Samsung LED TV backlight / Searchlight problem

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3937edwards

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hi nick my last set which my son now has was the LE40B551 the picture wes okay with no backlight issues but i wanted to upgrade to led and i do like the samsung tv just unfortunate having problems. You say the tv i have at the moment is best for my price range so if they do replace it i will stick to this model , you mention about tolerences within the picture quality does this mean it could come back with the same problem with them saying the problems are within picture tolerance i really hope not as for a £1.200 pound telly should have a better picture im even getting red outlines around peaples faces and hairlines which i have informed them about im really not looking forward to this long haul process getting this sorted but as you said it has to be done anyway i will keep ypu informed of progress and most proberly need more advice from you in the weeks to come cheers andrew
 

3937edwards

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hi nick my last set which my son now has was the LE40B551 the picture wes okay with no backlight issues but i wanted to upgrade to led and i do like the samsung tv just unfortunate having problems. You say the tv i have at the moment is best for my price range so if they do replace it i will stick to this model , you mention about tolerences within the picture quality does this mean it could come back with the same problem with them saying the problems are within picture tolerance i really hope not as for a £1.200 pound telly should have a better picture im even getting red outlines around peaples faces and hairlines which i have informed them about im really not looking forward to this long haul process getting this sorted but as you said it has to be done anyway i will keep ypu informed of progress and most proberly need more advice from you in the weeks to come cheers andrew
 

Oldboy

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Hi Andrew,

I remember the LE40B551 as i came close to getting one myself but got a Sony 40W5500 i wished i never bothered as it had exactly the same problem as your Samsung...backlight bleed that completely ruined an otherwise excellent picture. I think unless you want to pay the extra £400 for the Samsung UE40C8000 (i would be very tempted indeed) then stick to your current model, as i said before if you want a Samsung LED that is the only possible candidate should you wish to change the tv if your issue is not resolved by repair. I don't think it will be within tolerance however (i hope not considering the price tag) and hopefully can be repaired. I'm not sure if it's the same for LED but the various LCD's i have had with the problem were apparantley unrepairable as the issue arises in production and you can only lessen the problem but not solve it so make sure that when the tv comes back that you inspect it thoroughly for any sign of the issue, also take some photo's before the tv is taken away as any damage cannot be argued with if you have proof.

IF the tv arrives back with the issue still present OR if the repair agent tries to say the backlight is within tolerance do not accept it, that would be the point at which you put your concerns to the retailer and Samsung but i can guide you through that if it happens but i really hope it doesn't. I agree that along with the backlight the other issues you have with the tv are not good and i have no idea what the red outline is around peoples faces but i would guess at a colour issue. What are the hairlines you are seeing??

Hang in there with the repair, i know it seems a long time but you should remember that all this works to your advantage should you not be happy when it arrives back and that should be the maximum ammout of time you are without your tv. It's not the best timing though is it with xmas just around the corner...hmmm more ammunition for you there i think!

No problem atall should you require some more advice in the weeks to come and as ever i will do my best to help.

Best regards Nick.
 

3937edwards

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hi nick the red outlines were around the hairlines and when there heads turned it used to smear you also got it around the eyes nose etc i could see that the picture was definatly deteriating day by day . my tv has gone SOB! already had an arguemant with manager as they told me that i would get a 40" loan set but what turned up was a 37" baird although its 1080P the picture is diabollical as i said spoke to manager but dident get anywhere , a good start eh ! why so many issues with these mid range tvs i dont know i think im going to need alot more help in the coming weeks i think im going to need it i really dident think that 5 months down the line i would have this issue with my sammy anyway i will keep in touch regards andrew
 

Oldboy

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Andrew,

Hmmm the problem you are describing sounds very much like an effect you get on some plasma's it's called posturisation, but i find it very difficult to be beleive that an LED tv would display the same problem as they are very different technologies but i may be wrong! The problem shows up in peoples faces only as the skin tones are not rendered correctly meaning that you normally get a red trailing effect around the outside of faces and parts of the face can look odd as the camera pans and the different gradients of colour are revealed infront of your eyes leading to varios skin shades appearing where they shouldn't! Does that sound familiar?

