Checklist to avoid buying Demo Piece - LCD /Plasma Tv

[ranjitonly]

Just sharing my experience. I bought an LG 42" LCD recently from Ezone. I specifically asked for a "sealed" piece. When taking delivery, due to the festivities, their godown had closed down, so the salesman asked me to take the piece they had in the showroom and that he would change it after the weekend holiday. He also insisted that the showroom pieces are not too old, maybe a week or two at the most (Further he said that as they had "run in" at the showroom, they were "tested" for defects and the like. I told him that if I did not get the new piece on Monday, I would take it up with LG and raise hell; he was pretty convinced I would!

Reassured that I was getting a new piece on the following Monday, I went home with the set. Later fiddling with the remote, I noticed that it has run more than 1380 hours, that is almost a year of use considering a 4-hour-a-day use. Also, the piece did not have the protective film on the sides and edges. I think it (the film) comes with all LG sets at least, because I have seen it in the LCD monitors I have got for my office (same with Dell PC monitors), and I am sure other manufacturers do the same.

Come Monday and I got my new sealed piece and I checked the menu settings quickly and saw the usage was 0 hours, so I was pleased with myself.

So I think new buyers need to do the following:

1. Look for settings in the menu where it shows the usage hours (Cheers to LG for that). Not sure about other manufacturers.

2. Make it very clear to the store that you want a brand new piece and anything used even for a hour, you are going to make it tough for the store. Be polite, but firm at the same time. Make it clear that mean business.

3. Film on edges of the LCD. I think all manufacturers have it nowadays.

@JOhn: Just got the delivery of my LD 550 from JP Electronics.

The Tape on the top of the carton was a transparent one. Though at the edges it had big pins. No company name on it.. though the standard model details are mentioned at the side of the carton in white alongwith the weight,model no,customer service no, etc.Spoke to the salesman, he assured me that its a new piece and not a old piece.

Also when the delivery guys opened the carton, the thermacol which is on the top of the screen, had some vegetable smear or a spot on it, which the delivery guys wiped it off.

There is a film at the edges of the TV, but at the 4 corners of the screen, the film has slightly come apart. Also some places the film appears to be scratched. Also the screen itself doesnt have any film, though no fingerprints are visible, the screen doesnt have any shine on it like new pieces have, dont know is it because of the IPS panel :sad:

Please shed some light on this...

Rgds,
Ranjit

 

[NetFreak]

Go to service menu of the TV and check number of hours it has been used. That would tell you if this has been used for demo or not.

 

[ranjitonly]

@Netfreak..


whats the acceptable usage..i know it really cant be 0...any ideas??

 

[NetFreak]

It should be zero since its reset in factory after QA. Anything less than 5 hours is okay.

Panels are run for significant for significant amount of time in factory to initialize pixels. But panels are without boards at that point and do not record usage.

 

[sachin_k5]

hi,
couple of months back, i wanted to buy samsung b650 lcd tv. I've checked many
showrooms nobody has the stock. but in one showroom, when i asked for that model
he asked for two mins to call up someone to check. he later came with a smile on
his face and said they have the stock and he kept telling me that it is a good and
fresh piece and i should go for it before someone buys it. I was little skeptical,
decided to check one more showroom.At first he said they don't have the stock and he
requested two mins to call up somebody. Later he said, no one has the stock in entire
city but there is one refurbished piece for very attractive price. Obviously the first
guy wanted to sell me refurbished piece. I was devastated of this whole thing. how can
they cheat customers like this, while we invest our hard earned money.

How did you know the second guy was not lying when he said the entire city does not have any stock ??

We should improve
this thread and find foolproof ways of finding whether an lcd tv is fresh out of pack or
refurbished/display piece.

hmm...i suggest enter the show room with a permanent marker. When no one is looking make a small mark on all the display pieces. Your signature will also do. Now when you get the tv home look for your signature. Then smile with joy when you don't see it and if you do..sheepishly let the seller know

 

[ranjitonly]

It should be zero since its reset in factory after QA. Anything less than 5 hours is okay.

Panels are run for significant for significant amount of time in factory to initialize pixels. But panels are without boards at that point and do not record usage.

Got the new piece delivered...

Update...after screwing the dealers brains, he got another fresh piece delivered and took the original back. The new piece had the stickers of the various features of the TV like Trumotion, USB, DIVX,Full HD, etc. stuck in the lower left hand corner which the earlier one didnt.

I guess that is one more point to differentiate a fresh piece from a display piece/old piece . Also the Usage on this one was 0.

Also one more thing i learnt is that LG charges Rs.550 to install the TV on the wall if its less than 2 months from the purchase date. If you install it after 2 months or less than yr from purchase date, its free, which is weird.

