Circuit City ?

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Service (meaning repairs) is only going to be as good as the individual
performing the work. Neither CC nor BB pay their service people very well,
so I wouldn't expect top techs to be working for them.

In article <3846-40A92FF9-332@storefull-3274.bay.webtv.net>
happycamper2@webtv.net (Al Hill) writes:

> Is it good to buy from Circuit City ? Are they good at
>service & handling ? I`ve heard that Bestbuy is not good at
>all...........Al

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

I've had good luck getting vcr's replaced at CC when they go bad.
They used to fix them, then they went into replacement mode and I could get a
good upgrade in the process.
Lately, all the vcr's they have on the shelves are nothing I'd buy. They went
cheapo with the stock choices.
If I want to buy a $200 model vcr, they only have up to $150 models.

I see Mitsubishi is making D-VHS vcr's now. Where can they be found?

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

I'd like to plug local non big box retailers. Where I live there are
several local electronic stores that have built a reputation over the years
for service, particularly after purchase service. Every town has these
retailers; stores run by local businessmen who value their reputation and
depend on repeat business to stay alive. When I decided to buy my HD RPTV I
did my research on the net in newgroups like this one and visited
manufacturers websites to compare the various brands and models. Then I
went to my local retailer. The first thing I noticed was that he carried
only two brands of RPTV, Sony and Hitachi and his service department was
certified to service both brands. So I knew that whatever I bought, he was
the guy I would call if I had any problems. The sales rep explained that
the reason they carried those brands is that they were, in their experience,
the most reliable and most likely to result in customer satisfaction.
Reliability also meant that cost to the retailer in after sales service was
kept as low as possible. So both the customer and the retailer is happy. I
bought an Hitachi 46F500 RPTV and have been extremely happy with it. So far
I have had no need to call the store for service, and knock on wood, I don't
expect to have to call them. But I know they are there for me if I need to.

As for the big box stores, what I buy there generally are electronic
products that will be replaced if anything goes wrong since service is just
too expensive or impractical. So stuff I can take back and exchange like
camera's, hard drivers, printers and the like are what I buy at BB or Future
Shop here in Canada.

JK

"Cymbal Man Freq." <Don't Bother@ForgedPostsAnonymous.unorg> wrote in
message news:K5tqc.272628$e17.92032@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> I had an S-VHS vcr I bought at Sears in late-1999, and I suspected that I
had a
> problem with it during the last month of warranty. So I took it to a Sears
store
> (50 miles away from where I live) and they sent it to their repair place
300
> miles away. I got it back with cleaning done and a little adjustment, but
my
> stated problem turned out to be not with the vcr, but with a Radio Shack
> Multi-Input/Single Output S-Video connector box that had gone bad and
caused
> colors to oversaturate. The vcr was fine after I retired the R.S. box.
However,
> the repair shop had gotten to work on it after the warranty had expired
and they
> charged me some money for working on it outside of warranty. So I had to
bring
> this to the attention of someone at the Sears back office and they tried
calling
> the repair place long-distance several times while I waited. My argument
was
> that I brought the vcr into the store BEFORE the warranty had expired, but
the
> repair place was saying they hadn't begun working on the vcr until AFTER
the
> warranty had expired and that they had to charge me. Two sides to this
story.
> The guy at the store made the decision after pondering these two
conflicting
> views and gave me the benefit of the doubt, so I didn't have to pay. The
vcr box
> that it came back in, not the original box, was in horrible shape though.
> Fortunately there was enough bubble wrap to protect it. I only brought in
the
> vcr without a box; Sears dealt with the shipping aspects.
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Not all Sears stores perform their own warranty work. Maybe the one you work
at does, but I know for a fact not all. The reason I know this is the
company I work for does service work for BB, CC, some of Sears and some of
Tweeter. The company I work for is a dept store chain. In fact they are the
biggest privately owned dept store in the US.

You make some very valid points about commissioned salesman, the draw back
you didnt come up with is that a lot of commissioned salesman push product
or the customer to something they really dont want or need. But yes in
general most commissioned salespeople are more knowledgeable, not all
though. I have run into some very dumb commissioned salespeople who were
veterans by decades of sales experience who doesnt know what the difference
from their left and right hand.

Scott


> With both companies, it's hard to say one way or the other what the
> service is like since neither organization has it's own service techs
> like Sears does (*shameless* plug <g> ). When you buy from either
> retailer (CC or BB, or any other major retailer), just who's gonna
> take the screwdriver to your set for warranty work can vary from store
> to store.
>
Sears'
> advantage is that guys wearing Sears name tags perform the warranty
> work, so if the product breaks down under warranty, you deal with
> Sears and ONLY Sears. Both will pricematch 'til the cows come home so
> there's no difference there.
>
> Sears has knowledgeable sales staff on straight commission, CC doesn't
> pay commission so there's no pressure but overall, less knowledgeable
> staff. At CC, you have no pressure but good luck finding a
> knowlegeable salesperson. At Sears, you have to deal with a
> commission salesman but the guy or gal probably studies the trends and
> technology into the week hours so he/she knows alot more than the
> *average* consumer. At the other Fortune 500's, GOOD LUCK if your
> product fails under warranty.

