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How & where to buy a plasma from

There are basically two options available to the consumer or commercial concern wanting to purchase one of the above listed products, retail store locations and online stores.

Brick and Mortar Retailers
There are many positives with going with an actual local store. Number 1: they are almost always authorized and therefore the manufacturers warranty will be intact. Number 2: they sometimes have more lenient return policies (though they are becoming tougher about restocking charges). Number 3 You can actually view the display that you are thinking of purchasing, which is at least an advantage for aesthetic reasons if nothing else (I'll explain this further).

There are also a number of negative aspects of purchasing from retail locations. Number 1: price - not very cometitive - prices are near or at Minimum Advertised Pricing policies. Number 2: sales tax. Number 3: They tend to side with one manufacturer over another based not on the merits of the product but instead on which manufacturer is giving the best spiffs, or getting them the most product. The retail stores I visit normally have and promote two brands of plasma/LCD monitors/TVs. These are the brands they carry and they really do not want to carry more or do proper comparisons of the product, choosing instead to just rehash whatever the manufacturers tell them. Number 4: Product knowledge which ranges from exceedingly poor at a Best Buy to very good at some specialty home theater stores.

Basically, there are two flavors of brick and mortar retailers: Category 1 is the big box retailer with poorly qualified, low-paid sales clerks that will tell you that the gas has to be replaced on a plasma TV. They usually sell less expensive merchandise from what I would call low grade to middle grade. They will usually have the best prices of the brick and mortar retailers and sometimes good specials.

Category 2 includes the smaller home theater retailer to the middle sized specialty chains like Tweeter that has salespersons that know the product fairly well, or really well - depending. They typically sell a bit better equipment, and different models than the big box outfits, but sometimes unnessessarily more expensive. They can also convince customers to spend more on higher end products, which for some customers is fine. The peace of mind is there. The customer knows they are paying more for merchandise that will last and is recommended by someone that knows something about it.

Online Web Dealers
There is a wide chasm in the quality of dealers online. Much can be ascertained by the professionalism of the web site, the depth and breadth of specification information given, and whether or not the online web site advertises that they are authorized. Prices will be MUCH lower than those of brick and mortar retailers. Personally, I would not order a product this large without speaking with someone on the phone first. I would want them to be authorized by the manufacturer. I would test their knowledge and ask questions about "what if" the unit I receive is defective, "what if" the unit goes bad after 6 months, "how can" you gaurantee me that it will be repaired. The following is a little guide as to how I suggest you narrow your choices:

The following is a little guide as to how I suggest you narrow your choices:

Authorized Dealer Status
As already mentioned above most all brick and mortar retailers are authorized, but what about Internet companies? Not the case. Some are, but its not common. In most cases, Internet e-tailers are not authorized. Being authorized is a difficult process for Internet companies. To get set up with manufacturers is a painstaking process in which the manufacturers verify the validity, standards and credit-worthiness of the dealer. In many instances, manufacturers will require a technical service center. In almost all instances they will require a showroom for the product and a warehouse for stock. Most Internet companies drop ship product from distributors or other dealers, and thus have no power to replace defective merchandise, get the customer a needed part, handle a return, give you technical assistance with the unit. Lastly, an unauthorized dealer cannot gaurantee that you will receive the manufacturers warranty nor even an extended warranty if purchased. An unauthorized dealer cannot even gaurantee you whether the unit will be new, unopened, and unused since they have no control over the shipping of the product.

Address Information - I always check for the physical address of an online company from which I am seriously considering ordering. No P.O. boxes. No international addresses (Canada included, and beware of Canadian companies that have incorporated in Deleware - same difference). No New York addresses. I might even go as far as verifying the address information with the Better Business Bureau (if the BBB insignia is posted on the web site). Reason? If I have a conflict I can get to them with certified mail, FedEx, or a law suit if need be. If a company is trying to hide this information I would not purchase from them. Basically, are they up front with who they are and where they are.

Secondly, the salespeople are often selling you a box and understand little about the product (if there is a problem with the product or order, i.e. I get a defective unit or one with technical problems, who are you going to call?). Thirdly, from what I have found, the shops are not dealer authorized though they will swear they are. Next, purchasers have complained that they have received repackaged or refurbished merchandise in place of new product (also called B-stock). And of course, they dont actually stock the product and may be a sort of electronics clearing house from distributors. The New York e-tailers do typically have very low prices listed, but beware of those shipping and warranty charges. This is just one person's opinion, but I would not order a big-ticket item over the Internet from a New York e-tailer.

Pricing Portals
Beware the pricing portals, such as Pricegrabber.com, Dealtime.com, Nextag - there's an assortment of them. Why? This is a highly technical piece of electronic equipment, not a CD or a book.The companies represented on pricing portals rarely if ever have: Inventory, knowledge of the product, clearly written and decent return policies, the ability to replace defective merchandise, manufacturer relationships, technical expertise, a selection of added accessories, good warranties etc. etc.

One other strong word of caution here on the pricing portal "dealer reviews." The only plausible explanation that could produce 20 five star (out of 5 star) reviews in a row is.... - that's right, you guessed it - the "dealer" is writing all those reviews! Do people really give 5 star reviews out of 5 stars. Nothing ever wrong? No way. Those "dealers" pay the portals in several different ways. It behooves the pricing portals to allow this bogus practice.

Free Shipping Can be a Negative
I know that the company is paying for shipping - so they must be making up my free shipping somewhere else. Also, if they are shipping it for free then they must be shipping it as cheaply as possible, which is fine for a book. However, with a plasma television, shipping via the cheapest method possible could cause major headaches and hassles down the road when I get my broken screen. I expect to have to pay reasonable shipping prices. In most cases, a consumer still wins by not having to pay sales tax.

Warranty
Ask an Internet dealer what the standard warranty policy is. They should give a month guaranteed replacement policy for defective units. Many Internet dealers drop ship the product from distributors. They really have no control over the returns or replacement process for defective merchandise, and as a result a customer could end up having to ship the defective unit to a repair center even though it was a new purchase. Always try to purchase from a dealer that buys direct from the manufacturer and stocks the inventory.

Remember: There is only so much protection your credit card gives you. The policies of the dealer must be observed in the credit card purchasing process.

Extended Warranties
A quality retailer will sell a quality extended warranty from a well known brand. After an extended warranty is purchased it is out of the dealer's hands. Beware of "fly by night" extended warranty companies - if they go out of business so goes your warranty.

Physical Warehouse
I would ask the customer representative at the online dealer if they have a physical warehouse - if they stock the products they sell. Many companies will claim to have a physical location but are truly working out of an apartment or house or small office with little to no control over the process once the transaction has been made. Ask them if you can visit the showroom or store location where they stock the product.

Corporate Clients
I like customer references/reviews and corporate client listings. If a company is selling to corporations and government then I feel they must have their act together somewhat. It's reassuring.

Yahoo, Lycos or Ebay Internet Stores
These are examples of Internet dealers that just drop ship from distributors. They have no control over the process of shipping, replacing, repairing, or taking back defective merchandise.

Major Turn Offs on Web Sites

• Web retailers that are trying to sell EVERYTHING - too many products means not enough specific knowledge.
• P.O. Box - If a P.O. Box is given as the address for the company I would not bother with them.