Just looking for some opinions...

I buy alot of stuff online.. but never anything really "big".

I was thinking of ordering a TV from Play.com but I wondered what happens when it breaks down? (if)?

When you buy from a shop you can just take it back there.. however online.. would you send it back to Play? Or the TV manufacturer?

as long as the company has a good collection/returns policy and you dont have to source a courier yourself to return it you should be ok.

I bought a 50 inch Samsung plasma online recently but decided to collect it for piece of mind and to see who I was dealing with. I was pleasantly suprised that the company was a little shop on the north side of Sheffield and they have been there donkeys years plus they have a warehouse for internet sales just off the m1.

I arrived in the shop, showed them the internet advert and they took payment, then after a short drive I picked it up from the warehouse but could have had it couriered for £35.

The price was amazing compared to other retailers.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Samsung-PS42A4...d=p3286.c0.m14

I got the 50" from them for £669.

There are obviously other options but I would check the returns policy before buying or find someone local if possible.

although to be honest, do you really want to schlep a 50" tv back to a shop?

anywhere you buy it from it is worth checking out if they do a c&r

mmm good point...

I think I might go for it as its £100 cheaper on Play.com than my local John Lewis store.

Thanks for the advice

Though JL will have a 5 year g'tee on it, so maybe it's worth the extra ?

John Lewis every time. The 5 year guarantee is worth it alone.

I've bought things off the net becasue they were £10 cheaper and then had to pay £16 to ship the faulty goods back.

No argument for me.

don't forget JL will price match (but not against a web based store) so you may still get it cheaper if you can find a better price in a real store - try someone like sound & vision of bolton
there is lots of info HERE on playing the John Lewis pricematch game (and it can be quite a game)
Saved me £270 on my plasma compared to orig JL price + 5 yr warr
don't buy online with JL though since pricematching doesnt apply to that side of the business

JL do have a 5 year warranty but as your stuatory rights allow you to get a tv replaced or repaired certainly within the first couple of years, the warranty is not a necessity and most tvs if they go wrong will be in the first 6 to 18 months anyway -

i would check out play's c&r policy, if they offer one for a a year or 2 then strongly consider them and save the £100 or so

I have bought lots of things online both direct from net dealers and ebay. My advice is to research first, not just the product but the company too. There are lots of review sites that give feedback on the major sellers.

Don't assume that you can't buy better locally, check out the smaller retailers, sometimes they match or get very close to online deals with the added security of being handy if something does go wrong.

My overall experience with the big sheds like Curry's, Comet etc is that you only get a good deal with old stock, if it's a new or nearly new model they are often the most expensive and give poor backup.

Many makes come with 5 year guarantees anyway (Sony & Panasonic at the moment), also bear in mind John Lewis don't have a service department - they sub-contract the work out, so quality of service can be variable.

But I would certainly advise 5 year warranties if you can get them.

What statutory rights might that be.

My tv broke down at 14 months old and Curry's weren't interested. I'm not saying I couldn't have got it replaced but I would have had to fight.
They wanted £180 to look at it and if found to have a manufacturing defect they would have paid for repair/replacement.

I repaired it myself with a lot of help from DS'ers for £48

goods are expected to be sold as "fit for the purpose they were designed for"

now no one would expect a company to repair a 15 year old tv, but if it goes wrong then the fact that you have a "1year" guarantee means nothing in a court of law.

obviously if it's discovered that it is broke cos of you then they can be expected to recover all their costs

There is always the Comet clearance site , which is usually ex-display or end of line & returns . It works like ebay , with everything starting at £1.00 [there was a chap allegedly got a washing machine for under a fiver when the site was first launched as no one else was bidding] If anything goes wrong you are still covered by Comet , as if it were a store purchase. http://www.clearance-comet.co.uk/?Kr...6bKamGXx%2B4Vf

I bought my tv from Dixons and can take it back to any currys store if anything goes wrong with it or they'll send someone round to collect the tv and deliver a new one sameday, depends on the fault

Play.com WILL not have Any electronic items back after 28 days they just tell you to get in touch with the manuafactuar

Hi,

So long as you read the returns policy, you should attain the closure you are looking for. It is in the best interests of shops to try and entice customers to purchase online to drive down their overheads, so many treat sales online as the same as from a shop regarding a warranty. What type of TV are you looking for?

Here are some which may interest you:

Samsung PS-42Q97HDX (Best price £499.95)
42 inch, Widescreen, Plasma, HDTV-compatible, Stereo
Samsung PS-42Q97HDX PriceRunner Best Deals

Sony Bravia KDL-32D3000 (Best price £599.99)
32 inch, Widescreen, LCD, HDTV-compatible, Stereo
Sony Bravia KDL-32D3000 PriceRunner Best Deals

Samsung LE-32R87BDX (Best price £299.95)
32 inch, Widescreen, LCD, HDTV-compatible, Stereo
Samsung LE-32R87BDX PriceRunner Best Deals

In order to help you regarding whether you want an LCD or a Plasma and generally what TV is right for you, an excellent guide can be found at
Modern Home Theater- How to Pick Your TV

I think a lot hinges on what function you wish the TV to play in your life, and also the finances you have at your disposal.
Hope this helps.