Rubberduckie
09-30-2007, 09:34 AM
You do get what you pay for, and not just a hokey picture.
Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV
Flat panel TV bargains abound these days. With prices dropping
30%-40% from 2006 to 2007 (confirmed this week by LG US CEO
Michael Ahn) one can easily be tempted by the leader pricing of
the "new brands" (called tier two and tier three by the consumer
electronics industry) that undercut top panel maker prices by
hundreds of dollars.
What the enticing, price driven TV commercials and their dealers
don't tell you is that Westinghouse, Polaroid and other tier two and
three set makers add costly charges during the one year warranty
period and buyers may incur substantial service charges after their
warranties expire. In fact, two companies surveyed don't support
service at all after the one-year warranty expires!
Polaroid's HDTVs, which sell mainly through Circuit City, would
seem to be bargain-priced compared to the "name brand"
competitors. Polaroid's 1080p 42" LCD Model number PLD
4241TLXB, for example, sells for $1149.99 at Circuit City, while
Toshiba's 42HL167 goes for $1699.99.
The Polaroid set seems like a good deal until you find out what the
Circuit City and Polaroid websites fail to disclose, which is that
Polaroid HDTVs cannot be repaired after the warranty period
expires!
The HD Guru visited his local Circuit City and asked the salesman
what to do if a Polaroid required out of warranty service. He didn't
know. The next day the HD Guru called Circuit City's customer
service (CS) department. The representative did not have a clue
about either in or out of warranty service for Polaroid flat panels!
The HD Guru later contacted Polaroid customer service. A
representative informed him that its HDTVs carry a one-year on
site warranty. Fine. But what about parts and service for out of
warranty service? Incredibly, the customer service rep replied
"there are no out of warranty repairs available, you are basically on
you own," adding that Polaroid does not offer any out of warranty
support (including parts), at its US headquarters or through
independent TV repair shops.
With no parts and no authorized "out of warranty service
available", what you basically get when you buy a Polaroid is a
disposable HDTV-- think BIC lighter. When the warranty expires
if the set breaks, it's ready for the town dump.
You can always buy an extended warranty from Circuit City, but
that subtracts a substantial portion of the savings gained by buying
an off brand TV in the first place. The HD Guru wonders how an
extended warranty will be honored since Polaroid does not have
any system to sell parts to servicers.
Next up, Vizio HDTVs. Here is what appears on its website, with
bold added by the HD Guru.
"Service Labor During the one (1) year warranty period, VIZIO
will provide, when needed, service labor to repair a manufacturing
defect at its designated service center. To obtain warranty service
in the United States, you must first contact VIZIO Technical
Support via email at techsupport@VIZIO.com or via phone at
(949) 428-2525. The determination of service will be made by
VIZIO. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR UNIT TO VIZIO
WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION.
Service
During the one (1) year warranty period, VIZIO will, at its option
and sole discretion, repair or replace defective parts, which may
be new or remanufactured, including replacement of the entire
unit. The Customer will be required to ship the product to the
service center indicated by VIZIO when the return authorization
is provided. The Customer is responsible for all transportation
charges to the service center. VIZIO is not responsible for the deinstallation
or re-installation of the product.
Packaging and Shipping Instruction When shipping the
product to an authorized VIZIO service facility, the original
carton box and packing material, or an equivalent as
designated by VIZIO, must be utilized.
According to Vizio, all TVs 37" and larger must go by truck to
California. Fed Ex Ground from NY to Vizio in Irvine, CA is
$88.95 for its 42" LCD TV and $108.95 for its 50" plasma. You
threw out the TVs packing carton? If you are in the warranty
period, it's no problem, Vizio will ship you a new cardboard box at
no charge (according to its CS rep).
If the Vizio flat screen breaks after the one-year warranty expires
is where it gets expensive. The prices are shocking.
For any Visio 42" LCD, the carton and packing material with
shipping is $300. Its out of warranty service is at a "Flat Rate" of
$300 parts + $140 labor. Outbound shipping (FED EX ground) to
Vizio cost $89. For return freight, Vizio charges $250 bringing the
total cost of an out of warranty repair cost a staggering $1079. The
current cost of a new Visio 42" LCD at Circuit City is $1099.
Think of it, twenty bucks more and you get a brand new disposable
TV with a new one-year warranty. What a deal!
Insignia
Insignia is Best Buy's "house brand." It offers a line of HDTVs up
to 42". According to Best Buy salesmen and the Insignia website
(http://www.insignia-products.com/t-
WarrantyInformationEnglish.aspx) if an Insignia TV needs repair,
you must bring it into the store where it was purchased in its
"original packaging or packaging affording an equal degree of
protection". Hauling a 92 pound 42" plasma television in its factory
carton is quite a hassle probably requiring a large SUV, pickup
truck or van. The Best Buy salesmen also said that after the factory
one year warranty expires, Best Buy will not repair Insignia brand
televisions, but if the two hundred dollar Best Buy extended
warranty is purchased with the television, Best Buy will provide inhome
service.
