TV dilemma - attention tech hounds

As a couple of you may already know, I've been doing battle with Sony. I bought one of the last good CRT TVs that also had HD technology - a 34-inch XBR.

The unit has had a problem shutting itself off for better than a year. Since the TV repair people in my region can't do anything correctly to save themselves, I had to drag Sony into it four months ago.

One repair guy is an independent and wanted money for a warranty repair (he thought it was one year - it's two years). No chance.

A second is easily the most competent, but has been dragging his feet. Probably a combination of my dilemma not being a big moneymaker for him combined with more work than he can handle.

The third was willing to tackle it, but four visits later, it's not repaired. Yup ... the whole thing has been a massive CF. They've replaced two of the boards in the unit at Sony's request, but frankly they've been highly unimpressive ... don't strike me as knowing a lot more than I do.

Sony, almost as frustrated as I am, has offered me a 40-inch LCD with 1080p (tried to offer me 720p ... called them on that in a hurry) and enough gadgets to help matters some. But he wants money for it, and that was after I shook him down once (this is almost as bad as negotiating a settlement for a totaled vehicle). The other interesting note: Sony said it didn't care what I did with the unit I have now.

I think it's a screw job, but it could be argued that a new unit - even if it means they get more money - is better at a decent discount than one that more petulant than a 2-year-old that didn't his way.

What would you do?
1) Try and whip the competent repair guy into fixing the CRT and saying "no thanks" to Sony's ever-so-generous offer, knowing the CRT is typically a better unit though this one has given me massive trouble?
2) Take their offer and make them take this 200-pound monster off my hands - yes, this TV outweighs me by a pretty good amount.
3) Take their offer and try to have the old one fixed if the cost is reasonable?

Serious inquiries only (i.e., if you jack the thread, at least try to jack it back to the topic at hand, eh?). Thanks in advance.

 

Take the new TV. Do not stop, do not pass go.

 

Well, it doesn't look like I have much choice but to take Sony's "offer." But even they botched that.

The Sony braintrust tried to originally dig into my wallet for a 720p that had nothing for my CRT. Not a nice way to start ... might as well imply that you think I'm a complete idiot (OK, so I am, but usually not when it comes to this sort of stuff).

No repair folks would take on this project ... I guess after four shots, either they got scared or Sony said they wouldn't pay anyone. Either that or they're also lousy at what they do in my corner of the world. Worse, I read the warranty from pillar to post and there's nothing there that stipulates that I can demand my money back (and trust me ... the way I've been treated during this process, they have truly pissed me off. Big time.)

So ... I'm trying to hammer home 1080p, 120 Hz and all the contrast ratio I can swing. Anything else I might be missing? I would also assume that I have full rights to ask them to disclose anything that was wrong with a reconditioned unit should they try to offer one of those? And yes ... there will be some haggling. They made the mistake of trying to cook some numbers when I last talked to them ... I would think they would want to offer me a really nice price on a reconditioned unit.

Again, any help would be appreciated.