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Asking for HELP in Monitor Decision

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Ben: Thanks a lot!!!! Sarcastic 😀

Just kidding!!

I viewed your post just BEFORE hitting the "order button" for the Samsung 900NF. I have to agree with you and LXi, it's a very close toss up between the NEC FP950 and the Samsung 900NF.

The NEC is 4.8 lbs (net) HEAVIER (I don't know why I alway attribute weight with QUALITY), and appears to have MORE FEATURES and a few slightly higher refresh ratings than the Samsung. BTW, "convergence" IS listed as one of the OS controls on the specifications sheet? Is this NOT the same as "area convergence"? "Corner adjustment" is not listed, although this feature IS listed on the Hitachi CM771 specifications sheet....whoooo boy.....!!!

However, there is MORE to a purchase decision than just specifications and performance. Would you not agree that CUSTOMER SUPPORT is ALSO a very BIG concern in a purchase such as this?

My understanding is that Samsung offers 24/7/365 TOLL-FREE Tech Support and apparently a very good 3 year warranty. I've printed and read NEC's policies and although they seem to be excellent I can find no hours listed for their toll-free tech support number.

I am so "hung-up" on this decision that I am going to let THAT be the deciding factor. It's now 11:15 PM EST. After I place this post I am going to give both Samsung and NEC's technical support representatives a call. If I can't get through to either of them then I will decide later, lol. If I get through to just Samsung and NEC is closed, (as long as the Samsung representative seems polite and helpful), I'll go with the 900NF. If I get through to BOTH the companies, I will base my purchasing decision based on the "quality" of the customer service of the two companies.

Greg
 
Lxi: After hitting Ben's link, I experienced Amazon.com for the first time although I, of course, am aware of them. I was disappointed, like you about the "14 monitors" thing. Then I entered "monitors" in the "search" window and pulled up 363 or so matches, lol. Next I just put in SPECIFIC models into the search window to locate a specific monitor.

BUT HOW THE HECK DOES ONE GET THIS $15 COUPON YOU AND BEN TALKED ABOUT????

I DON'T SEE THAT LISTED ANYWHERE ON THE SCREENS?

Does one have to be a "member" of Amazon.com to "get" this $15 coupon???

Greg
 
Well, I called BOTH Samsung AND NEC, then took a break.

The good news is that BOTH of the companies offer 7/24/365 TOLL-FREE tech support.
(Why do I feel like I've posted this info before :disgust: ??)

Anyway, BOTH AMIR at NEC and JAMIE at Samsung were very nice and willing to answer any
of my questions and did not seem in any hurry. Jamie of Samsung got instantly friendly
when I told her I had just spoke with NEC about pre-purchasing questions 😉 .
Samsung CLAIMS to pay shipping BOTH ways during the first year of the 3 year P&L
warranty. NEC offers only ONE WAY shipping during the entire 3 year P&L warranty.

Then I came back to the thread and read the IIyama i90a idea. Of course, IIyama has
been known to make some "kick as_" monitors in the past so I had to do some more research
there. I think the i90a could "fit the bill" and like the fact that IIyama has a 30 day
DOA (dead on arrival) policy in which THEY pick up shipping BOTH ways. That is one of
my biggest fears ordering a monitor online. The last time I ordered monitors online, 2
of the same model in fall of 1998, one went "dead" after a couple of days. Computability
replaced the unit and the replacement has worked fine for my folks for the last 2 years.
The return of the "dead one" though, cost me an additional $48 or so.

I am also a bit leary of ordering from Amazon.com. There "policies" section was NOT very impressive. Sure there prices are good, but what happens to you AFTER the sale if you
receive a DOA. I believe, like most of the other vendors, it would mean ME picking up
the tab to ship it back to them.

Has ANYONE ever ordered a monitor from Amazon.com and what was your experience?

I think it will come down to this:

I can order the Samsung 900NF from a trusted vendor I've used 15 times but the unit will
cost me $465 delivered. That's the SAME price I can order the NEC FP950 from Amazon.com
(because of the free shipping and the $15 "code&quot😉. I suspect the FP950 is "more" of a
monitor, if u know what I mean (?), but I just might STILL go with Techstore.com and pay
$465 delivered for the 900NF just because I have dealt with them before and have had nothing but positive experiences with them.

I'm not quite ruling out the IIyama i90a though, particularly with their excellent DOA policy.
There tech support hours are skimpy though.

I'll let u guys know when I order either later today (Sunday) or tomorrow.

Thanks for all your input!!!!

Greg

 
The bad thing about Iiyama i90A though, is that its not found *anywhere*. I dont think any vendors will carry them anytime soon though.
 
Greg,

In some of my research on monitors, I came across info that indicated quality and heavier weights do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. IE, more integrated electronics, etc. = fewer seperate components and may create a more reliable unit with LESS weight!

So I kinda looked at the wt. of the unit too. Not that that would be a deciding factor... but if the unit I favored was lighter, it struck me as even a better deal.

However, the 900IFT is lighter than the 900nf, iirc. Sigh.

Ben88 did more research than I! The NEC FP950 sounds like a nice tube. And I would have likely considered it... but I've already ordered... and am about $$ out with all other computing HW I'm buying.

