Best Buy Rip off Policy or Fair Policy?

RandyWalters · 04-24-2009, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

I thought the U series were also 720p class displays like the X series.

Nah, you're thinking of the C1. The U1 is an entry level 1080p model. The new Panasonic model numbers are very confusing - even on their new LCDs.

**PFC5** · 04-24-2009, 02:21 PM

So the U series is a LCD series? I thought he was talking about the plasmas.

RandyWalters · 04-24-2009, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

So the U series is a LCD series? I thought he was talking about the plasmas.

Heh heh, yeah the U is a Plasma, but i was just commenting that even the model numbers on the LCDs are confusing now too so i'm adding even more confusion to an already confusing situation. In their Plasma lineup the G10 is higher than the S1, but in the LCD lineup the S1 is higher than the G1. It used to be so easy but now there are way too many different models

**PFC5** · 04-24-2009, 04:40 PM

I didn't even know about the U series for plasmas. I thought the S series was the low end line for 1080p plasmas for Panasonic.

Yeah doing the opposite with the lettering of the series for the LCD & plasma lines is crazy dumb IMO. Who the HELL made that boneheaded decision?

stealth24 · 04-25-2009, 12:58 AM

What features does the U1 lack that the S1 has?

WMarkJ · 04-26-2009, 12:17 PM

Never buy an extended warranty on anything. If you like them, put the money you don't spend on them each time you are offered them in a separate bank account instead, and use the money to fix or replace anything that goes wrong. In a couple years, you will have enough money to go on a sweet vacation or a cruise.

RandyWalters · 04-26-2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WMarkJ

Never buy an extended warranty on anything. If you like them, put the money you don't spend on them each time you are offered them in a separate bank account instead, and use the money to fix or replace anything that goes wrong. In a couple years, you will have enough money to go on a sweet vacation or a cruise.

How can putting $120-$180 in the bank grow enough to pay for a $450 Power Supply replacment or a $800 Video Board Replacment or a $1,200 Plasma Panel Module replacement? It's only one TV, so he'd only be passing up one warranty. Any other warranties on other stuff would cost even less than a Plasma warranty so that doesn't amount to a lot of money in the bank even if he passes up the warranties on various lesser purchases in the future.

And what do you say to the people who did not buy an EW, then had their video board or power supply fail after the factory warranty expired and now they're faced with several hundred dollars in repairs? There are lots of people here and on AVS that wished that they had purchased an EW when their RPTV/LCD TV/Plasma TV went dark.

I've had had great luck with EWs - they have saved me enough money in repairs over the past several years that i put THAT money in the bank, and with that money i still can buy another 3 EWs on future Plasma purchases and still be money ahead even if the TVs never fail during the term of the EW.

JRP3 · 05-02-2009, 07:55 AM

I guess it depends on what you buy, but I try to avoid anything that has a history of needing expensive repairs during it's first few years of life, and therefore I never buy an extended warranty, which has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. For that reason I'd never buy a plasma, or a projection tv, or anything where it's considered routine to replace a part for hundreds of dollars. Extended warranties are offered for only one reason, the stores make money off of them, which means that most of the time they are never used.

Codes20 · 05-02-2009, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRP3

I guess it depends on what you buy, but I try to avoid anything that has a history of needing expensive repairs during it's first few years of life, and therefore I never buy an extended warranty, which has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. For that reason I'd never buy a plasma, or a projection tv, or anything where it's considered routine to replace a part for hundreds of dollars. Extended warranties are offered for only one reason, the stores make money off of them, which means that most of the time they are never used.

I'm curious. Why not a plasma? Boards and components in it are no more prone to failing than in an LCD. Also, your wording of that sentence seems like you believe plasmas need routine maintenance, which we all know that they do not.

Also, just because a certain brand or technology has a history of not needing repairs, doesn't mine it won't break. I see countless people come in to my store day in and day out buying Sony because "It's a Sony." It's like they have fairy dust in them that makes them not fail. However, a nice little power surge will take out a power supply in no time. Usually not covered by standard manufacturer warranties and home owner's insurance will cover it, but with a deductible. EWs/service plans, etc do not typically have deductibles.

**PFC5** · 05-03-2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRP3

I guess it depends on what you buy, but I try to avoid anything that has a history of needing expensive repairs during it's first few years of life, and therefore I never buy an extended warranty, which has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. For that reason I'd never buy a plasma, or a projection tv, or anything where it's considered routine to replace a part for hundreds of dollars. Extended warranties are offered for only one reason, the stores make money off of them, which means that most of the time they are never used.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Codes20

I'm curious. Why not a plasma? Boards and components in it are no more prone to failing than in an LCD. Also, your wording of that sentence seems like you believe plasmas need routine maintenance, which we all know that they do not.

Also, just because a certain brand or technology has a history of not needing repairs, doesn't mine it won't break. I see countless people come in to my store day in and day out buying Sony because "It's a Sony." It's like they have fairy dust in them that makes them not fail. However, a nice little power surge will take out a power supply in no time. Usually not covered by standard manufacturer warranties and home owner's insurance will cover it, but with a deductible. EWs/service plans, etc do not typically have deductibles.

I was thinking the same thing Codes20.

Panasonic plasmas have been rated more reliable than Sony or Samsung LCDs, so I wonder what kind of display JRP3 owns.

JRP3 · 05-03-2009, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

I was thinking the same thing Codes20.

Panasonic plasmas have been rated more reliable than Sony or Samsung LCDs, so I wonder what kind of display JRP3 owns.

