Yes.

I got mine in February, so I am about the same place... definitely in the "popping zone." I bought an additional year from CC, so I'm covered, but world rather not deal with it if it pops. I know this is a fairly dead thead these days, but I'd love to see i fanyone has 24 months (or more) on this set-- without a major issue. I seriously doubt it.

Well, I was just on the phone w/ Zenith...I adamantly stated that I had proof of their warranty information regarding 2 years on both Zenith and LG's website. Furthermore I told them that my receipt states the product purchased was a "LG Zenith Z50PX2D"....under this rule of thumb, the television should automatically be placed under the two-year warranty standard. After a while they gave...kind of and said they would check upon the warranty discrepancy and give me a call back within the hour.

Add me to the failure list. Mine was purchased 1/20/06 with very few hours of viewing time on it (1384 hours) since I'm away from home quite a bit of the time. The picture comes on but it then fades away after about a minute of being powered on. This doesn't sound like the popping everyone is experiencing but possibly is a precursor. I've contacted Zenith/LG for repair and was told they would cover the parts but not the labor. I explained about the 2 year warranty and was told that I would need to provide proof before it was forwarded to a supervisor for authorization.

There is obviously a systemic failure of some components going into this product and it needs to be recalled by LG. If LG does not step up for everyone, there should be some class lawsuit filed to force the company to either repair or replace all these defective panels. As the list of owners with defective units grows, I think we can get a list of owners put together to make this happen.

Wish me luck in getting mine repaired.

Well...I'm in an interesting situation at the moment...Zenith/LG extended my warranty up until the end of the year making it a 2 year warranty. Furthermore, mastercard said they would cover it for one year beyond the initial warranty (until the end of this year)....Do you think I could get a credit to my account for the amount of the payments through mastercard and get the set repaired through Zenith/LG? I'm not sure how that would work...but since the LG Extended warranty is technically not part of the initial 1 year warranty, as said by LG itself, the extension and the Mastercard coverage should not overlap. Your thoughts?

It's taken about 3 months but I finally got LG to issue a return authorization for my zenith which pop, got fixed, then came back with red sparkles. I have the rebate reciept which shows price as 2999. The letter lg sent me for the return authorization says I can return it for another model up to the purchase price. Do you think best buy will take 2999 as the purchase price or somehow look what the rebate was then use that. Also, i'm obviously gonna purchase a warranty as I don't want to go through this again. Best buy has 4 yr warranty listed at 399. Am i better off going through them or purchasing one online? Good luck to those still trying to get theirs fixed. All I have to say is don't give up even if you have to call them everyday because they will eventually come through if you're polite as hard as that is to do sometimes.

Yes.

I got mine in February, so I am about the same place... definitely in the "popping zone." I bought an additional year from CC, so I'm covered, but world rather not deal with it if it pops. I know this is a fairly dead thead these days, but I'd love to see i fanyone has 24 months (or more) on this set-- without a major issue. I seriously doubt it.

I purchased mine in Dec 05 and haven't had any issues with it at all.
Is there anything in common with the units failing? Manufacture date? Were all assembled in Mexico?

I bought my tv back in Jan 06. On Aug 6th my tv went pop. I came online to the site here and saw all the other problems everyone else was having with the tv going pop. I was able to use the screen shot off this thread and get the warranty extended to two years. That was the easy part. Now over two weeks later I have been getting plenty of run around on getting the repair done. I still have yet to have an appt set with a repair shop to even look at the tv. I have no confidence whatsoever in this tv or lg right now. Any tips or ideas on how to get the repair shop to say the tv is unrepairable when they finally do come out and look at it so that I can get completely out from under this tv?

I tried to get my TV repairman to declare the Zenith unrepairable. I even offered him $200 under the table :) He wouldn't do it because he said that the warranty companies (in my case American Express) are very thorough in analyzing repair quotes. For example, if he listed a part and put the price too high than the warranty company a lot of times will just send him the new part and deduct that part off of his price quote.

When all was said and done his repair quote came in at $1500. American Express credited my credit card that amount 2 days later. I than sold my broken Zenith for $300 and put this total of $1800 towards a brand new Panazonic 50PZ700U with a 4yr Mack warranty. The total for the Panny and the warranty ended up being about $650 more than what I got from my Zenith between AE and the $300 sale. However, the Panasonic is a far, far superior tv from what I can tell. Just blows the Zenith out of the water. In addition, I have the extra security of a 4 yr warranty. It sucks losing out the extra money but it really has turned out to be a blessing in disquise.

By the way, this experience has taught me three things:

1-Stay away from Zenith products. I had been warned of this before I purchased this tv in 2/06 but I didn't listen.

2-I will purchase every big ticket item from here on out with my American Express. Great company and the free, automatic extended warranty was a Godsend. Incredible service and no hassle whatsoever. I didn't even wait on hold when I called to file my claim. Money was back to my credit card within 2 days of getting a repair quote. A very positive experience.

3-This website is tremendous. Whether it was researching the problems with my Zenith or researching which TV to purchase to replace it. I have spent more hours than I care to admit on this site. A big thank you to all the posters and whoever runs and maintains this wealth of info.

Thanks,
J

OK I know I am slow but where did you download the 2 year warranty. I have looked through these forums and can not seem to find it.

amisaid- I figured that would be the case as far as repairs go. I was just hopin someone may have some ideas that may lead to the repairman declaring the tv unrepairable. I just know I would love to get out from underneath this tv. If it is fixed I know I won't enjoy it nearly as much as I did before.

emersonbiggins-On page 34 of this thread NCTS_Tech posted a .jpg of a screenshot he saved of the webpage on Zeniths website showing the 2 year warranty at one time. I saved that screenshot to my pc and emailed it to LG when they wanted proof of the two year warranty. It was what worked for me at least.

I am up and back in business now with my tv. At least that is until the next time it goes pop. Lets just hope if it does it goes pop before Jan. Repair guy shows up and before even looking at the tv grabs one lg parts box out of his truck and comes inside. Turns the tv on and verifies the problem. Unscrews the back panel and pops out one circuit board then installs the new one. Viola tv works again. It took him longer to unscrew and screw back in all the screws than it did to actually diagnose the problem and replace the part. Hmmm nope there is not widespread defect with this tv. tv repairmen always walk in with the one exact part that is needed to fix the problem.

I was able to get LG to repair under their 2 year warranty. FYI, the repair involved replacing the Y, Z, and controller circuit boards. I'm going to stress test the TV by watching football non stop until the warranty runs out. Let's hope if there is another failure that it shows up before the expiration date.

New here but I am joining the "pop" club. Bought mine in Jan 06 and it popped in July. I didn't know about the 2 yr warranty but was lucky enough to get Master Card to pay for the $750 SUS module. Got my TV back 2 weeks ago and earlier tonight, got a pop again and the screen went blank but I am still getting sound. Since there is more then 1 board that could have gone bad, the 30 day warranty offered by the repair shop will most likely be useless. I am hoping Master Card will come through again and foot the bill. At this point, I am hoping the estimate is higher so they could possibly refund me the full purchase price as I am done with this TV.

Yesterday I was inducted into the pop-black-screen-of-death-club. Could someone give me the legendary LG/Zenith website with the 2-year warranty. Thanks.

I am back in the run around again with LG. After getting the board replaced last week two days later I now have the red sparkles all over my tv. I am now trying to get them to come out here and fix that problem. Based off my last experience it will be fixed in oh about 3 weeks I am guessing.



Rickplas- Go to page 34 of this thread there is a screenshot on that page there saved as a jpg. That is what I used to get LG to extend my warranty to 2 years.

I unfortuanately are like many of you. Set was bought in January and May it popped. I was told by Zenith there was nothing they could do as it was out of warranty and it sounded like a power supply. I figured ok I will get it taken care of then and I took it to a repair shop. They called and said it would be 1500$ to repair and it was the video boards. Not to mention it took the shop until middle of last month to let me know what was going on. I callled LG and stated everything and they extended my warranty to take care of this problem. TV has been in the shop for another 2 weeks waiting for repairs and parts. I would like to thank everyone here posting as it gave me ammo for my conversation with LG. I am very worried reading the posts of post-repair pops.

what? we arent allowed to express our opinions or search avenues on how to permanently fix our probelms? does woodrow work for lg? lol

I bought mine in Jan. '06 from BB and did purchase ext. 4 yr. warranty.
Bottom line, after reading this forum for 2 hrs. I don't want this tv. Does anyone
have any advice on how I can get BB replace this unit. I called on Wed. and they are coming on Sat. sound works but the picture is black.
Thanks for all the help in advance.:)

Just to let everyone getting the sus boards replaced know....BB replaced mine on the first repair....popped again, had sound, no picture....BB came out again and called LG. LG told them they had to replace both boards plus the board drivers....total of 4 boards replaced. Oh, they also told the BB repairman that they have a problem with this tv. Try getting that response from them yourself. Can't wait for my 3rd and final pop so BB will give me a new tv. Thinking about opening the back up and helping that along, I'm sure it will pop again on its own though. Anyone file that lawsuit yet?

Well the current state of my tv is just the Ysus board and a controller was replaced..guy never replaced the Xsus board so I still have sparklies. It isn't so bad now but very noticible until the tv heats up. I am going to wait a while to bring it back to repair shop since I have a 3 year warrenty. Want to make sure the other sparklies from new Ysus board doesn't come back. Bah. Lawsuit? I'm in! I know as soon as my 3 year is up my tv is going to pop, the way life works.

We are in our second week of dealing with no TV after the same loud pop and black screen. Living in rural Maine does not help due to the fact that the repair facility is four hours away. LG has offered to pay for parts, no labor. How can a company manufacture and sell defective equipment and not be accountable? I've also contacted the Better Bisiness Bureau and
Consumer Affairs. I'm in for a lawsuit.

Still trying to get the sparklies problem fixed on mine right now. LG did authorize the repair I havent heard from the repair shop yet when they are going to come out and fix it though. How come I have the feeling that if I call the repair shop that they are going to have no record from LG that the repair has been authorized to be fixed under warranty? I havent yet figured out which is worse right now the quality of this tv or the customer service I have received in trying to get this tv fixed. I know one thing, I will not buy another LG/Zenith product ever again. I have filed a complaint with the BBB but based off what I have read on here I will either get no response from them or the response will be that they have honored the 2 year warranty and will do nothing else. I looked at the complaint history of LG/Zenith on the BBB website. In the last 36 months there have been 487 complaints filed against the company with 249 of them coming in the last year. Since over half of the complaints have been filed in the last year do you think most of those complaints have come from us unhappy Zenith owners? Their overall record with the BBB is an unsatisfactory rating right now. That doesn't surprise me in the least.

They will have to respond to the BBB complaint. Unfortunately all they have to do is give a response, no action. I ended up calling the person who responded to my complaint and their response was.... All TVs require maintenance from time to time. I responded with something like, so if you buy a zenith plasma you have to expect to pay an additional $800-$1200 every 19 months? They said, we can't predict when a TV will need repaired. Told them, I could come on here and crunch some numbers and get a pretty good idea when it will go bad.

We were looking at refrigerators and microwaves and the wife kept picking LG products....Had to remind her of my Zenith/LG:eek: product ban.

Somebody needs to get the class action lawsuit started. Unfortunately I don't have time to research that as I'm heading to the sandbox soon.

Well folks I am now on day 18 with the tv in the repair shop. About a week or so in I had called and they said they were waiting for parts. I sure hope this isnt going to be the run around. It really seems to me that this Zenith tv has really put the kibosh on everyone...

Well i purchased mine 08/25/06 and last night I noticed 4 red sparkles on the screen. I did purchase the extended warranty from CC. I wasnt sure if I should call Zenith ( LG ) to repair it or just go through the extended warranty? Which do you guys think I am better off going with???

well the repair guy has to get the parts from zenith anyway. However since it has been over a year you'll have to use the screen shot to get them to honor the 2 year warrenty where with extended you just call and your good to go. I had CC extended and did this to fix my sparklies. Problem is they didn't replace xsus board with the ysus and controller boards that went with it. So there are still sparkles. bah. Just make sure they replace all those boards. BTW: someone named motv posted a few pages back saying "The red sparkle issue can be fixed by replace the X & Y Sustain boards along with the logic board." He said they can be fixed by changing the voltage but they'll be back after a little while. When my repair guy took out the Y Sustain board he told me there was some kind of liquid oozing out of the chips on the board. I saw it and it looked really greesy, anyway that can't be a good sign.

Well thanks for the feedback!!! Keep em coming!!! I will call CC warranty today and post how it all goes!!!!

Definitely go with CC based off my experience with LG/Zenith there is no way that CC can be any worse to deal with than LG/Zenith.

On Sept 5th I got both a phone call and email from LG stating they had authorized the repair of my red sparklies issue. Later that same day I got an email from the BBB saying they had forwarded my complaint to LG. Yesterday since I had not received a phone call from the repair shop to set up repairs I called them up. It seems that the wrong authorization amount was sent to them and they were trying to get the right authorization amount from them before they set up the repair. So its back to calling LG. At first after looking at my notes the rep says I am out of warranty and the are not responsible for the repairs. I tell yes it is covered that on Aug 6th you agreed to honor the two year warranty. He then tells me there is no record of that and the previous repair was a one time deal. I again I tell him no its two years and that the new repair has already been authorized but the amount was wrong and I am just trying to get it straight. Puts me on hold and says he made a mistake this repair is authorized and that my warranty ends Sept 20th which just so happens to be the day after the date they have to respond to my BBB complaint. It seems they have no become retalitory towards me for filing the BBB complaint. Next call is to consumer affairs to see what options I have there.

