panasonic tv

carrick

hello there
I recently started having a problem with my 42" panny plasma namely the red lights of death,started to become more frequent so checked it out online,hit the jackpot problems going back as far as 07 with some people losing thousands of pounds/dollars/euros.I called the panny customer service helpline reckoned they never heard of the issue so called the repair shop number provided,they never heard of the problem but could tell me what was wrong and the fix needed?.I have had the telly 1yr 5 mths or 1850hrs of use so warranty gone,in order to get it fixed panny said i would have to take it to the nearest repair shop 1 1/2hrs away get it checked out,pay for that,get an estimate on cost of the fix and they will decide if they want to help or not.It seems like their boast of build quality/reliability/high end product isnt all it cracked up to be,would advise anybody considering buying one of pannys tvs to research it very well(GOOGLE PANASONIC RED LIGHTS OF DEATH) and look for the five year warranty as it comes free with some models or
LOOK AT DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER
also if anyone else has had a similar issues how it was resolved or not

byte

In fairness though, in the grand scheme of things, there is no brand that is infallible.

There will always be TV's from all makes and models that'll suffer premature failure. No such thing as a product 100% failproof.

Having said that, it's not good enough for a TV of less than 18mth old to die. It's quite simply not fit for purpose if it doesn't last at least a few years IMO.

Take it to the Small Claims Court if needs be. First port of call should be where you bought it, as that's where your contract lies.

carrick

I have been talking to a man who would be specialized in tv repairs and he has recommended contacting panasonic uk tell them the full story eg (researched the telly as one of the best for gaming in general at the time,good spec on tv,good manufacturer and preferred plasma over LCD,the fact that the TV has only lasted 17mths)
He reckons that they will at least cover the repair bill i should just have to pay to get it to a repair shop.Will keep everyone posted this will surely spell the difference between a good manufacturer or not

chalky024

Hi carrick,
Was wondering how you got on with Panasonic? I have a similar issue with a SONY KDL 46X3000 at the moment. A bit older than your set ,at 2.5 years and it is now pretty much ready for recycling:( The set was the second from top model when I bought it and I was expecting that it should at least last 5 years since it was such a premium product. Waiting on a repair cost now but might end up having to make a purchase. The Panasonic 5 year warranty looks tempting now!!

byte

chalky024 wrote: »

Hi carrick,
Was wondering how you got on with Panasonic? I have a similar issue with a SONY KDL 46X3000 at the moment. A bit older than your set ,at 2.5 years and it is now pretty much ready for recycling:( The set was the second from top model when I bought it and I was expecting that it should at least last 5 years since it was such a premium product. Waiting on a repair cost now but might end up having to make a purchase. The Panasonic 5 year warranty looks tempting now!!

What's wrong with your TV?

Sony had a 5 year warranty running on most of their bigger TV's up until end of October. It's plausible they might bring it back for December.

chalky024

The LCD panel is apparently gone in the set. It started a few weeks ago with 3 intermittent horizontal lines across the screen and developed into the right hand side of the screen showing a double image which jumped up and down rapidly for the first 20 minutes following switch on. After it settled it would then occasionally lose picture for 5 to 10 seconds. When I rang the engineer to discuss the issue he said the panel was gone as soon as I mentioned the lines. He has had six of these sets with the same issue over the last few months:mad: Not good for a premium product!!

byte

I think you should contact Sony and explain your case, as its poor form for a premium X series.

Even if they covered the panel replacement (eg, they supply panel you pay labour) "as a goodwill gesture" it'd be half the battle!

chalky024

The service engineer is going to plead my case. He says SONY sometimes agree to help out in cases like this. Things are tight these days though so I don't expect much:( Fingers crossed!

carrick

just off the phone with the store DID electrical they are going to get the tv sorted for no cost to myself but this is only after going down the offical route of phone call,letter of complaint,next would have been the small claim courts.Use the consumers advice agency website for more info very helpfull in getting to know your rights.
Hope this is of use to somebody thanks byte,chalky024

chalky024

Just had a bit of good news as well. SONY are going to supply a new panel free of charge! I will just have to cover the labour costs for the replacement work. All thanks to the service engineer, I didn't have to go any further than him. Should have my set back next week:D

byte

carrick wrote: »

just off the phone with the store DID electrical they are going to get the tv sorted for no cost to myself but this is only after going down the offical route of phone call,letter of complaint,next would have been the small claim courts.Use the consumers advice agency website for more info very helpfull in getting to know your rights.
Hope this is of use to somebody thanks byte,chalky024

Good stuff!

chalky024 wrote: »

Just had a bit of good news as well. SONY are going to supply a new panel free of charge! I will just have to cover the labour costs for the replacement work. All thanks to the service engineer, I didn't have to go any further than him. Should have my set back next week:D

Good to hear. Hope the labour costs won't be too much. Good that Sony are offering the panel, though I think it's the least they can do considering how young and expensive the set was.