Best Buy just changed their open box item pricing policy. The items are still 'marked down' but you pay the full original price and the discounted amount is now applied to a gift certificate. Previously you just paid the discount price..

I wasn't trying to bash the Sony Unit. My last statement was that it's a great set. Just not for what I'm looking for, realistic flesh tones, black levels are better on the Plasmas.

I didn't mean to imply you were. All I was saying is how impressive the latest generation LCDs have gotten but they aren't perfect yet.

I checked out the Costco Sony and it seemed to rolloff worse than the XBR2 I had seen. They are the same panel so I would expect that to be the same. However, the Costco Sony was in vivid (blarf) mode so that may exaggerate the effect.

the comment regarding this version not being on the Harmony bothers me since that is the route I was going to go once the Harmony 1000 came out.

The Harmony database shouldn't be an issue. After sending a few of the commands to the 880, Harmony detected the V25L1 remote was compatible with the V2500. You can add the V2500 and edit the commands yourself.
From what I remember, there were only 2 or 3 commands that were missing from their database.

You can also simply call Harmony Support, and I've heard they add the remote codes to your account for you.

csix: Thanks, my friend..Give us more as time goes by. And give us your sources..that is, your sources thru the display.

It's hooked up to a TWCNYC 8300HD PVR box, using component cables (the HDMI implementation on this box has been buggy, in my experience). Have a OPPO 970HD through HDMI. I need to get a DVI-HDMI cable to hook up to a computer and get some 1080P sources.

The Vizio 46" should be in a week or two according to the sales guy on the floor, I asked about the Vizio 46" 1080P and he hadn't heard anything....


The Vizio 46" (not the 1080p) has already been spotted in a couple of Costco's. Check your local warehouses.

Triton, Richard, and others, thanks for the replies. I know nothing substitutes for one's own experience, but knowing what other people notice and see often expands what I see myself, and makes me notice things I hadn't noticed before. It's like taking an art appreciation class--it helps me know what to look for, and appreciate those differences. Thanks guys! I appreciate all your feedback.

The Harmony database shouldn't be an issue. After sending a few of the commands to the 880, Harmony detected the V25L1 remote was compatible with the V2500. You can add the V2500 and edit the commands yourself.
From what I remember, there were only 2 or 3 commands that were missing from their database.

You can also simply call Harmony Support, and I've heard they add the remote codes to your account for you.

excellent, thanks!

The Vizio 46" (not the 1080p) has already been spotted in a couple of Costco's. Check your local warehouses.

I have been eagerly waiting for the 46" Vizio. The bottom speakers are removeable leaving it only 26.5 inches tall. I plan on mounting it over my fireplace , which is only 35" from the top of the mantle to the ceiling and have enough space to mount my center channel speaker above the panel.

Johnla, Maybe that's what it was. I went and looked at Costco's version of the Sony 46" 1080p also and wasn't too impressed with the picture. It seemed there was more noise in the picture than the Sharp and the Vizio next to it. Could that have been quality of the feed (anyone)? Also the colors were garishly set. I just left unimpressed with it, but maybe that was the way it was all set up.

What are the differences, really, between Costco's version of this model and the non-Costco version...? Er...maybe I'm in the wrong thread for that question?

I have been enjoying everyone's posts in this thread, btw. Following the last couple weeks as I try to narrow down a good LCD or plasma to get from Costco. :)


I just saw the 46" 1080P at Costco. It was being fed thru component and displayed an excellent picture. It was in torch mode but I got within 6" of it and it still looked very nice. I was looking for macroblocking/motion image and didn't see any. I believe it is more source based than the set itself. I am supposing that HDMI would look even better if that is possible. One thing I really like about it is the swivel stand. The value of that should not be underestimated for those who are worried about viewing angle (even though I didn't see this as a problem)
The price was....well I don't want to get my privates cut off so let me say that if they toss in a coupon sometime it will be competitive with the new D62 Sharps.

With the Costco return policy I don't think you could go wrong unless you want to wait for the next new chip or faster response time or hdmi 1.3 or, or, or you could ge waiting a long time and not enjoying HD.

is the samsclub return policy the same as costco? i went into my local and they said as long as i have the reciept, you can return at any time.....but, she was in training she said.

I have a plan for my new westy tv. Let's say that one day something goes wrong with it, in say 6 months, and I bring it into Best Buy. Now, if I see some other models have come down in price, do I have the option of replacing my current tv with a different model, provided I pay the price difference? I can't see that Best Buy loses anything in this situation, so I'm curious if it's possible. I'd just like to know if I have the flexibility. Thanks.

I have a plan for my new westy tv. Let's say that one day something goes wrong with it, in say 6 months, and I bring it into Best Buy. Now, if I see some other models have come down in price, do I have the option of replacing my current tv with a different model, provided I pay the price difference? I can't see that Best Buy loses anything in this situation, so I'm curious if it's possible. I'd just like to know if I have the flexibility. Thanks.

Unless you have the BB warranty, your tv would fall under the manufacturers warranty. If you have the BB warranty, they will see that your set is repaired (or replaced).

is the samsclub return policy the same as costco? i went into my local and they said as long as i have the reciept, you can return at any time.....but, she was in training she said.

A stores' warranty policy will be placed on the wall in the store..or ask to see the warranty. Do not take opinions of people.

Has anyone ordered the Pioneer 5070 from Costco.com yet? The website says it takes about 20 business days for delivery, is that accurate or does it get here faster?

sams club policy is OFFICIALLY the same as costcos per the company policy. if certain store managers make up their own policies, then i guess you have to go to corporate and complain.

triton. I saw a couple posts stating it was only a few days to a week. I have been cruising this site for some time and will be going with the Pio 5070 through Costco in a month or so.

How do most of you guys transport these large tvs from Costco, etc. Uhaul?

Has anyone ordered the Pioneer 5070 from Costco.com yet? The website says it takes about 20 business days for delivery, is that accurate or does it get here faster?

I ordered one on September 4 (at 11pm), by the time they processed my credit card (my credit card company declined it), that was Thursday, it was posted as "Shipped" on Friday September 8, and I got a call from the company for delivery on Monday morning for delivery Thursday, so it was only 3 business days - although I am located in LA, I don't know about other cities.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm glad to hear that the TV doesn't take that long to get delivered. Better order my wall mount now then. Originally I was gonna buy it and have it on the credenza for a bit, but I just decided to put my B&W 602's and Center speaker on the credezna to kinda make my own sound bar, so no more space for the tv.

Hopefully I'll have the TV by next Monday then.

I just saw the 46" 1080P at Costco. It was being fed thru component and displayed an excellent picture. It was in torch mode but I got within 6" of it and it still looked very nice. I was looking for macroblocking/motion image and didn't see any. I believe it is more source based than the set itself. I am supposing that HDMI would look even better if that is possible. One thing I really like about it is the swivel stand. The value of that should not be underestimated for those who are worried about viewing angle (even though I didn't see this as a problem)
The price was....well I don't want to get my privates cut off so let me say that if they toss in a coupon sometime it will be competitive with the new D62 Sharps.

With the Costco return policy I don't think you could go wrong unless you want to wait for the next new chip or faster response time or hdmi 1.3 or, or, or you could ge waiting a long time and not enjoying HD.

Sounds like it was a feed issue then, perhaps. In any event, after browsing the D62 Sharps thread for a bit, I'm definitely going to hold off a little while. The new Sharps coming out in October sound like they might be something else! Hopefully Costco will carry those.

How do most of you guys transport these large tvs from Costco, etc. Uhaul?

Minivan.

Or, usually one of the neighbors has a truck or suv......where there is a will, there's a way.

Best Buy just changed their open box item pricing policy. The items are still 'marked down' but you pay the full original price and the discounted amount is now applied to a gift certificate. Previously you just paid the discount price..

Yes, I think this started on 9/27... I was looking at an open box receiver that was $515 on clearance, open box and marked down to $290 the weekend of 9/23. I would have bought it, but I also had a 20% off open box items that I didn't have with me, so it would have been $240... I went in Wednesday and it was back up to $449 with a $45 instant gift card... No remote, No microphone, No box, No thanks...

I orders a Pan TH42px600U on 9/15, shipped 9/18. Delivery appointment is 10/9. I am surprised at the length of time for delivery.

I ordered one on September 4 (at 11pm), by the time they processed my credit card (my credit card company declined it), that was Thursday, it was posted as "Shipped" on Friday September 8, and I got a call from the company for delivery on Monday morning for delivery Thursday, so it was only 3 business days - although I am located in LA, I don't know about other cities.
I ordered a Pan TH42px600U on 9/15, shipped 9/18. Delivery appointment is 10/9. I am surprised at the length of time for delivery.

I just saw the panny 58" plasma at a Costco near Folsom, CA. Wow!!! This could be the set for me. I don't have a lot of details as I was rushed but this thing is massive!

Wow, they actually had the 58" Panasonic in the store? I'm still hoping the 50px60U and/or 50px600U might show up at the B&M Costcos...this is sort of promising I guess. Costco seems to be getting more and more of a selection lately.

I also saw the 58" panny plasma in the Costco store in Fairfax, VA last week.

Ron Jones

Wow, they actually had the 58" Panasonic in the store? I'm still hoping the 50px60U and/or 50px600U might show up at the B&M Costcos...this is sort of promising I guess. Costco seems to be getting more and more of a selection lately.
They don't have the 50px60u in stores? I was trying to decide if I should buy online or not...guess that makes my decision easy.

They don't have the 50px60u anywhere I've checked in the Chicago area, but they have the 50px6u which looks like last year's model and is silver/gray bezel. Seems like every store is different and some may have them but I don't see them where I have checked, only at their online store.

quick Costco question - does their 90 return policy on PCs include monitors? I'm looking at getting a 20" lcd monitor, and was curious what their policy was on just a monitor (sorry, I know this is a plasma forum, but I figure you guys would know!!)

Do they still have the 37 in lcd from Vizio at Costco? I wish the website just listed everything and told you what's in store, not just a 'may be available at the store.

Do they still have the 37 in lcd from Vizio at Costco? I wish the website just listed everything and told you what's in store, not just a 'may be available at the store.

They had them at my Costco last week.

Thanks!

quick Costco question - does their 90 return policy on PCs include monitors? I'm looking at getting a 20" lcd monitor, and was curious what their policy was on just a monitor (sorry, I know this is a plasma forum, but I figure you guys would know!!)
its not a 90 day, its a 6 month policy. and no, as monitors are not pcs, they are included under their satisfaction guarantee policy.

thanks for the info, dtrell!!

This past week I had been eyebaling and carting the 37" Sharp for the price you see now less an instant rebate of 3XX.XX. On Saturday, I finally decided to buy, but Costco.com kept timing out. The next day when I tried to order it, the instant rebate was gone. So I called Costco to explain what happened and order my tv that way. The lady told me her buyer said, "Never had a rebate on this TV." Then she went as far as to call me a lier...great.

In light of this, I'll have no issues returning it later for the price I shoulda got. That or exchange for another if it's no longer stocked. :mad:

They don't have the 50px60u in stores? I was trying to decide if I should buy online or not...guess that makes my decision easy.

I guess it is luck of the draw. I got mine in the store a little over 3 weeks ago. I was there yesterday and they were sold out.

Another Costco in my area had 5 in stock on Friday.

If you have multiple Coscos within driving distance have call around.

This past week I had been eyebaling and carting the 37" Sharp for the price you see now less an instant rebate of 3XX.XX. On Saturday, I finally decided to buy, but Costco.com kept timing out. The next day when I tried to order it, the instant rebate was gone. So I called Costco to explain what happened and order my tv that way. The lady told me her buyer said, "Never had a rebate on this TV." Then she went as far as to call me a lier...great.

In light of this, I'll have no issues returning it later for the price I shoulda got. That or exchange for another if it's no longer stocked. :mad:


I recall Costco showing a price reduction on the Sharp 37 inch TV from it's original price to a price $300 less. They listed it as Manufacturers Rebate. I now believe that the set no longer has that notation on the sales tag..but reflects the reduced price (still $300 less that what it originally sold for).

A Costco employee called you a liar? That's pretty bad to do to your members I'd say, but maybe they were thinking it was a physically mailed in rebate. I don't see how they could offer it and then not know it existed.

edited for content

This past week I had been eyebaling and carting the 37" Sharp for the price you see now less an instant rebate of 3XX.XX. On Saturday, I finally decided to buy, but Costco.com kept timing out. The next day when I tried to order it, the instant rebate was gone. So I called Costco to explain what happened and order my tv that way. The lady told me her buyer said, "Never had a rebate on this TV." Then she went as far as to call me a lier...great.

In light of this, I'll have no issues returning it later for the price I shoulda got. That or exchange for another if it's no longer stocked. :mad:

There systems definately have an issue with tracking rebates. I had a frustrating experience yesterday and am hoping to get it ironed out today.

I bought the 50" 6U from Costco less then 30 days ago from the Sterling Costco. I was in Leesburg on Friday and saw that the TV now had a $200 rebate coupon. So I took my receipt to Sterling and they looked at me like I was crazy. They said the price had not changed. They did not have any in stock so I could not look at the price. They basically told me I must have looked at the wrong item number at Leesburg. I specifically asked if they had any rebate information on the TV and they said they did not.

Then this morning I go online and see the same rebate. So I called Leesburg and for whatever reason they looked in there system and said they see the $200 rebate. So today I goto Leesburg and get my $200.00.

Kinda frustrating since I am supposed to be able to do this at any Costco, especially the one I purchased the TV from.

