Replacement LCD advice please.

thfccambs

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For the last 3 months i've had problems with my sharp GA5 lcd.Had 2 engineers out who have replaced all the boards twice.Have sent sharp serv photo's of the problems on more the three occasions.
Have had to make loads of phone calls just to be told someone will be back in contact to hear nothing from them.
Now i've finally got a reply after demanding to talk to a manager,he finally called me back today and now he's told me all sharp will do is offer me a recondition LCD.Would i be in my rights to refuse it and tell them i want a new one to replace mine or should i just take a recondition one and hope it's going to be fine?

One thing i would say is i would never want to deal with sharserv again.:mad:
 
If its unrepairable then take the information back to the retailer. I'm assuming you are being offered a replacement under the terms of the manufacturers warranty which may well be an A grade depending on who long you've owned the original. However, its the retailer, not Sharp or Sharpserv, who are ultimately responsible under the Sale of Goods Act to supply you with a replacement, and you are more likely to get a new replacement from them but it doesn't have to be the case.

Unless you're claiming under an extended warranty that has some provision to replace with new goods a replacement usually means like for like, not new for old, ie, replace a 1 yr old TV with a similarly specified TV of similar age.
 
You did not say how old it is?
 
dickst3 said:
You did not say how old it is?


10 months now,brought off ebay brand new.:(
 
Okay, so you started having problems 7 months in. I would say you have a very good chance or either 1, they repair yours, or 2 they replace it with a new one. I would not accept a recon unit.

It doesn't matter what their blurb says, if its not fit for purpose (which it isn't 'cause it broke down) you have a claim. You just need to quote the correct terms - try a search.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/Fact Sheets/page24700.html

BTW -did you pay by credit card (paypal)?
 
dickst3 said:
Okay, so you started having problems 7 months in. I would say you have a very good chance or either 1, they repair yours, or 2 they replace it with a new one. I would not accept a recon unit.

It doesn't matter what their blurb says, if its not fit for purpose (which it isn't 'cause it broke down) you have a claim. You just need to quote the correct terms - try a search.

BTW -did you pay by credit card (paypal)?


They've been out to repair it twice,still same problems.

Did start a thread here
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=360899
but didn't get any advice,thanks for replies,:thumbsup:
 
Done a bank transfer.:(

Going to refuse a reconditioned and see what happens.
 
Ok, bad move, never buy anything of value with anything other than a credit card or via paypal. :lesson:

It doesn't change the fact that they owe you for a repair or replacement. If they can't replace it with one the same because they are nla that's their problem and they can offer your money back (minus a small discount for the small benefit you have had from it).

I would not accept a recon unit, and don't worry stick to your guns, but be polite - I have never had any problems getting satisfaction - and I have returned many faulty/damaged items. We just had a glass hob replaced with a new unit because the old one cracked (well over a year old).
 
Thanks for reply,there calling back at 2pm so i'll let you know how i get on.
Im going to stick to my guns and see what happens.:smashin:
 
Just found the warranty paper that came with the LCD,it's actually from sharp electronics.
 
Starting to get somewhere now.Turns out it was sold from sharps manchester shop which is now shut.

Thanks for advice will let you know the out come.:)
 
"One thing i would say is i would never want to deal with sharserv again."

Me neither. I eventually got a refund for my faulty P70, and it appears the P series are no longer been built by Sharp, so I`m even more relieved that I don`t own one. Sharpserv blamed Sharp for the delay in obtaining spares, but whoever is to blame, I lost all confidence in Sharp products. If I had accepted the repair to my P70, I wonder how I would have got on in another year or two, in the event of another fault ? If Sharp couldn`t supply parts when they where producing those models, what would be the chances now that they have ditched that range ?

It may be the retailer that is responsible, in law, to sort out any problem with your TV, but what if the retailer goes out of business ? It would be nice to know that the manufacturer, themselves, would provide decent aftersales service.

I think, with high tech products such as LCD TVs, it is the manufacturer who should be sorting out faults/problems, not the retailer. It is in the manufacturer`s interest to be helpfull and efficient when it comes to sorting out problems with their products. Gone are the days when your local telly shop would sell you a TV, and repair it if it went faulty (I used to do just that).
 
