Pat's TV Troubles -

[@rennievidjagameman2000]

Pat goes on a 10min RANT and after all of that Ian just goes: "I would never buy a refurbished TV." Wonderful

[@weqrfawe1336]

first problem, refurbished. second problem, buying a tv online. should have just gone to the store

[@tomer1224]

Yea, I was going to say the same thing about the going to an actual store. As for referbished, if you are buying one, make sure the company has a physical store near where you live so you can go directly to them rather than going through the the run around.

[@williamburgoon1834]

+weqrfawe exactly with an actual gaurentee no matter what happenss

[@CommodoreFan64]

+weqrfawe I've never had a problem buying LCD PC monitors from Newegg but yeah when it comes to a TV I like to go to the store, and see it in person. and have a place I can physically take it back too if something goes wrong when I'm spending that much money.

[@SXGi1b0]

+weqrfawe third problem...not getting any receipt or paperwork from the guy that collected the tv, pat got lucky they found it, the delivery guy could have easily kept it for himself or sold it, without any proof the tv was collected and pat would have been out of the whole amount, schoolboy error. Also, just stop being a cheapskate and buy a new tv, refurbished tvs dont save you that much, a new tv is brand new out of the box, no scratches or marks, all the right pieces and haven't been returned before due to previous faults. Buying the cheapest worst unknown brands doesn't help either...you know what they say, you get what you pay for.

[@SXGi1b0]

+weqrfawe Fourth problem, not keeping the original packaging, fifth problem, buying shitty brands like vizio and whatever other unknown brand he said. This is a masterclass in how not to buy something.

[@PaulMauledOfTheLivingDead]

stop buying refurbished TVs

[@williamburgoon1834]

+Paul Mauled ike

[@Roughman123]

+Paul Mauled And don't buy cheap, no name brands.

[@nomdplume1606]

+Roughman123 Except the only tv that actually worked worth a damn in this story is the "No Name" Olevia that he had for nine years. The real problem here is buying refurbs. I've never bought a refurb item online that worked correctly. I bought an iPhone 4S refurb from AT&T, didn't work, bought a car DVD player from rakuten...didn't work. There's another item I bought refurb but I can't remember what it was. Anyway, I have come to the conclusion that online refurbs are scams. They don't refurbish the item at all. They just clean the item up and repackage it for the next unsuspecting customer.

[@jpesicka492]

Paul Mauled i don't personally, but people who KNOW a thing or two about fixing said electronics knows FACTORY refurbished means 100% chance the manufacturer tested it and made sure it worked. My family has had several NEW out of box TVS THAT HAD PROBLEMS

[@soapysoap2632]

pat, I have a solution to all your problems: 1) turn around 2) there's a tv right there You're welcome

[@gamerguy425]

+soapy soap Tube master race! XD

[@DergEnterprises]

+soapy soap Funny

[@markasscop]

*stadium full of people start applauding*

[@c0m4g1bb]

Derg Enterprises then you have no sense of humor... How do fucking ten year olds get on the net?

[@Hypno_BPM]

for the record pat 11 months is not an acceptable life span for a tv IMO. also you should have called ups directly and reported that dealer for not following company policy

[@westhammer]

Refurbished tv-s are basically ones that crapped out during warranty time, so they were faulty to begin with.

[@Geraki0n]

Watching this 6 years later, what a fantastic rant.

[@Pretparry]

Weird, one side of this video seems dimmer too!!!

[@182punkbunny]

lol ...funny how Ian was the one that said "that would drive me nuts". ..I know I know it's and HD camera and ya da ya da

[@DergEnterprises]

+Pretski Irony! We should all donate 2 grand so he can both sides equal. Or Pat can just quit buying TVs, I'm sure after a year's savings he'll have enough. lol

[@GettingYourNerdOn]

Hahaha good point

[@xdialga361445x]

+182punkbunny death the kidd:its not symmetry

[@golden_eldorado]

Tripcore It's not the camera quality, it's Ian. He looks like 480p in reality too. 😏

[@neozeed1984]

I work for fedex. dont have tvs shipped!!!!!!.If you want a tv, buy last years model in a retail store. current models are fixed on lowest price. last year models arent. use your flea market skills to beat the salesperson down on the price. remember, most big retailers give a commission to salespeople for selling extended warranties. agree to the extended warranty as long as the salesperson gives you a big discount on the tv. after you buy the tv, cancel the extra warranty, and get your money back. if the tv works, you should be ok with the original warranty. if it has a problem, bring it back to the store, no shipping involved.

[@BrimmJobb]

most retailer's dont do commission anymore.

[@BrimmJobb]

huh.

[@DrxSlump]

My 1989 CRT TV I use for retrogaming still works, never had a single issue. Since we moved to LCDs in the mid 2000s, I changed 5 TVs. Pieces of crap...

