Target sucks big-time

[JPS]

I went to Target yesterday TV shopping, there was a 32" HD-TV (http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/1f/c/AAAAAqev2tYAAAAAAB_L6A.jpg) on clearance for $450 sold "As Is", I asked the guy why it was as is and he said some gy bought it online and wasnt happy with it, so Target took it and gave him credit towards the purchase of another TV.
I asked him if the TV was tested and if we could bring it back if it didnt work and he said yes, they test everything thats brought back thats valued at $200 or more and I could bring it back...so cool, I got the TV.

I finally get home at midnight after stopping and getting an entertainment center, cut the top of the box open and look inside and see a crack in the case in the front...ok, just a crack...

I get the box all the way open and find multiple cracks around the screen in the plasic, so now I know the idiot who bought it dropped it and the idiots who supposedly "tested" it never did...

Well for $400 I can deal with a cracked case considering its an $800 TV, so I plug it in and turn it on and learn that its severely ****** up, so I put it back in the box and today go back out to Target and they say "well we can give you a gift card in the amount you paid for it"(because we paid with a check, it hadnt cleared yet), I say no I want a refund since they lied and sold us a defective product with clear physical damage, and they said we can get our money back, but we have to return in 8 days after the check clears to get the refund.

I got the number to their corporate office, the manager said we could probably get our money back sooner if corporate agrees to let us return it sooner.

Anyways, Circuit City is having a presidents day sale tomorrow, ironically theyre selling 32" LCD HD-TV's for $499 with a $400 instant discount, but theyre new, so Ill be at the doors at 6am tomorrow because I know theyll go fast.

Anyways, anyone else have problems like this?(I know you XBOX owners have, but feel free to share anyways if you want)

Its just irritating because I spent all day trying to find a TV, almost bought a 52" projection HD-TV (http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/L11043714.jpg) for $800 but it would have nearly broke us

[JLaCroix]

Why don't you go to the Better Business Bureau online (www.bbb.org) and file a complaint there? I do it all the time, businesses hate that. Alot.

I'm usually an ass about it, even after the company makes it right with me, I demand the report to stick with the company for the standard term of three years just for my trouble.

[JPS]

I didnt even think about that, Im going there now:lol

EDIT: Actually, Ill do it AFTER I get my moneez back

[JLaCroix]

Yeah, let me know how that turns out.

Businesses usually hate me. Not only do I turn bad businesses into the BBB, I also turn in all Visa/Mastercard fraud I can find.

Has a business ever told you that you need to spend a certain amount of money to use your credit card? They get a $15,000 fine PER TRANSACTION that they impose that rule too. It's a big deal to Visa/Mastercard. I reported a corner store so many times that they weren't able to accept credit cards anymore. I got the online link to report that too. :p

[JPS]

I havent been told that, but they dont ever check IDs when they accept a check, is that against anything also?

I know wal-mart does that now, the one we go to you just hand them a blank check and they simply run it through and give it back to you, never checking your ID...I see a lot of issues with that :|

[JLaCroix]

I havent been told that, but they dont ever check IDs when they accept a check, is that against anything also?

I know wal-mart does that now, the one we go to you just hand them a blank check and they simply run it through and give it back to you, never checking your ID...I see a lot of issues with that :|

I'm not sure about the laws regarding checks. I worked for a Visa/Mastercard processing bank, so I know the laws about credit cards but not checks.

We did do some check processing, so I do know a little bit about how the back end process works.

You may not know this, but when the stores run your check through the machine, it's actually checking your history, NOT your available balance in the bank. They aren't allowed to access your bank account balance. They're looking for negative information. (I.E. Been late on a car payment? Owe for a magazine subscription, etc). So when they process your checks through that machine they are checking one of many databases for negative information about you, not how much money you have.

When it comes to checking for ID when you pay by credit card, if the card is signed, it's against the rules for them to ask for ID. They can get HUGE fines for any of the following reasons. (Asking for ID when the card is signed, making you spend a certain amount to process a credit card, adding an additional fee to accept your card, or not accepting your card at all). Of course, those rules only apply when you run your card as credit. They can do whatever they want when you run it as debit because debit doesn't have enforcible rules.

