[Pallaris]

Right i've had this set for about 8 months.

Recently i've notcided some strange 'lighter' verticle stips on my screen. They're only noticable in very light /bright images, where the edges of these lines appear slightly darker - so they stand out.

I use it predominately for games...and the 'lighter strips' (very faint, about 1mm, - on each side of the screen) are definately visible say when panning around in a camera view.

So i turned off the set at examined the tube...i noticed the bits that show up slightly lighter on screen, are visible on the tube itself.

Now this is very minor stuff, but i'm wondering, is this a feature of the tube itself or is my set dodgy? and what can be done to sort it?

Could it be an image burns? (how though hmm). Its only noticable if you really squint...

Anyone else experience this on the tube?

[lynx]

Since it's still in the warranty period, get them to check it out.Somethings not quite right.

[Pallaris]

In the event that i've lost the receipt (damn i think i have), what would be the right way to go about getting this checked out?

If i call Sony will they send someone?

Assuming the tube has gone (HTF! ) can they be replaced? wouldn't be worth it no? - its gonna be real expensive.

Hmm..any advice?

[lynx]

The supplier should have a record of the transaction.If you paid by plastic that could generate as good as a reciept.

[Pallaris]

A very good point....now i remember that place keeps a record on their computers...

Just typed in 'WEGA - faint lines/bars' on a search engine and got over 2000 returns.

Theres loads of dodgy sets around.

Most people don't notice when i try point it out, but the sh*t thing is when you know its there it keeps bugging you....

Lynx, your the man.

I'll pay those geezers a visit tomorrow.

[lynx]

Be aware though that feint lines running horizontily on *some*trinitron tubes are a normal characteristic.Your original post made no mention of lines but '' bits that show up slightly lighter''.

[Pallaris]

I've got a funny feeling the peeps at Tottenham Crt Road (London) will try kick up a stink....

Lets say they refuse to accept the fact i bought it there (its happened to me before which is why i'm wary), how much will it cost for Sony to fix? - assuming they change the tube?

Shops' closed today so i'll head out tomorrow.

[Pallaris]

Well that pretty much sucks.

Its about 1 month out of guarantee, so no cover from the shop

*knew he should have taken extended cover

I called Sony and they said i need to speek to an official dealer/rapair place for an estimate. I'd then need to send the estimate with proof of purchase to Sony...so anyway, they gave me a number.

Some place in North London (about 4 km from me). I asked if they could come and pick it up...couldn't believe what they said:

£30 call out charge..and thats just for some average Joe to haul it back to the repair place. Then they want £40 just to give me an 'engineers' estimate. I told them its almost definately the tube (faint lines are visible on tube itself..almost like burns), and he was like "nah we need to spend time with it to properly asses the unit to give a proffessional estimate"

So thats £70 down the drain without the TV beeing fixed. Lovely.

Sony did say - as the tv is just out of guarantee - they'd help with the cost, but not a complete cover so that means more money spent..and they didn't mention subsidising no engineer 'call out' or 'estimate' fees...

Basically it doesn't seem worth it for a tv that costs £270 (what i paid, trade price).

I'm not sure what else to do - repairing it just sounds like a complete hassle.

Anyone have any advice?

thanks in advance.

[lynx]

Originally posted by Pallaris
Anyone have any advice?

thanks in advance.

All is not lost.I'll get back to you later (hopefully tonight).
Edit:-

The retailer has obligations to you for up to six years, although in practice, the older your product, the less likely you are to be able to make any successful claim.

http://www.dlf.org.uk/articles/vparry.html

This info can be found from various sites.Have a look around and you can find more.

In England and Wales we currently have six years liability period for sale of goods rights (limited to six years by the Limitation Act 1980). This means that compensation can be claimed against the supplier of the goods for up to six years after the purchase, providing it can be shown that the defect was present at time of sale and it was reasonable for goods to last that long. Clearly this does not cover wear and tear faults nor is it a durability requirement.

http://www.retra.co.uk/Consumerpress.htm

[Pallaris]

I'm not sure what to make of all that...

[lynx]

Go back to the vendor and pursue it a little more vigourously.Do some background searching yourself.All the info to help you is available.Try search terms like ''supply and sale of goods act'' and work from there.

[Pallaris]

I was quite stern in my approach, and all i got is "guarantee is up, no cover".

I don't see any other options

Unless i could find some 'un registered' repair place locally....but if its the tube that needs replacing then i may as well forget it apparently.

[lynx]

The following are from BBC's Watchdog,

Together with the law applying to services, these are the only laws that every consumer should really know by heart. The Sale of Goods Acts lay down several conditions that all goods sold by a trader must meet. The goods must be: of satisfactory quality

Which your set appears not to be.

And this is the important bit------------

The Acts give the consumer six years from the time they buy something to make a claim

The above can be found in full at,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/guides...w/index2.shtml

Hope this helps.

[Pallaris]

They will simply say it was in perfect working order when i bought it....afterall, i only noticed the imperfection a year + after purchase.

I really can't see them shifting stance....i'll ring up tomorrow see what they say.

Any advice how i should go about this?

[Pallaris]

The shop can't help me - they gave me some numbers of local repair places, but they're a ripp off.

BUT

I checked my 14" Sony trinitron (not the FD Wega series) earlier and i noticed it had the exact same verticle srtips in the same area..1 or 2..and they don't run down the entire length of the screen.

*btw i'm not on about the damper line caused by the aperture grille technology...that is normal.

Someone must be able to spot these gray verticle strips too?...

[groundy]

I have this set in my bedroom and I've just inspected it closely to see if I could spot the vertical bars you're referring to. Good news for you is that I think I can. I say "think" because they are extremely faint and hard to see. In fact I can only make them out on bold colours, easily visible on deep red. However, this may not be the same problem as the one you are describing because I definately cannot see them on the picture tube when the set is switched off. Also, whet I am referring to is simply down to analogue transmission problems rather than a TV defect. The problem does not exist on RGB sources or when gaming.

Regardless I am not concerned by it becuase it really is only a bedroom set and I only paid £268 for it . The cheaper the set, the more likely problems are to exist, i.e., geometry is far from perfect and there are a few colour convergence errors on my set but I don't expect perfection in this price range. If on the other hand, I noticed similar problems on my £1900 Loewe Aconda, I would most certainly not put up with it.

If it's as bothersome to you as it sounds, take Lynx's advice and get heavy handed with the retailer. The laws are valid in your case but it will take a lot of effort on your part to get a satisfactory result.