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EdwardGein
12-01-2005, 07:07 PM
As I had 10 minutes to kill at lunch today by the mall, I went to Circuit City to see out of curiosity if the Panasonic 34" HD TV I bought (CT-34WX15) for $1199 on sale 2 weeks ago dropped in price. I wasn't expecting anything as I didn't see it listed in their weekly ads & had not noticed a price drop the last time I checked out their website (which sometimes has different pricing then their stores). Anyway, I was shocked to see this dropped to $1099 on sale & they gave me $120 back right away (difference in price plus tax difference & 10% reward) as they had my receipt in their computer base. If you're in need of a set, I'd definately recommend this one at this price (it may drop again in the next 30 Days).

GMichael
12-02-2005, 06:30 AM
As I had 10 minutes to kill at lunch today by the mall, I went to Circuit City to see out of curiosity if the Panasonic 34" HD TV I bought (CT-34WX15) for $1199 on sale 2 weeks ago dropped in price. I wasn't expecting anything as I didn't see it listed in their weekly ads & had not noticed a price drop the last time I checked out their website (which sometimes has different pricing then their stores). Anyway, I was shocked to see this dropped to $1099 on sale & they gave me $120 back right away (difference in price plus tax difference & 10% reward) as they had my receipt in their computer base. If you're in need of a set, I'd definately recommend this one at this price (it may drop again in the next 30 Days).

That's great. But what will you do with that extra $120? CD's, DVD's, upgrades?

Eric Z
12-02-2005, 07:02 AM
I'm happy for you, EG! I like it when stores at least meet your expectations.

Here's why I hate BB: I bought a 5mp camera at BB on the day after Thanksgiving and got a great deal. They didn't have it on display so I thought I would just buy it and take a look at it at home. If I liked it, then I'll keep it, if not, I'll return it the next day. Luckily I read the fine print of the receipt on the return policy. If the taped seal is broken, a 15% restocking fee would be charged. So, I went to the local BB (a different one) to take a look to see if they had one on display. They didn't so I then talked with customer service about the restocking fee policy. They said that's the policy and nothing can be done about it. I can't imagine selling a product where you can't see it in person before hand. The kid behind the customer service desk actually said, "Just go to a different store like CC and look at it there." Are you kidding me?

Eventually I was able to speak with a manager (he looked like my little brother- couldn't have been a day over 20- I know age shouldn't matter, but come on- I guess anyone could be a BB "manager") and he understood my argument so he opened up a box there. He kept on saying he was going to need to mark the price down 15% because it was opened (BB policy)- how stupid!

I ended up liking the camera so I decided to open mine at home. I opened it up and there was no battery or AV connection (and the box and manual said those are included). So, back to the BB I go to let them know what I was missing. I was very careful opening the box so the tape (scotch tape btw) can be closed like noone ever opened it. When I brought it back, they had to call over the digital camera department manager to take a look at it. The first thing he said was, "This box was never opened." I just laughed. Anyway, they were able to find another battery and cable and I was on my way.

Thanks for letting me vent. It's hard because you can find some good deals at BB, but sometimes the service blows! I guess that's what you get.

I'm happy CC at least met your expectations, EG!

EdwardGein
12-02-2005, 08:32 AM
As people here have posted several times, if you know what you're going to buy beforehand, Best Buy & Circuit City as well as other chains, are good to shop. If you don't know what you're planning to buy and looking for advice, these places are 95% useless & will give you bad advice because for the most part their sales staff isn't that knowledgable. I think Circuit City's & Frys (another superstore store in LA) have faster & easier ways to return stuff. From my personal experience, unless there is no alternative because of money or no product available by other means, your best not buying a demo model on display.

Best Buy & Circuit City (and I had thought this was only Best Buy) also have a terrible habit of for HD TV's without built in tuners, having the pictures on these sets not available on HD so if your purchasing based on the picture your seeing their, your making a decision based on the wrong factor. Your best off seeing HDTV's at a high end store where you'll at least be able to see the picture in HD. Sane for hearing speakers & receivers, et. all.

I've been fortunate as most of the electronic stuff I wanted (computers, DVD recorder, HD TV) was on sale by the brand I was looking for at Circuit City. The best thing Circuit City has over Best Buy, CNET, Amazon.com, epinions, etc., is their customer reviews of products from their web site. I found the reviews, of which their are numerous ones so your getting a cluster of people commenting on a product, are extremely reliable & their rating system on a 1-5 scale & by categories, is perfect. Amazon.com reviews are the absolute worst as there is little consistancy.

Smokey
12-02-2005, 11:15 AM
Although BB and CC have good consumer return/refund policy, I still think Sears have the best customer satisfaction (in my experience).

For example, if 15 or 30 day return policy have expired, BB or CC will be very firm about it. But sears try to accommodate to keep customer satisfied. I had a TV that I kept over 40 day, and Sears still took it back with no question and even gave me discount on the TV I wanted.

Eric Z
12-03-2005, 06:29 AM
I agree with BB and CC and other large retailers like that being great if you know exactly what you want. Also, I also like Sears- overall, they've seemed pretty customer oriented. I think it also depends on the people working at the stores- I know they have rules and regs to follow, but if you have someone who is focused on keeping customers, I feel they're more likely to be flexible (regardless of the policies).