[Ms. Porkchop]

Places still take personal checks?? WHAT???

[JLaCroix]

Places still take personal checks?? WHAT???

Alot of Senior Citizens use checks. I'm not trying to generalize anyone but alot of department store shoppers are Senior Citizens.

[JPS]

I dont sign my cards, theyre blank, I know someone who put "Please check ID" in the signature area, does that actually work?

And yes, places still take checks:lol I use checks all the time

[Ms. Porkchop]

I dont sign my cards, theyre blank, I know someone who put "Please check ID" in the signature area, does that actually work?

And yes, places still take checks:lol I use checks all the time

Hahaha Not around here.

So what happens if you pay for something with a check and it bounces?

[Jamos]

Checks and cash are all I use. :thumbs

[Goufunaki]

i only get cash if I really need it in some places, otherwise, I stick with debit.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

when i was in retail i notice that a lot of cashiers never check signatures (some guy did a thing on that and got away with a lot of bad signed receipts). personal checks where always checked, and must have all the key information on them plus id was usually required. 3rd party checks wernt excepted which was fine.

i never use a cc to pay for anything under 20 bucks, and then i only use cc for meals, online, games/books and sometimes other large purchases where i want a documented charge just in case i run into problems later (doubt it helps but makes me feel better).

ive never had anyone tell me i had to buy a certain amount or said they would charge me a fee to use a card. the only exception was for debit which was kind of a **** off. i guess its good to know the cc rules to prevent yourself from getting burned.

i sign my cards but some people ask you to sign the card if its unsigned, is it legal to ask someone to sign the card? i also would like to know if you can get a please check id on your cc to prevent fraud.


@pc: if the check bounces then they have to track you down, most cases the bank issues a NSF charge (30 bucks i think) and it goes against your credit history (who ever the check account belongs to). a lot of fraud does happen with checks which is usually why there is so many stipulations on them. the only time i use checks is for rent, everything else is plastic or cash.

[JLaCroix]

when i was in retail i notice that a lot of cashiers never check signatures (some guy did a thing on that and got away with a lot of bad signed receipts). personal checks where always checked, and must have all the key information on them plus id was usually required. 3rd party checks wernt excepted which was fine.

i never use a cc to pay for anything under 20 bucks, and then i only use cc for meals, online, games/books and sometimes other large purchases where i want a documented charge just in case i run into problems later (doubt it helps but makes me feel better).

ive never had anyone tell me i had to buy a certain amount or said they would charge me a fee to use a card. the only exception was for debit which was kind of a **** off. i guess its good to know the cc rules to prevent yourself from getting burned.

i sign my cards but some people ask you to sign the card if its unsigned, is it legal to ask someone to sign the card? i also would like to know if you can get a please check id on your cc to prevent fraud.


@pc: if the check bounces then they have to track you down, most cases the bank issues a NSF charge (30 bucks i think) and it goes against your credit history (who ever the check account belongs to). a lot of fraud does happen with checks which is usually why there is so many stipulations on them. the only time i use checks is for rent, everything else is plastic or cash.

You can get a check ID thing on your credit card. There's nothing wrong with that, some people like their ID to be checked with their card to protect against fraud. If the card is signed, and they ask you for ID and there isn't a check ID thing on there, they can get fined BIG TIME. I don't mind people checking my ID with my card though, but Vista/Mastercard hate it.

The rules about imposing a minimum or fee on you for using your card only applies if you run it as credit. There are no laws when it comes to debit. Even if your credit card is a debit card from a bank, they cannot impose a limit on you or a fee if you decide to run it as credit.

[Phoenix]

They just want the check to clear, it's not like their not giving you your money back sometime. Blame the bank for taking 8 days to clear the check, not target.

However it is bull they didn't test it but w/e thats how it goes sometimes I guess. With that said gl on getting a new TV on president's day.