So ppl who wanna try out the TV initially on the swivel stand itself have to tell the installation guy that some work has to be done hence we cant install on the wall itself right now and keep the wall bracket or the LG technician wont keep the bracket. If we call them later to do the wall installation without keeping the bracket, LG charges some money for the wall bracket (that's what the dealer told me).

So all's well that ends well...

The TV's PQ is really good, though sound is nothing great to write home about... might have to add a HT later on...

One more thing i want to know is that my TV is i think on Store mode as I am getting a description of various features of the TV displayed on the screen frequently. How do i turn that off????

Rgds,
Ranjit

 

[NetFreak]

Also one more thing i learnt is that LG charges Rs.550 to install the TV on the wall if its less than 2 months from the purchase date. If you install it after 2 months or less than yr from purchase date, its free, which is weird.

That is strange..

I bought LG plasma few months back. Was not charged anything for wall mounting.

 

[ranjitonly]

That is strange..

I bought LG plasma few months back. Was not charged anything for wall mounting.

Did you get a swivel stand with your plasma??

 

[NetFreak]

Yes have not used swivel stand so far, its lying unpacked.

 

[tech_king_1]

Guys,
i have a suggestion and i dont know how easily it can be done.
I see a lot of youtube videos about unboxing the TV or PS3 or any product.
So if some one owns a handicam should start shooting the unboxing to that it can be shared across in youtube to that all of us are aware .

 

[nirrej]

i visited a electronics store yesterday, quite a reputed one on Mount Road, Chennai. They had 3 displays for Philips LCDs and all the three were mounted without the transparent sticker on the frame removed.
I asked why they hadn't removed it. The SP said otherwise it will get scratches. My gut feeling was they will pack these units back and sell as new ones.
My doubt got confirmed when i asked for a model which was not in display(4 series) and he said you won't get that, as it's a stopped model. It's actually a current model.

I think this is a rampant practice with all LCD dealers to sell display pieces.
Partly manufacturers are to blame for this as they keep changing models every 6 months across the line and it's financially not feasile for all dealers to buy fifteen new display pieces every 6 months.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One way to avoid getting a display piece is , see the demo in a shop with that model but don't buy from there.
Order from a shop which doesn't have that model as display.( make sure it's not a multi-branch dealer, as he might deliver a display piece from another of his own branches)

Another safe way is to buy a fast selling popular model and that way the chances of getting a display piece is very remote.

 

[csczero]

One way to avoid getting a display piece is , see the demo in a shop with that model but don't buy from there.
Order from a shop which doesn't have that model as display.( make sure it's not a multi-branch dealer, as he might deliver a display piece from another of his own branches)

Another safe way is to buy a fast selling popular model and that way the chances of getting a display piece is very remote.

I bought LG LD460 42 " from big bazaar they neither had a demo piece of that panel nor they had in stock. So hopefully i will get fresh piece

Guys,
i have a suggestion and i dont know how easily it can be done.
I see a lot of youtube videos about unboxing the TV or PS3 or any product.
So if some one owns a handicam should start shooting the unboxing to that it can be shared across in youtube to that all of us are aware .

I will record unboxing when my panel comes home that will help future new buyers

 

[TNAWAYAJ]

My LG 42PJ350 was delivered today. Here are some observations:

1. The box had definitely been opened before. The delivery man even admitted they had opened the box to check that the display was intact after collecting it from the go-down.

IS THIS STANDARD PRACTICE? ARE DEALERS SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?

2. The tape used to seal the box didn't have the LG logo on in it. In my previous LG TV purchaase, the box had been sealed with the LG logo tape.

ANYONE BOUGHT AN LG TV IN RECENT TIMES? DID YOUR BOX COME SEALED WITH THE LG LOGO TAPE?

3. Some of the film used to protect the borders of the TV were peeling off. In one part, it had peeled off quite a a bit, and the black glossy surface of the plastic had some scratches. Unfortunately I discovered this only after the delivery person left.

4. The TV was manufactured in October 2010, roughly 2 months back. The serial number on the box and TV coincide. Except the serial number on the packet containing the remote - that number was entirely different.

IF ANY OF YOU BOUGHT AN LG TV, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT SERIAL NUMBERS FOR THE TV AND THE PACK CONTAINING THE REMOTE?

I am going to ask the dealer for a replacement with a factory-sealed piece. Am I within my rights to do so? Am posting here this for guidance as well as to let everyone know what all to watch out for when taking delivery of a TV.

Thanks!

 

[sound_advice]

My LG 42PJ350 was delivered today. Here are some observations:

1. The box had definitely been opened before. The delivery man even admitted they had opened the box to check that the display was intact after collecting it from the go-down.

IS THIS STANDARD PRACTICE? ARE DEALERS SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?

