Hdtv Prices

[phoenixman78]

$150 to insure a $3200 TV for an extra 4 years is actually very generous, the cost of cover is heavily inflated by the retailer, it’s a good way to make substantial profits.

I paid $180 to insure a $6500 TV for an extra 4 years, the retailer (DSE) where up front that they did not make a profit on extended warranties, they were offered as a “service” to the customer at cost.

I don’t know if they still have the same policy.

Any retailer that discounts the crap out of their warranty I would be wary about. HN will because repairs are only covered for the sale price of the product, so if you get a TV for $1499 with a 5 year warranty on top you have over 5 years $1499 worth of repairs and service which if it breaks down twice you could easily go over depending on the faults. Good Guys and Wow are two examples of stores I've never got to discount a warranty but they have no limit on repairs and service with no fees that I know of. If I got a TV worth $3k and the warranty was that cheap I would wonder why the 5 year warranty is only 5% of the cost. $180 for a $6500 tv is dirt cheap and you get what you pay for. Great TV, cheap warranty.

[JSmith]

G'Day People

Haven't been active on here for while (haven't had anything to add). But I was moving house and needed a new TV. I figured the Samsung 58" B550 was the best bang for buck TV so decided to get that. I also needed to get a fridge and washing machine as well, so that probably helped.

Anyway, I gathered the best prices that I could find (from various sites) and printed them off in case I needed to give some evidence. Didn't need to in the end.

As I didn't have time to go around shopping I decided I might as well just call around.

Tried Good Guys first (as they were closest). Told them about the fridge and washing machine and also said I the best price for the Sammy was $3,150 (as per Streamaster). Guy went to check, called me back and said that he couldn't even get close to the TV price (could match the fridge and washing machine though).

Then called Harvey Norman, did the same thing. Guy called me back and beat the price on the fridge, washing machine and TV - said that he would do the TV for $3,100. However, they don't have stock at the moment, so it will be about two weeks away. Delivery is $45 and extended warranty (which I didn't take, but still can) is $350.

Hopefully that helps a few people out. Worked out so well that I don't think I will even bother going to a store and haggling with the salespeople. It was so much easier over the phone.

Been looking for a month for a replacment for my old HD CRT, and decided to grab a LA46A950 LED backlit LCD before they dissapear...

I was at a JB on the weekend, where the staff are usually very helpful, and was looking at expensive screens for almost 15 mins, not even one "can I help you?". Anyway they only had the display model left and wanted $3200 for it... same screen on ebay new for $2995. Today I sent a quick fax from work (as I was busy) to the local Bing Lee enquiring whether they had any of these panels left. I went out for a few hours and when I returned I had two messages from a sales rep at Binga's. Before I even had a chance to call back he had called again, good start. He told me he could order a panel in for me (only 1 of 2 they have left) or I could look at the display model they had left there. Supposed to close at 5:30, so I said I'd do my best to get there. I arrived just after and this bloke reopened the store for me so I could look at the screen again, no confirmation of sale for him at this point. I offered $2750 for the new one, he agreed on $2800. He offered $200 on a 2 year extended warranty which I was sceptical of... I offered $100, he offered $160, we settled on a fairly normal $150 and threw in a $30 surge protector. All in all I have picked up a screen which retailed at $5499 when it came out last year with the 3 years from Samsung and 2 years extra from Binga's for less than $3000, which is the same price as the ebay retailer who had three left. I feel I have picked up a good deal as this is the screen I have wanted for a while, and was less in the end for a new one than a display model that has been used for almost a year. Picking up tomorrow or wednesday Anyone who spends $3400 on one of the series 8 40inch LED edgelit models when you can get one of these 46 inch LED backlit for less should re-consider and try to find one of these.

JSmith

[Ivalice.]

Scored a 46Z5500 for $2500 today!

Cant wait!

[mcduck]

been waiting for this to come online for the blus

but look, the sammy 81 cm 450? for $777

http://catalogues.bigw.com.au/portal/

edit

and there's a sony on page 3

Edited October 27, 2009 by mcduck

[FTO]

I found the GoodGuys wouldnt budge on negotiating Warranty. They were happy for me not to take it.

