OUTRAGEOUS!!

[admin_exported]

I am not a happy chappy!!

My Sony KDL40W4500 was 1 month out of its warranty and developed a fault. Upon turning the set on the picture was 'ghosted' to the point that there were about 3 sets of the same image on the screen at once and it was completely un watchable. There were dark patches on the screen aswell. The problem rectified itself after about 10 mins. The tv now does this EVERYTIME I turn it on.

Rang the retailer- DIGITAL DIRECT based in Bolton and online and they basically said tuff!! I would have to provide a reverse burden of proof (at my own cost!) which is basically a report by an engineer to say what the problem with the tv is- ie did I cause it or is it an inherent fault etc. In a nutshell, they would then take the report into consideration and either pay for the repair or not... BAD TIMES!!

Spoke to Sony who rightly pointed out that it was the retailer that should be dealing with it- although I did manage to get the bloke from Sony to say over the phone that it was unacceptable for a £850 tv to brake 1 month out of its warranty.

Took my beloved tv to the repair centre today and forked out £60 for the report which I await with baited breath!!

Watch this space...

 

[nads]

so how long have you had the TV?

 

[Anonymous]

when i reported the fault it was 13months old but now 14months. only came with a 12month warranty. as my luck would have it about 3 weeks after i bought it, all sony tvs came with a 3yr warranty!- doh!

 

[Andrew Everard]

To quote EU Directive 1999/44/EC, which is admittedly only partially adopted by the UK, "a two-year guarantee applies for the sale of all consumer goods everywhere in the EU".

Try hitting the retailer with that and see what happens.

 

[Anonymous]

is this a common fault with this specific model? ...

 

[Anonymous]

tried that one and thats when they hit back back with 'reverse burden of truth'

i just think its a sham when you buy an £850 tv and then 1 month out of warranty it breaks and your expected to just get on with it!! GGGRRRRRRRRR!!

 

[Anonymous]

search google and if you find other users complaining about the same issue, then perhaps Sony will fix it free of charge? (design problem)? ....

 

[Anonymous]

stevie1464: i just think its a sham when you buy an £850 tv and then 1 month out of warranty it breaks and your expected to just get on with it!! GGGRRRRRRRRR!!

I agree. It is completely unacceptable for a tv ( worth £850 or not), to fail after 13 months. In my opinion, and although things probably don't work like this in practice, Sony should solve this for you, if the set has naturally developed a fault.

 

[Anonymous]

cheers guys- ive tried the google thing and only found 1 other case- dont know the result tho.

After speaking to Sony they did say that once i have had the report done i should forward a copy onto them with a covering letter to one of their offices at an address down south somewhere.Maybe they will then instruct the retailer DIGITAL DIRECT ( I keep naming them in a vain attempt at humiliation!!) to sort the problem out free of charge...well i can dream can't i?!?

Maybe im being naive but you would think that the retailer would have said "no probs sir, seeing as its only just out of warranty we will sort that for you" rather than this whole mess...

 

[gpi]

I can sympathise but the one year guarantee had expired, which you must have been aware of and you obviously had not covered it any further with an extended guarantee. Surely then it matters not whether the set developed a fault one month after or one year after. I am always reluctant to pay extra for extended guarantees on equipment which is more likely to break down AFTER the extended period has ended (usually three years), but here's a good example of showing they are occasionally worthwhile.

As to the reaction of the retailer, where do they draw the line when honouring to replace items out of the manufacturer's guarantee? 30 days over, 60, 90...? I don't think they are being unreasonable. You have just been very unlucky with the timing, it's not their fault.

 

[Anonymous]

sorry but i disagree- i think the fact that it is an expensive tv not a £10 kettle- there is a 'reasonable' amount of time that it is expected to work for. if everything was 'expected' to stop working after 12mth warranty then we would all be forking out almost £1000 every year for a new tv!!

sorry but this is an emotive topic for me right now!!

 

[gpi]

stevie1464:
sorry but i disagree- i think the fact that it is an expensive tv not a £10 kettle- there is a 'reasonable' amount of time that it is expected to work for. if everything was 'expected' to stop working after 12mth warranty then we would all be forking out almost £1000 every year for a new tv!!

sorry but this is an emotive topic for me right now!!

Yes it's difficult for you to see things logically. There is no such thing as a reasonable amount of time a product is expected to work, regardless of price. How many people buy a brand new £25k car and have to take it back to the dealers in the first month?

 

[Anonymous]

I am not a legal expert , but I have heard of similar cases where the customer took the shop to court on grounds that the product was not "fit for purpose." under the sale of goods act. Ie a £750 tv should not pack up after 13 months of use. Some people have won cases where the product was 2-3 years old and the judge has ruled in the customers favour.

Of course, going to court will cost monry and you have no guarantee you may win.

But Sometimes just the treat of legal action under the sale of goods act will force the shop to back down. They may be prepared to offer an amount to the repair. Say 50-50 split.

just a thought.

 

[Anonymous]

"Yes it's difficult for you to see things logically"

no- not really...

whether there is or isnt a 'reasonable' amount of time- it is quoted in the sale of goods act- unfortunately the term 'reasonable' is down to interpretation.

How many people do buy a £25k car and have to take it back within the 1st month just out of interest?