Prof said:
It may be the retailer that is responsible, in law, to sort out any problem with your TV, but what if the retailer goes out of business ? It would be nice to know that the manufacturer, themselves, would provide decent aftersales service.

That's why I always pay by credit card :(
 
dickst3 said:
That's why I always pay by credit card :(

Do you know what kind of "protection" a CC purchase gives you ? What if you have a 22 month old LCD TV that goes faulty, and the retailer has gone out of business, or refuses to sort out the problem, is the CC company oblidged to get the TV repaired or replaced ?
 
UPDATE

Just had another call back from sharpserv,now there saying that when the Manachester shop closed down they sold everything as GRADE A.So now there telling me they won't replace it with a new one.It says nothing on the warranty about being GRADE A and never mentioned it on the ebay listing,it was listed as new.
I've still told them i won't take a reconditioned unit as that's all there offering me again now.

Anyone give me any advice if it would be worth going down the small claims court route or anything else?I first reported this problem to sharpserv mid may.I've had 2 engineers out,the last one was nearly 6 weeks ago then all my calls where ignored more or less until i demanded to talk to a manager.

To say I'm totally fed up with them would be an understatement.
 
Prof said:
Me neither. I eventually got a refund for my faulty P70,.


Did you recive a full refund?How long had you had your LCD and how long was it from first reporting the problem to getting your refund?
Cheers:thumbsup:
 
Prof said:
Do you know what kind of "protection" a CC purchase gives you ? What if you have a 22 month old LCD TV that goes faulty, and the retailer has gone out of business, or refuses to sort out the problem, is the CC company oblidged to get the TV repaired or replaced ?

I do not know for sure, however since the credit card company is equally responsible (to the retailer) in the transaction I believe that you would have grounds for recourse with them.

As I have said I have never had a problem getting satisfaction with transactions I have made in all cases where I have paid using a credit card. I subscribe to Which? magazine and they have cases like these all of the time.

I would have thought that given how this LCD became faulty in such a short space of time (few months) you should be entitled to a new unit - not recon. Or your money back. If it were me I would go the small claims route now...
 
dickst3 said:
If it were me I would go the small claims route now...


Looks like it's going to have to end up that way.:(
 
hunts1uk said:
Did you recive a full refund?How long had you had your LCD and how long was it from first reporting the problem to getting your refund?
Cheers:thumbsup:

OK, I`ll try to keep it brief.

TV 5 weeks old, developed a fault. I phoned Sharp (I assume it was actually Sharpserv). I was told that the "kit" of parts wasn`t in stock, but should be available soon. I thought about contacting savastore.com, who I bought the TV from.

About an hour later, I had a call from Sharpserv. They told me there was an engineer in my area the next day. I asked about spares availability, can`t remember the exact repsponse, but I assumed that the parts were available. I arranged the service call.

Engineer called, promptly, the next morning. He tried to fix the fault, with the single PCB that he had. It didn`t cure the problem, so he made a phonecall and told me that my TV would have to go back to the workshop, so that parts could be ordered. I asked how long it would take, he told me it would be about 2 weeks to get the parts. I thought about contacting savastore.com, but thought that it would be a good idea to "get the ball rolling" and allow my TV to be repaired (hopefully in time for the World Cup, about 3 weeks later).

I waited just over 2 weeks before I made my first call to Sharpserv. I was told that the parts were on order from Sharp, but they couldn`t tell me how long they would take, but they were chasing up every day (I don`t know what difference that would make).

I phoned another couple of times, each time I waited about a week. After 4-5 weeks, I decided that I had put up with enough, and asked if they would replace my TV, they told me to contact savastore.com. This is where it got "messy". I won`t go into details, but it seemed that nobody was doing much about the situation.

