Faulty Samsung LCD - out of warranty!

Silver09

Looking for some advice here, what is a reasonable time to expect a LCD tv to last??
My 32" Samaung is just 4 1/2 yrs old and is now unusable as the screen keeps flickering then just throws up garbled graphics.
I reckon the warranty is gone but in all fairness should'nt a TV last more than 4 years!!! fit for purpose and all that!
Would I have a case if I went to the manufacturer?
Thanx.

foggy_lad

Silver09 wrote: »

Looking for some advice here, what is a reasonable time to expect a LCD tv to last??
My 32" Samaung is just 4 1/2 yrs old and is now unusable as the screen keeps flickering then just throws up garbled graphics.
I reckon the warranty is gone but in all fairness should'nt a TV last more than 4 years!!! fit for purpose and all that!
Would I have a case if I went to the manufacturer?
Thanx.

You have no dealings with the manufacturer but may have a claim with the retailer. You can't reasonably expect a refund but a repair would be reasonable. You must also have proof of purchase if asked for it by the retailer. Best advice I can give is to go into the shop and talk to the manager who will most likely tell you the warranty is gone so there is nothing they can do. You should then write to the shop giving them a reasonable time to provide redress in the form of repair replacement or refund.

Silver09

It was actually bought from a reputible online retailer, I'll send an email to get the ball rolling,
what are my rights as a customer? Does EU legislation give rights to the customer?
cheers.

ScouseMouse

Please do keep us posted on this. To me four and a half years is a dodgy one but you never know.

Silver09

Will do, any other advice on how to deal with the retailer would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Groucho2000

My understanding is that its usualy anything up to 6 years for an electrical item. Of course it depends on the item. A toaster for 12 euro - dont expect 10 years from it. A 4 1/2 year old LCD would have been quite expensive to buy at the time and I think its reasonable to expect it to last well past 6 years.

ps. one thing to watch out for is receipts that fade away. Took out the receipt for my 3 year old tv the other day and the ink had all faded. Not sure how the shop would react if I turned up with the blank bit of paper. Might start scanning them in from now on as a backup.

mdebets

Silver09 wrote: »

It was actually bought from a reputible online retailer, I'll send an email to get the ball rolling,
what are my rights as a customer? Does EU legislation give rights to the customer?
cheers.

Which online retailer. Your rights depend on where the retailer is located.

Silver09

Groucho2000, you'd be right there, I spent a small fortune!
Just done some digging there and I've found the invoice! (can't believe what I paid) so I'm gonna contact the retailer after the weekend, I won't metion its name till I've established their response, all i'll say is their head offices are on mainland Europe.

Zxc

foggy_lad wrote: »

You have no dealings with the manufacturer but may have a claim with the retailer. You can't reasonably expect a refund but a repair would be reasonable. You must also have proof of purchase if asked for it by the retailer. Best advice I can give is to go into the shop and talk to the manager who will most likely tell you the warranty is gone so there is nothing they can do. You should then write to the shop giving them a reasonable time to provide redress in the form of repair replacement or refund.

This raises the question of what can you do if the shop/retailer has closed/ceased trading.

Where can the consumer go when goods become faulty in such a case?
To the manufacturer?

slimjimmc

Zxc wrote: »

This raises the question of what can you do if the shop/retailer has closed/ceased trading.

Where can the consumer go when goods become faulty in such a case?
To the manufacturer?

You can try the manufacturer but they're under no obligation outside the warranty period. Afaik your contract with the vendor dies with the business but might continue if the business is absorbed by another.

Kensington

Silver09 wrote: »

Looking for some advice here, what is a reasonable time to expect a LCD tv to last??
My 32" Samaung is just 4 1/2 yrs old and is now unusable as the screen keeps flickering then just throws up garbled graphics.
I reckon the warranty is gone but in all fairness should'nt a TV last more than 4 years!!! fit for purpose and all that!
Would I have a case if I went to the manufacturer?
Thanx.

Sounds like the display inverter is dying.
What model is the TV?

