PORTLAND, Ore. - A lot of people are angry after a local television repair business closed up shop and left its customers in a lurch.

Ace Electronics used to have a location on Southeast Foster Road, but the business is no longer there. Also missing are the TVs that customers had dropped off for repairs. So where are they?

To try to answer that question, we began by tracking down where Ace Electronics used to be - on Northeast Broadway. We talked to neighbors and one of them told us that the shop had closed down suddenly and that angry customers showed up there for weeks.

In Gresham, another location for Ace Electronics, the landlord had the same story. The repair shop closed and customers walked away empty-handed.

Steven Hughes is the owner of Ace Electronics. KATU tracked him down at his Beaverton home and although he declined an on-camera interview, he did say that he denies any responsibility. He said he is not the owner and that all of the technicians worked as independent contractors.

However, state records show Hughes' name and another man's on the business registration. Also, the landlord at the southeast Portland location said Hughes' name is on the lease.

When we told Hughes (over the phone) that we were trying to track down where the customers' TVs are, he told us they were in a storage facility. Minutes later, from our vehicle nearby, we watched him open his garage and inside were a number of TVs.

We then knocked on Hughes' door to try to get him to come out and explain, but someone else answered and when we asked to speak to Hughes, we ended up getting the door slammed in our face.

However, the people inside the home finally did tell us that they have Mary Tate's television, a customer who told KATU News she had been waiting months and months to hear from Ace Electronics. However, they did not have Larry Bumbar's TV set, another customer who told KATU News he had dropped off his 50-inch Toshiba and $300 only to never hear from the company again.

No one would tell us why there were television sets in the garage in the first place, but we were allowed to load Tate's TV set into our vehicle. We took it back to her and she thanked us for helping our out. As for Bumbar, his only option at this point is to file suit against Ace Electronics.

So how do you avoid getting ripped off?

• Check out the business' history with the Better Business Bureau. Remember, you are giving these shops your expensive property.
• Visit the actual location.
• Do not pay up front for any service. If you do, you lose any leverage you had.