Whats the consensus on how long a TV should last?

Grungewart

Hi all,

our Samsung TV has developed the purple patch in the middle of the screen issue, which google suggests is if not common then at least well known.

I bought it in October 2016 from Argos, click and collect so the purchase shows up on my Argos history but has no details (it's just a value of order and an error message if you try to drill down for details), looks like I paid by credit card but Argos were unable to find the order in their system when I spoke to them.  I don't have a printed receipt but I do have the email confirmation for click and collect order and that does say what I bought.

It's a 40" and cost just over £400 at the time so I expected it to last longer.  I'm assuming it's not going to be economical to repair but do people think there's any mileage in pushing consumer rights to try and get some credit against a replacement and if so what sort of percentage would be reasonable?

Money_Grabber13579

Personally, I would expect a TV to last about 6 years but I only base that on the fact that some retailers offer 6 year warranties (so they must be confident that they will generally last at least that long).  After this time, you will need an expert report to confirm whether the fault was inherent in the TV (one that would have been present when the TV was purchased, albeit perhaps not visible or obvious at that time) and if the report says that it is, then you can pursue Argos for a remedy under consumer rights (repair, replacement or refund). However, any refund can be partial to reflect the use you’ve already had from the TV. 

pinkshoes

I would expect a TV to last at least 5 years, probably up to 10.

Surely it depends how much it is watched??

My Sony Bravia is 19 years old and refuses to die!

Grumpy_chap

£400 TV, lasted 4 years. 

I'd probably hope it would last longer, but accept it and simply buy a new one if it broke at this point.  Unless it was supplied with a longer warranty.  

For £400, after a deduction for percent of use, any claim will be so small as to be not worth the effort.

MattMattMattUK

The panels themselves are generally rated at 40k-100k hours, but that is continuous operation, not cycling and temperature changes. Things like exposure to bright sunlight, wide temperature changes and of course impact or pressure have a huge and sometimes instant change. With current display technologies now being mature modern TVs will now last longer, although OLED does have limitations in terms of lifespan.

My last TV was. Sony Brava and lasted 14 years, however I also know people whose TV have lasted for much shorter durations.

I do not think you will find a consensus on this, some people will think as long as the warranty, others will think more than a decade. I think that whilst four years is on the short side it is not within the realm of being able to claim under consumer rights legislation. 

Undervalued

Money_Grabber13579 said:

Personally, I would expect a TV to last about 6 years but I only base that on the fact that some retailers offer 6 year warranties (so they must be confident that they will generally last at least that long).  After this time, you will need an expert report to confirm whether the fault was inherent in the TV (one that would have been present when the TV was purchased, albeit perhaps not visible or obvious at that time) and if the report says that it is, then you can pursue Argos for a remedy under consumer rights (repair, replacement or refund). However, any refund can be partial to reflect the use you’ve already had from the TV. 

Six years is often mentioned and may well be the figure that is used to calculate any pro rata payout. 
However, in many ways it is nonsense as the number of hours use plus how many times it has been turned on and off will be far more significant factors. Some people seem to find in necessary to have the TV on from first thing in the morning until they go to bed whereas others might watch one or two programs a week!

Most TV's will have the number of hours use stored and that figure can be accessed from the hidden service menu. 

As others have indicated based on an expected life of six years, of which the OP has had four, he would probably only get two sixths of the purchase price which is £133. To have a chance of getting that he would need to risk paying for an independent report, which would probably cost at least £50 and maybe more. That would be added to any settlement but is further money lost if the report is not conclusive.

A close call.

Al_Ross

The manufactures use to stipulate that the screens(panels) under average use were expected to last at least 7 years before the pictures would start to fade. So that’s should be a reasonable time. That said a lot are lasting in excess of ten years

Al_Ross

I forgot to say the problem with your tv is the screen (panel itself) and it is uneconomical to  replace these.

That is why Samsung refuse an extended repair.

I would chase Argos for at least a partial refund ,get a report, the cost of which Argos should be covering

J_J

6 years for a major electrical item (like a TV) is a reasonable assessment. As well as being the warranty term of some other retailers (e.g. Richer Sounds) it is also the time frame within which a claim can be brought for goods not conforming to contract (per the Limitations Act).

As others have said, Argos may require you to provide a report showing (on the balance of probabilities) that the fault was due to manufacturing defects rather than misuse, but the cost of the report would be reimbursed by Argos if it found in your favour. As to the remedy - Argos would offer a partial refund rather than a replacement or repair ... a refund of £100 is probably as much as you could hope for.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Samsung LCD TV is now 13 years old and still working fine!

J_J

I couldn't remember when I bought my TV, but it seems I bought my Toshiba 32" LCD TV in July 2009 - or so Amazon tells me anyway. It's still going strong and showing no signs of giving up the ghost.