I purchased a Panasonic 50" Plasma tv from an internet vendor who ended up selling me a TH-50PZ85UPK. The PK stands for Pro Kit. I talked with a Panasonic Tech Rep who told me that, "it was a scam". I ended up getting the vendor to DRASTICALLY lower his price and I kept the tv. Don't get me wrong, I am very impressed with the picture quality and all but I still somehow feel that I have been dupped by the vendor.
So can anyone out there tell me what a "Pro Kit" is?
The vendor told me that they put in an upgraded video card (which would void the manufacturer warranty). I don't believe the vendor and I am certainly not savey enough to distinquish the difference.
Feed back would be appreciated.

I don't think I have seen the PK mentioned before. Sometimes vendors sell a bundle as a different part number to prevent cost shopping / comparison. Costco, for instance often has the exact same <insert your favorite electronic item here> as any other shop, but it might include a cable or extra accessories or something along those lines. Could that be what the PK meant?

Rip Off, usually consists of ridiculously priced HDMI cable and a shammy and plasma glass cleaning goo, or some such.

I purchased a Panasonic 50" Plasma tv from an internet vendor who ended up selling me a TH-50PZ85UPK. The PK stands for Pro Kit. I talked with a Panasonic Tech Rep who told me that, "it was a scam". I ended up getting the vendor to DRASTICALLY lower his price and I kept the tv. Don't get me wrong, I am very impressed with the picture quality and all but I still somehow feel that I have been dupped by the vendor.
So can anyone out there tell me what a "Pro Kit" is? The vendor told me that they put in an upgraded video card (which would void the manufacturer warranty). I don't believe the vendor and I am certainly not savey enough to distinquish the difference. Feed back would be appreciated.You probably should have searched the Plasma forum for the term "Pro Kit" before buying from that vendor. The "PK" suffix is indeed a scam made up by a particular group of disreputable East Coast vendors to make you think you're getting something special, when in fact you're not. The vendor flat out lied to you - there is no such thing as a Pro Kit or an "upgraded video card" and they didn't install anything. These vendors often to try to coerce you into buying their warranty, or charge you extra for the included pedestal stand that already comes with the TV, or include accessories that greatly increase their profit margin on the deal.

Which vendor did you buy the TV from? We can probably tell you a few things about them.

Can you give us more details about what he said about the TV during the transaction, and what else he tried to pawn off on you? Did he refund some of your purchase price after you bought the TV? Since he was able to drastically lower the price that shows that he was probably grossly overcharging you in the first place. If you're sure you got a good price in the end then you're probably OK, as long as the TV is brand new (not refurbished or a surplus store return etc) and in perfect condition. But i bet you could have gotten a lower price from a reputable vendor The factory warranty should be intact as well. I'm just very leary of buying anything from scammy online vendors.

Randy,
Thank you for the reply. I do wish that I had known about this forum before I purchased. Actually, the Panasonic Tech Rep turned me on to AVS Forum and so here I am...
You are correct, it is a scam seemingly made up by those "east coast internet vendors".
Basically what they did to me was a form of bait and switch. I ordered one of Panasonic's last year models that Consumer Reports had rated so high. I did this over the internet but after a week of not hearing from the vendor, I called them up only to be told that it was on back order as Panasonic was no longer building them. But, "hey, I have a brand new Panasonic that you can have at a great price". He did not get around to mentioning the Pro Kit part until later in the conversation which at that time would mean getting some HDMI cables. Whoopi!
Never did get the cables...
But after disputing the charge with VISA, I was able to get $600.00 off.
I must agree with you that, considering the hassle factor, I would have been much better off purchasing it through the main stream folks. Next time I will do the proper research.