Buying a widescreen on the Internet? (1 Viewer)

[RickCurtis]

Am I crazy for thinking about buying a 50"+ widescreen off the Internet? Amazon.com has some excellent pricing. Has anybody dealt with them before on an item such as this? (I've bought several *small* electronic items this way...but a widescreen is a whole new level!)

Anybody have horror storis or positive comments regarding service, etc.?

 

[Todd^B]

What is the shipping going to cost? Unless its free, I don't think I would consider buying something that large. Something that big and heavy must cost alot to have it shipped.

If you do, I would check the liability statements for delivery.

Oh, I have not had anything that big shipped. Sorry if this doesn't help.

 

[Jon_Gregory]

I just bought my 53" Panny from Onecall.com and everything went great. Shipping was included in the price and everything went perfect. The freight company came to my house and helped me get it in the door. They are only supposed to drop it curbside, but a little tip help gets them motivated to help you get it in the door with their dolly and other helpfull equipment. I would definitely look at Onecall.com. Their prices are the lowest on the internet that I found for my tv that I just purchased ($1497.00 shipped). They took a litte off the top of their advertised price of $1525.00. But, just make sure that it is a reputable dealer and that they are an authorized dealer, like onecall. Also look to see who they use as a freight company, and make sure they are reputable also. Fedex freight and ABF freight companies are good ones.

I am sure that there are horror storries everywhere about things bought online. And it can be a pain if something does go wrong, but if money is a determining factor in your purchase then online is always best. If you have the money and are not worried about the price, then bo to a B&M stoor and buy it there. I personally had a great experience with onecall and can highly recomend them. When you call them, you get an actuall person and not those stupid automated systems.

I personally have bought many large items on the internet including a dinning room table set with 6 chairs, and even more furniture and have yet to get the raw end of a deal.

Good luck, hope this helps.

 

[John S]

As with everything there are Pro's and Con's each way.

The set already was trucked to the local retailer, so aside from being able to complain about issues with a local store, there is no difference there. So you have to balance, TAX+Delivery of any set purchased locally, against any Internet by truck Delivery Charge.


www.electronicsalley.com does not rape anybody on shipping.
Most all their large sets go out at $80 total delivery charge.

I pre-paid for my set that they did not have in stock, and since it came directly from Philips, I ended up getting the shipping totally free. Way way great deal for sure.


Best of luck

 

[LouAR]

Another great source for on-line shopping is pricegrabber.com you can enter a make and model # in the search field. Then the search results list many merchants with their prices. You can then enter youe zip code and shipping will be calculated for each merchant. There is also a merchant review rating on a five star basis showing the number of people that voted contributing to the score. I find I can buy with confidence and get a quick handle on prices. I just purchased my FP from New Egg.com (one of the very highest rated on-line merchants currently 4.83/5 with over 2300 current review contributors). I have purchased from them before and I will again.

I think purchasing on-line, even a large screen, is safe. Before deciding on a FP, I was first leaning towards a large RPTV and had I purchased one, I would have done so on-line. I also think previous advice is valid - ask what happens if problem during shipping.

Hope this is helpful.
~Lou~

 

[JimmyK]

Personally I would not feel very comfortable buying a large item like that online.

I was facing the same question a few years ago when looking for a 40" 16x9 RPTV. Some shared they had no problems buying online and others said it was a nightmare.

Luckly, I have a very good/knowledgable shop nearby that I've been dealing with for a long time. They were willing to sell me the TV I was looking for (Tosh 40H80) for about $200.00 (including taxes and delivery) more than the lowest delivered price online. For my extra $200.00 I got the piece of mind knowing I was buying from a reputable shop who also could handle any warranty work in house (they have their own Tosh authorized repair department). I happened to have an occasion to use the warranty and the shop fixed it promptly. It was nice knowing I was getting a good/well qualified tech to do the work instead of some Tosh drone. Also, they calibrated all the user settings and did the 56pt convergence on all modes. They also have a 30 day no questions asked return policy.

In the end I am very happy with my decision to buy locally.

Having said that, I have to admit that if the price difference was too large, I would have been tempted to try out a reputable online company. As it turned out, I felt I got a good deal.