[Valkysas]

They're following standard procedure. if the check doesnt clear, and they give you a refund before that, they're REALLY screwed.

[Armored]

Yeah they're protecting themselves from being ripped off, but considering they ineptly sold him a broken tv they should change their procedure for this case =p

[Sampson]

They're following standard procedure. if the check doesnt clear, and they give you a refund before that, they're REALLY screwed.

This. Imagine you're them for a second. You come in, pass a bad check, demand a refund and eight days later they're out $400.

I say suck it up, they're not really doing anything wrong. You should have asked to see the TV before you bought it because it was open box.

[IRC]

Target is a great store. I go there for cheap furniture and stuff all the time, but yeah I wouldn't buy a HD-TV from them. That's just stupid.

[goldgecko4]

Anyways, Circuit City is having a presidents day sale tomorrow, ironically theyre selling 32" LCD HD-TV's for $499 with a $400 instant discount, but theyre new, so Ill be at the doors at 6am tomorrow because I know theyll go fast.

Anyways, anyone else have problems like this?(I know you XBOX owners have, but feel free to share anyways if you want)

Its just irritating because I spent all day trying to find a TV, almost bought a 52" projection HD-TV (http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/L11043714.jpg) for $800 but it would have nearly broke us

So, that's $499 after the instant rebate, right? Cuz even then, it's still a great deal. And credit/debit cards complicate things so much. I mean, I still use mine all the time, but I'll tell you, when I carried around cash, everything was just so much easier. I should go back to that, now that I think on it...

[Perversion]

I pretty much only use my debit card for everything besides buses and taxis...I even buy 20 oz pop and energy drinks from the machine in front of my work using debit.

I bought an open item 30" CRT Samsung HDTV (720p, though) Slim Fit from my work for less than $400. I had my eye on the TV for some time before I bought it, so I knew that it had never even been plugged in and turned on. So I basically bought a brand new TV...all that was missing was the box and the manual.

Yeah...for any flat screen in that price range, I would have been stuck with, at most, a 23 or 26 inch off-brand with probably only 1 HDMI and no component, or 1 component and no HDMI, which I had no interest in owning. Mine has 2 HDMI, 2 component, 3 analogue, and a few coax....it even has an S-video in (although I really do not see myself using that). Also a fiber optic out.

For under $400, I was pretty sure I'd never find a TV with those features ever again. Oh, and JPS, if you can live with a 720p and an off-brand (which is probably what the TV is you are talking about), I say go for it. I would recommend, however, that you have at least 1 HDMI and 1 component input on the TV....if it has 2 HDMIs, even better. If $500 is a big investment for you, the last thing you want to do is buy a TV and then a few years later decide you want to upgrade the components you are hooking up to it (upconvert DVD player, Blu-Ray, Hi Def cable, etc), and find you do not have enough inputs for everything. They do sell HDMI switch boxes, but those go for over $100, I think.

I cannot believe some of the people that come in to buy TVs from me at work....I've had people drop $3000-$4500 on a TV, delivery, install, protection agreement, etc, without even thinking twice. I mean, we have a TV at work that goes for $4500, and I've sold one (granted, at sale price). People seem to have the money, and they want to drop it on 40-60 inch televisions.

[JPS]

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?&langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&productId=199923&cmArea=SEARCH

This is the one they have on sale for $499 tomorrow, does this sound good?

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

link doesnt work, you gota tell us what zip code to put in and such.

[Perversion]

Poke around online to see if you can find any reviews...I typed the model into Google, and only found two customer reviews on a site I'd never heard of before. There's probably something at Consumerreports.org, but I'm not going to subscribe to look up a review for you. :p

IMHO, for being in electronics sales at Sears, all I can say is, You get what you pay for.

As I guessed, it's 1366x768 (720p), has an 8 ms response time (which is not bad, but could be better), has only the single HDMI and single component (which I figured it would)....and I've never heard of Envision. That does not necessarily mean anything, though. We carry brands at my work that I've never heard of until we started carrying them, either.