I saw the Panasonic 58" at the Costco in Waltham, MA. I don't know if it was the 6u or 60u (was there ever a 58px6u?), I just know it wasn't the 600u. Of course, it looked great, and was in stock. Any real downside to the 6u or 60u vs the 600u? The pricepoint was attractive as well.

I saw the Panasonic 58" at the Costco in Waltham, MA. I don't know if it was the 6u or 60u (was there ever a 58px6u?), I just know it wasn't the 600u. Of course, it looked great, and was in stock. Any real downside to the 6u or 60u vs the 600u? The pricepoint was attractive as well.

600u has a better tv guide, better speakers, has cable card and pc connector. Some people say 600u has slightly better picture too, but it might be the same.

Went to Costco last night and saw three 46" LCD TV's by Vizio sitting on a pallet at the South Francisco City store. It was not on display, but the box sure looked pretty.

Ps. Forgot to mention that the price was very very attractive also. If I did not already have two HDTV's, I would pickup one of these up. Heck, for the price and warranty, you can't go wrong and Costco's tv line-up is extensive compared to the old days.

Randy

I bought a 50" Panny from coscto and just saw that they have the same model in the store for less. Should I retun the TV and take the lesser priced model or simply take the receipt and ask for the difference?

Ok, pretty bumed here. Last weekend my local Costco had one P50HDM in stock. At that point I was not sure so decided to wait till this weekend...now it's gone. I checked and none of the Costco's in SoCal have them anymore.

So my question is; should I pay the $165 shipping cost and order up the new P50HDTV10A from Costco online or wait to see if they get anything in the store?

On a side note, Circuit City now sells it and has one on display near by. I was thinking of going in to check it out, but I'm afraid I will just put salt in my wound.

So what do you all think?

Pay It!

Costco seems to get more stock pretty quickly from what I've seen...did you ask them when they expect more? That shipping isn't cheap and that's the same thing that's got me waiting to see if the Panasonic 50px60u ever shows up in my local stores. By the time you order and it arrives your local store might have more in...I guess it depends on how much of a hurry you're in. If it was me I'd wait a week or so and see if they get more in stock.

costco in la puente had the 50" vizio's if i remember correctly.

Well my Phillips 7630 is starting to crap out. It will once again belong to Costco very soon. But, what should I replace it with...the Vizio 50(mail order) or the Maxent 50 in stock (200 kisses, too). Also saw the Panny there for a few dollars more. I need to make up my mind soon........................thanks

The computers state that it has been "deleated". So they say it will be replaced by something else more than likely.

As for LaPuente, thanks I'll check, but more than likely it will be the same situation as Cypress - they has 3 showing in stock but they were returns.

Go for the Panny so you don't have to return your TV anymore. ;)

According to a Vizio rep and a national Costco buyer I talked to, Costco has no plans at this time to carry the new 50" Vizio plasma (I forget the model#, but the one with the built in tuner)

figures......I want a tuner

Just a note for the folks looking at Phillips and Visio Plasmas. According to Consumer Reports most recent reviews these two brands are the only ones that Consumers has info on that have WORSE than average repair records. Most of the other major brands (Pioneer, Panny, LG, Samsung and Toshiba) don't have issues.
For LCD's Dell is the only one with issues.

Just a note for the folks looking at Phillips and Visio Plasmas. According to Consumer Reports most recent reviews these two brands are the only ones that Consumers has info on that have WORSE than average repair records. Most of the other major brands (Pioneer, Panny, LG, Samsung and Toshiba) don't have issues.
For LCD's Dell is the only one with issues.

It does not surprise me that Phillips and Visio would have poorer repair records. However, as a Costco member, this does not concern me in the least. If something went wrong, I'd just return it for a refund.

It does not surprise me that Phillips and Visio would have poorer repair records. However, as a Costco member, this does not concern me in the least. If something went wrong, I'd just return it for a refund.

Same here.

Just went to local Coscto in Southlake TX. Had 58" Panny, 50" Pana, 46" Sony LCD, and 46" Visio LCD. Loved the Panny's. Also thought Sony LCD looked best of the LCD's. But it was pricey compared to the rest.

Between the Pana 50" plasma and the 46" sony LCD. I think cost will keep me with the Pana.

Watching some of these TV Shopping Networks today, I've noticed quite a few HDTVs being sold, but even with an HD-Ready set like mine (looking at getting a true HDTV, and not just HD-Ready like my current Westinghouse), I can't make out what the quality of the Sharp Aquos 32" on HSN was like. I could go down to Circuit City or Best Buy to look at a Sharp there, but that's too much on me. I hear that the Sharp Aquos was one of the world leaders right now, am I not correct?

Hi all,

Was at the local BB today and had sales guy check Pioneer PDP-4271HD availability. He said they had 5 (at MSRP btw). He also said that according to his manager, that's all they gonna get as 4271 supposedly will be replaced by a different (Pioneer) model.

What gives? I thought this 7th generation Pioneers have been in the wild for just few months. Any ideas? Thanks.

Just went to local Coscto in Southlake TX. Had 58" Panny, 50" Pana, 46" Sony LCD, and 46" Visio LCD. Loved the Panny's. Also thought Sony LCD looked best of the LCD's. But it was pricey compared to the rest.

Between the Pana 50" plasma and the 46" sony LCD. I think cost will keep me with the Pana.

58 panny is a 600u for a great price, looks like thats a better deal than getting the 50in 600u from costco.com

To moderator(s),

IMHO, my merged post #2059 belongs to Pioneer thread as oppose to BB one. It really looks/reads out of place here. Thanks.

I bought a 50" Panny from coscto and just saw that they have the same model in the store for less. Should I retun the TV and take the lesser priced model or simply take the receipt and ask for the difference?

If it is within 30 days they will refund it with only the receipt. If longer then 30 days you are at the whim of the person who helps you and you may have to physically return the tv.

Spoke with a costco representative, 30day return policy on TV's BUT if it breaks within a year they will take it back.

Spoke with a costco representative, 30day return policy on TV's BUT if it breaks within a year they will take it back.
New policy or just BS. I would think when and if costco changes their return policy it will be big news, at least at this site.

New policy or just BS. I would think when and if costco changes their return policy it will be big news, at least at this site.


I would tend to agree..that would be a significant departure from their existing policy. As far as I am aware, only computers have a less than virtual lifetime warranty...(I believe its a year). About 2 months after I purchased a 32" Viewsonic LCD at Costco I was in the store and noticed the price had dropped about $100. I returned with my receipt and was credited the difference + tax. Apparently they price match within 30 days, but they gave me the difference anyway. I would get a second source on their change in policy. It doesn't sound like them.

This was a lady that approached me in the TV section, her primary role was TV sales and helping potential buyers. She gave me this answer pretty firmly, so it could be a new rule or something they are just saying to scare people.

I would tend to agree..that would be a significant departure from their existing policy. As far as I am aware, only computers have a less than virtual lifetime warranty...(I believe its a year).

No. It's 6 months for computers. According to their return info that you can view online.

"Please note, as of November 4th, 2002 , the return policy for all desktop and notebook computers are six months from the date of purchase. Six months after purchase, all computer services and technical support will be subject to the applicable remaining manufacturer’s warranty."


And there have been no changes shown online at Costco.com so far, for the return policy on TV sales. Seeing as they even added a set or two to the online store since last nite, I'd say they are up to date on things. Computers are still the only products that have such a exclusion from their otherwise "lifetime" policy. And I'm fairly sure that if they changed it for TV's, it would probably be a bit longer than just 30 days for a return. And I also doubt that they would put a 1 year limit on actual breakdowns on sets like amdspitfire was told by person on the floor, seeing as how they are not even authorized by many manufacturers to even be selling their TV's. And that a large part of all their electronic sales are also unauthorized sales. So if they were to make any such changes, they probably would also need to make some rather big price drops. Because they are in no way the cheapest place to buy a product, many other unauthorized sources are usually way cheaper than Costco, but they also often have poor or very limited return options. Which makes paying more at Costco for their excellent return policy the better choice in many cases. But if they take away the return policy or drastically modify it, the reasons for buying from them will no longer exist.

But, I do agree that they probably need to come up with some sort of working solution to corral all the people that are using Costco as nothing more than their own person version of a *rental store*, and that change TV's or AVR's whenever they want for no other reason than simply because they can. While at the same time, not punishing the people that have true problems with actual defects or breakdowns.

My Pioneer 5070 Just changed status to shipped today. This is a direct quote at the bottom of my receipt for the TV ordered Oct 4, 2006.

" Shop Confidently

Costco.com guarantees your satisfaction with the merchandise you purchase from us.

If you are dissatisfied with your purchase, simply return it at any one of our Costco warehouses worldwide for a refund (including shipping and handling). "

Below that is a hyperlink to the double guarantee. No mention of a limited return policy.

I wouldn't worry about it.

..wondering why people keep spreading rumors about Costco warranty? As of today, If you are not satisfied, bring the item back (except computers) and get full refund to include tax. No time limit. Do not spread rumors. When the policy is changed we will know about it..not to worry.

But, I do agree that they probably need to come up with some sort of working solution to corral all the people that are using Costco as nothing more than their own person version of a *rental store*, and that change TV's or AVR's whenever they want for no other reason than simply because they can. While at the same time, not punishing the people that have true problems with actual defects or breakdowns.

I would assume the % of people that abuse this policy is actually a very small margin of the total number of people that shop there. Have you been there on a weekend? I have to usually park in the next parking section of another store b/c it's so crowded. I've spent more at costco in the past 4 months than the total cost of the Pio 5070 just because of their great customer service. And their hotdog and soda for $1.50 can't be beat.

I'm sure I'm not unique, and costco knows this.

Even though most people cannot fathom the idea, Costco DOES NOT care about the abuse. It's a simple cost/benefit proposition and apparently the benefit currently surpasses the cost. Rest assured that, should this equation change, Costco would promptly take appropriate measures. It's called a FOR PROFIT venture.

As a sidenote, Costco DOES NOT have the lowest prices (though their prices are respectable). You can get cheaper prices on-line, albeit without the assurance.

In conclusion, *Costco Knows what they are doing* and the fact that Sam's Club reportedly started emulating Costco's return policies is the proof in the pudding! So, enjoy the benefits of capitalism and consume without fear!!!

I would assume the % of people that abuse this policy is actually a very small margin of the total number of people that shop there.

Actually, according to the Wall Street Journal a few months ago. Even the people running Costco have been more than just somewhat alarmed by the amount of big screen TV's that are being returned, and that have nothing wrong with them. But there was also a report later in the New York Times, where the CEO of Costco said that they had no plans for now to change the return policy on TV's. And that he would prefer not having to do such a thing. So it's my guess, that they are just going to watch it closer for now and see if such returns on TV's levels off or goes down. But if they continue to go up, then it's entirely feasible that sooner or later that they might do something and make some sort of change.

Even though most people cannot fathom the idea, Costco DOES NOT care about the abuse. It's a simple cost/benefit proposition and apparently the benefit currently surpasses the cost. Rest assured that, should this equation change, Costco would promptly take appropriate measures. It's called a FOR PROFIT venture.

As a sidenote, Costco DOES NOT have the lowest prices (though their prices are respectable). You can get cheaper prices on-line, albeit without the assurance.

In conclusion, *Costco Knows what they are doing* and the fact that Sam's Club reportedly started emulating Costco's return policies is the proof in the pudding! So, enjoy the benefits of capitalism and consume without fear!!!

Both you and Johnla are correct. Wall street would like to see costco make more than it's 12% per item but Wall Street is all about profitability. The CEO Jim's strategy is for a long term establishment that will keep the company around in high demand for 50 years+. He's got my vote as long as they keep treating the customer right.

I have to admit now with just how nice it is to shop there and even their online customer service, when I need to buy something, I first check to see if costco carries what Im looking for, or something close to it, before I consider buying from any other place now.

I see Costco as like how Wendys use to be like when Dave was around. Great company with great products and service. They didn't cut corners with their product (They use to have the highest % of actually meat in their burgers, not sure now, and their chili :) ). Just my opinion but their food was so much better than Mcdonalds and Burger King. After he died, Wendy's took a turn for the worse, though Im sure their profitability is better, I no longer go there ever since they changed their chili to the more waterdowned beans, less meat variety.

Unfortunately Costco will probably be the same once Jim leaves. But I figured he's going to be around for at least 10-15 years based on his age. Im hoping when that time comes, this new business model establishes itself as being a more effective one, where the employees are paid above average which nets in better performance, and their products are guaranteed so that we the customers have peace of mind on what we buy there. Unlike Wal-Mart. I can't remember the last time I was in one of those. But I remember it was a crappy experience.

Interesting facts.

Costco vs. Wal-Mart
Comparing some workplace statistics, as reported by the companies.

Employees covered by company health insurance
Costco 82%
Wal-Mart 48%

Insurance-enrollment waiting periods (for part-time workers)
Costco 6 months
Wal-Mart 2 years

Portion of health-care premium paid by company
Costco 92%
Wal-Mart 66%

Annual worker turnover rate
Costco 24%
Wal-Mart 50%

12% is actually a lot when you think about it. supermarkets are lower margin companies but it's the quantity that keeps them running. I used to sell computers for 1 of the top internet sales companies and the profit on each desktop was 4% but the the volume money maker was cables 60%+ and software. Also shipping was a huge money maker for them too. That's why there's costco.com because they drop ship the items but don't themselves get charged for shipping fees.

Wall street would like to see costco make more than it's 12% per item but Wall Street is all about profitability.

12% is actually a lot when you think about it. supermarkets are lower margin companies but it's the quantity that keeps them running. I used to sell computers for 1 of the top internet sales companies and the profit on each desktop was 4% but the the volume money maker was cables 60%+ and software. Also shipping was a huge money maker for them too. That's why there's costco.com because they drop ship the items but don't themselves get charged for shipping fees.

