LG OLED BX55 problem with LG warranty

Compobob

Hi, just wanted to make this post to see if anyone else has had the same problem. I recently purchased an LG BX55 OLED tv from AO and have really enjoyed the picture quality, as it’s my first 4K. The TV has unfortunately however, developed an issue. It started as a very thin green line which went away pretty quickly, reappeared a day later and then escalated to the picture below. Now the tv just shows these lines then switches itself off. I contacted LG for a repair and was told initially that it would be covered and an engineer would be out to repair. A few days later I was told that there was a crack on the screen and it would cost me £999 (more than the cost of the tv) to repair. This is without them sending anyone to look at it. I’m obviously very disappointed as it is only a couple of months old. There has been no external damage since it has been in my home and was setup with two people following a tutorial on the net as I was aware that they are quite fragile. It has been in frequent use with being in lockdown and I’ve heard that they get very hot when on for long periods. Could this heating and cooling have caused a crack or made some imperfection or something worse/come to light? Anybody had this kind of thing happen? I have read a few examples of people complaining of the same thing on LG’s customer reviews. If I had known about the crack in first place I wouldn’t have contacted warranty as that invalidates insurance claims (so I’ve been told anyway). I’m thinking of complaining/contacting the ombudsman but not sure it would really get me anywhere. Cheers

JJ_Egan

What ombudsman ??

Warranty is subject to any terms and conditions its not the law .

The law is your Consumer Rights against the vendor not LG .

matelodave

As JJ-E says your first port of call should be the vendor and not LG as you are covered by the consumer rights act have a look here https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/shopping?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7pKFBhDUARIsAFUoMDY7phYET6BJmMu0Dq3-lsCUxEfsSwxnUcfIvMJR7pWew1sLqa_-_s8aAq2kEALw_wcB

NewLeaf1986

I notice at the bottom of the white stripe on the TV there's a very small horizontal black line interrupting the vertical stripe.

As an engineer this to me looks like physical damage / a crack; but I'd never have the gaul to stand by that supposition without seeing the TV in person and verifying up close whether an actual crack exists in the panel.

Your complaint should be both to AO and LG outlining that it is impossible to accurately diagnose a physical damage cause under a warranty claim from a blurry photo and that you require the TV be inspected in person otherwise you will hold the manufacturer in breach of their warranty, and the retailer in breach of your rights under the Consumer Rights Act.

There isn't an ombudsman that can help you with this, but if you paid by credit card you have S.75 of the consumer credit act, and if you didn't, you have the small claim court route to sue AO for breach of your consumer rights... butI doubt it will get that far.

If the engineer does diagnose physical damage in person, do you have accidental damage cover on your home contents insurance? 

Compobob

Thanks for the replies. I’m pretty novice at this kind of thing and haven’t claimed warranty/pursued another route before. I had just heard people mention an ombudsman on other forums in regards to broken tv’s. @NewLeaf1986 Thanks for the reply. The problem I have is that I didn’t see a crack and no reason to look for one as I hadn’t caused any damage to the screen. So I assumed it was a technical problem which is why I contacted the LG warranty (AO say to contact them first for technical issues). I’ve been on the phone again to explain that it has been working for two months and hasn’t been hit or knocked etc so they are having another look at it. I’m not optimistic. I have just checked and I don’t have accidental damage on my insurance unfortunately but I think that wouldn’t be available anyway with me pursuing a warranty claim. It’s just so disappointing as it was a present to cheer up my wife (her mam has just passed away) and now it’s just extra stress 

Compobob

@matelodave thanks I will check this out and see if I can use this route also 

NewLeaf1986

Compobob said:

Thanks for the replies. I’m pretty novice at this kind of thing and haven’t claimed warranty/pursued another route before. I had just heard people mention an ombudsman on other forums in regards to broken tv’s. @NewLeaf1986 Thanks for the reply. The problem I have is that I didn’t see a crack and no reason to look for one as I hadn’t caused any damage to the screen. So I assumed it was a technical problem which is why I contacted the LG warranty (AO say to contact them first for technical issues). I’ve been on the phone again to explain that it has been working for two months and hasn’t been hit or knocked etc so they are having another look at it. I’m not optimistic. I have just checked and I don’t have accidental damage on my insurance unfortunately but I think that wouldn’t be available anyway with me pursuing a warranty claim. It’s just so disappointing as it was a present to cheer up my wife (her mam has just passed away) and now it’s just extra stress 

Accidental damage cover on home contents insurance is *precisely* for matters like this.

Anything that falls under a warranty is a warranty issue, anything that is considered physical damage and therefore not covered by a warranty, by definition would be covered under the accidental damage cover of your home contents insurance.

It might be worth adding on in case of any future accidents. 

As for this incident, I really hope they get it fixed under warranty; I have the same TV and it's a cracker; I feel your pain! 

Fingers crossed LG cover it under warranty

A little side advice: Every time I renew our home contents insurance I make sure I find the cheapest policy which covers us for:

Contents
Accidental Damage inside and outside of the home
Personal Posessions cover
Reduced excess of £50 or £100 (whatever the minimum available is)
Specified items cover for a few items over the single article limit

matelodave

If the TV is less than six months old then it's down to the vendor to sort it out, after that then you might need an enginners report. Stop talking to LG and put the pressure on AO. Assaid above there isn't an ombudsman but the council have a trading stsndars department which might help if AO are trying to avoid their obligations.

Look at the link that I gave you- write letters rather than keep phoning (Which? have sample letters and there are plenty more on the interweb)

Compobob

@matelodave @NewLeaf1986 good news AO excepted responsibility for the damage as on closer inspection the box had a ding in it. They’re replacing the TV this Saturday! I initially thought it was a fault but it must have been cracked during delivery and got worse over time. Thanks for everyone’s help 😊

matelodave

Glad you got a result and thanks for coming back and telling us - many people cant be bothered and so we never find ouy if there was a good, bad or indifferent outcome.

NewLeaf1986

Compobob said:

@matelodave @NewLeaf1986 good news AO excepted responsibility for the damage as on closer inspection the box had a ding in it. They’re replacing the TV this Saturday! I initially thought it was a fault but it must have been cracked during delivery and got worse over time. Thanks for everyone’s help 😊

Really glad this worked out, that was very good of AO too, they could have argued that you damaged the box etc but their accepting responsibility makes me very glad I bought ours from AO, too.

Great stuff.

Still get that accidental damage cover added to your home insurance though 😉