Well I just got off the phone with CC. I had a very nice lady on the other end of the phone. She told me she has heard of this " red sparkle " problem. After being on hold for a few minutes she came back and told me that she is having trouble finding a service man in my area that services Zenith's. She told me she has to contact Zenith to see if they know one in my area and I should get a call back within 48 hours. She told me if there is NO ONE in my rural area that services Zenith then my TV will be replaced!!! We shall see and I will keep u all posted!!!!

mine popped on july 28th and zenith authorized the repair on the 2 year warranty. the repair shop came out quickly (within a week) and ordered the parts. now, over a month later, i'm STILL waiting on LG/Zenith to send the parts. meanwhile, football season is going on without my HD Plasma.

Well it has been 24 of the 48 hours that CC told me it will take to find someone to come out and look at my red sparkles. So far they can not find anyone!! I will see what happens tomorrow when the 48 hours are up!!

Well one of my emails finally got through to the right person. They are going to exchange this tv out for another one. I now have to see how long I have to wait to get a response from their return dept on how they are going to handle the exchange. I don't know if they are going to ship a LG to me from the factory or if they are going to send me to BB to do my exchange there. Heres to hoping I get to go to BB and exchange it and get what I want as opposed to having to take the LG.

BA-call LG up or email them. Mine popped on Aug 6th and they told me the reason they were going to exchange it was that I went way too long without a functional tv. Seems to me if yours has been out since July waiting on parts then you should be able to exchange yours out as well.

JMC, did yours die within the first year, or were they repairing it under the 2-year warranty? The reason I asked, is that I talked to them yesterday, and they said that they could not authorize replacement at this time with the extended warranty. I'm still trying though.

Update on repair status. Received a phone call from the repair shop about 10 minutes ago with an update on my tv's status. I was told that he replaced 3 boards and that replacing those boards fixed the problem. Except for a 2" yellow bar that was on the left side of the screeen. Turns out the plasma display panel is bad and that needs replaced as well. He told me that wherever the part comes from that they had one in stock as of earlier today but we wouldnt know if it had been accounted for prior to him ordering it until monday. This has been 20 days that its been in the shop since the warranty was extended and approx 120 days since I have had a functional tv. I sure hope something can be done...

BA mine was under the two year warranty. I bought my tv in Jan 06. I sent in the screenshot posted here on the forum and they agreed to honor the two year warranty. Now just waiting for the Return Authorization Dept to contact me. I was told they would contact me in 2 to 5 business days. Just holding my breath until I actually get the paperwork now.

Well, my display popped last night. Purchase date was 1/17/06. When I called customer service this morning, they never mentioned being out of warranty (over 1 year). Just waiting for them to locate somebody in my area to service the display. Should I use any trouble they have finding somebody locally to my advantage in just acquiring a replacement display instead?

Well they found someone to repair my set!!! They left a message on my answering machine to call them back. Here is the strange part, I called and spoke to the repair guy and he asked me what the problem was. I told hime I had a couple of red sparkles that you notice when the screen is black. he said ok and he was going to order the parts needed and he will call me when he gets them in. I find it very strange that he didnt even come out to look at the set. I am leaving for vacation tomorrow and I expect him over to repair the set when i get back on the 30th. I will keep u all posted!!!!

We are at the point of no longer dealing with LG and going directly to legal counsel. After reading countless posts and spending over 30 hours on the phone with "support" with no resoultion we all know repair of this tv is not an acceptable option, so why should we have to endure more rhetoric? The bottom line is this TV is defective and should have been recalled, why should we settle for repair over and over again until the warranty runs out?

Lg's customer service was the biggest pain in the arse I've ever experienced. To recap, my tv popped, repaired, then got red sparkles, then spent 2 months trying to send lg faxes that they lost everytime and never sent it to repair authorization dept like they said they would. Finally they do and I get R.A. for new tv. Best buy says i need to pick LG thats worth 2,000 because i need to get similar technology so i can't get any newer tv's with 1080 p. I argued on main floor and we agreed i could get a new pioneer if i paid the difference, extra $350 for me but I certainly wasn't going to take a LG. There was a slight buzzing sound on my pioneer so i called customer service...they had guy come check it out in 4 days. Bottom line...don't give up and demand R.A. and call everyday to verify that documents are being sent to the right department. Good luck all.

Oh another thing, my tv then popped again as i was waiting for the R.A. documents to get sent to me so repaired on this t.v. are futile.

Unfortunately, my TV also popped three days ago. Please add me to the POPPED list. I could not believe a $3000+ TV would only last about a year and half! Moreover, I didn't even get extented warranty from Circuity City. :( So I googled and came across this site. After spending so many hours reading your stories, I am so upset just as you all are. This TV model definitely is defective. We should all work something out together to get Zenith or LG to recall this product.

Monday 9/17 I called CS and got 2yr warranty, but the service center they gave me doesn't even have any TV repair technician. :mad: I have called Zenith few times after that, they are not taking any calls or asked me to leave name and number. They have not called me back.

Worst thing is that I couldn't find my receipts:(:(:(Any suggestions anyone? Thanks in advance for any help!!!

My screenname says it all!!!!! If you can't get anything worked out with customer service(everyone who's dealt with them knows the outcome of this), the least you can do is submit a BBB complaint http://www.bbb.org/complaint.asp

I bought mine from CC as well and didn't have a receipt. Go to CC and have them look you up. They will not be able to print a duplicate receipt but they should be able to print out something that should work. Be sure to have them stamp it with there little ink thing. This worked for me.

Ah, yes. Add me to the list of poppers!

Bought 1/15/06, popped yesterday, 9/19/07. Shoddy product lasted less than two years for $2500? Ridiculous.

Called Zenith... basically a waste of time. Tried the 2-year warranty thing, they said no dice, also denied that this has been a persistent issue.

Filed complaints with BBB, and also Massachusetts' Attorney General Consumer Complaints division... probably won't do any good, but at least it's documentation.

Also wrote an e-mail to the Zenith folks with the 2-year jpg attached, we'll see how that goes.

Is there an updated list of poppers?

I bought mine from CC as well and didn't have a receipt. Go to CC and have them look you up. They will not be able to print a duplicate receipt but they should be able to print out something that should work. Be sure to have them stamp it with there little ink thing. This worked for me.

Thanks for the info. Will try that today!

I got authorized for repair under a 2-year warranty by Zenith/LG CSR Monica. TV will be picked up next Monday. I will try to post what happens next. But I really don't have much hope for this TV after reading others' disappointing outcomes.

Has anyone checked into the State implied warranty? When I went to the Maine Attorney Generals site to file a complaint they mentioned an implied warranty? Might help you folks that they are denying the warranty on.

How did people here get them to honor the two year warranty based on that jpg by ntech? I've called twice now trying to explain that, and say I have documentation showing this, but Shonda (same wench I talked to last night), keeps saying it's no dice... any tips?

I got my RA letter from LG yesterday and a phone call from BB with a confirmation yesterday as well. Tomorrow its off to BB to arrange the exchange and finally get rid of this tv. Now heres to hoping that I can have as much luck as covman and be able to exchange this tv for something other than a LG. I want to be as far away from them as possible.

Well I filed a complaint with the BBB and said that id' like a full refund + my warrenty. LOL yeah right will never see that money but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

Got my warranty extended today! Tip: call during the day... the people aren't as bitchy. Whoever Shonda is that works at night is the worst person I have ever spoken to. I guess I'd hate life too if I was a Zenith CSR.

We are at the point of no longer dealing with LG and going directly to legal counsel. After reading countless posts and spending over 30 hours on the phone with "support" with no resoultion we all know repair of this tv is not an acceptable option, so why should we have to endure more rhetoric? The bottom line is this TV is defective and should have been recalled, why should we settle for repair over and over again until the warranty runs out?

pddorman, add me to the list if a class action is done! I had the pop-screen-of-death (psod) about 1.5 months ago. CC just repaired it last week! This is the third time I've had this fixed (with the paperwork to prove it)! I say we get some list together with all of our names and info. Send it to the our respective A.G.s and start to document all of our issues. This could serve as cannon fodder for the lawsuit. All in favor?:mad:

pddorman, add me to the list if a class action is done! I had the pop-screen-of-death (psod) about 1.5 months ago. CC just repaired it last week! This is the third time I've had this fixed (with the paperwork to prove it)! I say we get some list together with all of our names and info. Send it to the our respective A.G.s and start to document all of our issues. This could serve as cannon fodder for the lawsuit. All in favor?:mad:

BBB Complaint filed:

Thank you for using the Better Business Bureau's Online Complaint System.
Your complaint has been assigned case # 31012695.
Correspondence regarding this complaint will be emailed to : paul_rapoza@hotmail.com
Please print a copy of this for your records.

Filed on : September 21 2007

Filed against :
LG Electronics Alabama Inc. (complaints)



Complaint Description:
I purchased a Zenith (made by LG) 50 inch plasma TV from Circuit City (Taunton, MA) in October 2006. Since then I have had Circuit City repair come three (3) times to fix the TV: 2 times for "sparkles" which is a sign of a defective circuit board and once when the TV just would not come on - another circuit board. The third reapit happened a week ago and I am now getting the sparkles AGAIN! Which has been a pre-cursor to the TV dying. Please see the AVS forum http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=599668&page=44 This will go to show you how many problems customers are having with this TV. I now have to call CC repair a fourth time to diagnose the "sparkles" issue again which means another board! Is there a lemon law on electronics? There should be. Also, it is widely known that LG had a default product warranty for two years with parts and labor. They then updated the web site to show it now only has 1 year, all without contacting current customers. This is a bait and switch and is dis-information to the consumer. I have screen captures of the web site to prove it! I believe the TV is defective and current owners should be given one of two choices: replacement with another LG 50" plasma tv OR refund of the purchase price. When you buy a car that has the same issue three times, you get another, new one based on the lemon law. How many times do we have the fix this TV for the same issue? Who will stand up for us???!!!!

Got my warranty extended today! Tip: call during the day... the people aren't as bitchy. Whoever Shonda is that works at night is the worst person I have ever spoken to. I guess I'd hate life too if I was a Zenith CSR.
What number did you call, if I may ask? Thanks.

Took my return authorization paperwork down to BB today. I was able to exchange the Zenith in for a Samsung 5084. The exchange at BB went very smoothly. Kudos to BB for their customer service and the way they handled the exchange today. It is nice to finally have this headache behind me. I know after this experience I will never purchase another LG/Zenith product again.

Proteus:

The number was 18002430000

Two months, still waiting on a repair of my piece of crap.

Getting the major run-around from LG about this. JMC, could you IM me? I want to see how you were ultimately successful in getting yours replaced.

Thanks.

Well folks I finally got my set back from repair. I actually got it a few days ago but didnt have time to post. All in all I believe there were a total of 6 boards replaced as well as the plasma display panel. The set looks great and I am back to enjoying my evenings and sundays. I do have a question for you guys with this tv, do you run it with the low power option on or off? What is suggested....I want to do anything within my power to prevent any other issues.
Also I would like to just say this site and this thread in general has been very helpful and I check it frequently for any news or tips.

Hey,

I found this thread via google, and while my Z50PX2D hasn't "popped" yet, i am very worried because my set is about 14 months old.

I am clearly out of the one year zenith warranty, is there any sort of company that will let me purchase a warranty of some kind for a set that is over a year old? I purchased this plasma as a floor model from a going-out-of-business compusa store and got a very good deal on it. I was offered the extended warranty from compusa, but did not take them up on it.

Alternatively, should i try and sell it while it is still in working condition on craigslist or ebay?

Anyone know of any companies that will let you trade-up your old hdtv for a newer (possibly bigger and better) one?

What do you guys think i should do?

Thanks to whoever takes the time to respond. :)

Have you filed a complaint with the BBB?

The nightmare contiues, Repair is coming back to our home again this week to try to repair this piece of crap. We had authorization of an exchange only to have it retracted after they received the the receipt from us via fax. This is the response I got from what they call a customer service rep.

We regret your dissatisfaction with this situation. In searching through your case notes, regarding this situation, Mr. McAdams has never posted that an exchange was going to be made. Instead, he made notice that your warranty would be extended, to allow for coverage of all parts and labor. Your extended warranty letter is not valid for product returns. Being that this unit is outside its original warranty coverage period, an exchange is not available at this time.

Wondering at what time an exchange is available? JMC ...any suggestions?

pd did the repair it the first time and it broke again? Same problem the second time around or a different problem this time with the set? What is the status of your BBB complaint and your Ag complaint?

The set was repaired (if that's what you call it) and then another Pop. Not sure if it's a different problem with the set, the repairman is coming tomorrow. LG has to reply to my BBB complaint tomorrow as well, how conveinient. AG complaint had to be mailed via snail mail so I've haven't heard anything there.

Another update, I just went to my BBB complaint and the date that LG has to repsond to my complaint has been changed from 10/05/2007 to 10/17/2007. No notification given to me of this change. How conveinent, my "so called" warranty expires 10/17/2007.

Well here is my update!! Now first I want you all to know that all I have are 4 tiny red sparkles that you can only see when you go through the input modes on the tv. You can clearly see them during that cause the input mode screens are black and the red sparkles really shine through. The repair guy ctold me OVER THE PHONE that the whole front display had to be changed cause those red sparkles were dead pixels. He told me the repair bill just in parts was going to be $1700.00 Keep in mind he NEVER came to my house to even look at the set. I called CC extended warranty people and they told me that is WAY too much for a repair so they are going to send my info to the exchange dept. Within 2 weeks they are supposed to call me back with a ticket number to bring to CC to swap out the set!! I will keep u all posted.

pd what a coincidence that your warranty expires on the same day that LG has to respond to your BBB complaint. Were you ever told that the warranty for two years was going to be honored? I was told that originally. In the process of trying to get my second repair, I filed my BBB complaint. Magically after I filed my BBB complaint, no warranty showed up with them in my file even though the second repair had been authorized. Then when on the phone with them about the second repair they "agreed" to extend my warranty to the day after they had to respond to my BBB complaint to cover the repair they had already authorized. They definitely use some real shady tactics in the CSR dept thats for sure. When did they tell you that they would authorize a return on your tv and when did they magically take that away? I get the feeling that they authorized the return then you filed your BBB complaint and they took the return away from you.

