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hhgregg continues to scoop up Circuit City business

Closed Circuit City store hhgregg signage
We wouldn't have predicted that when hhgregg started its Circuit City gift card program months ago that it would have come to this, but it's really just a natural extension of what the Naptown-based retailer has been up to. Circuit City customers left in a liquidation lurch can turn to hhgregg (assuming one is nearby) for factory authorized service on items purchased from the big red plug that are still under the original warranty. Additionally, hhgregg is extending its Circuit City gift card amnesty program to April Fool's Day -- a fitting date to end the cakewalk music, we think. It's good to see a retailer stepping in to help out consumers, and this kind of action might score some loyalty points redeemable in more flush economic times.

Splurge on some Meridian gear this holiday, score two extra years of warranty

Meridian F80
Honestly, we picture the typical Meridian customer as the "if it breaks, I'll just buy a new one" type, but we honestly don't know any Meridian owners who we can hit up for hand-me-downs. More importantly, everyone is looking for a value-add these days, so Meridian is offering an extra two years of warranty coverage for purchases made between now and February of next year. So if you've been on the fence about that $35,000 DSP7200 speaker setup, now is a great time to jump in; if you're looking for a way to pitch the $185,000 Reference Video System to your "finance committee," this could be the deal-closer. Heck, even if you're just curious to dose your kitchen countertop with a little Ferrari-approved luxe, you can do so now with the assurance that the "flawless craftsmanship" will hold up an extra couple of years. Kind of puts Bryston's long-standing 20-year warranty in perspective, doesn't it?

Texas Instruments extends projector-based DLP chip warranty to 5 years


In a bid to assure you, the prospective customer, that Texas Instruments' DLP chip is "bullet-proof" (its word, not ours), said outfit is stretching the warranty on any single-chip DLP module to five full years. Of note, this announcement covers chips within education, business, and home theater projectors only, and each manufacturer will be responsible for "providing details regarding their warranty programs, taking into consideration this new five year extension." Curiously enough, we can't decipher whether units that have already been purchased will be covered under the extension or if only new units purchased post-July 1, 2008 will be affected. If we owned one such device, we'd sure be on the phone with our manufacturer with this press release (in the read link) in hand.

Niles' lifetime speaker warranty keeps your house rockin'

Niles Audio speakersNiles is best known around these parts for its home automation systems, but because everybody loves one-stop shopping convenience, the company makes speakers to round out your setup as well. And you can be sure that the tunes at your next house party will flow uninterrupted, thanks to the company's newly-announced limited lifetime warranty on all its passive speakers. Given the typical pricing on Niles gear, we're guessing those setups are pretty sprawling, so it's good that speakers in every nook and cranny of your abode are covered: the StageFront HT, Ceiling Mount and GeoRealistic models are all covered against defective materials or workmanship. Note that beverage-induced damages, however, are not explicitly covered.

Survey says: LCD and plasma TVs highly reliable

LCD and plasma TVs are far more reliable than older rear-projection types, according to a report by Consumer Reports. On average, only 3% of flat panel TVs need repairs, with the majority of those repairs being free thanks to warranties. Rear projection TVs had a far higher repair rate of 18%, probably due to the limited life of the bulbs contained in these TVs. When flat panels TVs did need an out of warranty repair, they cost around $260 for LCDs, and nearly $400 for plasmas, with rear projection TV repairs costing around $300. The report also called out expensive extended warranties, saying that they're only worth it if you're particularly paranoid and they're cheaper than any possible repairs.

Vizio modifies shipping rules in warranty


Vizio may be known for its ultra-low cost LCD TVs and plasmas, but it's not surprising to find that the firm's warranty terms are less than attractive. Interestingly, a recent article has found that Vizio has actually tweaked its warranty so that shipping a faulty set back to the company becomes Vizio's responsibility rather than the users if the display in question is 42-inches or larger. Of course, this process isn't necessary if Vizio can repair the television on-site, but for units less than 42-inches, shipping it back for "a replacement" could cost the customer "hundreds of dollars." Granted, it's not shocking that mailing a heavy, unwieldy object is pricey, but you may want to think twice about snagging that under-42-inch Vizio if you've got a paranoid bone in your body. Check out the read link for the full details of the change.




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