Televisions as monitors: What are you using, and why?

[Stereodude]

Or in other words, manufacturers need to reserve their crappiest products for Costco in order to be able to maintain the necessarily high margin.

Based on my experiences shopping at Costco I'd say you're way off base. It's extremely rare that I buy something at Costco that I end up being disappointed with. They seem to avoid crappy products. If you buy a Kirkland Signature item, even though it's a store brand, you can pretty much make bank it's going to be good. That said however, I haven't bought TVs or electronics there.

 

[time]

Also, some products need to be moved, or they devalue. Costco is great for that, for big companies.
...
If you spend 15 grand a year there, and you return a couple defective products, I don't feel real guilty, and, in the long run, they have a loyal customer.

Excellent points, Greg. Clearance stock will have its cost base marked right down, so the manufacturer's unit margin will still be high.

 

[time]

Stereodude, I was trying to point out the consequences of excessive returns, not that it's necessarily already the case. When return rates across a product category are likely to be low anyway, margins can be thin.

 

[Santilli]

Costco has always had a pretty much unlimited return policy. However, due to the problems with being able to find quality electronics, and the wild price schemes, they now limit returns to 90 days, and, offer an extended warranty program that either fixes or replaces the item. The stock market is more stable then the TV market, and is more honest at this point.

So, if I get a TV I'm not happy with, I'm returning it right now, rather then living with it's failures, problems, failure due to false marketing claims, defective light sensors etc.

I had a toaster blow after a LONG time. It was a very high quality toaster, Krup, IIRC.

I brought it back, and said I thought it was probably long out of warranty. Costco checked,
and they had an agreement with Krup that they would send bad ones back, or trash them, and the customer would get a reduced percentage of the original purchase price. I think I got back 30 dollars on a hundred dollar toaster, but, that was better then nothing, and, the new one I got for 30 dollars is cute, and doesn't blow the fuses all the time like the old one did.

 

[Santilli]

Costco is what newegg used to be, and amazon seems to be right now. A company that stands behind it's products, gets value for it's customers, and by their policies, creates very loyal customers. I've been a member since 1993, and that actually carries some weight. They are the first place I look for something, where I spend most of my consumer money, and food money, and provide great value. They have pretty much monopolized a lot of my shopping. It's buying stuff wholesale, with tax, pretty much.

 

[LunarMist]

Does Costco sell a good range of TVs up to the high-end models or only a limited selection focused on cheap ones? I'm frustrated that many stores have a limited choices of products and the one I want (mid-high range) is often not carried.

 

[Santilli]

Have a look at Costco.com. You'll notice usually a pretty good range. Costco has the really expensive TV's as well. I'm just not up for dropping more money then a car is worth on my TV. However, if you want to drop 1500 dollars up, Costco generally has the best values, and, quality stuff.

 

[mubs]

I once worked for a company that (at the time) made something that was then new to the public.

We worked out a deal with Costco, and when you opened the huge box at home, the first thing you would see was a nicely printed piece of paper that said, "Stop! DON'T return the merchandise to Costco; call this toll-free # instead, and we'll help you". That's because Costco just sends it back to the manufacturer, who has to give full credit back to Costco and pay for the return shipping.

The exhortation to call the support line didn't help. Returns were incredibly high, and not because the product was defective or badly designed, but mostly because curious customers bought it, played with it for a few days and returned it saying they didn't like it. We took a bath, and almost went bankrupt. Needless to say, neither Costco, nor we wanted the relationship to continue.

While as a consumer I like the facility Costco offers to return things, there is an ethical line there somewhere that is easy to cross because of Costco's liberal policies. It is Costco's supplier who bears the risk, not Costco.

 

[Santilli]

The reason I buy stuff at Costco is no shipping on returns. I don't buy TV's from newegg, etc. for that reason.

Any company that doesn't understand the situation with Costco is on their own. I'm sorry your company put a product with them, thinking they could change Costco's buyers habits.

I buy stuff there so I don't have to take it back to Vizio, Samsung, etc.

Why in h... would I honor some flyer to call the company on a product I don't want to deal with/ don't like?

Mubs; Did you make the choice to place the product with Costco?

And yes. It's nice, as a consumer, to be able to take Samsungs' suck a..
monitor back, because they use a dollar power brick, on a 340 dollar 27" monitor, and it failed.

 

[mubs]

Greg, all I'm trying to say is that Costco's liberal policies can be abused. And that is not a good thing.

And no, I didn't make the decision. I was the IT head, and the marketing suits and the CEO made the decision.

 

[Santilli]

M:
They have responded. they cut the warranty and return length on TV's.

The return policy has been abused. However, I would never have bought a couple of the TV's, the Viore, and the Westinghouse, if not for the return policy. Too big a gamble.

With Costco's policy, it's not a gamble.

 

[MaxBurn]

People actually pay costco to do this which weeds out a lot of abusers. Membership just went up too. I don't know that it is a problem.

 

[Santilli]

That is a good point. I do pay 100 bucks a year to be a Costco member.

 

[Stereodude]

Membership just went up too.

They raised the membership rates? I didn't know that. I guess I need to look at the renewal notice they sent me closer.

 

[Stereodude]

So, I'm on the fence about purchasing a Dell U2711. There is coupon right now that takes it down to $825 w/ free shipping (but 6% sales tax ). It's been cheaper before, but not in the past 6 months or so. The forthcoming Samsung SA850 sounds interesting with PLS, but I think it's a glossy monitor and I don't do glossy.

So I finally ordered the U2711 on Friday. Newegg has it for $750 with free shipping (and no sales tax).