[jwv651]

I just received a call from Samsung Digital and they told me they are replacing my HLP6163 June build made in Korea with a brand new one. Should be delivered in 21 days.


My first problem came right after I received it...3 blinking lights...fixed by a Samsung Tech with a new lamp/bulb worked great, but now had another problem red/pink skin tones could not get rid of them even with calibration with a Avia disk, tech told me they would have to replace the digital board not a problem. My other problem was smudges on the left and right side of the screens...tech said they would replace the screens also not a problem...Now I received a call from Samsung and they tell me they will not repair this set and they would rather replace it with a new one.


I was content they were going to fix it...but to replace it! I am in total shock...Never in my life would I expect them to replace a $4000 TV over fixing it. I never asked for a new set or complained about it. Samsung in my opinion is a First Class company. I remember when I wouldn't even consider a Samsung product 10 years ago...Samsung has come along way since then...I am happy owner of a Samsung product.

 

[clangro]

I don't mean to sound like a prick, but you're praising them for replacing a faulty product that gave you nothing but headaches?


Personally, I think the fact they sold you a TV that had so many problems it hit the 3 repair no-lemon policy in less than 6 months sounds bad.


I wouldn't praise Toyota for replacing the transmission in my 2005 Camry because after 1,000 miles it has a tendency to disintegrate into metal shavings.

 

[TheMostToyzWins]

jwv651, I agree, Samsung has the best service I have worked with (including Sony, Panny, JVC, Hit, ...)


clangro, nothing in life is perfect. How problems are resolved is a good representation of true character and commitment to quality.

 

[Trinitone]

clangro - makes me think of all those Toyota commercials where they show things breaking and then they say "Don't you wish Toyota made more things?" I, of course, had some transmission issues with my '99 Camry.


Back on topic, I think that the lemon issue with the Sammy has nothing to do with their level of service. The good service is illustrated by their efforts to repair the tv and finally their willingness to just replace it. (I am assuming that the repairs were made in a timely manner without too much hassle on the part of jwv651.)

 

[jwv651]

Quote:

Originally posted by clangro I don't mean to sound like a prick, but you're praising them for replacing a faulty product that gave you nothing but headaches? Personally, I think the fact they sold you a TV that had so many problems it hit the 3 repair no-lemon policy in less than 6 months sounds bad. I wouldn't praise Toyota for replacing the transmission in my 2005 Camry because after 1,000 miles it has a tendency to disintegrate into metal shavings.

Here is why I am so happy with Samsung.


Well I had a 2001 Mits 55 RP that had been repaired 4 times in the first year of ownership...16 months from the date of purchase it died again...Mits left me standing with a $450 repair bill...I tried to get them to replace that piece of crap Mits before my warranty was up but they kept on fixing it...one part after another. I have always bought Mits products...but did they stand behind their product...answer NO! Did Samsung stand by their product...answer YES!


Remember one thing I only had one visit from Samsung tech for... 3 blinking lights, smudges in screen...tech noticed the red faces after replacing bulb/lamp...so all in all everything was noted with the first visit...Second visit never happened because Samsung decided to replace my unit.


One other thing talking about cars...I bought and still have a 2001 Mits Montero Sport...it was in the shop getting fixed all the time...replacing brake pads every 15,000 miles/timing chain broke/oil leak shouldn't Mits have replaced that vehicle because of 3 times and your out.


Boy... now that I think of it 2001 was a bad year for Mits products...


Here is another example my brother owns a 1 year old Sony 50" LCD...Sony has been out to his house 3 times...shouldn't they replace it! Remember 3 times and your out!


Samsung was out to my house one time and decided to replace their product...I never asked for a new unit...they just did it. Now wouldn't you call that a company that has a service policy that is second to none!!!

 

[tjk]

Why are we heaping praise on a company for doing what the SHOULD do, at a minimum? How low have our expectations gotten?

Clangro - you are not a prick. You are absolutely right.


They sold you a piece of crap. They should rectify it. Period. You spent $4K on a TV - how many days have you had to watch it? And now you have to wait another 21 days? That's good??? Are they giving you your money back while you wait for a watchable TV?


They are doing the absolute minimum that any company should do. In order for this to be described as good service, they should do something EXTRA for you. Like when an airline gives it's customers vouchers for being late - that's good service. When they don't give you anything for arriving 4 hours late, that's standard service at best, poor at worst.


Samsung isn't giving you anything, and if they didn't do AT LEAST what they offered to do, they could be sued under lemon laws designed to protect the consumer. Any company that wouldn't at least provide this minimum level of service should be avoided like the plague. You bought a lemon, they (or your retailer) have had your money all this time, they should replace it, and to keep you as a customer, you should get a gift certificate.


