I ordered a Panasonic TH-50PZ800U from J&R music world but I am a little worried about how it is being shipped.First let me say I have bought many products from them and all have arrived fine and have shown no problems.But with the TV I received an email saying that the box was opened to add extra packing for shipping.They assued me that the TV is new and "factory fresh" but it worries me not knowing for sure.Has anybody ever had this happen or heard of it???
shipping worries
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That sounds kinda suspect until you consider that most plasma boxes weren't designed for single shipment. What I mean is that they are designed to sit on a wooden pallet strapped to several other plasma boxes in the upright position. Even so, I've purchased 2 plasmas that required shipping across several states and neither was opened to add more packing material. J&R is a legit retailer, but I would still refuse delivery if you have any reason to believe they may be sending you a used/returned unit that was advertised as new.
I guess they could have put it back on....but I know what you are talking about.Maybe they have been getting alot of them damaged during shipment and just want to be on the safeside...either way..I will look it over very carefully...even going to use my LED flashlight for close inspection..lol
I guess they could have put it back on....but I know what you are talking about.Maybe they have been getting alot of them damaged during shipment and just want to be on the safeside...either way..I will look it over very carefully...even going to use my LED flashlight for close inspection..lol
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every tv is packaged for shipping single or mass. I would tell them to take it back and send me one unopened. That sounds a little shady to me. You are one of the first people I've heard of that a company has to open your package for extra shipping? I smell a rat.
X2.... That sounds fishy.. I ordered my Plasma's from online and they were shipped without adding anything extra.. I did refuse the one, since it looked like the box was rolled down a hill.. I would contact the retailer and ask how often they do this, as well as, why?? They ship from the factory without any more paddding.. I would just look that over, as well as, access the service menu to see how many hours are on the tv...
X2.... That sounds fishy.. I ordered my Plasma's from online and they were shipped without adding anything extra.. I did refuse the one, since it looked like the box was rolled down a hill.. I would contact the retailer and ask how often they do this, as well as, why?? They ship from the factory without any more paddding.. I would just look that over, as well as, access the service menu to see how many hours are on the tv...
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I think a lot of good internet stores will open the box before shipping. They want to make sure the panel is not damaged before they ship.
I got a 60" Kuro from Robert last year and he E-Mailed me that his company opens before shipping. All was well when I got that Kuro. I did ask him to test my Kuro before shipping but he declined.
If Panasonic is like Pioneer you can check to see if there are any hours on your new display.
I think a lot of good internet stores will open the box before shipping. They want to make sure the panel is not damaged before they ship.
I got a 60" Kuro from Robert last year and he E-Mailed me that his company opens before shipping. All was well when I got that Kuro. I did ask him to test my Kuro before shipping but he declined.
If Panasonic is like Pioneer you can check to see if there are any hours on your new display.
Flat screens are sent on pallets. When they are take individually and shipped they are top heavy. Many dealers ship to distributors who ship with private shipping companies under the guise of 'white glove' delivery service. If your stuff is coming from fedex or ups I pity you. Unless you are getting the tv you want with an extended warranty AND several hundred less than what you would pay at a bricks and mortar retail store - I would not recommend it.
ONTO YOUR ISSUE though!
The one thing you can do is to check to see if they removed the box and added 'center support'. Most flat screens are shipping with two bottom foam pieces that hold the tv in the base which is usually 1/3 the box height. The top piece of the box goes the whole way to the floor over the bottom box and two foam pieces are placed at the top of the box. This creates a soft crate for the box to ship, but because they do not put foam in the center, it is subject to damage when shipped individually if someone leans into the center of the box or while moving the box around stairs etc - or even shoving it onto the truck, turning it and hitting the corner of another box abruptly into the center of the tv box.
Also these boxes are a bit topple prone. So a few pieces of center support that will disperse energy from a hit away from a point on the screen to a piece of foam covering the general screen area will be helpful.
All of this is a moot point however if you find that your box was opened and there was nothing special done to it.
You should find that most of these boxes have little plastic 'tabs' on the bottom that you squeeze and yank out to release the top part of the box, AFTER the band straps have been cut. If your tv is shipped with this type of box and there are no band straps on it, you should worry that it was returned and carelessly reshipped. I doubt this will happy though so don't worry about it until it happens, which it shouldn't.
