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What to choose and how much to pay? Manufacturing and marketing very “simpatico” in consumer electronics. You won’t hear “disposable TVs” in any ads but that is what we have when you get the facts. In our society we are driven by satisfying ourselves today. Our televisions though, are supposed to be around for a lot longer! Make sure you understand the life AND cost of the brand you are buying. Flat panel TV bargains abound these days. With prices dropping 30%-40% from 2006 to 2007, 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. 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! 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! To read the entire article, go to: http://hdguru.com/?p=107 |
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