I have the worst luck. Panasonic LIFI bulb blown - Page 2

Panasonic will do it only once for the life of the warranty. So unless you got a warranty that is better than that, dump this POS now and get your 500, if you can. If it goes again, you are on your own and out of 830 if you decide to fix it. Unfortunately, some confuse "guarantee" with "warranty". What the rep told you means absolutely nothing. Ziltch. What counts is what you have in writing. Trust me on this one.

This bulb is supposed to last 5 years?! Well, my first one has just blown after 60 days! I don't even know if this is covered under any warranty as it's a replacement for my 3 year old PT50LC13 lemon. Guess I'll be on the phone with Panasonic tomorrow. I was hoping those days were finally over. [/quote]


I recieved the same settlement for my lc13 had I known at the time I would be replacing bulbs on a regular basis I would have kept the original TV the lcx70 is completely substandard and no way comparable to the 3000 dollar TV I bought.
Here is some info if we all voice our complaints we might finally get our money back so we can buy another brand I am so done with Panasonic they have proven they are building disposable electronics

the pt-50lc13 models case was represented by the Mills Law Firm I spoke to an associate and she was very interested in my (our) dilemma and assured me they would not leave me hanging. They can be contacted at info@millslawfirm.com

There is a settlement to another CA suit fore the LC14 series TV and the law firm that handled this can be reached at 'GREEN@LAWGP.COM'; 'JWH@NJLAWFIRM.COM'

The claims administrator for both cases is the garden city group and can be reached at info@gardencitygroup.com


If we all make enough noise perhaps we can get Panasonic to do the right thing and give us our money back on a shotty piece of crap that they never should have put on the market. At this point in time a replacement Panasonic will not be acceptable to me. As a footnote I spoke to a supervisor at Panasonic customer service and the only suggestion he had was buy an extended warrantee and I asked if they would pay for it the answer was NO. I suggested that he give me a contact to speak to someone up the food chain about a refund of my original purchase (I am still paying the bill on that C card) he bluntly told me that would never happen. He did however take my name and number I hope that I get someone to address this and make it right. Will post what I hear back if I do
Again make some noise I want as much as everyone else to get a real big sreen the super bowl is not that far off.

I recieved the same settlement for my lc13 had I known at the time I would be replacing bulbs on a regular basis I would have kept the original TV the lcx70 is completely substandard and no way comparable to the 3000 dollar TV I bought.
Here is some info if we all voice our complaints we might finally get our money back so we can buy another brand I am so done with Panasonic they have proven they are building disposable electronics

the pt-50lc13 models case was represented by the Mills Law Firm I spoke to an associate and she was very interested in my (our) dilemma and assured me they would not leave me hanging. They can be contacted at info@millslawfirm.com

There is a settlement to another CA suit fore the LC14 series TV and the law firm that handled this can be reached at 'GREEN@LAWGP.COM'; 'JWH@NJLAWFIRM.COM'

The claims administrator for both cases is the garden city group and can be reached at info@gardencitygroup.com


If we all make enough noise perhaps we can get Panasonic to do the right thing and give us our money back on a shotty piece of crap that they never should have put on the market. At this point in time a replacement Panasonic will not be acceptable to me. As a footnote I spoke to a supervisor at Panasonic customer service and the only suggestion he had was buy an extended warrantee and I asked if they would pay for it the answer was NO. I suggested that he give me a contact to speak to someone up the food chain about a refund of my original purchase (I am still paying the bill on that C card) he bluntly told me that would never happen. He did however take my name and number I hope that I get someone to address this and make it right. Will post what I hear back if I do
Again make some noise I want as much as everyone else to get a real big sreen the super bowl is not that far off.

Well as a footnote to the last postings I got Pana to repair the blown light source and it now nov and the Red and Green guns are intermittantly going out for hours sometimes as soon as I turn it on and then when I have been watching for a while. My warrantee expired 10/6 and so it looks like I am going to be out for the original 3000 I spent and have no TV this model is not worth spending any money to repair I am going to contact the law firm again and see what can be done.