LOL you got problems with your loan set aswell then...me too!! Fortunately i did get a 40" but like you it was the cheapest of the cheap and mine was only 720p and a Beko (nice!) that hummed, buzzed and sounded generally on it's last legs with a picture that was awful as the screen had large chunks that were simply dark black and smeared. I did phone them as i was paying for the privelage of a loan set but unfortunately they had no more they could send out so i negotiated getting the set on loan for free, it doesn't seem like your retailer is playing ball here as they should be falling over themselves to help you after spending so much money on your tv.

I personally think that the problems with tv's these days (and not just mid range) is quality control as with all the tv's i have had over the last 18 months they have all had problems and not just reoccuring ones but some very random faults. Thankfully my replacement seems fine with no problems (touch wood, everything crossed just in case) so i hope you get an equally good outcome in the end.
 

3937edwards

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hi spoke to my retailer today told them i wasent happy again they said they would contact there service centre and see if they can get me a better set but i wont hold my breath as i would be six feet under in no time
 

3937edwards

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hi nick had a row with my retailer today and got a result there going to bring me a 40" led loan set on monday hopefully it will be a samsung so if the picture is fine then that will work in my favour as well exspecially if mine comes back with same problem
 

Oldboy

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Well done Andrew
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it's very heartening to hear you standing your ground with the retailer (name and shame them on here, i did!) and just shows you what happens when you do! I really hope you get a Samsung LED loan set...i would be very interested to see how it compares to your tv and even if it isn't a Samsung you still have a point of reference, if the loan set has none of the issues of your tv then that is more ammunition for you when it comes to the repair. If they try to say it's normal for the backlight and picture issues when the tv comes back then you can refer them to the loan set having none of the issues thus ruling out LED as the problem and having a strong case to say that the tv is faulty no matter what they try to say.

I look forward to monday....should be interesting and please post the result for me, can't wait.

Best regards
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3937edwards

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hi nick problems already gone back on there verbal agreement and told me that now im not getting the loan set they said i was getting on monday is there anything i can do ?
 

Oldboy

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3937edwards:hi nick problems already gone back on there verbal agreement and told me that now im not getting the loan set they said i was getting on monday is there anything i can do ?

Oh dear....this looks VERY bad for your retailer! So they have already backed out of an agreement, that's nice of them eh!! The very first thing to do is name and shame them on this thread so that no one else gets stung by these incompetent monkeys.

As for what you can do there are several things but it depends how far you want to go really. First off were you paying for a loan set or was it just offered to you to help you out? If you are paying there is no excuse for changing the goalposts but if it was offered out of courtesy then i don't beleive you can really complain that much as even being offered a loan set in the first place was good customer service BUT as you are not happy i think in either case it would be worth popping in/calling the retailer and talking over your issue with the manager and stress that you were offered another loan set only for them to change the goalposts at the last minute....oh and tell them about this (very public) thread you have started here and see how that goes down!

From a legal standpoint i would have thought that unless you are paying for the privelage then there is very little you can do except argue your case with the retailer and hope they budge as i'm not sure if a verbal agreement is still seen as a contract in the eyes of the law?? And if you aren't paying then it's just a courtesy set and as i said before i can't really see any cause for complaint, remember the loan set i had i was paying for which gave me cause to complain.
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What i will say is that if you speak to the retailer and you are still not happy then the best advice i can give you (and i've used this many times to great effect) is to stand your ground with the retailer and start cranking up the volume a little in the middle of a busy shop whilst complaining as no retailer wants bad press....least of all in their own shop during the xmas period! I used this tactic in the Sony Centre when they refused to refund me for (ironically) a Sony 40EX503 that had terrible backlight bleed...after employing my tactic during a busy saturday morning (and after getting increasingly loud) the manager changed his mind, funny that eh!! Should be used as a last resort though in your situation perhaps as they will still have your tv. Rubbish service though from your retailer and i would be annoyed so got to be worth complaining
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Best of luck Andrew just sorry i couldn't help further but let me know how you get on, yes.
 

