Sway Posted October 13, 2004 Posted October 13, 2004 I am back in the market for a new display - probably a 42" HD Plasma. My ex-Sony KVEH36M31 is back in the box to Sony. This time, one of the main factors for me is going to be the standard of customer service, support, dealing with warranty claims etc. Based on my recent experience (more of this in another topic I will post in a few days, recommended reading for KVEH36M31 owners who are still having 100Hz vertical seam problems), this definately rules out Sony. Of the others, Panasonic, Hitachi, NEC, Fujitsu, Pioneer etc, I would be interested in the experiences of owners of these brands. If/when problems have arisen, how co-operative have they been in sorting you out? If something went wrong shortly after purchase (say, 2-3 weeks), do you get a new replacement or do you have to send it off to a service centre? Have you been satisfied with the length of time taken to get a set back to you? Do any of them return your calls when you have a problem? Sony were appalling at this. Thanks everyone. Sway
Sway Posted October 13, 2004 Author Posted October 13, 2004 Far out its taken you this long ?Angelo <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yep, but it could have been much shorter and less painfull if Sony had been half reasonable. Sway
Mr.Bitey Posted October 13, 2004 Posted October 13, 2004 Sway, You can cross toshiba off your list until someone other than Castel run the show in australia. Im still waiting on an email/call back from a few weeks. Cheers, Bitey
ijd Posted October 13, 2004 Posted October 13, 2004 Sway, One of the reasons I just bought an NEC 42" PX-42XM3W was the excellent service some users have had. PM Glenncol for one example. No personal experience yet other than very fast delivery from the Sydney warehouse to Brisbane. Plus an indication (FWIW?) that they would send someone out if I discovered any faults during setup. Then again, the dealer was right up their clacker to track/push progress!
Sway Posted October 13, 2004 Author Posted October 13, 2004 Sway,One of the reasons I just bought an NEC 42" PX-42XM3W was the excellent service some users have had. ! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks. The NEC is on my list of possibles. What did it cost if you don't mind? Sway
robertr Posted October 13, 2004 Posted October 13, 2004 Sway, Sony swapped over my KVEH36M31 for the KVHR36M31 12 months ago as I was experiencing the speaker grills lifting (they are glued down). I believe that it is not always Sonys fault, in my instance Megamart pushed for the replacement set it helps when you have an assertive retailer pushing the supplier. On the other hand Sony is woeful when you have device conflicting issues, such as I experienced with the Footy & Sony Amp. Robert
hifi007 Posted October 14, 2004 Posted October 14, 2004 I have found that the big companies like Sony, Panasonic etc all work like snails. Even if they do know whats going on their techs have to wait long periods for parts to come from OS as nothings in stock parts wise. Most people will never find this out till its all too late because early out of box failures or problems tend to get the gear replaced quickly. Its those 12mth down the road dramas that are the real heartache, and IMO the bigger the company the bigger the heartache (generally speaking). Fwiw I have got the best service from some of the smallest companies. Perhaps because they are not giants with lots of product and too much management or perhaps because they have to offer great service in order to survive? Either way I struck Sony off the list years ago after my first few heartaches on repairs and warranty issues.
Sway Posted October 14, 2004 Author Posted October 14, 2004 Thanks for all replies so far. I seem to be heading towards the NEC. Hifi007, would NEC fall into your category of smaller? Thanks Sway
Aqua Posted October 14, 2004 Posted October 14, 2004 Unless something has changed, which I cannot see from a Search on NEC site, it is worth taking note of the limited warranty they offer: Quote: "NEC NOW OFFERING 3 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY ON ALL PlasmaSync DISPLAYS SYDNEY - June 12, 2003. NEC Australia today announced that they will now be offering a 3 Year Limited Warranty*, standard, on all NEC PlasmaSync displays. Valid on all purchases from 01/6/03, terms and conditions apply. 3 Year Warranty on components and associated labour 1 year warranty on panel and associated labour " This is better than some who only offer 12 months. Fujitsu - 3 years FULL WARRANTY. Pioneer - 5 years warranty. But one needs to check out the fine print on all warranties.
glenncol Posted October 14, 2004 Posted October 14, 2004 Sway,One of the reasons I just bought an NEC 42" PX-42XM3W was the excellent service some users have had. PM Glenncol for one example. No personal experience yet other than very fast delivery from the Sydney warehouse to Brisbane. Plus an indication (FWIW?) that they would send someone out if I discovered any faults during setup. Then again, the dealer was right up their clacker to track/push progress! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Service! I can tell you one thing i have been experiencing a pixelisation problem on fast moving objects and as the Plasma sis not exibit this on DVD we can safely discount the panel as the problem. BUT i spoke to NEC and they told me as much that the panel would not be the problem but said there were going ot send out a Techo just in case. The techo arrives and turns out to be one of the nicest guys you would want to meet he checks the plasma over i was changing channels looking for a fast moving sceen but to no avail. Finally we came acroos The Price ir Right and bingo pixelisation city the service guys jaw hit the florr and said he had never seen this on a plasma before. He told me he was going to chat to his guys in Melb and Sydney and sort the issue out then he left i rang Geoff at eHome and told him what the out come was and he said that he would follow it through. I am still convinced that plasma had no problem at all and due to either signal or the piss poor band width here in Melb was causing my prob. Again the NEC does not display this on DVD or VCR tuner so the panel is not to blame. I get a phone call from Geoff at eHome this afteroon telling me that he has spoken to NEC and thay have said thay are going ot replace the panel NO questions asked i know thay know its not the panel but want thier customers to be happy. If the service tech that came out was any indication of the service NEC offer thay as far as i am concerned have hit the top of the list for service. Then on the retail side we have eHome who as far as i am concerned gone out of thier way to make sure a customer is happy so much so thay are going to deliver on a Satureday as i am not available during the week. Thay track the issue for me as i was told and delivered!! I have been a basher of bad service and sales people in the past but also a tell all about the good ones. This time is one of those GOOD times and makes me a lot more comfortable knowing i have dealt some of the best. I AM HAPPY
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