[doswonk1]

These guys' prices may be on the high side, but I gotta give 'em credit for fast service. I ordered a CM-7000 from them last night, around midnight, and it's already shipped. Tracking number says FedEx has already picked up the package.


So, factoring in fast shipping, not having to burn gas, time saved, *and* not paying sales tax, I'm pretty satisfied so far.

 

[Rammitinski]

Yep - same here. I ordered the CM-7000 the other day, and it wasn't even 24 hrs. later that I got it. Granted, I live in Illinois and it came from Michigan - but still!


It's the same thing when I order from Crutchfield - no taxes, often no delivery charge, no-hassle returns - if it's a huge, heavy item they'll even arrange to have it picked up - you name it. It still usually comes out to no more than what you'd pay in a store after taxes (sometimes less, with their clearance prices). Best service in the world, and even if I sometimes pay a little bit more, it's always worth it.


You really do get what you pay for. That's why there was no way I was gonna give my coupon numbers to any of these half-baked places that some people here did, even if it meant saving ten dollars or whatever. I'm generally just as conservative with my dough as the next person, but you gotta know when to give it up in the right spots.

 

[doswonk1]

Ram, totally agree with you on all points. Actually, I think some earlier comments from you finally convinced me to burn a coupon at SS. I love Crutchfield, too. Got a smokin' deal on a Sharp Aquos LCD flatscreen from them last Nov.--better price than any store I could find, FREE delivery, no sales tax, AND a FREE wall mount for the thing. Crutchfield's "Scratch-n-Dent" store is another great source of bargains.


There's a reason why somebody first said "penny wise, pound foolish!"

 

[Rammitinski]

I know. In people's quest to save a few dollars, they often end up not saving anything - or even losing.


People in our local OTA thread and other forums here have been ordering from SS for a long time and have had nothing but good things to say. It's always been one of the top 2 or 3 OTA internet retailers usually mentioned for OTA stuff here. So I knew they were a very respectable outfit, right up to the other day when I ordered from them. I guess they're either jacking up the prices on these things because they have some kind of edge, or just because everyone else is doing it and they can. I mean, you could knock them all you want - but isn't everyone doing it now? With no exceptions? Even if you're completely honest, you can only go so long before you have to do it with this economy. I know this from experience - not mine, but people I've worked for - being too good of a guy in business only puts you in the poor house.


I know I might've really overpaid for the DTVPal, but I still feel more comfortable ordering it from them. I just figured it would be much less riskier, given how so many here have gotten burned and have even lost their coupons. I mean, what if you have to exchange or return it to one of these fly-by-night outfits? Especially this "guy" who's only been renting an office to sell them out of for the last 3 weeks? There's no way in heck I'd ever give someone like that my coupon and credit card numbers. If it works out for you, then more power to 'ya - it just ain't for me. Assuming I even get my order, I'd rather pay a little more to someone I know is gonna be there after I get it. I'm gettin' older, and a few bucks more to keep the stress levels down to me is worth it.


'Course, I could've waited and just paid full price for the "TR-40". Yeah, like I'm really going to do that - after all this other crap that's gone on so far with all of the boxes. I know what this box here is like, and that's the one I definitely want. The "TR-40", if it really does come in at 40 bucks, is very likely to not be any better or have any more advanced features than the Magnavox.

 

[CasualOTAer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Rammitinski /forum/post/14165873


'Course, I could've waited and just paid full price for the "TR-40". Yeah, like I'm really going to do that - after all this other crap that's gone on so far with all of the boxes. I know what this box here is like, and that's the one I definitely want. The "TR-40", if it really does come in at 40 bucks, is very likely to not be any better or have any more advanced features than the Magnavox.

Somebody please tell me that all the commotion about the TR-40 wasn't just because of it's (supposed) $40 price tag. The DTV-PAL thread keeps bubbling to the top of the list in this forum. Since they were first announced, the '40 has had folks chomping at the bit. Now that it's replaced by a real box, they're still keen on it.


Given all the delays and other heartburn that folks have endured in pursuit of the E* CECBs, I shake my head and wonder why so many folks got so tantalized by the TR-40.

 

[partsman_ba]



Quote:
Originally Posted by CasualOTAer /forum/post/14167020


Somebody please tell me that all the commotion about the TR-40 wasn't just because of it's (supposed) $40 price tag. The DTV-PAL thread keeps bubbling to the top of the list in this forum. Since they were first announced, the '40 has had folks chomping at the bit. Now that it's replaced by a real box, they're still keen on it.


Given all the delays and other heartburn that folks have endured in pursuit of the E* CECBs, I shake my head and wonder why so many folks got so tantalized by the TR-40.

#1 - Timer to retain functionality on NSTC - equipped recording devices (yeah, like my Panny VCR)


#2 - 7 day EPG


#3 - Compatibility with TVGOS devices (we hope)


#4 - Yeah, $40 price tag (somewhat)

 

[partsman_ba]

BTW, SolidSignal just came down on their price for the DTVPal.