Westinghouse
If the set is purchased from Best Buy it must be returned to the
store for warranty service regardless of the size of the TV,
according to the Westinghouse customer service department. If
purchased elsewhere, Westinghouse customer service must be
called to determine if the set is in need of factory service.
Westinghouse will issue a return authorization if they determine
factory services is needed and it will pay the freight both ways if
the TV was purchased within the last 90 days. From 90 days to the
end of the one-year warranty, the consumer must pay the return
freight and supply the original packaging or a suitable equivalent.
Westinghouse does not sell replacement cartons and packing. Out
of warranty service is available locally in select markets according
to its customer service department. If there is no local factory
authorized servicer in your area, the set owner must pay the freight
both ways and the cost or repair parts and labor, which will be
determined after Westinghouse receives and examines the
malfunctioning television.
Olevia
Olevia's limited customer service hours (7:00 am-6:00 pm Pacific
time) and broken links on its website regarding its warranty rules
makes it difficult to obtain information on its policies. Furthermore
it is the most complicated I have encountered because if an Olevia
HDTV requires repair within the one year warranty period, the
additional costs and services incurred depend on how long you
owned the set and screen size. Here is its program obtain from an
Olevia customer service representitive.
<37" screen size - customer pays return freight from day one.
Return shipping to Olevia is $55 for 32" HDTV and paid to Olevia
when obtaining return authorization.
37" and larger-up to 45 days old Olevia will pay return freight to
its California headquarters and replace the broken television with a
new unit.
After 45 days the customer pays the return freight at a rate of $150
for it 37" models and $225 for its 42" HDTV. Olevia will replace
the defective television with a rebuilt unit (as in another set that
was defective and repaired) This "no repair" just replace with a
refurbished set applies to all Olevia HDTVs regardless of model or
size according to its customer service department. Olevia will preship
the refurbed TV to you and at the time of delivery, will allow
you to use the same shipping carton to return your defective
television.
For sets out of warranty repairs, you would obtain a return
authorization, and ship at your expense the broken TV back to
Olevia for a repair estimate. If you need a shipping carton, Olevia
will ship you one for a very reasonable $20.
Olevia also offers extended warranty service plans, however they
will charge you return freight after the initial 45 days of ownership
and replace you broken HDTV with a refurbished unit. Here are
the prices of the plans (you must add on the return freight charges
(i.e. $225 for a 42" model which raises the cost of warranty to
$474 for its 5 series with three year extension of the one year
factory warranty. Of course it the set requires a second
replacement, you would have to shell out another $225 for
shipping.
3 Series
FREE LIMITED MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY **
All Parts & Labor/ Replacement (including LCD Panel)
Model
1 YEAR (2 Years
Total Coverage) 3 YEAR (4 Years Total
Coverage)
320 $55 order $75 order
323 $59 order $79 order
327 $79 order $99 order
332 $119 order $149 order
337 $159 order $189 order
342 $189 order $219 order
**You must register your product within 30 days from purchase date to receive product
warranty service.
5 Series
FREE LIMITED MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY **
All Parts & Labor/ Replacement (including LCD Panel)
Model
1 YEAR (2 Years
Total Coverage) 3 YEAR (4 Years Total
Coverage)
527 $119 order $149 order
532 $149order $169 order
537 $189order $219 order
540 $199 order $249 order
542 $199 order $249 order
Name Brand HDTV Service
All the top name brands including Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi
Samsung, Philips, LG, Mitsubishi, Sharp and Toshiba have inhome
factory authorized warranty service for their larger size TVs
(usually 32" and up). Out of warranty service is no problem. All the
major name brand TV companies have vast parts supplies and a
nationwide network of factory authorized servicers. The latest
trend, started by Panasonic is "concierge" service. If a Panasonic
plasma is taken out of the home for service, Panasonic will provide
a loaner plasma TV until the set is returned. This extra service is
free; set purchasers only need to register with Panasonic.
Bottom line: the top tier TV companies invest in the future,
spending collectively many tens of millions of dollars to keep their
customers coming back to them. The "new brands" look for the
sale today and do not have policies that will retain customers. With
better warranties and service, the top brands have an incentive to
build higher quality more reliable HDTVs.
Make sure you check out the warranty and after warranty service
of the brand of HDTV you are considering, or you may end up
spending more money sooner than you anticipate.
Copyright 2007 HD Guru ™ All Right Reserved
This article has been reproduced and retransmitted with the express written permission of HD Guru.
The contents of all of this text are copyrighted, and all rights are reserved. You may not reproduce,
retransmit, redistribute, upload or post any part of this text, including the contents thereof, in any
form or by any means, or store it in any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
written permission from HD Guru.
Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV
Flat panel TV bargains abound these days. With prices dropping
30%-40% from 2006 to 2007 (confirmed this week by LG US CEO
Michael Ahn) one can easily be tempted by the leader pricing of
the "new brands" (called tier two and tier three by the consumer
electronics industry) that undercut top panel maker prices by
hundreds of dollars.
What the enticing, price driven TV commercials and their dealers
don't tell you is that Westinghouse, Polaroid and other tier two and
three set makers add costly charges during the one year warranty
period and buyers may incur substantial service charges after their
warranties expire. In fact, two companies surveyed don't support
service at all after the one-year warranty expires!
Polaroid's HDTVs, which sell mainly through Circuit City, would
seem to be bargain-priced compared to the "name brand"
competitors. Polaroid's 1080p 42" LCD Model number PLD
4241TLXB, for example, sells for $1149.99 at Circuit City, while
Toshiba's 42HL167 goes for $1699.99.
The Polaroid set seems like a good deal until you find out what the
Circuit City and Polaroid websites fail to disclose, which is that
Polaroid HDTVs cannot be repaired after the warranty period
expires!
The HD Guru visited his local Circuit City and asked the salesman
what to do if a Polaroid required out of warranty service. He didn't
know. The next day the HD Guru called Circuit City's customer
service (CS) department. The representative did not have a clue
about either in or out of warranty service for Polaroid flat panels!
The HD Guru later contacted Polaroid customer service. A
representative informed him that its HDTVs carry a one-year on
site warranty. Fine. But what about parts and service for out of
warranty service? Incredibly, the customer service rep replied
"there are no out of warranty repairs available, you are basically on
you own," adding that Polaroid does not offer any out of warranty
support (including parts), at its US headquarters or through
independent TV repair shops.
With no parts and no authorized "out of warranty service
available", what you basically get when you buy a Polaroid is a
disposable HDTV-- think BIC lighter. When the warranty expires
if the set breaks, it's ready for the town dump.
You can always buy an extended warranty from Circuit City, but
that subtracts a substantial portion of the savings gained by buying
an off brand TV in the first place. The HD Guru wonders how an
extended warranty will be honored since Polaroid does not have
any system to sell parts to servicers.
Next up, Vizio HDTVs. Here is what appears on its website, with
bold added by the HD Guru.
"Service Labor During the one (1) year warranty period, VIZIO
will provide, when needed, service labor to repair a manufacturing
defect at its designated service center. To obtain warranty service
in the United States, you must first contact VIZIO Technical
Support via email at techsupport@VIZIO.com or via phone at
(949) 428-2525. The determination of service will be made by
VIZIO. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR UNIT TO VIZIO
WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION.
Service
During the one (1) year warranty period, VIZIO will, at its option
and sole discretion, repair or replace defective parts, which may
be new or remanufactured, including replacement of the entire
unit. The Customer will be required to ship the product to the
service center indicated by VIZIO when the return authorization
is provided. The Customer is responsible for all transportation
charges to the service center. VIZIO is not responsible for the deinstallation
or re-installation of the product.
Packaging and Shipping Instruction When shipping the
product to an authorized VIZIO service facility, the original
carton box and packing material, or an equivalent as
designated by VIZIO, must be utilized.
According to Vizio, all TVs 37" and larger must go by truck to
California. Fed Ex Ground from NY to Vizio in Irvine, CA is
$88.95 for its 42" LCD TV and $108.95 for its 50" plasma. You
threw out the TVs packing carton? If you are in the warranty
period, it's no problem, Vizio will ship you a new cardboard box at
no charge (according to its CS rep).
If the Vizio flat screen breaks after the one-year warranty expires
is where it gets expensive. The prices are shocking.
For any Visio 42" LCD, the carton and packing material with
shipping is $300. Its out of warranty service is at a "Flat Rate" of
$300 parts + $140 labor. Outbound shipping (FED EX ground) to
Vizio cost $89. For return freight, Vizio charges $250 bringing the
total cost of an out of warranty repair cost a staggering $1079. The
current cost of a new Visio 42" LCD at Circuit City is $1099.
Think of it, twenty bucks more and you get a brand new disposable
TV with a new one-year warranty. What a deal!
Insignia
Insignia is Best Buy's "house brand." It offers a line of HDTVs up
to 42". According to Best Buy salesmen and the Insignia website
(http://www.insignia-products.com/t-
WarrantyInformationEnglish.aspx) if an Insignia TV needs repair,
you must bring it into the store where it was purchased in its
"original packaging or packaging affording an equal degree of
protection". Hauling a 92 pound 42" plasma television in its factory
carton is quite a hassle probably requiring a large SUV, pickup
truck or van. The Best Buy salesmen also said that after the factory
one year warranty expires, Best Buy will not repair Insignia brand
televisions, but if the two hundred dollar Best Buy extended
warranty is purchased with the television, Best Buy will provide inhome
service.