TV Poped in August, after hours on the phone, Return Authorization was approved Sept. 14th they couldn't find anyone to service the TV. I faxed the purchase information to them the same day $3348.00. Sept 17th we were informed the return authorization was in error and that they would honor the two year warranty, Best Buy service was paid an overage becasue they had to travel over four hours from the service center to repair. (WE PURCHASED THE TV FROM CIRCUIT CITY ) BBB complaint was filed September 18th. Repair is at my home as I type this. He has five boxes of Boards. It's a shame that LG doesn't recognize the opportunity to create repeat consumers by honoring even a partial return authorization verses forcing us to endure countless repairs on a defective product.

pd so how come the warranty changed from two years until Oct? Have you been able to find out why they shortened your warranty after they told you two years? It is a shame that they don't authorize at least a partial return. You would think by now that it would be in their best interest to make you a happy customer. By the time they paid the extra labor rate for the drive to this repair guy coupled with his labor rate and parts, they are going to spend more money fixing this tv than they would if they had just authorized a return. I don't understand how they can't see the savings in that. I hope that this repair works out for you this time.

Several Boards just replaced again, turned on for 30 seconds, half a picture displayed and then Pop....TV gone again.
Repair guy stated today that they have more $$$ in repair than what an exchange would be worth. Customer service? NOT. We'll see what BBB will do for me.
We purchased the TV 10/17/2005 so two year warranty ends 10/17/2007. LG confirmed that warranty would continue after that perioed due to the fact the repair was logged in September. Bottom line is repair is a joke, I want a TV.

Is there anyone using this thread that has there Zenith at Pauls Electronics repair shop in Matamoras/ Milford Pennsylvania??

Hey all!

I was reading the posts on the AVforum regarding the Zenith Z50PX2D repairs being performed for the POP noise and faint picture. I had a few questions for you all regarding the repair's performed, as I am going to document the repair step- by-step and post it on the internet in hopes that this will help the hundreds of people with this issue.

Let me give you my story, and make sure we are fighting the same fight....

Our TV was on for about 15 minutes and we heard 2 VERY loud pop noises that sounded like gun shots. Immediately we turned off the set, and waited 10 minutes to turn it back on. we now have a VERY faint, but correct colored picture. The Set also is not 'HOT' like it used to run - before you could feel the heat radiating off the set, now its cool to the touch.

The sound is also normal, the only problem is that the picture is VERY faint.

I believe from the posts in the forum that Ill replace the Z-sustain board, and that should take care of the issues. If so, ill document it and publish it to the internet.

Does anyone have any other suggestions / comments for me?

Thanks!

RyanBoone,
first i would persue zenith. even though it is out of official warranty, many of us have had success in getting zenith to repair it.

Well, my saga with Zenith/LG is finally over. After calling them literally every single day for a month, they authorized a return to Best Buy on the two-year warranty.

I went on Friday and returned my hunk of junk Zenith for a beautiful, new, crystal clear Panasonic 1080p. There is no comparison between the two. The Panny blows my old TV out of the water.

It is ridiculous how difficult it is to get a response from Zenith/LG. My advice, just keep calling them and bugging them. Mention that you read that they replaced / exchanged other models on the Internet. I believe that helped my cause.

Thanks for all of the advice and a forum to vent in.

Well, my saga with Zenith/LG is finally over. After calling them literally every single day for a month, they authorized a return to Best Buy on the two-year warranty.

I went on Friday and returned my hunk of junk Zenith for a beautiful, new, crystal clear Panasonic 1080p. There is no comparison between the two. The Panny blows my old TV out of the water.

It is ridiculous how difficult it is to get a response from Zenith/LG. My advice, just keep calling them and bugging them. Mention that you read that they replaced / exchanged other models on the Internet. I believe that helped my cause.

Thanks for all of the advice and a forum to vent in.

Man you make me want to have mine pop so I can get rid of this damn TV.

Hoowahman, trust me, having the TV pop is nothing compared to dealing with LG.
BAPlasmaGuy, Congratulations !!! Trust me there will come a day when I post that I have received a return authorization as well. I'm not giving up on the horrible service from LG, or getting rid of this defective product.
After two repairs within a month on our TV it lasted for 30 seconds. Best Buy repair (We purchased the TV from Circuit City and they didn't want to attempt to repair this tv, LG set up the repair) contacted LG after the last repair and they have yet to respond. So we are back fighting with LG who insisst we must endure another service call. I'll continue to demand a return authorization because this TV is unrepairable.
The complaint I filed with BBB is not getting me anywhere, or if it is, it's not apparent.

Well CC called me yesterday with my ticket# to go back to the store and pick out another TV!!! I have no idea what I am going to get yet but at least I know I will be getting a brand new set. My brother has the Sony Grand Wega 50" LCD projection and his set is superb. I am thinking maybe going that route but going with like a 60" or 65"!! Ill let u all know!!!

I wanted to post to let all the folks with defective Zenith TV’s my situation with LG.

Our Zenith was purchased 11/5/2005 with no extended warranty. In late July of 2007 it popped and died. After referring to this site I called the Zenith service center and was promptly told “too bad.” I called again five hours later and was told “we’ll fix it for free.”

A local Zenith shop here in the Detroit area came to our home on five occasions. The first was to assess, the second trip was to replace three boards (no success), third trip to replace four boards, the fourth trip to remove red sparkles and the fifth and final trip to attempt to remove the increased red and now green sparkles.

After the fifth service call I called Zenith again and complained. The folks were descent to deal with, and were contemplating a replacement. They advised that the service tech would need to call the tech department and state that the TV was beyond repair, which he did

A week later a very nice woman from a different division called to say that they were going to have to try one more time to attempt a repair. I tried to make an intelligent argument that this TV has been essentially out-of-service for over two months and that I had already take five days off from work to fix their problem. She rebutted with “well sir, we are already servicing your out-of-warranty television for free.”

I explained about the two-year warranty and she requested I email her the screen shot from the old Zenith page. I sent her the screenshot and told her that prior to buying that TV I researched the product and found their website referencing the two-year warranty.

Shortly after sending her the two-year screenshot, I received another call from a woman who said they were authorizing the exchange. Two days later I received a DHL package with the necessary paperwork to go to BestBuy and get a new TV. Bestbuy was excellent and directed me to a Panasonic 50” 1080p. I hung it on the wall last night and my wife and I are ecstatic.

So for those of you still out there stressing over this, hang in there. It seems to me that LG/Zenith has set precedence and is now almost compelled to make these exchanges. Good luck to all and I hope this may be of some help!

After reading the complains of the dreaded popping of the TV need all of your advice/input if i should be concerned. Bought the TV in Dec 2005 for my bedroom and it is used on an average of an hour or two max per day. The TV is running fine till now but need to know if there is any relation between popping and how long the TV is being used ?? Should i be concerned?? Are there any signs before the TV goes pop, boom & fizzle??

Well it lasted only 28 days. Called BB (i purchased 4 yr extended war) Wed. @
5 pm they were at my house today at noon. He didn't even turn it on. Said he would have to order parts. They should show up in 3-5 days, by the way it sounds, he will be replacing 3 boards.

My question is, how long till this thing pops for a 3rd and final time. Then it will be a new one for me. I love BB lemon product rule.

I got this plasma TV recently and try to connect my desktop PC with HDMI/DVI interface. I set the resolution from my PC to 1280x720, the image looks OK, however, it is "out of range" and the boundary image from PC can not be seen on TV. I looked at the TV manual, there is a page called Get screen setup for PC mode. I tried to press "Adjust" button on the remote control, but have no luck to bring this page. Can anybody advise me how to do it and what's the best setting should be made for this?

Many thanks!

Bad PLasma Guy, did you have to give them any more $ towards the new Panny??? I went to CC yesterday to look into my ticket# for my replacement and the manager told me I was authorized to get the 50" LG for my replacement. If I didnt want that they would give me $1350 towards any TV I wanted in the store. Any help would be great!!!

Thanks for all the information. I am trying to get the two year warranty on this set. Could someone please send me a copy of the website screen shot with the two year warranty. Thanks in advance!

Justin

Is still selling this TV---according to their circular this week, it's selling price is a full 12 months under a grand......:D

I wonder if anyone is buying them ??? :confused:

As a side note, I recently got an "offer" from Samsung via mail to "extend" the warranty on the 50" DLP that I RETURNED in order to get this 50" Zenith way back when in Dec of '05...the extended warranty price for said 50" DLP Samsung....3 years for $900 bucks and change!!!

Ouch.....

Bad PLasma Guy, did you have to give them any more $ towards the new Panny??? I went to CC yesterday to look into my ticket# for my replacement and the manager told me I was authorized to get the 50" LG for my replacement. If I didnt want that they would give me $1350 towards any TV I wanted in the store. Any help would be great!!!

I had no problem with BB making my exchange. Just walked in with the paperwork and made the exchange. Unfortunately CC is looking at the exchange differently. They are looking at your exchange paperwork and exchanging it for the LG or giving you that difference in purchase price towards any tv now. I would focus on the first sentence in the exchange paperwork. That sentence if I remember correctly says you can exchange it for any model up to the original purchase price. The rest of the exchange letter is what refers to it being a LG or getting that purchase price credited to you on an exchange for something else.

Thanks for all the information. I am trying to get the two year warranty on this set. Could someone please send me a copy of the website screen shot with the two year warranty. Thanks in advance!

Justin

Look on page 34 I believe of this thread. There is a screenshot jpg there of the 2 year warranty they had. That is what I used to get my warranty extended and eventually used to exchange the tv in for a new Samsung.

JMC165

I appreciate your feedback!! I think I am going to have to pull out my paperwork and really go over it. All I know is that I purchased the set in 09/2006 for $1900.00 So they say the credit is prorated from the time you have the set. So since I had it over a year and paid $1900.00 for it they are telling me now it is worth $1350.00 towards something new. Maybe all the people that are getting better trade in deals paid more then the $1900.00 I paid???

I am waiting for the repair guy to fix the "red sparklies" issue. As it's getting late, I called the shop. The tech is "getting a quick lesson" before he comes here.

I am not encouraged...

JMC165

I appreciate your feedback!! I think I am going to have to pull out my paperwork and really go over it. All I know is that I purchased the set in 09/2006 for $1900.00 So they say the credit is prorated from the time you have the set. So since I had it over a year and paid $1900.00 for it they are telling me now it is worth $1350.00 towards something new. Maybe all the people that are getting better trade in deals paid more then the $1900.00 I paid???

I don't think it has anything to do with what you paid for the tv. It is a ploy that CC is pulling. Lg is the one that authorized the exchange not CC. CC is going to be reimbursed by Lg for the whole cost not a prorated one. Now the price of the new 50" Lg might be in the 1300 range and that is what they are using for an exchange rate. Definitely argue the point with them though. No way they can prorate an exchange.

Just an update on my situation... TV popped the 18th of September, after haggling, was able to get the 2-year warranty thing.

First repair came to replace two boards... red sprinklies still on screen, so they said they'd have to repair the remaining 3 boards.

Three boards were replaced this past tuesday, the 16th. Red sprinkles still on screen.

E-mailed the person I have been in contact with over this issue (actually got her name, e-mail, and extension number!), but no response. Called the repair shop and they're sending a senior tech out next Monday to take a look.

Hopefully they'll say the set is beyond repair and I can get an RMA? The repair cost has already been $1200 [as shown on the receipt] so LG should've just given me a new tv in the first place!

Anyone else have similar issues - i.e. after boards were replaced, red sprinkles still there? What did you do/ how was it resolved? My guess is that this just means the TV will pop again as I remember seeing red dots before the TV popped the first time.

Thanks!

The tech came out and fixed my sparklies. No boards were changed, he just "tweaked" something in the back of the unit and got it so that they are completely gone. Whatever he did, it was very quick and obviously simple. I guess I'll see if it lasts... otherwise, still in service as I enter month 20....

I might invest some money in a Logitech Harmony remote because I still get that weird flickering issue (switching to a different tuner) when I'm on component video. It happened twice within 20 minutes of each other. This really sucks when playing games because there's a one second delay in video when the screen goes blank.

I think what u are saying makes sense if I was using LG/ZENITH for the exchange. Since I am using the extended warranty that I purchased through CC maybe they can dictate what the exchange can be?? Either way I look at it like this. If I have to take the LG and it goes bad again next year I will get a new set again. Its like getting a new tv each year without spending any money!!

The tech came out and fixed my sparklies. No boards were changed, he just "tweaked" something in the back of the unit and got it so that they are completely gone. Whatever he did, it was very quick and obviously simple. I guess I'll see if it lasts... otherwise, still in service as I enter month 20....

Yeah definitely keep an eye on it a previous poster said the red sparklies can be rid by tweaking voltage settings but they will just come back very soon.

I just got a response from LG from the BBB after I filed a complaint. I got this message.

"This customer's complaint has been received and carefully reviewed. We sincerely regret that this customer is experiencing difficulties with the LG television. We have no record of any contact with this customer and would like to resolve his issue. We will be unable to refund his money but would be willing to repair the unit at no cost to the customer. He can contact me directly at 1-877-543-8325 ext 7007 to discuss this option. If there is anything else with which we can further assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,Erika Batts
Corporate Correspondent
LG Electronics Alabama, Inc."

Sounds like they are willing to at least repair my tv even though it isn't under the 1 year warranty anymore. I suggest any of you with problems right now try to contact this person. Good luck.

Well, my display popped last night. Purchase date was 1/17/06. When I called customer service this morning, they never mentioned being out of warranty (over 1 year). Just waiting for them to locate somebody in my area to service the display. Should I use any trouble they have finding somebody locally to my advantage in just acquiring a replacement display instead?

