Apex Digital GB5108 51 in. EDTV-Ready TV

With great excitement and anticipation, I purchased the Apex Rear Projection TV just after moving into our new (first) home on 12/29/03. I was amazed at the price I found at Wal-Mart for this item, around $850.00, and eagerly awaited its arrival into my new living room. Having never owned a projection TV before, I was unsure of what to expect, and had read some review in which people had problems with their sets, but I thought that those were few and far between. To make a long story short, my dreams were crashed as within three weeks, the convergence broke, and horrible ghost images appeared, making viewing impossible.

I soon found out that customer service is not a priority for Apex, as I waited 3 separate times in a call queue (more than an hour each time) to finally speak to someone. When I finally did, all they recommended for my problem was to contact an authorized repair shop (covered under my warranty). They first shop I contacted (from the list Apex had given me) has a disconnected number. The second and third never returned my call. The fourth called me back and said that they didn't work on Apex Tv's anymore. When I called the fifth shop, I found out more disheartening information. The man told me that he was not taking any more Apex TV's, because he had seven in his shop at that moment waiting on parts, and that some of them had been waiting for up to 4 months. His recommendation was to return the set if I was able, which fortunately I was able to do.

As far as picture quality, I thought that it was fair (the RCA 52" that I have now is much better), but that the value was ok as long as it doesn't break. So buyer beware, and check the return policy before you buy (I noticed that Amazon didn't accept returns on this item).