Do all Sony LCD screens only last 2 years?

[unhappycustomer]

The screen is going on my KDL 40W 4500 after just 2 years. Sony refuse to contribute to the cost and replacing it is only slightly more expensive than the repair cost. This was a best buy in Which? magazine.

I am now going out to buy a new TV. It will be my first non Sony for 20 years. I am now a non customer for any Sony product and will share my experience widely.

[ollie101]

apuk did you have to write in with a letter?

[apuk2004]

ollie101 wrote:
apuk did you have to write in with a letter? 

I followed the advice of StartTheCar (sony forum staff) and others and called Sony customer support.

They then referred me to an authorised repair centre close to where i live.

It cost me £50 for them to come out and look at the fault.

A few days later i got the estimate which was over £450 for a new LCD panel.

I then spoke to StartTheCar (via PM) and sent him photos of my problem and a scan of the repair invoice.

He spoke to warranties and I was told to tell the authorised repair centre to call sony warranties.

The repair centre then called me and at first they wanted to give me a new TV if i paid the repair cost.

I said no way am i paying £450 for a replacement TV and put the phone down!

They called me back 10 mins later and offered me the new TV for FREE!!!!! :smileygrin::smileygrin::smileygrin:

I've had the EX503 for over a month now and all though It's OK it's not as good as the W4500 in some ways.

I find there is a slight delay to key presses of the remote which makes it feel slightly unresponsive. Also there is no illuminated SONY logo (not a dealbreaker but looked classy on the w4500) and I quite liked that on the w4500 the power, volume and input buttons were on the top of the TV and now they are on the side and I have to lean round to see them. I wonder if this design choice was because people wall mount them.

...Oh well, musn't grumble. It only cost me £50 (and maybe a few weeks of stress!) and at least the picture works and it has new features like internet widgets and freeviewHD!

Good luck to all those still fighting for compensation!!!

[Bravia55HX]

Hi,

i am absolutely mortified since finding all these forums about panel failures on Sony sets, i have sent my LG back for a full refund for backlight issues and have since payed in full for the 55hx923 which like many others are awaiting delivery!, the dealer i have dealt with was kind enough to loan me a couple of year old w4500 which was used for rental perposes however since having this i have sat here and watched line after line of what appears to be pixels going funny!, this has worried me and i contacted Sony because i was worried about this happening on newer sets and was assured that this was a common problem on sets manufactured in 2009 and has since been irradicated and will not happen on the newer panels, i have however also contacted the dealer who loaned me the set and he said if i can still watch it not to worry about it unless it gets worst (be getting new one soon anyways), just thought i would share my thoughts and findings and i feel for those who have placed their trust in Sony products and hope that all issues will be resolved in due coarse.

[ollie101]

I took a complete different root to you, sony initially told me to write a letter, i refused this then i called and logged a fault again they said they'll book it in for repair despite the fact its out of warranty and i have lost my receipt. (second time it was booked for repair by that agent though. I then got a call from the repair agency and told them the situation, they revoked the repair, then 2 hours later they called me and said they made an error!

It then got collected and taken to the repair agent a week later i got a call saying they were out of panels and that sony are offering me the KDL EX 724 (3D LED (LED is basically really thin LCD) Internet built in all top features basically) I jumped and said yes took about 8 days for the set to get to the repair agency hanger. Out of excitement i cancelled the delivery which was another 4 days away and collected the tv. No more 32" KDL32V4000U :smileygrin:

Thats my story so i didnt get lumbered with a lesser model and i got something great all i ended up paying was 70 quid to comet but thats another story lol. All in all excellent service in the end. I feel to write a letter to sony lol. Also i dont have an illuminated sony logo, i to loved that feature!!!

[Hogsy1]

I had a KDL40W4500 for just over two years and then it started exhibiting horizontal lines and dark patches. I bought it at Comet and after correspondence they have refused to fix it for free or give me a refund. I am now taking them to court.

They claim that Sony has told them that there are no known issues with the TV despite me sending Comet copies of this forum! Comet also claim that, under the Sales of Goods Act, the TV can break down after normal use through wear and tear, which they class this problem as. This is clearly nonsense for a TV lasting 2 years and costing over £1000, especially as I have no kids and the TV probably gets a lot less use than a regular household. They have aslo claimed that one year is enough time for an inherent problem to appear and yet on other parts of this website Sony has recalled TVs after 2-3 years (I sent Comet this evidence as well).   Best of all though, I paid for a Comet engineer to look a the TV and asked him if the problem was an inherent one and he said it was. However, when push came to shove he retracted this statement and now Comet claim that it is not an inherent problem.

