[Adi]

Bought the JVC 48WP30 over the weekend at Best Buy along with a 4 year service plan for $299. I have the option of returning the service plan within 30 days.


Good thing about the plan is, Best Buy will either repair or replace the TV if anything goes wrong. According to the sales guy, their technicians will do the mechanical CRT alignment, convergence focusing, color/brightness calibration etc, any number of times needed.


He also claimed, convergence goes out of focus depending upon the humidity in the room. Is there any truth to that.


What is your opinion on Best Buy Service Plans? How are their technicians rated (obviously I don't expect them to be videophiles). How many of you bought the service plans (best buy or otherwise) with the RPTV?

 

[Matt_Stevens]

The technicians are probably less knowledgable than you. That's what I found out when daling with Sears technicians.

 

[McPatrickClan]

Adi, save your cash. Return the service plan now.


I bought a Best Buy service plan about a year ago. My RPTV has functioned perfectly and I doubt I will ever use it to my benefit.


Best Buy says that they will repair or replace the RPTV if anything goes wrong, right? Well, I was told by the salesman that if anything goes wrong with my HP laptop that HP never repairs laptops, they just replace them. So I bought the service plan thinking that hey, if this thing acts up, I'll just trade in for a new one! Too bad. I took mine in and the service tech looked it over for ten minutes then told me that I would not get a replacement and that they would have to send it in to HP in the Northeast. I would have it back in about ten days. It sounds like the salesman was misinformed, he tells me.


I moved last month and had my convergence go out of whack. I called Best Buy to schedule a service tech. When he worked on my RPTV, he screwed it up! The focus was very off. Yes, the average Joe SixPack would find this acceptable, but I would hope that as an AVS Forum member, your standards are higher than that. I had my RPTV ISFed by Steve Martin and now it looks fantastic.


Get a refund and spend it on an ISF calibration.

 

[wbcollegekid]

Hi all, im glad i saw your question. I am a best buy salesman, so i have quite a bit of knowledge on this. First best buy does not cover convergence. However the loophole is that when you call the 1800 number you just tell them that you tv is acting funny even though you know whats wrong. The plan covers the performace, ie we guarantee it to work like new. Also, i have had tv's that have been replaced just because they were out of convergence. This is upto the technician, if they cant align it well, then tell him you would like to exchange it. It really depends on the tech who comes out. Best Buy is typically very good of taking care of the customers. I hate to tell you that you purchased a baby boomer. Its one of the first of its kind, DVI/HDCP, can display 720p in its native format, etc. Plus it is a RPTV for less than two grand retail. You will need to use some type of service in four years trust me. It might never cost best buy 300 dollars, but it would cost you well over 500 for the same problem. If you want to back up your investment than keep the service plan. People who are telling you otherwise will be sorry later. I have service plans on everything i purchase, even stuff from other retailers, ie ultimate electronics. If you decide to go against my advice, good luck, and be careful.

 

[Rodney]

This is an interesting thread to me, as I recently purchased a Sony RPTV at Best Buy, and the sales people really pushed the service plan. When I told them I was not interested, they stopped short of saying I was foolish if I didn't buy the plan. They used the line, "we are not on commission, so I am not just trying to sell you the plan."

I just don't see the rationale for buying a tv that is supposed to be good quality, then I am told that the tv will most likely have problems in a few years. Hmmm, if you think the tv is that bad, why buy it in the first place? The Sony comes with a one year warranty, and my credit card doubles that, so I have the first two years covered. Why pay $300.00 for an additional two years? I don't get it. Instead I put the money in the bank, and let it grow interest, and if I need it, it's there. Best Buy isn't trying to do us any favours by selling us service plans.

 

[hugenbdd]

Quote:

Originally posted by wbcollegekid Hi all, im glad i saw your question. I am a best buy salesman, so i have quite a bit of knowledge on this. First best buy does not cover convergence. ... Its one of the first of its kind, DVI/HDCP, can display 720p in its native format, etc. Plus it is a RPTV for less than two grand retail.

Umm, Doesn't this TV only support 1080i format? Native? From what I've read and searched on it upconverts everything to 1080i, and other AVS members have said an interlaced dvd player looks better or equal to a progressive scan..

 

[WOLVERNOLE]

Rodney-


Touche...and AMEN. I love it when the sales guys go on and on and on about what excellent quality equipment you are gonna be buying...and then before the ink is dry on the Mastercard...they are saying that the thing often has problems...um...in a few years...and...um...(goes on to cite some horror stories about an old customer...or his bro-in-law who got screwed because he was foolish enough to NOT get a service contract. I'm planning (next time) to say "You're right...tear up the sales ticket...you just convinced me that this thing is unreliable...and walk out !