>

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Tue, 18 May 2004 20:23:15 -0400, "GGA" <crpediem@ptdprolog.net>
wrote:

>Not all Sears stores perform their own warranty work. Maybe the one you work
>at does, but I know for a fact not all. The reason I know this is the
>company I work for does service work for BB, CC, some of Sears and some of
>Tweeter. The company I work for is a dept store chain. In fact they are the
>biggest privately owned dept store in the US.
>
>You make some very valid points about commissioned salesman, the draw back
>you didnt come up with is that a lot of commissioned salesman push product
>or the customer to something they really dont want or need. But yes in
>general most commissioned salespeople are more knowledgeable, not all
>though. I have run into some very dumb commissioned salespeople who were
>veterans by decades of sales experience who doesnt know what the difference
>from their left and right hand.
>
>Scott

Great points, Scott. The Sears stores you are referring to that do
outsource the warranty work are the privately-owned dealer stores and
I should have drawn that distinction. While some are like other mom &
pop electronics stores who perform their own warranty work, many
others must outsource to the nearest Sony, Hitachi, etc., servicer.
Of course, all corporately-owned and operated big-box Sears stores
offer the advantage of dealing with Sears and Sears ONLY when it comes
to warranty work.

As for what you say about commissioned salespeople, I agree also with
your points there. The only thing I can counter with is that the
commissioned salespeople I know are trying to build a clientele so
they can make a REAL living. Selling a 73" Hitachi to somebody who
sits 6 feet away from the screen, or selling a 60" plasma to somebody
who's ready to spend their life's savings to better enjoy their
PlayStation II on a big screen is a great way to get your ass kicked
and an even better way to damned sure not get referrals - the
lifeblood of any big ticket salesperson's career.

The beauty of it is the fact that the system itself keeps a revolving
door available for the greedy folks who live for today only. I can
tell you from my own experience, the people I work with despise these
clowns as much as anybody else does because of the reflection it makes
upon the rest of us.

A great test is to ask the commission salesperson a couple of very
difficult questions you know the answer to. If the salesperson knows
the answers, you are talking to an expert. If the salesperson doesn't
know the answer and lies to you, find another. If the salesperson
doesn't know the answer but admits to you that he/she doesn't know the
answer but asks you if you have a few moments for him/her to see if
he/she can find the answer for you, you may want to buy your TV from
this person if the price is right.

This is coming from the "consumer side" of me, BTW... remember, I am
also a consumer/buyer... I buy far more product than I sell when it
gets down to it and like yourselves, I also do my research before a
large purchase :-)

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Wed, 19 May 2004 05:43:18 -0400, shamrock2020@webtv.net (Harry
Dugan) wrote:

>I recommend shopping for your best price at Circuit City, Best Buy, and
>6st Ave Electronics...
>
>..then go to PC Richards and let them beat the price.
>

That'll be the day I give somebody my business for price matching.
Thumper
>Harry
>Admin of http://www.hdtvforum.com

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Actually mom and pop stores usually do not have the overhead that a big
chain has, including Sears. That means they can have there prices lower if
they want to and have more room to negotiate.

Scott

"HDTV-slingr" <NOSPAMMERS@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hhpla0dbng9kj414itjlhcmiippiks37ch@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 18 May 2004 20:45:13 GMT, "John Hall" <johnhall11@rogers.com>
> wrote:
>
> >I'd like to plug local non big box retailers.
>
> Jon, I agree with you - they deserve worthy mention for sure. Most
> just assume they are a dying breed but every metro area still has one
> or two who meet your description and supporting small businesses never
> hurts in the long run. We have a local Sony dealer, a family-operated
> business in our area who also performs all warranty work theirselves
> just like Sears does. They have a huge selection of Sony products,
> including the XBR's and many other models that Sears simply does not
> carry, so I love to drop by once in awhile to put my hand on the
> newest super-high end Sony's.
>
> These people know I work at Sears as their competitor and they still
> treat me like gold everytime I walk in and I appreciate their
> friendliness. They ask how biz is going for me and they tell me how
> biz is going for them. They love to talk "Sony" and to demo their
> "latest and greatest" models to me. I send people who want to see a
> better selection of stands and enclosures their way because they've
> got 'em. The customers who come in while I'm there just dearly love
> these people and I can tell they'd never shop anywhere else.
>
> The ONLY drawback to doing business with one of these small businesses
> is the fact that they just simply do not have the margins to compete
> with me. I can sell the same TV for hundreds less on a pricematch
> against another big-box retailer and they simply cannot and won't even
> try. On the other hand, unlike even Sears, where you at least know
> the logo's gonna be a Sears logo on a Sears uniform... with a mom &
> pop, you know the warranty tech's actual name and how many kids he's
> got. There's something to be said for that.
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Wed, 19 May 2004 08:35:03 -0400, "GGA" <crpediem@ptdprolog.net>
wrote:

