Correspondence with LG

kenshingintoki

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So I sent the following email to lg

type of inquiry : Product Operation
Product/Model No. : LCD TV ( 33" and over )/OLED77C9PLA

Hi, I'm interested in purchasing an LG OLED C9 77 inch TV.

Firsrtly, apologies for the long email.

My main concern is that from my research and reading on reddit and AVforums, that they can be subject to screen burn in.

Given the TV costs £5999 at present, I'm understandably concerned if I was to suffer with burn in on such an expensive item. I've heard lots of conflicting reports from users. Some have stated LG are covering burn in as a courtsey for the first four years of ownership once someones got in touch, others are saying retailers have helped them but sadly some users have had not had such joy and others have also had to go to the small claims court to get it sorted.

Given the cost of the TV, I was just wondering what reassurances there would be that if the issue was to occur, there would be help on offer for a replacement under warranty. If not, what other options would be avaliable.

Obviously I understand some circumstances (such as watching CNN all day) are bound to cause damage to the panel but likewise, I've seen the LG OLEDs at CES demonstrated as gaming panels for PCs with the inclusion of Gsync (which obviously involves some form of static elements from time to time). I'm sure the TVs are designed to be able to handle this.

I also note on your webpage regarding burn in, you do mention reassurances about it and that all LG TVs come with a warranty.

Thank you for your time and if you could give me any information on the customer support avaliable, I'd much appreciate it as it would give me a lot more confidence before making such a big financial outlay on a TV.

Thank you,




and I got the following response;

Thank you for your email. Our OLED TVs have a feature called pixel refresh that was created specifically for OLEDs and reduce the possibility of screen retention. We recommend to all of our customers undertaking a pixel refresh once a week to refresh the pixels. However, if you view a lot of content with static images or logos we would recommend carrying out a pixel refresh more regularly. Please note, we do not recommend viewing static images on your TV.

Screen retention is also covered once in our 12 month warranty so we would be able to repair this if reported within this 12 month period.

I hope this has helped, if you would like any further information about this product or any other LG products please do not hesitate to get back in touch and we would be happy to help.

I hope my email has answered your query and assisted you today; I would really appreciate your feedback. If you have a few moments to spare, please may you help us to improve our customer service by completing the short survey at the bottom of this email which is based solely on my support.

Please feel free to contact us via our new Twitter account for Technical Support. You can follow us and interact with the team here -> @LGUKCare

Kind Regards,



so it seems to me that lg are actually willing to replace the screen once for burn in during the first year of warranty.

after that it’s in the hands of the retailers who aren’t covering it for their extended warranties.
this is really interesting.


i think a one time replacement for the tv is really not a bad deal. Its not idea, either but at least if you did get burn in you could get LG to replace it and then sell it as new/refurbished and not lose too much money.

the issue seems to be after the first year, retailers are deciding to be a bit obstructive and since we don’t but directly from LG with warranties, we are a tiny bit stuck.


i think there’s definitely precedent here to move forwards in trying to get the burn in issue clarified for future buyers.
 
So I sent the following email to lg

type of inquiry : Product Operation
Product/Model No. : LCD TV ( 33" and over )/OLED77C9PLA

Hi, I'm interested in purchasing an LG OLED C9 77 inch TV.

Firsrtly, apologies for the long email.

My main concern is that from my research and reading on reddit and AVforums, that they can be subject to screen burn in.

Given the TV costs £5999 at present, I'm understandably concerned if I was to suffer with burn in on such an expensive item. I've heard lots of conflicting reports from users. Some have stated LG are covering burn in as a courtsey for the first four years of ownership once someones got in touch, others are saying retailers have helped them but sadly some users have had not had such joy and others have also had to go to the small claims court to get it sorted.

Given the cost of the TV, I was just wondering what reassurances there would be that if the issue was to occur, there would be help on offer for a replacement under warranty. If not, what other options would be avaliable.

Obviously I understand some circumstances (such as watching CNN all day) are bound to cause damage to the panel but likewise, I've seen the LG OLEDs at CES demonstrated as gaming panels for PCs with the inclusion of Gsync (which obviously involves some form of static elements from time to time). I'm sure the TVs are designed to be able to handle this.

I also note on your webpage regarding burn in, you do mention reassurances about it and that all LG TVs come with a warranty.

Thank you for your time and if you could give me any information on the customer support avaliable, I'd much appreciate it as it would give me a lot more confidence before making such a big financial outlay on a TV.

