Internet Shopping: Buyer Beware!

If you're reading this article through your web browser, then you're probably aware of how useful the internet can be in researching just about any topic. There is a wealth of both opinionated and unbiased informance out there, just waiting for you to stumble on it. How did the word "google" become a household name? Because they do such a great job at indexing subject matter and suggesting the best, most intuitive search results to you.

Personally, in the realm of home theater, I consider the internet to be the perfect place for finding objective details about various products. For example, if you're comparing two different brands or models of television against each other, you can most likely dig up consistent metrics that are available for both (like "brightness", "contrast ratio", or "refresh rate").

However the internet is NOT as good for harvesting personal opinions about the home theater products that you're considering. When you read an author's online opinion, you rarely know who the statements are coming from. Is it a college kid who just bought their first TV? Are they just someone who likes talking to anyone who will listen? Has the same guy written reviews on everything from blenders to wool socks to toothpaste? When I mention things like the 400 plasma televisions DIGITAINMENT has installed over the years, or the variety of products we've researched and tested, I'm trying to do what the other internet sites can't...Make you feel comfortable in reading a qualified opinion. Just remember to take the abundance of subjective statements out there with a grain of salt. Rather than being victimized by the propogation of urban myths through internet lore, just schedule a consultation with us. We'll help you distinguish fact from fiction in designing your home theater dream.

The last thing that people tend to use the internet for is pricing research. This is potentially the most dangerous use of the information superhighway in this day and age. I say this because when you use the web for pricing, you aren't just influenced in your purchase decisions...you are actually spending thousands of dollars. It's one thing to read the opinion of some unknown author. But it's a whole different story when you make a large purchase and realize later that you may have been slightly or completely misled.

Recently, I came across a great example of how a smart person could be easily tricked by online retailers. You can imagine the type of consumer we normally work with at DIGITAINMENT. They are usually a home owner, with pride in entertaining guests and enjoying their personal media experience. Successful in life by most measures, you wouldn't expect a customer of ours to be taken by any kind of cheap scam or suspicious business. So imagine my surprise when a wary and inquisitive potential customer had reviewed the quote we gave her, compared it to the best internet pricing she could find, and discovered that we couldn't claim the lowest prices out there!

I couldn't believe it. I mean, she found the same commercial grade plasma TV for hundreds of dollars less than the price I'd quoted. I was embarrassed and...well...more than a little confused as to how this company could muster up such a bargain. That same night, I spent some time checking out the web site she referred me to. I'm not going to mention the URL here, but I'd be happy to share it with you over the phone or in person. As you might guess, I found several important details that this internet retailer played down, or even omitted.

Hopefully you'll find it useful that I've listed those details here. Whether or not you're shopping with DIGITAINMENT, you should use this information to browse the web with a more discerning eye, and make a more educated and confident home theater investment.

So in the end, I had the satisfaction of unveiling the whole story to my customer in an apples-to-apples comparison. They sure don't make it easy to see the extra charges and missing parts with internet offers. So that's why I encourage you to browse the web for information but remember...buyer beware (or at least be prepared)!