GT50/GT60... Options

[strapped for cash]

I just had a really productive chat with John Lewis about the GT50, dirty screen effect, and possible solutions.

I have three options.

1. They will send me another replacement GT50, in the hope the third will be better than the last two.

2. They will allow me to wait until 2013 models are available. At this point I can exchange the GT50 for a GT60 (obviously paying the difference in price).

3. A combination of the two options. I can get a replacement GT50, with the option of upgrading to a GT60 once available.

My initial thoughts are that I lose nothing by going for option three. The worst that can happen is that the third GT50 has exactly the same problems, at which point I can go for option two. However, replacing the GT50 again is hassle all round and I've little confidence the third set will be any better.

I'd welcome any thoughts on the above.

I'd also like to commend John Lewis once more for exemplary customer service.

 

[BenLaw]

That's truly fantastic customer service. Definitely option 3. There's some chance set 3 will be better and set 2 is driving you insane, so save for a little hassle there's not much to lose. And given the backup of the upgrade you don't stand to lose financially. It's a very generous offer considering you'll have had months of use out of the 50. Only potential flaw is if the 60 is the same or worse than the 50!

 

[strapped for cash]

I think I can only go wrong with option three if the replacement GT50 is even worse than the current one, and the GT60 has greater problems than the GT50. In such a situation, my current GT50 would be the lesser of several evils.

I was only able to arrange this as I've owned my current GT50 for less than 28 days (just). I'm therefore still within the "cooling off period." However, John Lewis have frozen this cooling off period while I make a decision. As you say, absolutely first rate customer service.

Beyond all that. I've got a lot of work to do in the next few weeks and could do without the hassle of packing/unpacking TVs, hanging around for deliveries, etc.... Even then, I should probably take advantage of option three while available.

 

[bigboss]

I once refused a swap for my faulty HTC Sensation when it developed a problem within a week as the problem had become less conspicuous and I couldn't be bothered with doing a factory reset and setting up a new phone again - Big mistake. The problem got,worse after a couple of weeks, by which time I was out of the 'exchange for a new phone period'. Every time it went for repairs, I got a scratched refurbished phone with a different set of problems. Exchanged my phone 2-3 times, & each time they sent me another scratched refurbished model.

I'm sure they don't repair the phones, & only send one's phone to someone else!

Moral of the story - no matter how much the hassle is, it is worth going for a replacement.

 

[strapped for cash]

Thanks for the responses guys.

You're affirming what I thought. However slim the chance of a third set being the holy grail -- a GT50 without screen uniformity problems -- I have virtually nothing to lose in getting a replacement. And I have the option of a GT60 as back up.

Being circumspect, if I hang on to the current GT50, it might improve over the next month or so. Based on what I've read, however, this seems unlikely.

I'll sleep on it tonight...

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Result! :cheer: Can't lose.

 

[strapped for cash]

Result! :cheer: Can't lose.

Technically I can, though the odds are against things becoming worse!

 

[strapped for cash]

I'm also really intrigued by the soon-to-be-launched Samsung 51F8500.

With all the ZT60 talk, this TV seems to have passed under the radar here. Depending on price, it could be an excellent proposition. While the styling has split opinion, I actually quite like it; it's certainly less prosaic than Panasonic's styling.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/televisions/plasma-and-lcd-tvs/samsung-51f8500-plasma-tv-1124079/review

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-f8500-plasma-201301072548.htm

http://reviews.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/samsung-plasma-tv/samsung-pn51f8500.html

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

Strapped:

funny you say JL have agreed to a potential GT60 as I was thinking the same thing, try a 3rd set or wait for the GT60.....

i must say that I haven't had any DSE (not that I can see, but not started looking yet, the buzzing is bad enough!)

Did JL have any idea of when the GT60 may be available and I wonder if What Hi Fi have a review date yet?

 

[strapped for cash]

John Lewis have no details yet of the GT60 launch date or price. I'm guessing some time in April, probably around £1,400 for the 50".

If they stock ST models this year, I might be tempted.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Good news Strapped.

The GT60 could be an absolute corker, your replacement GT50 could be great too, and I don't think either will make you less happy than your current tv, so go for option 3.