JimmyK

 

[Seth Paxton]

I just picked up a 61" Samsung DLP from onecall.com. Shipped via trucking company (ABF) and they would have done a curbside except they couldn't come on my free day so my buddy and I went to them. Box was pristine, though they require you to inspect it for damage. Then they give you 3 days to report anything wrong once you try out the device.

So far so good. And shipping was less than local sales tax would have been.

I also bought a Denon receiver, a Sony front proj and some NHT speakers all online. Those also came in tip top shape and have been working fine for months/years.

In Indy there are few good outlets and those that are here are severely overpriced, so going online was a helpful solution and worked out perfectly for me in every case.


The thing about the big TV is this...how does it get to your local store? The exact same way they will bring it to you. So what's to worry, if the box is messed up you can return it, if it doesn't turn on or work right you can return it, and you should still have a local site for warranty repairs from most manufacturers, that's not something that is only available for brick and morter customers.

I was worried myself until I considered that. It's not like they are building them in the back of your local store. The shipping company coming to you is no different than the one going to the store.

 

[Bruce-E]

With a bigscreen tv, be postive that the tv is the one you want.If you change your mind and send it back,your shipping charges will be higher because the stores get discounts from shipping co.You will pay full shipping charges.

 

[Jon_Gregory]

About the shipping back to an online dealer. Most have policies that protect you from you having to pay for shipping back to them. The dealers will usually carry insurance on the item. This covers any damage to the item and will cost you nothing to send it back to them. Yes it will take longer to return something to an online retailer, but the if the price is right, what is a few days. Just be sure to check out their shipping and return policies. It always helps me to talk to an actuall person and get all the details that way. A good online store will allow you to get to a actuall person with no hassles or automated voice systems. Just make sure you follow there shipping policies when you receive the item and everything should be good to go. But as always, if you have your doubts just go buy it somewhere where you can get it home yourself. But what has been said above is corect. The brick and mortor stores get these tv's the same way an online retailer gets it to you, by freight.

 

[AngeloNA]

Although Crutchfield's prices are usually average, they have excellent customer support. Their shipping charges are either free or low for large items ($29 on big tv's).

 

[ChrisTheg]

DONT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!! What people dont seem to understand is that they are purchasing things from on line retailers that ARE NOT authorized to be selling the products. Some will goo as far as to illegally post that they are indeed an authorized retailer even if they aren't. I work in the business and I have at least one person a day come in with a problem or horor story. If you know whats good for you, you won't do it! Take it from someone who has seen what it can cause.

 

[SteveAnd]

Chris,

Nobody has been mentioning anything about the "unauthorized" sites that seem to be all over the place. So far, the discussion has been limited to reputable dealers. I purchased my tv online through a b&m store and couldn't be happier with the experience. Just do your research & you will enjoy the benefits(lower cost, no tax, full warranty support, etc.).

 

[Tim Jin]

Have you looked at Good Guy's website? Usually they have no tax and free shipping.

I bought mine directly from Panasonic, on their corporate site because of discounts and no one could beat the price. I saved about $400 an year ago.

Shipping was great. I think I ended up paying for white glove service.

I got the tv a week after I ordered it.

I will probably end up buying another Big Screen online. Just make sure you can return it if something goes wrong in shipping.

 

[Legairre]

I bought my 61" RPTV from UnclesStereo.com 4 years ago. not a single problem with the place I bought it from. I even saved $880. CC wanted $3200 and Uncles wanted $2200 + $120 shipping. About a month after owning it I noticed a swirl in the screen during bright screens. I called the Hitachi main service number, they took my warrenty info and sent a service tech out to replace the screen. After the new screen was replaced I noticed the same swirl on this one too. I called Hitachi service again and they sent a tech out to look at it. The tech( same local guy as before) said all screens have that problem. I said that's unacceptable and called Hitachi and told them my problem. They asked to speak to the tech and when the tech hung up the phone he said he'll be back in a week when the new screen comes in. So no warrenty problems here, but I could be in the minority.

 

[Shane Martin]

Amazon charges $119 for shipping. I wouldn't call that rape by any phrase. I might buy one from them but if Sears will PM them I will feel alot better about it. I can't say I'm not anxious about buying a set from them.