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ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
December 2006
Electronics: Best places to buy
personal Touch Our survey respondents rated independent electronics stores higher than most chains for their service and checkout speed.
Online merchants and independent local stores may be your best bets for buying electronics.
That’s according to the nearly 20,000 readers recently surveyed by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. The Internet, in particular, is becoming the go-to place for many types of electronics, including large and expensive items. In our 2004 survey, online purchases accounted for 9 percent of the total. The following year, they rose to 12 percent and this year to 15 percent.
Our survey, which covered nearly 30,000 shopping experiences at 29 retailers, also found the following:
How to Choose
In addition to surveying our readers, we consulted Consumer Reports’ professional shoppers, the men and women who buy some $850,000 worth of electronic products every year for testing in our labs. Based on their advice and that of readers, here are some tips:
Decide between price and service. That’s the biggest trade-off shoppers face today, and which of the two is your top priority may vary by product. If you know what you want, buying at one of our highly rated online retailers will probably be both faster and less expensive. However, if you need some face time with a knowledgeable salesperson (or would just like to see, hear, and feel the merchandise), one of the top-rated walk-in stores could be a better choice.
In the case of a TVset, for instance, you may want to look at the picture and gauge the set’s size in relation to your living room. With audio products, sound quality is largely in the ear of the listener, so in-store demo facilities can be of help. In fact, our survey respondents who shopped at Tweeter or Ultimate Electronics were more likely to have gone there for that very reason.
For online shoppers who attach a higher priority to customer support than to price, Crutchfield was the only Web site with above-average selection, product quality, and online support.
Time your shopping. Certain items tend to be marked down at particular times of the year. For example, digital cameras generally go on sale in the spring, camcorders in both spring and winter. Our shopping pros also report that you’ll usually find the sparsest crowds and best selection in stores in the morning right after opening. Worst hours to shop: around lunchtime. And if waiting in a long checkout line isn’t your favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon, you may be happiest at a local independent, Ritz, or Tweeter, all of which earned higher marks overall in our survey and were rated better for getting customers out the door and on their way.
Take a hybrid approach. Our shopping pros often find the most efficient tactic is to buy a product online for pickup at the nearest store. That way you may receive the product sooner as well as avoid shipping charges. You can also check a particular store’s inventory online in many cases, but don’t assume it’s 100 percent accurate. Instead, call ahead to verify that the item is actually on hand and ask that it be set aside for you. In some cases, the store may only have one of a particular item, which could be a display model, so be sure to ask about that too.
Get a lower price after you buy. Most stores’ price guarantees say that if the price of your item is reduced within a specified period of time, typically 30 days, the store will refund the difference. Some retailers also promise to match a competitor’s lower price during that same time period, or to beat it by 10 percent. You will most likely need to bring your receipt back to the store to get the refund, so hang onto it for at least 30 days.
Beware bait-and-switcheroos. Even though “bait-and-switch” ads are now outlawed in almost every state, retailers often get around the legalities with small print warning that the items may be available only in “limited” quantities, sometimes as few as one or two per store.
Ask for an upgrade. If the model you want isn’t available, try asking for a free upgrade. A salesperson who sees you’re ready to buy may be more willing to make a deal to get the sale. And if he or she isn’t, the store manager may be.
Think twice about rebates. Some advertised prices are accompanied by fine print indicating that the price is “after rebate.” That means you’ll have to pay the full price at the register, then send in for your rebate, which will usually take at least six weeks to arrive. It’s almost always better to pay less up front at the register than to bother with a rebate.
Watch out for refurbished items. If the price you see quoted in an ad or online seems unusually low, look at the fine print to see whether the product has been refurbished. This typically means it was returned by a customer, inspected, and, if need be, repaired by the manufacturer. The product may be perfectly fine, but you never know. If you decide to buy a refurbished item, make sure you get a full one-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Skip the extended warranty. Electronics retailers now make much of their profit, sometimes all of it, by selling extended warranties. We’ve found that these warranties are almost always a waste of money (see Reliability, available to subscribers). If you find the sales pitches hard to resist or can’t bear to hear them at all, buy online. Our respondents who bought products online were only half as likely to end up with an extended warranty as those who bought at a store.