To me, the MAJOR drawback to the TV is the contrast ratio. Anything 40" and up is pretty much standard at about 10,000 to 1. Usually, a GOOD 32" will have about 7000-8000 to 1. An average 32" will have about 3000-5500 to 1. The TV you are looking at has a 1500 to 1 contrast ratio. If you are willing to do a bit of searching, I would recommend this TV (http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&safe=off&q=vizio+32%22+LCD&um=1&ie=UTF-8) instead. If you are paying $500 for the Envision, I would invest a bit more and go with the Vizio. I just checked, and found (and actually, this is for my own benefit as well) that the contrast ratio on the Vizio is only 1200 to 1. However, you get 2 HDMI and 2 component vs one of each in the one you are looking at. Believe me, you might not think you need that now, but if you plan on having this TV be your main TV for over 5 years, extra inputs are worth the little extra money you'll pay.

I've not looked at Consumer Reports myself, but on three different occasions within the past month, I've had customers come in with the magazine, and expound on the virtues of the Vizio 32"....apparently, it's pretty highly rated. Possibly not in the Samsung/Sony/Panasonic territory, but from what I've seen, it's one of the most highly-rated of the second-tier brands.

Hope that helps, and DO NOT take what I say as gospel. I just know when customers come into work, and are looking for good, affordable TV, and they do not care that it's an off brand, I ALWAYS point them to a Vizio.

[Sezjeuric]

This is alll so crazy


Canada is the complete opposite.

Well, in Ontario anyways.

Signing "please check I.D" on the back of the card is not exactly legal. By signing the card, you agree to the terms with that Bank and the credit card company.

I am not allowed to ask for I.D when taking back merchandise for refund anymore. Even if it is $3,000 of merchandise and I know I am getting screwed, I can't ask for ID.

However, I can ask for ID to check a credit card signature all I want. The moment I think a signature is off, I can ask for it. This protects the credit card company as well. At work, we have busted HUGE rings of theft this way. On our self check out, it automatically prompts the cashier on duty to check for ID with purchases over $100.

With cheques, Home Depot used to make you wait 10 business days or two weeks to give cash back when returning. Now it automatically prompts cash, even if it is only the next day.

[josh]

as a Target employee (in the electronics department), I will agree that yes, the return policy is pretty ****ty. and I have no idea why a team member (we're not called employees) would tell a guest (you're not called customers) that the product was "tested", as we in electronics do not handle returns, we only verify them to make sure that nothing is wrong that would prevent the product from being re-sold, ie, missing pieces, visible defects, etc. I can honestly say that I have never, ever tested anything that's come back, simply because I do not have the means to.
as for why you were sold a faulty product, well, sometimes that'll happen. mostly, I'm so busy getting video games and iPods and such out for other guests that when I'm called to do a verification on a return, I just check to make sure that necessary components are there. I don't think I'd even consider taking something as big as a 32" television out of its package to inspect it. it would take way too much time and I'm often way too busy. I'll assume that's the same at every store (to give you an idea of how busy my store is, we're number four in the entire company for Nintendo DS games and the electronics department alone hit over $4 million during the holidays), so I have no idea why a team member would tell you an outright lie like that.
I apologize for your ****ty treatment. maybe if you'd shop at good old 1780, you wouldn't have any problems. haha

oh, and... don't ***** to guest service, because then they just whine and complain all day about how badly they get treated and it's really annoying. ;)

[JPS]

link doesnt work, you gota tell us what zip code to put in and such.

22849

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

22849

that looks like a swell tv, even if i dont recognize who made it.

[JPS]

Kind of a off-brand TV, I got it today, they only had 4 in-stock, good thing I was at the door at opening.:lol

Unfortunately the TV only have 1 set of RCA jacks, so I have to get a switch hub for my games :rolleyes

[Perversion]

Did you not read my suggestion to you, JPS, or did you just completely ignore it? And now you are complaining about only 1 RCA input....can't say I didn't warn you.

