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Sony Electronics Inc Complaint - Faulty Product and TERRIBLE customer service - 52" Bravia LCD TV (KDL-52W4100)
52" Bravia LCD TV (KDL-52W4100) - Complaint
I recently had a very unfortunate experience with the 52 inch Sony Bravia LCD TV (Model # KDL-52W4100) I purchased 18 months ago on October 5, 2008. This experience was followed by other bad experiences while speaking with Sony's customer service and customer relations teams (4 different people).
After I turned on the TV on Saturday, April 10, 2010, I was shocked to see a number of vertical red lines stretching across the screen. After speaking with local repair shops, I am told the LCD panel needs to be replaced. The repair shop as well as a parts distributor told me the LCD panel is not an available part because the cost of this part would be approximately twice the cost of the TV.
While I realize the product is 6 months outside of warranty, I am extremely disappointed because I expected a Sony product to last far longer than the warranty period. This is precisely the reason I chose to pay a premium to purchase a Sony product as opposed to a less expensive brand such as Vizio. I put a lot of trust and money I had saved for this purchase into the Sony brand because I wanted to be confident I chose the right product.
Even after hearing the bad news, I was confident Sony would stand behind its product by assisting with either a repair or a discount on another TV. I did not expect full replacement. Before swearing off the Sony name for any future purchases for myself or my family, I decided to call the customer service number on April 14, 2010 to see if Sony would stand by its product. I spoke with two agents, both with the customer support line. They were very kind and professional, but they indicated they would need to escalate my concern to the customer relations group who handles these issues.
I then spoke with another agent on the customer relations team, thinking she would be able to offer some sort of solution. This was a quicker conversation than those I had with the other two agents. This agent simply stated the obvious fact that the product was outside of the warranty and that Sony could not offer any assistance whatsoever toward purchasing a new Sony TV. She said nobody in the company could make an exception to this since the product was outside of the warranty period. When I asked to speak with the manager, she indicated that her manager is not taking calls. I asked her why my call was escalated to her if there are no exceptions. Why didn’t customer service tell me this and save a half hour of my time? No reply.
I then found the name of someone who I wanted to write at Sony, so I called the customer service line again. After spending 15 minutes speaking with the agent and re-hashing the story, she sent me on to the customer relations team again. The customer relations agent put me on hold several times before telling me he could not tell me where the person was located. I then asked where the PR group was located, and he couldn't tell me this. When I asked to speak with his supervisor, he said supervisors did not take phone calls. When I asked to speak with the next level above the supervisor, he again refused.
I realize the product quality might not be this poor across the board, so I wanted to give Sony a chance to keep me as a customer by helping with the purchase of a new Sony TV. They failed miserably. I will continue to send several letters in hopes my letters make it to the proper management contact. I can't imagine this is how management intends to do business.
After I turned on the TV on Saturday, April 10, 2010, I was shocked to see a number of vertical red lines stretching across the screen. After speaking with local repair shops, I am told the LCD panel needs to be replaced. The repair shop as well as a parts distributor told me the LCD panel is not an available part because the cost of this part would be approximately twice the cost of the TV.
While I realize the product is 6 months outside of warranty, I am extremely disappointed because I expected a Sony product to last far longer than the warranty period. This is precisely the reason I chose to pay a premium to purchase a Sony product as opposed to a less expensive brand such as Vizio. I put a lot of trust and money I had saved for this purchase into the Sony brand because I wanted to be confident I chose the right product.
Even after hearing the bad news, I was confident Sony would stand behind its product by assisting with either a repair or a discount on another TV. I did not expect full replacement. Before swearing off the Sony name for any future purchases for myself or my family, I decided to call the customer service number on April 14, 2010 to see if Sony would stand by its product. I spoke with two agents, both with the customer support line. They were very kind and professional, but they indicated they would need to escalate my concern to the customer relations group who handles these issues.
I then spoke with another agent on the customer relations team, thinking she would be able to offer some sort of solution. This was a quicker conversation than those I had with the other two agents. This agent simply stated the obvious fact that the product was outside of the warranty and that Sony could not offer any assistance whatsoever toward purchasing a new Sony TV. She said nobody in the company could make an exception to this since the product was outside of the warranty period. When I asked to speak with the manager, she indicated that her manager is not taking calls. I asked her why my call was escalated to her if there are no exceptions. Why didn’t customer service tell me this and save a half hour of my time? No reply.
I then found the name of someone who I wanted to write at Sony, so I called the customer service line again. After spending 15 minutes speaking with the agent and re-hashing the story, she sent me on to the customer relations team again. The customer relations agent put me on hold several times before telling me he could not tell me where the person was located. I then asked where the PR group was located, and he couldn't tell me this. When I asked to speak with his supervisor, he said supervisors did not take phone calls. When I asked to speak with the next level above the supervisor, he again refused.
I realize the product quality might not be this poor across the board, so I wanted to give Sony a chance to keep me as a customer by helping with the purchase of a new Sony TV. They failed miserably. I will continue to send several letters in hopes my letters make it to the proper management contact. I can't imagine this is how management intends to do business.
Comments:
Posted by andbran on 2010-04-19:
nowadays when the warranty goes out no company will do anything for you. i do hope you get some resolution. i would like to hear someone get some sort of break. good luck
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