Here is my response to Circuit City shipping an inferior monitor to replace a failing Sony CRT. It's long, but detailed for documentation...
I have just received a replacement monitor for my failing Sony HMDA440 19" Trinitron CRT. While my experience on the phone processing the repair/replacement request was very satisfactory - the associate was very courteous and professional, the actual fulfillment of the warranty terms was not.
I was lead to believe on the phone while processing the repair replacement request that your warranty would not opt to try to repair the Sony (which would have been the most satisfactory solution as Sony no longer makes CRTs) due to costs, but would try to find a new or refurbished replacement. If the replacement could not be found, a generous CC gift card would be sent so I could apply it to a replacement monitor of my choice.
After being placed on hold for a few minutes (assuming a search had been initiated), the associate returned and suggested that fulfillment would likely come in the form of a gift check. I assumed the associate found that there were no replacements available or it would be less costly for the warrantor to fulfill in this manner. I told him if it wasn't possible to repair or replace than that would be fine, as I knew it was difficult to find Sony CRTs.
I was surprised to see a replacement monitor arrive in a box from Viewsonic, but thought "maybe they got lucky and found a refurbished Sony packed in the Viewsonic box". It was, however, a Viewsonic E90f, and not a comparable top-of-the-line model like the Sony HMDA440, but their entry-level monitor, at that!!!
The monitor sent as a replacement is not an acceptable, satisfactory fulfillment of the warranty. This ViewSonic E90f is an entry-level traditional "everyday business use" CRT. This monitor cannot in any way, other than having a 19" screen size, be considered an equivalent or similar replacement. The Sony monitor, with good reason, retailed for twice the price the price of the Viewsonic E90f ($400 vs. $200).
For all my years as graphic artist and then IT manager, the only CRT monitors I have purchased for my own personal use have been Sony branded, or Sony Trinitron-based CRTs. Particularly for graphics use, they are far superior in brightness, crispness edge-to-edge, color gamut, and offer a higher refresh rate at usable resolutions than other monitors (to reduce eye strain and headaches).
In comparison, the Viewsonic E90f is about 1/4 the brightness of the Sony rendering it unusable for digital photo post processing, it has an unusual dissimilar vertical and horizontal dot pitch which causes frequent waviness or convergence issues, does not offer nearly as sharp text rendering (Shadow-mask vs. Trinitron aperture grille technology), its refresh rate at comparable resolution is lower, and the color rendition is inaccurate.
Bottom line is that these are the reasons why the Sony HMDA440 retailed for $200 more than the Viewsonic E90f, or roughly twice the price! It cannot be considered an acceptable replacement practically, or even under the more strict terms of the warranty.
I would like to reopen this case if it has been marked as closed, and return the Viewsonic monitor. I would prefer to have the Sony fixed, as there really is no comparable CRT type monitors still in production. If that is not feasible or cost justifiable under terms of the warranty, I would like a CC gift card so I can apply it towards a monitor of my choice, which (unfortunately for me) may mean a much more costly LCD based solution due to current offerings.
And finally, I have a question about absolute terms of the warranty. If the consumer takes advantage of special pricing/rebates/sales at the Circuit City store, is the warranty then only obligated to the value of the sale (including the discount (s), or to the replacement value of the item (based on CC usual pricing).in other words, since I
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