I'm looking to buy a 50" Panasonic G15. A well know online retailer based in Chicago is offering it at a phenomenal price this week. I would prefer to buy it locally so I can return it if I have any issues, but there is a $250 price difference.

I'm looking for input from people that have purchased big ticket items online. Will I be ok buying online? This retailer has a decent return policy. No restocking, but I have to pay for return shipping.

Thanks for any input.

In this day and age, a lot of B&M stores will price match online competitors (even if they make a fuss about it). It's an undocumented negotiating perk that you as a customer have. It's no risk to you since you can just walk out of the store and order online if they refuse. I got an incredible price on a 42" G15 using that tactic. I went in with a printout of the "Cart total" including shipping and tax (if any) and encouraged the store to also look it up to make sure it's legitimate. 15 minutes later I was walking out the door with a brand new G15 at $300 less than they were advertising.

Good luck :)

Thanks for the response. I tried negotiating with my store, and they can't match the online retailers price. In all fairness, they did drop the price some, but claim that the online price is below their cost. Online is super cheap, so I somewhat believe him.

Will I be ok buying online?

Yes
;)

Thanks. Are there any defects inherent to plasmas that I should look for at delivery that should lead me to reject acceptance?

For example, I know with lcds I would look for flashlighting or clouding or dead pixels.

What about for a plasma?

I bought a G15 from eastcostTVs and the TV arrived in good shape and works fine. They have a dedicated delivery company that only delivers TVs. They load up their van, drive to the homes, and carry the TV in.

Having something large and fragile like a TV that might be shipped via UPS or FedEx is more risky since the TV may pass along conveyor belts and the delivery people may treat it the same as say, an unassembled entertainment center. How the TVs are shipped makes a big difference in how big a risk you're taking.

Thanks. Are there any defects inherent to plasmas that I should look for at delivery that should lead me to reject acceptance?

For example, I know with lcds I would look for flashlighting or clouding or dead pixels.

What about for a plasma?Broken front glass is usually a good sign of a problem with the set:).

Stuck pixels are not uncommon with plasma sets. Samsung sets often have buzzing problems that are loud enough to be heard at the viewing positions.

If you get a set with no broken glass; working pixels; and no buzzing sound, you have a winner!!

I'm looking for input from people that have purchased big ticket items online. Will I be ok buying online? you'll be fine buying online. I bought from an online retailer that i'd never even heard of until i started looking up deals and reviews.

The big decision that I had to make... if I had problems early on that were not damage related, I was going to work it out via warranty with Panasonic. Shipping back an HDTV of that size would never have been cost effective.

The other key thing for an online HDTV purchase was making sure to inspect the contents before signing the delivery receipt. If the delivery company is white glove, that won't be an issue since they'll be setting up the tv for you and you can inspect it right away.

If they aren't white glove, then you need to at least inspect the outer box carefully and write down the damage to the box on the receipt before signing.

If it were me......I would be prepared to take a quick look inside the box to make sure nothing major is cracked like the glass or plastic housing. Even if the outer box appears to be fine.

The box of my TC-P50G15 had a big dent in the corner of it, so i was resolved to inspecting the actual tv no matter what.

Panasonic boxes are pretty easy to open. There are instructions at the top of the box on how to quickly open it up. If you're prepared with a box cutter, you could probably open it up within 30 seconds by yourself. Basically the top portion of the box slides off the bottom. You cut open the top, then remove some of the packing material. Then the four handles towards the bottom of the box can be popped out. Once that's done, the top portion of the box separates from the bottom.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

Good call on the delivery method. The site I'm looking at has free ups shipping but white glove is another $100, which comes close to evening out the price difference between my local shop. I may just suck up the extra cost and buy locally for peace of mind.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1175269

you might want to check that thread out too. a few retailers are throwing in free DMP-BD60 blu-ray player. No rebate to send in.

I wouldn't be surprised if the chicago online retailer you looked at will be adding a similar deal since they are probably an authorized retailer.

that might widen the price gap a bit more in favor of online retailers.

Plus tax is another thing to consider. Some online retailers don't charge tax. That could amount to a $100+ difference in price as well.

Thanks. Are there any defects inherent to plasmas that I should look for at delivery that should lead me to reject acceptance?

For example, I know with lcds I would look for flashlighting or clouding or dead pixels.

What about for a plasma?

I have the 50G15. It's a great TV but the first one I got, while doing the break-in DVD thing, I noticed a stuck pixel (green) just off center. It's only seen if you're within 4 feet from the TV but it annoyed the hell out of me. Once you see one, you get fixated on it. :(

I know from my research and limited experience that pixel problems are very common with LCDs (you'd be lucky to see a large screen LCD with no dead/stuck pixel) but not Plasmas. So I got it replaced and sure enough, the second set is pixel-perfect. :)

I had it delivered and the delivery guys had to open the box and inspect the glass and frame. So if you get it from an online store the question is 'would they inspect it upon delivery?'

The buzzing is also very muted with the G15 (at least compared to my 50PZ77). You can hear it from a few feet away and its more noticeable with brighter scenes/whites so it seems to depend on the scene brightness and to a lesser extent color.

I'd be wary if the vendor was going to ship a plasma via UPS.

Most use freight shipping companies for large items like this.

UPS would definitely scare me off.

At this size an appliance company would be crazy to use UPS.

mine was through a freight carrier. The appliance company had safely strapped it vertical to a pallet. Except for a dent in the corner of the box, everything came through safely.

I opened it up while the truck driver was there in the garage.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

Good call on the delivery method. The site I'm looking at has free ups shipping but white glove is another $100, which comes close to evening out the price difference between my local shop. I may just suck up the extra cost and buy locally for peace of mind.This is where I picked up the UPS shipping.

I agree this would be nuts with a plasma set.

I called the store, and it will be their freight deliverer, or "common carrier." This is for ABT btw, which I think is pretty reputable.

HI:
Slightly off topic here.
I am also thinking about getting a plasma TV online. I have my eye on Pioneer KRP-500. But I heard that pioneer would not offer warranty service if the TV is not purchased from an authorized reseller. Does anyone know if that really is the case? I personally feel that is absurd. If true, customers actually bear the burden of figuring out whether a store is authorized or not before buying, even though it is a legit store.

Thanks for the help. I can not buy local since no local stores carry the krp-500.