Sony USA Complaint - Sony sells their Sony Extended Service Plans to a hidden aftermarket company named Service Net that is a nightmare to deal with. - Sony Bravia XBR KGL-52XBR9 52-inch 1080p LCD Flat Screen.

Posted by Venice09 on 2012-01-20:

Excellent review. Very informative and helpful.

Unfortunately, this is what happens with extended warranties and service plans. Not only are they expensive, but they rarely pay off. And even when they do, it takes so much time and aggravation on the part of the customer, that it's usually not worth it.

The failure of two expensive televisions in only 20 months says a lot about Sony's quality.

Posted by Need info on 2012-01-20:

There were some specs To the two TVs listed earlier. Can someone realist?

Posted by Venice09 on 2012-01-21:

This behavior seems inappropriate and is a good example of the downside of anonymous posting.

Posted by Venice09 on 2012-01-21:

Is this the television you are referring to, At Your Service?

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreSearch?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10551&in_dim_search=&Ntk=&Ntx=&Nrt=&Nrr=&Nrk=&Nrm=&keyword=Sony+KBL55HX729.+

Posted by Venice09 on 2012-01-21:

Two tries and the link doesn't work. It worked on another site. I wonder what the problem is here.

Perhaps At Your Service could provide links from Sony to the two models in question.

Posted by ok4now on 2012-01-21:

Sony was once the gold standard in TV's. If you want the best and are willing to pay for it buy Sony. Sadly this is not the case today. Yes they still make a good product but they're not worth the money. Samsung, LG and Panasonic make a great product for much less money. I have 2 Samsung HD TV's, 2 Samsung computer monitors and a Samsung Tablet. All products have worked flawlessly.

Considering what the OP has been through I would take the $1575 check and run like a thief. You were well compensated under the circumstances described. Now you learned a valuable lesson about Sony and Service Net. Don't make the same mistake twice.

Posted by Thank You on 2012-01-21:

Thank you for reporting the specifications. A vey big help.

Posted by certifier49 on 2012-01-21:

At Your Service, you might want to check your facts before you post them.

Here are the specs. For the Sony Bravia XBR KGL-52XBR9 52-inch 1080p LCD Flat Screen from Sony and as far as the 3-inch difference in size it appears to matter more to you than it does to me.
Product Features
•16:9 Full HD 1080p Resolution Panel (1920x1080)
•BRAVIA Engine 3 fully digital video processor
•Motionflow 240Hz
•Live Color Creation technology w/ WCG-CCFL backlight
•USB to view photo/music/video
Technical Details
•Brand Name: Sony
•Model: KDL-52XBR9
•Display Technology: LCD
•Display Size: 52 inches
•Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Highlights:
•52" screen (measured diagonally)
•widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio
•high-gloss black finish
•built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required)
•built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives unscrambled programs without a set-top box (cable service required)
•1920 x 1080 pixels
•selectable Motionflow™ 240Hz anti-blur technology for clearer motion
•3800:1 contrast ratio (100,000:1 dynamic)
•10-bit display panel & video processing for over a billion possible colors
•BRAVIA Engine 3™ digital video processing
•Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) dynamic backlighting for better contrast and black levels
•wide-range fluorescent backlight for extended color range
•Deep Color and x.v.Color™ support
•Internet-capable with built-in BRAVIA Internet Widgets (broadband service required)
•capable of streaming video from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube and more (subscription required for Netflix service)
•capable of streaming photos, music and video from a compatible DLNA-enabled networked computer
•TV Guide® Interactive Program Guide
•built-in stereo speakers (10 watts x 2)
•illuminated multibrand remote control
•BRAVIA Sync™ simplifies control of compatible Sony components via the HDMI connection (HDMI-CEC)
•Energy Star® 3.0 compliant — see our article on TV power consumption for more info about this and other testing standards
•picture settings memory for each video input
Connections and Dimensions:
•7 A/V inputs (see More Photos for location):
o1 composite video
o1 S-video
o2 component video
o4 HDMI v1.3 (1 rear, 3 side) — accepts signals up to 1080p (60Hz, 24Hz)
•side PC input: analog RGB (D-Sub 15-pin)
•RF input for antenna/cable signals
•optical digital audio output for Dolby® Digital
•Ethernet port
•USB port for digital photo/video/MP3 playback with Sony cameras and flash memory drives
•detachable stand (stand "footprint" is 20-1/8"W x 14"D)
•wall-mountable (bracket not included)
•49"W x 29-1/4"H x 3-1/2"D (32-3/8"H x 14"D on stand)
•weight: 65.9 lbs. with stand; 57.1 lbs. without stand
•warranty: 1 year parts & labor — in-home service

Posted by Anonymous on 2012-01-21:

Thank you for your post, certifier.

Posted by Venice09 on 2012-01-21:

Thanks for the info, certifier49. I hope you keep checking your review for comments.

Posted by certifier49 on 2012-01-22:

I paid Sony $350.87 for what was represented as a Sony Extended Service Plan. Check this website and see for yourself
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=552&XID=M:selectpage:esupport#/S_ESP_TV_Section

This is the second expensive top of the line Sony product that failed after being in my house for only twenty months.

The first was a Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-52XBR4 52-inch 1080p LCD Flat Panel flagship XBR series HDTV
The last Sony that failed is the Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-52XBR9 52-inch 1080p LCD Flat Panel HDTV flagship XBR series HDTV.