I have some regrets at not getting a replacement. You've started the process, JL have been helpful, so explore all the options until you're a happy man again.

 

[rocketrazor]

Good news mate, option 3 sounds like a plan.

How many months old is your GT50?

 

[strapped for cash]

Good news Strapped.

The GT60 could be an absolute corker, your replacement GT50 could be great too, and I don't think either will make you less happy than your current tv, so go for option 3.

I have some regrets at not getting a replacement. You've started the process, JL have been helpful, so explore all the options until you're a happy man again.

You lose nothing by calling John Lewis to discuss the situation. You're no happier than I and they might suggest a solution that works for you. I'd give it a go.

I'll call JL shortly to arrange option 3. I'm not convinced I'll be any better off with another GT50, but you never know. At the very least it keeps the ball rolling.

 

[strapped for cash]

Hi RockerRazor,

This is my second GT50 and it's currently just under a month old. It's probably clocked up in excess of 300 hours, as I work from home and I've left the TV running most of the time, with a view to breaking it in as quickly as possible.

 

[rocketrazor]

Hi RockerRazor,

This is my second GT50 and it's currently just under a month old. It's probably clocked up in excess of 300 hours, as I work from home and I've left the TV running most of the time, with a view to breaking it in as quickly as possible.

Blimey, 300 hours in a month, thats some going, wouldn't want to see your electric bill!

 

[strapped for cash]

I'm not looking forward to the next electricity statement!

To be honest, I don't typically have the TV on for that length of time. In this case, I've been trying to run it in as quickly as possible to see if any problems diminish as the hours clock up. That way I can make a more informed decision before the window for return closes.

 

[rocketrazor]

I'm not looking forward to the next electricity statement!

To be honest, I don't typically have the TV on for that length of time. In this case, I've been trying to run it in as quickly as possible to see if any problems diminish as the hours clock up. That way I can make a more informed decision before the window for return closes.

I don't blame you, esp if you had a similar issue with your first screen. What is the period of the window for return? How long did you have your first one for?

 

[strapped for cash]

I had the first one for about three and half weeks, which is not coincidentally the age of my current GT50.

With both TVs, I think the dirty screen effect became even more noticeable at around this point (I'm guessing around 300-400 hours). John Lewis allows a 28 day "cooling off period," during which you're entitled to a replacement or full refund.

With a replacement TV, the contract is effectively renewed on the delivery date, meaning the cooling off period starts again. I'm guessing another replacement would take a week or so to deliver. By the end of the next cooling off period, we'd be getting pretty close to the launch date for 2013 models. In other words, if the third GT50 has the same problems, I can start thinking about other TVs.

To be honest, the perfect solution from my end would be a GT50 without screen uniformity problems, as I wouldn't need to spend more. I think the GT50 is an exceptional TV, apart from this one pretty major issue. I'm also confident that other reported niggles will become much less of an issue over time (IR and buzzing).

 

[rocketrazor]

I had the first one for about three and half weeks, which is not coincidentally the age of my current GT50.

With both TVs, I think the dirty screen effect became even more noticeable at around this point (I'm guessing around 300-400 hours). John Lewis allows a 28 day "cooling off period," during which you're entitled to a replacement or full refund.

With a replacement TV, the contract is effectively renewed on the delivery date, meaning the cooling off period starts again. I'm guessing another replacement would take a week or so to deliver. By the end of the next cooling off period, we'd be getting pretty close to the launch date for 2013 models. In other words, if the third GT50 has the same problems, I can start thinking about other TVs.

To be honest, the perfect solution from my end would be a GT50 without screen uniformity problems, as I wouldn't need to spend more. I think the GT50 is an exceptional TV, apart from this one pretty major issue. I'm also confident that other reported niggles will become much less of an issue over time (IR and buzzing).

I am hopeful for you mate, I don't notice the buzzing much (guess I have my amp on to loud!) but my IR just seems to be a royal pain in the .... at the moment

 

[strapped for cash]

Well, the replacement is being delivered on Friday. We'll see what happens with this one...

The guy I spoke to at John Lewis blamed the problem on "plasma cell bleeding." Not sure I buy that analysis, though he stated that he's an engineer and familiar with this problem. Maybe he's privy to information that's escaped the videophile collective?

First rate customer service, as always...

