Samsung TV Capacitor Defect - not getting anywhere

tghe-retford

I bought a Samsung 40" LCD TV about one and a half years ago after a competition win. A couple of weeks ago, the TV developed symptoms where:

- it would turn on during the night and stay on
- the TV would not come out of standby for a couple of minutes, flashing the power LED three times before going off for a couple of seconds and then repeating.
- the TV also turns itself off. I've left it off and unplugged from the mains to prevent further damage and for safety.

I asked about this problem in the home technology subforum of another well known forum and the television engineer who frequents the forum there suggests that it is what I thought, the well known sub-standard capacitor defect. I also have a couple of friends who work with electrical devices who also came to the same conclusion.

Now clearly, a TV should last more than one and a half years, so I explored my options. They are as thus:

- Currys can take the TV for inspection as per Sales of Goods Act 1979, but I have to pay £60 for the inspection, I *may* get a refund and I have to collect it (difficult in my position).
- Samsung refuse to acknowledge it is the capacitor defect, asked me to call a repair centre who quoted me £50 just to knock on the door with another £50 if they have to take it away, paid up front. I *may* get a refund if Samsung decide to, considering their current stance, I'd not bet on it.
- Inspect and repair it myself. Price of replacement capacitors - around £2.50. My friend who works with electrical devices and has knowledge in this field actually said he'll do it for free as a favour, but...

...I have asked him to hold on, because I also did some research into this subject and found other Samsung LCD TV owners with the same defect as I described have had their televisions repaired outside of the manufacturers warranty for free, yet Samsung are standing firm that I must pay handsomely for the same thing. Sounds utterly unfair to me. And it's not just me, the same research found others with the same model as me having the same problem in the same time frame and also being asked to pay for repairs or taking matters into their own hands and repairing it themselves, whilst others reported they got free repairs for the same defect.

So I wrote to the UK Service Manager for Samsung, alas no reply yet and I am giving him a number of days more as a courtesy.

My question is, what should I do afterwards if the manager refuses to reply or does not budge? As things stand, Samsung are digging their heels in and refusing outright to fix the fault for me unless I pay handsomely for it, which considering they have for others, isn't right. We're going around in circles and if I am not careful, this'll drag for months without resolution or a working TV.

It's getting to the point where I'll have no choice but to contact the BBC's Watchdog/You and Yours/Don't Get Done Get Dom in order to get Samsung to play fair for me and other users who have suffered from this defect but are being told to cough up for a manufacturing defect that others have not had to.

Thanks in advance.

Fergie76

My Samsung recently had the same problem, but I have insurance with Domestic and General and it was fixed under that. I asked the engineer how much the part cost and he said it was about £30 and watching fit it, it's easy to do.

So if you can't get hold of the part I would suggest you do it yourself.

Basically unscrew the back, unscrew the circuit board, unclip the wires take and re-do. Bit like a plug and play part on a computer.

Esqui

Samsung won't repair it free, and, indeed, they have absolutely no responsibility to do so. That lies with the retailer. If Currys collect and find out that the problem is caused by faulty capacitors, then you will get the £60 back as well as a repair or partial refund. If you want to be completely sure, you can get an independent report on the problem, such as form a local TV engineer. You would get any money paid for that back as well.

tghe-retford

Esqui wrote: »

Samsung won't repair it free, and, indeed, they have absolutely no responsibility to do so. That lies with the retailer. If Currys collect and find out that the problem is caused by faulty capacitors, then you will get the £60 back as well as a repair or partial refund. If you want to be completely sure, you can get an independent report on the problem, such as form a local TV engineer. You would get any money paid for that back as well.

Except for the fact that it's a known defect (search "Samsung LCD Capacitor" with your favourite search engine) and that Samsung have repaired hundreds of the TV's for a one off free of charge out of warranty repair if you contact them. However, in my case, they are digging their heels in and refusing even though the symptoms are the same.

Why should I have to pay a sizeable amount of money to have something working again when other people have had the same thing fixed for free upfront without having to claim cash back (and that's if Samsung agree, considering their rhetoric, I fear any money I pay out will not be refunded)? That's the issue here - fairness - and my question is where can I go after this.

Hintza

tghe-retford wrote: »

Except for the fact that it's a known defect (search "Samsung LCD Capacitor" with your favourite search engine) and that Samsung have repaired hundreds of the TV's for a one off free of charge out of warranty repair if you contact them. However, in my case, they are digging their heels in and refusing even though the symptoms are the same.

