QUALIA 006 Owner's Thread - Page 521

Here is the Qualia 006 Optical Block warranty
Note that it states ANY OWNER
Call and get the OB replaced and you should have several more years of service.

Model: KDS-70Q006

As part of the Sony commitment to quality, Sony is announcing that it is extending the limited warranty (parts and labor), in the United States, on the optical block of the KDS-70Q006 QUALIA televisions until June 30, 2010, regardless of purchase date. For any customer who requires repair of the optical block on this affected model, Sony will cover the cost of the optical block repair (parts and labor) at no charge through June 30, 2010. This extended warranty does not apply to the replaceable projection lamp or the other parts that may be used in the televisions.

Sony is also announcing that for any owner of these model televisions who paid out-of-pocket expenses on or before December 31, 2008 for an estimate or repair service to replace the optical block, Sony will reimburse the customer by mail for the cost of the optical block and the labor expense to replace it, subject to certain conditions. To receive reimbursement, please follow completely the directions on the claim form for reimbursement; all claims must be postmarked by January 31, 2009. See the claim form for complete terms and conditions.

All other terms of the Sony limited warranty continue to apply. Sony utilizes a network of hundreds of qualified independent third-party servicers to perform in-home television warranty service. Sony, through its authorized servicer network, will endeavor to repair your set within 30 days of your first contact. For diagnosis, warranty service, or if you are not provided a repair within 30 days, please contact Sony at (888) 649-7669.

Been gone for quite a while boys. Just logged in today and saw the sad news on Divedude. Always enjoyed his wit and pictures.

Opinions appreciated:

I got my Q-006 in the initial second wave waaaaaaaaay back when. Last October I finally noticed the greenish hue to the right side of the screen. (think it had been there for a while just kind of crept up on me) Sony replaced my optical block under warranty in October 2007. Now in July of 2009 I am seeing the exact same greenish crap on the right side of the screen. Pissed off, I called Sony and they apologized and told me they extended the warranty till June 2010 and would happily replace my Optical Block....... again. Then the Concierge asked if I would be interested in a discount on a new Sony TV instead of fixing my Q-006. What he offered was for them to pick up my old and busted Q-006 and for a mere $2,500 I could purchase their new 65 inch LCD. (Half price) That seems pretty weak in my opinion. Spent nearly $13k for my Q and expected it to last beyond 5-6 years. Anyone else been offered a "discount" on a new Sony rather than change out the OB?

I am very concerned now about replacing the block............ again as in two years it looks like I would be on the hook to replace it ........again. A further consideration is that parts may be difficult to find and expensive?

Since they want to charge $5k for the optical block I think they should offer that as an equivalent credit on something new............... anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this. They are "checking" with management on my counter. Don't really want to go down in screen size and don't want to go down in picture quality. Man am I bummed.

And so begins a new era in Sony work-out strategies. I thought I've seen a couple of other "deals" that have been offered, but does Sony even have a 65" LCD? If it's new, I would think it's going to be more than $5,000 MSRP. But consider this: Let's say you replace the OB, and it craps out again in a couple of years, which is very possible. Then where are you? You probably won't be in a better position because your Q is that much older, from an amortized standpoint only though. All of the other infuriating arguments are still there. I do recall someone trying to get the 70" LCD out of Sony, and it was a no go. Keep us posted on your progress, or lack thereof, and certainly you'll get many pearls of wisdom from the Q brethren.

Based on Sony's prevailing stance, it probably will not happen, but what Sony ought to do is offer its Sony Qualia 006 owners the option to purchase the SONY KDL-70XBR7 for Sony's actual cost of production.

The SONY KDL-70XBR lists for a mind-blowing $20,000 and can be found from a reputable Internet seller for $16,417.49 delivered. I can't imagine at its current price point, that the KDL-70XBR is selling briskly.

Or perhaps SONY should offer to sell the SONY KDL-70XBR to Qualia 006 owners for the difference in price between the original SONY 006 list price of $13,000 and the list price of the KDL-70XBR = $7,000 plus pickup of the 006. I would pay that.

