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Screwed Inconvenienced By Best Buy!

Having just moved this past spring, I have been postponing replacing the giant 36" Sony (way heavy) XBR tube with a lighter, thinner flat panel display -- until all the contractors and painters were done.

Well, they are finally out of the house, so I started looking in earnest for a big HDTV.

Mrs. Big Picture won't let me pull the trigger on the Pioneer Elite screen I desire; "Its a tee-vee, for cying out loud," she protests. Unlike me, she is far too reasonable to spend that much money on a piece of glass. I, being unreasonable, already have a standing order for the new M3. She has no idea -- but now I know she doesn't read the blog as much as she claims to.

But I digress.

So I had to narrow it down to something quote "more reasonable" unquote than the Pioneer. I've been leaning towards plasma (not rear projection or LCD), and preferably 1080 (not 720).

Then this weekend, an effective resolution of the price/quality balance popped up: The front page of the Best Buy (BBY) circular showed the Panasonic 50" TH-50PZ77U at $1799.*  Its a good name brand (Panasonic), its true HD, 1080 dpi, and it has garnered good reviews. Lets just get it over with and go and buy the damn thing, (I'll get the Pioneer Elite as soon as someone offers me 7 figures for the blog).

An ideal compromise.

Or so I thought.

We get to the store, and -- Damn! -- this this sign greets us on the front door of the Best Buy:

"On the front cover of the 9/23 Best Buy ad insert, we mistakenly priced the 50" Panasonic TH-50PZ77U (8501711) at $1799, before $90 savings. We intended to advertise the 42" Panasonic TH-42PZ77U (8501757) at $1799, before $90 savings. Best Buy will not be honoring this price on the 50" Panasonic TH-50PZ77U (8501711).

Best Buy apologizes for any inconvenience and will offer a $100 Instant Rebate on all Plasma Televisions this week. This Instant Rebate will be reflected in online and in-store prices, and will be reduced from regular sale prices."

How much is the actual price of the Panasonic 50" TH-50PZ77U st Best Buy?  Oh, about $1,100 more than the advertised price -- $2899!  THAT'S $100 OVER MFR LIST!

If a company like Best Buy is not going to honor even their own advertised prices, why should anyone expect them to honor the so-called price matching policies?

~~~

Gee, I don't think I'll be shopping in Best Buy very much in the future . . .

As to the Plasmas, any one have any specific ideas or suggestions?

I am thinking about getting the 42" TH-42PZ77U and eventually moving it into the master bedroom when the Pioneer finally shows up . . .

What say ye?

>

_____________

*Do not confuse the PX77 with the PZ77. Here's where things get obnoxious in electronics land: Sets with nearly identical model numbers are very dissimilar. The TH-50PX77U is one letter off from the TH-50PZ77U -- but its 720 dpi, not 1080.

Monday, September 24, 2007 | 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (90) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments

I say short the bastards!
I shorted CC (Circuit City) for never having a dvd in the system at the advertised price, and have enjoyed the profit.
(and zero traffic in visits to the stores)

Posted by: bucky katt | Sep 24, 2007 7:44:03 PM