I'm looking to buy a new TV and I was going to order off of Amazon due to free shipping, no tax, and easy delivery. The only problem is warranty. Is amazon the best place I could order from or do you have any other suggestions? Thanks.

I ordered my 52" Samsung there for the same reasons. Delivery was great, guy called me from the company to setup the appt, they called ahead of time to verify I would be there and they were pretty much right on time. As for the warranty, I don't think Amazon offers anything past 30 days, after that it's up to the manufacturers warranty (probably 1 year). That's the case for pretty much everywhere though. I would be wary of places that sell their own warranties in addition to the TV price.

Good? It's arguably the best.

Good? It's arguably the best.

I wouldn't go that far, but it's definitely a great place to buy a TV.

my experience buying a TV from Amazon was an absolute nightmare.
two broken tv's in a row (busted glass). And dealing with customer service was horrible (India call center).

I bought a PS3 from them about 2 weeks ago and it came really fast but was broken. This time the replacement was SUPER fast. my PS3 broke at 5:00pm on thursday, and i had the replacement in my hand the next day at 3:55pm. So they did an ok job this time.

I would not have bought from them, but I got a recognition award at work and the gift was an amazon certificate.

I generally try to steer clear of companys like amazon. I don't like having to talk to someone in india when I have a problem in america. And i really hate having to repeat everything i am saying over and over again. lol.

No complaints here.

I bought a TV from them a few years ago, and it arrived DOA. It was replaced quickly without any hassle.

The replacement had a minor issue, and again, they replaced the entire set at lightning speed.

I'd buy from them again if the price was right.

I bought mine there and would so again without hesitation.

Just know the specific issues about buying mail order before hand so you won't feel cheated:

How to accept
How to return

Horrible experience here... won't buy anything at Amazon that isn't media now.

I would not have bought from them, but I got a recognition award at work and the gift was an amazon certificate.

When the recognition award was granted to honor you for accumulating the most web surfing time when you were supposed to be working... yea that pretty much HAS to be accompanied by an online gift certificate. :D

I've ordered three tvs from amazon, and all three went smoothly. Smaller tvs (37 inch and below) ship by normal ups, and larger ones ship by ceva. I live in rural southern oklahoma, yet in all three cases I received my tv in less than a week. One tv I had to return, and I had no problem returning it through ups, it was a smaller one though, but they gave me the shipping label and that was that. On the big tv the delivery man said that if I had to return it he would just come back, put it in the box and take it away.

My experience with Amazon was great. Quick, professional delivery and no problems. I also got several price-match refunds, although unfortunately they don't do that anymore. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from Amazon, even on a big-ticket item.

Amazon is arguable one of the best online retailers to buy expensive products from. However, it's not perfect, so they aways be few unsatisfied customers.

As for the call centers, they should only be used if there's a serious issue. For return/refund, you should use the online form to create a return label.

So far I have had good luck buying through them !!

Like any other service it is not perfect!

MY personal experience has been good so far. I ordered a 5020FD and then I returned it for various reasons. They picked up the set without any issues.

Last week I ordered a Samsung LN52A750 from Amazon again and it was delivered without any issues.

The one thing you have to make sure if that when you purchase from Amazon makes sure the seller is actually Amazon and not a partner, this will make returns easier if you need to return the TV.

Forgot to make that point

When buying expensive items from Amazon (>100USD), make sure to buy directly from Amazon and not via Amazon's Preferred Merchant or Amazon Market Place.


A lot of people make that mistake and it's their fault tbh.

I buy from Amazon quite a bit, I rarely buy things retail if its mundane things I need.

One great thing about Amazon is returns are prepaid.

BUY is also a good source but!!! today, I received an item I have to return, and I have to pay the shipping back. Doesn't make any sense to do so. That's the difference between Amazon and others.

Just be careful. They have some internal metrics and if they decide the value of your returns are too high (ie TVs are high) they can just close your account. This has happened to a lot of folks including myself.