I think 12% is the average. I don't remember what the % range is exactly, but I think Costco targets 9-12% based on item, which is not a lot for certain things (clothing, furniture). Computer equipment has such a small margin, but I know certain electronics have huge margins. Recievers I know for a fact b/c I use to get them at employee prices through a friend at BB and the discount was like 40%.

I don't agree with places making a profit on shipping but I guess that's just how it is. Costco.com even charges tax on the shipping fee and they state that in their FAQ.

I've been calling the locations trying to find a Panasonic 50px60u at the B&M Costcos but the item number might be different than the #132446 that's at Costco.com. When I called they told me that item number is online only. I'd get the 6u model but I could use the front inputs that the 60u has.

Lets says Costco's margins are 10%. Their unlimited return policy is profitable until returns exceed the profit margin. I'm not sure how TVs are being returned. But i find it hard to imagine that its more that 10% of total sales. Even if they were losing money on the liberal retun policy, they make up for it in other departments.

I might purchase/return a $4000 TV every 2 years. My wife spends $4000 a year on food, supplies and everything else. I was about to drop my membership a few years ago until someone reminded about Costco's return policy. That's the only reason why i'm a member...

They might not care about losing me as a customer(They werent making much money off me anyway). But they certainly care about my wife and her shopping dollars... So why piss off the household??

I might purchase/return a $4000 TV every 2 years. My wife spends $4000 a year on food, supplies and everything else. I was about to drop my membership a few years ago until someone reminded about Costco's return policy. That's the only reason why i'm a member...


So you think that buying $4K worth of food per year also means that swapping out non defective $4K TV's every two years, only just because you want a different TV, is something acceptable? Sorry, but I don't care how you try and spin like that it in order to try and justify it, but that is wrong. That is really nothing more than using them like your own personal appliance rental store. But with them really not making anything off of you for the rental.

Costco policy is very generous; it is a very good company for customers and for employees. The very good policy should not be abused. If something really happens to your tv..first 4..even 5 years..do take it back..but, certainly, do not take it back because you want a new set..a new update..etc...Too much abuse of policy will be a chance in policy one day. Costco is treating you right..treat them fair and correct in return. You are paying somewhat more (for some products) than rock bottom price..and, for this, you are getting the most generous return policy in the industry.

Johhla, no need to get all worked up. I was simply trying to show that if their margins where 10%, they would need to have more than 10% in returns before it is a losing policy.

Personally, i have been a Costco member for more than 5 years and have never returned a thing. Like many others, i have yet to buy my first HDTV. I've been waiting and waiting. When i finally do pull the trigger, it will be from Costco. For me the return policy is the deciding factor. Not because i want to 'rent' a TV, but because i like the peace of mind knowing that my $4K is protected.

Even if i was in the business of 'renting' from Costco without "them really not making anything off of you for the rental", what the big deal? Do you have a problem with selling Ipods for $10 under cost? They lose money on every Ipod they sell. Why would do something so stupid? LOYALTY..

Eh...Bekins?

I recently ordered a 50px60u through Costco.com and they told me it was shipping with Bekins. Having never heard of them, I googled them and found this (http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Moving_Services-All-Bekins_Van_Lines_Moving_Service/display_~reviews/sec_~opinion_list/pp_~1/pa_~1#list). I realize that it's usually people who have bad experiences who take the time to write reviews, but still. Does Costco do all their shipping through this company? Any bad experiences here?

I'm sure they're not dumb and can pick out the abusers just by looking at their shopping/return history. It would be much easier if some customers changed their ethics "policy" instead but that won't happen. I've seen people returning cakes that were about 95% eaten lol.

So you think that buying $4K worth of food per year also means that swapping out non defective $4K TV's every two years, only just because you want a different TV, is something acceptable? Sorry, but I don't care how you try and spin like that it in order to try and justify it, but that is wrong. That is really nothing more than using them like your own personal appliance rental store. But with them really not making anything off of you for the rental.

Technically, Costco would make (at least) $500 in "cash flow value" out of your $4K if they kept it for 2 years. The purchase would count towards their annual revenue which of course drives up their stock price. They would also profit from your other business for those 2 years. Then they would also sell that returned TV and recover a small portion of its cost. If you do this more than once or twice (i.e. return a TV after 2 years) they would likely black list you and refuse to renew your membership. In the meantime, they get to tout the best return policy in the land which brings them a vast amount of business.

"Morality" is really irrelevant here. I would humbly suggest that you exercise your own "morality" if it makes you feel good but there's no need for lecturing the rest. This IS capitalism-Costco is a multi-billion $ venture and has enjoyed increased sales by taking advantage of a gimmick. If it's permitted by Costco to swap your TV every 2 years for a new one, GO FOR IT, if it's OK with them then it's OK-period. Now, if you take it back for a refund, that would be wrong!

Technically, Costco would make (at least) $500 in "cash flow value" out of your $4K if they kept it for 2 years. The purchase would count towards their annual revenue which of course drives up their stock price. They would also profit from your other business for those 2 years. Then they would also sell that returned TV and recover a small portion of its cost. If you do this more than once or twice (i.e. return a TV after 2 years) they would likely black list you and refuse to renew your membership. In the meantime, they get to tout the best return policy in the land which brings them a vast amount of business.

"Morality" is really irrelevant here. I would humbly suggest that you exercise your own "morality" if it makes you feel good but there's no need for lecturing the rest. This IS capitalism-Costco is a multi-billion $ venture and has enjoyed increased sales by taking advantage of a gimmick. If it's permitted by Costco to swap your TV every 2 years for a new one, GO FOR IT, if it's OK with them then it's OK-period. Now, if you take it back for a refund, that would be wrong!

Costco policy is NOT to exchange but do give you back a refund (including tax) in cash when you return a product.

Unless there is a flaw in the TV, do people spend the effort to bring their big screen TV (42"+) after a couple years of enjoyment of it, just to get a better set?

I think most people who spend that kind of money for a TV are likely to be highly educated and don't want to spend the hassle of standing in line for a while and haggle with the manger to get the set refunded or exchanged.

People who spend the effort to pack their big TV, load it on a truck/SUV, drive it to Costco, unload the TV, stand in line waiting, and be questioned in front of people about why they returned their TV are likely to have a serious flaw in the TV that they cannot stand anymore.

Hey I am just catching on to Costco's policy and am considering joining just to buy a TV. Is there 100% guarantee basically like a free warranty? I know they won't come out to fix it like in a warranty, but if something goes wrong you can simply bring the tv in, and they will exchange or refund you? Does this have any kind of time limit on it or is it lifetime?

sounds like a great deal/

Hey I am just catching on to Costco's policy and am considering joining just to buy a TV. Is there 100% guarantee basically like a free warranty? I know they won't come out to fix it like in a warranty, but if something goes wrong you can simply bring the tv in, and they will exchange or refund you? Does this have any kind of time limit on it or is it lifetime?

sounds like a great deal/

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, bring it back to store and get full refund to include tax. No time limit.

another thing I noticed is that some of the models that they sell seem like they are not the same exact models as the models in circuit citys and best buys, but look very similar, although in some cases not quite as "cool"... is there any difference in quality?

but there's no need for lecturing the rest.


There sure is, when the abusers have the potential to ruin the return policy for the people that do not abuse it!

I know this thread turned into a discussion about costco as a company and their policies etc. it has been very interesting and I like that type of discussion and have no problem with it. I also think it is great that sams club has taken on. the same return policy as I have a sams mmbership and its good for all.

now I am looking for a 1080p tv larger then 60'' pref 65 or more but not over 70 really and needs to hae thin bezel and no speakers on side. I am upgrading from a rp lcd panny 60'' which has speakers on the side.

one of the only and best choice seems to be the samsung hls6767 and even at that size is less wide then my 60'' panny because it doesn't have the speakers on side.

thing is I'm not crazy about the casing. I like the new tis years samsung casing with the shiny black thinner bezel.

guess I could wait till next year when costco gets a model or two with this years casing with next years insides.

was going to consider the toshiba dlp models that costco has (62 & 72 maybe even) but heard they don't have 1080p through hdmi so no way.

does anyone know of all what 1080p models larger then 60'' bith sams and costco has. and specifically which are available in store lr are online only.

in the end my way to get best deal will be to go to costco in neiboring state deleware about 45 min away to save tax and obviously no shipping to pick up but may have to rent/borrow larger truck for the 67'' for instance.

but models that areonline only can't pick up obviously.

now the samsung hls6767 is available in some stores but again I'm not crazy about the casing. I nderstand most warehouse club models are going to b older casing and such though but just want to know what other models that fit the basic descrip that should be in the running

especially from sams cus with all this costco talk noone mentions what tvs sams has even though now they have same return policy and get diff models then costco.

will need to make the decision by jan so can include models sams or costco are going to get by then but I've never heard of anyone knowing what models they are getting ahead of time.

well i went back to costco, and the other salesman reassured me that costco's return policy still applies, hope you guys enjoyed the stir up in regards to the 1yr return policy i mentioned another sales associate told me.

I also decided against the 58px600u in favor of the 50px6u at 1/2 the price. Two things im worried about losing is the PC connection and TV Guide. I can connect my pc through a reciever though, would their be any concern with doing it like this?

Any other items I should be aware of with the downgrade?

I think it's completely wrong and unethical to return something just because you don't like it after having owned it for awhile. I have a conscience and only return something to Costco that either broke early or had something wrong with it. The only appliance that I ever returned there was a microwave oven whose door broke a little after 30 days. Easy return. Easy explanation. No guilt.

But to return a TV after a couple of years or more because you want an updated model!!???? I don't care if the store has a liberal return poilcy.....that's just plain abuse. :(

But to return a TV after a couple of years or more because you want an updated model!!???? I don't care if the store has a liberal return poilcy.....that's just plain abuse. :(
that is absolutely ridiculous....costcos direct policy is "IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR PURCHASE"....it doesnt say that you have to decide if you are satisfied right this second, 30 days from now, 6 months from now, or 3 years from now...it says SATISFIED...if i have a set for 3 years and they now have something thats obviously better for much less money, THEN I WILL NOT BE SATISFIED. its that easy, plain and simple...you can return it for ANY REASON per THEIR POLICY...im sure they are not stupid and they know that it is HIGHLY LIKELY that people will return perfectly working sets 3 years later...THEY TAKE IT INTO ACCOUNT WITH THEIR PRICING...which as has been stated on here in other posts is NOT ANYWHERE NEAR THE CHEAPEST out there....anyone that doesnt believe that, check their pricing on the new panny and pio sets on their website...then compare to TVA or INVISION...
you holier than thou people better stick to your best buys and circuit citys with their 30 day policies...and leave costco to us people that pay 100 dollars a year for that return privilege.

that is absolutely ridiculous....costcos direct policy is "IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR PURCHASE"....it doesnt say that you have to decide if you are satisfied right this second, 30 days from now, 6 months from now, or 3 years from now...it says SATISFIED...if i have a set for 3 years and they now have something thats obviously better for much less money, THEN I WILL NOT BE SATISFIED. its that easy, plain and simple...you can return it for ANY reason...you holier than thou people better stick to your best buys and circuit citys with their 30 day policies...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You are looking at the warranty in a way not intended, my friend. A honest person, thinking with a logically mind would not take it back because he wanted a newer model. In that case, you would be taking it back for your lifetime..every 4-5 years, yes? This makes no sense and I will debate it no further with you. The warranty applies to a given product. You should be able to decide within a short period of time if you are not satisfied with that product. Of course, if the product becomes defective, that is another reason for taking it back.

that is absolutely ridiculous....costcos direct policy is "IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR PURCHASE"....it doesnt say that you have to decide if you are satisfied right this second, 30 days from now, 6 months from now, or 3 years from now...it says SATISFIED...if i have a set for 3 years and they now have something thats obviously better for much less money, THEN I WILL NOT BE SATISFIED. its that easy, plain and simple...you can return it for ANY reason...you holier than thou people better stick to your best buys and circuit citys with their 30 day policies...
WOW! Lighten up! Seriously, it an ethics question that everyone will deal with on their own. My thought on these new TVs is that the old ones last forever but the new models LCD, plasma ... are not lasting long enough for the monies being paid. So after several years of use I would also be tempted to return it.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You are looking at the warranty in a way not intended, my friend. A honest person, thinking with a logically mind would not take it back because he wanted a newer model. In that case, you would be taking it back for your lifetime..every 4-5 years, yes? This makes no sense and I will debate it no further with you. The warranty applies to a given product. You should be able to decide within a short period of time if you are not satisfied with that product. Of course, if the product becomes defective, that is another reason for taking it back.
who gave you or anyone else on here the right to decide on what a "reasonable" return time is, or how long i shold have to decide how much i like something i bought at costco?? when costco themselves has CHOSEN not to use a word such as that in the policy that THEY WROTE. the bottom line is, their return policy is what it is, and you are not going to change it. if you choose to set your own personal time frame to return something to them, then that is YOUR CHOICE. leave me to make MY OWN choice.

shall never bother you again, my friend...take care..

If and when I exchange a big ticket item from Costco, it will not be based on ethics...it will be based on economics, PERIOD!!

As long as Costco will take your "unsatisfied" big screen TV set, I guess it's nobody's business.

But just make sure you ask someone for help in moving the TV; be careful not to hurt your back or twist your ankles.