Well, I got my display back today. Here's what they replaced:

6871QYH039B YSUS
6871QZH044C ZSUS
6871QDH088A LOWER Y DRIVER
6871QDH089A UPPER Y DRIVER
6871QCH059B DIGITAL CBA

Let's see how long it lasts. :rolleyes:

About 2 months ago unit went pop and had the Y and Z boards replaced. Then got red sparkles and tech came out and adjusted the voltage. Now tv is getting noisy, any one else had any tech calls for noise, it is real apparent as screen goes from black to white while watching tv, it is a loud buzzing sound.

Do not give up, persistence pays off.
We purchased our Zenith Z50PX2D 10/15/2005, we did not purchase the extended warranty.
September 6, 2007 we had the first Pop of Boards.
After repeated daily calls to LG and a complaint filed with the BBB they authorized repair.
Used the warranty screen shot on page 34 of this site.
Repair center came to our home three times over the course of two months and replaced boards. They were never able to make the TV run for more than 3 minutes without Boards popping again.
After daily constant battles with LG Customer service we rejected what was deemed their “final offer” of an for a refurbished plasma with only a 90 day warranty.
We continued to persist and October 26 we received return authorization from LG to go to CC and swap the TV.
CC was excellent giving us our full purchase price ($3325.00) as a refund towards a new TV. We ended up with a 47 inch LCD, a five year extended warranty on the LCD, a SONY Blu Ray player with the three year warranty, all cabling, screen cleaning kits, etc. at no additional cost to us.
I will share that we spent at least 50 hours on the phone or email to complete this horrible transaction, with a happy ending.

I bought my plasma on January 15, 2006. I have had the red sparklies for quite a while, but no pops yet. I am trying to schedule service from best buy (I bought the 4 year warranty, luckily, which I typically don't do). I am kind of hoping it is unservicable, and it must be, given the difficulties I read about here and my difficulties in getting Best Buy to come out to fix it (I keep getting the run around from the first level tech support, "we can't schedule, we have to call you back", and when they do, I keep missing the call). I have my eyes on a 52" LCD or Pioneer plasma....

In any event, I feel like an old man, in terms of the length of life I've gotten from the TV, compared to a lot of people on this forum.....

Yes- it happened to me today while watching the Chiefs lose to the Packers. One loud POP and the screen went blank. I feel somewhat fortunate because mine didn't blow out in the standard 13-15 months. I actually got around 22 months out of my big 50" piece of crap Zenith.

I have called LG and they offered to pay for parts- but that is not acceptable because I understand labor could still be $500 or more. And then what? Have it POP again in12 months?

Could someone email me the screen image of the 2 year warranty? I cannot open the attachment or connect to the link on page 34. Please.

It is only a matter of time before a class action law suit against LG- everyone should keep posting so that we will all be ready to sign up when it happens.

Jerry Slavens

I wonder if it will do any good to argue with BB about this, and state that this is a known problem, and I want a new tv? any thoughts?

I bought my plasma on January 15, 2006. I have had the red sparklies for quite a while, but no pops yet. I am trying to schedule service from best buy (I bought the 4 year warranty, luckily, which I typically don't do). I am kind of hoping it is unservicable, and it must be, given the difficulties I read about here and my difficulties in getting Best Buy to come out to fix it (I keep getting the run around from the first level tech support, "we can't schedule, we have to call you back", and when they do, I keep missing the call). I have my eyes on a 52" LCD or Pioneer plasma....

In any event, I feel like an old man, in terms of the length of life I've gotten from the TV, compared to a lot of people on this forum.....

I bought my TV in the same week as you and have not had any popping..just red sparklies.

A recent article from tvpredictions.com

Which HDTV Needs the Most Repairs?
Consumer Reports issues a new study.

By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (November 6, 2007) -- Rear-projection HDTVs are more likely to need repairs in the first three years than flat-screen LCD and Plasma sets.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/cr110607.htm

No mention of the illustrious Zenith set in his commentary. Does anyone have access to the Consumer Reports issue that rates the repair rates on sets?

Interestingly, unlike a good number of you here, I haven't had any *major* warranty/repair issues with my Z50 (knocking on wood)...which I purchased around Xmas '05.

Also interestingly, one of the RPTV's that CR states have higher repair issues---Toshiba---was my first HDTV purchase back in Jan '03---again, nary a repair issue (once again, knocking on the proverbial wood)......:D

Purchased in Jan 06 with 4 Year Ext. War. at BB. TV popped back in 4/07 and was repaired after a 1.5 month wait. I started seeing the red sprinkles about 2 weeks ago and this morning, got my second pop. Called BB to get the service circus started over again. Very unhappy about this situation. Even if they repair it, should I be expected to continue purchasing extended warranties to give this TV more than 4 years of life?

Doesn't bestbuy have a 3 and out kind of plan (i.e., if they have to fix it a third time, they give you a new one)? I would demand it as best you can on this repair.

It is in the pamphlet that they will repair it 3 times, then replace on the fourth time. My concern is that I see this issue as "known" by Zenith. I don't like the idea that I have to continue purchasing warranties knowing that I'll probably get, at best, 24 months of service each time they replace the boards. I also wonder if, when I extend the extended warranty, does the counter go back to 0 regardless of 3 prior repairs?

True to form on dealing with Best Buy...I called this morning at 6:30. They said a company would be calling today to schedule an appointment. I called them back at 4:30 this afternoon because I hadn't recieved a call yet. They give me the number to the company that will service my TV. I call them and they tell me they no longer service LG/Zenith sets. They may make an exception, but the manager is gone for the day. They'll call me tomorrow to let me know. Additionally, he informed me that they service my side of town on Wednesdays and that next Weds. is booked, so it will be 14 days before they can get to me, if they can.

Last time I dealt with this, it took about 30 days. Not good when this is the Living Room TV.....

Yeah, I would go nuts too, as my TV is in the living room, and not really replaceable with another. I am going to try to have them come out over my x-mas break, rather than trying to the schedule game anymore.

I completely agree with you that since this is a known issue, this TV should just be yanked. Have you tried that route with BB?

You can't get beyond operators who have no authority to make decisons. The problem is that this is a third party warranty through AIG. AIG just wants to get throught the warranty period without paying out and Best Buy doesn't have the "authority" to force them to do the right thing.

ah, thanks for the clarification. So, if the TV fails you again, though, you get a new set? also, it is interesting, as it seems like all of the repairs would end up costing more than a new set, due to labor.

purchased my tv back in 1/21/06 and it popped sometime around Feb'07. So it only freakn last a little over a year. My friend bought his the same day as me and his popped before mines and was covered. But thanks very much to this forum, I was able to get Zenith to cover its repairs.

I called two days ago and was on hold for about 15min. Then some lady picked up and took down my name and number and said they'd contact me back due to high volume calls. I waited one day and then i just called back today. Had to get a little loud with the CSR cause all he did was keep saying that it was out of the 1year warranty.

I mentioned that I saw online that it was covered for 2years, and he denied me seeing it... lol. Then i told him i took a screenshot awhile back of the website and i could show him it. Then he finally said, sir... you have to understand that this is out of its 1year warranty date, but i'll put in a report and see what I can do for you. Put me on hold 10min. then i got transferred to another CSR.

The new LG rep confirmed all the details first and first offered to pay for parts, but i'd have to pay for labor. We went back and forth a little, i had to mention i have a picture of the website that i took from awhile back stating 2yr warranty, had to email it over to him so he could see it. He said it was an online misprint awhile back. Then asked for me to email a copy of my receipt. After receiving it he confirmed my address and located the nearest repair shop to contact me and zenith/lg is paying for everything!! sweet... thanks alot fellas! now i dont have a 300lb paperweight on my shelf.

Well, add another to the POP list. An hour ago 2 loud pops and now a faint picture. Mine was purchased on 1/19/06

Some of you may remember me as the guy who originally found the webpage at the LG Academy site showing the 2 year warranty (pg 32 of this thread). I guess it's a little ironic that I finally get to try to use it.

I've got a doubled warranty due to purchasing with a platinum card. I think I'm going to try LG first though as I'd love to get a replacement instead of repair. They probably won't go for it on the first problem, but it's worth a try.

ah, thanks for the clarification. So, if the TV fails you again, though, you get a new set? also, it is interesting, as it seems like all of the repairs would end up costing more than a new set, due to labor.

Actually, no. The TV can be repaired 3 times. If it breaks a fourth time, I get a new TV.

My tv was purchased 12/05. 2 pops about a month ago. Called lg and she immediately told me she was extending the warranty. She opened claim and I faxed all info. Waited a week and called back. The next person said she marked the claim complete and was closed. Had to open another claim. Finally a month later the repairman said the sustain boards were in. It took him 10 mins and was done. I hope this tv lasts longer than 1.5 yrs this time. Red sparkles are gone for now.

Folks,

Thanks for the warnings about this set! I just saw it advertised for $999 starting tomorrow at CompUSA and thought "Hmmmmm!" It seems like it is worth the extra few hundred to get a 50" 720P Panny.

Best,
James

Folks,

Thanks for the warnings about this set! I just saw it advertised for $999 starting tomorrow at CompUSA and thought "Hmmmmm!" It seems like it is worth the extra few hundred to get a 50" 720P Panny.

Best,
James

Interestingly 6th Ave Electronics has had it for sub-900$ on sale periodically over the last 6/8 months. I've always meant to go in and see if I could play with the salesman WRT this set...or listen in as they tried to sell it to consumers.

Just got off the phone with "Phil" at LG. After wading through his less than understandable English, I was told "We're sorry, that set is no longer under warranty". I brought up seeing the 2 year warranty before purchasing the set, and told him I had a screenshot if necessary. After waiting on hold he came back and said his supervisor agreed to extend my warranty for a month so they could fix the set, although the supervisor supposedly agreed the warranty was only one year. Since I could hardly communicate with him, I decided to leave the argument about a full 2 years for another day.

Faxed the receipt to the number he gave me. He also gave me the number of the repair shop who I'd be dealing with. He was a little cloudy on the next step(s). I guess he meant the shop should contact me in a few days once they get a work order FAX from LG. If I don't get that call within 48 hours, I should call the repair place directly.

So it begins. I'll keep you updated as things (hopefully) progress.

Well thanks to all of you!!!!! My Zenith was picked up today from CC and they dropped my new 50" Panasonic!!!! I cant be happier!!! You guys are a godsend and I cant thank you enough!!! Keep up the good work and THANK YOU all again!!!!

Well thanks to all of you!!!!! My Zenith was picked up today from CC and they dropped my new 50" Panasonic!!!! I cant be happier!!! You guys are a godsend and I cant thank you enough!!! Keep up the good work and THANK YOU all again!!!!

Did they do a straight exchange, or did you have to kick in some $$ towards the Panny?

Any idea if Circuit City is at the point where it will just take this piece of junk back and issue store credit? Mine popped last night and I really don't have the patience to do the customer service route (I did call zenith and got the same, we'll call you back responses I've seen here with no call back) since the pace this model is breaking it's probably going to take longer and longer to get parts. I'm heavily leaning towards just getting a new tv as opposed to waiting a month or more to have a temporary fix.

Well, add another to the POP list. An hour ago 2 loud pops and now a faint picture. Mine was purchased on 1/19/06

Some of you may remember me as the guy who originally found the webpage at the LG Academy site showing the 2 year warranty (pg 32 of this thread). I guess it's a little ironic that I finally get to try to use it.

I've got a doubled warranty due to purchasing with a platinum card. I think I'm going to try LG first though as I'd love to get a replacement instead of repair. They probably won't go for it on the first problem, but it's worth a try.

Good Luck Eagles Dare. You have helped many of us with your find. Sorry to hear you're in the same boat

Any idea if Circuit City is at the point where it will just take this piece of junk back and issue store credit? Mine popped last night and I really don't have the patience to do the customer service route (I did call zenith and got the same, we'll call you back responses I've seen here with no call back) since the pace this model is breaking it's probably going to take longer and longer to get parts. I'm heavily leaning towards just getting a new tv as opposed to waiting a month or more to have a temporary fix.

I wouldn't count on them doing the "right thing". I've called Best Buy corp and got the standard answer from them. They will fix my TV and, if it breaks again, as long as it is under warranty, it will get fixed again. I truly wish there were some legal avenues that could be persued, by I suppose that is a pipe-dream as well.

On 11/15/07, I got the pop crackle snap done , no more TV. I purchased mine 12/30/05 and it was munufactured sep 05.
I contacted LG on sat 11/17/07 and talked to Darrius about the problem, he was nice and said he understood and that I should call back on monday to talk to Rick his supervisor for a extended warranty.

So its now monday and i called LG again and could not get Rick he had just left. So the lady I talked to, talked to her supervisor and had me on hold for 15 min. Came back and said they would cover parts
and I would have to pay for labor. That sucks but i guess i got somewhere with them. I hope this still comes back and bites them in the ass.

Thanks to AVS forum for the great info.

well I thought I was doing great, purchased back on 2/14/06 over 2400hrs on the tv. Noticed on component red sparkles off and on but cant vouch for this on hdmi. Is this even worth calling cc support on?

I just bought a 42 inch version at Kmart for a song. It is a Z42P3 set. I wonder if this set uses the same electronics? If so I have 30 days to return it. You guys are scaring me!!

Add me to the popped list called Zenith gave me the run around they said they never heard of that problem before how SHOCKING. They advised me too call the repair man when I talked on the phone to him he asked me the model number before I could say Z50PX2D he finished it for me. The guy told me he would order the parts he didn't even need to come trouble-shoot the tv before hand, he told me he has parts on order for 3 more sets, I guess he's seen alot of these.

I had to kick in $150.00 It was the best $150.00 I ever spent!!!

dip1
Get rid of it and get a sony, vizio, panasonic. Zenith sucks!

Add me to the popped list called Zenith gave me the run around they said they never heard of that problem before how SHOCKING. They advised me too call the repair man when I talked on the phone to him he asked me the model number before I could say Z50PX2D he finished it for me. The guy told me he would order the parts he didn't even need to come trouble-shoot the tv before hand, he told me he has parts on order for 3 more sets, I guess he's seen alot of these.

