DELL W4201C 42" High Definition HD Plasma TV
2nd times a charm ??
After only 4 months my Dell 42\\"Plasma HDTV developed a thin line running from the bottom of the screen up about midway high.  When I called customer service they told me they would replace the TV with a refurbished model.  I had only used my TV on weekends for football games or when watching a DVD, it may have had 100 hours of use.  I argued that it wouldn't be fair to replace it with someone elses lemon that had been repaired & maybe had a thousand hours on it!  According to the fine print there was nothing I could do about it. After a few weeks the refurbished replacement arrived.  I was told to come look at it before the serviceman brought it into my house.  Sure enough, the screen was scratched in 2 places & I did not accept it.  After many, many calls & faulty information from customer service, I asked to speak to the supervisor & threatened a lawsuit.  Finally I was promised a brand new TV as a replacement.  I recieved the new TV 9 weeks after I first contacted customer service about the vertical line.  I am happy that I recieved a new TV but unhappy that the warranty does not start over with the replacement, it still begins with the original sale! I have never in my life spent that kind of money ($3000) on an item from a catalogue or from viewing it on the internet.  Had I bought this TV from a store, I would have been at the counter immediately & recieved my replacement TV much quicker.  I spent many hours on the phone during the Christmas holiday speaking with at least 15 different Dell representatives, many of which could not speak English.  It was a very aggravating situation to say the least.  Never again will I spend that much money on an item without 'test driving' it first.