I'm sorry, and I don't mean any offense, but anyone who thinks a company is providing outstanding service for replacing a lemon after three repair attempts when you paid good money for the product has lowered their standards to the point where they are asking to be taken advantage from.


Samsung may in fact have great customer service, but this anecdote is an example of minimum service, not "First Class" service.

 

[tjk]

Ask this thread starter how first class Samsung is:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=460241

 

[jwv651]



Originally posted by tjk


You stated...Any company that wouldn't at least provide this minimum level of service should be avoided like the plague.


That means don't buy Mits, Sony products because they did not provide the minimum level of service...read my last post...these manufacturers should then be avoided according to you...We could get in to a total debate as to what is a minimum level of service.


All that I am saying is SAMSUNG took care of me...I am very happy with their Service.

 

[BillP]

Every brand has it's share of defective sets. It's nice to hear that Samsung took good care of you (and there are more posts here praising their service than criticizing it). Joe thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[jwv651]

Quote:

Originally posted by BillP Every brand has it's share of defective sets. It's nice to hear that Samsung took good care of you (and there are more posts here praising their service than criticizing it). Joe thanks for sharing your experience.

Thanks Bill...I also want to add I have a Samsung HLN567 since Dec 2003 without one single problem, so like you said anyone can get a defective set.

 

[tjk]



Originally posted by jwv651
Quote:

Originally posted by tjk You stated...Any company that wouldn't at least provide this minimum level of service should be avoided like the plague. That means don't buy Mits, Sony products because they did not provide the minimum level of service...read my last post...these manufacturers should then be avoided according to you...We could get in to a total debate as to what is a minimum level of service.

You're right. I would never do business with Mitsubishi or Sony if I was treated that way. I would also expect my local retailer to help me out in that case (a good reason not to buy one of these over the internet unless you know the company).


I also wouldn't jump up and down about how great a company is because they met my minimum expectations.


You're happy - that's all that counts. I'm just not overly impressed enough to give them "first class". Your money is long gone, and you still don't have a TV. I still say you should have gotten something extra for your inconvenience. What are you watching now? You're going to miss the entire World Series. Yeah, you've got another TV, but what if you didn't? Would you feel the same way? I don't think so. Your giddiness is only aided by the fact that you are fortunate enough to have another big screen. Given a different circumstance, watching the World Series (assuming you care) on whatever you had before, I don't think you'd be drooling over the level of service you've gotten. You should have your TV NOW. That would be more acceptable.

 

[jwv651]



Originally posted by tjk

You're right. I would never do business with Mitsubishi or Sony if I was treated that way.


That is why I gave Samsung my business!

 

[robert123]

Quote:

Originally posted by tjk Why are we heaping praise on a company for doing what the SHOULD do, at a minimum? How low have our expectations gotten? Clangro - you are not a prick. You are absolutely right. They sold you a piece of crap. They should rectify it. Period. You spent $4K on a TV - how many days have you had to watch it? And now you have to wait another 21 days? That's good??? Are they giving you your money back while you wait for a watchable TV? They are doing the absolute minimum that any company should do. In order for this to be described as good service, they should do something EXTRA for you. Like when an airline gives it's customers vouchers for being late - that's good service. When they don't give you anything for arriving 4 hours late, that's standard service at best, poor at worst.

When you buy a TV (or any product), there is a written warranty included. This document describes the remedies provided in the case of failure. For a product of this size, repair is generally specified. Incedental and consequential damages, such as compensation for loss of use, is usually excluded. If you do not like the terms of a wrranty, you are under no obligation to buy the product.

Quote:

Samsung isn't giving you anything, and if they didn't do AT LEAST what they offered to do, they could be sued under lemon laws designed to protect the consumer.

I think there are a couple states with lemon laws for electronics, but most states have no such laws.

Quote:

I'm sorry, and I don't mean any offense, but anyone who thinks a company is providing outstanding service for replacing a lemon after three repair attempts when you paid good money for the product has lowered their standards to the point where they are asking to be taken advantage from.

The original poster stated twice that there was only one repair attempt performed.


It is definitely not standard procedure to simply replace the set. It may have been that a part needed for repair was not in stock and not expected for a period of time that they thought was too long, they may have wanted your set for QC purposes to see exactly what is causing the problem(s), or the technician may have determined that the amount of work involved was not worth the low rates paid for warranty service and got them to agree to replacement.


Robert

 

[NVboy]

Quote:

Originally posted by robert123 I think there are a couple states with lemon laws for electronics, but most states have no such laws.

People assume lemon laws apply to all products, which they don't. The only lemon laws out there involve automobile purchases. I still haven't come across any state that has specific lemon laws for anything non-automotive, although I hope they exist somewhere at least.

 

[tjk]

I still state that if you are going to jump for joy and say a company is world class because a company replaces the piece of **** they sold you, you've got pretty low expectations.