Keep bugin them they will give in, they know the TVs are f-ed up.

well I thought I was doing great, purchased back on 2/14/06 over 2400hrs on the tv. Noticed on component red sparkles off and on but cant vouch for this on hdmi. Is this even worth calling cc support on?

You may soon be the victem of the dreded pop keep us informed.

Well, the repair center I'm dealing with wants to replace the panel, not just the boards. $1800 just for that part, and it's backordered. He claims in his experience the board swap is only successful longterm in a small percentage of repairs. He hasn't had a full panel replacement fail again yet.

According to him, the red sparklies problem is symptomatic of the panel trying to pull too much power. Eventually it's going to "pop".

A local place has a 50" Panny on sale for a great price (hundreds cheaper than just the LG panel part price) this weekend. I'm awfully tempted to just buy it and then unload the Zenith for whatever I can get after it's repaired. I can't even get a definite timeframe on the part availablility. LG says it "should be shipping in a couple of weeks".

Something tells me I'm going to still be watching my 13 year old 27" RCA CRT during the XMas holidays.:(

Thanks for the encouraging news ED. My TV has been in the shop for a week and I haven't heard a word on it. I moved my 42" Phillips to the living room and I'm taking my 24" computer monitor into the bedroom every night and watching DirecTV using HDMI to DVI. Thank God LCD monitors don't weigh as much as the CRTs.

It is sad to know that 13 year old TVs can be more reliable than today's $2500.00 sets. I've got a 15 year old set in my daughter's room that looks the same today as when I bought it. It even has STEREO SOUND!!! :)

Wow! I just called the repair company and they said they'll be looking at it either today or Friday. In other words, it's been sitting in the shop and they don't even know they need to order the back-ordered parts. :(

I bought my TV in the same week as you and have not had any popping..just red sparklies.

I, also, purchased the TV during the same week and it has developed the RED sparkles; I suspect the pop will be visiting us soon.

Just got this from LG today , heres a copy .
Will keep you all informed on the details of parts replaced and how it go's also labor cost on repairs ...

mine popped before thanksgiving weekend. i then read all that has been posted and became concerned. i just called lg-zenith today (1 week before 2 year anniversary). the lg-zenith rep was sooo nice and immediately agreed to fix it (i told her about the forum and what i was reading about the tv). i asked what i should do if it breaks soon after it is repaired like others have posted on this forum and she said to just call back. the service center called within a couple of hours and they will be here in 2 days. i told the service center about all the recommendations on this website and he said they've read it all and should be able to fix it and that there is no cost to me.

i don't know if it is holiday spirit (mine/theirs) or what but so far i am very happy with how i've been treated by lg-zenith and am hoping for the best. i bought another tv so that my kids won't be without but they already miss this one. when it was working it had a great picture - better than many plasmas from its time (let's not compare it to a 2 model year newer 1080p panasonic - that is not fair). if they can fix it right i will be so happy to have it entertain us again.

my only loss will be having bought another tv so that my kids wouldn't be without one for ??? days/weeks??? (luckily i bought during the black friday sale). i think i will find a use for it anyways.

i hope this goes well and that whoever else has this problem has as smooth an experience as i am having so far (and hopefully will continue to have).

happy holidays to all

Service man was out today to take a peek at the z50px2d he took the back off and said the 2 end boards would need replaceing. He said the parts would be in in around 5 to 7 days.

He left a recipt with me
and at the top of the recipt it says, Labor warranty Parts warranty
and No warranty. Next to Labor and next to Parts it is checked but not next to No warranty . So it looks like LG is gona cover it all.

I bet they know that the sets have a problem ya think !!

I wish everyone luck, and thank LG for steping up on Zeniths part.

I reposting just to give you folks a little encouragement.
We purchased our Zenith Z50PX2D 10/15/2005, we did not purchase the extended warranty.
September 6, 2007 we had the first Pop of Boards.
After repeated daily calls to LG and a complaint filed with the BBB they authorized repair.
Used the warranty screen shot on page 34 of this site.
Repair center came to our home three times over the course of two months and replaced boards. They were never able to make the TV run for more than 3 minutes without Boards popping again.
After daily constant battles with LG Customer service we rejected what was deemed their “final offer” of a refurbished plasma with only a 90 day warranty.
We continued to persist and October 26 we received return authorization from LG to go to CC and swap the TV.
CC was excellent giving us our full purchase price ($3325.00) as a refund towards a new TV. We ended up with a 47 inch LCD, a five year extended warranty on the LCD, a SONY Blu Ray player with the three year warranty, all cabling, screen cleaning kits, etc. at no additional cost to us.
I will share that we spent at least 50 hours on the phone or email with LG to complete this horrible transaction, with a happy ending.

pddorman: Wow! What a story! I think my father has the same Zenith Z50PX2D @ his home in Florida. Hasn't had an issue to date & my guess it's around 2-2 1/2 years old. Sweaky Wheel get the Grease! Too bad you had to go thru with it all! I'm glad you scored a new set! Which 47" LCD did you grab? JVC?

Parts to be in on the 11/30/07 Repair man to be out on 12/4/07.
will keep ya up to date as to how it go's.

as a "proud" owner, i had a crazy dream the other night that BB called me and said, we'll give you a "quasar" tv, and I said, WTF are you talking about? Well, your TV has been officially recalled. I said in the dream, "Well, if that is that case, I have a lot of money to spend". Then he agreed, and I woke up.

Going on two years with the red sparklies. I am going to have warranty service come out in December to fix them (in theory).

Best Buy has not yet authorized the part to be ordered. I started on 11/7. When did you start?

We went with the Vizio

I've tried twice to get them out at the beginning of November, but I kept missing the call back from the repair techs. I got tired of playing phone tag, so I have decided to put off another call until I get off work for X-mas break.

please welcome me to the popping group =( my Z50PX2D just popped @ 5:30PM 12/01/07 after almost 6 weeks of owning.
I just bought the TV from Circuit City's Auction on Ebay on 10/21/2007.
It didn't come with any booklets, Can anyone post LG or Zenith phone number that I can call?

What is the manufacture warranty like? Am I still covered?

My Z50 popped mid november. was purchased 12/05. What a POS. I had the sparklies first, then the pop. It was covered by my mastercard extended warranty. paid 3K and repair estimate was for $3100. my service guy told me that LG told him it was a bad panel. Never.....Ever will I buy another Zenith/LG product. I know how you all feel. I have stopped many people in the store looking at LG and told them about our problems. I now have a 52 inch Aquos and wont look back... Good Luck to you all.

min popped yesterday Dec 1, set was bought just over 2 years ago from CC in Nov 05. Bought the 3 year EW for $549, thankfully. However, the repair guy wont come until FRIDAY!!!!! argh, so once parts are ordered, I bet I'm out with no TV for 3-4 weeks....argh! Also, the EW was sold to me as "if you can't fix it, we replace at the value paid", well that was a line of BS, the CC CSR said if it can't be fixed, you get a comparable set. So the $2800 TV I bought, I'll likley get a TV worth $1,500, which will be a POS as well. I'm sure they'll prolly just fix it. The wait sucks though.

here's a quick question about the popping. I've had the sparklies for about 7 months now, but no popping. I also have my TV on a monster power conditioner (don't know the model number off hand). So, my question is, how many of you who have had the sparklies, then a pop, have your plasma on a conditioner.

I'm not making excuses for this POS. I want a new TV, and I am just wondering if this might be part of why mine hasn't popped yet....

Mine was on a power conditioner.


here's a quick question about the popping. I've had the sparklies for about 7 months now, but no popping. I also have my TV on a monster power conditioner (don't know the model number off hand). So, my question is, how many of you who have had the sparklies, then a pop, have your plasma on a conditioner.

I'm not making excuses for this POS. I want a new TV, and I am just wondering if this might be part of why mine hasn't popped yet....

mine popped before thanksgiving weekend. i then read all that has been posted and became concerned. i just called lg-zenith today (1 week before 2 year anniversary). the lg-zenith rep was sooo nice and immediately agreed to fix it (i told her about the forum and what i was reading about the tv). i asked what i should do if it breaks soon after it is repaired like others have posted on this forum and she said to just call back. the service center called within a couple of hours and they will be here in 2 days. i told the service center about all the recommendations on this website and he said they've read it all and should be able to fix it and that there is no cost to me.

i don't know if it is holiday spirit (mine/theirs) or what but so far i am very happy with how i've been treated by lg-zenith and am hoping for the best. i bought another tv so that my kids won't be without but they already miss this one. when it was working it had a great picture - better than many plasmas from its time (let's not compare it to a 2 model year newer 1080p panasonic - that is not fair). if they can fix it right i will be so happy to have it entertain us again.

my only loss will be having bought another tv so that my kids wouldn't be without one for ??? days/weeks??? (luckily i bought during the black friday sale). i think i will find a use for it anyways.

i hope this goes well and that whoever else has this problem has as smooth an experience as i am having so far (and hopefully will continue to have).

happy holidays to all
I had my Z50PX2D, since 01-21-06. Did not purchase any extended warranty. Always had the flashing issue from the very beginning but now I start seeing red sparkles in the last 3 weeks. I'm afraid that it might pop any day from now. So I called up Zenith but they said that they can't help me, saying that the tv is out of warranty. I even mentioned and sent screen shot of the 2yr warranty(from page 34). Still they refuse so I had to talk to a manager.

Finally, the manager stated that if I can get proof that someone on this forum was successful in having Zenith extended their 1 yr warranty to a 2yr warranty Or if someone was able to have Zenith fix their tv although they are out of the 1 year warranty. Then he would be able to do the same for me as well (extending and fixing the tv). He asked if I can get proof of a purchase receipt show the original purchase date from anyone that had exceeded their 1 yr warranty but Zenith was still willing to fix the tv.

If someone can help me out by PM your purchase receipt and the serial number of your the Z50PX2D, that received serviced through Zenith although you were out of their 1 yr warranty. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I had my Z50PX2D, since 01-21-06. Did not purchase any extended warranty. Always had the flashing issue from the very beginning but now I start seeing red sparkles in the last 3 weeks. I'm afraid that it might pop any day from now. So I called up Zenith but they said that they can't help me, saying that the tv is out of warranty. I even mentioned and sent screen shot of the 2yr warranty(from page 34). Still they refuse so I had to talk to a manager.

Finally, the manager stated that if I can get proof that someone on this forum was successful in having Zenith extended their 1 yr warranty to a 2yr warranty Or if someone was able to have Zenith fix their tv although they are out of the 1 year warranty. Then he would be able to do the same for me as well (extending and fixing the tv). He asked if I can get proof of a purchase receipt show the original purchase date from anyone that had exceeded their 1 yr warranty but Zenith was still willing to fix the tv.

If someone can help me out by PM your purchase receipt and the serial number of your the Z50PX2D, that received serviced through Zenith although you were out of their 1 yr warranty. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Just call back and get a different CSR. People seem to be getting more knowledgeable reps when calling during the day. Most seem to be willing to help you get the set fixed. I'm sure they know they've got a problem with the Z50, even if they seem reluctant to admit it.

I got a call from the service center today. Panel is not in yet, but tracking says it should be in the next day or 2. They gave me a Friday morning appointment to hopefully fix my TV in home. Said they'd need help carrying the PDP in.

Hopefully I'll update here on Friday while watching my TV. ;)

Repair man was out today. Replaced 4 parts. LG covered parts and labor . I purchased my zenith on 12/30/05. Requested service on11/26/07, and was fixed on 12/4/07.
I do see some red sparkles now, going to call the tech.
Parts cost would have been $677.91 And labor I do not know.

We will see how long it runs for.
Will post back latter...

Well...tomorrow starts week #4 without a TV. The repair company swapped the power supply and found that wasn't the problem. I asked them to google my TV set and they'd have found that out three weeks ago. Called Best Buy and complained about the delay. Of course, there's nothing they can do. When the TV popped, I jokingly told my wife we'd have it back by Christmas. Now, I'm hoping to have something by Christmas.

95887 Hope this helps some of ya ..

95887 Hope this helps some of ya ..
Thank you!

Repair man comeing out again to check on the red sparklies tomorrow .12/6/07. He said the panel may be bad or an adjustment may be needed. Will post later.
Mike.....

here's a quick question about the popping. I've had the sparklies for about 7 months now, but no popping. I also have my TV on a monster power conditioner (don't know the model number off hand). So, my question is, how many of you who have had the sparklies, then a pop, have your plasma on a conditioner.

I'm not making excuses for this POS. I want a new TV, and I am just wondering if this might be part of why mine hasn't popped yet....



We had ours connected to a Monster Power System.
After three times replacing the boards, trust me, it's not the power that popping, it's the defective boards inside the TV.

Ok the sevice man was out and now he sez the panel is bad and that the part is like $3000.00 he's gona see if LG will authorize the repair or replace the set. Hope they just replace it as it will likely have more problems. Oh ya also it will take three techs to do the work and it will have to go to the shop. Sounds like this could take some time.

Will post back later..

Thanks for the info guys! The red sparklies have gone from a few, to all over the screen. Setting back 10 feet, of course, I can't see them, but up close I can, and of course this effects the overall PQ.

Getting ready to call for repair service through BB again (so I can be home when the repair folk call back, as it seems like BB can never schedule for me). As soon as the red sparklies reappear, I'll call again, and each and every time until I can get this POS replaced.

It is funny, I researched the hell out of this thing when I bought it, and it got such positive reviews at first. When I saw it at BB I thought it had a great picture compared to other sets....such a shame!