I'll be interested to see what your impression is of tech support when you report.

I never saw any references to coupons either.

 
Just to make something clear ok? The NEC PF950 is *not* a better monitor than the Samsung 900NF, do not feel disappointed, they're both excellent monitors.
 
Lxi: OK, even though the NEC FP950's specs seem a little better than the Samsung 900NF and the it appears to have a few more adjustments (I'm not sure that's ALWAYS better, sometimes it just gives you more settings to screw up) I'll take your word for it that it is NOT "better" than the 900NF.

It FINALLY boils down to this:

Do I buy from a vendor I've dealt with 15 times (but never had to make a return)
or go with AMAZON.COM and save a few bucks?

I'll post a new thread asking for opinions about people's experiences with Amazon.com.

Thanks for all your help EVERYONE!!!

Greg
 
Greg,

Onvia.com has a good reputation. Check resellerratings.com (which i'm sure you do).

And for ~$445 delivered, you'll save $20 if you get the 900nf from Onvia. And a few bucks more if ya get it from Amazon. What difference does it make who you get it from since Samsung deals directly with the end purchaser for returns, etc.??

Thanks for the customer service update on both NEC and Samsung.

And, LXi, just to rest you mind... I'm not fretting my decision to get the 900nf! But thanks!



 


<< The FP950 allows corner corrections, and area convergence controls. Since all AG's tend to have slight problems, this could be an important tool which the 900NF does not have. >>

Those are the most important words in this whole thread ...
 
Onvia is a excellent place to get monitors. Before they had $30 coupons and 10% remimbursement from another place called Pointclick but that is no more. Still, the 900NF is $440 with free shipping which puts it below the price of Amazon's. Onvia has excellent support and return policy. Supposedly, people return their monitors to Onvia simply because the AG lines bug them and Onvia pays shipping to take it back!
 
>>Supposedly, people return their monitors to Onvia simply because the AG lines bug them and Onvia pays shipping to take it back! <<

Ah.. but no more! Onvia's policy changed on this in the last few weeks.

 
Regarding corner distortion correction, the manual with my new 900nf indicates (on P.15) that you can adjust corner distortion when the border/outside line(s) displayed on the screen are not straight.

There is a separate Corner Distortion option in the Menu for this.

Is this the same correction that Ben88 mentioned about the NEC FP950?

(notably absent in the sales description on the 900nf)

Other than the bandwidth specs, (higher for tbe NEC), I wonder if there is any difference in the screen controls between these 2 monitors? Maybe the differences are mostly a result of marketing?

Is area convergence (NEC) different from focus and convergence (Samsung)?

Just curious.

 
LXi: I doubt M.R. was 'putting you down' - he probably just didn't agree with your statement. 😉

This is a great thread, keep it going! 🙂
 
Just to show how folks see things differently, I saw no attack nor putdown of LXi by MR. And, I thought MR was pointing out that corner correction was some of the most important info to come out of this thread (vs all the other specs).

Amazing!

(shrug)

 
I can't believe that I was so tired last night that I must NOT have hit the &quot;reply&quot; button after posting my purchasing decision to this thread. What would have appeared since 8PM Monday, November 6, 2000 is:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I finally made my decision and ordered the Samsung 900NF.

The following logic applied:

1) I re-called Samsung and found out that they not only pay shipping BOTH ways the first year,
including DOA's (you don't have to return the unit to place of purchase for first 30 days as NEC, Hitachi and others require you to do). ALSO, the representative gave me the GREAT news that during years 2 and 3, Samsung will ship replacements to authorized &quot;Mailboxes Etc...&quot; and then you take your defective to Mailboxes etc... drop off the defective unit and pick up the replacement. In this way, if you have an authorized &quot;Mailboxes etc...&quot; in your area you DON'T have to pay shipping for the last 2 years of the warranty either.

2) It turns out I have an authorized Mailboxes etc... less than a quarter of a mile from where I live. I could almost walk the thing there if it weren't so heavy, lol.

3) I ordered from a vendor I've dealt with 15 times before. The monitor is available at the Indiana warehouse which means I'll have it by Thursday at the latest. I've received orders from this company in less than 27 1/2 hours. It's worth the $65 I lost NOT going with Amazon.com or $45 lost not going with Onvia.com. Even though I can't go into it here, BELIEVE me, when I checked both sites thoroughly, NEITHER comes close to the ease-of-use, flexibility, real-time availability and other features of my preferred online vendor although Onvia.com DOES look
impressive and their results so far (for a small database) at resellerratings.com is excellent.

Thanks for your help ALL!

Special thanks to Speedlever, Ben88, Eagle__2 and CERTAINLY LXi!!!

BTW Midnight Rambler: epinions.com has a &quot;post&quot; by a purchaser of the 900NF who claims
that the 900NF DOES have &quot;CORNER ADJUSTMENT&quot;. It also DOES have standard
CONVERGENCE, but apparently NOT AREA convergence. Well, if my RGB &quot;lines up&quot; in
the centermost area of the screen I'll be happy, screw the corners, lol.

Greg

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