Should it cost $2700 to install a $1700 HD plasma television? We think not. But that's what retailer Tweeter wanted to charge us!! Here's the story:
Recently, the Curmudgeon decided it was time to upgrade to a large flat-screen HD plasma television, just like the ones all our friends are getting. After all, it's always important to keep up with the un-curmudgeons.
The best place to put such a television in our home would be mounted on the face of a brick fireplace in our den. That's a little beyond the Curmudgeon's household handy skills, so we decided we ought to call in the professionals.
We figured it would end up costing more than simply ordering a 42-inch Panasonic plasma HD from a big box store like Best Buy--where they've been priced as low as $1000--but that it would be worth it to "get it done right."
So off we ventured to Tweeter, a high-end electronics retailer that, we thought, had a good reputation for service. Turns out going to Tweeter is like getting mugged by someone in a nice suit.
A couple weeks ago we went to the Tweeter store in Bailey's Crossroads, which happens to share a shopping center with Best Buy. The store manager, Wayne, was nice enough. We said we were interested in the 42-in. Panasonic plasma HD, which, based on our research, would be a fine HD television for almost anyone's home. Wayne showed us a couple of Panasonic's, priced at roughly $1600-1700, depending on features. Fair enough, we thought--the price of good service.
Like any good salesman, Wayne also showed us a much more expensive Sony LCD in the same size range, explaining that it had a brighter picture that might be more suitable for a sunny room. No thanks, we said--not that much sun in our den, and in any event, not worth $900 more. Fine, said Wayne, and agreed to schedule an in-home visit to see about mounting this new television on the fireplace.
After a couple delays, Wayne finally made it out to the house, made a few notes, discussed a few options, and then said he'd get back to me with a quote. At no time did he mention any prices for anything other than the TV itself.
Now, the Curmudgeon was figuring that all this might end up costing between $2000 and $2500--a lot of money and something we were swallowing hard at, but the price of getting it done right.
Today, we went by the Tweeter store to get the quote from Wayne. Here's how they priced it, straight off the invoice Wayne "went over" with us:
Panasonic television $1700 (they were "no longer selling" the cheaper model)
Platinum tilt mount $300
Cables to components $300
2 HDMI cables $360 (these are "back-up" cables)
2 ITC 24 RCA (12) $120 (not sure what this was)
Hook TV to components $90 (i.e., labor)
Misc. Hardware, Connectors $45
Install bracket $450 (more labor)
Wire mold (conduit) $200 (this is simply what you hide the cables in)
Electrician to install new outlet $225 (nice to know the electrician costs less than cables)
Surge protector for TV $300 (these are some kind of high-falutin' protectors)
Surge protector for components $250
Total: $4521 (including sales tax)
(And that doesn't include the $500 extended warranty they were offering).
Good golly miss Molly (now that we've given up cursing, we have to say things like that). Wayne, you've got to be kidding.
Frankly, the Curmudgeon is more upset because we didn't think we looked so gullible and stupid. By our estimate, Tweeter would make more profit on this deal than the actual cost of the television! No wonder Wayne is so well dressed. We wonder what type of luxury car he drives!
Of course, we could have bargained with Wayne, probably gotten a good thousand bucks off. But who wants to bargain when the other guy starts off in bad faith? Not to mention we're not going to pay $4000 either.
So there you have it, consumers. Tweeter is a great big rip-off. We're sorry we wasted our time with Tweeter--now we're back to square one. But we hope our loss (in time) will be your gain. Come to think of it, now we know why the Tweeter store was empty of customers on both our visits.