3937edwards

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hi nick yes i am paying insurance to cover my tv and for the privalage of having a loan set i have told them that they have broken a verbel agreement and that how can there service centre ring me up on a friday morning to tell me they were delivering a tv monday and then friday afternoon get a phone call from local store saying im not getting it .as i am out of work due to ilness and could not afford to buy cash i got it of of the weekly payment store you know the won that sponsers home and away i havent mentioned there name because i dont know if it is against the law but there service is rubbish i asked them to just replace the tv as it is just over 4 months old , would it help threating them with trading standards as i have given them till wed , but i definatley will tell them that i will name and shame them on this well known website regards andrew
 

Oldboy

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Andrew, yes you can name them on here...this is an open forum moderated by WHF and the only rules you need to abide by are the house rules which are easily viewable on here but if you name the retailer (and i strongly suggest you do) on here it won't be moderated as it's not against house rules.

If you have had enough and just want to know your rights then contact consumer direct here: http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/ they are the first stop as it's official government backed advice. I have used them and found them invaluable in my fight with retailers as it's bit of a legal minefield with alot of totally incorrect info floating around on the various forums when you google consumer rights!

Having paid for insurance AND a loan set i find the service you have received simply shocking to be frank!! I can understand your frustration as you have been paying for a service that has now seemingly totally failed to provide what you paid for, if it was me i would be constantly complaining and state i beleive they have broken a contract as that is exactly what you signed! Does the small print in your insurance policy state what provision is made when the tv develops a fault?

I really think that a call to consumer direct is your next move to clear up just who is responsible here for your issues (retailer or insurer) and to get a clear idea of your rights and what to do next, they work in conjunction with trading standards and are taken very seriously by retailers. Hope that helps in some way but beleive me i know your pain
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3937edwards

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hi nick had phone call today from retailer saying tv has been repaired although im happy about getting my tv back im a bit dubious as it has only been a week and as you have said to me a backlight issue such as mine is normally due down to a production fault so what i want to ask you can it be repaired if is is due to a faulty circuit board or will i have to fear the worst and exspect it to come back with the same fault as ever i will let you know thanks again for your help and guidence andrew
 

Oldboy

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Hi Andrew,

Personally i'm of the same opinion and am very dubious that it has been repaired so quickly. However if the repair agent had only a few repairs to carry out it is entirely feasable that your tv was looked at and repaired quickly...that's especially true if it's a recognised fault with that tv as a repair procedure would already be in place. But with the tv gone for such a small ammount of time when you were told 6 weeks initially would concern me but then it may well turn up with the issue resolved...there is only one way to find out and that's to wait for it to arrive back! Just be very careful to give the tv a thorough run through on every input to make sure you are satisfied with the repair and if it turns out you are still not happy you know what to do, just post on here and help will be at hand.

I really hope that it was just a simple repair and that your tv comes back with all your issues solved, when do you expect to receive your tv back from the repairers??
 

3937edwards

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hi nick i dont know they told me it was repaired on tuesday just got to wait for phone call its got to come from manchester but with this snow we have coming back i cant see me getting it until after christmas just have to keep my fingers crossed
 

3937edwards

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to all of you out there if you are in the unfortunate position of being out of work due to ilness etc and havent got the cash to but a shiny new flatscreen then dont go to brighthouse the weekly payment store there after care service is rubbish

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im having so many problems since my samsung led developed a fault beware stay away
 

Oldboy

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Andrew,

Nice one for naming and shaming Brighthouse, got to say though that their name is ironic as they haven't been too bright in your situation!! I will now personally make sure that no one i know deals with that store as i know how much trouble you are having. What is the situation now?? Have you had any indication of when you should expect (discounting the current weather) your tv back from repair or has it all taken a few steps backwards since your last post?

It sounds to me like you need to start the legal ball rolling with this bunch of monkeys and start quoting the sale of goods act at them and get consumer direct involved....i bet things move very quickly after that!!

Best regards and total sympathy

Nick.
 

3937edwards

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hi consumer direct have already been informed by myself so they have all the details ive also told brighthouse they i have involved them and no i have heard nothing more since they told me that it had been repaired on tuesday. im thinking they have only told me this to keep me quiet and because i have contacted consumer direct but maybe im being abit paranoid but im sure if it is reparaired i should of had a phone call by now?
 

Oldboy

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Andrew,

I'm with you here....it just doesn't sit right does it!? So they tell you that it's been repaired yet you get no indication of when you will get it back and 5 days later still no contact...what are they doing wrapping it in gold or what? You've done the right thing in getting the ball rolling with consumer direct but bear in mind that usually the company has a set ammount of time to respond so this is by no means a quick fix to your problem but it is the best way to get either a replacement tv or any money back you have already parted with even if it is a pay scheme.

