Tea with AK71: Philips Blu Ray.

On Sunday, I bought a Philips Blu Ray player for a good friend as a housewarming gift.  I got it from Courts near HDB Hub in Toa Payoh.  I bought it because it was such a good deal.  Listen to this: usually $299, it was going for $239!  Also, they threw in a free HDMI cable and 2 free Blu Ray titles! 

I got my Sony Blu Ray player just weeks ago at Best Denki in Vivo City for $299 and I had to pay $99 for a HDMI cable!  I also had to spend more money buying a few Blu Ray titles at MJ Multimedia to start me off.  Fortunately, MJ was having a GSS offer at $70 for two titles but it would still come to a total of $299 + $99 + $70 = S$ 468 to get the same deal as offered by Philips in Courts!  It's a $229 savings!

Now, here is the issue: the free Blu Ray titles must be collected from Philips HQ in Toa Payoh Lorong 1.  They were not available in Courts.  The posters in Courts showed Wolverine, UP and a couple of other titles.  The salespeople told me that my friend has to bring along the receipt and his IC to choose the titles of his choice.  I dutifully conveyed the message when I gave the player to my friend.  This was on Sunday.

This evening, my friend went to Philips HQ and they told him that only Night at the Museum 2 and UP are available. Initially, I thought that the other titles were fully redeemed.  My friend told me he was informed that only these two titles are available all along!!! This is a clear case of misrepresentation!!!  I am so upset but my friend took it quite well and told me not to be angry.  Grrr!!!

If anyone from Philips HQ in Singapore is reading this, you guys are lucky I was not with my friend when he went to collect the discs.  I would have given you guys a piece of my mind!!!

Tea with AK71: Money well spent.

My recent purchase of a Samsung HD1080p 32" LED TV, a Sony Blu Ray player and a Pioneer sound system surprised quite a few friends and even my family members.  Considering that my last TV was a Chimei 26" LCD HD Ready TV bought three years ago at $688 in Carrefour, you can imagine why. Have I become extravagant?  I hardly think so.

Three years ago, it would have easily cost two times of $688 to get a 26" LCD HD Ready TV from Sharp or Sony.  I decided I did not need something branded then and settled for Chimei which served me quite well in the last three years.  Some friends commented that it was too small for my living room and some said the definition was poor.  Most just went "What is a Chimei?" and some even made puns out of the name.  Terrible. However, I thought it was OK.  I mean I had no problem with news, documentaries and DVDs on my Chimei.  Then, why change?

I saw what the LED TV was capable of delivering during one of my visits to the malls and  I also found the Samsung aesthetically pleasing compared to the Chimei.  You don't find these arguments convincing, do you?  If you are a regular reader of my blog or if you know me very well, yes, you would not be convinced.  The most important reason was that the price was not even two times of $688!  Great technology at a great price!  It is never a question of affordability.  It is always a question of value of money. I decided to pamper myself which is something I rarely do.

So far, everyone who has seen my new TV only had good things to say about it.  I am only human and it feels good to have positive reinforcement from others.  Things are so different from those Chimei days.  This is a positive spinoff that I did not anticipate.

To some people, it seems that I have changed. Well, maybe a little.  I don't think I have changed much.  I am still the pragmatic me but I have to agree that I have become less tight fisted in the last one year. 

I told a friend who visited recently that watching Blu Ray programs is such a joy.  Images and sounds are crystal clear on the new TV. Sometimes, I would just switch it on, watch for about ten minutes, switch it off and go to sleep, feeling happy. Money spent on anything which contributes to a general sense of well-being and happiness has to be money well spent, don't you think?

As an aside, my sister is going to shave her head bald to help some cancer stricken children and I donated some money to the cause in a show of support.  It's a worthy cause, after all.  To find out more, please visit: Hair for Hope 2010. This is definitely money well spent.

Related post:
Money management: Needs and wants.