 

[Forceflow]

well, I am a former Best Buy sales person. I have seen service plans help customers greatly and do nothing that other sales people have said. In reference to HDTVs I bought one from Best Buy before leaving. I got a 40H80 ( a toshiba) with the service plan for 1800 total (saved over a grand). I was new to large TVs in general since my family had a 19 inch Sony TV and a 27 inch Sony TV before that. I never noticed that the right side of my TV was very fuzzy. When I did it was passed the 30 day return/exchange period. I immediately called the service plan number and the tech came when my father was home. He attempted to adjust the convergence and screwed up the geometry and further blurred the picture in other areas. The right side was a tad better tho, but the TV looked worse than anything I'd seen. Needless to say, my dad thought the TV was fixed because ther repairman said it was. I called the number again and stayed home this time. Ther repairman looked at the TV for 20 minutes without doing anything. He then took off the screen, cleaned the lenses with a harsh cloth (possibly scratching the lens!) and flipped the screen. All of this did nothing. He tried to adjust the convergence again. Not much better. In short, after 4 times of fixing the TV I have had no success. In the service contract it guarantees against lemons (a huge selling point) yet, in my case the General Manager failed to exchange this TV out since a newer model came out. This has been my experience with this issue, I have seen it work out well many times. Its a tough decision, but I feel that this forum will help you with most problems you may encounter. If you have the time to fix it, it can be fixed. I ended up converging my TV properly myself after buying a grid, but I still plan on making Best Buy replace my TV now that DVI compatible TVs are out. I dunno, maybe I'll wait for the next gen HDTVs.... Sorry about the long post, hope it helps people though.

 

[wbcollegekid]

To hugenbdd, i dont mean to be rude, but do you understand native formats or HDTV in general. HDTV comes in several formats 480P, 720P, 1080i.

Almost all RPTV can only display 480P and 1080i in native format. So, if you recieve a hi def signal in 720P than the only way you will be able to see it is if your hi def box could down convert to 480P or 1080i. All do one or the other. For instance, i own a pioneer 533hd5 and it can only handle 480P and 1080i, so when abc comes on my sony HD box converts it to 1080i. Dont try to catch me in a mistake OK. As far as the service plan goes, i dare anybody to call a service center and see what the hourly rate is to work on an HDTV and then ask them how much mark up is on the replacement parts, then ask them how long it usually takes to fix hidef TV. As far as other benefits of the service plan: its renewable at the end of the 4 years, covers acts of GOD, transferable, in home service. I feel bad for those who have had bad luck, but i have heard more good than bad from my customers. I usually sell 5 out of 6 customers service plans. Some how if it wasnt beneficial than no one would ever purchase it. If for nothing else, buy it for the 4 year parts, if you dont feel comfortable with the techs. You can just have as much bad luck with a best buy tech as you can with any other tech. Wolvernole, I hate to tell you but us best buy employees could care less if you buy a TV from us, they make millions without your purchase,I have actually screwed a sell on purpose cause the customer acted like i didnt know what i was talking about. Just remember "I am not on commission"

 

[JimboG]

Quote:

Originally posted by wbcollegekid To hugenbdd, i dont mean to be rude, but do you understand native formats or HDTV in general. HDTV comes in several formats 480P, 720P, 1080i.

No, HD does not come in 480p, despite what Fox would have you believe with their "High Resolution Digital Widescreen" propaganda.

 

[Adi]

Thanks all for the input.


Great post Forceflow. Exactly what I was looking for, first hand expereince.


I had a sweet and sour experience with Best Buy before. Few years ago, a rental video cassette was struck in the Sony VHS player. I tried to get it out, it wont budge. Called Best Buy Service dept., they quoted $15 to get the cassette out. Asked my wife to take it to the Best Buy.


While she was there, this guy tried to take it out for about 15 mins and then got fed up and tried forcing it out. Result, he screwed up the transport. After about 2 hours he returns the player to my wife and says somebody tried to pull it hard and screwed up the player. My wife called my immediately and I spoke to the supervisor, that idiot was siding with the technician eventhout my wife witnessed what the technician was doing. Next day, I escalated the issue. Service dept. got in touch with another Best Buy about 10 miles away and asked us to take the unit there.


Technician in the second Best Buy was better, he immediately sent the unit to the central repair facilities in Baltimore. Three days later, I got the call from them saying it would cost me $175 to replace the transport.


To make the long story short, manager in the second Best Buy understood our problem and offered a new replacement unit.


I never bought any service plans until now. Fell for it because of the problems indicated in this forum and my own expereince with one set. Obviously all Best Buy technicians are not the same.


I am gonna return the plan.

 

[Adi]

Quote:

Originally posted by wbcollegekid Wolvernole, I hate to tell you but us best buy employees could care less if you buy a TV from us, they make millions without your purchase,I have actually screwed a sell on purpose cause the customer acted like i didnt know what i was talking about. Just remember "I am not on commission"

OK, OK, YOu just convienced me to return the Best Buy Service Plan......

