|
Who's Online |
| Visitors: | 175 | | Members: | 2 |
| Total of: | 177 users |
| |
| Member | Logged | | Johnnycanso | 7.3 min |  | | RomanBlade86 | 1.9 min |  |
| Users will be removed if they logged out or are inactive for 35 minutes |
| Visitors: | 794 | | Members: | 1 |
| Total of: | 795 online users |
| November 14, 2012, 2:44 pm |
You are Anonymous user. Register for free by clicking here.
 Inbox
Log in to check your private message
|
|
 | |
| Author |
Help! Need opinions regarding floor models... |
jchensor
Rank: Sony Buff
Joined: Jul 17, 2002
Posts: 14
From: Los Angeles, CA
 |  Posted: 2002-08-29 18:10
Success stories? Horror stories? Please, relate them all here...
I went to my local Circuit City, and they have the Sony 36XBR800... except it's an "open model." Basically, someone bought it and returned it, and they now have it on display at the store.
It looks lilke it's still in brand new condition. And now, because it's open boxed, it is priced, now, at just under $2130, which makes it VERY tempting. I know sites like Shopsunshine and Crazzyeddie have it for ridiculously low prices, but I've heard plenty of horror stories on these forums about those sites to trust them. So I want to go with a "legit" local store. And finding an 36XBR800 at $2130 is really whetting my appetite.
Now, the question is: should I TRUST a floor model? I mean, it was returned by a customer, but the sales representative told me that they cannot put it out on the floor UNLESS it is in perfect working condition... And it looks so beautiful in the store, I can only imagine how it'll look in my home. ^_^ And, maybe as an added benefit, does this mean I can bypass the "leave it on for 100 hours to let it 'settle'" advice?
So if you have any warnings about floor models or if anyone out there has bought one and is completely happy with theirs (no problems ever), I may have to rush in and buy it tomorrow or Saturday, before someone else snatches it up!
Thanks, everyone.
- James
|
|
-W-
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Jul 04, 2002
Posts: 537
From: Sacramento, CA
 |  Posted: 2002-08-29 23:01
Greetings jchensor: 
And finding an 36XBR800 at $2130 is really whetting my appetite.
Here's the tube...
www.crutchfield.com/S-N4fVcSQVKaq/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=15836XB800
Steady, big fella. Steady as you go!
IMO, getting a brand new, virgin, out-of-the-box 4:3 KV-36XBR800 for $1,999 (plus tax) shouldn't be too tough of a trick!
Do your pricing research and homework. Read the messages here about other people's shopping experience.
Selling you a returned KV-36XBR800 for $2,130 is not doing you any kind of favor! Maybe, $1,600 or so (with the original Sony warranty) would get my attention.
Think! You'll likely need a stand, whether Sony's or otherwise, plus cables, and maybe a DVD player. Extended warranty? Delivery? Old TV haul away?
Chill out! Look at the big picture (no pun)!
Sheesh, you're in the Los Angeles area and so you have tons of retail choices!
Do the research and decide what's right for you!
-W-
[ This message was edited by: -W- on 2002-08-30 12:56 ]
|
paulaceto
Rank: Sony Legend
Joined: Dec 14, 2001
Posts: 1211
From: Rhode Island, USA
 |  Posted: 2002-08-30 06:45
Someone had to return it for a reason.