Ok, I decided to go ahead and order the Sharp LC-40C37U from Costco. Ordered on the 11th, shipped on the 11th, and delivery date on the 13th. :eek: That's newegg territory!! Now if Ikea would just get my pillows in stock before the weekend...

and leave costco to us people that pay 100 dollars a year for that return privilege.
Well I also have a $100 executive membership, and I sure don't want to see the return policy changed just because of people that abuse the policy. And unlike you I don't promote abusing the return policy as a way to forever change out non defective TV's for upgrade purposes just because I pay that amount of money for membership. Also, I'd bet the abusers would be the first ones to drop their memberships and complain the loudest, if they ever do end up changing their return policy on items like TV's and AVR's.

I'm a Costco member, but I live 2 hours away from the closest one, and so get there rarely. I'm planning on buying a Pioneer 5070 plasma soon. I see the Costco online price. Do the B&M stores price the same? The online price is not all that good - quite a bit more than some of the AVM sponsors - and too much difference to justify the return policy. I would consider making the 4 hour roundtrip to Costco only if the instore price was less than online. Do the instore prices fluctuate, or pretty much match the online price?

I'm a Costco member, but I live 2 hours away from the closest one, and so get there rarely. I'm planning on buying a Pioneer 5070 plasma soon. I see the Costco online price. Do the B&M stores price the same? The online price is not all that good - quite a bit more than some of the AVM sponsors - and too much difference to justify the return policy. I would consider making the 4 hour roundtrip to Costco only if the instore price was less than online. Do the instore prices fluctuate, or pretty much match the online price?

The price should be the same online and in store. But you can call your B&M store and make sure that they have it in store and check the price just in case. The customer service people should be able to help you answer those questions for you! :)

who gave you or anyone else on here the right to decide on what a "reasonable" return time is, or how long i shold have to decide how much i like something i bought at costco?? when costco themselves has CHOSEN not to use a word such as that in the policy that THEY WROTE. the bottom line is, their return policy is what it is, and you are not going to change it. if you choose to set your own personal time frame to return something to them, then that is YOUR CHOICE. leave me to make MY OWN choice.


fine, I hope your choice results in you losing your Costco membership far sooner than the rest of us lose our return policy.

fine, I hope your choice results in you losing your Costco membership far sooner than the rest of us lose our return policy.
Im kind of torn here. I purchased a TV from Costco in July that I no longer use...I intend to return it when they get the new 52" sharp. I would return it now but Costco is REALLY far away and I have to borrow a truck to ship so I figured I might as well wait till they get what I want. After having the tv for a couple months I decided its too small for my room. I bought from costco for this very reason and pay 100.00 for the membership as well. Costco does have this return for life policy in place for a reason. I cant say I blame anyone for upgrading to a better cheaper tv. Why not ? THIS IS WHY CERTAIN PEOPLE BUY TV'S THERE.
Would I return after 5 years of use ? No....less than a year ? sure. Microsdisplays are not really a proven longterm technology at this point so people buy them at costco so they dont worry as much plunking down 3-4k for a new tv.
Dont cry for costco...this return policy is a big reason why they are so profitable.

costco now has the 46'' xbr3, is this LCD superior to a 50px6u?

costco now has the 46'' xbr3, is this LCD superior to a 50px6u?



There is no real answer to your question. You will get comments and opinions..pros and cons..You will have to view both sets and determine which is best for you. A lot of things should enter into your final decision.

costco now has the 46'' xbr3, is this LCD superior to a 50px6u?

I have not seen the XBR3 at costco before. Are you sure about that?
I would go for the XBR3 but it might cost you more.

I have not seen the XBR3 at costco before. Are you sure about that?
I would go for the XBR3 but it might cost you more.



Not doubting anyones' word, but very surprised Costco has the Sony XBR..and without any changes whatsoever. Afterall, they carry the 46" Sony (25) already.

I'm a Costco member, but I live 2 hours away from the closest one, and so get there rarely. I'm planning on buying a Pioneer 5070 plasma soon. I see the Costco online price. Do the B&M stores price the same? The online price is not all that good - quite a bit more than some of the AVM sponsors - and too much difference to justify the return policy. I would consider making the 4 hour roundtrip to Costco only if the instore price was less than online. Do the instore prices fluctuate, or pretty much match the online price?

I don't think the 5070 is in the stores, just online. I have never seen it in the 2 costcos I frequent. Newark DE, King of Prussia PA

I have not seen the XBR3 at costco before. Are you sure about that?
I would go for the XBR3 but it might cost you more.

yah it was the 46'' xb3, it looked a lot better than the 58px600u and the 50px6u granted you cant really tell with their feed and setup.

Pricewise its right between the panny 58 and 50. I talked myself out of the larger 58 due to being able to afford to 50's for the price of one 58. Whats holding me back from the 50px6u is the difficulty to use the set as a monitor with my laptop.

The xbr3 is smaller than both sets but in my opinion looks better, has higher resolution, can be used as a monitor with ease, and 1080p.

yah it was the 46'' xb3, it looked a lot better than the 58px600u and the 50px6u granted you cant really tell with their feed and setup.

Pricewise its right between the panny 58 and 50. I talked myself out of the larger 58 due to being able to afford to 50's for the price of one 58. Whats holding me back from the 50px6u is the difficulty to use the set as a monitor with my laptop.

The xbr3 is smaller than both sets but in my opinion looks better, has higher resolution, can be used as a monitor with ease, and 1080p.


The Sony will look somewhat sharper than the other 2 sets..It is smaller and it is 1080p. Seems as tho Costco is really bringing on the best sets. Now, we need monitors from Panasonic and Pioneer. Can not really see the reason that Costco is carrying 2 ..46 inch lcd..1080p..sets from Sony when, looking at the picture, both sets have about the same quality picture. How about 5070 in the store?

I was just looking at the Panasonic 50" plasma on Cosco's website, do they always just show the retail price on the website and you have to go to the store to get the "real" price? Every other store is charging 600-700 dollars under retail. What gives?

I was just looking at the Panasonic 50" plasma on Cosco's website, do they always just show the retail price on the website and you have to go to the store to get the "real" price? Every other store is charging 600-700 dollars under retail. What gives?

Usually store and online price are identical, if it carries the set at the stores

I was just looking at the Panasonic 50" plasma on Cosco's website, do they always just show the retail price on the website and you have to go to the store to get the "real" price? Every other store is charging 600-700 dollars under retail. What gives?



That pricing, on the Panny 50", is the exception. Most of the time, Costco charges a little more than other stores but, in return, you are getting a no time limit satisfaction warranty. To me, this might be worth $500. plus.

who gave you or anyone else on here the right to decide on what a "reasonable" return time is, or how long i shold have to decide how much i like something i bought at costco?? when costco themselves has CHOSEN not to use a word such as that in the policy that THEY WROTE. the bottom line is, their return policy is what it is, and you are not going to change it. if you choose to set your own personal time frame to return something to them, then that is YOUR CHOICE. leave me to make MY OWN choice.

Well said. And let me add.....let the hypocrites cry all they want, they're the biggest offenders IMO.


cheezz

Dont cry for costco...this return policy is a big reason why they are so profitable.

No one is crying for them today (nor are their shareholders crying):

Costco's shares in rally mode (http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid={926BB89D-5917-4A20-B70C-456C4B29D9D6}&siteId=yhoo)

Further, as has been pointed out numerous times, pricing is not exactly the greatest at the joint. When I see the =exact same= model display selling for =hundreds= more at Costco than on sale at the likes of Best Buy (even several hundred more than the =regular= BB price), I can't help but wonder who's setting those prices at the former and what they're thinking. In fact, the pricing was so out of whack, I had to check the manufacturer's web site and, sure enough, Costco's price was $100 =over= MSRP. What's with that?

If you want even more (electronics) fun, go into one of their stores and compare prices on iPods; no great bargains to be had there, either, and the same can be said about one heck of a lot of their electronic items. I bought a GPS-capable PDA from Costco almost 2 years ago and paid =more= than the then current sale price at BB =specifically= because of the return policy. Had it not been for the return policy, I would have bought the thing from BB along with a 4-yr PSP for almost the same price. If it breaks within the next year or so, you're damned right I'll be returning it to Costco...................I paid for that privilege both in terms of a price premium and membership fees.

So, if you do the math with those annual membership fees added into the equation, it seems to me that 'all those electronics returns' is much ado about nothing. If they want to change their return policy, fine. However, they had better give their customers fair warning of any such change and then either be price competitive on their electronic items or be prepared to face severely declining sales on those items. I know I wouldn't buy much of anything (other than, perhaps, food) from Costco if it were not for their return policy. When you think about it, what do they really offer beyond their satisfaction guarantee that would make it worthwhile to pay the annual fee and shop in a gigantic warehouse?

And let me add.....let the hypocrites cry all they want, they're the biggest offenders IMO.

It's doubtful that those who are concerned about people abusing the policy, are the biggest offenders. And seems that you think that by you labeling them as hypocrites, it's some form of validation for you.
All you are really trying to do, is come up with another excuse to try and validate abusing the return policy.

It's doubtful that those who are concerned about people abusing the policy, are the biggest offenders. And seems that you think that by you labeling them as hypocrites, it's some form of validation for you.
All you are really trying to do, is come up with another excuse to try and validate abusing the return policy.

I have been a Costco member for 5 years now and I havent bought any big ticket item from them. I havent returned a thing...NIL...zero....zilch!!
NOW.....
What would you do under the following hypothetical situation?
You buy a $3K tv item today. Costco offers no EW.
3 years from now it will look blurry to you. What would you do?

Question is open to all and start the flame!

cheezz

If it actually breaks down or something actually goes wrong with it, fine return it. That is what the policy is intended for. But don't try say it "looks" fuzzy/blurry, when in fact it really does not as a excuse to upgrade it. The return policy is not intended as a way for people return non defective products just to do free upgrades.

If it actually breaks down or something actually goes wrong with it, fine return it. That is what the policy is intended for. But don't try say it "looks" fuzzy/blurry, when in fact it really does not as a excuse to upgrade it. The return policy is not intended as a way for people return non defective products just to do free upgrades.

You havent answered the question.
As you can see...it says "...it looks blurry to you"
What would you do?

"Satisfaction Guarranteed"
If I wont be satisfied 3 years from now...then I wont be satisfied. Is there a time limit on "satisfaction"? I dont think so!

You havent answered the question.
As you can see...it says "...it looks blurry to you"
What would you do?
Yes, I DID answer you!
Someone lying about it being "blurry", is nothing more than a excuse for trying to justify abusing the policy.

"Satisfaction Guarranteed"
If I wont be satisfied 3 years from now...then I wont be satisfied. Is there a time limit on "satisfaction"? I dont think so!

Yeah we know, you all of a sudden decided to "think" that it looks blurry to you, for no other reason than to return a non defective TV only because you want a new one. So now you are going to use that as a poor excuse for a free upgrade.

I have been a Costco member for 5 years now and I havent bought any big ticket item from them. I havent returned a thing...NIL...zero....zilch!!
NOW.....
What would you do under the following hypothetical situation?
You buy a $3K tv item today. Costco offers no EW.
3 years from now it will look blurry to you. What would you do?

Question is open to all and start the flame!

cheezz

Return it Return it Return it! $100 a year membership, prices higher than competition and blessings from the owner Jim, give me all the right to do that. Of course, I would call customer service first and honestly tell them my situation. Let them tell me what to do. I guarantee that they will tell you to bring the set back. Trust me, I have had similar situations with other products from Costco and they always say to return it. No time limit, no questions. By the way, I always keep the receipts.

stop discussing costco's damn return policy, everyones going to still do what they want and no further discussion will help benefit anyone.

Sam's Club is now matching the Costco return policy (any time for any reason, 100% refund with receipt). I was a bit skeptical, so I e-mailed Sam's customer service. Here is the reply I got:

>Thank you for contacting SAM'S CLUB. You are correct. SAM'S CLUB offers a 100%
>member satisfaction. If you purchase a TV and 2 yrs later "it dies" you can
>return to club for a full refund provided you have receipt. If no receipt you
>will be refunded amount equaling what the last sale price of that item is.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Stacey L.
>SAM'S CLUB Returns

It is interesting, however, that Sam's still offers to seel you an extended warranty on the web site. I will not weigh in on the ethics of returning years later because you want to upgrade, but in terms of the return policy being, in effect, an extended warranty, I now have two choices when shopping for a new TV: Costco and Sam's.

Yes, I DID answer you!
Someone lying about it being "blurry", is nothing more than a excuse for trying to justify abusing the policy.



Yeah we know, you all of a sudden decided to "think" that it looks blurry to you, for no other reason than to return a non defective TV only because you want a new one. So now you are going to use that as a poor excuse for a free upgrade.

The "it LOOKS blurry to you" may not be a lie. Eyes do lie! That's why I didn't say IT was blurry. .....and you still didn't answer the question. Don't beat around the bush just answer what will you do?

People DO upgrade because they are not SATISFIED with what they have now (regardless of when they have made a previous purchase) Oh my, that word seems to appear all the time....Satisfied...satisfaction.

Nuff said for me on this. I'm not gonna act like a saint when I am not!

stop discussing costco's damn return policy, everyones going to still do what they want and no further discussion will help benefit anyone.

AGREED! Can someone please change the title of this thread to

"Costco/BB/CC/Sears/Target/Sam's /Dell Master Thread: NO PRICING /NO COUPONS/NO RETURN POLICY DISCUSSION"?

And, if this is such a hot topic make a new sticky thread so I don't have to read about it in here. My $.02

...im sure they are not stupid and they know that it is HIGHLY LIKELY that people will return perfectly working sets 3 years later...THEY TAKE IT INTO ACCOUNT WITH THEIR PRICING...
You figure their Business Model covers selling one TV and then replacing it for free (or with a partial $ credit) every few years?

