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Old 09-02-2003, 01:40 PM   #1
Kudane
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Default Heads up on Product

Hey everyone.

I don't usually uses the front page news to air personal issues. I never see it as a fitting place. But today I have had some dealings with a monitor company that makes me feel justified in sharing what happened in hopes that others don't get burned by the same thing.

The Company:
Mag Innovision (www.maginnovision.com or www.proview.com)

The situation:
It seems that Mag Innovision (MI) has a deal with Circiut City and Best Buy that if you buy a MI monitor there you only get a 1 year warrenty, BUT if you buy that same monitor from a website, or other retail outlet you get a three year warrenty.

I bought two 19" MI monitors about 16 months ago, one for me and one for my wife. Well her's started getting static and lines in it about 3 months ago but I waited for it to be a consistant reproducable problem before contacting MI (since the website said 3 year warrenty). To my suprise they said that it was out of my 1 year warrenty, and that if I sent it to them (at my cost) they would look at it, and the minimum would bet $145.00 (not including parts if needed). I paid 199.00 for this monitor just over a year ago. Sooo I tried to explain to the customer service agent (and I use that term loosely) that I didnt save my box, and that the website was down so I could not get the page that had said 3 year warrenty. He directed me to a new page on Proview.com and what does it say "Best Buy and Circuit City Purchases have 1 year limited warrenty, all others have 3 year" when I asked him why those two stores he said "Both of them offer extended warrenty, soo they have a deal with MI to have a smaller manufactor's warrenty"

Result
I am stuck with a monitor that will be dying soon, and no way to replace it. My wife is not working soo paying out of pocket to replace it is not really an option.

Request
If anyone works in the Computer Hardware Field and could offer any sort of help with Monitor, be it repairs, deals on a new one, or anything of that sort Please send me PM. I am stuck in a real delima.

Morale of the Story
Read the Fine Print! Know what your buying through and through
I for one will NEVER buy another Mag Innovision monitor, I have bought 4 of them and loved 3 of the 4, but their customer service was horrible, I was put on hold for 40 mins for a supervisor (who never came to the phone) and had the CS rep telling me things then taking them back with "I didnt say that sir" when I repeated what he said.

I hope my mis-fortune helps others out there find the companies that are willing to help thier customers, maybe it will show the ones who take no responsibilty for thier product!

/bow

- Kudane
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Old 09-02-2003, 01:49 PM   #2
Taleisin
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I don't work in the industry anymore but through my experiance, running a tft all day even with the powersaver on (blank screen) can really cause problems down the road. The bext monitor for a 19"tft would have to be made by Sharp, or Samsung. And if you have the money the 23"Cenimatic monitor from apple with the 100$ ADC to AC splitter.

TFTs, LCDs as well as CRTs are going to start getting real cheap around june of 2005, Microsoft is going to a new monitor style for Longhorn, 1Billion Hues, thats going to make the old 16million hue LCDs, TFTs, and CRTs cheap.

LowIncome Solution: if you are near a Fry's The normally have great Sales starting thursdays, but NEVER buy thier extended warrenty, no matter how good it sounds.

Repair: I just remembered I know a guy who repairs all sorts of monitors for next to nothing, but it will take some time to locate him again.

Taleisin The Seer (Ex-Fry's Employee)

Last edited by Taleisin : 09-02-2003 at 02:04 PM.
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Old 09-02-2003, 02:48 PM   #3
Kudane
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I am in So-Cal (Los Angeles Area) there are at least 4 Fry's near me.. the problem is $$$ with my wife out of work, we are just barely scrapping by. Soooo I am hoping for either a cheap repair, or maybe someone who has a spare lying around.

I have thought about going to Gateway or Dell store and seeing about Financing one, this would help since I could make payments till wife is employeed but get her a monitor now. Only downside is I tend to get turned down for "non-secured" loans. Soooo unless there is a loan officer in the audience I think i am S.O.L.. (not shadows of luclin either..hehehe)

Thanks for the info, i will follow up on anything people send me.
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Old 09-02-2003, 04:34 PM   #4
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I wouldn't blame Mag...most likely their deal with CC and BB requires them to sell it to CC and BB cheaper so they can't really afford to give you the same level of warranty. OR they could just be cheap bastards ;-)
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Old 09-02-2003, 10:06 PM   #5
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Don't blame Mag. They are just trying to sell their product. My guess is that the reduced warranty was a concession on Mag's part so that Best Buy and Circuit City would buy their product. That way Best Buy and Circuit City can try and sell you their extended warranty. Which is 99% pure profit. Best Buy or Circuit City should have told you the mfg's warranty.