 

[Nate Thompson]

Quote:

OK, OK, YOu just convienced me to return the Best Buy Service Plan......

That should be quite enjoyable, as they will do almost anything to convince you of the errors of your ways! Just don't back down and they will eventually (after 30 minutes probably) give up and refund your money.

 

[monster a/v]

Here is the deal with Best Buy's service plan. The plan coverage is for four years and it is in home. It covers damage from dust, heat, humidity, normal wear and tear (problems from usage), power surges, focus problems, and converence problems as long as is not fixable by remote. When someone is going to invest 2-3k on a projo with so many potential problems, $299 is worth the peace of mind itself. I might sound like I'm selling it, but it just makes sense. I've needed repairs before, and it would have been costly if I didn't have the service plan. As far as techs that can't fix your problems, the plan has a no lemon promise. If a tech comes to your house to fix the same problem three times over the four years, you get a new set! So who cares if the tech can fix it.

 

[thebulgd]

I bought some speakers from BB about 31/2 years ago. Last month they stop working. I call and ask what I should do in this situation. They said bring the receipt and the speakers into the store to get new ones. Anm hour later I had new speakers. I thought that was kewl. I buy the warranties if the cost in not prohibitive. I am not going to pay 50 bucks for a 100 dollar item however. Anyways, I'm two cents poorer now.

 

[McPatrickClan]

This is so subjective, too. When I used to live in Houston, I used to avoid certain Best Buy and Circuit City stores because of the poor service. Then again, there were fantastic stores like the West Houston location or the Greenspoint district store. I would imagine that the service on these plans are about the same way. What happened to products that last as long as you use them? I am sick of paying for normal usage.

 

[Marty VA]

Making no comments about the quality of the sales staff or the service plans of the different national chains, here are some random thoughts. Some manufacturers do not, I repeat do not support their warranties very well. I always believed that a good surge supressor was adequate and if I had a problem in warranty, I would be taken care of, and out of warranty, I'd take my chances. An independent servicer, who is not paid to sell service plans, stated that he told all of his relatives to purchase extended service agreements, because the manufacturer's were both slow and low in payment to servicers, so consumers were becoming more and more agrivated, because of lack of service. An example, one of the top six RPTV companies allows $40 for a servicers trip charge, regardless of distance! If it breaks, your chances of repair are much greater in a timely manner, even during the manufacturer's warranty period, if you have an extended warranty

 

[Robby Cee]

I bought a Mits 55819 from a Tweeter store a couple of moths ago. I bought their extended warranty, basically the same thing Best Buy has. My decision was based on the fact that I could not afford to replace this RPTV if something bad happened to it. Three thousand bucks is a lot of money to a young guy like me. Anyhoo, I know for a fact that I will have a big Hi Def TV for at least four years,at which point I will probably be ready to upgrade anyhow. As was previously mentioned, he piece of of mind is worth 300 bucks to me. So, I think each person has to weigh the cost f his/her piece of mind, and make the decision themselves. I love HDV!


PS 480p is not, I

repeat, NOT, high definition.

 

[Evicted]

Despite the feelings of many on both sides of the issue, I appreciate the input from the current and former Best Buy folks... and have a couple of related questions maybe they can answer:


1. Is there anything in writing that tells you specifically what is covered? I have searched online and read the entire receipt to no avail... all I know is what the salesman told me.


2. One of the biggest reasons I bought the performance plan is I was told it covers burn in (which I understand is *not* fixable, so a new TV would be required? Please correct me if I'm wrong.) I am currently living with a couple of people who have no clue, no matter how many times I try to explain it to them... that they cannot just leave the TV on all the time, or leave the video game on the screen (while not being played...) - they just have no clue, and don't care to learn. Luckily I am moving in a month, but in the meantime I am terrified of going away for more than a day. Anyway, can you confirm that burned in TV's will be replaced?


3. What about the DVI issue, if HDTV becomes unavailable (at it's best quality anyway) to non-DVI sets, is this included since I can currently watch HDTV at best quality? (Well ok I could if I had a decoder and oval dish.. )


4. Speaking of moving, obviously I am going to be very careful moving it, but if anything is amiss once I am relocated, are they going to try to blame it on the move, or will they just fix it regardless?


I appreciate any thoughts you have on this...


Thanks! - E

 

[Thomas1]

Quote:

Originally posted by Adi OK, OK, YOu just convienced me to return the Best Buy Service Plan......

I would think that if you are reading this message board than you would be able to fix small problems yourself.Convergance ,cleaning the lenses, and other maintance issues aren't that big of a deal . However the cost of replacement parts is another story. Replacing a gun or a board could be quite costly. Since You have spent the money already enjoy your TV with some peace of mind. What it boils down to is $6.25 a month sounds pretty good to me.