There were three problems with the set. I don't care if the guy came to the house once, three times, or moved into your living room for a month. The fact is the set was defective.


Regardless of what the warranty says about repair, FIRTS CLASS customer service is rectifying a problem and going above and beyond what you are required to do. Here we have a case where it will still be three more weeks before a customer has a viewable TV. How the hell is that first class?


Just because they don't HAVE to do something by law, doesn't mean they SHOULDN'T do it. For example, if a restaurant screws up your order, they don't HAVE to take the charge for the item they messed up off the bill (if they replace it). But GOOD customer service would dictate they do something additional to satisfy you.


My issue here is that this thread is to go ga ga over the fact that a company is doing what I think we should all at least EXPECT them to do. I would also expect more - I would have been watching the Yankees-Red Sox game last night pissed as hell that I laid out $4K for a TV and I can't get a working one for three more weeks.


Why three weeks? Anyone bother to ask that question? jwv651 has another big screen TV, so he doesn't care. That's not very typical. Look, I'm sure he's a great guy, but for crying out loud, this is not first class service. It's low expectations, which is why most electronics companies suck at customer service to begin with.

 

[HiDefGator]

Let me add my experiences to the thread...


If Samsung has great repair sevice it is a good thing because the quality of their manufacturing process leaves a lot to be desired.


I purchased a brand new HLP5063 last week. The color wheel in it whined so loud it was unbearable. Circuit City replaced it two days later with another new in the box set. Guess what, it also whined though not as bad.


Both sets were made in Mexico. The first in June the second in August. The repair man just left after attempting to replace the color wheel in the second set. When he removed the whining color wheel it was obvious what was causing the whine. The cable going to the color wheel was left with too much slack inside the color wheel housing. The cable was rubbing on the spinning wheel.


But it gets better. The replacement color wheel did not work correctly. The picture was clear but the colors were all scrambled. After trying several things he finally put the original color wheel back in and adjusted the cable so it would no longer rub the spinning wheel.


So the track record so far is 2 out of 2 tv's built wrong. And 1 out of 1 replacement parts that did not work correctly either.


So like I said, it's a really good thing they have good repair service.

 

[BillP]

My experience is just like that of jwv651 above. I bought my Sammy HLN567 14 months ago, and have not had a single problem. A good friend bought an HLM a year before that, and his only problem was that he had to change the bulb once. I bet there is not a single brand of HDTV that you can buy that does not have a negative thread here complaining of some defect. There are more defective Sammys out there simply because they have sold more sets - their defect rate is no worse than any other brand, and better than most.

 

[jwv651]



Originally posted by tjk

[I still state that if you are going to jump for joy and say a company is world class because a company replaces the piece of **** they sold you, you've got pretty low expectations


tjk...Sit back and chill...you are drinking way to much red bull or coffee or something.


I never said Samsung was a world class company...first class in customer service...yes


By the way I actually watched the big game last night on the HLP6163...and the PQ was very acceptable...The main reason they are replacing my set is because they cannot replace the smudged screens...which are on back order...To make me, the customer happy they want to give me a brand new set...What the hell is wrong with that...Lets see Mits, Tosh, Sony replace a TV for that reason...and another thing I got a brand new bulb/lamp $250 still in the box that the Samsung Tech left me for the future...Boy does Samsung Suck...This debate is over! I need to go watch the Card/Astros game on my HLP6163.

 

[Shallow70]

Having had recent service on my HLN61 Samsung, I would second the service that I had was exceptional.


I received the upgrade for the sound delay and had a bulb replaced due to having three blinking light problems. Neither problem caused an outage of picture, and from initial call, to service, was very well handled. It exceeded my expectations, and that is not easy to do. I also do not this means what I have is a piece of [email protected]


In fact, I got a follow-up call just yesterday asking how was the service, and making sure of my satisfaction. The only service company who is on par with this is Lexus.


I worked in a large company CS for over 4 years and understand very well how such operations work. If mailing something standard mail is fine with the customer, then you don't ship it over night. If jwv651 had the desire or need, maybe Samsung would have had something done quicker.


Rather than bad-mouthing those bad-mouthing Samsung, I will just second that I, also, am a happy owner of a Samsung product.

 

[tjk]



Originally posted by jwv651
Quote:

Originally posted by tjk This debate is over! I need to go watch the Card/Astros game on my HLP6163.

Your right - the debate is over. It's gotten pointless by now. You're happy - that's all that counts. If your picture was watchable, and they're just replacing the set to make sure you're happy, that is good service. Everyone's experience and expectations will differ.


I hope Samsung does provide good service on a regular basis - I may just get a 74 yet. Actually, on second thought, I hope I never have to deal with their customer service. But if I do, I'll tell them Joe V. sent me.


Now I'm going to go have another red bull.