However, I do find it strange that Mag would have 2 different warranty periods.
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Old 09-02-2003, 11:22 PM   #6
Gellenole
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Default solutions... or probably solutions

I use to work around hardware and other equipment like monitors and stuff... well ususally 99% of the case is that the monitor isn't the one breaking if it's static that you see... look if you're monitor is near another FCC compliant device, such as a TV or radio or any thing that emits a Radio, Magnetic, or Microwave Field (even speakers if not shielded). Pull your monitor away from those spots and see if it's still has static.

Another would be that your computer is causing the problem... CPU Units/HD's/CDROMs/even your LED's emit some sort of microwave into the atmosphere around you... that can be causing it, though if those do... you got a shotty monitor ^^;;.

One last solution is to complain that it's defective and get a new model, because the monitor dying in under a year or just over 1 year is really a crappy monitor. I would never buy monitors I didn't read reviews on and not know the specs or have a reputable name. Usually companies with reputable names will not bother with BSing you out of the warrenty and just replace your monitor at no cost.

Anyway, that's my solution... I would instruct you how to fix it internally, but I'm afraid of a law suit if you electrocute yourself =P. Monitors can kill a person tampering with it even after 2 weeks of it unplugged.
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Old 09-02-2003, 11:24 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally posted by Voelfgar
Don't blame Mag. They are just trying to sell their product. My guess is that the reduced warranty was a concession on Mag's part so that Best Buy and Circuit City would buy their product. That way Best Buy and Circuit City can try and sell you their extended warranty. Which is 99% pure profit. Best Buy or Circuit City should have told you the mfg's warranty.

However, I do find it strange that Mag would have 2 different warranty periods.


I would actually have to blame Mag, because they wouldn't push off a sh*tty monitor on you with 1 year warrenty in store if it wasn't a crappy monitor... reguardless of the deal Circuit City or Best Buy has...

Just shovel out some cash and buy a reputable monitor, because you'll thank yourself instead of shooting yourself in the crapper for a good monitor that will last over 3-4 years.
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Old 09-03-2003, 02:44 AM   #8
Kamui
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I use to work at CompUSA and while they did have better "replacment / repair plans" then most I rarely see them as being worth while so don't feel bad about not having longer coverage. My only suggestion would be to add a paypal or some other donation system to the site. Most ppl are generous and don't like to see there own have a problem, since you have explained the situation just ask everyone for some help ) I know it sounds dumb but I think it would work ))
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Old 09-03-2003, 07:19 AM   #9
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Default ...

Same thing happened to me, I've got a loose wire or two in the endplug of my Mag LCD...cord isn't detachable, so I called them about warranty coverage, and got hit by the same 1 year bs... was quoted something like $150 to replace the cord... plus I'd have to pay shipping... suppose I'll cut the cord open and hope I don't hit one of those wires that holds a charge once it fizzles out too bad, no luck finding any repair shops in town that would work on it...
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Old 09-03-2003, 10:46 AM   #10
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I have a 21" mag and have had no poblems although i got the extended warenty on it... also if you buy from CC GET THE WARINTY... you can bring anything back with in the warinty for any reason.. take what you paid for it and buy something new at the same price... for example... but a GeForce 4 MX 5200 for $100 wait 3 years take the $100 and buy a GeForce 9 or what ever is out at the time 5000X better then what you bought to begin with. even if theres nothing wrong with it. I know plunty of people who do this. thats were i buy all my computer parts unless i get them from a friends store for about 75% off...
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Old 09-03-2003, 10:48 AM   #11
Tellgar
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Can't help with the monitor, hope something works out.

On the other hand, I see people talking about fiddling with their monitors and whatnot. Advice on that...

1) If you aren't familiar with CRT's, NEVER EVER open one up and poke, prod or fiddle with it.

2) If you ignore number 1 - you are putting your life in EXTREME danger. No joke, deadly serious.

As Gellenole said, a CRT (computer monitor, TV, etc) is absolutely capable of delivering a lethal charge - even after being unplugged for a great deal of time.

A fellow I knew from highschool thought he was Mr. Wizard since he built his own computer and decided he could fix his own monitor when it crapped out. What he got instead was a free trip in an ambulance courtesy of 911. He was lucky, and recovered from the mishap with the help of the paramedics that his family called.

Regards,
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Old 09-03-2003, 11:18 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally posted by Tellgar
As Gellenole said, a CRT (computer monitor, TV, etc) is absolutely capable of delivering a lethal charge - even after being unplugged for a great deal of time.