That’s according to the nearly 20,000 readers recently surveyed by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. The Internet, in particular, is becoming the go-to place for many types of electronics, including large and expensive items. In our 2004 survey, online purchases accounted for 9 percent of the total. The following year, they rose to 12 percent and this year to 15 percent.
Our survey, which covered nearly 30,000 shopping experiences at 29 retailers, also found the following:
- Online venues earned higher satisfaction scores overall. What’s more, for retailers with both a Web and walk-in presence,
such as Circuit City, the Web site invariably did better.
- Among the walk-in retailers, local independent stores had a decided edge over most of the chains for their selection, product quality, and service.
How to Choose
In addition to surveying our readers, we consulted Consumer Reports’ professional shoppers, the men and women who buy some $850,000 worth of electronic products every year for testing in our labs. Based on their advice and that of readers, here are some tips:
Decide between price and service. That’s the biggest trade-off shoppers face today, and which of the two is your top priority may vary by product. If you know what you want, buying at one of our highly rated online retailers will probably be both faster and less expensive. However, if you need some face time with a knowledgeable salesperson (or would just like to see, hear, and feel the merchandise), one of the top-rated walk-in stores could be a better choice.
In the case of a TVset, for instance, you may want to look at the picture and gauge the set’s size in relation to your living room. With audio products, sound quality is largely in the ear of the listener, so in-store demo facilities can be of help. In fact, our survey respondents who shopped at Tweeter or Ultimate Electronics were more likely to have gone there for that very reason.
For online shoppers who attach a higher priority to customer support than to price, Crutchfield was the only Web site with above-average selection, product quality, and online support.
Time your shopping. Certain items tend to be marked down at particular times of the year. For example, digital cameras generally go on sale in the spring, camcorders in both spring and winter. Our shopping pros also report that you’ll usually find the sparsest crowds and best selection in stores in the morning right after opening. Worst hours to shop: around lunchtime. And if waiting in a long checkout line isn’t your favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon, you may be happiest at a local independent, Ritz, or Tweeter, all of which earned higher marks overall in our survey and were rated better for getting customers out the door and on their way.
Take a hybrid approach. Our shopping pros often find the most efficient tactic is to buy a product online for pickup at the nearest store. That way you may receive the product sooner as well as avoid shipping charges. You can also check a particular store’s inventory online in many cases, but don’t assume it’s 100 percent accurate. Instead, call ahead to verify that the item is actually on hand and ask that it be set aside for you. In some cases, the store may only have one of a particular item, which could be a display model, so be sure to ask about that too.
Get a lower price after you buy. Most stores’ price guarantees say that if the price of your item is reduced within a specified period of time, typically 30 days, the store will refund the difference. Some retailers also promise to match a competitor’s lower price during that same time period, or to beat it by 10 percent. You will most likely need to bring your receipt back to the store to get the refund, so hang onto it for at least 30 days.
Beware bait-and-switcheroos. Even though “bait-and-switch” ads are now outlawed in almost every state, retailers often get around the legalities with small print warning that the items may be available only in “limited” quantities, sometimes as few as one or two per store.
Ask for an upgrade. If the model you want isn’t available, try asking for a free upgrade. A salesperson who sees you’re ready to buy may be more willing to make a deal to get the sale. And if he or she isn’t, the store manager may be.
Think twice about rebates. Some advertised prices are accompanied by fine print indicating that the price is “after rebate.” That means you’ll have to pay the full price at the register, then send in for your rebate, which will usually take at least six weeks to arrive. It’s almost always better to pay less up front at the register than to bother with a rebate.
Watch out for refurbished items. If the price you see quoted in an ad or online seems unusually low, look at the fine print to see whether the product has been refurbished. This typically means it was returned by a customer, inspected, and, if need be, repaired by the manufacturer. The product may be perfectly fine, but you never know. If you decide to buy a refurbished item, make sure you get a full one-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Skip the extended warranty. Electronics retailers now make much of their profit, sometimes all of it, by selling extended warranties. We’ve found that these warranties are almost always a waste of money (see Reliability, available to subscribers). If you find the sales pitches hard to resist or can’t bear to hear them at all, buy online. Our respondents who bought products online were only half as likely to end up with an extended warranty as those who bought at a store.