Thank you,




and I got the following response;

Thank you for your email. Our OLED TVs have a feature called pixel refresh that was created specifically for OLEDs and reduce the possibility of screen retention. We recommend to all of our customers undertaking a pixel refresh once a week to refresh the pixels. However, if you view a lot of content with static images or logos we would recommend carrying out a pixel refresh more regularly. Please note, we do not recommend viewing static images on your TV.

Screen retention is also covered once in our 12 month warranty so we would be able to repair this if reported within this 12 month period.

I hope this has helped, if you would like any further information about this product or any other LG products please do not hesitate to get back in touch and we would be happy to help.

I hope my email has answered your query and assisted you today; I would really appreciate your feedback. If you have a few moments to spare, please may you help us to improve our customer service by completing the short survey at the bottom of this email which is based solely on my support.

Please feel free to contact us via our new Twitter account for Technical Support. You can follow us and interact with the team here -> @LGUKCare

Kind Regards,



so it seems to me that lg are actually willing to replace the screen once for burn in during the first year of warranty.

after that it’s in the hands of the retailers who aren’t covering it for their extended warranties.
this is really interesting.


i think a one time replacement for the tv is really not a bad deal. Its not idea, either but at least if you did get burn in you could get LG to replace it and then sell it as new/refurbished and not lose too much money.

the issue seems to be after the first year, retailers are deciding to be a bit obstructive and since we don’t but directly from LG with warranties, we are a tiny bit stuck.


i think there’s definitely precedent here to move forwards in trying to get the burn in issue clarified for future buyers.
Very interesting but still a disgrace
They all deserve a petition or class act to make them cover this unacceptable risk to consumer...for at least 5-6 years...
Nothing less...

Journalist should also stop saying it is ok with acceptable use as nobody can define that...properly...

In short, can’t wait for mini and micro left to be here
 
I’m going to start contacting retailers showing them this correspondence and asking if this panel replacement will be honoured within their 5-6 year warranty and whether they can liaise with LG and whoever else they need to, to get a definitive answer.

I’m using the 77 inch oled as an example cos it’s a lot of money so has a substantial shock value if something were to go wrong.

If I can find a retailer who will then play ball and be fair with the situation and put in writing they will stand by us, I’ll obviously
1. Buy a tv from them 77 inch oled
2. Post them on the forum so the rest of us can buy from them and know we are protected.


I’d love to pursue this legally as well as it’s obvious a lot of retailers are going to get destroyed by this as LG themselves are holding their hands up and saying we aren’t the bad guy here within the months we are responsible.

It’s sad that me as a normal forum user is going to this much effort but the experts and reviewers aren’t doing the same when they likely have much better liaison of contacts than a dumbass like me.

Anyway hopefully I get somewhere.. if we can act as a collective I honesty think this is a really easy situation to resolve in the UK. It’s blatantly not right to not cover it hence LG saying we replace it when we are responsible (first 12 months)
 
Thing that gets me is the massive difference between Sony and LG, sony say to run the panel refresh no more than once a year as it can damage the life of the panel, yet LG are saying to do it once a week. I’m presuming LG are correct as they will instruct the 3 party’s how to drive and refresh the panels, it’s just strange how Sony come to that conclusion
 
Trouble is Woppy this pixel refresh ruined my panel with severe banding.So bad Infact my panel was replaced under a Domestic and General warranty through Peter Tyson.
Aoaaron I think Peter Tyson could be a good dealer to get involved with this.Now I’m not a super clever articulate person but also I’m far from being thick and always fight my corner.Im always polite when dealing with things.Would you like me to call Peter Tyson or is it best you deal with everyone with a vested interest in wanting a 77 inch.
 
Trouble is Woppy this pixel refresh ruined my panel with severe banding.So bad Infact my panel was replaced under a Domestic and General warranty through Peter Tyson.
Aoaaron I think Peter Tyson could be a good dealer to get involved with this.Now I’m not a super clever articulate person but also I’m far from being thick and always fight my corner.Im always polite when dealing with things.Would you like me to call Peter Tyson or is it best you deal with everyone with a vested interest in wanting a 77 inch.


Me neither. Yeah I would welcome you to give Peter Tyson a shout. Thanks mate.

I bought my speakers and AVR from them. My AVR had a fault and they sorted it so I have nothng but good things to say about them. I bought a speaker off of them, it had a small scratch, a new one was sent out the next day.