>Actually mom and pop stores usually do not have the overhead that a big
>chain has, including Sears. That means they can have there prices lower if
>they want to and have more room to negotiate.
>
>Scott

Hi Scott,

I'm just going by what this particular local mom & pop told me about
their margins and why they won't pricematch. With them, it's list
price only, take it or leave it. YMMV :-)

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Mon, 17 May 2004 14:34:49 -0700, happycamper2@webtv.net (Al Hill)
wrote:

> Is it good to buy from Circuit City ? Are they good at
>service & handling ? I`ve heard that Bestbuy is not good at
>all...........Al

I wouldn't buy any electronic equipment from either one of those. Not
even a walkman. And that's from past experience. CC a slight tad
"better" then BB, but that's not a compliment, really.
Have you considered Ultimate Electronics (Previously known as
AudioKing)? If there is one near you, check it out.
I wouldn't buy electronic gadgets any other place. Their staff knows
what they are talking about, and there is no pressure. They carry the
top shelf brands, and their prices can't be beat. I got my Hitachi
42HDT50 plasma from them last month for just under 5K. CC still has it
listed at $5,999

==VernMan==

I have been a very satisfied customer at UE for years, but I was so
impressed with their entire service and the install of my
entertainment system (Plasma, surround, receiver) that I wrote a big
thank-you letter to the store manager.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

"GGA" <crpediem@ptdprolog.net> wrote in message news:<beicnb_PlOWFgzHdUSdV9g@ptd.net>...
> Also was the delivery fully free, or was it free after rebate? I never heard
> of any of the big box stores doing a full free delivery without a rebate.
>
I just had a TV delivered by Best Buy and the delivery was free, no
rebate. It was also quick and on time.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Then maybe it depends on the locale. The BB around here charges for delivery
and states so in there ad. $35 I think, then a $35 mail-in rebate. But I
thought BB had the same add basically across the country. I'll have to call
BB and dig.

Thanks,
Scott

"Rich" <rsmith5296@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bfbb6822.0405200333.78121de4@posting.google.com...
> "GGA" <crpediem@ptdprolog.net> wrote in message
news:<beicnb_PlOWFgzHdUSdV9g@ptd.net>...
> > Also was the delivery fully free, or was it free after rebate? I never
heard
> > of any of the big box stores doing a full free delivery without a
rebate.
> >
> I just had a TV delivered by Best Buy and the delivery was free, no
> rebate. It was also quick and on time.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Well, I gotta tell you that the mom and pop shop that I bought my set from
had the same regular price as Future Shop and Best Buy. Thing is with the
big box stores is that they constantly have sales where they knock a couple
of hundred bucks off select sets to get you into the store, and it seems
that its always the same brands that are on sale. Their flyers display the
sets that are on sale with sets that are not on sale, and everything looks
like its on sale but its not. After doing research for a while I
discovered, at least here in Canada, that Hitachi RPTV's don't go on sale
that often. When they are reduced in price, the reduction is permanent.
Today, the set I bought in August 2003 for $2700 is selling for $2100.
Geez, there is never a good time to buy electronics, tomorrow everything is
always cheaper and better.

JK

"HDTV-slingr" <NOSPAMMERS@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hhpla0dbng9kj414itjlhcmiippiks37ch@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 18 May 2004 20:45:13 GMT, "John Hall" <johnhall11@rogers.com>
> wrote:
>
> >I'd like to plug local non big box retailers.
>
> Jon, I agree with you - they deserve worthy mention for sure. Most
> just assume they are a dying breed but every metro area still has one
> or two who meet your description and supporting small businesses never
> hurts in the long run. We have a local Sony dealer, a family-operated
> business in our area who also performs all warranty work theirselves
> just like Sears does. They have a huge selection of Sony products,
> including the XBR's and many other models that Sears simply does not
> carry, so I love to drop by once in awhile to put my hand on the
> newest super-high end Sony's.
>
> These people know I work at Sears as their competitor and they still
> treat me like gold everytime I walk in and I appreciate their
> friendliness. They ask how biz is going for me and they tell me how
> biz is going for them. They love to talk "Sony" and to demo their
> "latest and greatest" models to me. I send people who want to see a
> better selection of stands and enclosures their way because they've
> got 'em. The customers who come in while I'm there just dearly love
> these people and I can tell they'd never shop anywhere else.
>
> The ONLY drawback to doing business with one of these small businesses
> is the fact that they just simply do not have the margins to compete
> with me. I can sell the same TV for hundreds less on a pricematch
> against another big-box retailer and they simply cannot and won't even
> try. On the other hand, unlike even Sears, where you at least know
> the logo's gonna be a Sears logo on a Sears uniform... with a mom &
> pop, you know the warranty tech's actual name and how many kids he's
> got. There's something to be said for that.
>
>