Strange problem with our 40" LCD this morning.

There seemed to be a black bulge of pixels top left of the screen coming down about 10mm. However on closer inspection rather than being a pixel fault, it looks like a black rubber seal has come away inside the set between the actual LCD panel and the backlight. This is blocking the light from getting to those pixels.

We're all in warranty so everything is fine but has anyone else had this problem with a samsung set? Is it common?

Not one of the most common problems, but i've seen this a few times.

It appears as though heat can cause it.

Who did you buy it from? Call the retailer and see what their repair policy is and get an engineer out to it.

We got it from comet online just after Chrismas so everything should be straightforward. Was curious as to whether this was common.

Would you say this would be reparable by an engineer? Only this fault could turn out to be reasonable news as when we got our TV it was 150 quid more than now and to quote comet:

"If our engineer can’t repair it, we’ll then offer you a full refund or exchange – no questions asked."

A refund would be excellent.

Comet have their own service backup, so call them and they'll get one of their engineers out. It's not often that they can't be repaired though.

If it's something he can sort by simply replacing the seal from where it came then he should be able to do it on the first visit.

Engineer came round this morning. Needs the whole LCD panel replaced as the drooping seal was internal. Should be wednesday 23rd at the latest.

Surprise surprise, what is the point of sending these so called engineers out to your home..!! As it is very rare these days that they can do anything at all in the home, I for one have never seen one take the back off a tv and fix one, most are like rogue plumbers that come into your house and whistle through there teeth..!! and say "Nar that's gonna have to goto the shop to be sorted!!", and you've just waited 2 weeks for him to tell you that..!! so your without your busted TV for at least another month..!!

(I speak from exprience!!)

They only come out on the initial call to make a diagnosis, this is then actioned and a repair taken on the second visit.

Deal with a decent company then!.

Any reputable company would collect your set and leave you a loan set, repair your set promptly, and deliver it back to you. You should also bear in mind reputable shops will be members of RETRA, and are required to complete repairs in a 'reasonable time', usually considerec to be ten days.

These days there's hardly anything you can do in the house, and certainly NOT to LCD's and Plasma. Also most companies aren't allowed to touch them, the manufacturers have contractors who do the warranty work - the time they take isn't covered by any 'code of practice' either!.

I thought I was when you buy from big brand names like sony and samsung, but Nooooo..!! just as shit as a small company and milking your phone bill with having to ring a national rate number and sit on hold for 30 minutes, when you start quoting repairs in a 'reasonable time' all the people on the end of the phone says is a load of old bollocks..!!

You bought it from Comet, all your legal rights are against Comet, NOT the manufacturer - assuming you're ringing the manufacturer's helpline?, quoting a 'reasonable time' is pointless as it doesn't apply to them, only to the retailer.

To be honest I'm more than happy with Comet in this case.

Engineer came round next day after we rang (no queue on the helpline) and came on time. Took the back off, saw what the issue was (internal LCD panel seal) ordered a new panel. Will be round to replace it at the latest 7 days after first visit (earlier if the panel is there). TV is going nowhere.

Yes, that sounds pretty good - the only thing we would have done differently (for a Sony ONLY!) is lend you a set and take your's back to the workshop. Changing an LCD panel isn't really a job to do in the house.

That's great service to be honest.

Comet are pretty much the only retailer with their own engineers, all of the others would have had to get a Samsung agent out.