 

[Anonymous]

well looking at things rationally, if there are numerous people complaining about the same problem, then I would expect Sony to sort out the problem for free (design problem) ...

the same as when motorcar manufacturers recall cars when a design problem is experienced

you say you have searched google and only found 1 such problem ... you have owned the tv for 13 months ... guarantee is for 12 months ... (I am not saying that the same prob did not occur with other owners who have not posted on google/forums, but am sure that Sony would be aware if such probs exist)

If it is not a design fault, there could be many causes of the problem (power spikes, misuse, damage when moving the item etc etc)

so, assuming that it is not a design problem, and assuming that Sony fixes the problem for free, that will be very good service from them

not knocking you, just putting things in perspective and wish you the best of luck!

 

[gpi]

127.

 

[Anonymous]

no worries mate- il just have to see how things turn out...

 

[Anonymous]

I would post your problem here these guys will know their consumer rights and will advise you what to do.

 

[Anonymous]

stevie1464:
I am not a happy chappy!!

My Sony KDL40W4500 was 1 month out of its warranty and developed a fault. Upon turning the set on the picture was 'ghosted' to the point that there were about 3 sets of the same image on the screen at once and it was completely un watchable. There were dark patches on the screen aswell. The problem rectified itself after about 10 mins. The tv now does this EVERYTIME I turn it on.

Rang the retailer- DIGITAL DIRECT based in Bolton and online and they basically said tuff!! I would have to provide a reverse burden of proof (at my own cost!) which is basically a report by an engineer to say what the problem with the tv is- ie did I cause it or is it an inherent fault etc. In a nutshell, they would then take the report into consideration and either pay for the repair or not... BAD TIMES!!

Spoke to Sony who rightly pointed out that it was the retailer that should be dealing with it- although I did manage to get the bloke from Sony to say over the phone that it was unacceptable for a £850 tv to brake 1 month out of its warranty.

Took my beloved tv to the repair centre today and forked out £60 for the report which I await with baited breath!!

Watch this space...
why dont you email sony with a link to this thread , the retailer too ?? ive seen that help to resolve peoples issues before , sony have had enough bad press lately , your problem is kinda unique , with the 3 year warranty offer coming 3 weeks after you bought your set , most other buyers would be still covered , your timing was just unlucky , sony may look after you , worth a shot ....

 

[gpi]

stevie1464:
"Yes it's difficult for you to see things logically"

no- not really...

whether there is or isnt a 'reasonable' amount of time- it is quoted in the sale of goods act- unfortunately the term 'reasonable' is down to interpretation.

How many people do buy a £25k car and have to take it back within the 1st month just out of interest?

It's pretty obvious I wouldn't know how many, I was simply making a point about reliability not always being proportionate to price. Here's a quote from the JD Power site. They conduct customer satisfaction surveys. It stands to reason quite a few new owners have to take their new car back because of a fault.

"Reliability was a headache for Picasso drivers, with lots of problems generated by the air-con and heating, as well as the remote locking, mirrors and alarms. A quarter of owners said something went wrong with the seats, too."

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

I would suggest another telephone converstaion to Sony Customer Services. Explain calmly and politely what has happened and ask if they can help.

 

[ear]

I've seen similar problem with a sony S5500 at a store.in fact sony's tvs are the ones I see with more anomalies at the stores..

 

[Tonya]

Oh dear, sorry to hear that.
Altough we pay over the odds for stuff in Scandinavia, we do have good warranty agreements!
There is a 30 day return policy on all electronic goods from a humble remote control to the most expensive TV set, two years unconditional warranty and repair of any manufacturing defects for five years after purchase.
This also applies to mobile phones, much to the horror of most phone manufacturers.
Spare parts must be available for a minumum of seven years after the initial purchase date.

I think the best service I received was when I bought an Archos media player in Dixons of Liverpool while on holiday.
The screen died after two years and when I called Dixons, they said to contact Archos in France which I duly did.
I explained via email my problem and also confessed to not having any paperwork for the purchase and asked them if they could help.
The next day I got a call from a local courrier company to say that they had been contacted by Archos to pick up my player for delivery back to France.

One week later the player arrived back, new screen fitted, updated software and a new battery as the original didn't pass their testing.

It's service like this that ensures customer confidence in a company and I have no hesitation with recommending Archos to any one who asks me.

In my experience, seems to me that in the UK, either there are dedicated shops with knowlegable staff who are dedicated to their craft or pure salespeople who just shift boxes, be it hifi or hedgetrimmers.
I've always believed it's good sense to support the dedicated dealers and although you may pay a slight premium for the privelige, they are usually most helpful after the sale as well as before it.

 

[staggerlee]

One thing missing from this thread seems to be the role of the retailer. This is where the benefit of buying from an established dealer is advantageous. I know we are all tempted to buy just on price but a cheap internet retailer has cheap prices because they don't need to bother with after care, customer service, repairs etc. Once the item is sold its not their responsibility.

 

[Anonymous]

Outrageous? Not the retailer or the manufacturer I'm afraid but the OP. What a load of nonsense, a twelve month guarantee is a twelve month guarantee. One day over and its not valid. Get in the real world and accept reality as it was agreed when you bought the item.

We seem to live in a country where our problems are always someone else's fault. Daft.