The holiday season is fast approaching, and it sure is tempting to once again hop in the car and head across the border for some great holiday deals.
Not so fast when it comes to TV and other high end electronics!
This holiday season, think twice about buying your electronics in the States. While it may be appealing to snap up a bargain at par, when it comes to
getting warranty repair service, you will not receive any assistance from Canadian retailers.
In the case of the Sony Bravia KDL32BX300 flat screen television which was snapped up at Walmart in the U.S. on sale, the unit lasted just 10 months and then vertical and horizontal lines and screen defects greeted the viewer one morning. After numerous calls to Sony, you are basically on your own when it comes to shipping the unit to the states for repair and then paying for return shipping. This can sometimes cost more than the actual cost of the TV, rendering this 10 month old unit useless and aimed for the garbage pail (or better yet, the electronics recycling center on Bronte).
Let the buyer beware when it comes to extended warranties offered in the states as well, because you as a Canadian will most always be on the hook for round trip shipping charges. You will also be on the hook for one way shipping charges to the U.S. service center until it is even determined if the problem can be covered under warranty, or the actual repair expenses revealed. You are basically gambling a few hundred dollars in shipping costs to find out if your unit can be fixed. That is if you still have the original receipt!
When it comes to clothes shopping in the States, you really can get some great deals. I have also never figured out why Canadian books are marked higher than in the States despite the Canadian dollar resting near par for quite some time.
Other reasons why things may be artificially inflated in Canada include distributor markups, retailer profit margins or even the cited higher cost of doing business in Canada (which is very debatable).
This article in time to make you aware of the fate of this 10 month old LCD TV so that perhaps you will have a second look at sales and electronics discount offers in Canada come this holiday season.
Now I will be going off to a local Canadian retailer to find a replacement TV for the broken one – and no, although Sony Bravia used to be a respected brand,
this Sonia Bravia and other online reviewers confirm that they may have resorted to cheaper components and lower quality control to allow a unit to fail like this with regular use, wall mounted and never compromised. The replacement model will surely be a different brand.
Too bad these multinational corporations can’t provide multinational support for their products, that would be true customer support, and not many companies are doing it.
So buy your consumer electronics in Canada this holiday season and enjoy 2013!
Happy holidays!
