"Disposable" Televisions

By: Jay Warren | WSLS 10
Published: May 20, 2008

All of the television sets in the back of Atomic TV are in need of repair. Some are just waiting. Others are opened up. You could call this the ER for televisions and John Combs is the surgeon, skillfully using small tools to figure out what’s wrong and then fix it.

And, these days business at Atomic TV is booming. It seems televisions are almost recession proof. As the economy flat lines, flat screen TV’s continue to fly off the shelves. The sales growth is fueled in part by off-brand companies like Vizio, Olevia, TruTech. They made LCD’s and plasma TV’s affordable. But, for how long?

“In the fast paced world of mass production, you're going to get some variances,” Combs, owner of Atomic TV, said.

By variance, Combs means problems or breakdowns and with the off-brand televisions getting those problems fixed may not be worth it.

“They're cheaply made,” Combs said. “If you try to repair that piece, the parts will run you more than what the set's worth.”

And, sometimes it’s not even an issue of cost but instead “availability of parts.”

Combs says parts are such an issue that some of these off brands actually want you to take your broken TV, box it up, and ship it to the manufacturer. This process can cost a lot and you can be without your TV for a long time.

The bottom line according to Combs: repairs “can get expensive, very expensive.”

All of that has led some industry insiders like the website HDGURU.com to call these televisions “disposable.” With Combs advising some customers to forget repairs.

“It is better to put the money elsewhere.”

And it’s not necessarily just the off brand televisions. Combs says such common brands as Magnavox, Philips, and RCA have service problems as well.

WARREN: “YOU SAY QUESTION MARKS ABOUT THOSE?”

COMBS: “Absolutely, it's not like the old days.”

So, what can you do? Let’s start with the obvious: do your homework. Do research online by looking at reviews and forums. Call the company and ask about its service plan. See if it has a service rep in the area. And, if you continue to automated replies and never a human voice, Combs says, “Buyer beware.”

Combs also advises people to thoroughly check out the warranty and even consider getting an extended warranty. He says that can save you some big time money.

So, if you’re headed out to the store, don’t be sucked in by cost alone. That low price tag could be just the beginning of what you’ll be paying out.