Some advice when dealing with BB is, always call them for status updates. Initially, I called the company servicing my TV several times over the last four weeks. I was met with a usually curt answer stating that my set is still not working. Tired of the unsympathetic secretary, I contacted BB on Monday. They called the service company and said the parts should be in by Wednesday. I called BB again on Wednesday, they called the service company and now the parts are due in on Friday. I complained about the length of time my TV has been out and the response from BB was...well, it's only been 3 days, you need to give us more time. I said, no, it's been 4 weeks and I'm tired of looking at the holes and wires where a $3000 plasma TV should be. She said, sorry sir, but you only let us know you were having a problem on Monday, that's 3 days...if you don't hear back from them by Friday, give us a call...

Needless to say, I'm extremely unhappy with this whole process and I hope that the next two service calls will go by much more quickly so this POS can be replaced.

Service guy showed up promptly at 8am. Didn't need help carrying in the panel as it had handles attached. I brought in his toolbag and padded blanket for him.

It was quite an operation, but an hour and a half later I was watching my Zenith again. No sign of any red sparklies, the picture is as good as ever. Hopefully the new panel will be a long term fix.

The slip I was left was checked "Warranty", with a part cost of just under $1800. No labor charge was filled in.

Fingers crossed, but I'm happy for now.

For all of you with the popped Zeniths! Keep after LG. I am in month 3 of watching my beautiful 50" Panasonic 1080p that I exchanged my Zenith for after it popped after 16 months.

It took weeks and weeks and phone call after phone call, but they eventually gave me what I wanted and Best Buy was great!

Here we go again. Mine popped again. I am fed up with Zenith and LG. I think I might just write this of as a learning experience. Not just the fight with LG, but the stress of turning it on and wondering when (not if) it's going to pop again. I am going to call customer service one more time and ask them what they will do :p , and then find a place to put this piece of crap while I look for a replacement.

Ok the sevice man was out and now he sez the panel is bad and that the part is like $3000.00 he's gona see if LG will authorize the repair or replace the set. Hope they just replace it as it will likely have more problems. Oh ya also it will take three techs to do the work and it will have to go to the shop. Sounds like this could take some time.

Will post back later..

Your service man is exaggerating. A new panel is only $1797 :D

Also one repair guy replaced my panel in my home. As I said in a previous post it took him around an hour and a half. He said the other guy in the shop was more experienced and could do it in under an hour.

Well Zenith/LG doesn't want to fix my plasma because its out of warranty. I spent over 3000.00 dollars on this tv, only to be denied service only 19 months that I have had this. :mad::(:mad:


Shame on you Zenith/LG

Well Zenith/LG doesn't want to fix my plasma because its out of warranty. I spent over 3000.00 dollars on this tv, only to be denied service only 19 months that I have had this. :mad::(:mad:


Shame on you Zenith/LG

Call back at a different time of day, and talk to a different CSR. I don't think there's a poster here who hasn't been successful in getting LG to fix their out of warranty TV. Some have had to expend more effort than others. Be polite, but firm. Tell them you saw the 2 year warranty advertised on Zenith's site. Send them the screenshot posted here if necessary.

Don't give up and let them off the hook so easy.

I called LG this morning to complain some more about the problem.
The guy asked for my phone number and when i gave it to him he
knew who i was and what i was calling about.

They asked what kind of warranty i had and i told him extended !
He wanted to know where i got the warranty and i told him that LG had extended it, then he put me on hold for like 10 minutes.

He came back on and said ok and asked what i needed so i told him that i wanted a repair authorization or return authorization .

He put me on hold again for 10 more minutes came back on and said ok you are authorized to get the pannel replaced and any other parts that may be bad .

He then called my repair service in conferance call with me told him we are clear to repair the set and to pick it up and bring it to the shop for diagnostics repair and return.

Video tech will be out tomorow to pic it up ..

Will post back later Mike....

For all of you with the popped Zeniths! Keep after LG. I am in month 3 of watching my beautiful 50" Panasonic 1080p that I exchanged my Zenith for after it popped after 16 months.

It took weeks and weeks and phone call after phone call, but they eventually gave me what I wanted and Best Buy was great!


I second this guys. Keep after them. Our Samsung that we got to replace the piece of crap Zenith is working great. It's a shame this is still going on. When you spend $2k to $3k on an item, you shouldn't have to go through this. Bet you I never buy anything with LG on it or ever shop at CC again.

[QUOTE=dude345;12462984]Well Zenith/LG doesn't want to fix my plasma because its out of warranty. I spent over 3000.00 dollars on this tv, only to be denied service only 19 months that I have had this. :mad::(:mad:


Shame on you Zenith/LG[/QUOTE

Hey Dude call them and do not have a pissed off attitude be polite and straight up with them tell them you spent your hard earned cash
on the TV and expected it to last quite a long time and that you need assistance in getting it repaired . It's working for me so far so do not give up .

Well finally LG extended my warranty and will now fix the plasma. My problem is this now I want them to do an Exchange instead given that these new boards might pop again and with my luck just right after the 2 year warranty runs out leaving me with a big picture frame on my wall with sound. :( Not to mention I have been without this tv now for month, seems like they should replace it for waiting this long at least. Now I'll have to wait for parts and when someone can come out and fix it.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to get Zenith to do this ??? :)
Someone I can call and talk to other than a CSR.

dude,

that is the dream of many of us!

If the new parts go bad in a short time i would expect a warranty on them. I will ask my service tech when i get mine back.

I hope mine has problems right away because LG told me if they could not fix it they would replace it. Keeping fingers crossed...

Will keep you informed...

I finally have service scheduled for the sparklies on the 21st. I am going to watch the TV like a hawk and the first sign of new sparklies will warrant (no pun intended) yet another service call, and so on.

From previous posts, it seems that after the 3rd service call (for those of us under the BB warranty), a replacement TV would be provided (based on the original purchase price). Given the reports on here of failures after service, I expect that I should be looking at a new screen by next summer. It's a shame, as I think it's a great picture on this plasma, just too many problems and failures to warrant (no pun intended again) keeping this POS.

I'm now onto week #5. Service company has recieved a part. They're going to install tomorrow and see if it fixes the TV. Best Buy tells me that they need 45 days before the deem the wait excessive. Like to see the CEO wait 45 days for his repairs :)

gworkman,

I can I am lucky that mine is at least still working (albeit with the sparklies). Hope yours works out!

Don't worry it won't work for to much longer :):):):)

Hey guys, THANK YOU.

Bought mine 3/5/06. I had the pop about 2 months ago. My mother in law was coming in town the next day and the idea of talking all weekend blew my mind. So, I looked at my Zenith docs (1 yr warranty), gave my wife the bad news and went to CC to get a Panasonic 50 1080p.

In the meantime, I found this site. I have been putting off the battle with LG. Finally decided to take care of it. I was nice told the guy the problem. After getting the serial number, he told me it was out of warranty but they would cover parts. Well, isn't that a big red flag.

I mentioned the 2yr. and the screenshot. He said he would take care of it and put me on hold. 5 mins later, they "extended" my warrant and authorized parts+labor.

The moral of my story is that I think they have the unit flagged as having problems, or that they should extend to 2 years.

Thanks again.

My set popped (bought 11/2005) and went blank 2 weeks ago yesterday (11/30/07), thankfully I got the 3 year EW from CC, the tech couldn't come out for ONE WEEK! came, last friday, looked at the set and told me he would order the parts. CC called yesterday and they are coming to fix it on Monday (12/17/07). So nearly 3 weeks without a set.

I am somewhat annoyed because of a few things with the EW:

1) It takes too freakin long!
2) it was sold to me ($549 for the EW) as if it could not be fixed, it woud be replaced at the PAID value of the set ($2,800), but the CSR said it would be a comparable set, which now is around $1,350-1,500. I had dreams of a full HD 52" LCD dancing in my head ;)

Well, I guess we shall see if I get it all fixed this monday.

Most likely, your set will be fixed. In the event your set will be swapped, you can force the issue of inputs, contrast ratio and resolution.

The replacement should have..at a minimum
1 PC input
3 Component IN
1 HDMI IN
QAM Tuner

Good luck! Me...out since 11/7 and still waiting.

What a disappointing morning. TV is STILL in the shop. Last week, Best Buy had stated they would request a replacement if this week's repairs were not successful. Now, they are saying there is no time limit for repairs and replacement request has been denied. I even contacted Corporate and got the same reply. Any suggestions on other avenues to persue with Best Buy warranties?

well, its been a little over a month now since i called zenith to repair my popped tv, which they did. However, over the weekend the POS popped again. I just called to get it repaired/replaced and they said they'd allow for another repair, but not a replacement. Also, if i get another problem with it they gave me the ext. to the supervisor and to call him directly... hopefully it'll break again soon, cause my extended warr. runs out in mid jan.... then i can get a new replacement.

OK I got a call today from the service guy. They are ready to deliver my TV on friday the 21st.

Will post back and let you know how it works ..

Late Mike,

I've had the sparklies for quite a while and finally decided I needed to get this fixed before it popped. I bought an EW from Brandsmart in Jan 06. I called them on the 8th and a tech from Norman's here in Atlanta came out on the 10th. The ew co approved the job last Friday and the parts came in yesterday. He will be back out the day after Christmas. I believe he has ordered a X SUS board and a power supply. I hope this does the trick. I'll follow up here after the job is done. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with LG on this.

I do have a question for those of you with the sparklies. Do you notice that the set goes through periods of seeming to be too dark? It could be the source, not sure. I've noticed this again this past week.

Thanks

Just had red sparkly repair visit #2. This time, the guy (a different company) came witha board (either Y or X, I forget) and replaced that. No more red. BUT, there was now some minor green sparkly action. He tweaked a few settings and that went away... we shall see, as always!

Next month is the 2 year mark for me... my extended warranty is up for renewal-- thoughts?

Well, that was quick.. now LOTS of little GREEN sparklies. I hate this set.

Well, that was quick.. now LOTS of little GREEN sparklies. I hate this set.

Push em' for a panel replacement. I truely believe that's the only real fix. All the BS (board swapping ;)) and voltage tweaking is just a bandaid.

A replacement TV would obviously be better, but I think you have to be a real thorn in their side for a long time before they'll go for that. If you can convince your service guy to recommend replacing the panel, LG doesn't seem to argue. I don't know what the actual problem is with our original panels, but it must be something. My new panel had much improved heatsinks, but I'm not sure what else is different.

Well got it back today and guess what red sparklies .
No new panel just boards replaced. I can see they are tryin to get out of the panel replacement.

Called LG and they said call the service center that worked on it
so i did . Now the service guy will be out next friday to see what i am talking about. Next thing ya know they will try and tell me its normal.

Affter replaceing 6 boards is that normal ? What the. On the brite side it works!

I got a new sony 52" bravia LCD 1080p its verry nice. I would recomend Sony nice set.

I have tv so i will bug LG till i feel i get what i paid for if ya know what i mean. They are well into over $1000.00 worth of parts.

And labor who knows .

Anyhow i will post back again with more info....

Mike ..

Lick, I would ask for another repair.

I just had mine worked on today, and the tech tried adjusting the voltages. I informed him of what I learned on this forum, and, indeed, it didn't work. He said he would have to replace the panel, and checked on the price, as well as just replacing the TV. He said that he couldn't get through to coporate, so he just ordered the panel. He informed me it would be 1200 bucks. BTW, I am on the BB service plan, so this is all covered. The panel replacement replaces all of the boards as well (according to the tech).

Hey gworkman,

Why aren't they working on this in your home? The TV should not have to go out for repairs, I wouldn't think, because this is an inhome service on TV's this size! I would bring this up to the fine individuals.

As indicated above, they are going to replace the panel for mine in my house!

The TV is completely dead so it doesn't matter to me if it is here or there. Gotta pick your battles and my only battle right now is trying to get this thing fixed or replaced before the end of the year. I've complained to Corp several times (to no avail) and finally posted a complaint with the BBB.

Congrats on the new panel. That'll probably give you a much longer life on the set.

I'm sorry about the crap your going through. The tech said that he's suprised there is not a class action on LG. "They brag about being the biggest panel maker in the world, but it doesn't matter if their panel's don't work". He got to the punch line before I could. I would guess you could argue more if it's the house vs. the repair shop, but maybe not.

Thanks for the congrats, but I don't trust the new panel. I just want a new set, because it seems like the repairs don't work either. I love the set, though, otherwise.

btw, on edit, I'm going to argue two repair calls on this, as they came out, couldn't fix and had to come back

I desperately need the screen capture showing the 2 year warranty.


milguy11@aol (dot) com


thanks guys!


doug

I desperately need the screen capture showing the 2 year warranty.


milguy11@aol (dot) com


thanks guys!


doug

check your email.
good luck

i went to best buy yesterday, they printed me a copy of my 20 month old receipt.... march 2006.

noticed that the TV (branded ZENITH) showed up ON THE RECEIPT... as a

LG Z50PX2D


HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

so i called the "new and improved 24/7" LG customer support center....

had a chat with a fellow named BILL.... who promptly gave me a service call # and the # to a couple of local shops.... said

QUOTE

MY TV IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY - AS ALL LG PRODUCTS HAVE A 2 YR WARRANTY

UNQUOTE


BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


Game on!



doug

i went to best buy yesterday, they printed me a copy of my 20 month old receipt.... march 2006.

noticed that the TV (branded ZENITH) showed up ON THE RECEIPT... as a

LG Z50PX2D


HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

so i called the "new and improved 24/7" LG customer support center....

had a chat with a fellow named BILL.... who promptly gave me a service call # and the # to a couple of local shops.... said

QUOTE

MY TV IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY - AS ALL LG PRODUCTS HAVE A 2 YR WARRANTY

UNQUOTE


BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


Game on!



doug


Don't lose that screen capture just yet. The "Z" in Z50PX2D tells them you bought a Zenith. Maybe they've decided to not even try to argue over the 1 year vs. 2 year warranty anymore. But they'll definitely figure out you've got a Zenith from the Model # and serial number.

Good luck, and push the service center for a full panel replacement.

