Free TV - Well sort of

In January, 2009 I went to Costco and purchased a 26" Vizio TV.  It was a great TV - great sound and picture. I say "was a great TV" because last month it stopped working.  No snaps, crackles or pops: it just went blank!  It turns out that this is a common problem with Vizio.  Something about the power supply board causes the TV to look like it has power and is on but actually nothing is happening inside.  I was looking at a repair bill of at least $300. for a set that only cost $390. new.

I purchased the set at Costco because they give you an additional one year warranty over the manufacturer's one year warranty.  Just my luck, the warranty expired two months before the TV expired!  Then I remembered that I put the purchase on American Express and they offer an additional year's warranty.

One short telephone call later and AMEX credited the account for the full purchase price!  They didn't even want me to ship the Vizio or take it to a service center for evaluation.  I had watched AMEX commercials touting this service for years but I was skeptical.  No more, way to go AMEX.

In replacing the TV, I decided to get one that would best suit the entertainment/storage center I am installing in Dod's overhead bunk area.  I got a 26" Toshiba with a built-in DVD player that will fit perfectly in the space available.  Also, with the built-in DVD player, I have one less piece of equipment to store.  It has a great picture (Do they still make TVs without good pictures?) and the sound is adequate.  Dod's living area is only 7' x 10' so sound is really not that important.  Purchased from Amazon with free shipping, the new TV combo was $30. less than the Vizio.