The demise of YouTube XL and one less feature on my TV

frugal_mike

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Contract?
The retailer has sold the TV presumably with a year long warranty against faulty manufacture. The manufacture of the set is not at fault, a third party has withdrawn the service. In any case, out-of-warranty complaints are not the responsibility of the retailer and are routinely referred to the manufacturer.
As someone said above, if TV's had to remain as originally advertised (even down to what content is available) then we could all replace old analogue TV sets because analogue has been switched off.

Warranties are in addition to statutory rights. When OP gave money in exchange for a TV that formed a contract with the retailer (not Toshiba).

If the tv was specifically advertised as having YouTube support then you could argue its no longer fit for that small part of its purpose. If op complains to the retailer they may make a small offer of goodwill if they can't get YouTube support working again

Out of warranty complaints are only the responsibility of the retailer though, there is no contract with the manufacturer.

[Deleted User]

frugal_mike wrote: »

If the tv was specifically advertised as having YouTube support then you could argue its no longer fit for that small part of its purpose.

How long outside of the warranty would you suggest the TV still be fit for "a small part" of it's purpose? The OP says he purchased the item "in the last couple of years".
If the TV was new and had ceased being able to receive You Tube Xl then I'd agree there was a case to argue.

frugal_mike wrote: »

Out of warranty complaints are only the responsibility of the retailer though, there is no contract with the manufacturer.

As I said, out-of-warranty complaints are routinely passed to the manufacturer by all electrical retailers. If the manufacturer agrees it is a fault then the retailer will either arrange for repair or may choose to pay a part refund (depending on the age of the set).
I refuse to believe that Toshiba technical support has told the Op that he can return the TV to the shop.

frugal_mike

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

How long outside of the warranty would you suggest the TV still be fit for "a small part" of it's purpose? The OP says he purchased the item "in the last couple of years".
If the TV was new and had ceased being able to receive You Tube Xl then I'd agree there was a case to argue.

For however long the reasonable life of the tv was, as is the case with any Sale of Goods Act Claim. The warranty is irrelevant as its in addition to your statutory rights.

However I never suggested op should pursue this in the way you would if the tv had stopped functioning entirely. I just said to complain to the retailer and see if they make a small gesture of goodwill. I'm not suggesting they return the tv.

Hoseman

Chromecast will be coming out soon and that will solve the YT issue plus give you a little more. My Panasonic TV has YouTube but its horrible to use via the remote so looking forward to Chromecast so I can access via another device.

Maxx20

Cheers for the advice all. I'll just clarify the "take it back to the shop" bit, the context being that no-one had ever asked this particular chap about this particular issue, he kept having to ask colleagues for advice and did qualify that it was his best guess (although not in those words) that it could be taken back to the retailer as no official advice was available with regards to the issue.

I think the point on analogue TVs is probably the best comparison to draw, I think I may just have to accept this one. With the caveat of course that everyone knew about digital switch-over so anyone buying an analogue TV 2 years before that happened could quite reasonably have been expected to understand the outcome later on down the track. Analogue TVs were also priced to reflect this or sold off in sales. Of course no-one (manufacturer or consumer) could have known Google would pull XL, seemed a pretty snap decision.

Also true to say that other manufacturers don't have this issue, I have mates who bought kit at the same time, or even previously to when I did which still retains its full functionality. If anything I backed the wrong horse in that respect, something to put down to experience.

I tracked down a "Google TV" box at a fair price on Amazon so I've ordered one of those. Looks to be a bit of solid state kit running Android (4.2) and offering what in reality will be a far better Smart TV experience than the TV anyway. I don't have a smart phone so ChromeCast probably not the best solution for me, *really* must get one, I'm far too good at procrastinating.

Thanks again for the advice, if Tosh do get back to me with regards to any software updates or suggested solutions I'll be sure to post an update :-)

Esqui

But, if claiming under SoGA, wouldn't OP have to prove that it didn't conform to contract at the time of sale? Might be a little tricky there

Maxx20

Really should have replied earlier on this, sorry.

Basically Tosh have walked away from this one, there's small print that says "the smart stuff might stop working" and sure enough, it has. I guess they were honest at least.

The addition of a further bit of kit has got back the features, it's another box but it's also a lot more functional than the TV ever was anyway. I guess the "Smart" TV stuff has a short shelf life and isn't worth paying extra for, I'm pleased to say that the standard functions of the TV were probably worth the cost without "smart" so that's something.

Lum

The Analogue TV comparison is a bit daft. If someone was still selling brand new analogue-only TVs a year before the switchover then the comparison would be valid, but they wern't, TVs had built-in freeview for years leading up to it.

That said, this is why I have no interest in owning a smart TV, we have a rather old plasma screen and a PC hooked up to it running MediaPortal, much easier to keep up to date.

almillar

This is why I keep the 'smart' outside the TV. Treat it like a dumb display, input whatever you like into it, and put the sound somewhere else. As long as the picture is good, it's doing the job right for me.
I've got a Samsung 'smart' TV with Youtube. Sounds great? No. The app is rubbish and gives you awful quality videos (nowhere near SD, never mind HD) on a 60 inch screen. You can't trust the specs of smart TVs at all.