Plasma questions - Dealer and Brand (1 Viewer)

[Kingrey]

I need some help cutting through the BS I am getting from many sources. Any help you all could provide would be much appreciated.
1) Has anyone dealt with Link Removed before? They and a couple other sites have what appear to me to be pretty good prices. For example, the 50 inch Fujitsu is $8,300 there vs. $15,000 at local retailer.
Are they really selling NEW TV's? Has anyone tried to return merchandise to them? Other comments?
Also, the guy I am now talking with says I should not have to pay more than $6,000 for that set, but I am not sure where he wants me to go yet. Where is the best place to get the best price/support? (I am in San Franciso)
2) I have been told that the Fujitsu is either a) the best plasma screen on the market or b) very poor quality. A local installer said all 4 he has installed has come back. He is recommending a Sony. Has anybody had problems with Fujitsu? What is really best in class here for quality of both performance and reliability?
Thanks very much for your suggestions. I am going plasma due to space issues assuming I can figure out how not to get abused.
Cheers, Ken

 

[Corey Holter]

Ken,

I hope I am not violating forum policy by pointing you to another forum.

There is a VERY active plasma discussion over at avsforum.com Check that out and you'll find out more than you can imagine about plasmas and the strengths and weaknesses of different models.

Overall, from reading the forum, I get the impression that Sony is bad and Fujitsu varies. There are some that are very good, and others not so good. I personally have a 42" Panasonic that I'm very happy with.

I am not familiar with the site you mentioned. I purchased from 800plasmas.com.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Ken,

The prices at the site you mentioned are BELOW dealer cost. Buyer beware!!

 

[EricTownsend]

Also see www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com
They are really fantastic and can give some input into a few reputable places.
-Eric

 

[Jim FC]

The Fujitsus I have seen have looked OK, but the physical quality of the TVs has been pretty disappointing -- very flimsy and toy-like. Sonys are built better, but they look like Sonys, which means that the colors are not nearly as vibrant as on other brands. For my money, Pioneer and Panasonics look the best and are well-built units. Mitsubishi is coming out with a plasma this year, but I haven't seen it yet.

I'm always surprised to hear how many people would actually buy something like a plasma TV off the internet. As a word of warning, very few internet sites are authorized dealers, even if they say they are, and most manufacturers will NOT honor their warranty unless you purchase from an authorized dealer. As Bill said, buyer beware!

 

[Kingrey]

Thanks for the input. I greatly appreciate it. Thought I would post what I have learned for posterity.

At this point, I am leaning strongly toward the Pioneer pro 1000 from a local retailer. I just need to find the best price/service combo. Interestingly, there are different error ratio tolerances by manufacturer and service on such has sold me on the strong need for a good warranty and local service on an expensive and potentially fragile item.

For example, of the millions of pixels in a plasma screen, there are always going to be one or two that don't work. if there are more than X (Pioneer = 8, Fujitsu = 25, don't quote me on these exactly) than you can send them back _assuming_ you have a valid warranty.

Most manufacturers will fight you strongly before honoring an internet warranty, and even then you have to deal with proof, shipping and hassle. Also, I heard about a guy that had only 5 pixels out, but one was right in the middle of his screen resulting in a red dot in everything he saw. He had used a local guy and got them to come out and replace it.

Also, thanks for the links. Most helpful.

Cheers, Ken

 

[Morgan Holly]

I've had the 50" pro/industrial Panny for a few month now. I'm VERY happy with it. I shopped around a lot and ended up buying from vtpcorp.com.

I looked at the Sony. IMHO it looked horrid. The salesman at Ken Cranes let me tweek the picture to make it look better, but it still didn't compare to the Panny.

 

[Lew Crippen]

You might check out the Pioneer Elite models. They are very good (to my eyes the best). Some others in this forum like the Panasonic models better.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Lew,
The PRO 1000 is the 50" Pioneer Elite plasma.

 

[Lew Crippen]

The prices at the site you mentioned are BELOW dealer cost. Buyer beware!!

Put another way, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".