Four Ways to Tell If You're Getting A Bad LCD TV Deal

LCD TVs are a great technology, but let's face it: a lot of the specifications that go into creating these products can fly over our heads. If you're just an average Joe who doesn't understand the first thing about electronics or television sets, you might make an easy target for a sleazy salesman who wants to sell you on some sort of feature you don't really need. You'll also want to know one basic thing about LCD TVs: the price points. If you don't know anything else, you should at least know what a good LCD television set can cost you these days.

One good way to stay on top of things it to check publications like Consumer Reports, which is a magazine that tries to work on your side by recommending the best products for the buck. It's one way to have a leg up on the salesman who may not even know about the Consumer Reports ratings themselves. If you want another boost, be sure to read the four tips in this article for making sure you don't get bamboozled.

1: The price seems too high.

If the price seems to high on the LCD you're being sold on - especially for a smaller LCD TV - then there's a good chance that is simply too high a price. Don't feel like the oaf who doesn't know enough about televisions to tell a salesman that you don't need a TV like that for the price he's offering it at. Even if a salesman offers to lower the price, you may still be paying too high a price for the product you're considering. Don't make a decision on the spot. Be perfectly willing to be a waffling customer if that's what being a good consumer is all about. Make sure your salesman knows that you're after something specific, and that you don't care to be talked into any one particular LCD TV. Sure, you can have a salesman make recommendations for you, but it's far better if you come into the store understanding what you want, having conducted your own independent research.

2. You have to sacrifice quality for quantity.

If you are able to get a nice "deal" on a larger LCD TV but find that it's actually far inferior to several LCD TVs that are only a little smaller, there's a possibility that you're getting a bad deal. That's because a television of this type might be making up for its inadequacies with pure size. Be sure that you know the good brands and you understand which of the larger TVs measure up, if that's what you're after. If you're not after the largest TV in the house, why are you letting the salesman talk you into it? Have a little more discipline!

3. You feel pressured.

A salesman working on commission needs your sale in order to make money, but that's no reason to make a decision under pressure. If you feel any pressure whatsoever, you are perfectly within your rights to walk away and maybe even consider another store. Don't make decisions under social pressure - it can be a technique some salesman use in order to get you to commit to something you're waffling about. Don't be afraid to be a waffler.

4. You didn't do your research.

Sometimes you might just get a bad deal out of ignorance - both from you and from the salesman. If a salesman is just working a retail job and doesn't earn commission, he might not have a lot of incentive to learn a whole lot about televisions. Do your research - even if you had a good salesman, you might have gotten the wrong kind of LCD TV just by mistake.