Chris

I think it's pretty clear from what we are now seeing with Q owners and the experience of the XBR owners that our replaced OB's will fail again. If they fail again before July 2010, Sony says they are on the hook for a replacement. That is the only point, short of legal action, when we owners have any leverage. If Sony is on the hook for a $6K replacement, it would seem reasonable to go for an equivalent amount for a "buyback", which seems to me to be the correct term if they are picking the set up. If $6K is the "retail" cost of replacement, plus labor; then an equivalent credit on a replacement Sony product seems like a reasonable settlement. So, the question for we owners is whether a return of roughly half of what we paid after 5 years, or so, is acceptable. If we opt for the OB replacement, we are only buying a couple of years of additional life for our Q's, at which time they become boat anchors. The only question for me is the amount of the buyout to cause me to choose the buyout over another OB replacement and another two years, or so, of extra life. The price of equivalent quality TV's could well drop $6K in those two years. I mention, in particular, the Mits Laservue's, which could be on a third generation, by then.

I think I might be looking at it somewhat differently if there is no legal action being taken.

There currently are no sets comparable in size and picture quality.
The Mitsubishi LaserVue units I have seen are currently smaller in size and nowhere near the Qualia in picture quality. The picture has a lot of noise.

The only 70" similiar in size and picture quality is the $19,999.00 Sony LCD

The Qualia is good currently until 2010. Any upgrade to the 70" Sony LCD with a trade allowance from Sony could be in the area of $13,000.00 to $17,000.00.

Far cheaper to replace the Qualia OB for about $5000.00 for another 2 years or more.
I have no doubt you could get the OB replaced for less than the $5000.00 if it is an out of pocket expense.
Unknown at this time will be Sony's stance of possibly supporting the Qualia further when there are less sets needing repair.









.

I agree with both Ted and Stew. I think we all know where we stand, which is with much uncertainty. If no legal action is taken, the only difference in my position with most Q owners is that I'd be willing to work out something with a FP, and there are enough SXRDs at various price points to probably make it workable. Maybe, who the hell knows?

I wonder what is the actual expense to Sony for a replaced OB? My bill was about $5,500, of which labor was around $175. Surely Sony isn't out $5K +/- for the part. And given the horrible depreciation of consumer electronic products, what's the value of a perfectly good six year old, albeit statement product, HDTV like the Q? I realize this kind of number crunching is depressing, and only considers the tangible side of things, but Sony will surely emphasize this angle, as it favors them.

Hey Guy's
I have had my OB replaced once already and have started to see the same greenish tint returning in the left corner also, starting just like before.
Not good.

I wonder why some OBs fail so quickly and others do not.
I'll bet Sony has the answers.

I think it is important that any failing OB be reported and replaced right away.

I really don't have my mind made up, absent legal success. Take a for instance: 1st OB failure near the 3 year point (my experience). 2nd OB failure just before 7/10 (my hope). Assume a three-year life on the second replacement OB, done in 6/10. That's 9 years of in-service for the Q. I admit that the mits laservue is sub par, at this time, but by then (6/13) it could be on a much improved 3rd generation and being offered in 80" size for sub $6K (It could also have died as a product line). All of this is really optimistic, but in this situation, I would be unwilling to pay $2.5K plus turn-in of my Q to get a 65" LCD set next Spring. On the other hand, suppose the first OB replacement fails after 7/10. I have a boat anchor after 6 years.

Thus the dilemma. What does the future bring. Since Sony is unforthcoming, we really don't know what to expect with the replacement OB's. My first replacement OB is now a little over 2 years and still OK and the new Sony extended warranty expires a little over 3 years from the first replacement. I won't be faced with a decision unless my first replacement OB fails before 7/10. If so, what's Sony's offer in lieu of a second OB replacement? The current apparent offer of $2.5K for a 65" LCD is not as attractive as a second OB replacement with a 3 year life (hopefully), which would give me 9 years on the Q. Will Sony sweeten the deal next spring? Will we have successful legal action? Will the Cubs win the World Series? Only the Shadow knows.

Ted,

I for one would appreciate your not attempting to hinge our Q future with the Cubs winning the World Series. Thank you. I also have worked out a similar scenario of Q longevity based on whether or not a new OB gets in under my extended warranty wire. Lotsa speculation.

Stew,

RE: Quick OB failure. The consensus appeared to be that the failure was linked primarily to heat and lack of adequate air flow. This wouldn't answer why some of these things are failing almost out of the box. When I spoke to the Sony concierge, who was very familiar with this situation, I said something to the effect of, "I doubt Sony has gone through the trouble of re-engineering these OBs." My take on his no comment was that his silence was acquiescence.

