$1600 LG C5 OLED 77’’ + 7.1 Home Theater — But at what cost? my sanity
Despite the amazing deal (in my opinion), the whole process was unbelievably stressful. But I’ll break it down.
My dad works really hard, and his only real hobby is watching TV. Problem was, he was still using a regular 45” TV. He’d been talking for months about upgrading. Around that time, I was discussing OLEDs with friends at work, and they kept bringing up the C5 as one of the best all-around options. I work in tech, but know almost nothing about TVs.
Naturally, my phone was listening. The next day, Slickdeals sends me a notification: LG C5 77” OLED for $1420. The second I saw that price, I already knew I was buying it. Then I saw the extras: up to 50% off home theater kits, free installation, free portable speaker, and free shipping.
Turns out the deal was through the LG Partner Store. Luckily, my company qualified. Huge win.
Breakdown:
TV
+$1800 LG C5 77” OLED (sale price)
$180 Partner Store discount
$200 Slickdeals promo code
= $1420
Sound System
$90 portable speaker
$720 LG S90TR 7.1 system
$499 bundle discount
= $311
Total
$1420 TV
$311 home theater + speaker
$104 tax
= $1834
(More discounts later…)
Awesome deal. We were hyped.
Then the problems started.
Not all of them were major individually, but stacked together? Pure psychological warfare.
1. The Speaker Stand Disaster
I bought Mounting Dream speaker stands for the rear speakers. Not super cheap, not expensive either. Unfortunately, the build quality felt like a middle school engineering project.
I had to improvise during assembly because parts didn’t line up correctly. Then, while routing the speaker cables through the tube, I discovered the opening was somehow too small only at the very end. So cable management was already dead.
Fine. I decide to make it work anyway.
Then the final boss appears: the stands physically block the rear speakers’ power cables. Since everything was brand new, I wasn’t about to bend the connectors into submission.
So now I have to fully disassemble everything and return it.
Great start.
2. Defective Soundbar
The home theater system arrived before the TV. I couldn’t resist testing it.
Defective straight out of the box.
The soundbar wouldn’t connect to the rear speakers, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or even show up in the LG app. I contact LG support. Two hours of troubleshooting later, they tell me it needs repair.
I ask if I can just exchange it instead, since I already have installation scheduled and don’t want to deal with a repaired unit. They say yes — but I need to email the orders team.
I started support at 4 PM. By the time we finished, it was 6 PM. Cool, I’ll email.
Next day I get the corporate equivalent of:
“We’re very sorry for the inconvenience. Anyway, no replacement. Bye.”
So I call the orders team directly asking what’s going on.
The rep apologizes, says replacement is possible, but apparently I’d need to return the entire order — including the TV I hadn’t even received yet.
At this point I’m losing it.
I explain how ridiculous this is, and thankfully the rep escalates it to management. The manager actually helps: they let me return only the sound system, refund the full home theater cost, and promise me a promo code to rebuy it for free later because of all the inconvenience.
So now I’m uninstalling and repacking everything again.
But technically… the deal just got even cheaper.
3. Angi Part I
I kept the installation appointment because the tech could at least mount the TV while I figured out the soundbar later.
The assistant arrives on time. The main installer texts saying he’ll be 30 minutes late.
No problem.
Except the assistant immediately says:
“I only make $20 for this and can’t wait around. My booking is only 30 minutes. The pro tech should be on time because it literally says ‘professional’ on his profile.”
Honestly? Fair enough.
I was only using installation because it was free anyway, so I help him unbox and move the TV.
Now, because the wall backed up to a bathroom, I already suspected the included mount wouldn’t work. So I bought a heavy-duty full-motion mount with wider stud compatibility.
My mistake: I never measured the stud spacing beforehand.
The installer finally shows up an hour and a half later wearing flip-flops and very obviously high.
After measuring, he tells me the studs are spaced 26” apart because of the bathroom plumbing. Weird spacing, but possible.