Why should I have to pay a sizeable amount of money to have something working again when other people have had the same thing fixed for free upfront without having to claim cash back (and that's if Samsung agree, considering their rhetoric, I fear any money I pay out will not be refunded)? That's the issue here - fairness - and my question is where can I go after this.

I imagine because you started of quoting the rule book to them. The other thing is you don't know what the fault is, you are making an assumption based on some ones idea but they have not even inspected the TV.

If you want this resolved you will have to play the game properly.

paddyrg

Look at this from their side for a second - the symptoms are the same *you say*, but they cannot confirm that it isn't one of the several hundred other things that can affect TV's without checking it themselves.

tghe-retford

Hintza wrote: »

I imagine because you started of quoting the rule book to them. The other thing is you don't know what the fault is, you are making an assumption based on some ones idea but they have not even inspected the TV.

If you want this resolved you will have to play the game properly.

paddyrg wrote: »

Look at this from their side for a second - the symptoms are the same *you say*, but they cannot confirm that it isn't one of the several hundred other things that can affect TV's without checking it themselves.

What has happened with this defect is that you call Samsung, you tell them the symptoms, if it matches the known symptoms for the capacitor defect (remember - I quoted a number of people in my original post who said my symptoms sound like the defect!), they send an engineer out to inspect the TV to confirm the defect and repair it free of charge. The thing here is that if some people quote those symptoms, Samsung without question send out a engineer to inspect and repair the TV free of charge, whilst others are told effectively "you are on your own and it'll cost ya". Our only options if Samsung refuse to acknowledge the defect are to have it repaired at own cost (not cheap) or repair it ourselves (dangerous if you don't know what you are doing).

In effect I am paying twice for the TV, once when bought and again when the capacitors go. That sets a dangerous precedent where manufacturers could intentionally make goods fail after the 12 month warranty to rake in more cash from repair bills. The fact here is that where there is a known manufacturing defect, and Samsung clearly know there is if they are making one time out of warranty free of charge repairs, they should have the grace to rectify the defect, not to give preferential treatment to some and leave others to fix the same defect for a sizeable and handsome amount.

It's the double standards and unfairness of it all which concerns me, and I have told the UK service manager this in my email.

antenna

Samsung will in the end repair the tv free if it is proved to be the common defective part.......a word with trading standards wont go amis.

Esqui

Samsung have no legal obligation to repair it...they are perfectly within their rights to say yes to repairing free one person's TV and not another's. If you follow the right SoGA procedures, then you will not be out of pocket once it's fixed.

moonrakerz

tghe-retford wrote: »

Now clearly, a TV should last more than one and a half years, so I explored my options. They are as thus:

- Currys can take the TV for inspection as per Sales of Goods Act 1979, but I have to pay £60 for the inspection, I *may* get a refund and I have to collect it (difficult in my position).............So I wrote to the UK Service Manager for Samsung, alas no reply yet and I am giving him a number of days more as a courtesy.

hintza has already (politely) hinted at your problems.

Let's itemize them:
1. There is nothing that says how long a TV (or anything else ) should last for.
2. Your understanding (like so many people's) of SoGA is incomplete.
3. From point 2 - Samsung have NO responsibility for this whatsoever.
4. Your (rather silly) points about manufacturers building in defects to gain extra revenue shows your general ill-thought out attitude to your problem.
5. If you wish to complain, send a recorded letter - rattling off a quick e-mail tells the recipient (if he ever gets it !) that the complainant can't be bothered to complain properly and therefore is probably on unsure ground to start with.

Solution: Read and understand the Sale of Goods Act - then follow what that says ....................

bris

Esqui wrote: »

Samsung have no legal obligation to repair it...they are perfectly within their rights to say yes to repairing free one person's TV and not another's. If you follow the right SoGA procedures, then you will not be out of pocket once it's fixed.

I don't think the OP is getting the point, OP you need to make your complaints to the retailer, Samsung have no contract or obligation to you, the retailer does.
For a remedy under SOGA get an engineers report to back up the inherant fault and present it to the retailer, the retailer will have to refund the cost of this report if found in your favour. If the retailer still doesn't want to know then a small claims action would be needed. It very rarely gets to that stage.