[@alexiswritingvideos]

What brand is your tv?

[@DrxSlump]

@@alexiswritingvideos ITT

[@swissmrkc]

Has tv trouble, gets a refurbished Vizio...now thats a compounding problem.

[@ForeverChiIIin]

Questionable decision.

[@SXGi1b0]

+swissmrkc Two words that should never be involved in any purchase, refurbished and vizio.

[@aztr0zombie]

I have 3 Vizios and they have all worked flawlessly for years.

[@swissmrkc]

+aztr0zombie you are in the minority. buy a lottery ticket.

[@TorqueEffect]

+swissmrkc Nope, my friend and his wife have a Vizio for two years now. perfectly good. My Uncle also has a much much older Vizio, and that is still kicking. Now Insignia on the other hand, mine that I bought two years ago just started getting lines through it, almost like scan lines but get more bold as it gets to the bottom of the screen. Just picked up a 50" Sharp for Black Friday, guess I will see how long this one will last. Just got it today by UPS, and been playing games on it all day, no issues.

[@annerebelo9360]

Oh Pat the troubles do not stop at refurb TVS. We had a brand new Samsung show up, the box looked slightly damaged but the employee said "no problem you have 3 days to check it out and get a full refund or exchange". First mistake. We open the box a few days later (I am very preggo - had to wait for hubby to help) and when we do, we see the tv is LITERALLY warped. like obviously something went funny while making it. To make a long story short, company we bought from (Leon's) said WE warped the TV somehow and it was "suspicious" that we didn't report it right away. Tried to tell us we were SOL. We send photos to Leons and to Samsung. Samsung was actually very very helpful and was like "omg wtf haha return that shit". And Leons REFUSED to take it back. Until I spent about 2 weeks doing what you did - being the negotiator between Leons and Samsung and basically doing the work of a LEON's CSR and getting appointments with techs (who kept saying.. no, I am not coming, its obviously broken from factory, WHY won't leons take it back!?") and Leons basically avoiding and saying they are not responsible and Samsung must deal with it. Long story short but we bought it on black friday and by christmas eve I had the replacement. I may have saved a few bucks with my good black friday deal, but it was all put back into the TV with man hours, emailing and arguing with badly trained staff and technicians. To their credit, Samsung was super helpful, always backed us up and actually followed up through facebook and email. Leons head office to this day has yet to acknowledge the email I sent to them.Buyer beware always I guess. Pretty sad.

[@skabcat242]

I have a big clunky tv which once belonged to my parents. They had this since 2001. Many years later this thing still works.

[@skabcat242]

That is cool. It's funny how old technology is often more reliant than newer stuff.

[@teamhex]

+skabcat242 Less tech and features.....less can break. LCD, plasma, and LED don't function on the same tech as CRTs, and they've been around a lot less. Most of the CRT TVs you see are from the 90's. We had basically the same tech when TVs were first invented. They had decades to make that design better. HDTVs aren't really even 15 years old yet. I was 13, 15 years ago and I don't remember HDTVs becoming a thing until I was 16 or 17. Even then most people didn't have them yet because of price. Pretty simple stuff really.

[@javiergutierrez3856]

+teamhex infelidades

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

+skabcat242 And they probably paid over $5000 for it, so it had better stand the test of time!

[@zouber]

+Miguel Waide 200 miles you are crazy

[@mantiskungfu728]

should have just bought a new one... This is the time of year last year models go on sale.

[@CommodoreFan64]

+Korvas Yep, or wait for the after Christmas/1st of the year sales.

[@wattage]

+Korvas Agree completely. A TV is one of those things you just have to buy locally. Stick to the big brand names (Samsung, LG, Sharp, etc). And yeah, either wait for a Christmas sale or til after Super Bowl. People always return TVs afterwards. If you really wanna go bargain bin, then use Craigslist. Again, when buying a TV, buy locally.

[@CommodoreFan64]

+James Watts Yep, or in the case of someplace like Walmart go to the store look at all the TV's they have, find what you want, and then check walmart's website as it's sometimes cheaper via the website, and have them ship it to your local store free for pickup, as you still have a local store to return the item to if there is a problem.

[@gamerguy425]

+Commodorefan64 if there are any left that is. I went to a best buy a week after christmas and I've seen supermarkets in zombie apocalypse games less baron.

[@CommodoreFan64]

+gamerguy425 like i said the Walmart website is a good option because they will a lot of times have it at the same price as in store if not cheaper if it's in stock, and with the free site to store shipping it's hard to beat on something like a TV.

