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Twisted Quarter - Buyer Beware
csnow:
MaxVolume I guess you wont be sending me a Christmas card either. :dunno
First, I am not building a MAME cabinet, so dont make assumptions. I was building a PS3 based cabinet that would also do double duty with a heavy duty PC that is playing PCSX2 (PS2) emulation and modern fighters. One little tid bit of information that I didnt share is that this is my second dead "arcade" LCD. Two duds from two different sellers. The first was an eBay purchase from a guy in Miami for my Galaga 60-1 conversion. 19" unit came in dead, I sent it back, and he refunded my money.
That is how I found TQ, I bought their 19" and it worked great, so I went back for the 26" for my new project. Now, I receive the 26" that is dead....hmmm It appears all these "arcade" classified monitors are coming from crap contract manufactures in China/Thailand. This is a niche market so the players are small time compared to the computer LCD makers like ASUS, Samsung, Accer, Dell, etc. It appears quality control is a major problem. Seems to be a reoccurring trend with these de-cased, overpriced LCDs. So yeah, after getting a second dud I was done. I dont think I am a rare exception but maybe I do have terrible luck. It isnt the first time. I remember cutting grass all summer to get a Commodore 64. Walked into Kmart with my hard earned cash and picked the box in the middle of the display stack. Guess what? DOA.
I have been in IT for most of my adult career outside of my military service. You know how many LCD computer monitors I have seen failed? Zilch, zero, nadda, none! A few dead pixels but never had a DOA one or any of our desktop guys report one dying. In fact, we have to throw many of them away because we replace the older ones with larger screen sizes. We dont have enough space to keep them all. They never die. I am done with these "Arcade" LCDs.
The other factor you are not considering is that once I modify my cabinet to accept a standard 27" monitor, they are all approximately the same size. They are typically within 1/4 to 1/2 inch regardless of models. So if I do have one die, I remove the plexi-glass and drop another one in its place. At most, I have to redo the bezel. So no, I am not setting unrealistic expectations with the life cycle of my home units. I am however practical and pragmatic. This broken, bolt in 26" monitor was a behemoth. If it dies, I have no parts available and I am back to square one.
You do have some valid points. Like I said, Andrew was fair with offering to repair it. I have come accustomed to dealing with vendors like Amazon, New Egg, Tiger Direct, etc that will offer a refund on a defective item. After my history with these "arcade" units, I was done.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Jim,
I spoke with the charge back department. They do have a 15 day wait period. I do agree in consumer right's and protecting our hard earned cash.
Ed,
I am very familiar with product life cycles. The company I work for outsources a large portion of our manufacturing to contract manufactures in Kuala Lumpur, China, and Thailand. My wife is also a product line manageer (PLM) so I am very familiar with spares, support, etc of EOL products. It is that familiarity that made me want a refund. Companies, especially CMs, will not store parts and will scrap inventory because it costs too much to store it.
IG-88:
I gotta agree with cs on this one. I own a business, so does my wife. We work with the public all the time. Most of them are "---Deutsche Frankfurters---". BUT, they are always correct. (whether we like it or not) In this day and age you have to do what it takes to keep your customers. Period. If you don't they'll go down the road.
I do have to ask tho. Why in the hell would you pay $500 for a monitor that you were hooking up to a PC anyways? You can walk in and get a descent one damn near anywhere along with a warranty within the hour. Plug & play for 1/4 -1/3 that price!
csnow:
--- Quote from: IG-88 on August 17, 2012, 04:55:48 pm ---I gotta agree with cs on this one. I own a business, so does my wife. We work with the public all the time. Most of them are "---Deutsche Frankfurters---". BUT, they are always correct. (whether we like it or not) In this day and age you have to do what it takes to keep your customers. Period. If you don't they'll go down the road.
I do have to ask tho. Why in the hell would you pay $500 for a monitor that you were hooking up to a PC anyways? You can walk in and get a descent one damn near anywhere along with a warranty within the hour. Plug & play for 1/4 -1/3 that price!
--- End quote ---
Haha, I love your Avatar. IG-88 was my favorite Star Wars bounty hunter. Very cool......
I was willing to pay $500, so I wouldnt have to modify my cabinet. I had a stadium cabinet that I set out to "modify" and I ruined it and it ended up in a dumpster. I was willing to take the "easy" route for a couple of extra hundred dollars for a nice clean perfect fit. Well I just pissed away $160 with TQ with shipping and the restocking fee. I havent seen anything 1/4 or 1/3 but I have seen them about half of what I paid. I was going to abandon this project completely but my wife wants me to finish it for the kids. I am ordering a 27" Accer monitor on New Egg today. My only consolation is that my $160 ends up costing him more than that in lost customers. I wish I could have recorded the conversation and posted for all to hear. He was really something else on the phone......
IG-88:
Thanks for the props. IG was always my favorite too. He has his own short story in the Star Wars universe. Have you read it?
$160 lesson learned I would say.
Speaking of that number. Wallymart has a 26" for $160 right now. Off name brand but for that price what the hell. Not sure on your situation with your cab and mods you may have to do but I would go for a inexpensive TV and then if you had questions on how to get it mounted post here on the forums. I've used/seen everything from precision cut CNC frames to duct tape, glue and cardboard. Whatever works and looks descent. ;D These guys on here are pretty clever.
http://tinyurl.com/czsdz5o
MaxVolume:
First of all, I would never defend a bad merchant just because they might have a part I need. I made sure to give my COMPLETE, honest opinion of TQ, warts and all. Are they ideal? No. Did they try to help you but stopped short of what you preferred so you threw a tantrum... YES.
Secondly, you're splitting hairs. Who the f*ck cares if it's not a MAME cabinet??? Dude, you're building something that is gonna be around for a while, unless you're just so fickle that you're gonna get bored with it and rebuild it with whatever console replaces the PS3, but would you actually take the extra step to replace the LCD if you did?
The bottom line is you wanted an LCD, the one you got didn't work, you were offered a repair, you said you didn't want it at all. Make up your mind... do you WANT an LCD or not??? THAT's where being a dick comes in, not to mention your attitude with the rep who was actually trying to help you.
Someone else already nailed it... buyer's remorse. So, you're still mourning your DOA C-64... tough crap.
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