KDL-40W4500 a gem when calibrated

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:We did just that for one of our customers who was concerned by what he had read on this forum. We unpacked the set allowed them to inspect it thoroughly in low light conditions and then packed it up and labelled the box with his name to ensure that same set was delivered to them. Its all about putting a customer's mind at rest and making sure they are going to be happy with their purchase. I know this is probably unusual, but why shouldn't we go the extra mile as retailers to ensure that the customers who pay for our products are satisfied? And yes, from recent sales evidence, Sony is doing fine and the TVs and other products are flying out of the shops with consistent demand for the W4500 series sets.

Assuming you are not one of the merchants I mentioned, then good on you, that's how it should be done. Pity I don't know who you are though! I don't think I've ever heard of an electrical retailer called matthewpiano

. Sony might be doing fine, but how long can they continue on this path before word gets around and people start votong with their feet. Reputation is everything in manufacturing. What is they say...1 disgruntled customer will tell 10 more and so on and so on.

 

[Anonymous]

drummerman:I think Sony is doing just dandy, the few disgruntled folks not really making a dent in the huge machines cogs, certainly not as much as the more pressing economic circumstances we find ourselves in at present. Proof? Even though you clearly have formed an opinion about current sony's you already consider buying into the brand again for your next upgrade. See, Sony's probably doing as well as can be and laughing all the way to the bank bud. Besides, they make some fantastic, inovative products. Have done, will do again and I won't get involved in the W4500 'issues'.

I think you miss the point, the 4500 series is sub standard im many peoples opinion, sony will have to improve for me to buy into their brand again, one which i clearly have plenty of liking for. The loss of income to Sony at this time is more cruicial than any other, they may have your £'s in the 4500 series they will not have mine until they improve their standards

 

[Andrew Everard]

matthewpiano:We did just that for one of our customers who was concerned by what he had read on this forum. We unpacked the set allowed them to inspect it thoroughly in low light conditions and then packed it up and labelled the box with his name to ensure that same set was delivered to them. Its all about putting a customer's mind at rest and making sure they are going to be happy with their purchase.

It's that difference between being a dealer and being a retailer again...

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:unununium:

marineman, i don't see your point regarding viewing before buying. Surely the display model you see in the store is not the actual one you end up having delivered to your door. They pick the stock from the warehouse, the TV you review on the shop floor....stays on the shop floor. You don't honestly think the likes of Curry's, Dixons, Comet etc would pick a TV from stock, unpack it, plug it in, let you fiddle with it, repack it away and deliver it just for you! .

We did just that for one of our customers who was concerned by what he had read on this forum. We unpacked the set allowed them to inspect it thoroughly in low light conditions and then packed it up and labelled the box with his name to ensure that same set was delivered to them. Its all about putting a customer's mind at rest and making sure they are going to be happy with their purchase. I know this is probably unusual, but why shouldn't we go the extra mile as retailers to ensure that the customers who pay for our products are satisfied? And yes, from recent sales evidence, Sony is doing fine and the TVs and other products are flying out of the shops with consistent demand for the W4500 series sets.

This piece of news may not be recent but still suggests otherwise:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/technology/companies/30sony.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1231649496-3aDOf8EF0nSVIe3joIE5xQ

 

[Tonya]

I actually went for the KDL-52W4500. I adjusted the picture to what I thought was really good, then I used the callibration DVD from Monster Cable to tweak my settings. There's a sequence of a dark square with a black "X" moving in it, the idea is to adjust brightness & contrast until the X is invisible. After that, the blacks in normal viewing really are "inky black". No clouding issues here. The picture from Sky SD can be a bit dodgy on some channels that use a low bitrate, but the HD side of it, particularly when using FreeSat HD and BluRay (Batman TDK is breathtaking, as are the Bond discs) is jawdroppingly good. In my experience, TV sets in shops, when they are on display, are usually all connected together using some cheap video distribution amp and metres of cables. The picture will almost certainly be superior when you get the set home and callibrate it correctly.

 

[Anonymous]

Ginder:matthewpiano:unununium:

marineman, i don't see your point regarding viewing before buying. Surely the display model you see in the store is not the actual one you end up having delivered to your door. They pick the stock from the warehouse, the TV you review on the shop floor....stays on the shop floor. You don't honestly think the likes of Curry's, Dixons, Comet etc would pick a TV from stock, unpack it, plug it in, let you fiddle with it, repack it away and deliver it just for you! .

We did just that for one of our customers who was concerned by what he had read on this forum. We unpacked the set allowed them to inspect it thoroughly in low light conditions and then packed it up and labelled the box with his name to ensure that same set was delivered to them. Its all about putting a customer's mind at rest and making sure they are going to be happy with their purchase. I know this is probably unusual, but why shouldn't we go the extra mile as retailers to ensure that the customers who pay for our products are satisfied? And yes, from recent sales evidence, Sony is doing fine and the TVs and other products are flying out of the shops with consistent demand for the W4500 series sets.

This piece of news may not be recent but still suggests otherwise:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/technology/companies/30sony.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1231649496-3aDOf8EF0nSVIe3joIE5xQ

I get the impression from his posts that Matthew works in a Sony Centre?? The guys in my local SC are just fantastic and actually know me now! As for that article Ginder, it appears to reflect the general state of the global economy and not that Sonys sales have fallen due to lack of confidence in the brand. It is a shame the the W4500 appears to be an 'unreliable' set and that Sonys QC (which used to be first class) may have taken a tumble. However when you consider the number of tv's they are manufacturing and the fact that there always seems to be a shortage of them in the shops, I wouldn't be surprised if the purchasers having 'issues' are simply a drop in the ocean.