I'd welcome thier advice and gurantees, especially on the expensive 77'' OLED set.
 
Are they saying to let the automatic pixel refresh run (which as the name suggests you cannot force and happens to its own shedule) or the manual one weekly? I've never run the manual one in over 2 years of ownership. I believe the manual one is quite hardcore and ages the pixels. I would not be happy with that faff or the risk of premature wear from running it weekly. Plus many people say it can ruin the panel (is it the same as the 2000h one?).
 
Are they saying to let the automatic pixel refresh run (which as the name suggests you cannot force and happens to its own shedule) or the manual one weekly? I've never run the manual one in over 2 years of ownership. I believe the manual one is quite hardcore and ages the pixels. I would not be happy with that faff or the risk of premature wear from running it weekly. Plus many people say it can ruin the panel (is it the same as the 2000h one?).

I think no one really knows the answer to that.
 
Doesn't it run some sort of pixel refresh every time after it's turned off? My 55" B9 ALWAYS makes the same noise some time after I've turned it off (in standby) which I assume is that. I've never timed it, but feels like it always occurs after the same amount of time.
 
Trouble is Woppy this pixel refresh ruined my panel with severe banding.So bad Infact my panel was replaced under a Domestic and General warranty through Peter Tyson.

My perfect E7 was worse after the 1st 2,000 hour pixel refresh....others have had the same issue to.
 
Doesn't it run some sort of pixel refresh every time after it's turned off? My 55" B9 ALWAYS makes the same noise some time after I've turned it off (in standby) which I assume is that. I've never timed it, but feels like it always occurs after the same amount of time.

I think it runs an automatic one in standby when you accrue over 4 hours of cumulative use. This is why switching off at the wall is not a good idea. I think the manual and 2000h ones are more significant events. I've read about the 2000h one damaging the panel but am not sure about manual. Are they the same or is the 2000h one more powerful?

Oh and *schedule :facepalm:
 
My latest correspondance with LG.

I basically emailed them asking why is the service in the US extended to four years for burn in coverage but in the UK its only one year. Obviously I went into a little bit more detail.

Anyway their response

Thank you for your email. I have looked in to this for you and once the 12 months manufacturer warranty is up any issues regarding screen burn would be dealt with on a case by case basis. Details and images of the issue reported would be requested from yourself and passed on to the technical team for review and they would advise on the next steps. However, outside of warranty this would likely be a chargeable repair.

In regards to the warranty length, we can not comment on why the US has a longer warranty as we do not have this information and you would have to contact them in order to obtain information on this reason. However, this would likely be down to LG being a retailer in the US whereas here in the UK we are solely a manufacturer. Most retailers that sell our products, such as Currys, will in most cases regarding our TVs offer an extended warranty of 5 years. This would mean as the manufacture we would cover the TV for the first 12 months and the retailer would then cover a following 4 years. However, you would have to contact the retailer directly for details regarding what is covered in the warranty with the retailer.

As for the legislation this is a contract between a consumer and a retailer, not us as the manufacturer. Any issues you believe this may apply to you would need to take these up with the retailer.

I hope this has helped, if you would like further assistance with this please get back to us with your specific requirements and I can look into this for you.

So, LG have fundamentally thrown the retailers under the bus. LG have told me aslong as they are responsible, they DO cover screen burn-in. After the warranty is over and they're not longer responsible, they will review it on a case by case basis but as they're no longer legally liable, will likely charge for further panel replacements.

This leaves us in a fairly difficult situation IMO. Its clear to me who the actual bad guys are. Its the retailers who've used LG's poorly worded warranty assurances to avoid all screen-burn in claim liability.

Say whatever you want about LG, but it seems to be for the first 12 months that they're responsible, they're willing to fix whatever occurs. And after that, its down to the retailers's discretion.

I tried to reach out to Costco but they responded with a very poorly worded email just re-directing me to ask in store. I already phoned their online store warranty service who said he can't make any promises re: burn in and said its a grey area.

Any thoughts? A fair few of us have been calling LG the devil so at least in my mind thats kind of put to bed.
 
Do LG ever offer their own backed 5 year warranty promotions like I've seen several other manufacturers do on all kinds of goods (from TVs to washing machines and everything in between)?. If they do, it would be good to clarify if under the terms of those warranties.
 