I would have expected some sign of when the tv was going to arrive back with you on the day they told you it was repaired as surely that info should be available by then but at the very least some sort of contact by the end of the week eh. Unfortunately it would seem that you have bought your tv from a rubbish retailer that has no idea how to provide good customer service so my next suggestion would be to contact Samsung directly via their customer service number which is: 0330 7267864 and tell them exactly what has been going on as from my experience they have excellent customer service and will do all they can to help because after all they made the tv!!

I got Panasonic involved when my repair started to take an age, after 4 weeks my patience ran thin and Panasonic got in touch with them to give them a kick up the backside and wouldn't you know it the next day things started to happen quickly and i had the tv back within 5 days so it is definately worth getting them involved! Oh and i don't think you are being paranoid i think you are being given the run around by brighthouse which is just a shocking tactic from a retailer when they are falling like flies in many high streets up and down the country, they should be doing everything they can to hold on to your business in the current economic climate!

The only problem with your situation is that you have to give the retailer a 'resonable' ammount of time to repair the tv and exactly what a reasonable ammount of time is is anyone's guess, don't give in though because if you have been told it's been repaired then you should expect it back within a week of being told. I think that is reasonable!
 

3937edwards

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hi nick went into my retailer today came face to face with manager told him what i thought of there service and told him that i was told that my tv had been repaired a week ago and that i hadent heard nothing, so he rang the service centre while i was there he told me the earliest they could deliver it back is the 30th december. which im not happy about because that means the tv is sitting around for two weeks from being repaired, but one positive they waivered my weekly payment of £22.00 because of the hassle ive had not alot but better then nothing i suppose.i then said that i was abit dubious about only taking a week to repair as they stated up to 2 months and what happens if it comes back with the same fault, and he said we will cross that bride if it comes to it but i said that if it does its not going away again and i will want it replaced with a new one is that a reasenable request regards andrew
 

Oldboy

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hello Andrew,

Very well done for going in there and speaking to the manager, from now on if you get any hassle just ask for him/her and don't deal with any of the monkeys from now on as you have made him aware of your problems, it will avoid any further confusion. I agree it's not good to have your tv sitting around in a warehouse somewhere for 2 weeks but at least it has been repaired quicker than expected (i'm trying to look for the positive here) and you could have been waiting for 2 months, even so i must say that if it was me in that situation i wouldn't be happy either! Did the manager say why you had to wait so long to get the tv back after it had been repaired? Obviously the weather would be a factor here but that doesn't excuse the lack of contact from the store, eh.

The manager knew they were in the wrong because why else would he/she wave your payment....if you had pushed (nicely) i'm sure you could have got more out of him in way of compensation but you weren't to know that. But at least you got something for your trouble and you seem happy with the outcome which is the main thing.

I would say that you made a perfectly reasonable request in wanting the tv replaced if it comes back with any issues after an attempted repair and is exactly the same thing that i done. I got a replacement when the repair failed to solve my issues and i would expect you to get the same treatment but with it being two different retailers i'm not going to say that will definately be the case, i just hope that it is.

I really hope you get the tv back on the 30th Andrew and that the repair is satisfactory, could you please post the outcome of the repair when you get it back just so that i know all is well, or not if that is the case.

I hope you have a very merry christmas
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Nick.
 

3937edwards

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hi nick they dident give me any reason for the delay on returning the tv but maybe with christmas around the corner and the bad weather then maybe thats why but i certainly will be going over the tv with a fine toothcombe for any damage etc yes i will let you know the outcome and hope you have a merry christmas and a good new year regards andrew
 

3937edwards

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hi nick happy new year guess what ? yes tv has come back with exactly the same problem it went away with and it took me 15 minutes to clean all the finger marks of it all over the screen and bezel . im going into the shop today to demand a replacement ive really wish i hadent gone to this retailer im sick to the teeth of all the fiasco according to the repair document it states its been repaired but no parts have been replaced so called its just been cleaned and tested and no faults found so PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! can any one help including you nick im desperate to get any help possible regards andrew
 

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