In the meantime I wrote directly to Sharp, complaining about the delay. In the end, savastore.com offered me a refund, but said that Sharpserv were sending the TV back to Sharp. Then, Sharp were going to credit savastore.com, and then I would get my refund. Seemed reasonable to me, even though I would have thought that I could have had my refund sooner. After about 5 days, without any warning, (we are now about 6 weeks since my TV went to Sharpserv) I had a suprise delivery. Before I took the box into my house, I opened it to find out what it was. It turned out to be my Sharp TV, but I didn`t know if it had been repaired or not. I refused to accept delivery, and it got sent back to Sharpserv. I contacted savastore.com, who told me that I shouldn`t have had my TV back. A few days later, I had a letter from Sharp, explaining that my TV had indeed been repaired, and they hoped I would accept it back. I phoned Sharpserv and told them that I didn`t want my TV back, as I had already been offered a refund, and I was fed up with the whole episode.

I finally got my refund, savastore.com credited my credit card, without bothering to email, call or write me a letter.

In conclusion, looking back at what happened, I should have kicked up a fuss earlier, possibly when the TV first developed the fault. However, I thought that as the TV was only 5 weeks old, Sharp/Sharpserv would "pull out the stops" to get my TV sorted reasonably quickly. If it had come back to me in about 2-4 weeks, I would have been happy, and I wouldn`t be typing this post. Even when I did start to complain, the customer support from savastore.com and Sharpserv was shoddy, in my opinion.

I have learned a valuable lesson. If I buy another LCD TV, and it develops a fault, I won`t be so "patient". I will be reluctant to give the retailer/service agent any chance to start messing me about. The other thing I have learned is not to buy Sharp products.

Sorry, that wasn`t very brief.
 
Recived a letter from shart telling me all there willing to give me is a GA5 grade A replacement.:mad:

There telling me this was sold as a grade A model,funny how it only lasted 7 month before having problems, now i don't really hold out much hope for another grade A replacement which will last.
 
hunts1uk said:
Recived a letter from shart telling me all there willing to give me is a GA5 grade A replacement.:mad:

There telling me this was sold as a grade A model,funny how it only lasted 7 month before having problems, now i don't really hold out much hope for another grade A replacement which will last.

After having problems for 3 months, a couple of attempted repairs and unanswered phone calls to Sharpserv, Sharp expect you to accept a Grade A replacement ! OK, if the replacement turns out to be reliable, that wouldn`t be a bad thing, but what if it starts to give trouble ? Do you feel that it will be sorted out quickly, and effectively ? Once bitten, twice shy.

I think it would be a different story if Sharp had a more definite policy on faulty LCDs. For example, it would be a good thing for them to offer something like this -

TVs that go faulty within the first month of ownership are repaired within 3 days, or replaced with a new one (assuming the customer doesn`t return it to the retailer).

TVs that develop a fault in the first 12 months will be repaired within 4 weeks. If this is not possible, a Grade A replacement will be provided.

Obviously, consumer rights could be applied, but at least you would know what you where letting yourself in for when you buy a Sharp TV, and in the event of a fault, the "hassle" factor would be reduced.
 
After a heated chat with sharp this morning i've been told they've made there offer and that's it.If im not prepared to take a grade A set then theres nothing else there prepaired to do.I'm so angry at the moment with sharp can't believe that it's come to this.:mad:

Would never deal with sharp again.
 
hunts1uk said:
Recived a letter from shart telling me all there willing to give me is a GA5 grade A replacement.:mad:

There telling me this was sold as a grade A model,funny how it only lasted 7 month before having problems, now i don't really hold out much hope for another grade A replacement which will last.

What does grade A mean?

I guess if it was sold as that in the first place you will only be entitled to a similar replacement.
 
dickst3 said:
What does grade A mean?

I guess if it was sold as that in the first place you will only be entitled to a similar replacement.

Grade A i take it is an already repaired unit.If i had brought it knowing it was Grade A i wouldn't be arguing,there was nothing on the site or warrenty.:mad:Though sharp have told me that normal.:confused:
 
I would have thought it is a requirement for it to be clearly stated - trades description and all that.

Have you proof from the purchase/website?

In that case I would pursue it personally. You should be certain about the grade A not being disclosed when you bought it and do not accept what they have offered.

I am no expert but that is what I would do. Call their bluff and go the small claims route......
 

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