Would you order an HDTV online?

[BMW2006]

Hey folks. The time has come for me to purchase an HDTV for a main living room. I already own a Samsung 32" HDTV and am very happy with it. I'm quite pleased with Samsung's LCD tv's. I own one, my best friend owns one, his girlfriend owns one, and I've recommended them to several people who also purchased one and everyone is extremely happy with their sets. I'm big on the Samsung brand, so now that the ultra thin Luxia LED lines are out I'm thinking about buying one.

I closed on a condo a couple of months ago. I'm getting the $8,000 from Uncle Sam as I qualify for the credit. I have a place with a large main room that has two large sliding glass doors on one wall with a fireplace and a 7' gap between them. It just seems a perfect spot for a 55'' Samsung Luxia 8000.

If you want to read more about this TV check out...

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/d...UN55B8000XFXZA

These are brand spanking new so they retail for $4,000. For a large purchase with new technology in it I would definitely want some kind of extended warranty to go with it as well. Add in a wall bracket and it's becoming a roughly $5,000 purchase.

Before I get to involved with the pricing I didn't buy my place with the 8,000 credit in the budget. Yes I could use it to improve the place in many ways but I have already saved and/or budgeted to make the repairs/improvements that I need to do without it. So it is truly bonus money.

Om the flip side a penny saved is a penny earned, if it's possible to get this set for less I'm willing to consider the option. I can order this TV online for as cheap as $3299. I can also buy an extended warranty from the seller and also a bracket and still come in at around the base retail price from the local Best Buy.

Here is my main dilemma . I want this T.V. It is rather expensive however and if I can get it for $800-$900 cheaper I'm all for it. Here's what I see as the pros and cons of ordering it online.

Local purchase pros

- Can bring it back to retailer fairly easily
- Is the established method for T.V. purchases
- offer extended warranties that I trust.

Local purchase cons

- More expensive
- People who work at the retailer (even if they don't work on "commission" are still strongly encouraged to up sell you) are not as tech-savy as they should be for their position.
- I hate Best Buy and Wal-Mart, and the last thing I want to do is give them any more of my money than I have to. They also are the cheapest retailers I can find the set in stock for.

Online purchase pros

- Hey, it's cheap!
- It's cheaper
- It's cheaper
- small wait for set, 7-10 days (I'm so busy with my new home purchase that I'm not overly pressed for time, I have PLENTY to do in the mean time 8))

Online purchase Cons.

- The great unknown, what if I don't get the right set, or it's damaged in some severe fashion?
- You don't know if the shipping methods that were used are in compliance with the manufacturer.
- If there is something wrong with it the return process may be slow, complicated, and expensive.
- You get 1 day to report major shipping damage ( set is cracked, scratched etc...)
- You get 48 hours to report major internal damage, which I think can be a lot more difficult to spot. This T.V. will connect to my home network. Im worried that I won't recognize a major internal defect until it's too late. If I can't determine if the "widgets" aren't working properly or some of the internal controls don't do anything it's a big problem for me.

Anyway, I thought I would reach out to my E90post brethren for some input. If there is any collective group of people who research *everything* before they make any decisions or purchases, it's you guys. Have you bought one online or considered it? What do you think?

-BMW2006

[quagmire]

I did it when I ordered my 47" LG HDTV from TigerDirect. Arrived yesterday and took it out today. No damage besides a broken styrofoam piece and the TV itself is great. Just do a lot of research and find reviews of the TV( though there may not be many as it is a new TV). I have a 19" Samsung and I like it. Maybe go to a store and check it out in person and then order it online( hope they don't use YRC Freight though like TigerDirect did as you'll have a tractor trailer delivering the TV ).

[BMW F22]

Too long to read but yes I would buy and HDTV online but only through a reputable seller. Amazon has the "white glove"? delivery and people seem to like that service a lot.