To intentionally purchase a set with the intention of returning it in a couple of years for a newer set at no cost - long after the manufactor's warranty has expired - is something you consider ethical? :rolleyes:

AGREED! Can someone please change the title of this thread to

"Costco/BB/CC/Sears/Target/Sam's /Dell Master Thread: NO PRICING /NO COUPONS/NO RETURN POLICY DISCUSSION"?

And, if this is such a hot topic make a new sticky thread so I don't have to read about it in here. My $.02


Amen, enough already! This had absolutely been discussed to death. Can we move on?

just checked costco again it wasnt the xbr3, it was infact the equivalent of 46V2500. Picture still looks superior to all other sets at costco.

I went to my Costco in Houston. They have the Sony KDL 46V2500. They don't have the KDL 46XBR3. Now that it's been confirmed they don't have XBR3 but the V2500 not sure I should wait fo the XBR3.

There is something about the XBR3 that makes it a notch above the V2500. I don't think the V2500 is as good as the Panasonic TH 50PX60U. Local retailers have the XBR3 but I am not buying anything unless I can get it from Costco.

:( I guess the choice will be made by Costco.

I have to agree with that
Amen, enough already! This had absolutely been discussed to death. Can we move on?

I went to my Costco in Houston. They have the Sony KDL 46V2500. They don't have the KDL 46XBR3. Now that it's been confirmed they don't have XBR3 but the V2500 not sure I should wait fo the XBR3.

There is something about the XBR3 that makes it a notch above the V2500. I don't think the V2500 is as good as the Panasonic TH 50PX60U. Local retailers have the XBR3 but I am not buying anything unless I can get it from Costco.

:( I guess the choice will be made by Costco.

Im in the same boat as you but from what im seeing at costco the v2500 picture is superior to the 50px60u. The pannasonic really bothers me because of no 1080p and no pc connection.

Folks: let the return policy ethical discussion go. Anymore posts along these lines will be removed from here on. This thread is for technical issues.

Thank You

Here is a question...if Sams now has the same policy as Costco, has anyone compared prices to see who has the better price on tv's?
Why not shop Sams now if they have lower prices than Costco?

Ome thing that seems to not have been mentioned.

According to the last Costco magazine, they have over 41 million members worldwide. At $50 per membership per year, that amounts to over 2 billion dollars a year in membership dues. I would think that is all the profit they need to run a successful business.

Ome thing that seems to not have been mentioned.

According to the last Costco magazine, they have over 41 million members worldwide. At $50 per membership per year, that amounts to over 2 billion dollars a year in membership dues. I would think that is all the profit they need to run a successful business.



I thought this AVS forum was about audio and video. Why all the talk of business. There are probably other forums on the internet for such discussions.

I am going to buy a 42" or bigger 1080p LCD from Costco, once they have more than one model (currently only Sony 46" and a little bit off my range $wise) at the local Costco (not over the web-don't want to deal with 3 weeks wait + shipping + tax).

Do you know what I have to go through in life to clear $2K-$3K (after tax)? Too much work and my life is way too short and precious!!! Rest assured I will expect a *very* minimum of 5 years of absolute bliss from such an investment in entertainment. If, at any point, I become disenchanted with the set during this period, it will be returned. I will, though, buy from Costco again (ie will not take the money and run). This is the ONLY reason I will buy from Costco to begin with.

If anyone authoritative from Costco is reading this and doesn't want my business, based on the above, please PM me and I will take my biz elsewhere.

[EDIT] alas it's not 1080p. If any of you nice people happen to see any new 42" or bigger 1080p LCDs at your local Costco, I would be more than grateful if you post the make/model so I can check at my local store (I understand that different stores have different models across the USA).

Mod, if you think this is inappropriate, please promptly remove. Best to all.

Just took delivery of the dreaded "war veteran" box from Costco.com. After setting it up, a friendly 3-4 inch rainbow crack and about 10 stuck pixels reached out to greet me. Fortunately the Costco store finally got stock of the LC-40C37U and exchanged it for me. Refunded $20 bucks from shipping too. A little bonus for the hassle I suppose. The new box looked sexy and the set only has 3 stuck pixels, with 2 of them being blue that can't be seen past 3 feet. I also noticed the base was keyed this time. Gone also were the bits of styrofoam that had assaulted the poor costco.com 37".

So UPS treat LCDs like pizza pies?

And leave all of the talk about the D warranty behind? It seems every other message now deals with how someone wants to return something. How about issues like the new ratings of TVs in consumer reports. I tend to agee that the 1080p issue seems to get blown out of proportion when comparing it to name brand. Also, glad I stayed away from the Vizio with its repair problems according to CR. CR covers some of the displays that are available at costco and they seem to do pretty good in the ratings.

So UPS treat LCDs like pizza pies?

By me it looks like they use the packages as practice for hitting pinatas, before they finally deliver them. It seems like ever since UPS got into sponsoring Dale Jarret in NASCAR, it's gotten worse. Maybe all the delivery drivers are just "Racing The Trucks" with the packages not secured down.

It appears that Costco.com doesn't carry the Vizio plasma TV's anymore. Can anyone confirm this? Does anyone know the reason why they don't carry them anymore?

Costco.com is messed up right now and a lot of their items give you a "site error" when you click on them. They do tend to get some items back in stock but maybe you're on to something and I'm not sure why they wouldn't carry them anymore. They still have a bunch of Vizio models at the B&M stores, but the fact that Circuit City is now carrying them might mean they're going away from just being sold in the warehouse stores. I noticed they don't even have any Vizio LCDs online now.

And leave all of the talk about the D warranty behind? It seems every other message now deals with how someone wants to return something. How about issues like the new ratings of TVs in consumer reports. I tend to agee that the 1080p issue seems to get blown out of proportion when comparing it to name brand. Also, glad I stayed away from the Vizio with its repair problems according to CR. CR covers some of the displays that are available at costco and they seem to do pretty good in the ratings.
So which 40 and up LCDs did good at Costco on CR?

I went back to a different Costco and they had the Sony 1080 V2500 next to several plasmas.

Change my mind, the Sony has better pciture than the Panny 50 they carry.

Bums me out as I wish they carried the XBR3. Saw the new Sharp Sharp AQUOS LC-42D62U 42" Plasma TV at Best buy. Something seemed off.

I am in full shutdown. I can't pull the trigger on the Panny as its just not a better picture than the XBR3.

I may end up with the V2500??

I've been looking at different retailers for my next lcd tv and my main concern is their return policy. If I purchase say the LC40C37U from Costco, or the LC37D40U from CircuitCity, which would I benefit from most? I've been reading about the current abuses occuring at Costco, and I could hate to be SOL if they change their policy if/when the unit does need exchanging/repair. Also, would Costcos 'satisfactory' warantee also apply to misc dead pixels on screen? Thanks!

I've been looking at different retailers for my next lcd tv and my main concern is their return policy. If I purchase say the LC40C37U from Costco, or the LC37D40U from CircuitCity, which would I benefit from most? I've been reading about the current abuses occuring at Costco, and I could hate to be SOL if they change their policy if/when the unit does need exchanging/repair. Also, would Costcos 'satisfactory' warantee also apply to misc dead pixels on screen? Thanks!
If they change their policy it would come with some warning i would think, as for dead pixels if you are not satisfied bring it back.

I've been looking at different retailers for my next lcd tv and my main concern is their return policy. If I purchase say the LC40C37U from Costco, or the LC37D40U from CircuitCity, which would I benefit from most? I've been reading about the current abuses occuring at Costco, and I could hate to be SOL if they change their policy if/when the unit does need exchanging/repair. Also, would Costcos 'satisfactory' warantee also apply to misc dead pixels on screen? Thanks!




Costco policy is: If you are not satisfied with a product, bring it back for a refund.

Alright..so I guess its Costco>Circuit City then ha. Thanks guys!

I was looking at Panasonic plasmas on Costco's website and noted this disclaimer:
"This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise."

This question may have already been asked and answered somewhere in the 70 some pages in this thread, but does Panasonic honor its warranty for plasmas bought at Costco? I know that at this time the question is moot because of Costco's return policy, but I'm still curious as sometimes it might be simpler to have a repair person out under warranty rather than carting a 90 - 140 pound item back to the point of purchase.

FYI: I sent an email to Costco asking them if they are still going to carry Vizio Plasma TV's. Below is the lame response they sent:

"Thank you for your e-mail to Costco Wholesale.

This product may be temporarily out of stock. We do not have specific product availability information. You will need to continue to check [costco] for availability. We apologize.


Thank you,

Costco Wholesale Corporation
[EDIT]

sorry for asking this, it's for an older model Mitsu, the WD-52525, did anyone brought this set from costco a while back? thanks in advance.

Was browsing at HH Gregg, seems like they're pushing more rear projection than anything else, but the flat panels that they DID have were far too big for a room my size, I'm looking really at a 32" LCD, atm. To me, if I can find a Samsung or JVC at a decent price, then I'm all for it. Otherwise, I could wait for Wal-Mart to finally get some models in stock that I can say are better than they ever had before. Of course, Wal-Mart's TV selection is minimal at best as far as big brands, and usually they don't seem to have the same bells and whistles that a Circuit City or Best Buy would have.

This question may have already been asked and answered somewhere in the 70 some pages in this thread, but does Panasonic honor its warranty for plasmas bought at Costco? I know that at this time the question is moot because of Costco's return policy, but I'm still curious as sometimes it might be simpler to have a repair person out under warranty rather than carting a 90 - 140 pound item back to the point of purchase.

I don't know about Panasonic but what about Pioneer? The latter, ostensibly, will not honor its express warranty on products that were not purchased from an authorized distributor and even disclaims implied warranties for items purchased from unauthorized distributors, to wit:

IF THIS PRODUCT WAS PURCHASED FROM AN UNAUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND THIS PRODUCT IS SOLD STRICTLY “AS IS” AND “WITH ALL FAULTS".

So, I'm curious as to what recourse is available to purchasers beyond returning the product to Costco. In the case of Pioneer products it appears that, indeed, returning the product may be the only recourse.

With respect to manufacturers that do not include such limitations in their express warranties, returning the item to Costco, although burdensome if the item is extremely large and bulky, would at least obviate the need for a potentially MORE burdensome service call (e.g. contacting the mfr, setting up a date for service, waiting for the service tech, etc.).

Has anyone bought this TV? I am tempted because of some of the features. The PQ at my Walmart was hard to judge as the remote was not avilable and the feed was poor. I see allot of them on Ebay as new too.

[QUOTE=OldCodger73]I was looking at Panasonic plasmas on Costco's website and noted this disclaimer:
"This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise."

Yes, Panasonic will honor the warranty. Panasonic doesn't maintain a list of 'Authorized' dealers. They basically honor the warranty from any legitimate business. Sharp also tends to follow this practice.

Anyone in Canada noticed how different the BestBuy Canada models are from the BestBuy USA? I'm talking about well known brands such as Hitachi and Toshiba.

I'm in the market for a 50inch plasma. The problem is whenever a model goes on sale at BestBuy, I google it and can't find any reference to it. No reviews, no customer feedback, nothing. That includes this website and others.

[EDIT] The model number is 50HDA39. Can't find anything, not even the contrast ratio. What I'm looking for are the little tidbits such as, its got the dreaded Hitachi 'flicker' issue, or its manufactured by a second rate company and rebranded as Hitachi.

[EDIT] Lots of 50HP66's been reviewed, but no mention of 86's.

Any thoughts or advice on either of these models, or where to find information? Thanks to all for your advice.

Anyone know if the 32" Sammy will be back in stock, or if another model should replace this at a comparable, if not better before the holidays at all? This seems to have been the one I've been eyeing for a while. Just wondering if it would be the smartest LCD HDTV to go for. I could care less about that clowny 27" LCD, that's not gonna be big enough for me, for some odd reason.

Sharp LC-40C37U 37" 720P @ Costco

1st Sharp - rainbow crack
2nd Sharp - "turns off after 15 minutes" habit.
3rd Sharp - the charm, no?

Sharp LC-40C37U 37" 720P @ Costco

1st Sharp - rainbow crack
2nd Sharp - "turns off after 15 minutes" habit.
3rd Sharp - the charm, no?

Wtf? What did you end up replacing it with?

I'm on the 3rd now. It's some great h20 cooler chatter for tomorrow tho. :p

I was returning my 37" Philips LCD Sunday to the Foster City, CA Costco store, and the supervisor and the cashier both informed me that starting Monday, Oct 16, Costco will no longer be accepting TV returns. I was shocked :eek: .

Now I'm just glad that I decided to return the TV when I did.

Can anyone else comfirm this?

Can anyone else comfirm this?

Well it's now very early 3:30am Mon Oct 16 2006 central time. So I guess in about another 5-7 hours or so, we will soon find out. But until Costco actually makes some sort of official announcements, like postings signs in their stores and a new return policy notice for TV's on the website. Then hearing something like a unconfirmed 2nd and 3rd hand accounts about it may be nothing more than just another rumour. Not that I'm doubting what OpenBox may have been told by a few Costco employees, but other people have also heard similar things even months ago by employees that were wrong.

anyone heard or seen the supposedly new LASER TV coming in 2007,was planning to buy a plasma till i saw this article, now thinking i will have to wait for a couple of months and let everything unfolds or develops such as blu-ray, xbr3 mpeg4 satellite dish.

