Faulty Sony 55X8005 and Poor Customer Service

[WBeetison]

Hi, I've joined here in the help of getting some help and advice, we've had our TV for around 4 months and despite a few bugs with the Android system the TV has been great, excellent picture quality for the price and plenty of features.

Would just like to add that i am quite tech savvy and am the person that friends and family ask for advice on new tech purchases, so i've tried pretty much everything.

in the last 4 or so weeks we've encountered what i would call significant problems, firstly we have several bright bars of light that go across the screen, i know the TV is backlit and that this is the LEDs and yes i understand that with LED/LCD tvs there is a chance of light bleed/pooling/clouding etc. However we didnt have these issues until a few weeks ago and the bars cover over 50% of the picture. Yes it is more obvious on darker content, but it is there on lighter content but it is harder to capture, its there in the service menus as well, if the camera pans up and down on whatever we are watching its awful to watch as the picture moves behind the bright bars and its nauseating, we've put our bedroom tv in the livingroom now.

We are not sat in the dark, we have a lamp on to try to mitigate the problem and even with the main lights on its there, we have 4 big windows in our living room and on picture 1 its actually day time outside as you can see the light between the curtains.

I've tried all the picture settings, higher lower brightness and contrast, all the enhancers on or off, we only have the brightness on 5/50 as any higher and its even worse

 

Onto the software, we can turn the TV on and it wont do anything for a few mins, you cannot even press down on the remote, you can press sideways but not down, so we leave it another minute, sometimes a few minutes and it will do the same, will move down 2 icons and stop, the TV will also crash and even if its left 10 mins it wont work so we have to unplug it as if we press standy and then standy again to turn it back on, it will work briefly but stop again.

Ive factory reset 100 times, we frequently restart to clear the cache/RAM, it isnt all the time it does this but a few times a week, i've looked through all the support problems on here and followed them and they only work briefly then we have issues again.

Again these are recent issues the same as the picture.

I've been back and forth with Sony email support and am just getting the run around, i've sent pictures theyve requested, all of the details, model no, serial no, device ID, software version, everything and all i get is the same responses, please send picture, please try reset and restart.

They've sent me emails about my faulty camcorder and how sorry they are, i reply saying its my TV thats broken as per the last 6 emails, frankly is a nightmare, its been escalated 3 times and then i get an email saying send picture, when i've sent what they asked for countless times.

I've been onto where i've purchased it from and they've said that Sony are requesting we go through there support procedures as they aren't issuing returns without Engineers seeing the TVs, this against Distance selling regs and Consumer rights Act but nothing i can do there if Sony want to see the TVs, yet they won't even send an Engineer out.

We have a Sony phone, PS4 and an expensive AVreciever and previously had a Sony TV, i've never had to use Sonys Customer Service or support before but i can say that based on my experience so far i wouldnt ever buy another Sony product and when asked about Sony products i will be telling my friends and family how bad the support has been.

Thanks reading and thanks for any help.

Edit: Yes i changed the batteries in the remote for ones i know to work and yes the TV software is on the most recent.

The picture problems are there despite the content or quality of the content, Netflix or Amazon 4K, Blurays or content from a USB harddrive.

Edit 2: Just had another reply asking for a picture i've sent a few times now, i think that the person is either having a laugh or they are hoping i just give up, its so infuriating.

Have tried on facebook but they just direct you in the direction of the support emails and then stop replying.

[Prior20]

if your in the UK ultimatley its the retailer that should support you, take it back explain faults and let them deal with it took mine back to argos the other week after <Edited by moderator> poor sony support and got it swapped, just needed the sony case number so they could refer to them

[WBeetison]

Hi, thanks for replying.

I've tried and tried but they are adament that Sony have told them a Sony engineer has to inspect the TV before anything can be done.

So ive taken my TV into my nearest Sony store along with print outs of my emails with Sonys useless online Support and left it there with my phone number detailing the issues with photographic proof.

The manager wasnt happy but ive just left it there with them as ive no other option. 

[WBeetison]

Just got a phone call saying that it could take 4 weeks to have it repaired and as a gesture of good faith they can upgrade me to an 850# but its a refurb and that the software should be fixed in the next update.

I've politely refused and as its tested faulty i have asked for a full refund. I've no faith Sony will ever fully fix the software and Android 6 will likely add more issues.

Am waiting on a call back regarding the refund.

[MiCal1967]

Yes the Customer Service is not perfect but the cause is not Sony representatives or Sony trained technicians.

The real problem is instructions given from Japan.

Their service material is very poor.

They have NO instructions about their FREEWARE Android Operating System.

They cannot:

• Re-programm same firmware but only with tricky ways. There are no official instructions.
• Revert to previous firmware but only with tricky ways.
• Access to Android system recovery<3e> same as Philips Android TV and EVERY Android device in the world.
• Enable Developer options through Service Mode which is very useful for OS issues. The strangeness is that they allow useless things like HDD performance tests or registering - unregistering HDDs:smileylaugh:.

[WBeetison]

Well it is Sony representatives, the online support is awful, not 1 email ive had has been useful and there hasnt even been a solution, ive sent all the pictures they want showing its faulty and just get the run around.

Anyway ive been given a full refund as i filled out some online court claims paperwork i found and took that into the shop and put the managers name on it.

Now the proud owner of a Panasonic DX750 and it blows the Sony out the water, amazing picture.

So yeah, will never ever buy Sony myself again as there is no technical support or customer services.

Will be doing my best tonsteer others away as well and save them the hassle ive been through.

As a Sony customer of over 20years im disgusted at how they treat loyal customers.