Follow-up. I call the local service center on Monday, am told my call is the first they've heard of the situation, they can't do anything until contacted by the warranty service arm of SamsClub.com.
So I call SamsClub.com service AGAIN. Within an hour 1) the local service center calls and arranges to pick up the TV that afternoon and 2) Debbie from SamsClub.com corporate resolution calls to say she's talked with service center and will be my contact person until it's resolved. She says she'll call with an update, but I can call her anytime with questions.
I hear nothing by Tuesday night and leave on business trip Wednesday. SamsClub.com and the local service center have both my home and cell phone numbers. I carry my cell phone on my business trip. I return home Saturday night (two weeks after the TV died), and there's no voice mail for either phone.
The next Monday I call Debbie from corporate resolution: goes into voice mail, no return call. I call the local service center and am told they can't find parts, they'll return the (still broken) TV to me at end of week, on Friday. Local service center says I'll have to call SamsClub.com to figure out what's next (doesn't SamsClub.com ever call to help resolve issues? Why am I doing all the calling? Didn't I pay a few hundred bucks for the warranty so somebody would take care of this for me?)
I call Debbie again on Tuesday; goes into voicemail. So I call the main SamsClub.com customer service number. They tell me SamsClub is issuing me a refund check (not fixing nor replacing the TV) or providing me with a comparable TV. The refund check will not include tax or shipping, or the cost of the extended warranty. If I "replace" the TV, I'll have to pay tax and shipping all over again, and buy a new extended warranty. That's hardly a "replacement" warranty service.
Not to mention I'm not finding a comparable TV out there for the price ... a 1080p plasma, 10,000:1 contrast ratio; 1,500 brightness, Faroudja cinema chip, etc. Yes, I can find those qualities in other plasmas... for a lot more money. Basically the SamsClub.com warranty is a scam... I wont' get a comparable TV to replace the one they sold me.
So much for "excellent service" from SamsClub.com (or siblings Sam's Club and Wal-Mart). Buy your electronics from Best Buy or Circuit City. It may cost you a couple of bucks more, but I've had much better results with their service departments. Or, if you're lucky enough, but from Costco. They know what "excellent service" is, and they provide it.
