pdutta2000

The local Tweeter has a Toshiba 50HDX82 for $1599. It's the floor model. The outside looks really nice and well maintained, but I'm worried about the inside. Can I trust that these guys have configured it correctly, and haven't done anything stupid? The price is really nice and I can probably bring them down even lower. Thanks for your advice.

Fandango

If there is a good return policy I don't see that much harm in buying it and trying it out.

gotapex

RPTV's are generally the worst thing to buy a floor model of. It's probably been playing on torch mode between 12-24 hours a day since it arrived. Since a brand new 50HDX82 is about $1599 plus shipping or so (no tax) from a factory authorized dealer, there's little reason to go with that one.

bfrank

I totally agree with gotapex on the RPTV being a bad call for a floor model.

pdutta2000

Thanks for the info...that's what I thought. I guess I'll just wait for the H83 models to arrive. Thanks

Johnny Zhivago

Good call... gotapex and bfrank are right on. Do NOT buy a floor model RPTV....

CPA-ESQ.

I'll pile on and say DO NOT buy a floor mode.

1) It's been "ON" 24/7 since day 1.

2) Who knows how many people, kids, sales people have touched the screen (even if it has a screen protector). I had one sales man bang on the screen to show me how it sturdy it was.

3) Torch mode (high brightness and contrast settings) tax the guns and could cause "burn in" on the screen.

Pay the extra $ for a new one it could save you $ in the long run... but if you want to take the chance and budget is a factor - then this may be a good deal.

Good Luck

NotThatGuy

no..

No...

NO.....

Thought about it three time...got the same answer.

Ever since seeing the burned in images of "Fantasia" at Circuit City...never.

The ONLY reason I would..is if they had a rock solid replacement policy...so if ANYTHING was wrong..you could exchange it.

-pedagogue

Gioman

A/V receivers? Speakers? Sure.

RPTVs? Never.

renaldow

Another NO vote. I don't buy anything that's a floor model, mainly because of how I treat floor models when I'm shopping. I pick them up, move them around, try to find weak buttons, etc.. I'm not the only one who does this. After a few months, no matter what it is, it's been beaten over and over again. It might be less expensive, but I think it's definitely going to have a shorter life.

JimRochester

If you can save about 50% off the price of a new one including the extended warranty, get it. Then immediatley have everything replaced so that it's new.

nekobus

Another no vote here.

Frank S

This is a common thing salesmen do to trick people into "Thinking" they are covered! Truth is, buying a HDTV that is being run 12 hours a day, 7 days a week as the CRT's are losing their finite life FAR, FAR quicker then normal viewers would ever use it! And the kicker is CRT wear IS NOT covered under ANY warranty because wear on CRT's is NOT a defect and warranties cover defects not wear & tear!

collven

Just a quick correction, Best Buy's service plan does cover wear and tear, so CRT wear is covered.

Frank S

What are you basing this on? A salesman's claim or a clearly written indication that they will cover wear and tear under their warranty? I would like to see such a warranty because I no of no warranty that has ever covered wear & tear. And even if it did cover wear & tear for 5 years it still doesn't help the fact that the HDTV now has a mere 5-6 year max useful lifetime as opposed to 12-15 years for a new/normally operated HDTV.

AOD

Yet another vote for NO. You never know how much use it's seen (and whether or not that kid stuck his gum in the av jacks on the back).

collven

Here is a cut and paste from the actual PSP. The last sentence mentions the wear and tear.




4-Year Performance Service Plan (In-Home) - Digital TV

Please review the following terms and conditions of the service plan available in your state. Select the I ACCEPT button to place this plan into your Shopping Cart.


This Plan provides complete power surge protection from the date of purchase on the product covered.
All Plan coverage commences on the original product purchase date.
This Plan is inclusive of the manufacturer's warranty; it does not replace the manufacturer's warranty, but provides certain additional benefits during the term of the manufacturer's warranty. After the manufacturer's warranty expires, this Plan continues to provide some of the manufacturer's benefits, as well as certain additional benefits listed within the Plan's terms and conditions.
Coverage under this Plan expires 2 or 4 years from the original product purchase date as stated on your purchase receipt.
You must provide a safe, non-threatening environment for our technicians in order to recieve service.
This Plan does provide coverage on a carry-in basis for remote control repairs not due to loss or abuse.
This Plan provides battery repair/replacement for camcorders.
International coverage is available on a limited basis. See store for details.
This Plan provides coverage for product failures due to dust, heat, humidity and normal wear and tear.

DVD_O_Rama

I bought my Toshiba RPTV from Best Buy years ago, and they DO cover wear and tear.