The only laser TV things I've read about so far in TV's, is the LED Lasers that are going to be used to power some of the newer DLP and LCD RPTV's. They are supposed to use LED lasers instead of the projection bulbs they are using now. And they are looking for a lifespan of around 60,000 hours out of them. Which considering how fast some of the projection bulbs they use now burn out or blow up, that would be a major breakthrough for the people that want a DLP or LCD RPTV.

You guys will not give it up on Costco rumors!

I was returning my 37" Philips LCD Sunday to the Foster City, CA Costco store, and the supervisor and the cashier both informed me that starting Monday, Oct 16, Costco will no longer be accepting TV returns. I was shocked :eek: .

Now I'm just glad that I decided to return the TV when I did.This seems inevitable given the way many people were approaching it.

I'm thinking of ordering the 58" Panny plasma from costco.com. It says shipping takes 20 business days. Does it really take that long? I'm in CA and there's a b&m costco 15 mins away but I don't have a truck, and since shipping is free, I figure I my as well order on line. But I'm also going away in 2 weeks and may not be here when it arrives.

I've read at least one report from someone who ordered in CA and they got it within 3 business days. For people like me who live in MI, it really does take that long.

I was returning my 37" Philips LCD Sunday to the Foster City, CA Costco store, and the supervisor and the cashier both informed me that starting Monday, Oct 16, Costco will no longer be accepting TV returns. I was shocked :eek: .

Now I'm just glad that I decided to return the TV when I did.

With one post in this forum, I'd take your post with a grain of salt as I just went to the Mount Prospect Costco and the management re inforced the current no questions asked return policy for TV's. BTW, your post did not initiate my query rather it came up as we discussed other issues at hand.

Logic would point towards what has evolved with the computer marketplace with 6 month limitations as the possible alternative SHOULD the need arise and NOT what you claim to have heard.

I smell a troll of sorts in your camp, definitely NOT the way to enter this fine discussion board with plenty of pertinent and relevant material. ;)

BTW, now why did you return your TV. When did you buy it, and have you purchased another bigger, better, unit for the same or lower price? :)

Tiggerzz

Can anyone else comfirm this?

Not true as of noon time CST at the Mount Prospect, IL Costco. Existing no questions asked return policy is in place for everything except computers with the 6 month limitation. :)

Tiggerzz

Well it's now very early 3:30am Mon Oct 16 2006 central time. So I guess in about another 5-7 hours or so, we will soon find out. But until Costco actually makes some sort of official announcements, like postings signs in their stores and a new return policy notice for TV's on the website. Then hearing something like a unconfirmed 2nd and 3rd hand accounts about it may be nothing more than just another rumour. Not that I'm doubting what OpenBox may have been told by a few Costco employees, but other people have also heard similar things even months ago by employees that were wrong.

It still says on the panny 58" plasma "This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise." But maybe they haven't updated their pages?

It would seem strange they would go from "return at any time" to "no return". I like to buy from costco for the peace of mind. I don't have to frantically and obsessively watch the TV and read the forum and try to find every possible flaw with the set in order to decide in 30 days if I need to return it (and 30 days go by fast!). Knowing my personality, that's exactly what will happen.

OTOH, I can see how their policy is open to abuse and some change is inevitable. Just need to be clear what the deal is.

Well, I was careful to point out that I heard it from a sup and an employee and the location of this was in Foster City, CA. I don't know if they're testing it out in a few stores, or just trying to scare people like me who's returning TV's. I doubt the latter.

They took my return with no problems. They glanced at the TV inside the box and made sure that the remote was in the box too and never even asked for any reason why I was returning it.

Whether the policy is true or just a scare tactic, it certainly changed my behavior, since I decided to not even look for a replacement TV at Costco last weekend.

look people...you can always get an idiot employee or an idiot manager that makes up their own rules, like the one they supposedly told you which is ABSOLUTELY NOT their policy corporate wise...but any manager is free to do their own thing...and youre free not to use their store or to send a letter to corporate. they also make up the "30 day price match" deal...this is not written ANYWHERE...it is something managers make up, and they always have the option to price match whenever they want.

Well, I was careful to point out that I heard it from a sup and an employee and the location of this was in Foster City, CA. I don't know if they're testing it out in a few stores, or just trying to scare people like me who's returning TV's. I doubt the latter.

They took my return with no problems. They glanced at the TV inside the box and made sure that the remote was in the box too and never even asked for any reason why I was returning it.

Whether the policy is true or just a scare tactic, it certainly changed my behavior, since I decided to not even look for a replacement TV at Costco last weekend.

Ya, nice try. THERE IS NO CHANCE ON EARTH Costco would institute a refund policy that differs from the current one without posting a BIG sign at a VERY visible place nearby their returns/service desk (much like the current satisfaction guaranteed/computer 6 mo. policy). BTW, congrats on your...2nd post at AVS!

...they always have the option to price match whenever they want.

Really...

*checks site*

BTW: 3rd Sharp 37" has one pixel stuck on green invisible from 3 feet away and apparently no other odd issues. Yea!! :)

Since I gave specific, verifiable information, don't just take my word for it. Why not just call the Foster City store's return department and verify for yourself. There's no need to speculate.

I was gonna try popping over to HH Gregg in the next few days or so to check out their lineup. Does anyone know if the selection at HH Gregg would be superior to a Best Buy or Circuit City by any chance? I've been to Wal-Mart, and their selection blows, just minimal, and mainly low-key, and/or generic brands at best.

I asked about a change in the return policy. I was told it is a rumor going around but nothing is official. So no change for now, maybe never.

I went down and looked at this computer monitor recently as it's a bonus baby these days. They had it hooked up to a real door stop disguised as an HP computer. The monitor was blanked on screen saver or whatever. They didn't have a keyboard or mouse hooked up so you couldn't get it to display. I stole a mouse off another display and got it to light up. Unfortunately, the door stop had integrated graphics and couldn't drive the LCD panel at it's native 1680x1050 (or was it 1650x1080?). Whatever. The panel has a pop up window that asks you to set it to the correct setting. Pretty nice feature. I got it as close as it could get and the monitor did what it could with the signal. Obviously it didn't look too hot that way, so if you see one of these and it looks bad, check the desktop resolution. The windows fonts look pretty small even selecting extra large at desktop and the largest in IE. I guess you need to go in and change the pixel per inch scale in the desktop properties for larger font display. I've read a lot of bad stuff about these panels. Fast but ugly, poor vertical viewing angle, backlight bleeds at edges. For the price and humongus size though, it's a real consideration if you just want a cheap huge monitor for web browsing or newsgroups. I found the viewing angle to be ok for my needs, but that might change when you get it away from the bright warehouse lights and run different applications. I thought the backlight variations were more apparent than the fade from viewing angle. They weren't that bad, I'd say par for the cheap LCD course. I didn't notice severe backlight bleed through but you'd probably want to check it in a dark room for that. The case design is pretty bad. No adjustments except maybe tilt on the panel. Wobbles some but not too bad. There's four or five front panel buttons, and they're the worst design I've ever seen. Thin, recessed, and difficult to depress. I decided to think about it for awhile more before buying. A proper display would have gone a long way towards a quicker purchase decision.

I sure was surprised to see a 50" Vizio plasma proudly on display at CC last weekend. Especially with an MSRP of $1799. Strange that they do not carry Pioneer.

Since I gave specific, verifiable information, don't just take my word for it. Why not just call the Foster City store's return department and verify for yourself. There's no need to speculate.
Yet YOU are speculating on unsabstantiated rumors which obviously aim to discourage people from getting their panels at Costco. Are you the same guy who spotted Elvis playing the banjo in New Orleans after Katrina?

Why, oh why, do you guys keep this up about Costco. And why is this allowed to continue on this Forum?

Yeah, where's BJ's in all of this? I, for one, think that they have some fairly decent selections, too.

Why, oh why, do you guys keep this up about Costco. And why is this allowed to continue on this Forum?

Frankly, I can't understand why would it not be allowed. After all, the first name in the thread title is "Costco" and the satisfaction guarantee is clearly a MAJOR, if not determinative, factor in deciding whether or not to purchase a display from the company.

The issue of whether that guarantee has changed, might change, OR is being applied on a selective basis (i.e. up to the manager's discretion) is more than just of passing interest to Costco members.

Just my $.02

Frankly, I can't understand why would it not be allowed. After all, the first name in the thread title is "Costco" and the satisfaction guarantee is clearly a MAJOR, if not determinative, factor in deciding whether or not to purchase a display from the company.

The issue of whether that guarantee has changed, might change, OR is being applied on a selective basis (i.e. up to the manager's discretion) is more than just of passing interest to Costco members.

Just my $.02





..Idle rumors should be of zero interest to any intelligent person. If the policy was changed tomorrow, and, if a tv or anything was purchased today, it would be covered under what is in affect today. And today the great warranty policy is very much in affect. If and when, it is ever changed, we will all know about it the same day. I shall not comment on this subject again because it serves so useful purpose. And it tends to cause apprehension in the purchasing habits of some. There are much more constructive and informative subjects we could be discussing herein.

Yeah, where's BJ's in all of this?

Excerps from BJ's return policy:

"We will not accept returns on orders for televisions sized 27” and larger or other items delivered via “White Glove” delivery methods".

"Any issues that arise after the item is signed for must be resolved through the manufacturer’s warranty".

"Items purchased online at bjs.com cannot be returned at any BJ’s Club".

For full document go to bottom of page on site below and click on Return Policy.



---Jerry---

..Idle rumors should be of zero interest to any intelligent person...And it tends to cause apprehension in the purchasing habits of some.

Couldn't agree more. That's why IMO unsbstantiated runors like the one about Costco's return policy must be removed. If I'm a person coming here to seek info on my purchase and unknowingly stumble upon this rumor, I might be discouraged from buying from Costco (or any other store for that matter) for the wrong reasons.

Okay, enough with the Costco policies, we're here to talk about what televisions that you see at store X, Y or Z that are worth checking out. Now, let's get back to it...

Right now, I have plans to stop by BJ's this weekend, since I have received a 60-day trial membership to see them. From what I understand, they seem to have some top-notch HDTVs there, too. They may or may not carry Samsung, but that's okay. I, for one, see that they have some good 32" displays that I may be interested in seeing up close and personal. Anyone here know which HDTV would be best to look at over there at BJ's?

Folks: that's enough of the costco return policy talk. This is a technical forum and this thread was opened for discussion of sets sold at the vendors listed in the thread title.

Any further return policy discussion will be removed. This thread is absolutely full of return policy talk and its getting very old.

Heck, there is return policy discussion on the FIRST page of this thread. Anything anyone needs to know about costco's return policy can be found already posted in this thread, or they can go to the costco website, or call them, or whatever.

Several off topic posts removed

Thanks

Thank you......

hi guys, i was thinking of ordering a 50" panny plasma from Costco.com. for people who ordered from them on the East Coast, how long did it take? i have a local Costco 15 min away but i'm gonna order it because i need them to deliver it.

and when they deliver, do they offer to carry the TV into your home or do they simply leave it at your doorstep after you signed for it? any problems with their deliveries (damage/tardiness)?

thanks.

My 42" Pan took 3 weeks - ordered 9/15, received 10/10. I had them leave in my garage - I wanted to set up - did not take long. No problems with delivery.........

Folks: that's enough of the costco return policy talk. This is a technical forum and this thread was opened for discussion of sets sold at the vendors listed in the thread title.

Any further return policy discussion will be removed. This thread is absolutely full of return policy talk and its getting very old.

Heck, there is return policy discussion on the FIRST page of this thread. Anything anyone needs to know about costco's return policy can be found already posted in this thread, or they can go to the costco website, or call them, or whatever.

Several off topic posts removed

Thanks
Sure way to kill a thread but it's your house. BTW people who posted to complain about the Costco posts don't seem to be posting anything else (so much for the tech discussion).

Anyway, back to biz. How long do you think before we see 1080p 46" LCDs (or above) at these discount stores at bottomed-out prices, say mid $1Ks?

Yeah, that's for sure... Anyway, I'm not too sure when Wal-Mart plans on 1080p's either, but I'm surprised to see how many 32" LCDs are out of stock at Wal-Mart now, since that's where I was looking for their Sammy LCD for the longest time. I also noticed that Wal-Mart has a JVC now, but exactly how does Wal-Mart's JVC model compare as opposed to the LT-32X787/887?

For those that have ordered from Costco.com, did they strap the box to a pallet or include any tip/shock sensors? The 50px60u they have right now is really tempting. Someone mentioned they had theirs delivered by Bekins I believe, but that could differ from state to state. Anyone know if they ship from various warehouses or is it coming from somewhere around their HQ in Washington?

For those that have ordered from Costco.com, did they strap the box to a pallet or include any tip/shock sensors? The 50px60u they have right now is really tempting. Someone mentioned they had theirs delivered by Bekins I believe, but that could differ from state to state. Anyone know if they ship from various warehouses or is it coming from somewhere around their HQ in Washington?

Just took delivery about an hour ago for Pioneer 5070. The box did come on a pallet, which they didn't bring in of course. Brought it up 2 flights of stairs. Simple transaction. As far as shipping times, I ordered it on Friday Oct 6, It arrived in Wilmington on Monday Oct 16th, and they delivereyd it today, Oct 18th. Pretty fast service, Took about 6 business days to ship to Delaware.

I don't think there were any tip sensors or anything like that, but really didn't look or ask. Just opened it up when they brought it in to make sure the glass wasn't broken.

Now I'm just trying to figure out where to mount the wall bracket.

Sounds easy enough, and that seems really quick - I wonder if they are using local distributors for the orders. That Pioneer looks like a great plasma, also.

