, since we can get nearly everything we want online.
I’m not one to complain or post negative comments about places. But I must say, that the businesses that I didn’t like are out of business today, i.e. CompUSA.

This should be a great store. It’s got a great inventory of light bulbs, all kinds. The problem is the service. My husband and I went in to get a replacement for a bulb. After finally getting the attention of the guy at the counter, who was studiously avoiding eye contact with us by staring at someone else in the shop, we asked for a replacement and gave him the box. He said, «What is this?» We said, «We thought you would be able to determine that by matching the information on the box with something in your shop.» He said, «Do you want xenon or halogen?» I said, «What’s the difference?» He said, «One’s a lot more expensive.» I said, «Which one?» He said, «Xenon. We don’t have them.» I said, «Is one hotter than the other? Because halogen’s hot and if we can avoid that that would be great.» He said, «Yes.» I said, «Which one?» He said, «Which one what?» I could go on. And on. My husband was incensed by the time we left the store. It takes a LOT to get him riled up. And of course the bulb we got didn’t fit. I’d give this one star but I’ve been there before and the person at the counter actually helped us. So the place is not beyond hope, but I am not going back. I can get this kind of misinformation and indifference online.

This store was a bright idea: bring together the most kinds of lightbulbs available in the state, and put them all in one location, for all to see. You may not find a regular 75-​Watt incandescent bulb like you’re used to having in your house here, but maybe they could special order it for you. In the meantime, check out everything else to see what’s energy-​efficiant, hard-​to-​find, or just plain kool. They’ve got ‘em all here.

I was looking for a special type of light bulb and this small light store seemed to have it when others don’t. In terms of finding the lightbulb for your needs, I would say this is store is a good start, so I give them +1 star for that.
But why stop at a 2 star rating? Bad customer service! As soon as I walked into this store, I saw one guy sitting on a chair with his feet on the desk, talking to another person behind the counter I couldn’t see. I politely said ‘excuse me’ to get the rep’s attention… the guy looked over his shoulders at me for a sec, and then went on with his conversation, as if I never existed. I had to hail him a second time, asking if he worked there to get him to come help me.
The reps there clearly did not know what they’re doing. They overcharged my credit card and didn’t know how to do the refund transaction. He called over another rep to assist with him who didn’t know either. Finally the manager came to help w/​the transaction. I guess he was the owner of the shop, considering it’s a pretty small shop.
Once done, no apology, no thank you for the purchase, no bag, nothing. Just a sarcastic ‘there you go’. Clearly my business was unwanted.