Like someone else posted, there is a thin foam 'blanket' that covers most tvs. If this isn't included then again, concern that it was a redo. Check with others that receive the same tv to see what kind of packing they removed too. Different manufacturers have different techniques.
Also, I think I noticed that VIZIO doesn't use this method, they use the old fashion staple method and have the person lay the tv on its side and slide it out, at least the one I looked at had this method. All the others had the carton methods I mentioned above that were sold at Costco.
ONTO YOUR ISSUE though!
The one thing you can do is to check to see if they removed the box and added 'center support'. Most flat screens are shipping with two bottom foam pieces that hold the tv in the base which is usually 1/3 the box height. The top piece of the box goes the whole way to the floor over the bottom box and two foam pieces are placed at the top of the box. This creates a soft crate for the box to ship, but because they do not put foam in the center, it is subject to damage when shipped individually if someone leans into the center of the box or while moving the box around stairs etc - or even shoving it onto the truck, turning it and hitting the corner of another box abruptly into the center of the tv box.
Also these boxes are a bit topple prone. So a few pieces of center support that will disperse energy from a hit away from a point on the screen to a piece of foam covering the general screen area will be helpful.
All of this is a moot point however if you find that your box was opened and there was nothing special done to it.
You should find that most of these boxes have little plastic 'tabs' on the bottom that you squeeze and yank out to release the top part of the box, AFTER the band straps have been cut. If your tv is shipped with this type of box and there are no band straps on it, you should worry that it was returned and carelessly reshipped. I doubt this will happy though so don't worry about it until it happens, which it shouldn't.
Like someone else posted, there is a thin foam 'blanket' that covers most tvs. If this isn't included then again, concern that it was a redo. Check with others that receive the same tv to see what kind of packing they removed too. Different manufacturers have different techniques.
Also, I think I noticed that VIZIO doesn't use this method, they use the old fashion staple method and have the person lay the tv on its side and slide it out, at least the one I looked at had this method. All the others had the carton methods I mentioned above that were sold at Costco.
Like sillysally mentioned there is nothing wrong with the box. The main reason why you see the box open is to ensure that their is no damage during transit from the distributor. Keep in mind, J&R bought maybe a pallet of PZ800's. The main reason why they check them to ensure that their is no damage from the distributor, thus if there was damage on the display they can receive a replacement from the distributor. The main key that we are talking about is "liability". Whether it comes from distributor to retailer then retailer to customer.
Chris
Chris
I guess I may be a little paranoid.I have bought electronics from them since the 80's and never had any problems.I wish I could turn it on and make sure it works but everyone is saying that is not a good idea because it will be cold fom being on the truck.I guess all I can do is wait till it get's here wednesday and see .
I guess I may be a little paranoid.I have bought electronics from them since the 80's and never had any problems.I wish I could turn it on and make sure it works but everyone is saying that is not a good idea because it will be cold fom being on the truck.I guess all I can do is wait till it get's here wednesday and see .
I think the other thing to add to this is maybe they have had some issues before.
IE:
1. they receive a pallet - don't check them.
2. ship one or two a month later.
3. customer complains of damage, retailer says return it.
4. retailer tries to get money back 3 months later - manufacturer laughs.
SO, to avoid - maybe they are checking everything now?
S
IE:
1. they receive a pallet - don't check them.
2. ship one or two a month later.
3. customer complains of damage, retailer says return it.
4. retailer tries to get money back 3 months later - manufacturer laughs.
SO, to avoid - maybe they are checking everything now?
S
The salesman returned my call today and assured me the tv is new and not to worry.He said they have been doing this for awhile for customer protection.He also said he did'nt blame me for being worried and understood my concern.He said the packing made the weight over 100 pounds,I think ther set itself is like 80 +.
The salesman returned my call today and assured me the tv is new and not to worry.He said they have been doing this for awhile for customer protection.He also said he did'nt blame me for being worried and understood my concern.He said the packing made the weight over 100 pounds,I think ther set itself is like 80 +.
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