Circuit City - Never Again!

[Suhit Gupta]

Last week Jason posted on his tale of woe regarding his Fujitsu laptop and I wrote a short excerpt of my problem with my Sony TV but I figured it would be a good idea to explain the whole situation, maybe saving some of you out there from making mistakes like I did.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems20_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems20_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems20_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br />So I needed to buy a DVD player on New Years Eve 2000 (going onto 2001) because I wanted to watch a couple of movies and happened to go to Circuit City (the 14th Street Union Square store). At that time they had a promotion that if one bought a 26" TV or bigger, you would get a free DVD player. This I felt was the perfect opportunity to upgrade my crappy 20" TV so I purchased a Sony Wega 32" on Dec. 31st 2000 - the biggest mistake of my life.<br /><!><br />I basically spent a largish chunk from my savings, putting down over $1500 to buy the TV, the DVD player (free), NY State tax, the Circuit City Extended Warranty and shipping. I used to live on Roosevelt Island at the time (small island between Manhattan and Queens, the island where Spiderman had his final showdown with the Green Lantern in Spiderman I). The TV arrived the next day and I was very happy. I hooked it up to my speakers, making it the center of my living room. I lived in this apartment for 1.5 years more (no problems at all) and then moved to my current apartment - Manhattan, 32nd Street and 5th ave - right next to the Empire State Building. TV continued to work fine for four-five months and I often wondered if it was ever worth paying for the extended warranty. (I will refer to Circuit City as CC from now, also, if you want to download the high res version of all the images that you are going to see in this rant instead of clicking on the link, <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600.zip">click here</a>).<br /><br /><b><span>The problem</span></b><br />My question was soon answered when in late December 2002 (two years after I bought the TV) the problems started. At first there was occassional clicking in the set with a slight fuzziness/snowy screen, perhaps once a day or two. It was so rare that I did not pay attention thinking that it was just something random. But by the time January rolled around, the reception was awful, the picture was snowy all the time and all vertical lines in the TV were wavy. [Note that now the problem is continuous and every there are funky colored large vertical color bars that will appear on the screen every few minutes]. So I called Time Warner Cable thinking it was a cable problem but over the course of a couple of months, they replaced almost every single part of cabling and equipment in my apartment and the problem continued. After removing every other variable (in fact we plugged the DVD player directly to the TV, and did the same with the VCR, removing all other equipment from the equation, and the problem persisted), they narrowed it down to the TV. Since then, by the way, I have isolated the TV with only the DVD player, the VCR, my Playstation, Nintendo 64 and Xbox and have been able to replicate the same exact problem - fuzziness, snow, wavy lines. I have also tried moving the TV into separate rooms in my apartment and plugging it into different power outlets just to rule out the possibility of it being a power fluctuation problem. Anyways, I called CC tech support.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems02_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems02_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems02_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><b><span>Tech Visit 1:</span></b><br />They sent over a certified Sony tech, who did not speak any English. He came and thought the problem was with some settings. Using the TV remote, he messed with the settings for several minutes but after he couldn't fix it, he basically said that there was nothing wrong with the TV. Ultimately he said that he couldn't see anything wrong with the picture quality. I was a bit surprised but I asked if I could get the TV replaced if the problem persisted and he said he would see what he could do but I would have to ultimately call up CC. I was very confused by this visit but I signed the receipt that he presented acknoledging that he had indeed come and looked at the TV. This was in March.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems12_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems12_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems12_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br /><b><span>Tech Visit 2:</span></b><br />Since I was completely dissatisfied with this tech and did not hear from either him or CC for about 2 weeks, I called CC tech support again. They said that the previous tech reported that there was nothing wrong with the TV (which I found to be a blatant lie) but since I claimed that the problem still existed, they decided to send someone else. Note also that everytime a tech needs to be sent, I call CC, who then takes about 5 days to schedule a call back from a tech shop who then take at least 2 weeks to show up. Anyways, they sent over a second tech company who immediately acknowledged that there was a problem with the TV and after looking at it for a few minutes decided that it needed to be taken to the shop.<br /><br />I was fine with this as it was at least progress from my point of view that the problem was being looked at. When I did not hear from them for a week, I called the shop up who said that the tech who came and looked at my TV (and had acknowledged the problem) only worked on the field and the in-store techs could not find anything wrong with the TV. I asked if I could come in and look at it and they had no problem with it. When I went over to the store I saw the same problem. First they claimed that there was nothing wrong, and then they claimed that the problem was with their own cable line and not the TV. I asked them how they repaired any TV at all with a faulty cable which they found very offensive because that was their trust cable connection that had lasted over (apparently) 25 years. They basically said they would do nothing further and that they would return my TV. I asked them if they could arrange for me to get a replacement TV and they said that it was out of the question since it worked fine. They returned the TV, again having me sign a receipt claiming that they had come and looked at my TV. I did this again and when I asked for a copy of the receipt, they said that it was only for internal purposes and if I wanted to get a final report of their work, I would have to contact CC directly. They also said, shockingly, that it was probably the Empire State Building's antenna intereference that was causing all this. This was in May.<br /><br />I called up CC a week later to figure out the status of the problem and they said that they now had two techs who had told them that there was nothing wrong with the TV and that there was nothing they could do about it and that they were closing the case. I told them that the second tech store acknowledged the problem but CC said that I had signed a receipt accepting that there was nothing wrong with the TV. And this is when it dawned upon me that the receipts I was signing were not only acknowledgements of the work but also the report that was usually written in a blank note section that I had never really noticed before. So I was signing the receipts which were then filled in with data that was false and sent to CC. I explained all of this to them but they were extremely unsympathetic. I asked them if they could replace my TV and they said no. I asked if they would buy it back for the current market value (a loss of almost $700 for me) and I would buy a new TV and pay the difference in cost and they did not want to even listen to that suggestion. This was June.