[JPS]

I didnt see it last night, otherwise I would have looked around a bit more :p

Its ok though, nothing a switch hub wont fix, the aspect ratio is a bit small, looks grainy up close but it looks good from far away, which is alright for me.

I agree that you get what you paid for, in this case its alright, I wouldnt have paid the regular price of $900 for it but it is worth $500 comparing to what I upgraded from (http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Symphonic-ST420FF)

[Perversion]

JPS was living in the Stone Age, apparently. Funny thing is, at my work, I've never had a customer consider a 32" for their main living room/family room TV. It's always for a kid's bedroom or a secondary room or something. I've had customers purchase 40" $2,000 LCDs for the master bedroom, and 50"-60" LCDs or plasmas as their main TV. Oh, and if you are running a standard def signal (ie-using the RCA jacks or coax cable), it'll actually make the picture look worse than on a standard def TV, which is probably why it looks fuzzy or grainy up close.

If you have a progressive scan DVD player (which is now a standard feature on any DVD player...even the $30 ones), I recommend using the component input on your TV. It won't be high def, but it'll at least be 480p instead of 480i. If you decide to invest in a new DVD player at some point in the future (unless you buy a PS3, I'm guessing you probably will not be investing in a Blu-Ray player, as they are about $100 less than you paid for your TV), I HIGHLY reccommend looking into an upconvert DVD player. I've seen them go for between $50 (for an RCA brand) and $100 (for a Sony). They will almost always have an HDMI output, and will display your standard DVDs in 720p/1080i. If you make this investment, then you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that you now own an HDTV. Until that time, having the capability of seeing a 720p resolution picture is kind of a moot point if nothing you have connected to it can even output that resolution.

And if you REALLY want to see a horrible picture, hook up your coax cable to your new TV...it'll probably look like utter garbage. And that's even assuming you have regular def cable or satellite service. If you have an antenna on your roof or are using rabbit ears (looking at your previous TV, you might be...), be prepared to buy a digital converter box in the next year, as over the air analogue broadcasts will no longer be transmitted exactly a year from today at midnight.






But as long as YOU enjoy it, that's all that matters.

[JPS]

well I also support a family of 4 on my income alone, Im lucky if I have $20 left over after every paycheck :p

I do have DirecTV, and I dont live in the stone age, I was going to get a 52" projection TV but I needed to keep some money set aside for Jackies Wii(If we ever find one).

With my oldest being 3 I dont think hes going to have a 32" tv in his room for quite some time.

We dont watch TV much, thats why we dont have anything good, we spend almost all our time outside in the summer and on our computers in the winter, we hardly ever watch TV.

I'm using RCA jacks right now, Ill be hooking it up to S-Video sometime, since thats the highest my dvr supports

How much better is S-video compared to RCA?

[Perversion]

I just typed "S video resolution" into Google (I can't link there....I'm using my PS3), and the first link was for the Wikipedia page. Apparently, it'll still give you 480i (standard definition) resolution, but the video is seperated into color and brightness signals, so it WILL look better, but marginally so. One of these days, I'm gonna open my S video cable and connect it to my Dish Network box...I do not watch TV enough to warrant an HD upgrade box (I pretty much only watch Lost), but have yet to connect it through S video, although I should....it's too late to return the cable anyway.

But anything I do with video games or movies, I have connected with HDMI.

So JPS, do you even have a DVD player (aside from your PS2,that is)? Because as I said, if you bought it within the past 3-4 years, chances are it's got a component out on it. If you are using your PS2 as a DVD player, you should be able to purchase a component out cable for it. If at all possible, use this connection.

I'm not trying to push all this stuff on you...I just figure that if you have the capability to do so, you might as well maximize the capabilities of your new TV inasmuch as you can.

[JPS]

I know youre not pushing me, and I appreciate all the help and insight youre giving me.:)

My DVD player pooped out on me about 2 months ago so I am using just my PS2, but we havent watched a DVD in a few months, otherwise I would have used my return and got a good DVD player also.:lol