[hl0m4n]

technology prices amazes me everday, i remember when we bought a 55" sony bravia back in the day it cost us about $4k. now you can get our same tv for like 2.5-3 and now with the LED tvs wow...

before you make your decision, this is a good read: http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/y...avSaI3eVCCfNdF

[AW335TT]

How about the Laser TV from Mitsubishi, nothing produces better colors than a laser.
http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/product/L65A90

[Blake]

i ordered my 70" online from a fly-by-night company...they called me with the bait and switch, but i said no to everything. the result? i'm watching my 70" 1080p sony hdtv for thousands less than brick and mortar retailers. order with a CC that has a money back guarantee...if your shit doesn't arrive like you ordered, call and get your money back. end of story! good luck

[Blake]

Originally Posted by AW335TT

How about the Laser TV from Mitsubishi, nothing produces better colors than a laser.
http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/product/L65A90

samsung LED tv's > *

i've got a 46" for my bedroom, looks twice as good as my 70"

[AW335TT]

^^I haven't seen either of them in person, I personaly own a samsung as well but felt lasers would make better colors.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by AW335TT

lasers would make better colors.

only late at night on drugs

[hl0m4n]

what is fly by night company? i searched and got a home furniture site...

also the shorter distance hdmi cable from box to tv the better right? but does excess length really make a difference?

[djMpower]

As long as you purchase it from a reputable online store you have nothing to worry about. When it comes to TVs I always purchase them online. Just stroll into your local Best Buy, take a look around, write down the model #, and go home and hit up Newegg or Amazon. That simple!

That TV looks sweet by the way!

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

what is fly by night company? i searched and got a home furniture site...

also the shorter distance hdmi cable from box to tv the better right? but does excess length really make a difference?

Under 12 feet, they are all going to be the same. Don't waste your money on an expensive cable. www.monoprice.com

[bolinp78]

Originally Posted by Blake

samsung LED tv's > *

i've got a 46" for my bedroom, looks twice as good as my 70"

A big reason for the difference is that you are comparing a 46" TV to a 70" TV.

[yomama69]

Sounds like penis size comparing to me. Who has the ruler?

[magmd]

Originally Posted by bolinp78

A big reason for the difference is that you are comparing a 46" TV to a 70" TV.

+1

And...how old is each TV? You can't compare a larger TV with older technology to smaller TV with newer technology.

[darkcloud]

I personally wasn't down with dropping a few K on a tv online. I was just sketched out and didn't want to deal with any problems that may arise. So I did this.....

Call around Columbus to all the tv mom and pop stores and find the best price you can. Best Buy price matches just about anyone. They may even price match the place you found on-line as long as it's a legit store(ie. tigerdirect, amazon etc.) I didn't really want to buy from BB just like you, but I wanted an extended warranty and the peace of mind that if anything goes wrong I can just drag it into the store.

When I got my Panny 800u I called a few stores found the best price then went to best buy and they matched it. Then coupled with a coupon I made out like a bandit. Bought the TV, extended tv warranty, blu-ray player, monster clean power thing, and some movies for almost the price of the tv best buy wanted to charge originally. I maybe could have saved $100-200 on-line but that just wasn't worth it to me.

[uofmtiger]

I bought a 42 inch LCD from Crutchfield a while back and I did not have any problems.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by bolinp78

A big reason for the difference is that you are comparing a 46" TV to a 70" TV.

Originally Posted by magmd

+1

And...how old is each TV? You can't compare a larger TV with older technology to smaller TV with newer technology.

don't get me wrong, both TV's have excellent picture, but the samsung LED is much sharper in any size than virtually all TV's out right now.

[danniexi]

I ordered a 46" Samsung 6 series for my girl last year through Amazon. No issues whatsoever and the best price at the time. No complaints.

[AjzRide]

Bought my 60" Sony Grand Wega from LCDTVS.com about 4 years ago. Everything went smooth. As mentioned above, just use a CC with a guarantee and your covered.

[ejazbmw]

Samsung is top of the line in LCD tv's to my surprise i thought sony or sharp would be better but before buying a tv i read tons of consumer reports and Samsung always came on top

[taliesen]

Just make sure you read the site's return policy very carefully, especially the part that applies to TV/LCD/monitor purchases. Some sites will not accept returns unless you have more than a certain number of dead pixels, and if you end up having to send it back and pick up the shipping as well, you'll end up spending more than you would have online.

My $0.02 is buy it locally, not online, your mileage may vary.