Throw away society vs customer service

[Rock639]

I bought a Samsung 42" plasma in 2007. I recall that at the time, there was a worry that the gas in plasma screens would discharge over time leading to a dim picture. One of the selling points of the Samsung model was that it would give at least 100000 hours viewing time.

My picture has now deteriorated with pink banding, an area displaying a light purple shading at the top left of the screen, and a contrast band at the bottom of the screen. These problems have occurred over the past two years.

I'm an experienced electronics engineer and know how to repair the problems. However, should Samsung be willing to assist me in repairing my TV? I understand that my TV is not new and no longer covered by warranty. All I want from Samsung is access to parts (a new screen in this case) and possibly a chat with an engineer. I am willing to pay for all parts needed!

it appears through Samsung's unwillingness to help that they expect me to simply through out the old and buy new. This actually might be the cheaper option.

however, I wrote to Samsung, citing the problems encountered. I even made mention of how Samsung US had helped their customers in America who had experienced the same problems (my TV's faults appear to be common on my particular model). All I received was a reply via email that my TV was out of warranty.

several letters later and curt, unhelpful emails in response, I am now considering a total boycott of Samsung. I recently asked the staff in two local electronics stores their opinions of brands customer service. It appears Samsung do not rate highly. Philips, Panasonic and Sony are better, so I'm told.

I spent nearly £1500 on my TV. For this kind of money I expect at least a polite written reply, not a single sentence reply via email.

Does anyone else have positive / negative experiences worth mentioning?

ps - If anyone from Samsung is reading this, I am more than happy to supply copies of my letters and Samsung's replies.

 

[theflyingwasp]

Hi there

your model of television has probably long since been discontinued and even if Samsung were able to send you the parts it would cost just as much as mid range 42inch led or plasma (Samsung ue42f5000) especially if you're talking about screen replacement .

i paid roughly the same for my 7 year old hd ready samsung plasma,I couldn't get £100 for it now.its a shame it has to be thrown away but the advancement in technology since you bought your last tv will be light years ahead .

 

[Rock639]

You're right.

however, I'm more dissapointed with the response by Samsung. I spend time writing letters, pointing out the fault, delivering a technical description and mentioning how Samsung US have compensated their customers;

one customer received direct help with a technician coming to their house to examine the problem. Minor adjustments were made to the set which made significant improvements to the picture quality. Emphasis here on minor adjustments. When I examined my own TV, it appears the adjustment made was a slight voltage increase via an internal potentiometer which solved the problem, but would mean other components would be working outside their limits. A problem I can live with, but would certainly not be officially adopted by Samsung. I believe the technician involved in the US was using his personal knowledge to help a customer.

another customer was lucky and received a replacement set.

a further customer received a voucher for several hundred dollars, redeemable against another Samsung product.

All of these were for the same fault I have experienced. As I originally said, I'm happy to pay for a service, just very annoyed that Samsung Europe have fobbed me off with a short email, none of which addressed problems or questions I raised. They eve.pn had the cheek to say in their closing address that Samsung are always ready to assist in any technical queries I may have!

Crap service!

 

[MajorFubar]

The official line in America is probably exactly the same as over here, it's just that many businesses in America still have an aptitude to help people where they can, ie go the extra mile and bend over backwards to help a customer, rather than just issue some banal standard line-to-take which plays by the book. We did have that here once: an ethos to provide great customer service beyond all else. Gone now, mostly.

 

[Rock639]

So which companies still provide an acceptable level of customer service? Any stories of particularly bad or extremely good service?

 

[chebby]

. We did have that here once: an ethos to provide great customer service beyond all else. Gone now, mostly.

Probably because TVs are now just a commodity type of product that are infinitely more reliable than the beasts that passed as televisions in the old days.

The first generations of colour TVs here in britain were stupendously expensive, incredibly unreliable and prone to fire and explosion (usually due to water from potted plants running down the vents at the back or a build up of carpet fluff igniting from the heat of valves).

A generation of people rented due to the prohibitive cost of outright purchase and inevitable repairs. TV repair men were such regular visitors to so many homes that it's possible their families were counted as 'single parent' on census forms

All this started to change when the likes of Sony Trinitron TVs became affordable. (We had one that lasted 23 years before going to a charity jumble sale at the local ambulance station. It may still be working somewhere.)

I still play safe and buy from John Lewis for their five year guarantee. Our old Samsung LED screen is still being used by the elderly couple next door. It's now almost seven years old. If it breaks, I suppose I could use that to help justify buying a new one and passing on our Panasonic to them. (It still has just over 2 years JL cover left.)

 

[Rock639]

CRT technology is simply more reliable than current Plasma and LCD. You've mentioned valves, not used in televisions or radios in a long time. Transistors are more reliable. We're talking about a different aspect of technology here.

 

[Superaintit]

So which companies still provide an acceptable level of customer service? Any stories of particularly bad or extremely good service?

B&O have a pretty good reputation concerning customer service.

My parents had a B&O tv, I have beolab speakers. Never had any trouble.

Only thing I can say they do a home installation of the product and are always friendly and willing to help when I called them.

 

[chebby]

CRT technology is simply more reliable than current Plasma and LCD. You've mentioned valves, not used in televisions or radios in a long time. Transistors are more reliable. We're talking about a different aspect of technology here.

Which is why I said it all began to change with the likes of Sony Trinitron and others. TVs became commodities that could be sold almost anywhere without requiring regular and expensive repairs.

Therefore the levels of service required to sell and maintain them under warranty became less important. (No need for full-time TV repair men to visit homes and no need for a full-time stock of parts to be maintained.)