Cheers,
Erik

Frank S

The key word here is NORMAL wear and tear! I would venture to guess that someone who brings in a HDTV that is 2-3 years old that has CRT's that are already worn out that the warranty company will not cover it because of unusual wear in a short period of time. And if the receipt says it is a floor/demo model it gives the warranty company another reason out as floor/demo unit are NOT used properly and thus no coverage! Just search the internet for people who have been ripped of by the warranty company Best Buy and a lot of other stores use and you will find a lot of people who were screwed on technicalities and other fine print situations.

Again, I just can't see why someone would buy a floor/demo model that has half it's effective life already gone to save $300-$500! After 4 years of use most HDTV's will still give you 8-10 years of effective life yet a floor/demo model (which is then out of it's 4 year warranty) is nearing an end to it effective life!

collven

Trust me, I used to work at Best Buy, it does cover wear on the CRT's. That's why it's called a PERFORMANCE service plan, not an extended warranty. If the tv or whatever you purchased isn't performing just like it did out of the box in 3 years and 11 months, they will look at it and fix what needs repairing. I've gotten 2 free pc's, a free dvd player (which is a 5 disk changer that replaced a single disk player), and a free monitor, all replacements under the PSP. Not too mention free cleanings on my vcr, free yearly inspections of my dvd player, and free inspections and cleanings of my camcorder. So you can say they're not worth it, but to me, I wouldn't think about buying a $2000 tv without one. As a matter of fact, I just bought one today, woohoo.

Frank S

I still don't buy it that they will cover it especially seeing the many complaints of ripoffs by the company that Best Buy uses! Remember a HDTV does not get brought into Best Buy but the warranty service is shopped out to a company that does on-site service, so judging what Best Buys does with in store and what is doen on-site is not valid.

And just how good is this warranty at 4 Years 1 Month, or 5 years when the effective life has been exhausted?

collven

Best Buy contracts out with factory authorized service centers in each market they are in. If you have a problem with a big screen, they send a technician from whichever local shop they happen to contract with and they fix the tv in home if possible, otherwise they pickup the tv and bring it to the shop and fix it there. So it depends on which shop they work with in your area.

You can renew the plan after 4 years. I've talked to lots of people who keep renewing their PSP's until the no-lemon policy kicks in. If the tv needs more than 3 repairs or something is wrong that can't be fixed, the tv is replaced. Renewing it is alot cheaper than the original plan also. So figure on a $2000 tv, you spen $300 on the original PSP and then you renew for a couple of years and the tv finally just dies, you get a brand new tv for a whole lot less than a new one.

In my opinion, the service plan is a good thing on one condition, every time something happens, even if it's something very minor, call them up and make them send a service tech. It only takes 3 repairs before the no-lemon policy kicks in, so make them fix every little thing that goes wrong. I think alot of people will let little things go sometimes and not worry about fixing them. One last thing it covers that alot of people forget about is the factory remote. I don't know if you have ever replaced a factory remote, but they usually run about $60 or $70 at least. Sure, you could just buy a universal remote, but it might not have all the same feartures. With the PSP, it's replaced for free.

Whether you believe me or not, I promise the plan covers wear and tear, including the CRT's. If the CRT's weren't covered, it would specifically state that. I dealt with enough customers who were having tvs fixed or replaced when I worked there to know.

duy37

i would only get a floor model RPTV if the picture looks good and is at least 60% cheaper than any price i could find. thus, i'll probably never buy a floor model RPTV. in fact, i don't even like RPTV CRT that much, they will be the first to be extinct. RPTV DLP looks promising.

Trelach24

What do you guys think about buying a DLP floor model? Apparently they have no burn-in and the sales guy at Tweeter said they will cover the bulb warranty.

Is it any different from buying any other floor model TV?

PittsburghKidd

To answer the original post -- Never, ever buy a RPTV as a floor model......and yes I am piling on. Never, every buy speakers either...If you have ever been in a Best Buy when the people come up and turn the volumn up 80% because they are buying speakers based on how loud they can get, you would know to avoid any of the speakers.

That being said, for Frank S., Why are you disregarding all the advice here about CRT's and the performance warrenty offer by Best Buy? Did you ever have a problem with them? I would think that if someone is kind enough to post the exact text from the performance warrenty, that would be good enough.

pdutta2000, please remember that mine and anyone elses opinion is just that, opinion. It would be nice if people would post based on experience alone, but that doesn't always happen.

I can tell you, I just purchase a Sony 36" HDTV from Best Buy, floor model, for just under a thousand dollars. It's list was $1799.00. I did opt for the 4 year service plane. I figure that saving over $800.00 is a good reason to buy the floor model. I have been extremely happy, plus, I have had absolutely no problems...and I am no fan of Best Buy.

Good luck finding a TV for yourself