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Good news Strapped.

The GT60 could be an absolute corker, your replacement GT50 could be great too, and I don't think either will make you less happy than your current tv, so go for option 3.

I have some regrets at not getting a replacement. You've started the process, JL have been helpful, so explore all the options until you're a happy man again.

You lose nothing by calling John Lewis to discuss the situation. You're no happier than I and they might suggest a solution that works for you. I'd give it a go.

You're right, I'm not a happy bunny. I may well ring JL this weekend and discuss my concerns.

Even my wife realses that there is a problem with some Panasonic goods, and even more so, with their customer services. She wouldn't like it if I bought a Samsung (if the right model came along), but I think she would understand my reasoning at to why I bought it if it were to happen.

The Japanese were very pround of the fact that they were seen as the world leaders of electronic goods manufacturing, now they are very concerned that they are becoming a nation of parts makers for other countries to use within their electronic goods,

From what I can gather from my wife, the Japanese people consider Korean or Chinese tvs etc as inferior quality, only bought by people who don't have much money. To be honest, I don't think the Japanese general public are aware of the dominance of Samsung in the worldwide tv market.

It's time they woke up, the rest of the world has caught them up, and if they're not very careful, it will leave them far behind.

Went a bit off topic there, sorry.

 

[strapped for cash]

You're right, I'm not a happy bunny. I may well ring JL this weekend and discuss my concerns.

Even my wife realses that there is a problem with some Panasonic goods, and even more so, with their customer services. She wouldn't like it if I bought a Samsung (if the right model came along), but I think she would understand my reasoning at to why I bought it if it were to happen.

The Japanese were very pround of the fact that they were seen as the world leaders of electronic goods manufacturing, now they are very concerned that they are becoming a nation of parts makers for other countries to use within their electronic goods,

From what I can gather from my wife, the Japanese people consider Korean or Chinese tvs etc as inferior quality, only bought by people who don't have much money. To be honest, I don't think the Japanese general public are aware of the dominance of Samsung in the worldwide tv market.

It's time they woke up, the rest of the world has caught them up, and if they're not very careful, it will leave them far behind.

Went a bit off topic there, sorry.

You're still on topic, as far as I'm concerned. The problems we're having are a consequence of market realities, the constant drive for cheaper products with ever more features, and consumers willing to accept **** for peanuts.

If every 2012 Panasonic plasma with poor screen uniformity was returned, Panasonic would be forced to confront the issue. However, it seems a large number of sets with faults remain in consumers' homes, meaning there's little imperative for manufacturers to act.

I only hope that engineers have paid attention to complaints about 2012 sets and found solutions with this year's models. If not, we'll likely remain on the replacement merry-go-round for the foreseeable future.

I still think you should call John Lewis as soon as possible. The longer you leave it, the narrower the window for appropriate action, however understanding and professional the retailer.

 

[bigboss]

I still think you should call John Lewis as soon as possible. The longer you leave it, the narrower the window for appropriate action, however understanding and professional the retailer.

Agreed.

 

[festing11]

Maybe a bit late with this question but...

I've had my Gt50 since 29th Dec 2012 and have started to notice the vertical band problem

more and more especially watching the football the other night on ITV HD.

I rang John Lewis to report the problem and they have arranged a pick up this weekend with the view of repairing it if poss. My question is where do I stand with getting a replacement or refund if its not a fixable problem seeing that I'm outside of the 28 day cooling off period?

 

[bigboss]

Depends on how nicely and politely you deal them. According to their terms & conditions:

"During the guarantee period, if your product develops a fault that needs to be repaired, look for visible signs of the breakdown and consult the fault-finding guide in the manufacturer's handbook, if any.

If that doesn't resolve the issue, please contact your local John Lewis shop and talk to one of our Partners. You’ll need to provide us with details of your item, including the model number and date of purchase. You’ll find all of this information on our original receipt – this acts as your guarantee, so please make sure you keep it safe.

If we can’t repair your item, we’ll replace it with an item of equivalent specification. If no equivalent product is available we‘ll discuss an alternative settlement with you, and we’ll always do our best to make sure that you’re satisfied with the outcome."

http://www.johnlewis.com/customer-services/information-about-our-terms-and-conditions#cq-second-year