However, I did get a free Phillips 5170 universal remote by taking out the 5 year warranty though lol

Any retailer that discounts the crap out of their warranty I would be wary about. HN will because repairs are only covered for the sale price of the product, so if you get a TV for $1499 with a 5 year warranty on top you have over 5 years $1499 worth of repairs and service which if it breaks down twice you could easily go over depending on the faults. Good Guys and Wow are two examples of stores I've never got to discount a warranty but they have no limit on repairs and service with no fees that I know of. If I got a TV worth $3k and the warranty was that cheap I would wonder why the 5 year warranty is only 5% of the cost. $180 for a $6500 tv is dirt cheap and you get what you pay for. Great TV, cheap warranty.

[Ryan1503559697]

sammy 81 cm 450? for $799

Hey Ducky its $777 your ripping yourself off a few bux LOL

Ans yeah they have the 32" Sony 1080p for $996

Cheers Ryan

[mcduck]

Hey Ducky its $777 your ripping yourself off a few bux LOL

Ans yeah they have the 32" Sony 1080p for $996

Cheers Ryan

all fixed

it was early is my only excuse

[BadBeachBoy]

HN will because repairs are only covered for the sale price of the product, so if you get a TV for $1499 with a 5 year warranty on top you have over 5 years $1499 worth of repairs and service which if it breaks down twice you could easily go over depending on the faults.

You had me worried there, but I have checked this out and it is not true. Repairs for any single claim are maxed out at the original purchase price BUT this does not preclude further claims, and the same limit applies.

[praveena]

after a few weeks lingering around here I finally took the plunge for the V10!

Thanks heaps to the guy that posted the receipt for $2500.....HN in QV Melbourne matched it without much fuss.....

So I got it for $2500 TV, $249 for 4 year warranty (5 years in total) and $50 for delivery!

I can't wait to get it!!

Thanks!

[unity]

Any retailer that discounts the crap out of their warranty I would be wary about. HN will because repairs are only covered for the sale price of the product, so if you get a TV for $1499 with a 5 year warranty on top you have over 5 years $1499 worth of repairs and service which if it breaks down twice you could easily go over depending on the faults. Good Guys and Wow are two examples of stores I've never got to discount a warranty but they have no limit on repairs and service with no fees that I know of. If I got a TV worth $3k and the warranty was that cheap I would wonder why the 5 year warranty is only 5% of the cost. $180 for a $6500 tv is dirt cheap and you get what you pay for. Great TV, cheap warranty.

I totally disagree. At the end of the day a warranty is just like an insurance policy and it should not cost you an arm and a leg. We insure our cars and homes for a fraction of their cost value. We I purchased my car I had to pay $800 for the 5 year extended warranty. As a percentage that equates to 2% of the cars value. A car can have a hell of a lot more problems than a TV and a lot more expensive problems too. You don't have to spend a fortune on warranty, and like any product or service out there, it's a way for retailers to maximise their profits. If they can discount their TVs the can discount their warranties.

[kulfi]

If they can discount their TVs the can discount their warranties.

They can and they do. It's all about the negotiations.

[EFC]

WARRANTY ! WARRANTY ! WARRANTY !

I've bought extended warranties in the past, but for no more than $50. Now that we are dealing with mature technology and quality control, why bother ? It's rare these days to hear of someone having a problem with their tv that doesn't show up pretty much straight away. And your $2,500 tv today, will be under $1,000 in 3 years time anyway. I might consider a $150 for a 3 year extended warranty, but anything more than that is ridiculous.

[phoenixman78]

You had me worried there, but I have checked this out and it is not true. Repairs for any single claim are maxed out at the original purchase price BUT this does not preclude further claims, and the same limit applies.

Well now I'm confused because I've had several Harvey Norman sales people confirm what I've stated but maybe they have changed since I last checked. My apologies if I stated anything wrong.