 

[CasualOTAer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by partsman_ba /forum/post/14167052


#1 - Timer to retain functionality on NSTC - equipped recording devices (yeah, like my Panny VCR)


#2 - 7 day EPG


#3 - Compatibility with TVGOS devices (we hope)


#4 - Yeah, $40 price tag (somewhat)

Oh, so #2 is of interest because it makes #1 more useful. Duh! I'm a little slow on the uptake, I guess.


I've never had any TVGOS-capable devices, so that promised feature didn't resonate with me.


I guess I should go back and read the DTVPal thread to read if #1 is there and living up to expectations.

 

[DITTOTEX]



Quote:
Originally Posted by partsman_ba /forum/post/14167066


BTW, SolidSignal just came down on their price for the DTVPal.

Price: $ 79.98



Usually Ships Same Day

MSRP Price: $ 79.99

You Save: $ 0.01

 

[Rammitinski]



Quote:
Originally Posted by CasualOTAer /forum/post/14167103


Oh, so #2 is of interest because it makes #1 more useful. Duh! I'm a little slow on the uptake, I guess.


I've never had any TVGOS-capable devices, so that promised feature didn't resonate with me.


I guess I should go back and read the DTVPal thread to read if #1 is there and living up to expectations.

Yes, the timer is the main reason. No other box has that, and zillions of people want to be able to record from these things without having to babysit them all day to keep changing the channels.


Even none of the HD boxes have a manual event timer.

 

[Rammitinski]



Quote:
Originally Posted by DITTOTEX /forum/post/14167240


Price: $ 79.98



Usually Ships Same Day

MSRP Price: $ 79.99

You Save: $ 0.01

Maybe I should call them up and demand my one cent back.

 

[TheFranchise]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Rammitinski /forum/post/14165722


You really do get what you pay for. That's why there was no way I was gonna give my coupon numbers to any of these half-baked places that some people here did, even if it meant saving ten dollars or whatever.

Provantage, which sells a ton of stuff and as far as I've seen people are generally happy with, and Mosquito, who posts here, are half-baked? Really?


There are reasons I would have ordered from one of those two even if all three had the product at the same price. But the bottom-line is, no one saw any of the hoopla coming.


Heck, SolidSignal can't even get the MSRP price right.

 

[doswonk1]



Quote:
I'm gettin' older, and a few bucks more to keep the stress levels down to me is worth it.

So true. I've gone out of my way, during two trips for other purposes, to find a DTT901 or late-mfr Insignia at "local" (i.e., ~35-40 miles away) BB, RS, WM, etc., with no success. So the slight extra I paid for the CM-7000, if indeed, I did pay more in the end, is worth it to me.

Quote:
I mean, you could knock them all you want - but isn't everyone doing it now? With no exceptions? Even if you're completely honest, you can only go so long before you have to do it with this economy. I know this from experience - not mine, but people I've worked for - being too good of a guy in business only puts you in the poor house.

Hey, making a profit is the whole point of being in business; maximizing it when you can is just good business sense. A business that takes a larger profit when market conditions allow, rather than settle for a smaller one, isn't dishonest--just smart. Now, if you're cheating people, misrepresenting your product, or engaging in some other chicanery, that's another matter. But if market conditions are such that you can raise your price without a dropoff in sales volume, who wouldn't do it? Supply and demand. Right now, CECBs are in short supply--at least, they're not like commodities you can pick up on an ordinary grocery run--so, yes, the price is going up. I'd like to get 'em for way cheap, but that's business. As a consumer, I've decided that, while the price is higher, it's still a fair exchange for what I get in return (digital TV thru my old sets).


Dish may have discovered that market demand and the going price for CECBs has allowed them to price the Pal at $59.95 MSRP, rather than the $39.95 they rashly promised back in January (better to have said nothing or promise it would be "competitively priced"). What executive is going to go to the stockholders and say "Well, we coulda made $20 more pure profit per unit, but hey, we decided against it," and still keep his job?


If the DTVPal lives up to its hype (I was impressed by what I saw on the Dave Zatz videos), I may just spend my other coupon on one from Solid Signal, since the DTT901 isn't showing its nondescript faceplate in these parts.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

I ordered a Winegard 4400 antenna and Channel Master 4220 antenna and a Channel Master 4030 antenna, and 2 Pico UVSJ Combiner/Seperators from Solid Signal. And they shipped fast, but they subbed inferior Combiner/Seperators.


Sad but true.

 

[Rammitinski]

Well, that sucks.

 

[Rammitinski]



Quote:
Originally Posted by TheFranchise /forum/post/14167628


Provantage, which sells a ton of stuff and as far as I've seen people are generally happy with, and Mosquito, who posts here, are half-baked? Really?

I didn't say they were all half-baked, but some of them were obviously a little suspect to begin with. I wasn't referring to the places that had been around and had respectable reputations.

 

[6volt]

They want $89.95 for the Lasonic LTA-260


I think that is getting a little bit too greedy.

 

[300ohm]

I just ordered a CM 0264 preamp from Solid Signal on Monday, got it Tuesday and up on the roof Wednesday. And didnt pay extra for next day air or anything.

 

[johnied]

Personally i would rather pay a dollar or two more and know stuff is actually going to come.



John

 

[benmuss]

Free enterprise and supply and demand, hmmmm...lets see which way the prices go.