[@PorcuPineAppleSauce]

i got 4 refurbished rog swift monitors and only had one with a problem. sent it back and got the replacement a few days later and have had no problems since. Pat, your good luck left you and came to me so thank you lol

[@DergEnterprises]

The old CRT TVs still work after 20-30 years. What happened to that reliability?

[@DergEnterprises]

No shit Sherlock, that isn't even a fucking valid response to my asinine comment.

[@MasterControl90original]

+Derg Enterprises those fails too, but were also way easier to fix

[@MasterControl90original]

soylentgreenb well thats true, but to reach 10000 hours it takes so long that other parts fail first, especially the power supply and from late 80s TVs it is a pretty straightfoward repair. On modern LCD TVs and monitors, especially the first 2000 decade ones, anything can fail and diagnostic is pretty harsh

[@nygiantsfan6]

Last summer, I was in need of a TV for my apartment and bought a 2013-14ish 42 inch Hitachi from my local Goodwill for 80 bucks. Plugged it in in the store to make sure there were no burned out pixels or anything. Looks fantastic. No issues so far.

[@RyanKentBarnhart]

NEVER buy refurbished or open box electronics. I have regretted that every single time... Also, always keep your electronics boxes! They don't take up that much space. At least until the warranty period expires. EDIT: Holy shit, you went back to the refurbished TV well a THIRD time?!?

[@DergEnterprises]

+Ryan Barnhart Yeah, I had to move, just because of all the boxes I collected needed their own bedroom.

[@RyanKentBarnhart]

+Derg Enterprises I'm an electronic junkie - TVs, arcade parts, home theater, embedded computing, etc. And all of my in-warranty electronics boxes take up one large shelf in one closet. You must buy a SHIT-TON of electronics or live in a Tokyo apartment. ;)

[@DergEnterprises]

Actually, the bedroom is for my cardboard mansion. I have to live in something.

[@GenBloodLust]

+Ryan Barnhart I used to manage an electronics store. Open box is not necessarily bad but refurbished is. and some brands start out being refurbs, like Vizio. But open box, if its a display model isnt bad.

[@vectrex28]

My TV is a 29'' Trinitron from the 90's. Still works like a charm, plus it's the best thing you can get for retro gaming

[@mikebryant3818]

go to Walmart or best buy . problem solved.

[@CommodoreFan64]

+Mike Bryant Seems from people I've talked to over the years that Walmart in california is not as good, because a lot of places out there won't let them build super centers so for where Pat is at I would say Target would be his best bet.

[@CrushOfSiel]

+Commodorefan64 There are plenty of super centers here though.

[@CommodoreFan64]

***** If you shop around, and know what your looking for, and want, you are willing to wait for a sale, than Walmart can still be a great place to buy a TV. Best Buy however I have to agree with, and I don't know how they are even still in business, as I've had their website even screw up a simple order of a Net10 cell phone.

[@toltecnightmare]

***** yes, if you buy a samsung, sharp etc. High quality brand From walmart and best buy for cheaper, it must be junk. You're kidding right? I'm sure the manufacturers have a special assembly line for cheap walmart and best buy tvs in their factories, and a supreme awesome assembly line reserved for fanboy markets that mark them up, hand crafted by Santa's elves and delivered by unicorns and grizzly bears in samurai armor.

[@laprasking]

Why do I get the feeling the next Gift Opening Unboxing video is going to be filled with brand new TVs from fans to Pat? XD

[@MrJimbofox]

I bought a Vizio TV new from best buy. Turns out it had an issue with the screen turning itself off randomly. I called Vizio customer service and got Nicholas in North Dakota (yes the American ND) who informed me this was a known defect with my model and that they would warranty the replacement. I asked him "does this mean I gotta box it up and take it back to best buy?" to which he replied "No actually we're gonna get a brand new replacement (one model year newer actually) out to you. He collected my info and within a week, I had a delivery of a brand new set and the guy even boxed up/took my old one out for me. THAT is customer service. Vizio has my business.

[@maritimeretro2855]

I have a 56" Magnavox CRT that my parents got as the family T.V. in 1996 or so. It still works but any time there is a power outage it scares the shit out of me. When it dies I will be so sour, because it displays classic era games soooo well. Your T.V troubles make me think of my T.V's mortality and that scares me. THANKS PAT. >< hope everything works out for you

[@GulfCoastNihilist]

As someone who worked unloading trucks at a big box retail store, you're still taking a risk buying a new TV in a retail store. I can't tell you how many TVs were sandwiched between pallets, under pallets, leaned any goddamn way the DC loaders could (or decided to) fit them in the truck. The only time TVs were ever shipped properly were during the holiday season, mainly for Black Friday, and even some of those were just loosely thrown in the truck.

