BuyBestPlasma.com/Clarity Technologies

[dobtbugme]

From what I understand, this company has recently been founded by someone named Roman, who used to work at Invision Displays (http://www.invisiondisplays.com/). According to RR, BuyBestPlasma.com has 9 good reviews, albeit recent ones. Has anyone made a transaction w/ this company? Are they legit? I'd like to make sure before I make a $2,500 mistake. Thank you!

[feffer]

Originally Posted by dobtbugme

From what I understand, this company has recently been founded by someone named Roman, who used to work at Invision Displays (http://www.invisiondisplays.com/). According to RR, BuyBestPlasma.com has 9 good reviews, albeit recent ones. Has anyone made a transaction w/ this company? Are they legit? I'd like to make sure before I make a $2,500 mistake. Thank you!

I share your concern. Just pre-ordered the Panny 800U from BuyBestPlasma.com pretty much based on my sense that Roman is a straight-shooter. I saw your post in the AVS forum as well, and the newness of the business is a bit scary. Still, Roman does seem to have a good track record and lots of history on the forum at least, though that can be misleading.

All the positive comments concerning them are, as you mentioned, very recent. Also it's very easy to "prime the pump" with fake positives. Not saying these are, but there's really no way to tell until the track record is much longer.

I'm pretty sure they will deliver on the TV reliably. However reading their Return Policy gives me the impression that if the set's not damaged in transit, it's basically all sales are final, and any problem after that is between me and Panasonic. What if a defect shows up 10 days later? I wouldn't even have time to get a technician in to check it and verify the problem before their "14 day swap-out" period expired. And what exactly is a "swap-out" period?

I just sent them an email detailing some of my concerns, and will post a reply if it sways me one way or the other.

Regards,
feffer

[dobtbugme]

Feffer,

Thank you for the detailed reply - it seems we are definitely on the same boat. I did a fair amount of backtracking on the AVS forum, and as you stated, Roman does seem to have a fair amount of previous posts, thus boosting his credibility by about 1% or so. I know I sound almost cynically skeptical, but the potential to lose $2,500 is very much a concern to me.

I've done other, slightly more forensic work on Roman as well. Now this may propel me into paranoid realms, but I looked him up on zabasearch.com (http://www.zabasearch.com/query1_zab...me_style=1&tm=) and found what may be his physical address. I also looked up the business address (1320 142nd Place SE Bellevue, WA 98007) and Google mapped it (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...01255&t=h&z=20) and unfortunately, it does not help my fears, as it seems to be a residential area.

I'll have to look over their policy again - particularly, the part about the "damages" and "swap-out" sections. One question I have for you is, did you supply him w/ your billing information yet? I filled out the order form for the 50PZ800U online and was told that was enough to secure my order at the given price, and that they would call when the units are ready to be shipped. Is this consistent w/ your experience?

Let's stay in touch!

P.S. - Are you familiar w/ credit card protection services? The card that comes to mind is Capital One, due to their infamous commercials, but I'm wondering if all major credit card companies now offer fraud protection, no questions asked...?

Take care!

[dobtbugme]

Here is a WHOIS lookup of BuyBestPlasma.com:

Registrant:
Roman Ogourtsov
3912 Pacific Place
Mukilteo, Washington 98275
United States

Registered through:
GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: BUYBESTPLASMA.COM
Created on: 19-Jul-07
Expires on: 20-Jul-08
Last Updated on: 08-Jan-08

Administrative Contact:
Ogourtsov, Roman romanog3@hotmail.com
3912 Pacific Place
Mukilteo, Washington 98275
United States
(425) 269-0484

Technical Contact:
Ogourtsov, Roman romanog3@hotmail.com
3912 Pacific Place
Mukilteo, Washington 98275
United States
(425) 269-0484

Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.THEWEBHOSTINGNETWORK.COM
NS2.THEWEBHOSTINGNETWORK.COM

Registry Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Registry Status: clientRenewProhibited
Registry Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Status: clientUpdateProhibited

[dobtbugme]

The phone number listed at the top of BuyBestPlasma.com, (425) 269-0484, is listed in WhitePages as a Sprint cell phone.

http://www.whitepages.com/search/Rev...caltime=survey

[MaDMvD]

I registered just to take part in this discussion. I'm also on the list for an 800U and I'm curious as to how this will turn out. Please share whatever you discover!

[feffer]

Originally Posted by MaDMvD

I registered just to take part in this discussion. I'm also on the list for an 800U and I'm curious as to how this will turn out. Please share whatever you discover!

I agree! This goes to reseller credibility. The fact that BuyBestPlasma.com is new and small, doesn't mean they're not credible. In fact, they may be trying harder to get a good buzz going. But I think it does justify a digging deeper into the company. That's all I see dobtbugme doing. As far as using an anonymous address, well, I guess it's a good thing BuyBestPlasma didn't use one too, or he couldn't have gotten any info about them

btw, BuyBestPlasma.com hasn't replied to my email question of two days ago yet. Maybe, I'll call them later to find out why. And yes, I also pre-ordered and had the same experience. I was told I'd be put in a buyers queue and called when the sets came in, and also that the list was about ten people long. Not getting an email confirmation bothers me.

Will reply when I get more info.

feffer

[cantstopthebugs]

A phone call might definitely give you a better "feel" of the company. Please keep us posted - if you have a RJ11 recording device, even better! Slap that sucker to a line in, save as MP3 and upload it here. Just kidding..

[feffer]

Called them today and spoke with Roman. It turns out, he sent an email confirmation for my pre-order, locking in the price. He also sent replies to my questions. My Yahoo mail routed them to the Bulk bin, so I didn't realize he had responded.

As we previously assumed, this is a small business, but from the tone of his email and especially our phone conversation, I believe Roman is anxious to please his customers and create a good buzz about his business.

As I understand, their Return Policy is a "swap-out" for defective merchandise upon delivery (just refuse damaged goods) or an exchange within 14 days if the set has a defect. This must be a verified defect; presumably by a Panasonic rep. If there is no real defect; you're just not satisfied with something, then you pay shipping back and a restocking fee. This is pretty common to online businesses, if they will take it back at all. So basically, the buyer should research first and only buy when he is committed to a particular model. This seems fair to me. If someone just wants to "try" a set, better to buy one locally from a brick and mortar store where you pay a much higher price, but have 30 days to return it if not satisfied.

Bottom line: I'm keeping my pre-order active, and looking forward to getting my Panny 800U. btw, the official ETA date is still June. Hope I can hold out

Regards,
feffer

[MaDMvD]

Originally Posted by feffer

Bottom line: I'm keeping my pre-order active, and looking forward to getting my Panny 800U.

As am I! Thank you for the information - it seems all will be well after all. I will call my credit card company tomorrow (Chase) and inquire about their fraud protection service(s), as well as their warranty extending service, if any.

Originally Posted by feffer

btw, the official ETA date is still June. Hope I can hold out

Regards,
feffer

That is terrible news, indeed! I was really looking forward to month-end, worst case scenario being sometime in May - but June?