Buying A LCD or PLASMA TV

[shaun127]

Buying A LCD or PLASMA TV
Members considering buying a new LCD or Plasma TV; This is Just my opinion and nothing more. Others will offer you other advice and that’s great too. I just found this worked for me and hope it works for you.

Choosing a TV
The 1st thing I would do is go to John Lewis’s website and see if anything takes your fancy. Then go and view any TVs that you may be interested in buying. If you haven’t got a John Lewis store nearby, Go to Curry’s, Comet or an Independent Dealer.

http://www.johnlewis.com/Audio+and+TV/Televisions/Televisions/SubCategory.aspx


Branches

http://www.johnlewis.com/Shops/DShome.aspx


Research the chosen TV
get on the net and do a lot of research into the TV you are considering, DO NOT BUY ON IMPULSE. Look at these sites for info and guides/reviews etc.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=91

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/reviews/

Price Matching
Once you have made your mind up as to which TV you wish to buy. Its time to find a store that sells the same TV you want but at a cheaper price than John Lewis sells it for. Search the net, it must be a store that you as a customer can walk into and buy the TV that day, it must be on display and in stock. This can be hard work but is worth it as you’ll find out if you pull it off. Once you find a store etc phone your Local John Lewis Branch and tell them that you wish to purchase a TV but that you want a PRICE MATCH with another Store, Give the Details of the TV you wish to purchase from John Lewis (stock Code price ETC) Then give the Name, Address, Telephone Number of the Store that you have seen the same TV cheaper in, Make sure that the TV is exactly the same model and comes with the same stand, accessories etc,

http://www.stockchecker.co.uk/ProductSearch.aspx?category=9

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264343

John Lewis will take your Details and will check out that the TV you’re enquiring about is cheaper at the store you mentioned. It takes about a week and not all requests are successful, You will get a letter through the post telling you if you have been successful, If you have, take the letter to your local John Lewis and buy the TV, If you haven’t been successful, try again, I did took me Three attempts but I got there in the end.

Benefits of Buying from John Lewis

• Reputable Dealer.
• Customer Service
• After Sales Service
• Free Delivery
• Free 5 Year Guarantee
• If you’re not happy with your TV within the 1st month, Phone them up and they will pick it up giving you a full refund without question.
• No hassles trying to get in touch with a internet based site (emails not answered etc) if you have any problems
• Within 28 days after you have bought from John Lewis you find your TV Cheaper, they will refund the Difference

I’ve done it Twice in the last 3 months. I saved £400, got 5 year Guarantee and Free Delivery on my 1st TV and saved approx £200 on my second one with guarantee and delivery. So it definitely worked for me and £600 better in my pocket than theirs.


JL’s Never Knowingly Undersold policy
This policy is described in a leaflet (http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/pdf/nku_jl.pdf) which I have summarized below:

We set very competitive prices for all JL stores. Our buyers set prices so that it is unlikely you will find the same product selling for less in other UK shops. We constantly check prices in local shops and if we find the same item cheaper, we lower our price to match, even during Sales. The branch checks the prices of shops in the local area that customers might realistically cover during a single shopping trip. If we find another shop within this area selling at a lower price the same product that is part of our own standard offer, the branch will lower its shelf price to match. As a result all our customers benefit from the lower price, not only those who spot the difference.

PM rules:

• The comparison must be with exactly the same item (brand, model, colour, size etc)
• The competitor must offer the same availability on the item as we do (eg they have it in stock if we have it in stock).
• JL match the shelf-edge price at which the competitor displays the item for sale to customers generally (ie there must be a price tag on the product)
• JL will not match a negotiated or special price for particular individuals (eg their store card holders).
• We expect the goods to be offered on equivalent terms, and so we take into account any ‘hidden extras’ charged by the competitor, such as delivery charges for items that normally have to be delivered.
• Our commitment to checking and lowering prices applies on the same basis to products in our competitors’ Sales. Where a competitor has a very short term promotion lasting only one or two days, we may not have enough time to check and change each price. However, our refund promise (see below) still applies.

We do not price match outlets which are not normal shops, eg membership clubs, market stalls, duty free shops, closing down sales, mail order catalogues or the Internet. We also do not apply this policy to our internet prices as such retailing makes straightforward comparisons with conventional shops difficult.

The above means that when another local shop is offering at a lower price, the local JL will drop their price for everyone by changing the price in the shop. This is why some JLs are cheaper than other on some items. You can get other JLs to pricematch that JL.