You don't necessarily have to be abusive for it to happen, as I provided documentation with my 2 TV returns (photos, etc)... and had talked to Pioneer before I went back to the vendor. Amazon admitted my returns were justified but closed the account anyways. Some people who had this happen lost gift cards and such. I wasted a couple of weeks e-mailing back and forth to no avail.

Just be careful. They have some internal metrics and if they decide the value of your returns are too high (ie TVs are high) they can just close your account. This has happened to a lot of folks including myself.

You don't necessarily have to be abusive for it to happen, as I provided documentation with my 2 TV returns (photos, etc)... and had talked to Pioneer before I went back to the vendor. Amazon admitted my returns were justified but closed the account anyways. Some people who had this happen lost gift cards and such. I wasted a couple of weeks e-mailing back and forth to no avail.

Here is one example of Amazon doing that to a customer.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/04/ive_been_saying_on_the.php


"Amazon Takes First Steps to Destroy Kindle

04.16.09 -- 12:36PM
By Josh Marshall (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/joshmarshall.php)
I've been saying on the site how much I hooked on my Amazon Kindle. But from the beginning my big worry has been the market power -- arbitrary power -- this gives Amazon over your entire book collection. Here's a story about a guy who bought a Kindle, liked it, used it, etc. But then Amazon decided he'd returned too many real world items. So they turned off his Amazon account, thus making his $300-plus Kindle into a mostly useless piece of plastic (http://consumerist.com/5213774/amazon-can-ban-you-from-your-kindle-account-whenever-it-likes). He had to spend a lot of time begging and pleading with Amazon customer service to be allowed to use his Kindle again."

I've also had nothing but positive experience buying stuff from amazon (fingers crossed). I bought an LCD TV for my dad and everything worked out just fine and the TV is still running strong :)

So far I have had good luck buying through them !!

Like any other service it is not perfect! http://www.**********************/track/img/3358/s09v0317fvxp/00.gif

Argh greenland now I want to register there and post but I'll refrain.

That was one of the most infuriating things about the experience. When I got my account closed there were all of these others that had the same thing happen... and when we'd try to discuss it we got to hear all these "you scammers got what you deserved!" people that had no idea what they were talking about.

I had been using Amazon for years and years with no problems. I recall an HD DVD player that arrived mangled by the shipping company (like literally one of the feet was an inch off the ground, it was all misshapen) that I swapped for the exact same item... then a 5080 that had what is now known as "blotching". I think I was the first or second person at AVS to report this and pics are posted someplace. I opted to swap for a 5010 which arrived with what is now known as DSE. Mine is a horizontal line across the middle of the panel, all the way left to right... and some vertical streaks too. Again, nothing was documented about this defect yet... and it was very obvious even on solid colors.

Amazon cheerfully offered to exchange it, and even to let me hang onto the first one to make sure the new one wasn't worse. Then bam, account closed. To this day I still have the DSE 5010 and it's one of the worst cases of it I've seen. I wish I had kept the 5080 as it was only rarely visible on content... much less so than my 5010.

But I was offered no "appeal". They simply gave me a tally of my returns in $$ format, including the 5010 which I wasn't allowed to return. So that was like $5k.. and 95% of all my other orders were books/dvds so it was a small $$ in comparison. I sent pics of the defects, data from conversations with Pioneer... even links to discussions about the issues on AVS. Nada...

The 2 craziest things I heard were something like "Normal customers need to return 1-2 items over the lifetime of their accounts and you're wanting to return 2 TVs at over $5000 in a month." And "yes we agree that your TVs are defective, that isn't the issue. The issue is that some customers simply become unprofitable to us and it is not in our best interest to do business with them."

The 2 craziest things I heard were something like "Normal customers need to return 1-2 items over the lifetime of their accounts and you're wanting to return 2 TVs at over $5000 in a month." And "yes we agree that your TVs are defective, that isn't the issue. The issue is that some customers simply become unprofitable to us and it is not in our best interest to do business with them."
The defects aren't the issue?:rolleyes: IOW, they must think that you caused the defects or you are too fussy about the quality of the TVs; probably the latter.:rolleyes:

I recall this case, and I was thinking about it, before you recounted it. I don't see how you could have caused those problems, nor do I think you were being fussy, not even close.