Well, I received the replacement LIFI set over a year ago and now the light bulb has blown out. Not looking good...

I wish I chose the rebate instead... according to the repair shop, I only have a 2 year warranty on the bulb and 1 year parts and labor on the tv. The TV/bulb broke just 1 month after its warranty (what luck!). They also told me if it's not the bulb then they'll charge me 200$ just to come out to look at the TV...

I took the rebate bought a 61 inch trouble in 6 months again thought I had my old TV back, should have bought a LCD instead. We should fight it again.

I bought my PT-50LCZ70 LIFI set in August 2007 shortly after the launch and it just blew out its first lamp today. Lamp light is blinking, heard the 'pop' ...

So much for a 5 year lamp. One of the questions before I could get a case number was: "Have you ever replaced the lamp before?"

The warranty is deceiving. Only the "Original LIFI tm lamp unit" is warrantied for 5 years. I was quoted 2 years for the labor on the phone.

We'll see if that pans out. So once and done. We'll see how long the next one lasts if I can ever get a hold of the authorized service center.

Waiting and hoping...

t0sk1

i have had my tv now for 15 mths and i am assuming the lamp has blown. i was watching tv and the next thing i new was the lamp light was blinking and no picture. after reading all these responses i am not expecting this to go well. i do have a repair center near me, so maybe that will work in my favor. but does any one have any suggestions for me because i am so ignorant when it comes to electronics

when the lamp goes out does the sound go out too cause i cant get anything but a flashing power light then it goes to the lamp light?

allways,

I have a TP-61LCZ70 and getting the same symptoms. About a week ago the TV just went black, then slowly the lamp came back on. About 20 minutes later, black then slowly back on. Worked the rest of the night after that. The other day it wouldn't come on, just flashing green power light for a few minutes then the lamp (red light) blinking twice. The book says that two blinks on the red light is "Malfunction 9", customer service says that "Malfunction 9" means a ballast malfunction. I did what the book says to do, press the power button a few times and waited. Poof, my TV came back on. Today the same problem, did the power button thing and it did come back. I'm currently waiting for the repair guy to call me back when he gets the replacement parts in, he said that it is either the lamp or the ballast. According to panasonics rep, the ballast is not a part of the lamp. I'm raising the BS flag on that because the lamp won't ignite without the ballast.

Based on my troubleshooting, i'm afraid that it might be the ballast but waiting for the repair guy to tell me what it is. If anyone gets a LIFI lamp replaced, how about do us all a favor and GET A PART NUMBER!! I intend to ask my repair guy two questions, 1. Can I get the old lamp (emergency standby) and 2. Can I get the part number.

Projection (LCD and DLP) are on their way out and the lamps for DLP are dropping fast but LIFI is a very unique technology so I don't know if they will drop anytime soon but wishful thinking.

The reason you don't have sound is because when the lamp fails, the TV shuts off. It is designed to not power up if the lamp is faulty. Trust me, you don't want a lamp that, when ignited, internally is as hot as the surface of the sun to be faulty and RF emissions trying to ignite it.

Are there still class actions suits going on with these??? I saw one but it expired one month before I bought my tv (Dec 2007).

well after 1.5 years of owning the tv i got the red blinking light. i just went on the panasonic website and if you go to customer service and search our part number, PT-56LCZ70 and go to the warranty tab it shows there is a 5 year part warranty on original LIFI lamp unit and 2 year labour warranty on original LIFI lamp unit

i used to live in the states and bought the tv in the states, the warranty i listed above is only for the US, canada only gets one year warranty on labour. whats new

Ok, here is what I did to get my TV to turn back on, this is a temp fix until the repair guy gets a replacement lamp.

1. I unplugged the tv and let it sit for 5 minutes
2. Plugged it back in and pressed the power button.
3. Got green blinking light for about 2-3 minutes, then red blinking light in intervals of two.
4. Pressed power button and held it in until It shuts down, you should hear a click.
5. Right after that click, press the power button again. You'll get a blinking green light but no click. After about 1-2 minutes I heard the that loud click, which I think is the ballast. After about another minute, poof, lamp came on and I told my wife, "Do not turn this TV off unless your done for the night".