I totally disagree. At the end of the day a warranty is just like an insurance policy and it should not cost you an arm and a leg. We insure our cars and homes for a fraction of their cost value. We I purchased my car I had to pay $800 for the 5 year extended warranty. As a percentage that equates to 2% of the cars value. A car can have a hell of a lot more problems than a TV and a lot more expensive problems too. You don't have to spend a fortune on warranty, and like any product or service out there, it's a way for retailers to maximise their profits. If they can discount their TVs the can discount their warranties.

I still believe you get what you pay for and if offered a dirt cheap warranty I would wonder why it is so cheap.

Cars and houses are hard to compare against electrical goods as a house can't exactly "fault" and brand new cars are much more expensive products that if they faulted as much as brand new TV'S there would be chaos in the car industry. Also if house and car insurance was from 5% up to 10% of the value of the product no one could afford it so they have to make it affordable. Also cars and houses aren't mass produced the same way TV's are. Sure, cars run off of a production line but there would be a hell of a lot more checks on them then on a TV for safety reasons alone.

Not every retailer can discount their warranties as they are being sold on behalf of another company. The Good Guys use Horizon 5 warranties but don't own the company, so yes of course they make money out of it because they are a business and it's what they are there to do but they can't slash the price because they are set by Horizon 5 and not the Good Guys.

[dmtv]

WARRANTY ! WARRANTY ! WARRANTY !

I've bought extended warranties in the past, but for no more than $50. Now that we are dealing with mature technology and quality control, why bother ? It's rare these days to hear of someone having a problem with their tv that doesn't show up pretty much straight away. And your $2,500 tv today, will be under $1,000 in 3 years time anyway. I might consider a $150 for a 3 year extended warranty, but anything more than that is ridiculous.

Hmmm...

First telly I got was a 14" Toshiba for Xmas 1979, still going stong in the workshop.

Second was a Sony 14 in 1985, no probs in the 4 years i had it

Third was a Sony KV-2183 in 1989, tuner circuit failed in 2000, not a bad run

Then a Loewe 29" in 2001, lovely picture but flyback transformer failed 6 months out of the 3 year warranty. Fixed for $400ish. That flyback then failed 18 months later.

Replaced with a Grundig Cinaro 72 widescreen CRT in 2006. Issues with the LH speaker buzzing and loose SCART socket, both just out of warranty.

That's why I grabbed a 4 year extended warranty for $200 (negotiated) on my new P50S..

[leechc168]

Warranties are like insurance - if u don't use it, it seems like a waste of money. however, if u do, it's godsent!

at the end of the day, u pay for peace of mind that if something goes wrong wif ur expensive purchase, u can at least get it repaired for free (hopefully!).

As for the premiums u pay, i suggest that it would depend on how many ppl take it out. i.e. if 10 ppl paid $100 per year covered and only 1 claim is made, that means that u would have $1000 to cover that claim. So if more ppl buy extended warranty, there would b more money in the kitty. If the company find that they are not making a profit cos not enough ppl are taking it up, they might try to increase the premiums or encourage more ppl to buy extended warranties.

anyway, i think ACCC takes a dim view on extended warranties. the ombudsman already has a "reasonable expectation of lifespan" policy where if something expensive like a $5000 TV breaks down in 366 days and u only have a 1 year warranty, u can demand free repair cos there is reasonable expectation that it should last 5 years without any concerns.

Saying that, i tend to buy using Visa cos they give an extended 1 year warranty on all electrical products.

my two cents worth.....

P/S: anyway, most things these days are not made to last... they have a "die-by-date"

Edited October 27, 2009 by leechc168

[kulfi]

That's why I grabbed a 4 year extended warranty for $200 (negotiated) on my new P50S..

Oops !

I read that sentence as -

"That's why I grabbed a 4 year extended warranty for $200 (negotiated) on my new POS".

[kulfi]

Saying that, i tend to buy using Visa cos they give an extended 1 year warranty on all electrical products.