 

[Anonymous]

oeurf:Ginder:matthewpiano:unununium:

marineman, i don't see your point regarding viewing before buying. Surely the display model you see in the store is not the actual one you end up having delivered to your door. They pick the stock from the warehouse, the TV you review on the shop floor....stays on the shop floor. You don't honestly think the likes of Curry's, Dixons, Comet etc would pick a TV from stock, unpack it, plug it in, let you fiddle with it, repack it away and deliver it just for you! .

We did just that for one of our customers who was concerned by what he had read on this forum. We unpacked the set allowed them to inspect it thoroughly in low light conditions and then packed it up and labelled the box with his name to ensure that same set was delivered to them. Its all about putting a customer's mind at rest and making sure they are going to be happy with their purchase. I know this is probably unusual, but why shouldn't we go the extra mile as retailers to ensure that the customers who pay for our products are satisfied? And yes, from recent sales evidence, Sony is doing fine and the TVs and other products are flying out of the shops with consistent demand for the W4500 series sets.

This piece of news may not be recent but still suggests otherwise:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/technology/companies/30sony.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1231649496-3aDOf8EF0nSVIe3joIE5xQ

I get the impression from his posts that Matthew works in a Sony Centre?? The guys in my local SC are just fantastic and actually know me now! As for that article Ginder, it appears to reflect the general state of the global economy and not that Sonys sales have fallen due to lack of confidence in the brand. It is a shame the the W4500 appears to be an 'unreliable' set and that Sonys QC (which used to be first class) may have taken a tumble. However when you consider the number of tv's they are manufacturing and the fact that there always seems to be a shortage of them in the shops, I wouldn't be surprised if the purchasers having 'issues' are simply a drop in the ocean.

I agree, the percentage of sets that have a problem, is a drop in the ocean. Sony's business model at the moment is, get them out the door fast enough in the hope that only a few dodgy sets are returned, or at least that how it seems. However, it's a dangerous game to play, especially in the recent financial climate. I bet Sony have lost sales due to the recent issues with the W4500 and this could impact future sales of forthcoming products. Word will get around and buyers will be wary, and rather than take a risk, shop elsewhere. Like I said reputation is everything. Sony has got to address it's QC procedures if it wants to stay in the competition.

 

[Anonymous]

All manufacturers work this way. They compute what failure rate is acceptable and work within it. If Sony's failue rate with the W4500 falls outside of this then they would probably act. If it is within then they probably won't.

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder how many returns it would take for Sony to issue a product recall? In the eye of some buyers, there is undoubtably an issue with these screens. To me I'd of said those customers will now think twice before buying Sony again. They will tell others, who will also think twice (possibly check out places like this and see all the horror stories) and they will tell more people, and so and so on. Sony could address the problem now, fix it, and re-think it's QC procedures, or do what it's doing and ignore it. It's a big enough company, but only thanks to its huge customer base, which, if they keep churning out dodgy sets, will only diminish. It rather depends on if Sony want to be considered as one of the best or one of the rest.

 

[Anonymous]

unununium:
I bet Sony have lost sales due to the recent issues with the W4500 and this could impact future sales of forthcoming products. Word will get around and buyers will be wary, and rather than take a risk, shop elsewhere.

You just won your bet. I took delivery of my Panasonic 42PZ80B on Saturday. The Sony 40W4500 was well in the running until I started reading about the issues. The issues themselves would not have stopped me buying a Sony if Sony had shown any inclination of taking the problems seriously. Thanks to WHF (and other review sites) for pointing out the reported problems. I may be wrong but I don't think I've spotted WHF reporting the reported problems in print, only on this web site?

Don't get me wrong, I am not entering the LCD vs Plasma debate. I extremely pleased with my purchase, but I suspect I would have been pleased with a Sony also, provided I didn't get landed with a duffer.

 

[Anonymous]

This is exactly my point. No-one wants to play LCD Lotto, not with that amount of money at least. It's a good thing that sites like this exist at all. The internet is more popular now as it's ever been, it doesn't take long for information to spread. I've seen more and more people on here and other forums, who have had the W4500 on their shopping list only to be swayed at the last minute by reports of bad sets. It's a clear sales loss to Sony, and it can only get worse if they don't address the undelying problem. QC. People do take customer reviews very seriously, and with good cause.

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:unununium:
marineman, i don't see your point regarding viewing before buying. Surely the display model you see in the store is not the actual one you end up having delivered to your door. They pick the stock from the warehouse, the TV you review on the shop floor....stays on the shop floor. You don't honestly think the likes of Curry's, Dixons, Comet etc would pick a TV from stock, unpack it, plug it in, let you fiddle with it, repack it away and deliver it just for you! .

We did just that for one of our customers who was concerned by what he had read on this forum. We unpacked the set allowed them to inspect it thoroughly in low light conditions and then packed it up and labelled the box with his name to ensure that same set was delivered to them. Its all about putting a customer's mind at rest and making sure they are going to be happy with their purchase. I know this is probably unusual, but why shouldn't we go the extra mile as retailers to ensure that the customers who pay for our products are satisfied?

And yes, from recent sales evidence, Sony is doing fine and the TVs and other products are flying out of the shops with consistent demand for the W4500 series sets.

matthewpiano, doing what you did with the customer was a useless exercise, the set doesn't develop problems until it starts to overheat after 1-2hrs+, so unless you kept your sales patter going for this amount of time, they could be knocking at your shop door pretty soon!

 

[Anonymous]

Martin Gman, do you know why your set overheating?

 

[Anonymous]

hdmad:Martin Gman, do you know why your set overheating?

Yes, because the set is faulty.