Panasonic Plasmas - where to buy and why

[b33k34]

I'm looking to replace my 42" Pioneer 4280 with a 50" Panasonic (the Pioneer will shift to the kitchen in the new house). It's either the TX-P50GT60 or TX-P50VT60 depending on price/availability and I'm in London.

There seems to be a groundswell of opinion to buy from John Lewis - why is this given that Panasonic are offering a 5 year warranty themselves?

Does anyone have any up to date info on availability and prices on these two models?

 

[Paul.]

John Lewis are lovely, basically. Path of least resistance.

 

[b33k34]

Indeed - would always be my preference. BUT, don't stock the GT60 and out of stock of the VT60 (Oxford street store was selling off the display model at a small discount)

So what are the risks of buying elsewhere?

 

[b33k34]

DP - posting on here is a so unclear

 

[Oldboy]

Not only is John Lewis a nice place to shop, as others on here have found to their cost the Panasonic 5 year warranty is not worth the paper it's printed on, every forum member that's had a problem with a Panasonic plasma has had to battle long and hard to get Panasonic to do anything about it and in the end they like to spout the line that any issue is "within spec" and refuse to do anything about it.

Conversely if you use the John Lewis 5 year warranty avenue you do seem to get a solution in the end but it must be pointed out right now that neither Panasonic or John Lewis cover image retention and/or screen burn in their warranties for plasma TVs. Quite a few members have had problems with this issue and have found it very hard to get it resolved so it's just worth pointing this out from the start and even when dealing with John Lewis who have an outstanding reputation for customer service they have really struggled to get any resolution.

Personally I wouldn't rely on a Panasonic 5 year warranty and if you do buy elsewhere I would certainly seek out some extra cover such as through your home insurer or a third party as god forgive you get any issues dealing with Panasonic and their notoriously useless customer service is a nightmare as myself and many other members can confirm. I had a real battle on my hands getting the issues with my GT30 resolved and in the end it left such a deep scar that I simply wouldn't buy a Panasonic plasma again and sadly I'm not alone.

I'm certainly not saying don't buy one just be very careful where you buy from and that you are well covered if you buy from a retailer other than John Lewis, they remain excellent TVs but treat it with care and run the panel in for 200 hours at least and you should minimise the chances of any issues.

 

[bigboss]

After John Lewis, I would look at Richer Sounds. Both are consistently amongst the top 5 for customer service in the UK. I've had a great experience with Sevenoaks Sheffield.

 

[b33k34]

Thanks all. Richer Sounds it is - in stock in the nearest store to me (which within London makes a big difference) and pricematched to a shop on the far side of London. £1080 in the end. Now to unbox....