[lasercutter]

Heres a tale of woe that is still ongoing, I tell it here in the hope of :-

(a) helping someone else avoid a similar problem

(b) getting help from someone who has had this problem

(c) getting a phone number or e-mail address that avoids the totally useless call centres that all companies seem to employ these days.

Here goes, in November of 2003 I purchased an Lg 44" DLP TV (RE-44SZ21RD) from an internet company (Internet TV's Direct) the purchase was made based on the free 5 year warranty offered with the set, this I felt was essential as the DLP technology is new and I wanted peace of mind that any future problems would be covered. Lesson number One, when getting a "free" five year warranty try to make sure that it is a manufacturers warranty and not one that is issued by the company you are buying from, as in my case Internet TV's Direct went into liquidation taking my warranty with them (though they still trade under the same name but now as a limited company after a "buy out") this was only discovered once my set developed a fault in March 2004 (5 months old) the fault appeared to be the blue lamp/board had gone as the picture colours were all out see image (xbox game) LG do not carry out their own plasma/projection repairs, this is done by a subcontractor, in this instance it is Barron McCann, after reporting the fault it took nearly two weeks for the set to be collected (no onsite service is allowed) and the set was away for repair for 4 weeks. Lesson number Two, make sure that the company you buy from supplies enough loan sets to cover the amount of sets that need repair, I was without a TV for the 4 weeks it was away. The set was returned to me on the 26th of April, the same fault re-occured 8 days later on the 3rd of May (bank holiday Monday) despite several calls and e-mails LG steadfastly refused to replace the set even stating that their warranty is repair only, after a lot of argument I finally relented to a repair, this time the set was collected on the 7th of May and was returned on the 22nd of May (loan set provided this time after much begging) the set has once again today (14th June) developed the same fault, my wrangling with LG is ongoing, their stance seems to be they will repair it, mine being that the set is not fit for the purpose it was sold for and is faulty, my demands/requests for the set to be replaced are falling on deaf ears and I'm currently seeking legal advise to resolve the issue. I cannot fault Barron McCann in any way but thus far LGE UK have failed to impress me in the way they have handled themselves. If anyone has had a smilar experience or has a better number to call than the call centres that LG offer I would love to hear it.
Thanks in advance and I really needed to sound off because I'm fuming that a customer is expected to put up with a product that needs repairing once a month, if the set cost £100 I'd be annoyed but it was over £2000 and really should be better, it's great when it works though

[CrystalAvenger]

Whilst I feel for you and how you have been treated, the biggest lesson for everyone here I feel is this: AVOID PLASMA SETS. It is an over priced, propriorary technology that is hardly up to domestic use atm imho.

[lasercutter]

it's not plasma, it's a rear projection.

[CrystalAvenger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lasercutter

it's not plasma, it's a rear projection.

Ah I do appologise - I got the impression (mainly from the price) that it might be a plasma.

[lasercutter]

that's ok, I got the impression from the price I was buying a quality TV, unless LG can prove differently it looks like that price is very misleading.

[CrystalAvenger]

An important thing to remember is that a high price generally goes with 'new technology' - this is to either recoup the massive R&D investment in the underlying technology, and perhaps even to help fund further development and improvement in it. This certainly seems to be the case with principly Plasma televisions at the moment it seems to me.

Apart from the very large size, was there any other reason you went for a rear projection TV over say a 32" or 36" conventional TV for £500-700?

[lasercutter]

the DLP set is not like a standard rear projection, it does not suffer the same restricted veiwing positions that normal rp tv's do, the picture quality is (in my opinion) on a par with the plasma tv's and the design of the set was to my liking. The DLP set is also very compact, it does not have the large lamp box base that normal sets do, is only 33cm deep and is light enough to be lifted by one person.

Bottom line is I liked it.

picture here

[CrystalAvenger]

Heh - I can appreciate the issues regarding size and weight given only last week I recieved a 28" Philips... Damn it's a heavy git Very good set though.

(link - shame I just looked at that as I've noticed it's £13 cheaper now )

[iamthenewnumbertwo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrystalAvenger

AVOID PLASMA SETS. It is an over priced, propriorary technology that is hardly up to domestic use atm imho.

My plasma has no issues, saves me a square metre in floor space and gives an excellent picture. You do not need to avoid plasma sets, just buy from a decent source and make sure you are covered for repairs.

[pmcmillan]

Despite what LG say about their warranty, you are covered by the sales of goods act. Do a google search on the act and you should find that items sold should be fit for purpose and of reasonable quality and if not, the buyer is entitled to a replacement or reimbursement within a reasonable timescale.

Some useful links;
http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/fa...legoodsact.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/guides...w/index2.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/...consumer.shtml
http://www.ecommerce-now.com/images/...aleofgoods.htm

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/h...pleletters.htm
http://www.ukorbit.com/Shopping_Advice.htm
http://www.idp.co.uk/help/150complain.asp

Phil

[Orbitalzone]

If after several failed repairs then I think LG should consider replacing your TV.

Did you pay for it on your credit card ? as they will often act as a go between when problems occur.(For free)

Sadly I can see this happening more and more... as a former TV shop owner, I've noticed more and more decent shops closing (who offered good backup service) and we all want cheap prices which the internet shops offer, until they go broke as in this case.

Extended warranties were (I recall) going to be made mandatory to be insuranced based so you are still covered if the shop goes bust. Looks like this useful consumer law never happened then.

I think the next step is to write (recorded delivery) to the managing director of UK LG and state your problems. Say how utterly let down you feel etc.

Of course there's the final straw of going to Watchdog (or threatening LG that you will) - that sometimes gets things magically resolved.

Sorry you've had a crappy experience.....

[lasercutter]

having sought legal advice and speaking to trading standards it would appear my options are somewhat limited, the sales of goods act is valid as a contract only between purchaser and retailer, the manufacturer is not liable and in my case where the retailer went into liquidation I can only depend on the goodwill of LG to replace the defective set. I have the option to write to the MD of LG (shame he doesn't read these forums) and I have not discounted that, nor would I hesitate to contact the media if I feel it would help, the issue is still ongoing and I'm hopefull it will be resolved to everyones satisfaction, the set is superb when it is working and I miss it a lot, a 28" tv never looked so small before.