You can contact Sony at http://store.sony.com or Shop Sony by Phone: 1-877-865-7669 ask about the difference between the Sony XBR series and the HX Series and they will tell you that there is a difference in quality between the two series.

We need to remember that I would not be dealing with this if the two top of the line sets that I had not failed in twenty short months because they had a bad panel when they came from Sony.

We are not talking about a product that is an old low-end unit we are talking about a product that was sold as the top of the line XBR series product twenty months ago, that has failed in only twenty months because Sony sold it with the knowledge that it had a bad panel.

As far as my negative dealings with Service Net are concerned read this and judge for yourself.

The thing that really stands out about Service Net is how rude and uncooperative their so-called service rep. Ashley Crenshaw and a man that claimed to be a supervisor named Ray Keeler, and another supervisor Darienne Arcuri at Service Net are to deal with.
When I was scolded by Ashley Crenshaw because I was concerned about my claim and she was not getting back to me in a reasonable time and asked to speak to a supervisor I was put on hold for about fifteen minutes and a so-called supervisor named Ray Keeler finally got on the phone. I was trying to talk to him and it was very apparent that he was not even listening I asked for his supervisor and he stated that his supervisor was out of the building and would get back to me in three or four days.

A few days later I was contacted by another supervisor Darienne Arcuri and told that I
had three choices to get this matter resolved. 1.Accept a lower quality set Sony KBL55HX729.

2. Accept a check for $1575.76 that I do not even know will clear the bank.

3.They would do nothing and I would lose everythingincluding the $350.87 that Ihad paid for what I was lead to believe was a Sony Extended Service Plan.

Out of fear that I would lose everything including the $350.87 I paid for what was represented as a Sony Extended Service Plan I felt forced to accept the lower quality replacement set.

I don’t know if their check would have cleared or not but after checking with the Better Business in Louisville, Ky where Service Net is located and finding out that they have had 355 complaints filed against them in three short years I did not want to take the chance that the check would clear.

The one good that has happened as a result of my ordeal with Service Net is that according to the customer service reps at Sony that were assigned to look at my case by.

Nicole Seligman. Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Sony Corporation
Corporate Executive Officer, Sony Corporation
Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Sony Corporation of America 550 Madison Avenue New York NT 10022

Is that I have been told that Sony not will be using Service Net for Sony service and replacement work within a few months.

I was told that this change has already been approved by the executives at Sony because of the large number of complaints that Sony has received from Sony customers that have had to deal with Service Net.

Posted by Venice09 on 2012-01-22:

Certifier, this is a valid complaint and don't let anyone convince you it isn't. If one of the reasons for writing it was to warn other consumers about Sony's quality and warranties, you have succeeded.

Thanks for posting the review and all the additional explanations. I'm sorry if you've been made to feel that your complaint is frivolous and ill-founded. I found it very helpful.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2012-01-22:

+100 V09

Posted by certifier49 on 2012-01-23:

This is my last post on this issue.

In the first place, I did not post this complaint in order to start the pissing contest that it has become.

If people that have read the complaint fail to see the real point of the complaint, I cannot do anything to change their minds and I would not even try.

The reason that I posted the complaint was to make people aware of these things.

i. Sony sold and is still selling expensive large screen TVs that they know have a defective panel that cannot be repaired.

2. It is never disclosed when the customer purchases the Extended Service Plan from Sony that the so-called Sony Extended Service Plan is sold to a company named Service Net that has had 355 complaints filed against them in the last 3 years at their local BBB, and is a nightmare to deal with.

3. I do not know if the check that was offered as an option would clear the bank or not. Even if it would clear, the bank the issue is not the check that so many people seem to focus on that is important.

4. It is the fact that I have had two high end Sony flat panel TVs that had a combined retail price of over $5400.00 fail in a very short time and the negative way that Service Net deals with Sony customers when they fail.

5. I do not care about inches or specs as much as some of you seem to I care about a company treating their customers the same when the customer has a problem as when they are taking the customers money.

Posted by Anonymous on 2012-01-23:

Reason #217,689 why I don't buy warranties. If I don't trust the product I'm buying, then I wouldn't have selected it in the first place. I paid around $600-700 for a 46" Vizio, and have had no problems to date. That's nearly 5x less than the aforementioned Sony. It just goes to show that just because something costs more, doesn't necessarily make it better quality.

Posted by lexophiliac on 2012-01-23:

certifier49, you were clearly far outnumbered but still dared make a stand. I love you. You're the type of person I'd like to have my back.

Posted by sara on 2013-06-08:

display broke on $3 g sony vaio z, top of the line. had a line running through the middle otherwise display in perfect shape, a HDMI sent in to "sony extended warranty" which turned out to be BESTBUY!!!!!!!!!!! they took one month to return computer with non-HDMI display. i sent it back. after another month, they returned it to me with a scratched up display, at least HDMI. almost funny.
in the meantime i'd bought a new vaio which , within days, had a bright yellow screen. returned it. got another. took a few days for the paint on the front to start peeling off. never saw anything like it. the ear phones couldnt be used. and the display kept getting dark. returned it. got another. this one appears to be okay. is a bright, responsive computer in fact. maybe i hit pot luck.