Sears & DTVPal

[wolfjc]

FYI

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In preparation for America's transition to digital television on Feb. 17, 2009, Sears announced today that it will sell the DTVPal(TM) digital-to-analog converter box by DISH Network® in 511 of its full-line stores nationwide and at 194 Sears Dealer stores.

 

[Max Wright]

Thank you wolfjc for sharing that. I was wanting to get the DTVPal but want to skip having to get it shipped and that added expense.

 

[Cyclone]

Aren't K-Mart stores owned by Sears (or the other way around)? if so, I wonder if the Pal will find its way there too.

 

[Anole]

Reported yesterday in the DTVpal review thread.
But, for everyone unwilling to wade through all that ... info ... it's good to get the word out. - :up

Should make the box more available to the general public.
'Till now, you really had to know about the Pal, and go looking for one.
And often deal with unscrupulous on-line sellers.

 

[partsman_ba]

In stock NOW

Picked one up yesterday at my local Sears (Springfield, OR). They had 14 on the shelf (didn't ask how many in the stockroom). $59.99 - coupon.

 

[navychop]

Sadly, it IS the other way around. K-Mart owns Sears.

 

[pabeader]

Sadly, it IS the other way around. K-Mart owns Sears.

he he he

 

[wolfjc]

Sadly, it IS the other way around. K-Mart owns Sears.

Yes I don't understand how the companies which have just come out of bankruptcy manage to get the $$$ to buy other companies Sears Delta/Northwest ect.

 

[harshness]

I had to ask a sales associate to get one "out of the back" and pay cash, but I managed to grab one at my local Sears store today. Cost me a coupon and all but a penny of a Jackson.

Thanks again to wolfjc and partsman_ba for the heads ups!

 

[Smith P.]

Closest Sears doesn't have any converter and no info at all about the pal device.

 

[harshness]

Closest Sears doesn't have any converter and no info at all about the pal device.

Had I not pressed the issue, that would have been the story at my local Sears.

 

[dentke]

Thanks for the info Saved my the shipping cost.

I was really didn't want to pay shipping costs, so was excited when I read that the local Sears stores may have them.

After reading this thread I called up my closest Sears which is small and doesn't have a very good selection of products, thinking I would end up going to (if I was lucky and the bigger store even had them) the other SEARS at a mall on the other side of the valley).

To my surprise they said they had several. I stopped in on my way to work and picked one up. they had quite a few on the shelf I would say at least 15. They also had several of the Magnavox converter boxes for $10.00 less.

When I checked out after using my government converter box coupon the register would not allow use of a credit card for the balance ($19.99 + $3.90 tax). So the salesman sold me a gift card for $23.89 on my CC and then used the gift card for the Balance due.

When I came home from work, I hooked it up and it works great. It has the 101 software.

 

[navychop]

Good salesman.

 

[IlliniChuck]

I had to buy a gift card too. Seems like a waste.

 

[aperry]

When I checked out after using my government converter box coupon the register would not allow use of a credit card for the balance ($19.99 + $3.90 tax). So the salesman sold me a gift card for $23.89 on my CC and then used the gift card for the Balance due.

I had to do the same thing when I bought my Magnavox boxes about 2 months ago (had to since the DTV Pal wasn't out yet).

I bought those two Magnavox boxes, the last ones they had in stock at the time, and my local Sears has not gotten any more digital converter boxes at all since then.

 

[Weezknight]

My local Sears didn't have them, but they knew about them. They said they weren't on the early list to get any, so it could be months...if EVER. Since my coupon was expiring I ended up @ Radio Shack and picked up the Digital Stream model. For what I need it for (as a backup if E* goes out) it's 100% acceptable.

 

[TheKrell]

I found six on the shelf this evening, at the White Oak (Silver Spring) MD Sears. That's not counting the display model which was sitting loose on the top shelf and apparently real. The Magnavox next to it was obviously fake (to discourage theft). No price sticker.

 

[TheKrell]

And when I went back today with my coupon, they still had 6 boxes ready to go. Plus they added the price sticker on the shelf. I suspect I know why they aren't selling many boxes (see below).

I offered cash for the difference between the coupon value and the DTVpal. The cashier didn't bother issuing me a gift card. But get this: after the sale, the cashier told me, "You know you can't activate this box before next year..."

I tried to correct that misinformation. I told him that our stations are currently simulcasting, and even have additional subchannels not available to analog tuners. This was greeted with the same nonsense from a different sales associate. So I tried again. I told them both that I have two other ATSC tuners that can receive and convert digital programming right now today, and how many channels they are getting. A 3rd sales associate then again tried to tell me the box wouldn't work until next year. It was like talking to a brick wall.

 

[Smith P.]

Instead I would ask them to connect it to antenna and TV as I did at CC and test it before buy.

 

[dentke]

unbeliveable

Instead I would ask them to connect it to antenna and TV as I did at CC and test it before buy.

I agree, that would have bugged me so bad I wouldv'e had to prove it to them right then and there that it worked. What a bunch of dumb s---'s. Don't they have HD sets on display, how do they think those displays get signal.