The tech just left my place. He took a bit of a different direction than most I've been reading about here. he ordered a Y-SUS and a video controller board. He only replaced the controller board and it looks great. No sparklies. I haven't seen blacks on this set this good since I got it. Also, the issue I seemed to be having with the picture too dark or dull is gone. For now, I am very happy with this set again. I know I need to just watch it for a bit and see how it goes, but for now I am very pleased.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their help. Zenith authorized my return last week and I went to BB and picked up the Pio 5080. I wanted to detail the steps I took just in case it helps anyone else. I also wanted to let people know which phone numbers I called because I never had a hard time getting through to someone as some of the posts had stated. I purchased it in Dec '05 and started noticing the sparkles around the 1 year mark and also heard occasional popping noises. I saw the 2 yr. warranty info and was waiting to see if it got worse before I called it in.

I finally called in the beginning of Nov. and started the ordeal because i was running out of time. I did have some issues at first with getting the warranty to 2 years. I called 877-993-6484 and talked to a CSR who said it was 1 yr. I told him I had saved the screenshot and I emailed it to him. He kept putting me on hold and checking with people. Took about 40 minutes with him. Then put me on with a supervisor. I was going back and forth with him, had to email him the screenshot again. Was on about an hour and when he put me on hold for the 4th time the line went dead! I called back and no one knew the supervisors name I was dealing with. They said he was in a different call center. That was probably the best thing that happenned because they transfered me to another group of supervisors. They answered the phone "Executive Service" and the number is 877-543-8325. Everyone there is a supervisor. I had to email them the screenshot again, but they eventually said OK we will honor the 2 yr. warranty and approve the repair. The repair shop came and got the TV.

They replaced 5 boards, PWB(PCB)DI, Y-scan Top, Lower Y-drive, Y-main, and the Z-Main. I did not have my TV for a month. I went and picked it up and when I got it home I noticed after an hour the red and green sparkles were back!! I called the shop and he said it was fine there and he could replace the panel. I told him I was calling LG.

I called the supervisor line back and explained that my TV broke again within an hour of getting back. I told her that it had been in the shop for a month and it did not fix it. She then asked, so you have not had a working TV for 30 days? That's right I said. She then informed me she was going to send it to return authorization for review. Said I would hear back in 7-10 days.

I called in 7 days and it turns out my reciept was not included on the original return request form so they attached it and that started the 7 days over again. I called about every day to check on it and they said I should hear something soon.

Finnally I got a call and they said I would be getting a packet in 2 days with the exchange paperwork and Best Buy would contact me for the exchange. I got the call in 2 days and went to do the exchange. It did not go smoothly at first but after 5 hours I ended up with the TV I wanted and was able to get out from under the Zenith.

Sorry for the long post but reading from others really helped me learn how to deal with this situation, and I thought I should do the same. Good luck to everyone and I hope it works out.

Thanks for the informative post. There will be more folks who will find this thread through Google.

I am now on week 8 without a TV. Still waiting for Best Buy to authorize an exchange. Seems like you get better service going the 2 year route instead of the Best Buy extended warranty. Their "service" is the pits.

well, i called LG service again yesterday (Lynda) and she informed me that the TV had a 1 year warranty.


however, after some placating on my part, she agreed to extend the warranty and cover the repairs to the set.


i am still waiting for a call to find out WHO is going to service the TV.... there are no local shops within 20 miles or so... and even the ones within about 50 miles are not willing to travel to work on the TV.

i guess the bottom line is... keep plugging away at them.


doug

No longer a member of "the club". Best Buy will replace the TV. I need to wait 2-3 business days for a confirmation number, then it is off to Best Buy for a replacement (not LG/Zenith).

I believe I'd still be waiting if I hadn't filed my claim with the Better Business Bureau. If you find yourself frustrated, it wouldn't hurt going to their site and filing a complaint.

Best of luck to you folks here!

The tech was out today to look at the red sparklies.
As soon as i turned the set on it had sparklies all over
and he said it has a bad panel, really!!! So now next week they will pick up the set and call LG about the panel replacement that did not get done the last time they had it in the shop, 6 boards replaced so far.
The last step must be the panel ? He also said if they do not replace
the panel they would replace the set. Hope they can't fix it..

Will post later

Mike...

I got a call from BB yesterday, and they are bringing out my new panel (which includes all boards) on Friday, the 4th. We'll see how well this works!

:( Best Buy PSP landed me another LG set. They are swapping my $3000+$400 psp charge for a $1500 set. To top it off, set is not in stock so I get to wait for delivery on 1/1. All in all, the worst experience I've ever had as a customer.

so I'm happy to report the tech came on 12/17, spent about an hour to replace the Z-board and my TV is back to it's original state. It really is a great looking set, it's too bad the substandard parts that keep going out on people.

btw - if you've ever built a PC, that's what this looks like inside, it would be very easy to rplace the boards myself, now the panel might be a bit more difficult ;)

gworkman,

It was my understanding that they were supposed to give you the value you paid for the set! It seems like that is what has happened to others....

quick edit:

I just looked up the PSP info on replacement. Here it is from their site:

"If your product requires 4 qualifying repairs, we will provide a replacement of comparable performance. Technological advances may result in a replacement product with a lower selling price than the original product."

This completely sucks. For those of you who managed to get the full price of your TV, how did you accomplish this?

I've been reading this forum for a while, but I just registered.

I purchased my Zenith Z50PX2D from CompUSA on 11/23/06.

I've been noticing white snow showing up on the screen for a split second.

Not all the time and not always on the same spot or same size.
Some times its up higher on the screen, but mostly its on the lower 1/4 to 1/3 of the screen. It does not do it regularly. Some times it does not show up and some times it does it several times per minute.
This happens with the HDDVD player using the HDMI connection and the Digital cable box using the component connection.

Has any one experienced this?

I do have a 4 year extended in home warranty which I'm glad I purchased after reading about all the problems with this TV. The warranty does have replacement coverage, but the TV has to fail 3 times for the same reason.
They also closed all the CompUSAs in Minnesota, so if it came to it, I'm not sure how they would do it.

I'd call whatever service number you have, and get it checked out. All Compusa's are closing (they are going out of business). You will need to see what the policy is going to be for extended warranty coverage...

Thanks munciefan for the advice.

I called the service number and they are going to have a service technician come and check out the TV.

I also asked about CompUSA going out of business, and was told that it would not effect the service contract.

gworkman,

It was my understanding that they were supposed to give you the value you paid for the set! It seems like that is what has happened to others....

quick edit:

I just looked up the PSP info on replacement. Here it is from their site:

"If your product requires 4 qualifying repairs, we will provide a replacement of comparable performance. Technological advances may result in a replacement product with a lower selling price than the original product."

This completely sucks. For those of you who managed to get the full price of your TV, how did you accomplish this?

My initial concern was that, when I purchased the set, it was advertised as 1080i. I can no longer find anything that supports this. The sales rep and manager both said 720p is the same as 1080i. I was in the store for nearly 2 hours arguing with whoever would talk to me. I was given a choice between the LG and a Samsung. The Samsung on display was noticeably inferior to the LG, so I accepted it.

I was in BB for 5 hrs but did end up with the pioneer. The first BB I went to wanted to give me just an LG(I was there for 2 hours). They then realized that BB had assigned a different store for the exchange. I went to that store and they saw I did not want an LG so they wanted to do the Panasonic 720p. They said up front I could not get a 1080p. I had printed off the different posts from here where people were getting the full purchase price. (posts #1324,1328,1332,1335,1348,1367,1387,1007,1009) I showed them these and they said the purchase price did not matter. I really wanted the pioneer and the day before it was the same price as the panasonic they were willing to give me so they ultimately exchanged it for that. The interesting thing was on the reciepts, they exchanged my Zenith for the $2712 I paid and gave me a reciept for the pioneer with a price of the same $2712 on it even though the price in the store was $2500.

my optimism toward my zenith came crashing back down just before xmas. they brought the tv back and it popped again in about 1 week. i contacted the lg rep who told me to talk to the shop who said they would fix it since they didn't completely catch the problem the first time (they also mentioned that they haven't seem a tv pop right after repair). they mentioned that they may have to replace the whole panel. network video services is the repair shop 714-985-3412, so far they have been professional and courteous and definitely seem like they want to fix the problem so i am once again hopeful that they will give it a lasting fix. i think they have to satisfy the repairee to get paid by zenith. i'll post once again when the tv is repaired. fyi after the first repair for the week it worked it looked fine - you couldn't tell that it was going to pop again.

doublez,

given the price of the pioneer, what was bb's logic about not giving you a 1080p? any offers to pay a difference in price? I am having a new panel installed tomorrow, so this may not be a relevant point, but I doubt it's going to work.....

They said that it had to be the same specs. They did not want to give me the pioneer at first because it had 4 HDMI ports. They originally said I could pay the difference in price for the Pioneer before they gave in. So I think once they agreed the Panasonic was the one they were going to offer, that was the basis for the exchange. I could take that $1900 it was selling for and apply it to whatever TV I wanted.

The first thing they did when I went in was pull the specs off the internet on the Zenith and said that was what they had to match. Hope this helps.

I am not sure how others have gotten them to refund the full purchase price because they were not looking at it that way from the start.

Well, mine popped the second time on 8 December 07 and I didn't want the stress to ruin my Holidays, so I put off my battle with LG until the 2nd of January. It took a little while to get through and a lot of talking but they finally agreed to fix it for the second time. (Briefly, purchased 1-16-06, popped 5-4-07, repaired 5-13-07) When the local Shop called they said Zenith was only going to cover parts, not labor.:mad: Back to the phone!!
Took two days and ended up talking (as nicely as possible) to Executive Services, but they will now cover partsand labor.

After this.... I give up. This will be my "spare" as I have already purchased a Hitachi 55" to replace my Zenith. I like my Zenith, I just never know when it will pop and ruin my day next.

Well, mine popped the second time on 8 December 07 and I didn't want the stress to ruin my Holidays, so I put off my battle with LG until the 2nd of January. It took a little while to get through and a lot of talking but they finally agreed to fix it for the second time. (Briefly, purchased 1-16-06, popped 5-4-07, repaired 5-13-07) When the local Shop called they said Zenith was only going to cover parts, not labor.:mad: Back to the phone!!
Took two days and ended up talking (as nicely as possible) to Executive Services, but they will now cover partsand labor.

After this.... I give up. This will be my "spare" as I have already purchased a Hitachi 55" to replace my Zenith. I like my Zenith, I just never know when it will pop and ruin my day next.

Try and get the local shop to do a panel replacement. You might get the repair to last more than 6 months. ;)

Try and get the local shop to do a panel replacement. You might get the repair to last more than 6 months. ;)

What makes you suggest a panel replacement? Do you think the original panel loads the boards more than the new ones?
Dave

What makes you suggest a panel replacement? Do you think the original panel loads the boards more than the new ones?
Dave

The service shop that fixed my Zenith claimed that a majority of boardswap fixes they've done have lasted less than a year. They said the "red sparklies" are a symptom that the panel is trying to pull too much load. That's why a voltage adjustment will temporarily fix it, but it's actually a sign of the panel dying. Also the new panels have completely redesigned heat sinks. I saw that with my own eyes.

The guy could be full of crap, but there's a lot of posts in here of TV's "re-popping" after a board(s) only fix.

Hello,

My plasma was bought January 10, 2006. Yesterday it made a loud sound and then the picture went dead with normal sound. I googled and found this forum. Since it is barely within 2 years , I don't know weather to call LG/Zenith and deal with them or use my circuit city advantage plan. Any one have good experiences with Circuit City Advantage pLan? I really would rather have the TV replaced rather than repaired because of so many people having the problem repeated. Any advice on how to convince either Circuit city or LG to replace this defective TV?

I would go with the Circuit City Advantage. If looks like it has a "No-lemon guarantee — replacement with 4th repair."

Might as well have the repair count towards the "No-lemon guarantee"

I'm official....popped today!

I think I might have set the record...purchased Feb 03, 2006...23 months!!
Anyone else make it this long? Do I get some sort of reward?

Fortunately, I purchased this TV with Amex and I will not have to deal with Zenith/LG.

Thanks to this forum and the wealth of info from all members (AmiSaid, especially), I believe this will be a hassle free transaction.

Still waiting on a panel replacement . I called LG on friday and they said that they autorized the panel and i would have to pay for labor . Bull crap im not gona give them another dime for this $3000.00 pice of crap They will pay all or i will bug them untill they block my phone #..

I'm official....popped today!

I think I might have set the record...purchased Feb 03, 2006...23 months!!
Anyone else make it this long? Do I get some sort of reward?



This makes me wonder (as a 2-time popper): has anyone NOT had their Zenith fail? Earlier I posited that perhaps what we were seeing was perhaps a 5% failure rate. Now I am wondering how close it is to 100%.
Discussion on this board has transitioned from "how to get the most out of this TV, what are the best settings to use, ..." to "how to get Zenith to repair it". Are we just attracting poppers or is everyone a popper?
Is anyone monitoring this thread who has NOT had a failure/pop?

This makes me wonder (as a 2-time popper): has anyone NOT had their Zenith fail? Earlier I posited that perhaps what we were seeing was perhaps a 5% failure rate. Now I am wondering how close it is to 100%.
Discussion on this board has transitioned from "how to get the most out of this TV, what are the best settings to use, ..." to "how to get Zenith to repair it". Are we just attracting poppers or is everyone a popper?
Is anyone monitoring this thread who has NOT had a failure/pop?

Shhhh....don't jinx me dammit..... :eek:

A quick perusal through this thread will show how long I've had this TV (12/2005)....so far, so good.....:o

{*He says as he crosses his fingers, legs and eyes......*}:D

bankbuster,

I have had mine since 1/15/06, so I am winning, I believe (I used the service menu to check the number hours on the set, and it was over 5000).

In other news, BB has apparently 'LOST' the panel they were shipping to fix the red sparklies on my set. It was supposed to be installed last Friday, but no one can seem to locate it!