[@IAmNeomic]

The problem with a lot of "refurbished" TVs is that most companies will literally plug them in, check if they power on, and move along to the next one. Often times, LCD and LED TVs usually need 3-5 minutes to "warm up" as they will generally be about 25% darker than normal when they first turn on. The other thing I noticed is that you said you paid $450 for a refurbished TV, when most decent new TVs cost that now. My 46" Sony LED was $429 in 2013, and it has a "game mode" with a 31ms response time. Your best bet is to stick to your local Walmart as they have a "no questions asked" return policy. The last I can give you is the CALIBRATE your TVs. Most TVs are shipped with the default picture settings cranked up (what is often referred to as "torch mode") so that they "pop" next to the surrounding TVs. A lot of people leave them on this setting, which actually shortens your TV's lifespan sometimes in half, because the components are being overworked. Companies take advantage of this though, because it means customers are buying new TVs quicker. Your best bet is to buy the Disney "World of Wonder" Blu-ray to calibrate the HD inputs, and then a DVD you have with the THX label (Star Wars, for example) on it on your SD inputs (composite, S-video, component). All THX DVDs and Blu-rays have test patterns built in to set up your TV and audio.

[@itchyisvegeta]

Buy your TV from Costco, and get the Extended Warranty. Got my last 2 replaced with no issues. The only thing is, if the warranty department sends you a different model, google the model before they send it to make sure it has the features you want.

[@joestradamus75]

yeah, i had a similar problem years ago buying a dvd recorder online. There's just some things that are still best buying at a store.

[@meowskull]

Pat, insurance does not cover shoddy packaging because it would be EXTREMELY easy to do insurance fraud that way. If they tell you up front that your packaging looks crap then it obviously means you need to repack it. You were being cheap for not shipping it correctly. All these hassles could've been avoided if you just get a brand new quality tv in a store like Bestbuy or Frys.

[@HowardAnthC]

Pat I'm sorry to hear about your tv troubles. I went through similar issues a few years ago so maybe I can educate you a little based on my experience. The first thing you need to understand is that ALL lcd televisions are crap. Plasma as well, but I digress. That doesn't mean not to buy one, in fact I recommend it, but you need to be aware of it going in. The thing is, quality control on electronic components, particularly capacitors and transistors, are at an all time low. So after about a year or so, there is a decent chance that a cap or transistor blows and either your power supply or the driver for the backlight goes out. Now it's generally an easy fix... maybe a dollar or two in parts and an hour of so taking the tv apart and soldering the new piece on BUT the damage is already done. The chips and other components on the board are so dependent upon a constant, filtered voltage that running the tv with less than perfect power has shortened the life of the pcbs. It might last another year, maybe two, but the damage is already done. Now keeping that in mind you should NEVER buy a refurbished tv. Likely they just replaced a bad cap like mentioned above but like I said, that tvs days are numbered. As to the brand... it doesn't matter one bit. Most of the panels all come from the same factory and even if they didn't they all buy their components from the exact same place. So the "best" brand is whatever is cheapest and has a decent picture. I usually stick with vizio. So what do you do? Well do your research. Buy it in a physical store if possible to avoid return hassles (you can just walk it back in) and buy a warranty from the store if you want to bother with that. Manufacturer warranties aren't worth much because they rarely send you a new tv... they repair your existing one, and... well again refer to above... it just isn't worth the hassle. These holiday sales are really nice so you might want to take advantage of them BUT.... remember to buy new sets only and check their return policy before ordering. As a personal rule I try to never pay more than around 350-400 bucks for a tv unless it's a 60 incher or something. Also be comforted by the fact that quality control is returning. If you buy a new set now you are probably good for a few years at least. This last one I got was a cheap old 46 inch vizio and it's still going strong after 4+ years.

[@guerillagrueplays6301]

You can get a decent-ish brand-new TV in the same size range you were looking at for about the same price, Pat, depending on what feature(s) you're willing to live without. About 3 years ago I bought my mom and dad a cheap-o Hisense 42 inch LED. 1080p, all that junk. It was 400 bucks brand-new. Flawless? No, it wasn't: the particular model I bought them has an audio popping issue when switching to HD signals (we knew this before I bought it,) but otherwise the TV has served them great through multiple Blu Ray players, video games, and being moved about quite a bit. It even has that fancy schmancy pivoting stand you like so much. It's always handy to remember that TVs nowadays are, in general, built with an expected life expectancy of approximately 50k watt hours of use, which roughly equates to 5 years in a typical home. Buying refurbished means that, depending on the original owner, you could be already burned through the expected life expectancy of the unit, or darned close, and refurb or not isn't going to change that for most of the parts inside.

[@EternalyRandom]

I only bought 1 refurbished TV ever and had to return it with in a week. Learned my lesson to only buy new.

