Warranty advice needed on Sony KDFE-50A10 LCD HDTV

(John) wrote in
:

I bought a Sony KDFE-50A10 at Fry's Electronics. I'm very happy
with the TV's picture quality except I have a few stuck pixels
(always blue or green) and the set turned itself off once in the
middle of viewing (when no one was near the remote or the set).

I talked to Fry's and they said they would exchange it... once
they get some more in stock. Apparently they are having supply
problems and the one I got was the only my store received in the
last few weeks. So I have 3 more weeks for them to get one in
stock for exchange.

Even if they receive a new set in time, I worry I'll get one in
worse shape (with more dead pixels) or with what some people call
"color blotches" (something to do with a polarization problem),
but I decided I'll take my chances. If the second unit is worse,
then I'll return everything and lose my $60 delivery fee.

I also read that new stuck or dead pixels can appear over time, so
after the exchange I could still end up with a set with bad pixels
making the exchange in vain.

What bothers me the most is that the 2 salesmen I talked to at
Fry's (who never seem to be there any more) when I originally
bought the TV told me incorrect things about their 5 year
warranty. I very clearly asked if bulb replacement was covered and
I was told yes... everything is covered during the 5 years.

Then when I called to try to arrange an exchange the service guy
told me bulbs were not covered and that they go by the
manufacturer's warranty on bad pixels. I asked if he was saying I
have to have 21 bad pixels per square inch? Then I got transferred
to a supervisor who said 5 bad pixels on the entire set would be
sufficient (of course that number isn't written anywhere in their
warranty policy). When I mentioned that I had been misled on the
warranty about bulb replacement he said he was sorry that I
misunderstood the policy rather than saying they would try to do
something about my being misled (such as offering me a free bulb
when I need one or knocking something off the cost of the
warranty).

Someone else I know bought the same TV and the same warranty at
Fry's and was told the same thing about bulb replacement being
included, but when I told him he was misled he didn't seem to
care. I suppose that is because he got a perfect set (no stuck
pixels) and he makes a lot more money than I do.

So I really feel like throwing the TV back in their face and
buying it somewhere else. The problem is that nobody has it on
sale now for the $1999 I paid, and I passed on a 10% off coupon
when it was $2250 at Best Buy or Circuit City (not sure which)
because I thought I already had a good warranty with Fry's.

At minimum if I keep the Fry's warranty, I have to make the
manager write down and sign the 5 total bad pixels policy
statement. Assuming they do this, I see these are my 4 options:

(1) Exchange the set and keep the Fry's $330 5 year warranty
without bulb replacement and with a 5 dead pixel warranty written
by hand.

(2) Exchange the set, return the warranty, and let my credit card
double the TV and bulb warranty to 2 years (they would have to
re-ring the entire sale because an exchange would make it look
like it was paid by store credit).

(3) Exchange the set, return the warranty, and buy Sony's
extended warranty (with the ridiculous 21 bad pixels per square
inch clause) for around $270.

(4) Return the whole thing at Fry's and wait/hope for another
dealer to have this set on sale again for $1999, and then buy it
at Best Buy or Circuit City who have more expensive but better
warranties that also cover the bulb and even 1 bad pixel.

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm not trying to debate
warranties here as I believe warranties are worthwhile on
expensive items like LCD TVs with high a likelihood of failure. My
dilemma is whether I should stick with Fry's warranty or try
another option.

Disclaimer: The above comments are my opinions.



I would without question go for #4 - return it for full credit on
your credit card. For one thing, that way you beat the 30 day
deadline (and be sure it's not a 14-day deadline, which Fry's has on
some merchandise). Also, IIRC, with Fry's return policy, you
basically don't have to justify your return in terms of how many
stuck pixels there are. Don't forget to return the extended warranty
:-)

BTW, I have had bad experiences returning items for store credit at
Fry's. One case in point: I returned a bad motherboard, used store
credit to get a new bad MB of another brand, and had a hell of a
time getting the staff to return it for more credit to get a third
MB. Somehow, the sequence messed up their idea of an audit trail...

Disclaimer: The above comments are my opinions :-)

HTH,
Gino

--
Gene E. Bloch (Gino)
letters617blochg3251
replace the numbers by "at" and "dotcom"

Are you certain that the Circuit City and Best Buy warranties
cover the lamps?

One person in town here discovered that if Best Buy was "unable"
to repair his television and didn't have an identical model for
replacement, they were liable at most for the cost of the
warranty

John wrote:

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm not trying to debate warranties
here as I believe warranties are worthwhile on expensive items like
LCD TVs with high a likelihood of failure. My dilemma is whether I
should stick with Fry's warranty or try another option.