I called 18004myhome, a repair service provided by Sears. Upon scheduling the appointment I was asked for the television type and size, which I provided. I was informed that a technician would come to my home, diagnose the problem and provide me with an estimate. It was also explained to me that if I chose to proceed with the repair, the $100.00 fee would be applied to the cost of the repair.

The technician arrived at my home and I took off from my job for the 1 hour I estimated it would take to diagnose the problem and provide me with an estimate. After attempting to diagnose the problem, the technician basicall told me the following verbatim:

I think it is the power supply because I heard a humming noise. There is another television similar to yours (Memorex) and the power supply along with labor costs about 250 - 300. I can't find a parts list for your television, so there's nothing I can do. So basically I looked at your TV so now pay me my $100.00 for the service call.