[@thepoliticalstartrek]

My TV sob story. 2011 Samsung ran out of parts for the 7000 series TVs. So rather than stoping manufacturing they placed 8000 series parts in them, but flashed it to disable features. So I spent 3 months tracking down the production numbers. Flashed it and it was awesome. 3 week later my 3 year old throws a ball through cracking the plasma screen.

[@sunnohh]

Pat, the secret is they don't generally do anything to "refurbish" electronics. They "test", "pass test" send out as refurb.

[@jrlunaart2151]

This story was amazing! lol Somebody should make this into a comic! XD

[@DaniRadioCat]

I had a 1986 Zenith CRT TV last over 28 years before it died and I had to get rid of it ;P (it even had a keypad and a green LED channel display)

[@JSSuper281]

Interesting story. About a month ago I just purchased a new LED HD TV from a local department store on clearance for a great price. I put it in my car, took it home and set it up. It was a painless transaction and the TV works great. Sometimes its just best to get dressed and go outside shopping at a local "Brick and Mortar" store.

[@pilgrum0]

worked in the home theater business for a long Pat most times the extended warranty is BS but word of advice always buy it for TVs they have poor QA. tip 2 always save the box until your warranty expires.

[@DarkMProductions]

Wow, that sucks, Pat. The exact same thing happened to me with Vizio, but they sent me a box, plus free shipping, to get the TV replaced. It took a while, but in the end, they gave me a newer TV than the one I had.

[@The90sGamingGuy]

I have always bought new TV's. The TV i am primarily going to use for gaming,watching movies, and cable TV. I have been through three CRTV's for old school games. Just continually upgraded into the model i have now which is a 19 inch Toshiba w/vcr and dvd player. Moral of the story is buy new when it comes to TV's and other electronics.

[@SNARC15]

I too owned the same exact Olevia 37" (I think it was model 337H.) Bought it off of Newegg in the Spring of 2007 for about $700, and it too lasted quite well. I was worried that because of the relatively unknown name it wouldn't last, but until I got my latest TV (a 46" Samsung 1080p120 LED that I bought in 2014 for only $500) it worked darn well. Eventually I gave it to my girlfriend because she was still working an old 25" LCD set and wanted an HDMI set for her new Xfinity X1 box. It's worked great for her until this day, albeit some minor temporary image retention. On the other hand, where I work we used 32" LG LCDs and they were prone to failing after a few years. The main board has issues causing the display to not turn on or the ATSC tuner malfunctions. We've since moved on to Samsungs to resolve the issue.

[@zooks808]

Thank you Ian @ 12:44 my thoughts exactly.

[@juliabrnssr]

What's wrong with an Old CRT TV. Just go to s thrift store and pick one up for maybe $10 at the most. Even if it doesn't work you can buy 100 or even 1000 for the price of a new one. Plus I hear they are really great for salvaging parts.

[@ryry007]

I have one of those Tv's still with 1080i. I had to replace some capacitors but it still work!

[@JungolistMassif]

All my tv have been purchased from a store close enough to return to in person. Just saying. I like seeing them all hooked up at a store so I can compare the image quality and the glare, something you cant do online.

[@zackerychapman7193]

Are you insane? You keep doing the same thing expecting different results. Plus why not wait two weeks, and get a new tv on cyber Monday?

[@DergEnterprises]

+zackery chapman He's trying to disprove the definition of insanity.

[@zackerychapman7193]

practice buying a tv...?

[@zackerychapman7193]

Why not? Because Pat is practicing buying a $500 product... that is why not. It is not a fiscally feasible thing to practice buying. Dudes out hundreds of dollars because he is trying to save money. Probable could have used that money to just get a new TV.

[@hankster1128]

Found a 36"(?)Hisense TV on the side of the road a few months back with the stand. Hooked it up, works fine, picture is surprisingly good for a chinese brand TV. Only problem is (and probably why it was on the curb) the picture freaks out from time to time. (when you turn it on and after about 10 minutes of it being on, I've noticed this) A few smacks in the top right corner can fix it though. Got a Wii, Xbox, 360, and Genesis hooked up to it, and got an antenna on it last night. Sometimes the best things in life are completely unexpected.

[@Pozorrogo]

I bought a display model used tv from walmart a few years ago for pretty cheap at the time and its still going strong. I wouldnt suggest buying large items refurbished, or large electronics in general from the internet. Spend a little money to get brand new from an actual store in your area or buy a good used one on craigslist or something

[@T1000416]

I took a gamble on used/refurbished LG TV about 4-5 years ago. Still works like a charm. I was is complete panic until the moment I hooked it up though. I don't think I'll take that kind of risk anymore though.

[@DeadBaron]

Pat has stolen the crown of angriest video game nerd, hasn't he?

