Since selling my 37” Panny plasma last spring I’ve been in the market for a new TV. All summer and fall I searched for a great deal on a larger 1080p set.  My preference for a replacement flip-flopped between nearly all competing technologies. Countless times while perusing Slickdeals.net I *almost* bought a TV but backed out at the last minute, unsure of my decision. It was only last month that I found a deal that I liked enough to jump on – a Samsung PN50B550 for $820.  Little did I know what adventures awaited me!

The TV was really $949 with 20% cashback through Bing.com for a total of about $815. In truth I actually wanted the 530 model, which was $100 less, however there was no stock in my state. I was happy with the 550 though; it is a great TV at a fantastic price.

The following weekend my girlfriend and I borrowed my parents’ SUV (after having verified that the TV would fit inside) and we drove up to West Jordan. We waited for about 20 minutes at the order pickup department before we were helped by Brendan. It seems the delay was caused by an inventory mix-up – they really didn’t have the 550 model in stock, just the 530! I told Brendan that I really didn’t mind since I wanted the 530 to begin with. He took us into his office and processed the return and the new purchase.

As Brendan was wrapping up the new purchase, I suddenly realized that Bing’s stringent cashback policy would probably void the 20% (~$200) cashback.  I mentioned this to Brendan and, while he wasn’t familiar with Bing cashback, he said that I could contact him if there were any problems.

Because we waited for over 5 minutes to pick up our order we were given a $5 off coupon. While Brendan was finishing up the paperwork, I jokingly asked if we could apply it to the new purchase. He said no, but he would refund my card $5. “Wow”, I thought, “this guy is awesome!”  Brendan went on to prove this a couple more times.

After all the purchase details were taken care of, we took the TV outside to be loaded. I was a little uneasy at the size of the box – it seemed much larger than the dimensions I found online. Turns out it was. I must have picked up the wrong dimensions. We carted the TV back inside after failing to load it in our conveyance and found Brendan. I walked up to him, smiled and asked how much it would cost to ship. I explained to him the mix-up and he graciously offered to ship it for free. I then thought of the delivery distance (≈35 minutes) and brought that up. He paused, then kind of sighed and said “well, I told you I would ship it for free”. What a stud!

The following week we received our new TV! It has a great picture and it is MASSIVE for my girlfriend’s tiny apartment. We are very satisfied with the purchase.

Fast forward 1 week.  I received an email from Sears notifying me that the original transaction was canceled.  I called up Sears and spoke with Brendan. I mentioned to him that the Bing cashback was canceled and without skipping a beat he asked, “How much was the cashback?” and refunded the amount directly to my credit card! Bam! A great 50” 1080p plasma for ≈$700.

I’m still not so sure about Sears; Sears and I have a past.  One thing is certain, I haven’t had a better retail experience. Thanks Brendan!