I never got anywhere Aoaaron.Domestic and General cover a few retailers extended warranty.I rang them and the company who carried out my panel replacement and it’s such a grey area it’s so hit and miss.Basically burn in isn’t covered by any extended warranty in the uk.Looks like threatening your retailer with the small claims court is the only way we can change things as ever case will be won.Look at Currys though,despite losing they still seem like they would make you go to court again.This is mainly because they know the average person won’t want the hassle.
Can we not get LG to offer an extended warranty,If burn in is so small they would make some money off it.
 
My perfect E7 was worse after the 1st 2,000 hour pixel refresh....others have had the same issue to.
And my AF9 has never looked better after its recent 2000hr refresh , its strange how it can vary so much
 
That pixel refresh LG recommend you to run is the one hour one as that’s the only one you can manually run.Id like to be able to turn the 2000 hour pixel refresh off.
 
Out of intertrest as we all seems to understand Burn in pixel wear causes.

Do you guys change you habits or just carry on doing what you've been doing from r years ?
 
I never got anywhere Aoaaron.Domestic and General cover a few retailers extended warranty.I rang them and the company who carried out my panel replacement and it’s such a grey area it’s so hit and miss.Basically burn in isn’t covered by any extended warranty in the uk.Looks like threatening your retailer with the small claims court is the only way we can change things as ever case will be won.Look at Currys though,despite losing they still seem like they would make you go to court again.This is mainly because they know the average person won’t want the hassle.
Can we not get LG to offer an extended warranty,If burn in is so small they would make some money off it.


Thanks mate. That does kind of suck... so basically its all luck based lol.
 
Mad Steve I’m amazed you’ve gone back to OLED .Just watch it as normal that’s what I do although I do keep my Oled light as low as possible.Isf darkroom is 36 and brightroom is 45.I tried technicolour for the first time last night and it burned my retinas.No wonder as Oled light was 80 by default.
 
Mad Steve I’m amazed you’ve gone back to OLED .Just watch it as normal that’s what I do although I do keep my Oled light as low as possible.Isf darkroom is 36 and brightroom is 45.I tried technicolour for the first time last night and it burned my retinas.No wonder as Oled light was 80 by default.

I still got my Q9FN and I stated I'd never buy an LG Oled.. So I got the panny lol.. Yes I know LG make all panels but panny do there own stuff with them.
In all fairness, I still feel the same about Oled.. It's a massively flaw but a brilliant tech.

Iv learned a lot from my pervious Oled tho.
 
Peter Tyson’s line:

HI Aarun,
Thank you for your e-mail enquiry with regard to the LG OLED and your question relating to screen burn.
The warranty which we provide with the c9 is provided by LG for a period of 5 years , I have spoken to LG and they have sent me the following reply with regard to screen burn:
Screen burn is not normally covered under warranty but sometimes they may request pictures and investigate on a case by case basis, If customer is concerned about screen burn they just need to ensure they follow screen-burn prevention processes like not keeping static images on the screen for long periods of time, using screen savers, and keeping ‘pixel refresh’ features on at all times and they will be fine.
 
Thank you Gary.

What you’ve stated is not what LG have told me via their correspondence. Shall I forward you on what they said?

They basically stated to myself that they cover it for the year that they are responsible then after that, it’s the retailers issue and that they do cover during their manufacturers warranty, one screen replacement for burn in during that time.

It seems like an area which would do with some proper documented clarification from both sides, especially for users who are buying the very expensive panels.

I note a user from avforums took curry’s to court and won over this. Another user has noted they are struggle for a replacement via liaison with curry’s. It seems like a pain and hassle to go down the legal route if something were to happen and easier to get legal confirmation.

The whole area seems way too grey.

Shall I forward on what LG sent me?













Teamknowhow said to contact via phone.

It’s clear retailers shit themselves when I send this email. Costco and curry’s completely tried to dodge it but at least Peter Tyson responded
 
They don't like putting things in writing because then they become a matter of record.
 
So the conclusion is as I thought it would be. Another user contacted LG in the USA and was incorrectly told by the customer service rep that the first year that any burn in would be covered. I beg to differ, don't kid yourself, this is nothing more than the usual diabolical customer service you get from every TV manufacturer, with the customer service reps who represent the company not having the information they need to give out correct advice to customers.

When your TV breaks, it won't matter what a customer service rep at LG once said, not unless perhaps you intend to take LG to court.