[@UtsukushiSekai]

I bought a new 46" Samsung from a major eBay seller. The box arrived very damaged so I was worried but opened it up anyway, no problems yet. Must've sat on the floor of a store for long enough that the box got beaten up and they couldn't sell it in-store anymore. At least I got a new working one at a significant discount.

[@umiami80]

Amazing customer service story.

[@TheDarkHighlander]

I'm with Ian, i'd never buy anything refurbished unless it's heavily discounted enough to merit all this potential risk and hassle. Way i see it they're all 2nd hand goods and were more than likely returned for a good reason.

[@DergEnterprises]

+TheDarkHighlander What about a refurbished car?

[@TheDarkHighlander]

+soylentgreenb That's why i said i would consider it if it was discounted enough. CRT's are different altogether as they are no longer in production, LCDs currently don't look to be stopping in the near future so why buy 2nd hand for only 10-20% off the price when you can get a brand new untouched TV? Looking at the money he wasted it seems to me he should have bought it brand new to start off with....

[@EverScrolls]

Thank you Pat, I don't think I'm ever gonna purchase a refurbished model in the future...

[@edwardgreenjr167]

Just get a holiday special from a Costco, they have the best return policies and won't give you a headache if something goes wrong. Or, if you need to buy online, buy from amazon. If you are not already a prime member you can start a trial and get shipping free. They also have great return policies, just make sure to check the warranty and return policy on the set you get. And don't let the refurb Vizio turn you of from looking at them again if you see a deal. I got a black Friday special (60" Smart TV for 650 a few years ago) and the same thing happened to me about a year into it, no video only audio. Since it was under their warranty they sent out a replacement via a hired shipper, who even unboxed it and set the new one up. Fingers crossed still working fine for about 3 years now.

[@TheKingfisher745]

I got cheated in basically the same way Pat. Although, I paid for professional shipping/packing boxes etc for electronics. Ultimately, I hate UPS. They must just kick your packages around all day.

[@YokozunaNumber1]

I bought an APEX television in 2003, and it still works great. I use it for SNES mainly.

[@Branniganslaw143]

I like that a refurbished crap TV lasted 11 months, and he is happy. I have TVs that are 10+ years old and get used rigorously. My last TV I bought was a Samsung 55" LED/LCD 120Htz. Been working great for 4 years or so. All TVs prior to that are Sony (When Sony electronics ruled over all). When you purchase a TV, You have to go with a top brand name, and those TVs should be purchased new, not refurbished.

[@Trelior]

I'm fortunate with the two TVs I bought in the past three years. I bought a Seiki 32" TV in May of 2013 for, like, $250 new. The TV is great, advertised as 720p (1366x768 max resolution) that is ACTUALLY 1080p compliant, it's my primary computer monitor. My only complaint is that my monitor arrangement in my video settings in Windows likes to reset every few days when I turn it on. Aside from that, it's mildly annoying that it doesn't react to any remotes outside of the one it came with (but my Vizio remote will turn it off). The other TV is the aforementioned Vizio that I bought last year when Alco was going out of business. It's another 32" 1080p TV. Cost me about $170 (absurdly cheap considering where I live). Not a single problem with it. Great TV. I guess this is a bit of apples and oranges of a comparison since Pat was getting larger, refurbished monitors. But you can't argue with the fact that sometimes it's better to settle for less expensive, smaller monitors.

[@lorenzovegar]

anyone else notice Ian's shirt,amazing band dude,"Men Today",one of my favorite tracks but mostly the whole album is awesome.

[@koopaGG]

I've had good luck with Amazon Warehouse deals. My Panasonic Viera was purchased for 60% off almost 6 years ago and is still going strong.

[@SupraViperhead]

I have a 32-Inch Emerson that the brother of an Old Co-Worker gave me for free. The only thing wrong with it were 3 diagonal lines of discoloration up on the top right of the screen that were barely noticeable. I've had it for 5 years and have had absolutely no problems with it...except that it's too small when I'm sitting 10 feet away from it. Going to invest in a 55-inch and turn my 32 into a PC monitor for PC Gaming.

[@ShreddHed]

its crazy. The 42" LCD that i have from like 2008 is twice as heavy as the new 55" LCD that we just got.

[@jon-erich9752]

I think the major issue here is quality control. It seems like when the transition was made from picture tube televisions to flatscreen televisions, the quality took a downward spiral. TV's have become disposable like cheap cell phones. I remember years ago when people actually bought electronic equipment from Sony, Sony used to boast about the quality of their TV's. They had the best picture and usually lasted longer than other TV's. How often do you hear any company bragging about long lasting quality TV's? They don't because they want your TV to break and they want you to take that 1080p TV you got in 2013 and replace it with an Ultra HD TV in 2016.

