Hey everyone.

Just picked up a really nice Sony CRT, used. Had it shipped from the USA to my home town here in Canada. It was shipped freight with a company that is known to have expertise in fragile shipments.

Upon delivery and inspection, I noticed several things. One is cosmetic, the others deal with the picture:
1) Noticeable damage around the edges and top of the TV. Paint has been scraped off.
2) Geometry seems to be out of whack near the edges of the TV.
3) There seems to be a good 1/2 inch of overscan on either side. Possibly on the top and bottom too.
4) There's a green 'blob' on the top right hand corner of the screen, which also is a bit 'fuzzy'. Looks like a magnetism issue but it won't go away with the TV's internal degausser.
5) I can't get my cable to display, even after letting the TV auto-program the channels. Just black/white static.

Now, I suppose there's not much that can be done about #1 I mentioned, unless someone has ideas. It's advice on the others I'm looking for.

I was planning on having the set calibrated anyways, but I'm unsure as to whether those issues are able to be fixed through the service menu. Not to mention the fact the TV got bumped out of spec during shipping, so I'm wondering if I should raise some s%$& about this and get them to pay for the repairs. Would I need Sony to come to my place, bring the TV back to spec, and THEN get it calibrated?

I'm out of ideas and quite disappointed that this 'reputable' carrier damaged the television. I LOVE the TV, but there's no way I could live with the flaws as they currently stand.

ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to everyone in advance for lending a quick read and an opinion.

Cheers!

PS: I should also mention. I noticed the box the TV was in was damaged before I picked it up. I asked the foreman on advice on what to do should I get it home and it be damaged. He said to write 'Pending Inspection' above my signature, which I did. Apparently if I do that I'll have some recourse. Is that accurate?

I think some of your issues may have existed before shipping:

1) This is likely due to shipping
2) May or may not be due to shipping, CRT frequently come from the factory with geometry out of whack or it could be due to shipping. You would need to access the service menus go correct (if this came from the factor that way).
3) Overscan is common from the factory on CRTs. I highly doubt this is due to shipping. You can use the service menu to correct.
4) Could be magnetism, the internal degausser may not be strong enough to fix. This could be due to shipping if it was placed near something magnetic. You would need to purchase a degausser to try to correct.
5) Probably not due to shipping and insufficient information to assist, I assume you have read the owners manual?

Also are you asking for assistance with getting your money back or fixing the set or both?

If the former I am not sure once you sign you have much leverage with the shipper even with that note you added. It is very hard to collect from shippers in general but worth a shot. Basically you need to pursue with the shipper, seller and your credit card company (if you paid that way). You can also pursue with PayPal if you paid that way (google SNAD).

Just picked up a really nice Sony CRT, used.

Used.... is the key term. You get what you pay for and can't expect it to be "perfect".

Even with a "new" TV, you should expect that it will be cosmetically perfect, but with used TV's, don't expect a "deal" with proper operation (color, geometry, etc.).

IMO... return it if you can.

Hi guys,

I'm the seller on the TV in question. Issues 1-4 are almost certainly due to shipping. This TV was in pristine shape went it went out the door. (I sent the buyer pictures of all angles of the TV, plus pictures of the PQ, and there were no issues.)

I'm curious, too, about what to do with the shipper. I'm trying to help the buyer out with the shipper, who used a third-party to deliver. (The shipper said to me Friday that the TV was mint when he saw it at his warehouse. Which is true - I had it put on my TV stand 2 years ago, and it never moved.) Obviously, any money back from the shipper goes to the buyer.

A couple of questions:

1) How much would repairs cost to fix the discoloration he describes? (I'm assuming geometry and overscan can be fixed by a calibrator.)

2) I used a satellite box (DirecTV), but it doesn't seem like you can just plug a cable wire into the TV and expect channels. Wouldn't you need a box from the cable company first?

1) depends on what the problem(s) may be causing discoloration. Geometry and overscan can be corrected by a calibrator. Buy it will cost you (seller/buyer).

2) Not necessarily... you should be able to get analog channels without a "box" via cable or antenna.

Seems like you both may not benefit financially from this experience.

You may just want to go for a full refund from the shipper if they will do it (they will probably want the TV back). Much easier than trying to get the TV repaired if in fact it is repairable. I would guess you are looking at $200-300 at a minimum to get repaired/calibrated but that is a wild stab in the dark based on the little data here. This is the exact reason why I never ship heavy complex items, just too much can go wrong. I once parted out a CRT projector and took a hit dollar-wise to avoid this exact situation. Nine out of ten times it all works out ok, but that 10th time can be awful. I have a friend who ships CRT projectors (large heavy beasts themselves) and he has several freight horror stories.