I wish they would have provided the exact reason why they were closing the account. As you said, they wouldn't allow a second defective TV return in a month. No one knows what their limit is until a second defective TV return is allowed. If it were discretionary, I could understand it, but defective, that is ridiculous.:(

MY personal experience has been good so far. I ordered a 5020FD and then I returned it for various reasons. They picked up the set without any issues.

Last week I ordered a Samsung LN52A750 from Amazon again and it was delivered without any issues.

The one thing you have to make sure if that when you purchase from Amazon makes sure the seller is actually Amazon and not a partner, this will make returns easier if you need to return the TV.

just out of curiousity, why did you return the 5020FD? I just ordered one so I am kind of curious.

just out of curiousity, why did you return the 5020FD? I just ordered one so I am kind of curious.

Mine had that DSE, but mostly because I couldn't stand the 60Hz flicker on the set.

Some unlucky people like me are very sensitive to flicker, like the older CRT monitors, unless it is 85Hz or higher I would get headaches. :(

Mine had that DSE, but mostly because I couldn't stand the 60Hz flicker on the set.

Some unlucky people like me are very sensitive to flicker, like the older CRT monitors, unless it is 85Hz or higher I would get headaches. :(

What is DSE? Pardon my n00bness

Horrible experience here... won't buy anything at Amazon that isn't media now.http://www.**********************/track/img/3358/s09v0317fvxp/00.gif

Really?? Sorry to hear. I've switched over from E-Bay to Amazon. In fact, I have a Nikon and a electric shaver that got shipped out yesterday. So far in my 3 years with Amazon, no problems at all.

I buy from everyone, I even buy groceries on occassion. Amazon since 2000. Ebay since 2004. However, I consider whatever I buy on eBay a gamble, as in I will pay and not get anything back, but so far its been good.

Really?? Sorry to hear. I've switched over from E-Bay to Amazon. In fact, I have a Nikon and a electric shaver that got shipped out yesterday. So far in my 3 years with Amazon, no problems at all.

Dirty screen effect

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1122873

The bane of plasmas

What is DSE? Pardon my n00bness

I wish they would have provided the exact reason why they were closing the account. As you said, they wouldn't allow a second defective TV return in a month. No one knows what their limit is until a second defective TV return is allowed. If it were discretionary, I could understand it, but defective, that is ridiculous.:(

I honestly think there is no consistent metric that they use. I think they decide to prune the hedges occasionally so it's alot to do with timing, just my theory though.

I just looked back and I'd been doing business with them since 2001 actually, so like 7 years.

I buy from everyone, I even buy groceries on occassion. Amazon since 2000. Ebay since 2004. However, I consider whatever I buy on eBay a gamble, as in I will pay and not get anything back, but so far its been good.



Dirty screen effect

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1122873

The bane of plasmas
well crap, maybe I should have went with the 52A650?

Really?? Sorry to hear. I've switched over from E-Bay to Amazon. In fact, I have a Nikon and a electric shaver that got shipped out yesterday. So far in my 3 years with Amazon, no problems at all.

From most all reports, Amazon is a great place to purchase from and even return an item if there's a problem. The common denominator appears to be when multiple returns are done in a short period of time. Amazon is a volume seller operating on thin profit margins and every return eats into that thin margin. It sounds like their approach is to cut off those that are costing them money. If you never have a need for a return or occasionally a return, then it doesn't sound like you'll have any problems.

well crap, maybe I should have went with the 52A650?


I wouldn't go that far. The bane of LCD is mura, which is uneven imaging in the panels also known as flashlighting or clouding or banding.

So, whichever tech you choose, there's a downside.