That works for me, its temporary but it works. Not sure for how long though.

Ok dex is saying my story ... a PT50LCX70 which is down again ... Panny is having me do the scheduling and other work ... tired of this BS. Suggestions??

Is it worth just going to small claims and getting the money back?? The class action mess can take some time.

I thought the class action thing was expired back in Nov 07, I know that because I bought my TV on Dec 07 and just missed it. If there is another one, i'd like to know about it.

On another note, I just got my lamp replaced (Under warranty) and I watched the repair guy as he headed for the truck when leaving. He dropped a bunch of paperwork in my trash can outside, after he was gone, I went out and grabbed it.

My TV is PT61LCZ70

The part # for the new lamp is LFS4000PA1EB

I also have two documents:
1. Service Hint - How to check the LIFI LAMP Unit without disassembly
2. How to replace the LAMP Unit.

These are very good step by step instructions with pictures. I scanned both documents into PDF documents, can they be attached or can I email to an admin to make them a sticky? I know quite a few people had problems with the LIFI units and if these can help them save money when all the dust from class actions and warranty's clear, then i'd like to post them.

Someone let me know how to do this because they are not images but PDF documents.

Thanks
Spuds

From one of the lawyers I emailed from this list:

Sorry to hear about this. You are the only person who has ever complained about anything. After 6 months your new TV must still be under warranty. See how far you can get on your own on that, you should be ok. If they won't replace then consider small claims court. We will not be filing any follow on lawsuit absent some indication that Panasonic has not complied with the settlement.

Gotta love it ... everyone must be slack here;-)

wonder what Panasonic will do for any of us ... I have a repair scheduled this Monday ... really don't want to go through another class action and 2 more failures before this is closed with cash this time ... no more Panasonic products ... has anyone read other threads on Panasonic products. They all are questionable. Is that the case for all big screen HDTV's?? Anyone had one for more than 3 or more years without repairs??

Also, a followup from the lawyer after reading this thread:

When I said no one had complained, I meant to us as class counsel. I read the thread and it is hard to judge whether this is sufficient to justify a follow on lawsuit but it is disappointing that they have not fixed their bulbs as everyone had hoped. We don't plan to take any action at this point but that could change.

That sounds like great information SpudNuts. I will give the "temporary" step-by-step fix that you posted. I hope it works for the mean time. I am also very interested in the PDF scans that you have, which sounds like "golden" information.

My lamp just went out yesterday, and I spoke to Panasonic with very little help after a bit of troubleshooting. The tech support person simply gave me a phone number and company to contact. After contacting the service provider, the repair person told me that Panasonic typically relays a fax or something to them. So I called Panasonic again to get a Reference Number for my information.

I contacted the service provider the next day (today), as I had not received a call from them. They said that Panasonic had not contacted them, and they asked for the phone number that I called to get a hold of Panasonic (which is quite unsettling for me as I figured these repair people would have this sort of information on hand somewhere).

Anyway, I ultimately contacted Panasonic again, and this third person gave me information to take in my TV to the repair people (due to over a year from the date of purchase, 15 months old), along with my original receipt. Then, the repair people are to contact Panasonic upon identifying the problem. It is the lamp as it the blinking green power light to go off, and the red lamp light blinks two times (Malfunction 2 or something).

So, I am waiting for after the weekend to get it to the nearest repair people, yet I am quite uneasy about them as I have reviewed a massive amount of negative reviews on this company.

Honestly, I would like to be able to receive a replacement lamp along with a step-by-step to replace it. No need to go to a repair shop.

Ok ... I least I did not have to leave work before this happened ... showing the thread helps.

The guy called to confirm the repair, so I wanted to confirm he had the correct bulb .. nope his was for the TY-LA1000 for the old pt50lc13 and not the pt50lcx7 ... exactly what happened to Dexter999

Doing the hookie pokey that SpudsNuts suggested did not work on my unit.

