How long should a Plasma TV be 'reasonably' expected to last?

bass3k

Hi there,

I've had a look around online and can't really find a reliable way to answer my question so I am hoping you kind folks can help me out.

I bought a television about 3 and a half years ago, brand new, Panasonic, on credit (not sure if that matters).

It was fine until about a year ago where it began cutting out at random, doing what is called a 'handshake' where it basically connects to the devices attached to it by HDMI lead. It is supposed to do this when you connect say a Sky box, Playstation, Xbox, or PC, and then it is set. What my TV is doing is randomly 'handshaking' at will, just saying hello repeatedly every hour or so. It started off less frequent but is getting worse and I've been searching for reasons/fixes for ages.

It was suggested to me that even though we don't have any kind of extended warranty an £800 plasma TV should be expected to reasonably last more than 3 and a half years. I know they "don't make them like they used to" but my parents still have a television I used 20 years ago and it works fine! 3.5 years is a pathetically short time.

I emailed Panasonic who made the television, they told me that they only guarantee it for a year. That seems even worse! How can they be allowed to say an £800 purchase can only be guaranteed for 1 year?! They say if I want it fixed I need to fork out for a Panasonic repair man to come out and fix it, I tried to see if we have any local alternatives but it costs a fortune, I'm so frustrated by it because it was an expensive tele (from our POV) and we bought Panasonic because we expected quality, here we are now being expected to spend more out on it to repair it when it has developed a fault so quickly, am I being unreasonable? Fair enough if so, I just expected more from it!

So is there anything I can do, folks? I'd greatly appreciate your help, even if it's negative news

Thank you

colin79666

OK first things first. Unless you bought it direct from Panasonic then they aren't responsible in the eyes of the law.
SADFART (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/consumer-rights-wallet-print) defines what you can expect. Any claim has to be with the retailer, not the manufacturer.

I'd say you are unlikely to get anywhere with this. Up to 3 years then perhaps but beyond that, while there isn't a defined limit, I wouldn't think you would have a great chance.

We've always got our TV's from John Lewis or Costco as they are might cost a little more but include a decent warranty (rather than adding hundreds on like Currys would). Costco gave us cash in hand when our Panasonic packed up after 2 and a half years. We went to John Lewis and got a newer model for less money.

AlecEiffel

I've read in numerous places that the panel itself should be good for 60,000 hours of use, and newer ones 100,000 hours. This is then effected by humidity, temp, etc etc. The rest of the components can be as reliable or as unreliable as anything.

I'd expect that amount of money to buy me something that lasts. So you're not being unreasonable as such, but the warranty is 1 yr so I doubt you can do much.

Don't suppose you bought it from John Lewis? They warranty for 5 yrs as standard on TVs and believe they did so 3 1/2 yrs ago too.

Edit - Gaaarrrgghhhh slow typing,

grizzly1911

We have a panasonic, which is a little younger and they were offering 5 year Panasonic warranties at the time as a sale "gimmick".

Where did you buy it from? As said above recourse is through the retailer, whilst they may not repair they may offer you something against a new TV. The trouble is the "same" TV is probably £400 today so might not offer very much.

After you attached anything new to it through HDMI? Have you it without HDMI devices attached? What happens/

Have you tried reattaching each item HDMI item individually to each HDMi port in turn to establish whether it is faulty socket/or device?

If one item will work OK through one HDMI port (ours has three) you could run the other devices through a multi adapter switcher into that port..

Ratboy

The manufacturer states a 'run time' of components, in the manual, as a general basis how long the product will last, say 10,000 hours or so, depending on the environment etc, as stated above.

But there are a lot of variables, ie do you leave it in standby? Are you constantly switching it on and off? Is it on all day? What is there definition of the times set?

My personal experience of repairing TV's, in the past, is that 'Ye olde CRT', screens will last 3-400 years at least, as they work to a vacuum, it's the components that drive them that fail, but are easily replaced and cheap. The problem with that is that components are being miniturised, and unable to be replaced at a local level, a new board required, which often costs more than the cost of a new TV.

LCD screens have a life of between 0-10 years max, due to the way the screen is powered.

They use an invertor, to convert 240v to 12v to power 240v flo lights at each side of the screen. These bulbs are exactly the same a flo tube you might find in your Kitchen. How often does a bulb blow, or the starter?

They also suffer artefacts, which is blodges on the screen, and pixalation failure, so you get dots on the screen, until you notice them, they are not an issue, but when they do; they annoy you to hell..!

Plasma, is a gaseous substance, and as far as I can see, lasts for 0-5 years. It isn't contained within the unit, due to it emitting light thru the screen, but the Plasma isn't regenerated, then the TV will die.

Also rear projection TV, too much dust will build up on the bulb, required to transmit, and blow the bulb too early. Are new bulbs available?

thescouselander

Plasma screens should last a lot longer than 5 years, indeed I know quite a few people who have plasma tvs a lot older than this. They do go dimmer over time though but you can compensate to some extent by changing the settings.

Buffett

I had one that lasted 11 years before finally the power supply failed. Another I have has served 9 years and still going strong. Mind you, they were both extremely expensive at the time I bought them!!

spakkker

Think it's the sale of goods act that says upto 6 years for items costing over £100.
Depends what is reasonable for the price paid.
A £24 power tool would not be expected to last the same as a £300 one.
Most retailers pretend this law does not exist.
Edit- I think you have a valid claim but it would be easier to ask for a "good will" repair.

crazyoldgoat

I would expect a good quality plasma/lcd to last 10 years but I know alot of lower-quality brands last less than that. I'd recommend buying from John Lewis as they have a 5 year warranty included with all of their TV's.

almillar

1. As you've been told, you need to speak to whoever you bought the TV from, not the manufacturer.
2. It's a matter of what would you reasonably expect. I'd reasonably expect an £800, branded, big TV, to last more than 3.5 years, yes.
3. It's a minor fault, and might be a repair matter (could be a little HDMI or input board that can be easily replaced) - the retailer might want to repair.
4. Before doing any of this, have your tried unplugging everything and plugging it back in again?!

bass3k

Thank you very much for your responses. Unfortunately we bought it from Comet, I read through the credit agreement we had to pay for it though and that says that in the event of them going bust, we may be able to 'sue' the credit company instead. This seems extremely drastic to me, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I only went to Panasonic because I figured they might know how to fix it, have the repair means or know what to do. I spoke to someone I work with and they suggested that the company isn't obliged to tell me about the law anyways so the emphasis is on me to contact whoever and show them what law/reasoning I have, it is unlikely a good will gesture is coming my way.