From most all reports, Amazon is a great place to purchase from and even return an item if there's a problem. The common denominator appears to be when multiple returns are done in a short period of time. Amazon is a volume seller operating on thin profit margins and every return eats into that thin margin. It sounds like their approach is to cut off those that are costing them money. If you never have a need for a return or occasionally a return, then it doesn't sound like you'll have any problems.

My problem with that approach is this... my 5010 box literally had (still has) stickers on it exclaiming about their easy returns. The CSR was wonderful... then someone else stepped in.

From a legal and ethical standpoint, what I think they need to do is say "hey we noticed... bla bla... We'll take care of this issue because you purchased it under certain terms and we will honor them. But after this we're done..."

Not "yea I know that when you clicked on 'take my $3k and send me a TV' we said we'd support you but now that we have your money and you have a problem we're done".

Once they start doing that... and in the worst cases essentially terminate people's gift cards and electronic media purchases, then it's cause to beware.

well crap, maybe I should have went with the 52A650?

lol.
stick with your 5020. its a much much much better set.

My problem with that approach is this... my 5010 box literally had (still has) stickers on it exclaiming about their easy returns. The CSR was wonderful... then someone else stepped in.

From a legal and ethical standpoint, what I think they need to do is say "hey we noticed... bla bla... We'll take care of this issue because you purchased it under certain terms and we will honor them. But after this we're done..."

Not "yea I know that when you clicked on 'take my $3k and send me a TV' we said we'd support you but now that we have your money and you have a problem we're done".

Once they start doing that... and in the worst cases essentially terminate people's gift cards and electronic media purchases, then it's cause to beware.
I remember that as well, and I wonder if you disputed it with the CC co., and lost, or maybe you didn't. Because, indeed they had no right to close your account, while a purchased item was in its defective exchange period. Alternately, they could have denied future purchases, while they took care of the replacement TV.

I bought 2 sets from them, the most recent a Plasma, they called before delivery to set up a time. No problems with either set. Both were sold by Amazon (not through another dealer) with free shipping. Would do it again.

.

As for the call centers, they should only be used if there's a serious issue. For return/refund, you should use the online form to create a return label.

Well, there are alot of situations that require calling them on the phone.

for instance, My PS3 broke with a netflix blu-ray stuck inside it.
I called them to find out what I need to do because I need that disk back and if I ship them the return PS3 with the netflix DVD still inside it I may never see it again and have to pay for it.
The rep told me "hi my name is Rajaharishababa, please remove your disk from the PS3 before returning it".
It took me about 10 minutes to expalin to him that the disk was stuck inside it. I even had to spell some of my words to him.

He said for me to open the PS3 and get the disk out.
I told him that in order to do that, I must break the warranty seal and I am worried that there may be issues with returning the PS3 once I have done that. This took some time and I had to repeat myself about 30 times for him to understand what I meant.

Finally, he told me to break the warranty seal and get it out.

SO then it took me another 10 minutes to explain that I would need an email from them specifically telling me that it is ok to do this before i will break the seal. Eventually he understood what I meant and sent the email.

IMO, Companys that referr thier supposedly "valued" customers to cheap foriegn call centers so that they can save a buck, don't value their customers. In fact, its kind of an insult.
The satisfaction ratings of these call centers is wayyyy lower than US call centers. I am sure amazon knew this beforehand and saving a buck was more important than customer satisfaction.

I'm on my second TV return with Amazon, first was a 5020 that had terrible DSE and Buzz. Now I am sending back a 52a630 that has absolutely insane banding. Pick-up is scheduled for Tuesday (already been contacted by the shipper) so I am doing alright with them so far....

I'll probably be going with another Panasonic plasma next but I don't know if I will be buying one through Amazon or not just yet. This is a tough one because of how much cheaper Amazon is over most every other store out there.

Well, there are alot of situations that require calling them on the phone.

for instance, My PS3 broke with a netflix blu-ray stuck inside it.
I called them to find out what I need to do because I need that disk back and if I ship them the return PS3 with the netflix DVD still inside it I may never see it again and have to pay for it.
The rep told me "hi my name is Rajaharishababa, please remove your disk from the PS3 before returning it".
It took me about 10 minutes to expalin to him that the disk was stuck inside it. I even had to spell some of my words to him.