Wonder if the class action will kick in or will we have to go in court?

I tried the steps that SpudNuts listed, and it did not work for my set. I have the 56 inch model, maybe it is different. I hope to get my set fixed, trying to work with Panasonic on another service provider. I'll see what happens.

And....Mine just went. Turned it on this morning. Loud, "POP"! and it was gone.

Well, more good news. If the bulb was the problem, according to my Panny authorized repair center, not only is the part covered for 5yrs, but repair is covered for 2yrs (it actually says 1yr in the manual). So something to note for others who encounter this problem in the future.

Hopefully the bulb is my problem and they'll be able to repair the problem relatively quickly. I'd hate having to pay upfront then going through AMEX's warranty program for reimbursement.

So, anyone want to chime in on how long it took to get their set fixed? I haven't even had anyone come out to look at my set yet- they automatically assumed it is the bulb and are now waiting for it to arrive from Panasonic before they make an appointment. In the meantime I already filed my claim with AMEX just in case it's not.

Anyone?

Hey DaveFi, it took a good amount of time to get someone out. I had to contact Panasonic for the information (make sure you get a case number) then speak to the Warranty people to get in contact with the service company. The service company had to come out and verify the "malfunction" and get a copy of my receipt (actually they took a picture of my receipt, yet you may want a copy just in case). After that, Warranty arrange for the light to come in and then the service company scheduled a time to come back out when they received the part. They are replacing right now, and it is May 1.

I hope that you get yours done too. I am hoping that everything turns on as planned when the service guys are done.

Okay, the service guys completed the lamp replacement in about 45 minutes (two guys). The TV came on and is still working. I hope that it maintains, as the warranty has one lamp replacement. After speaking to Best Buy, they have the same deal with their warranty plan, which I did not buy. Anyway, I hope that the entire TV lasts for many years, as it is a great quality picture with the HDMI and HD channels. It was a real bummer about the light, and I honestly feel that I was cheated by the short life span of the first lamp as I was anticipating (or should I say "hoping") for the 20K hours. These lamps are expensive, and I believe that I have an additional year warranty from Panasonic (if I am not mistaken). Yet, I hope that I do not have to use a warranty or any servicing for many years from now.

ajm2009, Glad to hear that yours it working. I got a call on Fri that they're coming on Mon, so I assume they got the lamp. I FAXed them my receipt, so I guess they just automatically assumed it was the lamp and that's what they ordered. I guess we'll see on Monday.

My guys were coming out ... with the wrong parts ... a week later they came out and replaced the bulb. This is with ME telling them about the model and everything. It's wonderful it's working again, but for some reason I don't like having a set that's 1 year old already needing an $800 part replaced ... the EXACT same scenario for my old unit ... replace bulbs ... complain ... nothing ... the class action was supposed to have stopped this. Total time about 3 weeks +!!!

I am a electrical engineer and do not want to have to replace this in 3 years and pay for the labor (since I am sure if I do it they will VOID any future bulb replacements)!! I feel either Panny needs to fix it right ... and final ... or replace it with something that works ... or give us our money back.

Fixed. So I guess the next repair job will be on me or AMEX (more likely me). So I'll probably just end up junking the set and getting a new one.

I remember writing to them awhile back and sending them to this thread as well. They basically said there wasn't enough people writing to them.

We'll see after another year when more complaints are logged against Panasonic. From this experience I do not want to ever buy a Projector TV. LCD/LED for the next TV set.

I just had my second lamp replaced earlier today. This time the internal fan inside the lamp started going out on me and was making an extemely annoying buzzing sound.

The good news is that Panasonic covered both the lamp and labor under warranty. The service tech claims Panasonic will keep on replacing the lamp during the five year warranty period while labor is only covered for two years.

~ Doug

Good to hear that. I had to lower usage (<10hrs/week) of the TV due to concerns over the warranty. This really is unacceptable and cannot wait for another class action suit on these defective bulbs/TVsets.