If anybody would like to give me more information on their situations that would help me in court I would appreciate it.

If anybody from Sony reads this then it might be a good idea to stop putting us all through this baloney. There is already an admission from Start the Car: "It is always disappointing to read of any product failure, and with so many of you sharing similar experiences this is clearly something we need to address." Well, if you want to address it then can you please start by phoning up Comet for me and admitting there's an issue.

Nick

[apuk2004]

margissi wrote:
I've had a KDL-46W4500 for just over 2 years. Horizontal  lines appeared and got worse.
Sony told me to contact local service centre who collected my tv and left a basic set to watch.
One week later I have been told that the tv needs a new lcd screen which isnt available so Sony are sending me a new KDL46ex723.

What!?!?! Why didnt they offer me an ex723 instead of the "budgety" ex503?

I only accepted the ex503 because I didnt want to be left with my faulty w4500 or have to pay to repair a manufacturing issue.

And to think that the repair place tried to charge me nearly £500 for the ex503!!

So you not only have the bonus of 3D but also LED!?!?! FFS you are so lucky.

[ollie101]

Nick,

take it from me comet are absolutely useless, I would advise you call trading standards thats what I did, they will guide you on the necessary steps. However it is not worth it call sony and let them sort it for you, then you can try getting your money back from comet but its useless I was relentless had the issue escalated and they basically told me jump on my bike and ride home.

Here is a brief explanation of what I went through;

First I called sony, no help i then called comet explained eveything and got put through several departments, I spoke to one guy named Bill and he said he knows of the fault pay out for a technician to confirm it and we'll give you a credit note to spend in store on a new TV. Great pay day comes I pay out for the technician, guy comes 3 hours late resulting in a delay of a pick up of my TV, however he confirmed the fault and told me himself i doubt comet will do much they tend to lead you on. TV gets to comet they also acknowledge the fault but claim its wear and tear so I got quoted 463.45 to get it repaired. I told them no I was told this gave them all the details they then said okay we will escalate it. 2 Days later they say the best they will do is give me30% of the repair estimate I say eff no you told me this and under the SOGA a TV should last 5 years so the least you can do is repair it free of charge!. They claim that I have to make sony do it under the SOGA. How wrong they were so they are not clued up on any of that. Frustration arises and I tell them I reject their offer and sever ties and request my TV back and tell them that Sony will deal with it, they mess up my TV delay and had scratched up the unit, claiming it was me but no worries. This was phase 1

The day it got delivered back to me sony were coming the next day which they did and an hour earlier than agreed!, they agree with the fault and put my TV on a LCD waiting list. (bear in mind that all of this was done even though i had lost my receipt, but it was the second time this repair company had fixed the TV so i guess thats enough proof:S) They tell me a week later that sony has no screens for my TV and that they have offered me the KDL40EX724, if i wish to accept say yes, which i did and a week later they recieved a bunch of replacement sets, i then went and collected my new baby

Long winded i know but my advice to you is to send a recorded letter to comet, clearly requesting what you want from them and also call sony CIC, and just be patient, chances are you will end up with my tv or the EX723, either way its win win because this set is a lot better than the W4500.

Good luck!

[alferri41]

Am I getting my hopes up:

My 40W4500 is just over 2 years old and has (I think) developed this fault. If I have it confirmed by a registered Sony engineer will Sony pick up the tab for repair. Have already called customer services wasnt too helpful.

I too have several other Sony products some fairly expensive, the outcome of this will determine if I'm still a Sony customer.

[ollie101]

Call sony CIC as advised by start the car. Some people are more useful than others in the call centre...

[margissi]

I've had a KDL-46W4500 for just over 2 years. Horizontal  lines appeared and got worse.

Sony told me to contact local service centre who collected my tv and left a basic set to watch.

One week later I have been told that the tv needs a new lcd screen which isnt available so Sony are sending me a new KDL46ex723.

Now have a new tv which has a better picture than the previous tv, and more features.

From my experience talk nicely to Sony or contact an authorised Sony repairer. They seem to know about these problems.

A happy Sony customer

Message was edited by: margissi

Message was edited by: margissi