He said for me to open the PS3 and get the disk out.
I told him that in order to do that, I must break the warranty seal and I am worried that there may be issues with returning the PS3 once I have done that. This took some time and I had to repeat myself about 30 times for him to understand what I meant.

Finally, he told me to break the warranty seal and get it out.

SO then it took me another 10 minutes to explain that I would need an email from them specifically telling me that it is ok to do this before i will break the seal. Eventually he understood what I meant and sent the email.

IMO, Companys that referr thier supposedly "valued" customers to cheap foriegn call centers so that they can save a buck, don't value their customers. In fact, its kind of an insult.
The satisfaction ratings of these call centers is wayyyy lower than US call centers. I am sure amazon knew this beforehand and saving a buck was more important than customer satisfaction.

Wow, I've never once gotten a person who didn't speak perfect English when calling Amazon. I had to call them about 8 times to get my Kuro picked up. (shipping company wanted nothing to do with me) I actually spoke to the same person 3 times during this period. Amazon pretty much threatened to drop them as a shipping client over this incident.

And as for the PS3, I had the same thing happen to mine (blu-ray stuck inside) and I called Sony over it since my PS3 was 6 months old, an english speaking American answered and dealt with the problem very well.

Both times I called Microsoft over my RRoD, I got some guy in India who couldn't speak any English. :rolleyes:

The last time I called Amazon the customer support rep spoke better English than most Americans or Brits.

The last time I called Amazon the customer support rep spoke better English than most Americans or Brits.

somehow i seriously doubt that. lol. do you work for amazon or something?? rotfl

I work for GE sub buisness, and G.E. is the worse company I know of when it comes to hiring india workers to keep from having to employ americans.

When my computer messes up, Our I.T. is in india. When I have documentation issues, I have to call india.
When I have Cad issues, I have to call India. Its a total nightmare and we are told to call and hang up until we can understand someone.

Last networking issue I had, I wasted about 6 hours of company time spelling words and repeating myself over and over.

I have to deal with it all day at work, and when my TV/PS3 breaks, the last thing I want to have to do it call another india call center and ride the language barrier roller coaster.

I have actually heard of some americans that do programming at home for companys. They sub the work out to an india worker, and then turn in his/her work as his own. So they basically don't have to work anymore. lol.

I bought a 72" Sammy DLP form Amazon last year... excellent transaction. I have made many purchases from Amazon. I had one return on an HD DVD player... excellent customer support. I have found them to be superb over the years in every way. Now it is possible they are providing some lesser level of service these days than in the past as the margins are razor thin. I have not personally experienced any drop and my customer sat with Amazon puts them as the top e-tailer out there.

I.Now it is possible they are providing some lesser level of service these days than in the past as the margins are razor thin. I have not personally experienced any drop and my customer sat with Amazon puts them as the top e-tailer out there.

Actually amazon was pushing thier customers off on India call centers before the current economic meltdown. It says alot about where thier prioritys are.
When you know that customer satisfaction ratings are much lower with a certain call center, and you still decide to referr your customers there to save a buck, then its kinda obvious that customer service came second.

Personally, I would never recommend Amazon to anyone buying a Flat-panel.

There are too many Forum sponsors that will give you much better service and support. And thier prices are usually just as good as amazon.
And even if amazon had it for a little cheaper for some reason, I would go with a forum sponsor just to have that extra piece of mind that I am a customer to them instead of just an order number.
Also, I would be helping another U.S. small buisness during this rough economic time instead of fueling the machine that will eventually send just about every job to India and other cheap labor countrys.

It may sound cheezy, but we need to do every little thing right now to keep small buisnesses and U.S. based companys alive during this economic depression. Every little thing helps a little, like buying from a small american buisness when buying a flatpanel, to looking for a "made in the USA" label on grocerys and clothing.
Maybe I am just crazy, I don't know. :D

I just wanted to make sure that on returns of larger displays that Amazon pays for the returning shipping. Is this truly the case? I'm most likely going to buy a Panasonic plasma from them and want to make sure I can return if there are bad pixels or buzzing.