|
gsxrguy
Rank: Sony Fan
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 5
From:
 | Posted: 2002-08-30 07:23
Actually inspect it over test everything out if it looks to be in good working order you never know.. I'll tell you a funny story I had with my KP-61HS30.. lol
Ok, I goto Circuit City wanting to buy my very first TV larger than 27 inch I see a couple.. I think humph widescreen... no... no point, most all my DVDs are Fullscreen and I watch regular TV alot.. plus I've never seen widescreen without the bars so i'm not missing nothing I tell myself(the "can't miss what you never had" saying). Anyways I look around CC.. I think hmm not getting a tube.. and I mine aswell spend the extra cash and get an advanced HDTV after awhile it came down to the RCA 61" and the Sony 61"(they were both side by side). CC commercial came on them with them both, with them side to side, I instantly notice the color was better in the Sony than in the RCA by a small amount and they were both the same price practically. So I say.. hell.. can't go wrong with a Sony, it's gotta beat out the RCA no doubt. So I tell the man RING THIS BAD BOY UP! Now back to my story at hand. Let me tell you I live in a two story house(can you see where i'm going =P) Yes the BEAST wouldn't fit up there stairs.. but I had the extra $300 something dollar warranty on it so I tell the moving man go ahead and try it. It doesn't fit.. I was so pissed.. so I send it back(it did get a very very small scratch where the paint rubbed off the top, other than that.. the system was brand new out of the box) Anyways I stomped around pissed, threw some things all the while thinking about what I could do to Beastly KP-61HS30 TV. After awhile I said screw it sold my pool table that was in the downstairs room and moved my whole room down there! haha(I wasen't paying the mover the $300 he quoted me to hoist it up through the bedroom window upstairs-I'll spend that on my home theater system...-) So after getting everything downstairs I called up Circuit City and told them I wanted the KP-61HS30 that'd i'd be putting it downstairs, they ask me if the old they tried to deliver to me is ok? I said sure.. They deliver it I notice the sticker on the side "this was either a model display unit or it was returned to the store, do not remove this sticker and it had the sticker stamped date on it" So as you can see you never can tell why it was returned, might not have been a bad reason it was returned. So I'd say check it over and inspect it real well, you never know might get a deal.. If you got the cash go for it. I just thought i'd share my funny story.. and get this. I'm actually thinking about swapping my damn 61" out for a smaller TV maybe a real good Tube. LOL who knows...
[ This message was edited by: gsxrguy on 2002-08-30 08:06 ]
|
tboggs
Rank: Sony Devotee
Joined: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 60
From: Durham, NC
 |  Posted: 2002-08-30 08:14
I got my 36XBR800 for $2007 from CC new, untouched, and I read about someone else here getting one from CC for $1930. I would go shopping on the net, find the best price you can on the 36XBR800. Then print out the page and take it in to CC. They will match the price, plus you can get a new one instead of the open model.
|
dschroll
Rank: Sony Aficionado
Joined: Aug 17, 2002
Posts: 102
From: Chicago, IL
 | Posted: 2002-08-30 10:08
Hmmmmm.....buying a floor model is a gamble. I have a story of my own. Last year I bought a 64" Pioneer from Tweeter. It was a floor model, so I got a great price on it($3500 out the door). The TV was gorgeous. Plus, because it was a floor model, Tweeter gave me a 5 year warranty on it which was included in the price. In the last couple of months, I've noticed some problems with the set. There was a red glow coming from the left side when the screen was all black, DVD images in the foreground had shaded bars across them, the screen blacked out when flipping channels when watching analog cable and I had to shut off the TV for the video to kick back in. So, I called up Tweeter and they came out to my place 3 times attempting to fix it, but failed each time. Then, they decided to take it back to their shop where it stayed for almost 3 weeks. They called me back and said it was fixed and returned it to me. As soon as I got it back, I hooked it up and noticed not one of the problems had been fixed. So, I called them the next day and they decided to just give me store credit for what I paid for it and now I'm going with the Sony 34XBR800 with stand and a 5 year warranty, and some spare change. Now, although it worked out in the end for me that I'm getting this brand new TV and all, I don't think I will ever buy a floor model again. First off, I had to be home every time Tweeter wanted to fix it or when they came to pick it up/redeliver it. That was a hassle since I work on a daily basis. Second, who knows how Tweeter treated that TV before I bought it. Like most people say, a lot of retail places turn up the contrast on a TV and such to make the picture stand out in a showroom. So, I was nervous to think how hot my TV was burning before I came along. That could easily effect the life of a TV. If Tweeter had that TV on display for 6 months burning hot every day, not only would the TV be 6 months old, but chances are it would die a year sooner than it would had it been burning at a regular temp. So, just be wary of buying a floor model. If you are leaning to getting one though, make sure it comes with some sort of warranty and hope you don't have to go through the same hassle I did. Good luck!
|
jchensor
Rank: Sony Buff
Joined: Jul 17, 2002
Posts: 14
From: Los Angeles, CA
| Posted: 2002-08-30 13:31
Thanks for the responses, guys. ^_^ Especially -W- warning me about the prices. Yeah, $2130.00 isn't all THAT special of a price, but I was intending to do some full-on haggling. ^_^ I figured $2130.00 was a better jumping-off point to dropping it down to something like $1900.00 (like you paid, iirc, -W-) than starting straight from $2300.00 that it normally is.