On Visa/Master Platinum card, the warranty is extended by 2 years instead of 1 on the gold card. Many banks are negotiable on credit cards these days, so they might upgrade you to a free platinum card (bundled with your home loan). You may not even need to pay for an extended warranty in that situation.

[Eth Nick]

& how are those extended warranties on the Visa cards? Anybody used them & have some experiences to tell of how they rack up? (going through a change of home loan now, & will try to grab a new Visa in the process).

[BadBeachBoy]

Well now I'm confused because I've had several Harvey Norman sales people confirm what I've stated but maybe they have changed since I last checked. My apologies if I stated anything wrong.

I still believe you get what you pay for and if offered a dirt cheap warranty I would wonder why it is so cheap.

Im sure there was no intent to mislead It just got me worried, so I checked,, thats all.

That said, Im not saying that HN's warranty is particularly great (I know from enquiry that the good guys do 2 warranty's, and thier more expensive one covers wear and tear on the remote for the duration, for example, wheras the cheap one doesnt (and nor does the HN one as far as I am aware).

Heres hoping I never have to make a claim and find out.

Edited October 27, 2009 by BadBeachBoy

[unity]

I purchased a blu-ray recorder last week and got an extended 2 year warranty through Myer. Myer use a company called united electrical. When I went to register my details on their website I read that they also offered a 5 year warranty. I rang united electrical and asked how much extra it would cost to extend the warranty to 5 years. They quoted me $99 whereas Myer were able to upgade my warranty for only $50. I would have thought that the issuer of the warranty would been cheaper.

Edited October 27, 2009 by unity

[Owen]

Any retailer will be happy to sell you a warranty that costs them $50 for $500 if they can get away with it. In a lot of cases they make more profit on the warranty than on the TV, so buyer beware.

It is VITAL that you read the extended warranty policy BEFORE you take it up, not all warranties are the same. A high price is no indication of a good warranty as it’s likely to be grossly inflated by the retailer to help profit margin on the sale.

It’s a good idea to pick up a copy of the warranty terms from each retailer you intend to deal with so you can sit down and read what they offer at your leisure before you start negotiating a price on a TV - warranty combo.

[Guest scrag]

after a few weeks lingering around here I finally took the plunge for the V10!

Thanks heaps to the guy that posted the receipt for $2500.....HN in QV Melbourne matched it without much fuss.....

So I got it for $2500 TV, $249 for 4 year warranty (5 years in total) and $50 for delivery!

I can't wait to get it!!

Thanks!

Oh, I could really do with a receipt please. Could you please whim me or post receipt here. I need to get this TV for the weekend.

Thanks heaps in advance.

Edited October 27, 2009 by scrag

[unity]

Any retailer will be happy to sell you a warranty that costs them $50 for $500 if they can get away with it. In a lot of cases they make more profit on the warranty than on the TV, so buyer beware.

It is VITAL that you read the extended warranty policy BEFORE you take it up, not all warranties are the same. A high price is no indication of a good warranty as it’s likely to be grossly inflated by the retailer to help profit margin on the sale.

It’s a good idea to pick up a copy of the warranty terms from each retailer you intend to deal with so you can sit down and read what they offer at your leisure before you start negotiating a price on a TV - warranty combo.

That is great advice.

[phoenixman78]

Any retailer will be happy to sell you a warranty that costs them $50 for $500 if they can get away with it. In a lot of cases they make more profit on the warranty than on the TV, so buyer beware.

It is VITAL that you read the extended warranty policy BEFORE you take it up, not all warranties are the same. A high price is no indication of a good warranty as it’s likely to be grossly inflated by the retailer to help profit margin on the sale.

It’s a good idea to pick up a copy of the warranty terms from each retailer you intend to deal with so you can sit down and read what they offer at your leisure before you start negotiating a price on a TV - warranty combo.

A high price is no indication of a good warranty is true and so is the part about it helping the retailer on their profit margin. Also any one who's worked in the industry knows there is not 1000% markup on warranties. There is profit but not anything that ridiculous.

[ger]

How long does it normally

take to get your free promotion item

from Panasonic once you sent it in