BLACKBURN CURRYS won't allow me to return/exchange £1300 Tv!!

olidee

Hello everyone,
I recently bought the Panasonic DT50 55" LCD Tv and it cost me £1299.99. I bought it because of the SMART capabilities of internet on your Tv and also because my son hogs the computer. I bought it 8 days ago and since then I have been trying to get the internet on the SMART Tv to work properly. The speed currently is less than a snails pace, as if there was something wrong with it. But just to double check it wasn't my fault I was on the phone to Orange, my broadband provider, who did speed checks and they were fine. I took everything off the wireless connection to make sure it wasn't that and still it was extremely slow, almost stand still. Still no luck so I got in contact with Currys.
I rang the Currys helpline about returns and the person I spoke to went through a checklist and and then said I should return it to store for a full refund or exchange. So I packed it away and off I went to the BLACKBURN CURRYS STORE.
I arrived there and explained what the problem was and they said I have been given wrong information and the only way I could return it was for it to be unopened.
It escalated for me to see the manager but before that a member of staff, ARIF, a middle aged man came over to me and started asking questions before becoming VOLATILE and HOSTILE towards me and not allowing me to speak. He then stormed off.
When the manager did turn up he went through what the policy was and I explained again the phone call to the Currys help desk (or Knowhow team as they are called) and he then suggested it was my internet problem. I explained again what I had done to double check everything and he then said for it to be returned there has to be a fault. I said fine so he rang the returns, like I did, and they gave him a number to ring for a DIAGNOSTIC CHECK. He said I had to go home and do it and if they find a fault then I will get a Returns Authority Number and I can exchange or refund the TV.
I rang the number and it puts you through an automated service that has voice recognition. It clarified I had a "PANASONIC" item but wouldn't recognise "TELEVISION" and gave me the Panasonic customer service number. No good. So I rang Currys again.
They passed me to the technical team, eventually.
I went through it all again and they said I had to run a speed test which came back at 3.03 and the conclusion that they came to was I had to have at least 10MB internet speed for it to run properly!
I told him I wasn't told this when I bought it and he said it's my own fault for not asking, I should have done my homework.
Why on God's Earth would I want to buy a £1300 Tv especially built for the internet when the internet doesn't work properly on it?
The Technical support assistant then said it's up to the discretion of the manager and he obviously isn't accepting it back without a fault on it.
WHAT DO I DO WITHOUT LOSING THE PLOT?

[Deleted User]

It sounds to me like you need to upgrade your internet connection, not argue about the TV not working. Your wireless connection is the most likely culprit, probably accounting for the low speed recorded.
It's like buying this TV and complaining you can't view Sky Movies because
you don't subscribe to Sky. The TV is perfectly capable of receiving SMART internet features, but you need a faster internet connection to do it.

As for describing the member of staff as "volatile", you might want to check that was the appropriate word.:D

macman

No retailer is under any legal obligation to accept a return unless it has a fault. And even then they can offer you a repair, replacement, or refund at their discretion. In your case, a fault does not appear to have been proven.
Did you try connecting the TV via ethernet instead? That will rule out any issues with your wirelesss connection.
Regarding their attitude, unfortunately if you buy things from DSG then this is the sort of customer 'service' that can be expected. They're not known as the UK's worst retailer for nothing-they have to work hard to maintain that reputation.
You should just about be able to stream from iPlayer etc at 3Mbps (is that speed via ethernet?), but it's at the low end. If you are using wi-fi to the TV, that will slow it even further, so switch to ethernet or Homeplugs.

visidigi

is it specified in the documentation that a minimum connection speed is required?

If not then Curry's simply can't make stuff up for their convenience...

bigbulldog

Hi,what is your internet speed.???????

[Deleted User]

macman wrote: »

You should just about be able to stream from iPlayer etc at 3Mbps (is that speed via ethernet?), but it's at the low end. If you are using wi-fi to the TV, that will slow it even further, so switch to ethernet or Homeplugs.

Yes, I'd say this was the most likely way to improve the internet connectivity of the set.



One of the worst TV's of the year!
http://cnettv.cnet.com/one-worst-tvs-year/9742-1_53-50124028.html

roddydogs

I know its been said many times, but "Smart" TVs arnt very "Smart"

[Deleted User]

visidigi wrote: »

is it specified in the documentation that a minimum connection speed is required?

If not then Curry's simply can't make stuff up for their convenience...

Looking at the Panasonic manual for the DT50, there is a very clear disclaimer
Page 91
"Depending on the connection environment, the internet connection may be slow or may not be successful."

I think the OP might need to connect directly via Ethernet or Homeplugs, obviously the wireless connection being used isn't up to the job.

visidigi

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Looking at the Panasonic manual for the DT50, there is a very clear disclaimer
Page 91
"Depending on the connection environment, the internet connection may be slow or may not be successful."

I think the OP might need to connect directly via Ethernet or Homeplugs, obviously the wireless connection being used isn't up to the job.

That is not a relative disclaimer to this scenario. Curry's have stated the OP's connection is insufficient and it was up to him to know this - if its not documented what is and what is not a suitable connection then they cannot use this as grounds. There needs to be a defined minimum in the product specification or documentation to state to a consumer that a 10mb connection is required as a minimum.

macman

But a 10Mbps connection is not required. That's just some ill-informed sales rep at DSG making it up as they go along.

visidigi

macman wrote: »

But a 10Mbps connection is not required. That's just some ill-informed sales rep at DSG making it up as they go along.

That's my point lol