Paid 805 (inc 10del) for the above wstv from premier a/v centre (ordered online). Fast, polite service when they phoned to do a credit check and make sure I wasn't some monkey with a stolen cc. Good lads, I thought. Set arrived within 2 days and worked fine, good picture with virtually no geom probs. Fantastic, I thought. 10 days later totally out of the blue the old colour patch problem appeared. I have since returned the set at a cost of 45pounds to MYSELF (I live north of the border and they refused to pick up the cost) and am awaiting refund/exchange. Think twice about ordering from an outfit not within reach. Whne something does go wrong its a nightmare.

Any comments/thoughts/observations, appreciated.

Hiya

Thanks for posting this information. I was thinking of getting exactly the same TV set from that same shop due to the low price.

While it appears its not exactly unusual for a Sony TV to go wrong I am somewhat dismayed by the way they wouldnt pick up the charge.
I would be interested in other peoples views on this company, Premier AV Centre. I have emailed them twice now with questions on the set and delivery, neither of which they have bothered to reply too.

If this is how they look after there customers both past, present and future I shall be looking elsewhere.

Cheers again for the tip.

Chris

P.S. Do you know what the exact model number was on that set?

I am worried shops like this one charging low prices are infact importing and selling european sets and not UK ones. If anyone can shed light on that then let me know.

I bought a Sony digicam from them about 4 months ago. Had no problems whatsoever with them, in fact I was pleased with their services at Premier A/V. Having said that, nothing has gone wrong with the digicam - at least one of Sony's products works! - so I couldn't comment on their after sales service.

But I'd be wary of buying a TV in such a manner simply because of the difficulty in returning it.

Don't get me wrong. As I said, the service I received up until something went wrong was excellent and I'm sure (like this other bloke who replied) they have many satisfied customers. I am just not one of them. Their policy on returning goods is mind boggling and, in my opinion, no way to run an on-line business. I am simply sharing my experience with ordering my tv online from a location quite some distance away and would suggest (like the other bloke) that although the saving may be substantial, for piece of mind (or some come back) it might be wise to buy from somewhere you can get to with relative ease.

I also have to say that if I am paying the best part of a grand for something, I expect it to be perfect. Not "almost perfect" or "that'll do", but perfect. Having read the boards, I had no idea that ws-tv's were such tempremental beasts.

Any suggestions on alternatives to the KV32FX65 by the way? Budget about 1k. Sound not important (marantz/mission av setup in place), 32" pref but not ess, 100Hz for dvd pref.

I absolutely agree Jockey - for 1000 Pounds I expect perfection, or at the very least people on screen who aren't covered in green and red blotches. Which is why I have sent back 3 Sony TV's to John Lewis recently and am now on the lookout for a different make or model! John Lewis have fortunately been great about it - each set has gone back under their 28 day return policy without quibble.

Let me know how you get on(which make & model you decide on). Have heard John Lewis' is quite good (5 year guarantee also?). Might go for a gander v soon.

Yes it's a free 5 year guarantee at John Lewis. Which was another reason I bought from them. Although I didn't even get as far as getting out of the 28 day guarantee . . .

Our local John Lewis do seem a bit bereft of TV's at the moment having obviously sold a lot over Christmas/New Year and I would imagine it's the same at other stores. Might be worth waiting a couple of weeks whilst they get new stock in.

[zippy]

I've had a complete nightmare with those guys, even though they initially sounded OK. Ordered a set in July which I was assured was a UK spec only to get a grey import with unsatisfactory features - dark picture, red bleeding, and a loud buzzing noise from the rear of the TV. Second set arrived August and was of dubious origin, other than it was another grey import as it was already tuned in to some foreign channels - the guy had to access the service menu to get it to work!! Third set arrived November and was a UK spec which was brilliant for a week and then died.

Spent a month trying to get my money back, and had to give them £50 to get it. This took until Christmas Eve, dragging the whole "affair" out to over 5 months! I'm sure if you get a decent set they are brilliant, but their customer service after the initial sale sucks. IT SUCKS!!!

It's a shame because it put me off Sony, even though my brother bought the same set recently from a Sony centre and it's very good. He got a better deal than me also, by paying a bit extra to get a KV32FQ75 stand included (looks good!). I've now forked out a considerable amount more for a Loewe Vitros price from House of Fraser price-matched with Empire Direct. it is the daddy though (apart from the even more expensive Loewes!).

Disgruntled customer

I assume you are talking about Premier AV Centre here.

See this was my major concern. I dont want a import spec machine, I want the UK one as your supposed to recieve in this country.
In that case what do people know about this store:-

http://www3.netspin.co.uk/electrocentre/

They advertise in What Video & HiFi and also have this TV at £999. I have sent them an email asking about the origin of their TV's. If they dont answer I shall assume they also are european sets.

Thanks a lot of the help Zippy. Could well have saved me much hassle.

Chris

Do you have a website for this premier av company?? I think they trade under different names and I suspect I may have bought from them.
Also, how do you know if you have a "grey" import and what are the implications???

Although I am loath to give them more ad space, you did ask. Not sure about the grey imports thing, will have to leave that one to the experts (guys?/gals?).

(Apologies to Carol Hartford. In earlier posts I refered to her as a bloke. No offence intended. I have since read other posts, realised the truth and now feel suitably daft. But you could have said somthing C!).

Just had a thought actually, I reckon the manual they supplied with my tv was a photocopy. Didn't think anything of it at the time (possibly they'd lost the proper one or something), but could it be because the original one that should have come with the set was in a different language; indicating the set to be a non-uk spec example?

Anybody reckon this sounds right, or am I just being paranoid?

Thanks Jockey......I now am assured I didn't buy from this lot!!!!

[zippy]

How to recognise a UK spec model:

* The UK model is KV32FX65U. Any letter (B,E, etc) different from U at the end indicates a non-UK model.

*The UK model comes with an English written manual only, whereas the European models don't include UK instructions.

* The UK model has a proper 3 pin plug, and not a European 2 pin plug with an adadptor.

The UK and European mainland models are essentially all the same TV with the same European warranty, although I feel that the UK models are superior quality. This is probably because we generally pay a lot more for the "left hand drive" version!

Thats good info Zippy, cheers. In that case the one they sent me was a definite euro import, it had (B) after the model. Like you zip, I've just (after much hassle/hagglin) secured a refund but had to accept losing 50quid as a RESTOCKING FEE. Bit annoyed about that (add that to the 45quid to send it back to make 95quid I've just wasted, with nothing to show), but at least I'm gonna end up with a coesha tv when I eventually get another one.

Steer clear of these guys, they're bad news. After sales service is terrible. I can't believe that they are not breeching some trading standards by selling imports and not declaring that. Might give them a ring and find out.

Suggestions for a replacement model welcome.

Originally posted by Jockey


(Apologies to Carol Hartford. In earlier posts I refered to her as a bloke. No offence intended. I have since read other posts, realised the truth and now feel suitably daft. But you could have said somthing C!).

No offence taken Jockey! It's been interesting reading the threads about AV Centre. You only know what a company is REALLY like when something goes wrong. I shall just have to pray that nothing goes wrong with my Sony digicam inside the first year . . .

Carol

i had two of these sets of currys (fx65). both of them had a green patch in the top ledt corner. i then went to a sony fq75. this had loads of problems. then i got a panasonic 36 inch. most dealers will tell you that sony tvs have gone downhill in the last year or so. there has been lots of reliability problems

Hello, I have the Sony KV28FX65 since last August and so far I have no major problems with mine. I got mine from JL in Oxford Street.
I guess when some TVs are rejected it probably has been repackaged and sent out to an unsuspected customer.

H.