So far Sony has not contacted me back on my reply of "Nuts" to their weak offer of buying their new KDL-65W5100

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665746258


I like the idea of meeting me somewhere in the middle on their 70 inch KDL-70XBR7

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665532063

I don't want to go down in either size or picture quality. However I have gotten 4-5 years of enjoyment out of my Q. It seems a fair thing to offer us their current flagship TV to replace our wounded Flagship TV's at a fair price for both them and us early adopters. My take is 50 % of current price and they take my beloved Q. What does the group think and what are the odds Sony will actually give a hoot about us early adopting Sony Flag wavers. ( I know for one I have been responsible for multiple Sony TV sales of people who were in awe of my Q and bought less expensive Sony TV's but the salient point is because of my Q they bought Sony vs Mits or Panny or whomever)

What think?

Over the past several months many have echoed the same sentiments. Unfortunately, there is no roadmap here on Sony remedies. I hope it doesn't become every man for himself, but it seems to me that there won't be a group of similiarly situated owners until the warranties are all up and our OBs, or replacement OBs start to fail, out of warranty. That to me is the great unknown that is so unsettling, and is a year or two away. I find it really interesting that Sony is offering to do workouts now, while the extended warranty is still in place.

\\\\

If my information is correct there are only about 1000 Qualia 006 owners.
if Sony manages to buyout a few hundred there will be less owners to deal with when the extended warranty expires.
Incidently there probably maybe 20 max who visit this forum.

That would be interesting to know. Do we know an early edition serial number? If so, we can probably guess the first serial number.

I think my Qualia 006 is a later version. I purchased it in Jan. 27, 2006, Serial Number: 2002306 (I bought an extended warranty direct from Sony which expires 1/26/12).

My guess is that the number of units probably relates to the last 4 digits of the serial number. If I'm right and it started at zero, than my set would be the 2,306th. But maybe Sony started with the last four digits at 1000 or 1001, then my set would be the 1,306th.

What is the earliest serial number known to us?

Chris

i think the next time i even think about spending >$10K on a single TV the neural chip i had implanted in my brain will detonate a small c4 charge and save me from my own insanity!!!

the very first one would be our own jb007...

Just an FYI - A couple of years ago I visited the SonyStyle store in Vegas that used to be the Qualia store right after Sony announced the end of the Qualia line. The gentleman that sold me my 006 was still there and told me that "fewer than 2000 Qualia 006's were sold world wide" He did not know how many actually found a home in the U.S.

Chas

My Qualia is Serial Number 2000519
Built March 2005

I got 3 of them and they are doing well. Look at the Tivo Community site and you can buy a 1TB drive and put it into a TiVo HD for 157hours of HD at LESS than $100. I do not like the TiVo Expander as it uses both drives for shows and a failure on 1 will kill the unit! LOTS of reasons to DIY.

I know jb007 was the first to get one in the US and did all of us on the fence a huge huge favor letting us know it was the real deal. I got lucky and picked up what appears to be one of the first dozen. I don't remember anyone posting an earlier number but good odds jb007 can take me out unless they didn't sell the first few and used them for testing or something.

Mine was ser# 2000020, Dec 2004, which indicates that it was in the first batch sent to the USA. I'd say that the first was # 2000010, and that it and # 11 went to the the Qualia stores in LV and NYC. The last serial number I have a record of is #2002407, which would indicate at least 2397 were produced.

As I recall, the 006 was being sold in Japan, but it had an outboard scaler. The outboard scaler was being sold for another $1K. I don't remember if it was being sold as a "Qualia", however. The Q's were held up at the POE for some work by Sony "engineers", and the list price was raised from the initially announced $9999 to $13,000. I offered the opinion, at the time, that sony was replacing the back panel to put in an integral scaler as a justification for increasing the price. We never learned the official reason for the 10-day hold up of the initial air shipment of 10 sets in LA.

There are a few more.

Manufactured December 2005
Serial Number: 2002475

John

+1

My Qualia is Serial Number 2001279
Built April 2005

The Wallstreet Journal has an article, today, about Sony's losses this fiscal year; and how it has lost it's technological lead, across the board. It also describes Sir Howard Stringer's background as being in media, not technology. I think this mirrors what happened to Detroit. When our car companies were taken over by finance types, instead of engineers and marketers, the decline began. I've said before that it appears that Sony wants to be a media company, rather than a hardware company. I paid the big bucks for the Q based on what I knew of the old Sony. With 20/20 hindsight, it's clear that I should have stayed away because the new Sony isn't doing a very good job on it's hardware. Sony shouldn't be considered to be a premium brand able to command a price premium anymore.