If I can get the price down low enough, I'll risk the floor model. If they won't lower it from where it is now, I may have to pass.
I'll let everyone know how things go, if something transpires. ^_^
|
-W-
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Jul 04, 2002
Posts: 537
From: Sacramento, CA
| Posted: 2002-08-30 14:00
Greetings jchensor:
Now you're talkin'!
I have a correction to my 4:3 KV-36XBR800 price...it was $1,999 rather than $1,900 that I paid at Circuit City. The tube was listed in the store at $2,299 I believe.
FWIW, I double checked with Good Guys and they would match but could not beat the $1,999.
Remember, do your pricing homework. Think about what stand suits you best and roll that into the deal on the TV purchase if possible. In my area, I found that CC offered other stands besides the Sony ones. GG didn't have as good of a choice for other than Sony.
It's your business, but if the TV price diff' between the floor model and brand new is only a couple of hunski, I'd go w/ brand new.
Just a couple pennies worth of my opinion...
We look forward to hearing what you decide to do!
-W-
|
jchensor
Rank: Sony Buff
Joined: Jul 17, 2002
Posts: 14
From: Los Angeles, CA
| Posted: 2002-09-01 03:45
I bit the bullet... ^_^
Basically, I'm not sure which is the accurate story, but apparently, the new salesman I talked to said the TV wasn't returned by anyone at all, but was just used as a floor model. He also said he was confused because it was their only one, and so he's curious as to why they opened it up and put it on display.
In any case, he said it had been on display only for a week, so it's still relatively new. I looked it over very carefully, and it looked still in perfect, brand new condition.
So after some haggling, I did manage to get the price down to what you had: $1999.97. ^_^ I also got the stand and an extended warranty (I'm the paranoid type), which my salesperson told me to take advantage of. He said two years from now, call the service technicians, tell them your picture isn't as good as it was before, and they have to make your picture quality as brand new looking as possible or else they need to replace your TV. Sounds iffy, but I'll try it out anyhow.
As for the stand, I don't mind getting the official one. My only worry is finding furniture to go around the TV (to hold my game systems and VCR and cable box etc.) that matches the look of the Sony stand.
So yeah, I bit the big one, and my TV arrives on Wednesday. I'm very excited, and hope the TV turns out to be everything I hoped for.
Thanks for all of your advice, thus far, everyone... particularly to -W-. ^_^ And believe me, just 'cause I got my set does not mean I won't still be coming back here all the time! This forum is wonderful!
Can't wait 'til Wednesday. ^_^
- James
[ This message was edited by: jchensor on 2002-09-01 03:46 ]
|
-W-
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Jul 04, 2002
Posts: 537
From: Sacramento, CA
| Posted: 2002-09-01 13:45
Greetings jchensor:
I bit the big one, and my TV arrives on Wednesday.
Woo-hoo! Congratulations on the forthcoming 4:3 KV-36XBR800 TV!
For members not familiar, here's a pic' of the TV...
www.crutchfield.com/S-VM8KHjiuUvp/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=15836XB800
This is the Sony SU-36XBRS stand...
www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-VM8KHjiuUvp/ProdView.asp?s=0&i=158SU36XB8&o=&a=
I'll bet you know that the tube weighs in at 240#. Chances are that you've already thought of this, but, if not, have your stand assembled and ready before the delivery guys arrive.
-W-
|
Komete
Rank: Sony Buff
Joined: Aug 30, 2002
Posts: 19
From:
| Posted: 2002-09-01 14:04
Unless you are one hell of a haggler don't plan on getting that set replaced in two years. THe tech's are skilled in telling you the bicture looks perferct. They will refere to surrondings and lighting conditions as a couse not to mention the own earths magnetic field.
I used to work for CC half of the $$ extended warenty goes to the salesman in commission. BTW They call the extended warenty "THE Cheese"
But the set looks Awesome  I bought a floor model set from them 6 yrs ago and it is still running strong.
|
|
|
|
| Advance
Features |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