To his credit, we brainstorm solutions together. He wanted to stay within code for liability reasons, which I respected. Since the soundbar still wasn’t there anyway, we agreed to reschedule.
Now I also need to return the wall mount.
4. The Return Label
Minor issue, but LG sent my return label as a GIF.
Not a PDF.
Not a QR code.
A GIF.
So now I’m converting files just to print a shipping label.
5. Angi Part II — The TVTooHigh Arc
Funny enough, the assistant from the first appointment is now my main installer.
Even funnier: the new assistant arrives on time, while the same guy who previously lectured everyone about professionalism arrives 45 minutes late.
Again, I truly didn’t care about lateness. I commute too. Life happens.
The assistant was actually awesome — thoughtful, communicative, planning everything carefully.
Then the “pro” arrives looking absolutely powdered with confidence and asks if either of us has a level and measuring tape because he forgot both.
Thankfully, we did.
I had already sent reference photos beforehand showing exactly what I wanted:
TV close to eye level
Soundbar mounted just below it
Small gap above the furniture stand
Very standard setup.
But the installer says the soundbar mount “isn’t part of the job.” Since LG handled the scheduling, I had no control over that. He agrees to do it for an extra $40 cash.
Fine. Whatever. Let’s just finish this.
A few minutes later he calls me over and says:
“The TV will touch the ceiling.”
I’m speechless.
I had already measured the setup previously with the other installer, so I knew that was impossible. I noticed most of his measuring was being done mentally and by hand. I assumed maybe he was just experienced.
Apparently not.
I calmly explain again:
Bottom of soundbar should sit about 3” above the furniture
Bottom of TV should end up roughly 10” above the furniture
Basically: “Please copy the reference photo.”
He instantly gets frustrated, raises his voice, and says I’m making a simple job difficult.
I try to de-escalate by acknowledging that yes, it’s a huge TV.
Then he dramatically grabs the measuring tape, touches it to the TV without actually measuring anything, slaps it against the wall, and declares:
“See? Middle of the TV. It HAS to touch the ceiling.”
He tells me he’s been doing this longer than me and I should trust him.
I tell him respectfully:
“I trust your experience. But the TV is NOT going that high.”
Now he’s muttering loudly enough for me to hear about how I’m “crazy over a simple TV install.”
Yes. Because it’s a gift for my dad and I want it to look good.
I step away for a meeting. When I come back, the TV is mounted.
No soundbar.
The installer leaves immediately after.
The assistant stays behind and quietly tells me the installer couldn’t figure out the soundbar instructions.
At this point I’m mentally exhausted.
So before my dad gets home, I decide to fix everything myself.
I take the TV back off the wall, install the soundbar myself, and discover the installer missed the studs TWICE.
The soundbar mount was annoying to level, but otherwise easy.
After reassembling everything, cable managing, and moving the furniture back, I finally step away and realize:
The TV is still high. Not as much as he was trying to make it, but definitely not as requested.
Welcome to the TVTooHigh subreddit, I guess.
Lessons Learned
- Measure twice. Then maybe three more times.
- Micromanage contractors.
- Actually… never use Angi again.
- Mounting Dream speaker stands and soundbar mounts are terrible.
- Their 32” stud TV mount is excellent though.
- If you already know how to do the work, just do it yourself. I’ve mounted three TVs before. I only accepted installation because it was free.
During this entire process, I somehow purchased:
- 3 TV mounts
- 2 soundbar mounts
- 2 rear speaker stands
- 2 home theater systems
Just so the installers could “pick whichever was easiest.”
Turns out none were.
In the end, my family loved it. They agreed the TV could probably be lower, but they appreciated the effort more than anything.
I’m considering lowering it another 6 inches, but I’m not sure I want to make more holes in the studs and reopen this chapter of my life.
Financially, I ended up getting refunded for the soundbar setup, bringing the final total down to about $1600.
But at what cost?
My sanity.
Still, my dad is happy, and that’s what matters. TV image is beautiful, WOW orchestra sounds great! And the price was nice. 👍🏽