Found this out as a Kid Tellgar,

old family TV was busted.. been in the "junk pile" for months.. started messing with it.. and STILL managed to get a good shock.. (even after several months it had a good charge in it)

thanks for the heads up thought.
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Old 09-04-2003, 09:38 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kudane
Found this out as a Kid Tellgar,

old family TV was busted.. been in the "junk pile" for months.. started messing with it.. and STILL managed to get a good shock.. (even after several months it had a good charge in it)

thanks for the heads up thought.


Got to love capaciters. In high school my friends and myself started making portable spot welding rigs that would fit in your pocket. REALLY pissed the pricipal off when we started welding lockers shut


Anyway, I'm a little confused about your situation. Did you buy your monitor from Best Buy, Circuit City, or Mag's website? BB and CC would have their own customer service reps that are MUCH easier to BS into fixing/replacing your monitor. I'll see if I have anyone in my roladex in your area that can do the repairs cheap.

/rant on
On a side note, I just had a VERY bad situation with a company. They were using low starting bid Ebay auctions to advertise, so I camped an autction that ended late at night and got it fairly cheap. The auction was for mobo, case, CPU(AMD XP 2100), CDRW, power supply and other odds and ends that I added on afterthe auction. They were quck with emails when my payment had problems, so I thought they were reputable. I sent in my payment, waited two weeks before trying to contact someone at their company. No one would return emails. I went as far as getting their phone number and address. Their phone was always bussy. About 2 more weeks after that I recieved an email saying they filed chapter 7 bankruptcy 3 days after they recieved my payment. They started sending back payments they recieved after they filed, but everyone who payed before got marked as a creditor and will be lucked to see 10pct of what they paid back.

I know there is nothing that can be done about this, but it just sucks. The money was not much, but when you are self employed, a little is more than yoyu can just throw away.

/rant off
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Old 09-05-2003, 05:08 PM   #14
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Let this be a lesson.

Never EVER buy IBM clone products and peripherals from a discount store, such as frye's or best buy, as they do have special deals with the Mfr to offer their warranty instead of the factory warranty.

The deal being that they buy the refurbished units from the factory and market them as new.

The reason you had only one year of warranty? simple... the factory only provides ONE year of warranty coverage for refurbished units. Some corporate genius figured out they could sell a refurb as new if they offered a warranty and save money per unit, and make money on top of that... it dies in a year? well, not likely, but we have 1200 of them anyhow so if they don't purchase our 'extended warranty' then it's not getting replaced.

Don't blame MAG for the situation, but rather never walk into a store that sells anything but computers to buy your components, especially a large chain of 'discount' stores that buys these units by the hundreds and turns around and offers you their warranty rather than the Mfr's warranty. this should tell you right away that you are buying a refurbished unit packaged as new, as EVERY PC peripheral and component Mfr gives 3 YEARS on EVERY unit they sell. Examine the packaging at these stores and compare to a new unit, notice the staples and shipping labels, and the location the product came from, half the time they don't even remove the RMA slip from the box. I tell you no lie.

I hate to see Mag/Innovision being given a bad name, as I know this company well, having dealt with them for over 10 years now, and I can tell you they produce a quality, industry-leading product, and they back it up with great warranty coverage and service.
You got taken in by the price you saw, and made a purchase lacking information. It's not their fault you didn't get a new product and therefore didn't have a full warranty, next time make a more informed purchase, and consider these things I have told you about these 'discount stores' before you slander a good company's name.

Would you buy a pair of levi's at Ross' 'dress for less' then turn around and call levi & strauss conmen when they rip?

Exactly...

I have placed over 250 Mag/Inno monitors on workstations in businesses and I can tell you for sure they are quality product, please, buy from reputable sources that deal only in PCs, not in bulk general merchandise, the majority of that being impulse items and compact discs.

[/I]A cathode ray tube (CRT) WILL ABSOLUTELY FOR CERTAIN deliver from 12000-16000 VOLTS at HIGH AMPERAGE if you touch the electrode, resulting in DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY, this can happen years after unplugging the unit, it's a result of the charged particles in the cathode tube discharging through the nearest ground, and has NOTHING to do with the plethora of small 12 volt caps in the set.[/I]
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Old 09-09-2003, 07:41 AM   #15
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Just because I see this alot as working for a tech for BB. I'm not sure about most stores but they are chaning the practice so that if the unit is no longer within Manufactiors warrenty and not in side the Best Buy Preformance Service Plan (PSP) they pretty much tell you to shove off. Over the past 4 months I've seen that it's MUCH easier to just get a stupid plan for a little extra money then it is not to get one at all.

I'm sorry about the moniter hun. Hope everying does go out well though.
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