My personal experience has been great. I bought an LN52B750 on Sunday - it arrived on Friday! The shipping company was very polite - they unboxed, set it up, and even took me through some of the settings. Great experience.

After a weeks worth of watching, I noticed some artifacts in the programming and didn't care of the highly reflective screen. I called Amazon for a return (this is before i found the forum!). They asked me first to call Samsung to get a case # assigned. Fair enough I thought - no reason to return it if it is user error. I didn't want to return such a large item either.. Kind of a PITA. Anyway, I spent 20 min on the phone with Samsung support (a decent experience I might add given all the less then stellar reviews of the CS dept.), and got my case number. Amazon followed up my original call with an email stating to simply respond with a case number via an email link provided and that they would cover shipping. Furthermore, they said that if the TV was not defective, I could still return it if I wanted to pay the cost ($50). I did as directed, and in less than 24 hours the shipping company called to pick it up.

Now, after all of this, it turns out that my artifacts are broadcast issues (fox sports football programming) and the big 10 network bad picture. The gloss screen still bugs me a little, but I think I can live with it. So in summary, their returns couldn't be easier. The worst part of the call center was the horrible connection! I must be calling overseas, the phone call quality is *horrible*. The representatives couldn't have been easier to deal with.

M

Thanks for sharing! It sounds like thou you did have to pay $50 to return it yes?

Well, Samsung deemed the picture issues were due to a defective unit. After further investigation, I think it is due to a faulty broadcast. I was having the FoxHD sports issue, and the big10 networkHD looked horrible (alot of red/purple ghosting after the action).

So, in the end, Amazon would have picked up the $50 return fee because Samsung deemed it defective.

m

Hi all,

Amazon.con has the Sony KDL-46XBR8 (the highly rated model by CNET & other rating sites) for $2,495, which is $1,205 CHEAPER than the MSRP on the Sonystyle.com website. And I've seen similar pricing to Amazon's at other online retailers. Anyone know or have a theory on why the huge disparity in pricing for just this model? Is there a glut of this particular model in the U.S.? Or are they trying to move inventory to make room for the just introduced KDL-46XBR10?

On the other hand , the KDL-55XBR8, (which has the exact same technology as the 46" model), is $4,698 at Amazon.com which is only $300 cheaper than the MSRP on the Sonystyle.com website. (This is the normal pricing gap I'm used to seeing for equipment in this price range). And the pricing for this model is similar to Amazon's at other online retailers.

I'm not complaining by any means, I'm actually purchasing a KDL-46XBR8 at the steeply discounted price, but it struck me as very odd and I wanted to get some feedback. :D

So far i've also had a good experience with Amazon. I got a buzzing plasma and they asked me to get a case # and then call them back. So then I called Samsung (they weren't too bad either), and had them send a guy out and had him write down that it was defective and called Amazon back and gave them the case #. They are sending an exchange out and picking up the old one at the same time.

If the next one buzzes, I will try to just get a refund as I don't want to be sending tvs back every week until my 30 days are up. Also, the lady I spoke to was definitely not from India, she spoke clear and good english and her name was Katie. So if I have to call back, i'll just hang up and call later if I get someone that I can't understand!

I'm also looking at getting the Samsung LN52B750 from Amazon. I may have overlooked on the forum, but is the 3 year warranty worth it. If the TV does cause problems, how fast is the response time, or do they just send another TV. Also, I'm checking the promo codes daily for discounts. It's 2019.00 now with a discount of 220.00 for a total of 1799.00. I don't know if it will go cheaper any time soon.

Thanks for any input.

Archie

Yeah i saw that and was wondering the same, But amazon wont ship it to canada ffs. They say its to big and fragile! Now im stumped, where do i go to buy big tvs, when i live in canada, its tuff to find places that are reliable. btw amazon.ca doesnt have that tv