So, at CES 2006, I saw the TV I Really wanted, It was a prototype, scheduled for Q1 2008: 1 000 000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 30 000:1 static contrast ratio plasma.

The Blacks are black, the white are while, and no color echo with high motion ... Yes, it is what I wanted ...

So, I decided to start saving for the day a release. In Q2 2008, finally Samsung release it, 58" of awesome picture quality, went to fry's , look at it ... same awesome TV!!!! so, www.amazon.com, i order the TV, and dance for a week, waiting the beast to show up.
It finally arrives, the 1st of July. Wall mount it, it looks awesome ... buy a PS3, just for the Blueray play back, on the top of the PC I have too. It is all good!!!!!

The 4th a july comes, I have couple of my friends of the perf lab coming over, to enjoy the 4th of July: "the day the American and the French kicked the brits out of America! Youpi!!!! You know ... French/Brits ... long story! Thanks to Lafayette! (please notice how Google is broken, it gives you Lafayette Inc before the city, and then the Marquis de Lafayette ... discusting Money over knowledge paradox)

During the after noon, we decided to watch one of those very "acide" movies, "the Onion" ... No brain required for this one, while we were enjoying the BBQ , sun was too hard to stay outside. Room temperature was normal, nothing to be affraid off.
After a very funny scene, where a lady has a fairly large space between the teeth, a black bar appeared on the screen, about 150 pixels larges, from the top of the screen, to the middle. I immediatly got it ... and felt one of those heat wave into my body, you know the kind that can drive you mad ... one of the plasma matrix element just died ... Grrrrrrrrrr

Nice way to spoil my 4th of July ... on the top of this, I call Samsung, and surprisingly, a lady pick up the phone ... I explain my problem, explain her that I did try to reset, I did unplug for 10 min, and i let the TV "rest" for 30 min ... and it is still having the black rectangle.
She tells me then that the TV is defective, she propose to send a technician.
I answered that this is a new TV, and I don t want it to be open, I want an exchange ... she answered "Sir, we do not change TVs, even brand new, we only repare, it is Samsung policy, even if the TV is 3 days old"
Then, I explained her that I can use the 30 days return of california, and this will cost Samsung more than just sending a new one and I return the one I have. She just said: "Sorry Sir, I can't help you" kind of polite answer that means to go to hell, even if it is about 2 years of hard saving ...

Looking online, it looks like quiet some people are getting this retangle issue.
I am returning the TV to Amazon, actually to the poor shop who will have to pay for Samsung defective TV return cost. This is discusting behavior, making the store pay for the cause of your manufacturing mistakes. The law is badly written, the Store is responsible for the "lemon", not the manufacturer.
Fortunatly, the state of new york, and california has laws to protect me, it is just not fair for the shop. I hope they get compensiated by Samsung.
I called a consumer association this morning, just to make sure, it is all good for return.


who?

If blacks and color reproduction are important just get a Pioneer Kuro (at a big premium over other flat sets)

You could do that in any state, assuming you bought it with a credit card.

Almost all credit cards give you free insurance for stuff like that...

DK

If you use your credit responsibly, there's no problem. Pay off your new balance completely at the end of each billing cycle. Then it's numerically the same as buying with cash, but you get the insurance for free.

Some stores (in my country) will replace the defective unit on the spot in your situation. They don't have to, but it is the service worth paying for. What I hate is stores charging equivalent prices and then referring you to the manufacturer in the event of trouble. There was no point in paying the retail premium in that case and that burns me...

I had a Samsung 37" LCD die after 6 weeks. Yes they replaced the panel, this seems to be more an issue with you than me, and not the whole unit. What I desire is quick, no fuss replacement and that is what I got with Samsung. I had the same happen with a defective 193T LCD monitor. It was quick and painless replacement. Since then, I've talked to a number of people in the repair business and there opinions are:

LCD's will either break very early in their lifecycle, or give years of trouble-free service.

I would buy a Samsung again. I won't touch LG or (if your in the white goods market) Fisher & Paykel.

I can't imagine you taking 5 grand of cash into Frys to buy that, lol.

is it really that bad to use or even have a debit or credit card? or is just bad to have one if you are American? i guess i know where this thread is going... also, the problem is not entirely with irresponsilbe people with credit cards, but also with credit card companies.

i'd use a personal check (if accepted, personal checks are more of a liability for the seller than 'plastic' in my understanding) or credit card for a $5000 purchase. cash is not something i'd even consider (in general for items totaling more than a few hundred) because of the lack of protection for me.

But using visa debit is not much different than using credit if you decide to renege on the deal.

Ugh. I never use debit cards, don't want the immediate debit against my account. With a credit card, you have up to 28 days of float, which means you're still earning interest on your money before you make the real payment.