Refunds
Find the same item selling for less in any UK shop, and we will refund the difference. As we do not wish you to regret buying from us, we allow you up to 28 days from the date of purchase to claim this refund. We meet such claims on the same basis as the price checking by our branches described above. In addition our promise to you extends beyond the local area to cover any normal shop in the UK (where you find the same item on display at a lower shelf-edge price with the same availability and terms).

The item returned needs to be in original re-saleable condition, otherwise there may be a restocking fee.

Tips

• Follow the rules above (!). You will generally find more success by phoning the store directly and quoting the full details of the store you want to PM. They will typically get back to you within a few days and give you a PM reference number if you’re successful. That PM is valid for 28 daysYou can email your PM, but most members have found greater success by phoning.
• If you fail to get a PM in one store, try calling another as there seems to be some differences in how stores apply the policy. If you get your PM from a faraway store, simply quote your PM reference number and your local store will honour it.
• If someone reports getting a PM at a store on here, you can get the same PM by quoting their name or PM reference number.

Empire Direct
Empire Direct as they appear to offer the lowest prices and have quite a few stores in the country .ED Leeds (0113 2351701) is the biggest store, and therefore it’s the one most likely to have an item in stock for a PM with any JL store.



Empire Direct prices PM’d by JL will usually incur an additional £30 delivery charge.

 

[SpikeyT]

Good advice, I walked round the regular haunts of Comet and Dixons for hours, a system I liked looked terrible in another store, it was soo confusing.

Went to John Lewis (Southampton) and talked the ears off the spikey haired sales monkey he really knows his stuff. Decided what I wanted and went elsewhere to purchase (my choice).

Job done!

Wise words from Shaun none-the-less I feel

Spikey

 

[Munkey]

Thanks for posting mate. Should help alot of peeple making that tough decision. With prices the way they are right now we should all have a huge telly in the living room : multi :

 

[fosters123]

Just remember one thing though, all the sets in Currys, Comet and John Lewis are rigged up to HDI transmission. So when you take the set home the picture quality will not be same as in store unless you have HD feed which you have to subscribe to.

 

[stevedw]

Here are some Popular misconceptions about LCD TV's. Hopefully you'll find usefull.

There is a keen competition between Plasma TV and LCD TV in the television market. Both are referred to as ‘flat panel technology’ (FPT) and constantly adding new features. When you are about to choose a flat panel between LCD and Plasma TV, it is not going to be easy and simple as you think. What are the important factors that you should consider? What screen size you require? What kind of performance you expect?

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) has indeed more versatile use options than Plasma TV or CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). They make good computer monitors as well as excellent output for home videos. Moreover, they are compatible with almost all video formats (analogue input as well as digital) and they are capable of displaying a wide range of HDTV resolution (480p or 720p or 1080p).

However, there are a few misconceptions about LCD TV and we try to do justice to the wonderful LCD TV.

Number one: LCD TVs are Expensive
As the price of LCD continues to fall with the time, this statement is no longer valid. In fact larger LCD models are generally more expensive than Plasma TVs of similar size. But they are high end LCD TVs with outstanding specs and many advanced features. When you go for smaller screen sizes, say 15” or 19”, you will find LCD is the most preferred flat panel display while the mid-ranged LCD TVs and Plasma TVs have more or less same price tag, however LCD of similar size has a higher resolution.

So, we can safely say, LCD TVs are ideal when you go for small and medium sized displays (up to 42”) for your home.


Number two: LCD has Low contrast ratio/ LCDs suffer from inadequate black levels
To produce display on the screen, LCDs depend on their backlight which has to be blocked completely for the production of black levels on the screen. Although the earlier LCDs were not able to display black shades as good as Plasma TVs, the newer LCDs like Philips 42PF9831D LCD TV or Sharp AQUOS LC-46D62U LCD TV which have dynamic contrast ratio up to 10,000:1 and produce deep black levels as good as the best Plasma TVs.


Number three: LCD TVs have smaller viewing angles
Wider viewing angles provide you better off-axis viewing means you can view from any angle in the room. It was true that Plasma TVs had been enjoying an edge over LCD in the past. However, newer LCD TVs have adopted technologies like MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) and PVA (Patterned Vertical Alignment) to overcome this problem. Some of the high-end LCDs come with more than 170 degrees viewing angle. It is a good idea to choose a LCD with a wider viewing angle and check it before buying.


Number four: LCD TVs exhibit Motion lag
The latest LCD TVs come with advanced features that can eliminate the so called artifacts or motion lag. Most of the leading LCD makers use their unique innovative technologies to improve the pixel response time. As a result, the high end LCDs come with a quicker response time 2 ms and produce pictures without ‘trails’ or motion lags.