I bought mine Feb 3 or 5 (Superbowl day) 06. I can say mine hasn't FAILED. I did have the sparklies, but the tech replaced the video controller board and so far everything has been great. The picture on this thing looks better than it did new (probably being very subjective here...). But it never popped, so I would say the true failure rate is not anywhere near 100%. Sure, it's close to that on these boards, I would expect that, though.

The one thing I wish I could do on this set is controll the amount of overscan by more than 10 pixels. Does anyone know a setting in the service menus that could possible be used to affect this?

For those of you who are getting swapped at Best Buy and don't want the LG set, there is a feature on the new LG that you can argue...The Zenith has two antenna inputs while the LG has only one. I'm not going to fight any longer as my blood pressure rises too high when I deal with these theives, but if you need a point to argue, tell them you use OTA and cable and need the two inputs.

I also had the issue with receipts. I was credited somewhere around $2600 and when they rang up my POS that retailed for $1500, they rang it up to equal the price refunded on the old set.

Another funny/stupid issue...they were giving me free delivery but had to charge me a penny so that they could ring it up. The set arrived at Best Buy on 12/31 but delivery was scheduled for 1/2. I asked them if I could pick it up and they let me. My wife graciously volunteered to get it so I wouldn't make an ass of myself at the store. When she picked it up, the cashier was stymied by what to do about the $.01 charge. If she didn't cash it out and give it to my wife, she'd get in trouble. Since this was done with in-house credit, she couldn't give my wife a penny, so she issued her a gift card for $.01.

On 1/1, I got a call from Best Buy confirming my delivery for 1/2. My brother answered the phone and, not knowing what they were talking about, simply agreed. Sure enough, on 1/2, the delivery truck was there with a second TV set. I informed the driver I already have my set and they could take that one back.

I should be recieving $150 in gift cards from Corporate. Once those are spent, I will NEVER step foot into Best Buy again.

I have the LG version of this TV (50PX1D) I purchased 1/13/06. So far so good but I'm getting nervous as the 2 year warranty is about up. Funny this is an item I would probably buy an extra warranty but I can't find anyone that will sell me one now. I wasn't even encouraged to buy one when I bought the TV since it came with a 2 year one. I'm hoping the LG has more reliable components than Zenith but I doubt it.

I called my service place today to find out when they would be picking up my set to put the new panel in. Got put on hold then some one came back on and said the parts are covered but the labor was not and pickup would cost me $150.00 so i told the guy I would call LG and then get back with them.

I called LG and asked them why they covered the boards and labor before and now i have to pay labor on the panel install, (Hell no). Got put on hold while the guy talked to the supervisor and when he came back on he said ok sir we will extend the warranty one more time on parts and labor. They gave me a reference number and said to call my service center in 24 hrs.

Anyone with this pos zenith do not give up and keep on LG or they will try to get out of any repairs.. I will post back latter..

Shhhh....don't jinx me dammit..... :eek:

A quick perusal through this thread will show how long I've had this TV (12/2005)....so far, so good.....:o

{*He says as he crosses his fingers, legs and eyes......*}:D

Certainly not trying to jinx you, but that is the same time we bought our zenith Z50PX2d, and are now in the "POP" club. My husband has started the ball rolling with an email to zenith, although I am skeptical that we will even get a reply.. And so the phone calls will begin.. I do not look forward to this, but it seems after reading the many posts on this subject, we will have to be persistent in our attempt to resolve this.. any suggestions or tips in dealing with LG/Zenith would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks so much.

Certainly not trying to jinx you, but that is the same time we bought our zenith Z50PX2d, and are now in the "POP" club. My husband has started the ball rolling with an email to zenith, although I am skeptical that we will even get a reply.. And so the phone calls will begin.. I do not look forward to this, but it seems after reading the many posts on this subject, we will have to be persistent in our attempt to resolve this.. any suggestions or tips in dealing with LG/Zenith would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks so much.

You've gone over the two year mark. That takes away the argument that many of us used - the 2 year warranty that was on the Zenith site for awhile. You might still be able to get them to take care of it for you, but I highly doubt you'll get anywhere with email. Give them a call.

I highly doubt you'll get anywhere with email. Give them a call.

2mmom, I couldnt agree with ED more, forget email. Call them and be persistent.
I think you're the first person on this forum who is outside the 2 year window. Please keep us informed how you make out.

2mmom. My set is outside the 2 year warranty now and they just extended it , But i did start my first claim with LG in Nov of 07.
Call LG at 1 800 243 0000 And tell them how you fell about spending $3000 on a tv that only lasts for 2 years be polite also state that you feel the set may have defective parts and that you noted many others on the net that have the same problem and that many of them are geting sets repaird with parts and labor covered.

Let us know how it goes ..

Mike.

2mmom file a complaint right away with the Better Business Bureau that will get the ball rolling. Don't give into there excuse that it is out of warranty either be persistent. Mine will be repaired this Monday but I have my doubts as to how long it will last as my warranty will be up at the end of March. Also here's a phone number that LG doesn't want getting around but here it is anyway 1-877-543-8325 Ext: 7007 Erica Batts. Make sure you call her 5 to 6 times a day. :D

Thanks to all for your replies.. We actually did get a reply from the email. To the effect: "Dear valued customer, there is nothing we can do as it is no longer under warranty." The phone calls will start on Monday. Thanks for the number to call, Dude345. Actually I did already have it, after scouring these boards, but I did not have the extension and name.. I appreciate it. I am wondering what documentation I need to supply to LG. I will have the serial number to give them, but I am wondering if I need the original receipt.. (can't seem to locate it) does LG ask for that? we bought from CC using their credit for the free financing.. I'm sure CC could supply us with a copy of the purchase invoice?

I would also like to mention that I loved this t.v. The picture was crystal clear that is until it "popped", nearly sending my 10 year old daughter into cardiac arrest. Anyway, thanks again for all the advice, I will keep you all posted.
Theresa

Hello,

My plasma was bought January 10, 2006. Yesterday it made a loud sound and then the picture went dead with normal sound. I googled and found this forum. Since it is barely within 2 years , I don't know weather to call LG/Zenith and deal with them or use my circuit city advantage plan. Any one have good experiences with Circuit City Advantage pLan? I really would rather have the TV replaced rather than repaired because of so many people having the problem repeated. Any advice on how to convince either Circuit city or LG to replace this defective TV?

You should go back a few pages and read about our hassles with Circuit City and getting a the POS Zenith replaced. I don't know how others pulled it off, but we were not given full value torwards our replacement. It was by far the worst buying experience I have ever had with any purchase. I would not set foot in their stores again.

My panel was replaced yesterday at home by bb technicians (I have the extended warranty). The panel and labor came to just under $2000 (for once, I'm glad I bought a PSP).

The red sparklies are gone, but I'll keep an eye on it to see how long that lasts!

Mine popped twice then the picture blacked out after 20 months of moderate to heavy use. I called Zenith Service and they agreed to cover parts only without any resistance at all. It took several more calls and asking to speak with a supervisor to get them to cover labor. I picked it up Friday the service tech said they had to replace four circuit boards. It seems to be working as good as new for now I just hope lasts.

Well they finally came over and fixed it, but after watching it for an hour it popped again. This plasma is so defective its unbelievable that LG/Zenith doesn't just replace them. Well back to cold calling all these jerks again to tell me its out of warranty and use the same old stall tactics.


LG = Life Sucks

one hour? that is fracking crazy! keep on them, dude!

my new panel has been up and running since friday afternoon. no problems, and no red sparklies (yet). The panel replacement only included 2 boards (I believe), well, plus an entirely new panel. Someone said the heatsinks were larger on the new panels, on mine, they were the same size, but different colors (black instead of silver).

The heat sinks on mine were black too. I could hear them vibrating just before it popped and it was louder than the first time, so the black heat sinks are a better improvement to the popping sound. I can only imagine all the other people's who's tv's popped and probably didn't stay on LG for an extended warranty and are now paying for repairs or just taking the loss.


Shame on you LG

Just wanted to update our situation with you all. After calling CC for a copy of our purchase invoice, we were oh so happy to discover that we had, indeed purchased the extended warranty... Sooo... I called the service number and they will have a technician out Friday morning.. After explaining to the woman on the phone the popping noise we heard and the fact that the picture is washed out, she said it sounded like it needed a new "bulb or something". I said, "NO, I believe it needs new circuit boards.. " PLEASE.... a new bulb? Anyway... hopefully after hearing the Zenith brand and nature of problem, the service tech will have a van full of the needed "parts" so that my t.v. will be resurrected. Also, my husband did contact LG (before we realized we had the extended service warranty.,. DUH) and they were less than forthcoming with assistance. They told him that they would probably cover the parts, but that we would be responsible for labor. I'm glad that we won't have to fight with them... Here's hoping the CC route is easier to navigate. I'm not optimistic... Will update Friday afternoon..

Dude,

I wonder if the problem on your's might be the power supply or the logic board....everything is still good on mine (granted, I had over 5000 hours on the panel, and it only had red sparklies, and those had been going on for over 6 months). I did notice when I looked at the insides with the techs that it was manufactured in scenic Mexico...

Munciefan

No the tech came out made the determination it was the PDP will have to be replaced cost 1200$ for PDP 600$ for the replacement boards that popped suggested to LG why not just replace the set, "oh no Sir we want to fix it"
I mean how much is to much. Mean while I have been without this tv for over 2 months.

Here's an update to the current list of problems:
Flashing:
Byron Walter
BradClark
JellyBellyMD
ramsey_55
Chilli_Dog
jaypb
eddiwill
LawrenceJ
ropergilson
cgeek

Popping:
benwilard
dane2525
pajer
RBG
elfedz
Lcars
JohninTonawanda x2
The Fly
drjonesn
newbeetle18t
NCTS_tech
Gonzoga
cet98
Buckeye_Fan
vetteboi88
Sammylow
trikflow77
surfvland
jjsf
magrathea
billferreirae
*Boomer*
WindTunnel x2
kcr6419
dizzyliz
R-U-Q-R-U
rwmccullough
cloudstrife
DucS2R
daivd_t_36582 x2
bman1369
schwailer
Ken F
DontBuyZenithLG
Pbsniper88
andyf0722
Covman7 x2
rjones3636
lorenzep
rhodges
rvfanatic
groovin_griff
gby
knockerjoe
thebombs12
hukila
amisaid
BAPlasmaGuy
bigoly
master44
matsukane
jmc165
lausy
Rickplas
lvfd404
npklee x2
pddorman x2
elspankdog
lillianorilando
richiek45
proteus69
RyanBoone
NoZenith
StealthBravo
jslavens
gworkman x2
tpsc3crt x2
Eagles Dare
killians
Brad O
Lick
dude345 x2
aseetpatel x2
konnaluck
robertcas
cgoldens
dvnelson72
milguy912
doublez
delawaredude
bankbuster
2mmom
chestervip
CLOUGHPAINTER
SpeedEng x2
Ronito
ave4uevoli

Red Sparkles:
dmr3712
eddiwill
drjonesn
proteus69
bayouvette
Hoowahman
wildland1
Chilli_Dog
JellyBellyMD
bman1369
ropergilson
fergiej
ncage
jmc165
yeafmm
munciefan
gworkman
lilcasino
Cee9
cgeek
Lick

Green Sparkles:
eddiwill

Washed out picture:
90SPGred

Long overdue update to the list. Man that's alot of popped plasmas!

.... why they quit using
"Zenith. The Quality goes in before the name goes on."

Hi all:) I had my Z for 15 months then POP! 6 calls later to Z and they authorized the repair. Tech came out and automatically replaced all 4 boards. Heat sink on Z boards are black. Tech left and got the TV back on the wall and noticed the little red Sparklies. Called tech back out and said it was voltage adjustment. The boards on the left side facing the back feeds the power supply board to the panel with a voltage for the Zsus of 196 VDc +/- 10V. Mine was at 197.5 and said this new board was over driving the panel. He adjusted down to 186 VDc and everything is perfect. No more Sparklies! Very easy adjust. I wish I had taken a pic with the back panel off. I hope this helps some one. Everything is labled on the boards in the back.

Long overdue update to the list. Man that's alot of popped plasmas!

Thanks for maintaining the list Boomer

No problem. Even though I no longer own this set, I still feel like LG owes me. I didn't get full replacement value for the piece of garbage they sold me and I'll never forget it. Come March when our cell phone contract is up, our house will be LG free. And I still bad mouth them every chance I get. Always will from here on out.

Hi all,
I just wanted to thank everyone for posting here.The information was priceless.My set popped 2 times on 1/14 and before I had a chance to research it,I took it to my local repair shop.My tech is not an autorized Zenith repairman,but he did set me up with the 1-877-543-8325 number.I called LG on 1/15 and set up a case number with Jessica.They agreed to extend my warranty to cover parts.I was pretty happy at that time(free parts).I faxed them a copy of my reciept dated 5/8/06.I started to get suspicious as to how easy it was to obtain service since my warranty was out date.Thats when I did a google search and found this forum.I was trully blown away at all the stories posted here.More inportant was all the great info everyone had.I copied the attachment from page 34 and saw that they offered a 2 year warranty.I did not here from LG for a few days,so I called them back on 1/21 and explained that I had done some research and and seen that this set had a defect and that I had info on the set carring a 2 years parts and labor warranty.I then faxed Michelle the attachment and got a call back about 5 minutes later.They extended the warranty to 2 years and a service tech will be here tommorrow.This all would not be possible without everyone's help.Thank you all.I will let you know how it all goes,but I agree with everyone(NEVER BUY A ZENITH/LG)
A reluctant popper,
John

My red sparkles come and go, so i'am hesitant to call in service just for it not to show up when they show up. I purchased the extended warranty from cc.

well mine poped for the second time
both 12 months apart

first one was covered for everything (parts and labor)

just got off the phone with zenith/lg this time they will only cover parts :( (better than nothing I guess)

how much labor (time) is involved?