A 20 year old CRT

I expect products to last, and the current attitude of buying insurance because you expect products to fail is strange to me. As I said, extended warranties are offered because they make money, which means most of the time they are unused. This very fact tells you that if you never buy one the odds are you'll come out ahead in the long run. Either way it's a gamble, but I think the odds are in my favor.
As for the Plasma thing, my impression, possibly mistaken, was that the displays were more prone to problems, burn in, burn out, lines, etc., than LCD's.

**PFC5** · 05-04-2009, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRP3

A 20 year old CRT

I expect products to last, and the current attitude of buying insurance because you expect products to fail is strange to me. As I said, extended warranties are offered because they make money, which means most of the time they are unused. This very fact tells you that if you never buy one the odds are you'll come out ahead in the long run. Either way it's a gamble, but I think the odds are in my favor.
As for the Plasma thing, my impression, possibly mistaken, was that the displays were more prone to problems, burn in, burn out, lines, etc., than LCD's.

I use to agree with you about extended warranties and never bought them until i bought HDTVs which seem to be much less reliable compared to our old tube TVs that had a much more mature product/tech. Remember, tube technology has been around for many decades whereas the same cannot be said for HDTVs from the 4 basic technologies used which now seem to exclude the historically very dependable newer CRTs of the last 20 years.

If the extended warranty is only about 10-15% of the purchase price of the HDTV, I would say it may be prudent to get one. Also remember that many of these HDTVs are made in China or Mexico despite being either a Korean or Japanese company. That is another thing to consider as to WHY they seem to fail more than our old CRT technology based TVs.

Yes you were wrong about plasmas and there are a lot of myths people still think are true about them but they were never true for many of these myths. Some are no longer really relevant even if they were once true either. But that is what these sites are for so we can all learn more and try to dispel the myths.

JRP3 · 05-04-2009, 08:19 AM

It's true that flat panels are not a mature product such as CRT's, but since LCD displays have been used for many years in laptops successfully I would think they have a longer track record than plasmas, unless LCD tv displays are some how markedly different technology that laptop displays?

**PFC5** · 05-04-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRP3

It's true that flat panels are not a mature product such as CRT's, but since LCD displays have been used for many years in laptops successfully I would think they have a longer track record than plasmas, unless LCD tv displays are some how markedly different technology that laptop displays?

Actually I think plasmas came out BEFORE LCD monitors for computers came out. I think plasmas came out first (at a very high cost) about 15+ years ago.

Also, LCD panels in the larger sizes are done differently compared to computer monitor size displays. Just look at the different resolutions for a 19" LCD HDTV compared to a 19" LCD computer monitor.

Just look at some of the common complaints about LCD HDTVS out there. have you looked at the clouding issue alone that has happened with more than one LCD mfg?

JRP3 · 05-04-2009, 07:56 PM

Found some interesting stuff:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_display#History

Quote:

The monochrome plasma video display was co-invented in 1964 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by Donald Bitzer, H. Gene Slottow, and graduate student Robert Willson for the PLATO Computer System.[citation needed] The original neon orange monochrome Digivue display panels built by glass producer Owens-Illinois were very popular in the early 1970s

Pretty cool, but:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_...#Brief_history

Quote:

1911: Charles Mauguin first experiments of liquids crystals confined between plates in thin layers.

OK, not exactly a working display

Quote:

1972: The first active-matrix liquid crystal display panel was produced in the United States by T. Peter Brody.

So similar vintage but I'll give a slight edge to Plasma.
Getting back to the original topic:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/holiday/tvs.html

Quote:

During the first year or two of use, LCD and plasma TVs have been just as reliable overall as picture-tube TVs, which have historically required very few repairs.

Quote:

CR�s take. An extended warranty generally isn�t worth it, especially for brands with a decent repair record. If you�re a belt-and-suspenders type who craves peace of mind, it might be worthwhile for you (especially with a pricey set or a brand with no repair history), but pay no more than 15 percent of the TV�s price.

Sometimes I don't even wear a belt, and never suspenders

04-24-2009, 02:21 PM	#17
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,363	So the U series is a LCD series? I thought he was talking about the plasmas. __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

04-24-2009, 04:40 PM	#19
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,363	I didn't even know about the U series for plasmas. I thought the S series was the low end line for 1080p plasmas for Panasonic. Yeah doing the opposite with the lettering of the series for the LCD & plasma lines is crazy dumb IMO. Who the HELL made that boneheaded decision? __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

04-25-2009, 12:58 AM	#20
stealth24 A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 12	What features does the U1 lack that the S1 has? __________________ Panasonic TH50-PZ800U (ISF calibrated) Pioneer Elite SC-05 Klipsch C-1 Center Klipsch S-1 Surrounds Klipsch F-3 Mains Klipsch Sub-12 Harmony 1100 Last edited by stealth24; 04-25-2009 at 01:17 AM.

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04-26-2009, 12:17 PM	#21
WMarkJ A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 12	Never buy an extended warranty on anything. If you like them, put the money you don't spend on them each time you are offered them in a separate bank account instead, and use the money to fix or replace anything that goes wrong. In a couple years, you will have enough money to go on a sweet vacation or a cruise.

05-02-2009, 07:55 AM	#23
JRP3 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 62	I guess it depends on what you buy, but I try to avoid anything that has a history of needing expensive repairs during it's first few years of life, and therefore I never buy an extended warranty, which has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. For that reason I'd never buy a plasma, or a projection tv, or anything where it's considered routine to replace a part for hundreds of dollars. Extended warranties are offered for only one reason, the stores make money off of them, which means that most of the time they are never used.

05-04-2009, 08:19 AM	#28
JRP3 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 62	It's true that flat panels are not a mature product such as CRT's, but since LCD displays have been used for many years in laptops successfully I would think they have a longer track record than plasmas, unless LCD tv displays are some how markedly different technology that laptop displays?