Well, we made our decision on the home theater front and went with the Onkyo HT-S780.
There’s an interesting story that goes along with this purchase, as are most retail experiences. I had printed down the price at the Circuit City website on Saturday so we could bring it along with us to the store on Sunday. When we got there, the price had gone up rom $399 to $479. We showed the print-out to the guy helping us, and after a little hesitation, he agreed to give us the price of $440.The reason, he explained, was that we were eligible for a $40 rebate, so after that, the price would be $399. That was reasonable, so we agreed, and he sent us to merchandise pick-up.
The guy who hauled out the gigantic box to our car was so nice and funny. He seemed really excited for us, talking about how the system was going to blow us and our neighbors away. He said it was the second best home theatre in a box that CC sells. He was also very helpful by pointing out that since many movies and programs aren’t yet in 7.1 surround sound, two of the speakers would probably not “work” the majority of the time. I’m glad he said something because it probably wouldn’t have occurred to me at first. It was nice hearing him talk about what a great choice we had made because I figured he was being honest since he had nothing to gain as we had already made the purchase.
So we got the unit home and Joe unpacked the box and hooked everything up. It was quite easy because the manufacturer color-coded all the wires and speakers to eliminate confusion. We tested the system and it sounds great and that’s before any tweaking or proper speaker placement. Due to the wires and our living room setup, we’re not going to be able to take full advantage of the surround sound right now. All the speakers are actually set up below and to the side of the television. One thing we are planning to do is buy two stands for the left and right speakers to raise them off the floor, as well as put in a shelf above the tv to put the center channel.
A little later after Joe had everything hooked up, I was going through bills and whatnot, and shredded some stuff, including the print-out from the circuit city website. I figured it was no longer needed. I’m not sure why I shredded it as opposed to just throwing it away, but I did. A few minutes after that I logged onto the Circuit City website to print down the rebate like we were told. Imagine my dismay when I read that only online purchases qualified! I immediately called CC and had Joe speak with a manager. He was bit hesitant at first, asking if we could bring in the print-out with the $399 price (because the price had also increased online from $399 to $479 between Saturday to Sunday). Joe explained he didn’t have it, but that the department lead should remember us and could verify our story. So the manager asked us to come into the store. We got there, Joe talked to him, and also talked to the guy who made the original sale, and then we went to customer service and they issued a $40 refund to our credit card.
THIS, my friends, is why I shop at Circuit City. I guarantee you that Best Buy would have NEVER done any of the price reductions we received. I’ve had enough poor experiences, and have read about enough, to feel confident in saying this. In fact, I don’t think BB would have matched a price from the day before on their own website, let alone give us the credit like Circuit City did. They would have told us to go home and order it online if we wanted the online price. I just want you to keep that in mind next time you’re in the market for electronics. I don’t mean to offend anyone who likes Best Buy, but I really don’t understand why they seem to always get more business than Circuit City when CC has just as good, if not better, prices, and superior customer service. I’m inclined to write CC a letter letting them know just how much I appreciate their excellent customer service. Unfortunately it is a rarity in today’s world.