2. The tape used to seal the box didn't have the LG logo on in it. In my previous LG TV purchaase, the box had been sealed with the LG logo tape.

ANYONE BOUGHT AN LG TV IN RECENT TIMES? DID YOUR BOX COME SEALED WITH THE LG LOGO TAPE?

3. Some of the film used to protect the borders of the TV were peeling off. In one part, it had peeled off quite a a bit, and the black glossy surface of the plastic had some scratches. Unfortunately I discovered this only after the delivery person left.

4. The TV was manufactured in October 2010, roughly 2 months back. The serial number on the box and TV coincide. Except the serial number on the packet containing the remote - that number was entirely different.

IF ANY OF YOU BOUGHT AN LG TV, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT SERIAL NUMBERS FOR THE TV AND THE PACK CONTAINING THE REMOTE?

I am going to ask the dealer for a replacement with a factory-sealed piece. Am I within my rights to do so? Am posting here this for guidance as well as to let everyone know what all to watch out for when taking delivery of a TV.

Thanks!

OK , i guess I am gonna let the cat out of the bag !!

The LG tape or any other brands tape is off no use. Saw this in a leading retailers rear area. They where using a hot air gun to heat and remove the tape to put in what could have been a demo piece in and then resealed it.

There is an old tamil song which when translated would mean " unless the thief reforms the lawmaker will constantly be at work till the thief quits ".

So remember that they are also reading this very forum to be one up on us!!

 

[bigdaddy24]

Hi Guys
Can anyone tell me how to check usage hours on panny 42V20D?

 

[humrahi]

How to check panel time on Sony KDL-40EX710?
Thank you in advance!

 

[viper08]

IMHO Best thing to avoid a demo piece is to purchase from a known dealer whom you or your friend/ relative have purchased recently with good feedback. Just let him know the model number and ask him to deliver. Even if he can't make the lowest possible price, you get a piece of mind next few years.

 

[cyber_sam]

anybody, please make know hot to access the service menu, in samsung 40c650

thanx

 

[no1lives4ever]

A few more ways in which you can check if the piece is a display piece that you saw at the dealer's showroom:

a. Note down the divx registration code that is displayed on the panel. This should be unique. This is shown in the menu of any recent TV that has Divx over LAN/USB support.
b. If the panel has bluetooth, then pair your mobile phone with the display and if you get a delivery of the same panel, then your phone should detect it and show as already paired.
c. Change settings on the panel that people normally do not change. Like change the input names, set some values to extremes, etc. This was the way I detected that my dealer had sent me the display panel.
d. Note down the serial number of the display piece. Ask the dealer to help you do this as you suspect that you will be given a display piece. This is a bit cheeky, but it works sometimes.
e. Ask for a fresh piece to be delivered in sealed state and tell the dealer that you will not take delivery if the piece is not factory sealed. Tell the dealer that if they need to open a piece to test it before delivery, they should call you beforehand.
f. For panels up to 32-36" in size, insist on the dealer getting the piece to the showroom and then letting you test that it is a fresh piece before they deliver to you. In case they do not agree and tell you that it would be delivered directly from the gowdown, then ask them to take you to the gowdown and let you check the piece there. If the dealer refuses to do this, then most probably they are planning to sell you a display piece. Once at the gowdown, examine the piece and note down the serial number on the box.
g. Tell the dealer multiple times that you are not going to accept a display piece and that you are looking for fresh piece.
h. Note down the model number of the display piece and then find out about how to open the service menu and check the life timer display. Then visit the dealer again and see the life timer and let the dealer know that you have an idea of what you are doing and that you know how long this panel has lasted.

If you do most of the above steps, then most dealers would not mess around with you.

In my case, i was given a display piece by the dealer. Luckily the piece had a small scratch and I made a huge fuss which made the dealer send me a fresh piece after a few days. In past the same dealer had once delivered me a damaged CRT TV that got replaced without any questions. So I mostly tend to stick to the same dealer. I have also noticed that in general, the Sony Center shops sell only sealed pieces to its customers. This may not be true for all Sony dealers, though.

I also hope that more manufacturers come up with seals like Nokia uses for its mobile phone boxes and gives out a "do not buy if seal broken" warning on the box itself. These are simple seals that are used in a lot of products which helps you to identify if the seal has been broken. But just ensure that you are checking all the ends of a package for broken seals. In the PC industry it is common to see dealers open pieces from the bottom/wrong side so that the customer has no inkling that a piece has been opened.

-- no1lives4ever

 

[vivekphadnis]

Reliance Digital has a policy that they will never deliver display pieces. I have bought a fridge and washing machine from them. I told them that I do not want to see display pieces. They said their store never sells display pieces. I am now planning to buy a 40 inch LCD tv from them. However, I will still check before accepting a piece.

Vivek