[@jenniferbaker4322]

You're a good story teller Pat, I like it!

[@Th3Pr0digalS0n]

Got all of our tvs from pawn shops. In good shape best prices. Over 8 years none have had problems.

[@bobbutts4402]

lol. i love how many people are trying to be smart asses by saying "oh you should have just spent the extra money on a new tv." even though that's literally the last thing Pat said. smart enough to buy a new tv, not smart enough to watch the whole video before commenting.

[@teamhex]

I'm sure all this has been said by various folks on here, but here it is itemized. A. Never buy an off brand TV. Only buy, Sony, LG, and Samsung(sorry if I left anyone out). If you can afford it. Go for the Sony. I've never...EVER had an issue with any Sony I've ever owned. B. Never buy a refurbished TV. Refurbished means it was broken at one point...and they "fixed" it. They will replace the bad part, but chances are another old part in the TV will go out. Maybe the part went bad because of another part in the TV? Fact is you don't know. C. Never buy online. Research, but don't buy. Buying online will likely only save you on tax, but when you see a good deal online...there's normally a reason for that. They either have too many of that model(crap model with bad reviews), or it's being replaced with newer models and they need shelf space. That mixed with the obvious shipping issues should you need to return it make it a terrible idea. Also TV's are almost always the same price in stores as online....sometimes cheaper. I bought a 55" Sony Bravia for $1000, it was going for $1300 on amazon and other websites at the time. That was 4 years ago and it's never had a single issue.

[@ArcadeGames]

Vizio TVs are well known for having faulty main boards. I've replaced many. Swivel TVs are nothing new, mine has that feature and it's from 2007.

[@purrpocalypse]

If you have a Costco membership, that's absolutely the way to go in this situation. Alternatively, Amazon. Amazon offers free returns and generally has great customer service in regards to big ticket items like this. Of course, you'll probably pay a bit more, but the TV you get will at least last you a few years instead of just months.

[@manixpc]

Screw refurb. My last two TVs were a Sceptre and Hyundai, both crap brands but new. They're now going on 5 years and 10 years respectively and still work like new. Also, I buy them off of Walmart.com and have them shipped to the store. I hate shopping Walmart, but I'll usually consider them first because you can just bring it back to the store if there's a problem and it's usually no questions asked.

[@Celicagame13]

My 32in vizio has lasted me 8 years, while my dad has gone thru three tvs in the same time. One was refurb, the others were bought brand new

[@webdesigner18]

Most of my TV's were hand me downs. The first one I owned that was new cost me around 200.00 from best buy. Best part was I got a 5yr warranty on it.

[@GreenDragonPainting]

Jesus christ, I can't believe I just watched this entire video 😂

[@dreadnok320]

Got a 55 Samsung 2 years ago in the leaving room but still rocking old school JVC tube tv in my chill room. I paid $25 about 10years ago. Works great. Flat screens are cool but my old school tube tv will out last my 55in Samsung . The new tvs are just not made well at all

[@DetailOneLakeland]

I work in claims. Just because we accept a package doesn't mean it's our responsibility to cover poor packaging. Nor does our acceptance of poor packaging mean we accept responsibility during shipping.

[@Your_Degenerate]

Yeah cable doesn't have a lot of 1080p programming nor does broadcast TV. The best they send out is 1080i and 720p. The majority of programming available anyways because most is older shows being syndicated is 480i. Also the reason the TV he purchased had half a dim screen was some manufacturers use two panels for very large screens. You can probably find a few 4K TVs that still do this and as Pat found out the more parts something has the more likely something can go wrong.

[@paulm5873]

in australia some cannels are 1080i some are 720p but most are 576i so having 1080p means even less here

[@devilmikey00]

I'm all for buying stuff online but TV's aren't one of those items. Most box stores will price match any online price so you can just walk into a store that has the TV you want pay the exact same price you would online. Then if the thing breaks you can just bring it back to a physical location and get your money/replacement right then and there.

[@CommodoreFan64]

The first HDTV I ever bought was a 19in Polaroid for my bedroom that cost me $320 back in 08 which only does 1080i, and last year the only HDMI port it has died out, but the panel still works just fine so I now use it as the 3rd monitor in my main PC setup via VGA, but damn if it does not get hot after being on for a few hours. But yeah Pat is right a lot of cable channels are not 1080p or even 1080i but 720p, or 480p and a lot of OTA channels in my area still broadcast in 480p, and none in 1080p, and highest I've seen is 1080i, and yes my 47in Samsung can do 1080p just fine with my Roku, and blu-ray player.

