Kasper Connections

I came across this article about buying HDTV's. Are you getting a great deal and wonder if it's to good to be true.

I'd suggest taking a minute to read this article it's from the local ABC news affiliate channel 5 here in the Twin Cities. It reflects what I was told by Ron Johnson owner of Ron's TV & Video Repair Shop, he is a veteran TV repair man I often work with and trust. In summary he says that many of the off brand TV's you find in the big box stores are disposable. In his experience you can not find service parts for those TV's a year or to later. He Said that Panasonic, Toshiba, and Samsung are all good TV's that tend to need less repair and also break down less.

This reflects an article I had read about repair rates, and much to many peoples amazement Plasma's had the lowest rates, LCD TV's were next with DLP's or rear projection TV's being the high test.

One other thing to be aware of is that many times when you see a great special on a HDTV in one of the big box stores on a name brand TV. It may not be and most likely is not the same TV you've been looking at in other stores. It may look the same, have some of the same stats, but the model number is different. Usually when this is the case the picture will not be of the same quality, and you will have less inputs, so it will be harder to hook up DVD players, game machines, satellite and Cable boxes, not to mention all of the other things coming around the bend down the future.

Below is a reposting of the article from channel 5 KSTP here in the Twin cities. :::::::::

When you buy a new television, you hope it will last, but some televisions are considered trash after only a year.

Jack Haskovitz, of H&H T.V. and Electronics, Inc., hears from angry customers all the time.

"When you look at the store, you go to Costco, Circuit City, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, wherever...you see something that's $$200 cheaper, same size, there's a reason," Haskovitz.

Haskovitz says some companies are making disposable TVs and they can't be repaired.

"They're just making enough parts for their TV sets. When they need extra, that's when they start replacing them. Or when the warranty is up, good luck," Haskovitz said.

He's not naming brands, but 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS found blog sites mentioning Polaroid, Vizio, Westinghouse, Olevia and Phillips.

Most say the TVs work for the short term, but several TV repair services say they've had trouble finding parts for them once the warranty is over. Also, some of the warranties require customers to pay nearly half the cost of the TV in shipping for repairs.

"Some of the lower-end brands you'll get outsourced," said Best Buy Customer Assistant J.G. Berwald.

Berwald says so-called disposables are easy to spot with all products.

"It's a very cheap, generally off-brand television or camera," Berwald said.

He advises customers to read the warranty's fine print before they purchase. If they don't, Haskovitz says buyers should beware.

"The old adage: you get what you pay for. And sometimes that is the truth," he said.

Haskovitz and other repairmen aren't saying lower-end TVs won't last, but they say you have a better chance of getting parts with a name brand TV. Otherwise, many of the low-end TVs will end up in landfills after only a couple of years.

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Story posted 2009.01.02 at 11:09 PM CST