What will matter is the terms of the warranty and the customer service of the store you buy the product from.

Burn in is not covered by warranty and you should not purchase an OLED if you think you are at risk.

Yes exceptions may be made, but they are completely in their right to refuse a return due to the terms of their warranty.

It's clear from their basic terms:
c) Misuse, including failure to use the product for its normal purposes or incorrect installation.

LG will say that burn in is misuse, and they have done previously to most people who have tried to claim warranty due to burn in in the past. If the burn in occurs outside of the manufacturer warranty, the warranty company you are referred to by the store will also refuse a return based on their terms.

This will be no different to any extended warranty, even the D & G extended warranties you can pay extra for sold direct by LG will have clear terms that state any misuse is not covered by warranty and whether you agree with it or not, they will class burn in damage as misuse.

Also, there is massive misinformation here from Peter Tyson. LG do not offer a 5 year warranty at all. This is shown on their website here: LG Electronics | LG U.K.

Anything Peter Tyson (or any other retailer) offer extra over the 1 year is a promotional warranty from a different provider. Perhaps what Peter Tyson mean is they purchase from the extended D & G warranty from LG and resell it on...im not sure...but the extended warranty is definitely not the same as the standard 1 year offered by LG.

There's a good chance that if you were to buy the TV from a respectable retailer such as Peter Tyson, Richer, John Lewis etc that if you ever have burn in on the TV they will take a hit for you and replace the TV as an exception, but this is by no means a guarantee. But having good store customer service and the ability for the shop to make exceptions is something completely different. If they do, it will the shop who pays for your replacement, not the warranty company or manufacturer.

From what I've seen, the only times any kind of burn in claim has been made in warranty is when the TV develops some kind of screen uniformity issue unrelated to actual burn in. Mark my words if you have a channel logo or similar showing on your TV your warranty claim will be refused faster than you can say Lucky Goldstar.
 
So the conclusion is as I thought it would be. Another user contacted LG in the USA and was incorrectly told by the customer service rep that the first year that any burn in would be covered. I beg to differ, don't kid yourself, this is nothing more than the usual diabolical customer service you get from every TV manufacturer, with the customer service reps who represent the company not having the information they need to give out correct advice to customers.

When your TV breaks, it won't matter what a customer service rep at LG once said, not unless perhaps you intend to take LG to court.

What will matter is the terms of the warranty and the customer service of the store you buy the product from.

Burn in is not covered by warranty and you should not purchase an OLED if you think you are at risk.

Yes exceptions may be made, but they are completely in their right to refuse a return due to the terms of their warranty.

It's clear from their basic terms:


LG will say that burn in is misuse, and they have done previously to most people who have tried to claim warranty due to burn in in the past. If the burn in occurs outside of the manufacturer warranty, the warranty company you are referred to by the store will also refuse a return based on their terms.

This will be no different to any extended warranty, even the D & G extended warranties you can pay extra for sold direct by LG will have clear terms that state any misuse is not covered by warranty and whether you agree with it or not, they will class burn in damage as misuse.

Also, there is massive misinformation here from Peter Tyson. LG do not offer a 5 year warranty at all. This is shown on their website here: LG Electronics | LG U.K.

Anything Peter Tyson (or any other retailer) offer extra over the 1 year is a promotional warranty from a different provider. Perhaps what Peter Tyson mean is they purchase from the extended D & G warranty from LG and resell it on...im not sure...but the extended warranty is definitely not the same as the standard 1 year offered by LG.

There's a good chance that if you were to buy the TV from a respectable retailer such as Peter Tyson, Richer, John Lewis etc that if you ever have burn in on the TV they will take a hit for you and replace the TV as an exception, but this is by no means a guarantee. But having good store customer service and the ability for the shop to make exceptions is something completely different. If they do, it will the shop who pays for your replacement, not the warranty company or manufacturer.

From what I've seen, the only times any kind of burn in claim has been made in warranty is when the TV develops some kind of screen uniformity issue unrelated to actual burn in. Mark my words if you have a channel logo or similar showing on your TV your warranty claim will be refused faster than you can say Lucky Goldstar.


Thanks for your insight and I think you are spot on. It’s massive misinformation from everyone, from retailer to manufacturer. I was also confused by Peter Tyson saying that LG cover the extended warranty as I’m just sure from previous users tv replacements it’s not true.


It’s making my 5999 77 inch oled tv purchase seem to risky now.
 

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