Just took delivery about an hour ago for Pioneer 5070. The box did come on a pallet, which they didn't bring in of course. Brought it up 2 flights of stairs. Simple transaction. As far as shipping times, I ordered it on Friday Oct 6, It arrived in Wilmington on Monday Oct 16th, and they delivereyd it today, Oct 18th. Pretty fast service, Took about 6 business days to ship to Delaware.

I don't think there were any tip sensors or anything like that, but really didn't look or ask. Just opened it up when they brought it in to make sure the glass wasn't broken.

Now I'm just trying to figure out where to mount the wall bracket.

cool, so i guess you ordered with white-glove delivery? i read in Costco.com that if you don't order with white-glove, they won't take it in to your house. i guess the the extra cost for inspection might be worth it...

Well now they have really got me.

The put the Sony KDL-46V2500 BRAVIA 46" LCD TV next the pannasonic TH-50 plasma 6U.

There is no comparision the Sony has a better picture. It's brighter and more precise. It cost more as well.

For that matter every Sony LCD I have seen is brighter than the any Plasma.

The Panny has the glass glair thing going and it's not a 1080.

They don't have the sharp LCD but at BB it was not very impressive.

Wish I knew what the V2500's Bravia Engine verses the XBR3 Bravia Engine Pro really means? Or what the DRC MF V2.5 on the XBR3 means?

One place on Sny says the V2500 has the new Bravia Engine Pro and the other it says it has only the Bravia Engine?

Well now they have really got me.

The put the Sony KDL-46V2500 BRAVIA 46" LCD TV next the pannasonic TH-50 plasma 6U.

There is no comparision the Sony has a better picture. It's brighter and more precise. It cost more as well.

For that matter every Sony LCD I have seen is brighter than the any Plasma.

The Panny has the glass glair thing going and it's not a 1080.

They don't have the sharp LCD but at BB it was not very impressive.

Wish I knew what the V2500's Bravia Engine verses the XBR3 Bravia Engine Pro really means? Or what the DRC MF V2.5 on the XBR3 means?

One place on Sny says the V2500 has the new Bravia Engine Pro and the other it says it has only the Bravia Engine?

i wanted the panny tell i saw and researched the sony. Ended up getting the v2500 and couldnt be happier.

Many people say xbr3 owners turn off the bravia drc 2.5 making this slight difference between the sets useless.

Ok, since this is the CC thread, I guess I am posting here. Please yell at me if this isn't the right place.

On Monday, I went during my lunch break to take a tour of the various electronics stores in the area (BB, CC and a local retailer are all within a 3 minute drive of each other). After looking at lots of displays in all 3 stores, and looking at my budget, I decided to go with the KDL-40S2010 (40" Sony Bravia).

After asking some more questions and looking around some more, it turned out that all 3 retailers price-match, so price was no longer an issue. I hate shopping at BB, so that immediately cut it down to CC or the local retailer.

This being my first purchase, I decided to pay for installation. Installation costs from the local retailer were hourly, and a flat-rate at CC. Given the # of hours estimated at the local shop, the costs appeared to be approximately the same.

So then the clincher - the local place says they are looking at 7-10 days to do the installation, while CC tells me their installers are booking 2-3 days out. Well, as much as I like contributing to the continued existence of local businesses, I am a sucker for (semi) instant gratification, so I went with CC.

Today I receive a call from the installer who informs me that he is booked at least a week out due to the "large size" of the TV. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I can tell, where LCDs and Plasmas go, 40" is on the low-end of the spectrum.

Unfortunately, this was the straw that broke the camel's back (during the sales process, the second salesman I spoke with in the afternoon essentially informed me that many of the additional items quoted to me by the morning salesman were incorrect - including a lower installation fee, and lower cost for the actual mount mechanism). I was willing to let all the other crap slide, until they pulled this on me as well. I went in today to pick the set up (because god forbid they have their sale item of the week in stock at the beginning of the week), and asked to speak with a manager about my sales experience. After being bounced between 3 different people to repeat my story, I was told to return or call back tomorrow to speak with yet another person.

So, with my VERY long-winded rant out of the way (boy I feel better), my question is this - what options do I have to pressure CC to lean on their installers to meet the commitment made to me of 2-3 days? Does anyone have any tips on dealing with them?

Thanks,
Will

At Costco in Santa Rosa Ca, they have the Sony bravia lcd right across from the Visio lcd of the same size.....watching the feeds with fast motion, THE Sony had a huge amount of "blocking" and the Visio lcd had almost none! I would of thought that the 1980p and Sony's technology would provide a much better picture with less artifacts....I was so suprised by this that I watched for over 15 minutes....in slow motion thing were fairly equal, and in static scenes with no movement I could not ascertain that the Sony had a sharper detail in the picture.....especially for $1000s more. Costco also is carring the Visio plasma line again....Lots to think about, as I was SURE that the Sony lcd was the way to go

So, with my VERY long-winded rant out of the way (boy I feel better)

I wouldn't bother. When things go sour, I usually bail and try elsewhere.

At Costco in Santa Rosa Ca, they have the Sony bravia lcd right across from the Visio lcd of the same size.....watching the feeds with fast motion, THE Sony had a huge amount of "blocking" and the Visio lcd had almost none! I would of thought that the 1980p and Sony's technology would provide a much better picture with less artifacts....I was so suprised by this that I watched for over 15 minutes....in slow motion thing were fairly equal, and in static scenes with no movement I could not ascertain that the Sony had a sharper detail in the picture.....especially for $1000s more. Costco also is carring the Visio plasma line again....Lots to think about, as I was SURE that the Sony lcd was the way to go



Seeing something like this in a store should not change your mind. The Sony has a great picture..no better lcd at this point.

Seeing something like this in a store should not change your mind. The Sony has a great picture..no better lcd at this point.

The Costco 46" 1080p Sony is about *twice* as expensive as the Vizio 46". It had better deliver.

Note that the expensive Sony 1080p is likely to fail the "3:2 pulldown test."

While the cheap Vizio has the "DCDi De-Interlace" and "3:2 or 2:2 Reverse Pull-down" features.

Looking at my local HH Gregg recently, I had a chance to look at all the LCDs there, and no contest, the JVC looked the sharpest out of all of them. I, for one, believe that I'm gonna hold off a bit on it, but it's definitely one to consider for the record, tho.

I am considering JVC LT-46FN97 (1080p). Does Costco carry this model?

At Costco in Santa Rosa Ca, they have the Sony bravia lcd right across from the Visio lcd of the same size.....watching the feeds with fast motion, THE Sony had a huge amount of "blocking" and the Visio lcd had almost none! I would of thought that the 1980p and Sony's technology would provide a much better picture with less artifacts....I was so suprised by this that I watched for over 15 minutes....in slow motion thing were fairly equal, and in static scenes with no movement I could not ascertain that the Sony had a sharper detail in the picture.....especially for $1000s more. Costco also is carring the Visio plasma line again....Lots to think about, as I was SURE that the Sony lcd was the way to go

Most likely it's the way the set was setup in the store....my Costco has both the Vizio and Sony next to each other and the Sony is sharper and more detailed.

It's a beautiful set and they are selling even at almost double the price of the Vizio. It's alot to think about though since the Vizio on it's own looks excellent and is aggressively priced. It's a very attractive looking set also.

The Sony wins hands down in terms of PQ, but is it "worth" almost double the price? That's and individual call.

Looking at my local HH Gregg recently, I had a chance to look at all the LCDs there, and no contest, the JVC looked the sharpest out of all of them. I, for one, believe that I'm gonna hold off a bit on it, but it's definitely one to consider for the record, tho.

That's what I saw also and I also bought the JVC 46FN97 and couldn't be happier, Costco did carry it twice for about a week at a time online, the last time was a very good price but thats been a couple of weeks ago now.....

Yeah, I may probably look at the JVCs at Best Buy and BJ's this weekend, just to compare them to HH Gregg's. I understand that all of them have different models of JVCs and Samsungs from each other, so it'll be a while before I see which one's gonna get my vote.

Hi, did anyone here know anything you would recommend from Micro Center at all? I know that's a store that's hardly ever mentioned in this thread, and wondering if it's worth checking out their place at all.

- does anyone know when Samsclub.com will restock their Westy LVM-37w3's???

anyone know what sams have the samsung hls6767 which was originally only at costco but recently spotted at one sams for 100 less.

At Costco in Santa Rosa Ca, they have the Sony bravia lcd right across from the Visio lcd of the same size.....watching the feeds with fast motion, THE Sony had a huge amount of "blocking" and the Visio lcd had almost none! I would of thought that the 1980p and Sony's technology would provide a much better picture with less artifacts....I was so suprised by this that I watched for over 15 minutes....in slow motion thing were fairly equal, and in static scenes with no movement I could not ascertain that the Sony had a sharper detail in the picture.....especially for $1000s more. Costco also is carring the Visio plasma line again....Lots to think about, as I was SURE that the Sony lcd was the way to go

When you say "blocking" do you mean that some of the lines, particularly with edges aren't smooth? I noticed that on the 40" Bravia 2500 and another XBR at the Sony Store in SF. They were being feed by Sony players, HDMI with a commercial disk, not their standard HD disk played at BB, CC etc. I was kind of surprised since I was leaning towards the 46" Bravia at Costco.

It seems the price on the Sony (XBR and Bravia) have just dropped. Costco hopefully will follow suit too. :) This is discussed in the Sony v2500 group.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=702114&page=57&pp=30&highlight=sony+v2500

Yeah, today I can see that a big television network seems to be carrying a Westinghouse 32" LCD w/ DVD Player built-in as what they call an "Our Top Value" today. Anyone know the quality of the Westy with the DVD player built into it (yes, I mean the front-loading slot)?

What sort of difference will I see between 46" LCD 1080P Sony Bravia at Costco and the latest Sony Bravia XBR of the same size and 1080P that costs about $800 more at other places?

I think some of the price difference is the bezel/frame which is larger on the more expensive set. I don't really want the larger frame so no problem there going with the cheaper set.

I see something listed at the sony site that mentions "DRC-MFv2.5 digital video processing" on the more expensive one. What would I notice on the picture with that?

Has anyone ever compared these two levels of Sony products side by side to see if it's noticable?

(I've been waiting around to get what somebody think is the best bang for the buck - the Westinghouse 47" - but I'm giving up because of lack of availability and also some reports of quality problems so I might just go to Costco for my first HDTV.)

When you say "blocking" do you mean that some of the lines, particularly with edges aren't smooth? I noticed that on the 40" Bravia 2500 and another XBR at the Sony Store in SF. They were being feed by Sony players, HDMI with a commercial disk, not their standard HD disk played at BB, CC etc. I was kind of surprised since I was leaning towards the 46" Bravia at Costco.
I went back to Costco today, and looked again at both the visio and sony lcds. The sony does have a sharper picture,...but..in fast scenes the mini "squares" are visible...the edges remain smooth. I am not as impressed with the visio, this time, although from 8' away it is hard to find fault with the visio...My wife on the other hand prefers a 60" rptv, not withstanding the obvious poor edge detailing..(I have a 57"sony rptv) go figure!

I originally bought a Visio plasma. It broke down in the first 3 months so I'm staying away from off-name brands. In fact the latest Consumers Report rated Visio low. I'm inclined to go with either Sony or Sharp, but waiting to see if the Sony prices drop at Costco.

FWIW I bought a 46in Sony 2500 and a 46in Vizio on the same day at Costco. At home, I was disappointed in the PQ of the Vizio and will be returning it. For my money the Sony is worth the extra bucks, especially if the price drops a little. Of course, the Vizio is 720 and the Sony is 1080 so maybe thats the reason. The Vizio is much worse on SD signals from the same cable feed. On HD signals I simply can't adjust the Vizio to match the Sony's quality.

So, despite the price differences I'll be sticking with 1080 sets. This rules out the nice Pana plasmas as well.

Well, 1080p seems to be the quality to go with for a 40". I, for one, see that Panny plasmas do seem to have that potential. Of course, I was also looking at plasmas from, was it Akai? Yeah, they're so-so, but of course, Akai's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, either. Now, I'd kill myself over an LG, those were supposed to be awesome.

FWIW I bought a 46in Sony 2500 and a 46in Vizio on the same day at Costco. At home, I was disappointed in the PQ of the Vizio and will be returning it. For my money the Sony is worth the extra bucks, especially if the price drops a little. Of course, the Vizio is 720 and the Sony is 1080 so maybe thats the reason. The Vizio is much worse on SD signals from the same cable feed. On HD signals I simply can't adjust the Vizio to match the Sony's quality.

So, despite the price differences I'll be sticking with 1080 sets. This rules out the nice Pana plasmas as well.

Comparing PQ between the two, is really no comparison. I didn't notice that the Vizio was not as sharp, and the blacks weren't that black. Perhaps it difficult to tell in the warehouse, but the Sony was much better in both regards. My wife likes the Sharp LCD; she thinks its as sharp as the Sony even at only 720p, and at a much lower price point. I'm glad my Vizio crapped out on me, giving me a reason to upgrade to either the Sony or Sharp.

BTW, went to Costco today. They did lower their Sony prices, but only by 5% of their price. Not as much as I was hoping for since the XBRs dropped quite a bit at the B&M stores. :o

bought the Sharp 26 inch LC26SH10U, great color and PQ. After 4 weeks, there is a high pitch humming noise from the LCD. Finally had to take it back to Costco. I would stay away from this unit.