Westinghouse
If the set is purchased from Best Buy it must be returned to the
store for warranty service regardless of the size of the TV,
according to the Westinghouse customer service department. If
purchased elsewhere, Westinghouse customer service must be
called to determine if the set is in need of factory service.
Westinghouse will issue a return authorization if they determine
factory services is needed and it will pay the freight both ways if
the TV was purchased within the last 90 days. From 90 days to the
end of the one-year warranty, the consumer must pay the return
freight and supply the original packaging or a suitable equivalent.
Westinghouse does not sell replacement cartons and packing. Out
of warranty service is available locally in select markets according
to its customer service department. If there is no local factory
authorized servicer in your area, the set owner must pay the freight
both ways and the cost or repair parts and labor, which will be
determined after Westinghouse receives and examines the
malfunctioning television.
Olevia
Olevia's limited customer service hours (7:00 am-6:00 pm Pacific
time) and broken links on its website regarding its warranty rules
makes it difficult to obtain information on its policies. Furthermore
it is the most complicated I have encountered because if an Olevia
HDTV requires repair within the one year warranty period, the
additional costs and services incurred depend on how long you
owned the set and screen size. Here is its program obtain from an
Olevia customer service representitive.
<37" screen size - customer pays return freight from day one.
Return shipping to Olevia is $55 for 32" HDTV and paid to Olevia
when obtaining return authorization.
37" and larger-up to 45 days old Olevia will pay return freight to
its California headquarters and replace the broken television with a
new unit.
After 45 days the customer pays the return freight at a rate of $150
for it 37" models and $225 for its 42" HDTV. Olevia will replace
the defective television with a rebuilt unit (as in another set that
was defective and repaired) This "no repair" just replace with a
refurbished set applies to all Olevia HDTVs regardless of model or
size according to its customer service department. Olevia will preship
the refurbed TV to you and at the time of delivery, will allow
you to use the same shipping carton to return your defective
television.
For sets out of warranty repairs, you would obtain a return
authorization, and ship at your expense the broken TV back to
Olevia for a repair estimate. If you need a shipping carton, Olevia
will ship you one for a very reasonable $20.
Olevia also offers extended warranty service plans, however they
will charge you return freight after the initial 45 days of ownership
and replace you broken HDTV with a refurbished unit. Here are
the prices of the plans (you must add on the return freight charges
(i.e. $225 for a 42" model which raises the cost of warranty to
$474 for its 5 series with three year extension of the one year
factory warranty. Of course it the set requires a second
replacement, you would have to shell out another $225 for
shipping.
3 Series
FREE LIMITED MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY **
All Parts & Labor/ Replacement (including LCD Panel)
Model
1 YEAR (2 Years
Total Coverage) 3 YEAR (4 Years Total
Coverage)
320 $55 order $75 order
323 $59 order $79 order
327 $79 order $99 order
332 $119 order $149 order
337 $159 order $189 order
342 $189 order $219 order
**You must register your product within 30 days from purchase date to receive product
warranty service.
5 Series
FREE LIMITED MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY **
All Parts & Labor/ Replacement (including LCD Panel)
Model
1 YEAR (2 Years
Total Coverage) 3 YEAR (4 Years Total
Coverage)
527 $119 order $149 order
532 $149order $169 order
537 $189order $219 order
540 $199 order $249 order
542 $199 order $249 order
Name Brand HDTV Service
All the top name brands including Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi
Samsung, Philips, LG, Mitsubishi, Sharp and Toshiba have inhome
factory authorized warranty service for their larger size TVs
(usually 32" and up). Out of warranty service is no problem. All the
major name brand TV companies have vast parts supplies and a
nationwide network of factory authorized servicers. The latest
trend, started by Panasonic is "concierge" service. If a Panasonic
plasma is taken out of the home for service, Panasonic will provide
a loaner plasma TV until the set is returned. This extra service is
free; set purchasers only need to register with Panasonic.
Bottom line: the top tier TV companies invest in the future,
spending collectively many tens of millions of dollars to keep their
customers coming back to them. The "new brands" look for the
sale today and do not have policies that will retain customers. With
better warranties and service, the top brands have an incentive to
build higher quality more reliable HDTVs.
Make sure you check out the warranty and after warranty service
of the brand of HDTV you are considering, or you may end up
spending more money sooner than you anticipate.
Copyright 2007 HD Guru ™ All Right Reserved
This article has been reproduced and retransmitted with the express written permission of HD Guru.
The contents of all of this text are copyrighted, and all rights are reserved. You may not reproduce,
retransmit, redistribute, upload or post any part of this text, including the contents thereof, in any
form or by any means, or store it in any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
written permission from HD Guru.