[@x54]

hey Pat I work for UPS. and shipping tvs is the worse thing you can do. just because tvs are so fragile now. you have to buy them new from electronic stores and have them deliver the TV to you. Best buy is the best store to buy tvs. as for the guy who didn't file the claim, I'll ask about that. see what I can do.

[@big_dad9465]

"I would never buy a refurbished TV" Plain and simple Ian haha

[@Videogamerdaryll]

Yes I sell the internals,stand and remotes even LED strips ..sometimes I make more then the tv is worth used ..better then going to the dumpster ..

[@Sparksterfu]

And that is exactly why I am always afraid of buying anything too expensive from any online retailer. Unless they have a local storefront like Target or Bestbuy where I can deal with someone in person after they ship it to the store, I wont bother. I rather do ship to store.

[@nationharris]

I've had my television since I was five. After twenty years its still going strong!

[@TheGameBench]

I hope you learned to stop buying refurbished TVs and not to buy from Tiger Direct as well. Bought my Samsung 40" off Amazon. Brand new, got to me in 2 days and it was only $400 for a nice model. And I know that if there had been a problem Amazon would have taken care of it without issues.

[@shichaves7971]

Tv's and cell phones are two thing I personally have had bad luck with when receiving refurbished as well. they are very hit and miss unfortunately.

[@kahncrane]

Yup Walmart, you would of had your money back or a new TV the same day, I know allot of people don't like shopping there but their return policy is awesome. 90 days on most things, prob 30 days for TV's. You can even buy it off the website and return it to the store.

[@sin3r6y98]

Not sure if you've bought a TV yet or not, but i had great success with the newer LG LED models. They offer them without smart features for considerably less money with the same screen quality. Smart TV OS's generally suck in most instances and with newer gaming / streaming boxes they are almost irrelevant imo. Of course unless you don't want any boxes attached to it.

[@lostxj]

I'd love to hear about the CRT monitors Pat and Ian have gone through for retro gaming. And what plans there on in the future to replace/maintain them. I've been looking on and off for someone to invent some kind of retro friendly LCD screen that operates in a native resolution(S) to retro game consoles. Because, eventually, we are going to run out of second hand CRT TVs.

[@DergEnterprises]

+Joshua Brown It costs $400 and I can't think what it's called, it also reduces the latency.

[@Jp-gc6bh]

I always bought my TVs around October/November when they go on crazy sales. Never buy refurbished TVs or monitors... NEVER EVER. NEVER!!!

[@TheGamerGuy1981]

If a company does not offer a like new warranty on refurbished or at least the option to extend the shitty 60-90 day warranty some offer...PASS! If it only comes with a 60-90 Day warranty it's because they KNOW it's a piece of shit. And honestly TV's are so cheap these days the savings via refurbished are little.

[@chrismcdonaldracing]

I had the same issue with computer monitors not to long ago.

[@GeoExpansionify]

+Pat the NES Punk I bought a 47" TV at walmart from 2010 and it still works great.

[@davidcorrigan9385]

the greatest voice crack of all time

[@J0T43Z]

well well.... how many podcast new videos have to make? amazing the exchange of your awesome videos... to THIS!

[@FireMrshlBill]

Bargain hunt on Black Friday/Cyber Monday and spend like $200 more on a brand new TV on sale. Last year I got a 55" Vizio M series for $700 shipped on Amazon prime. One of, if not, the top rated 55" on Cnet that year, Amazon return policy, and less than $200 more than you spent. Could have gotten an similarly rated Samsung (my favorite brand TV) for the same price with 2 less HDMI ports and just purchased a $30 splitter for additional consoles (ended up having to anyway since 4 ports aren't enough for a PS4/Xbone/WiiU/Retron5/cable box/AppleTV/etc.).

[@InazumaDash]

The TV I got in 2007 still works fine, it's not even a famous brand. "Limited Label" never seen those again. It's really heavy tho. My new 32' is light as fuck. You could probably toss it and juggle it. Nah but still.

[@InazumaDash]

Necra Monium Jebuz, yeah. Don't wanna drop it on your toes. It was much more expensive too. Back then they were still cheap compared to now but my new TV was like 70% cheaper. Not joking. Several hundreds of dollars cheaper. At least the standard TVs. No curved TVs or smart TVs. I don't need that shit.

[@raccoon681]

honestly pat for retro games get an old crt sony pvm production monitor with rgb jacks the snes and sega gen output native rgb and nothing beats that. using a scart cable to rgb adapter you can get the best picture quality available.

[@darksoulzFZ]

Pat, I'll keep your story in mind as I buy my next TV.

[@REALSlutHunter]

God bless my 33 Inch (yes 33) 4:3, 50/60hz (Light Gun & Sega 3D Glasses Compatible) Toshiba 3357DB CRT with Subwoofer inside :) That thing is 20 Years old and still working !