 

[Deleted member 2457]

So which companies still provide an acceptable level of customer service? Any stories of particularly bad or extremely good service?

:?

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I just buy from John Lewis now and if I spot anything going wrong to the screen in that time I get it repaired. After that you are on your own, could be worth talking to the company who you bought it from, Big Chris's sub from B&W went wrong out of warranty and they still fixed it but they still sell a similar sub.

Then it would be a case of talking to a TV repairer but I can't see how they can help. Just buy a new TV. For £1400 these days you can buy a flagship 50 inch Panasonic plasma for the next few months.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

several letters later and curt, unhelpful emails in response, I am now considering a total boycott of Samsung. I recently asked the staff in two local electronics stores their opinions of brands customer service. It appears Samsung do not rate highly. Philips, Panasonic and Sony are better, so I'm told.

I spent nearly £1500 on my TV. For this kind of money I expect at least a polite written reply, not a single sentence reply via email.

Does anyone else have positive / negative experiences worth mentioning?

ps - If anyone from Samsung is reading this, I am more than happy to supply copies of my letters and Samsung's replies.

Yes, 42" plasmas were expensive in 2007. I paid £1,400 for my 42" Pioneer in summer 2008.

If you look at the various threads on this forum about faulty (some quite new) Panasonic plasma sets and the poor response that people get from Panasonic, I doubt that many of those people would say that Panasonic were any better than Samsung regarding customer care.

It might be still, with your specialist knowledge, see if you can get your set repaired by a local repair shop, which would still be much cheaper than getting a new set if you were happy with your set before the present problems started. My local repair charged me £100 to adjust some voltage levels in my LG television in the kitchen, which they did in situ, I didn't have to take it to their shop. Two engineers came round to do it.

 

[Sun_Shang_Xiang]

I agree , for me the quality of the Trinitrons CRTs in Europe took a downturn when they switched to 16:9 format and 100hz (better though for people who suffer from crt flicker)around 2002. I think the Welsh and Japanese manufactured Trinitron 4:3 50hz CRTs were better quality. However this doesn't seem to have applied to the US Sony CRTs , i've never seen a US Sony 34xbr960 (being an HD CRT) but from seeing some pictures on AVS forum they can produce seem amazing good pictures. Bang & Olufsen and Loewe made some great CRTs, but for me their flat panel models don't seem to have reached the heights their CRTs reached.

Even Pioneer skimped on quality the 8th generation Kuro models were more expensive and had better build quality compared to the 9th generation Kuro models. Sure the initial picture of the 9gs was blacker and better but fast forward a few years have passed you can go over to avforums and avsforums and compare how many 9th generation Pioneers have "within spec" red tinted blacks compared to 8th generation Pioneers.

 

[Ripsnorter]

Since you are in the UK I'd like to suggest you take a different approach. It is possible that under the Sale of Goods Act, whereby a product has to be of merchantable quality, you could argue your Samsung should be expected to have a longer life than it has enjoyed given reasonable usage, especially, as you say it was sold with the promise of at least 100,000 hours viewing time. Assuming you have a record of Samsung's claim then, according to the internet, assuming for argument's sake you bought it on 17th January 2007 and today being 17th November 2013, that would be 2,496 days during which you would have had to watched your television for 40 hours a day, every day! In short, I think you have a valid legal case against Samsung and putting a claim through the Small Claims Court is now easier and cheaper than ever. Forget the repair and go for redress.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I agree , for me the quality of the Trinitrons CRTs in Europe took a downturn when they switched to 16:9 format and 100hz (better though for people who suffer from crt flicker)around 2002. I think the Welsh and Japanese manufactured Trinitron 4:3 50hz CRTs were better quality. However this doesn't seem to have applied to the US Sony CRTs , i've never seen a US Sony 34xbr960 (being an HD CRT) but from seeing some pictures on AVS forum they can produce seem amazing good pictures. Bang & Olufsen and Loewe made some great CRTs, but for me their flat panel models don't seem to have reached the heights their CRTs reached.

Even Pioneer skimped on quality the 8th generation Kuro models were more expensive and had better build quality compared to the 9th generation Kuro models. Sure the initial picture of the 9gs was blacker and better but fast forward a few years have passed you can go over to avforums and avsforums and compare how many 9th generation Pioneers have "within spec" red tinted blacks compared to 8th generation Pioneers.

Agreed.

 

[SiUK]

Bang & Olufsen and Loewe made some great CRTs,

In the early 80's I owned a Bang & Olufsen CRT. It was black with a red back and a perspex screen cover and tilted back on a stand...and it went very well in my flat with all the other loud stuff that was popular then (red and black was in then ;-) ). Compared to other CRTs at the time the B&O was streets ahead, and it had an incredible picture. It was with me for years and it travelled with me from flat to flat until some lousy **** removed it together with many other contents one evening when I was out on the town. Very unique style, and very easy to watch.

 

[Rock639]

This is the latest response from Samsung. Is this an admission of products being designed to fail after a certain time?

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for your reply back to Samsung Customer Services.

I can confirm that your letter has been sent to executive office by my previous colleague, but we do not receive any internal feedback from them.

In regards to your warranty and life span, as your TV has passed its 6 years life span, Samsung cannot authorise anything free of charge as a good will gesture.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Kind Regards,[/b]



Kaeshia[/b]



Customer Support Centre[/b]

 

[The_Lhc]

This is the latest response from Samsung. Is this an admission of products being designed to fail after a certain time?

No, it isn't.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Different tack? How long should a plasma or led tv last? Old tech probably 10+ years but modern tech? New thread maybe?