Silver09

Its a LE32N71BX/XEC, sent an email late today so hopefully get a response tomorrow.
Is it expensive to replace an inverter?

Silver09

Well got my response today, under no circumstances will the company entertain the possibility of a repair or replacement, rang consumer information and they have advised me to go down the small claims court route, think my chances are pretty slim though.

Very disappointing to see these type of tvs failing after just 4 yrs of use, you have been warned!

jimmycrackcorm

If it is the inverter then it's a reasonable repair cost. Its worth having a search online for a replacement part. I've changed one on a laptop lcd previously.

Silver09

What are the symptoms of an inverter failure??

mdebets

Silver09 wrote: »

Well got my response today, under no circumstances will the company entertain the possibility of a repair or replacement, rang consumer information and they have advised me to go down the small claims court route, think my chances are pretty slim though.

Very disappointing to see these type of tvs failing after just 4 yrs of use, you have been warned!

As the retailer is not in Ireland, you have to go to the European Small Claims Court.
Before, you have to find out what your statutory rights are in the country of the retailer, but I don't think any wil have you covered for 4.5 years.

foxinsox

Does the online retailer have a registered office/premises in Ireland?


Jeez... Don't give up yet..

Keep writing letters/e-mails about how you bought from them as you would have considered them a reputable company ..etc etc..

Keep mentioning the fact that you spent a lot of time and energy researching and deciding who/where/what to buy. . etc. etc.

YOU chose their website because of their professional service and you chose the brand of TV because of it's relaiability, known performance etc etc..

and how disappointed with the service you are receiving and how shocked you are at the performance of the TV you bought...fit for purpose etc.. even tell them a story about your old TV and how long it lasted.. preferably add in stories of all your relatives/friends same brand TVs and their stories of longevity (the TVs' life not your relatives!!)

You have nothing to lose at this stage..

Be the letter writer from hell.. Write to everybody possible within the company about this, also cc every letter to the manufacturer..

Make each of your letters (even if you are sending them via e-mail) very professional and go with the old fashioned letter writing style..all formal.
For every letter make sure you make a note of all previous correspondance.. basically be very very anal about the details......

You'll bore them into fixing your TV........

worth a try

Good luck..

bryaner

A mate of mine is in the process of bringing curry's trough the small claims court over a 3.5 year old 40" samsung lcd. Currys would not entertain him, but the vibes from the small claims are very promising.

It's well worth a shot for €15 bucks and you can lodge your claim online..

Kensington

Silver09 wrote: »

What are the symptoms of an inverter failure??

Pretty much those described by yourself.
Screen flickering, flashing, taking a long time for an image to appear and eventually refusing to display at all. It can also cause other symptoms though as it can create spikes in the power supply unit of the TV which can create problems with otherwise good parts elsewhere in the TV.

Think they were about €130ish to have replaced, including VAT and labour where I used to work. It's been a while since I worked there though!

Definitely go small claims court route though. In most cases, the sight of the letter on District Court headed paper is enough to make a company budge. You may not get the TV repaired free but they could insist the retailer/manufacturer contribute toward the cost. It's at the discretion of the court and for €15 you haven't much to lose really!

Silver09

Thanks for all the advice, I'm not gonna give up without a fight. What have I got to loose for €15.

I noticed on you-tube that this seems to be a huge problem with LCD panels, alot of guys have resorted to repairing the units themselves as Samsung will do nothing. Food for thought if you're considering buying a TV in the future, I for one will never buy a Samsung product again.

Tazz T

Same happened to my 40 inch Samsung after 2 and a half years. All of sudden colours and movement blur became wildly exaggerated. I paid €1300 and they just said 'out of warranty' - tough! Might have a look at the Small Claims Court meself.

bryaner

Tazz T wrote: »

Same happened to my 40 inch Samsung after 2 and a half years. All of sudden colours and movement blur became wildly exaggerated. I paid €1300 and they just said 'out of warranty' - tough! Might have a look at the Small Claims Court meself.

Get on it straight away..