Funny thing is the people at Costco tried to give me hard time when I returned. Wanted to know what's wrong. Asked me if I called the tech support phone # to obtain a return authorization. Then, supervisor came over and checked my account out. Saying they will monitor my purchase pattern whenever I return stuff. So, I let them had it. I yelled at the guy and asked him what happens to the satisfactory gurantee, besides the machine is defective. Then, he said he is "just letting me know". B*ll Sh*t. :mad:

Methinks Costco wants to have the cake and eat it too! Already looking elsewhere for my new >=42" 1080p LCD.

bought the Sharp 26 inch LC26SH10U, great color and PQ. After 4 weeks, there is a high pitch humming noise from the LCD. Finally had to take it back to Costco. I would stay away from this unit.

Funny thing is the people at Costco tried to give me hard time when I returned. Wanted to know what's wrong. Asked me if I called the tech support phone # to obtain a return authorization. Then, supervisor came over and checked my account out. Saying they will monitor my purchase pattern whenever I return stuff. So, I let them had it. I yelled at the guy and asked him what happens to the satisfactory gurantee, besides the machine is defective. Then, he said he is "just letting me know". B*ll Sh*t. :mad:

Don't feel bad. Those Costco people also gave me the 3rd degree. I saved the box just in case the set broke. I usually keep boxes for 3 months, and then toss. This set started acting up after 3 months and I thought I'd live with it. However, the problem started getting worst. So I kept it for almost 5 months before returning.

They unpacked the set, checked to make sure all the accessaries and parts were there, and then plugged it in and turned it on. Hum, I thought, because that's more then they would normally do on returns. Then they plugged in a dvd player to the back and let it play. I told the guy the set intermittently turned off, and may turn off after 5 minutes or 2 hours. Obviously, he didn't believe me. He didn't listen, but was checking my return history while letting it play. :o

The gods must have been looking down on me that day because the set shut down after 10 minutes. The guy tried to turn it back on and it wouldn't. I told him that it took about 5 minutes before it would restart. He then proceeded to type in on his computer screen that the set was defective and turned off after 10 minutes. This wiped the smug smile off his face. :D :p

I think they're changing the way they take tv returns. Perhaps this particularly Costco is bad about returns since I've heard bad things about them at the SSF Airport location. Perhaps I should not have kept the box and packed it back because they might have thought I was just "upgrading" to a newer model after 5 months.

I may buy another tv from Costco, but not from that store and give they my business. I was thinking about the Foster City store, but a previous post didn't have good information about them either. Perhaps my next buy would be with JR since they prices are much lower (about 10% and no tax) and I'd buy the extended warranty through Sonystyle. But I still do like Costco..... :rolleyes:

IMHO, I am not so sure you should go to any trouble because of a beligerent Costco Manager. The profits go to the Company anyway. Just keep smiling and use the store of your convenience. You did nothing wrong.

anyone purchase the tilt wall mount they have at costco? Good piece?

anyone purchase the tilt wall mount they have at costco? Good piece?

Works fine on my 37" Vizio, easy install...... ;)

anyone purchase the tilt wall mount they have at costco? Good piece?

I bought it and it worked nicely for the Maxent 50" plasma. I ended up returning the plasma because I didn't like it, but the mount is awaiting another TV when I pick it out.

My only advice is to consider whether or not you plan on eventually having a set larger than 50". You end up putting 4 decent size holes into the studs and it would be desirable not to have to do this again in the future if upgrading sets.

I also had a terrible experience at my local Costco when returning a defective tv. The manager came out and puposely pulled me out of line and in front of all the other customers online, he began to speak very rudely and loudly so that everyone could hear. He accused me of using the store to upgrade technology and threatened to pull my membership. After about ten minutes of arguing and them looking up my account, he quietly took me aside and said " I guess I was wrong, everything is ok". What! You humiliate me in front of all the customers and you think everything is ok! Well, I called Costco.com and compalained. They appologized and said it never should have happened and that they would definitely speak to the manager. I will never buy a tv at that store again, I will buy from Costco.com, they are still terrific.
Oh, btw, Samsclub lowered the price on the Sony 46" substantially.

The Costco closest to me does a terrible job showing their tv's. The picture quality is terrible and the sets are not adjusted, so it's impossible to compare sets. Well, today I was in a different part of town and I stopped in another Costco and wow! Every set had the same excellent HD feed and all sets seemed to be adjusted properly. I spent about 30 minutes there comparing the Vizio 46", the Sony 46" and the Sharp 45". It was easy to pick the winner. The Sony was spectacular. The Sharp was very good. Now if you looked at the Vizio without looking at the other 2 sets, you would say not a bad picture. But, when you directly compare, with a good signal, your simply kidding yourself if you think the Vizio is as good. In the 30 minutes I was there, 3 people came in to buy the Vizio. 2 walked out with the Sony and the other 1 said he had to go home and break the news to his wife that he now wanted the Sony.

Now that you're talking Costco, I, for one, being a temporary BJ's member, I can see that Sony also has a 32" with phenomenal quality, and I was hoping that they'd have more of the same selection that they had on their web site. However, instead of pushing Toshibas, JVCs, Vizios, and/or Samsungs, they were pushing Sharps, Sylvanias, Pannys, and Sonys more than anything else. This seems like something to consider in the near future. Hmm, makes me wonder if BJs is the best place for a television or not. I may not even last there for the holiday season.

Guys:

I would like to wall-mount the Sharp 45'' TV (LC-40C45U). Could you please tell me which mount would you recommend and the best place to buy it? I am not seeing much response from my main thread and am therefore posting here...

Thanks

Guys:

I would like to wall-mount the Sharp 45'' TV (LC-40C45U). Could you please tell me which mount would you recommend and the best place to buy it? I am not seeing much response from my main thread and am therefore posting here...

Thanks

Peerless / Cheif makes good mounts. I got mine from racksandmounts.com

Does anyone know for sure if Sams has the same..'satisfaction or return and get refund..no time limit' warranty as Costco? The reason I ask.. I checked prices of tvs on Sams site and they list warranties to purchase for the tvs they sell. You would never see warranties for sale at Costco or would you ever need them.

Does anyone know the return process with Costco.com if you don't have the means of transporting a large item (Panasonic plasma, in this case) back to one of their warehouses? Just wondering if anyone here has had experience with this...still waiting to hear back from them.

Does anyone know the return process with Costco.com if you don't have the means of transporting a large item (Panasonic plasma, in this case) back to one of their warehouses? Just wondering if anyone here has had experience with this...still waiting to hear back from them.

If you still have the box, you just call them up and tell them you want it pickedup. If you don't have the box, then they are going to ask you to return it yourself to a local warehouse.

Does anyone know for sure if Sams has the same..'satisfaction or return and get refund..no time limit' warranty as Costco? The reason I ask.. I checked prices of tvs on Sams site and they list warranties to purchase for the tvs they sell. You would never see warranties for sale at Costco or would you ever need them.

Sams wants to be more competitive with Costco, so a few months ago there was a change on their website. It no longer said 90 day warranty, it just said customer satisfaction. However, I have been to 3 SamsClubs and asked the employees. They have all said 90 day warranty. It seems to me that they want to offer the Costco type warranty, they just don't want anyone to know about it.
The only actual experience I had with returning to Sams was actually pretty good. I bought a laptop and purchase a 3 yr warranty. I had problems with the computer in year 3. I sent it to the warranty company twice and they couldn't resolve the problem. When I called the warranty company they told me to send it in again, I refused. I went back to Sam's, spoke to the manager and he told me to go to the computer section and pick out a new one. He gave it to me in exchange for mine. Of course I did have the original receipt and warranty papers, but I think I happened to get a really good manager. I find that the managers at Sam's have a lot more leeway, than Costco, to do whatever they deem necessary to starighten out any problems.

If you still have the box, you just call them up and tell them you want it pickedup. If you don't have the box, then they are going to ask you to return it yourself to a local warehouse.

Thats what I was told too. I've had my TV for a week now (157 hours so far). Gonna wait a month before tossing it. Most electronics will fail within the first month if there going to at all. It's a really big box though, doesn't look very pretty in my living room.

Does anyone know how long it takes from when costco.com says "Shipped" to when they call you to arrange delivery?

If you still have the box, you just call them up and tell them you want it picked up.

And there's no charge for return shipping. And they'll refund the original shipping charge.

Does anyone know for sure if Sams has the same..'satisfaction or return and get refund..no time limit' warranty as Costco?

Yup, they do. But Costco is much better on shipping and returns.

Sams wants to be more competitive with Costco, so a few months ago there was a change on their website. It no longer said 90 day warranty, it just said customer satisfaction. However, I have been to 3 SamsClubs and asked the employees. They have all said 90 day warranty. It seems to me that they want to offer the Costco type warranty, they just don't want anyone to know about it.
The only actual experience I had with returning to Sams was actually pretty good. I bought a laptop and purchase a 3 yr warranty. I had problems with the computer in year 3. I sent it to the warranty company twice and they couldn't resolve the problem. When I called the warranty company they told me to send it in again, I refused. I went back to Sam's, spoke to the manager and he told me to go to the computer section and pick out a new one. He gave it to me in exchange for mine. Of course I did have the original receipt and warranty papers, but I think I happened to get a really good manager. I find that the managers at Sam's have a lot more leeway, than Costco, to do whatever they deem necessary to starighten out any problems.



Just seems, today, the Costco warranty is a little more solid and stated more definitely. I have taken things back and no problem whatsoever.

Does anyone know how long it takes from when costco.com says "Shipped" to when they call you to arrange delivery?

It took 7 business days for the TV from placing the order to get to the delivery company in Delaware. Then I arrange to have it delivered 2 days after that.

Don't feel bad. Those Costco people also gave me the 3rd degree. I saved the box just in case the set broke. I usually keep boxes for 3 months, and then toss. This set started acting up after 3 months and I thought I'd live with it. However, the problem started getting worst. So I kept it for almost 5 months before returning.

They unpacked the set, checked to make sure all the accessaries and parts were there, and then plugged it in and turned it on. Hum, I thought, because that's more then they would normally do on returns. Then they plugged in a dvd player to the back and let it play. I told the guy the set intermittently turned off, and may turn off after 5 minutes or 2 hours. Obviously, he didn't believe me. He didn't listen, but was checking my return history while letting it play. :o

The gods must have been looking down on me that day because the set shut down after 10 minutes. The guy tried to turn it back on and it wouldn't. I told him that it took about 5 minutes before it would restart. He then proceeded to type in on his computer screen that the set was defective and turned off after 10 minutes. This wiped the smug smile off his face. :D :p

I think they're changing the way they take tv returns. Perhaps this particularly Costco is bad about returns since I've heard bad things about them at the SSF Airport location. Perhaps I should not have kept the box and packed it back because they might have thought I was just "upgrading" to a newer model after 5 months.

I may buy another tv from Costco, but not from that store and give they my business. I was thinking about the Foster City store, but a previous post didn't have good information about them either. Perhaps my next buy would be with JR since they prices are much lower (about 10% and no tax) and I'd buy the extended warranty through Sonystyle. But I still do like Costco..... :rolleyes:

Yikes! that's kind of interesting to hear since i shop at that costco usually. I almost returned the philips i had for the past year because of issues, but firmware upgrades seem to have fixed it for now.

Maybe the managers have gotten some internal notice to bully the latest round of TV return-ers so that it doesn't become a bigger problem in the future and help keep costs low? I know if i was bullied about returning the samsung they sell, i'd probably leave the store crying and never return to buy and return anything at that costco. (the samsung did not have the features noted on the box, and it was within 30 days).

wendy

wow after the few bad experiences ppl had returning legitametely defective tvs to costco it seems some are jumping ship. Sams while seeming to keep it quieter which is worrisome should have about teh same policy and had lower price by 100 on one tv i was looking for so might prefer there anyway for several reasons.

i guess costco jus started hearing about ppl realizing the policy and taking advantage. but now they are shooting themselves in the foot being rude to the innocent ppl.

Anyway this being thread for other stores besides Costco.

i was wondering if there has been any sightings of the samsung hls6767 at sams and/or what latest pricing at costco is

Well, walking into BJ's again, I'd have to say that there's quite nothing like seeing that the selection that they had on the shelves was far different from their web site offerings. The one reason was that they advertised a JVC LT-32X787, but it wasn't even on the shelf when I was there, surprisingly, I wanted to see what that TV looked like up close and personal. Well, did THAT ever backfire. Anyway, I hope to see more selection near the holidays, and hoping that one will capture my interest without hesitation.

The following is my e-mail to Costco:

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:12 PM

“Hello,

I am interested in becoming a Costco Member but have questions prior to joining.

One of many advantages that Costco offers its members is your 100% satisfaction guarantee. Just exactly what does this mean?

I ask this question because I have heard and also read online that it is up to the discretion of the Store Manager is this true?

This guarantee that you provide your members is by itself a very big reason for your success and I personally would not like to be put in the position of a Store Manager’s whim.

So who trumps whom if a problem arises on a return the Store Manager or Costco"?

Thank you,
Jerry
===================================================
And Costco’s reply:

Thursday, October 26, 2006 10:16 AM

“Dear Jerry,

Thank you for your email to Costco Wholesale.

With few exceptions, Costco has a 100% guarantee on all of our merchandise.

If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply return the
product and packaging, along with the receipt, if possible, to your
nearest Costco warehouse. After the 30 day period returns are up to the discretion of the Store Manager.

Please note, as of November 4th, 2002 , the return policy for all desktop
and notebook computers is six months from the date of purchase.
Six months after purchase, all computer services and technical support
will be subject to the applicable remaining manufacturer’s warranty.

We do support our warehouse managers if you have concerns about a decision they have made you may feel free to call member services at 1-800-774-2678.

Thank you,
Costco Wholesale Corporation
memberservice@costco.com”

I followed this up with another e-mail about where HD TV's fit in their return policy. Awaiting their reply.

Thought this might be of interest.
---Jerry---