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems06_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems06_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems06_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br />I was so frustrated that I called Sony directly and talked to their tech support and even though they found the problem to be very odd, they said that Sony had no way to help me since I had not bought Sony support. I did have the option of shipping the TV to and from Pennsylvania (shipping itself would costing a fortune) and having it looked at by the authorized US Sony center at a cost of $200 (I don't remember the exact amount but it was in that range) and that might help but the cost was too great for me. So according to Sony I was to call CC again.<br /><br />Since I was so fed up with CC, I decided to call Time Warner Cable again hoping against hope that the problem was not my TV but the cable connection. They rapidly, over the course of three months, dispatched several technicians who once again replaced more or less all the cabling and equipment in my apartment but that did not help. When I told them of the CC tech's suggestion that it was intereference from the Empire State, they even checked for that and eliminated that as a source of the problem. Finally, they placed a call to the Time Warner people that work with cabling down in the sewers who checked signal strength and quality and reported that everything was fine. We cheked my neighbors' picture quality and no one else had a problem. I even found several of my neighbors to have Sony Wega (one of whom had the exact model as me) and no one else had any problems with reception. The final Time Warner tech that came to my apartment told me that he was a CC/Sony TV repairman some time ago and had quit because he did not generally like the way they treated their customers (no idea whether this is true), but he wrote a letter guaranteeing that there was nothing wrong with the cable equipment. He also told me that CC makes it very clear to their techs that they are not to, under any circumstances, tell the customers that the problem cannot be fixed because that would mean that CC was responsible for replacing the device. All this ended in Fall/October.<br /><br />I was completely fed up and decided that I was screwed so I let the whole thing lie for about two months.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><b><span>Tech Visit 3:</span></b><br />Then in December I remembered that my warranty was going to expire on January 1st 2004 and with pseudo renewed hope I called CC again. They really did not want to hear about reception problems but when I spoke to supervisors and managers, they decided to send over a third tech, and claimed that this was my last chance and after this tech they would consider the problem to be in my mind (wonderful). They also asked me to keep a TV diary to keep track of exactly when and how severe the problem was on each day which I dilligently did.<br /><br />The third tech came in mid-December and again immediately saw the problem (how could they not), he did not even need the TV diary to see the problem, and immediately placed an order for parts they said would fix the problem. 2 weeks later, they installed the new chips but that did not fix it. So they decided to take the motherboard in the TV to the store. I was without a TV over Christmas and New Years. In early January, they came and plugged the 'fixed' motherboard but that did not solve the problem either. So they finally took the entire TV to the store to do some more stuff. 3 weeks later (late January and after my warranty had expired), they returned it but that didn't solve the problem either. They said that the TV worked fine in their store and that there was nothing wrong with it. When I asked them what they had been fixing all this while, there was no clear answer. They basically said that the problem has to be with the environment. This time they did not need for me to sign any receipt (surprising). I pretty much begged and pleaded them to write that the TV is broken in their report, but they said that they could not write that because there is no such thing as a problem in a TV that cannot be fixed.<br /><br />So now I had a still broken TV, a warranty that had conveniently expired and no other options. When I called CC to ask if there was anything else I could do, they said that since my warranty had expired I could choose to buy another three years of extended warranty and they would re-issue three technicians to help solve it. When I asked them which three technicians they would send, they name the same three techs that had already been sent. I asked them if they did not find that answer a bit odd, i.e. that on the one hand they claimed that there was nothing wrong with the TV and yet they were willing to send out the three techs that had told them so in the fist place.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems13_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems13_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems13_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusion (sort of...)</b></span><br />Anyways, I went to the Sony store in Manhattan and explained my saga to them but to no avail. In desperation I wrote to the Sony President/CEO (yes, perhaps stupid move but I was desperate) and the next day I got a call from his people who then escalated the problem within Sony support. But the result was exactly the same as Sony support refused to do anything since I did not buy the TV or the extended support from Sony. So all in all, I was/am screwed. Note that this tale spans over 1.5 years, a lot of stress, inconcenience and despair and I have nothing to show for it. Ugh!<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems14_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems14_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems14_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>) - Taped material played back from DVD player (everything else is disconnected).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems15_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems15_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems15_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>) - Taped material played back from DVD player (everything else is disconnected).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems17_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems17_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems17_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems18_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems18_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems18_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems23_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems23_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems23_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems30_360.JPG" /><br />(<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized800/tvproblems30_800.JPG">800x533</a>) (<a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized1600/tvproblems30_1600.JPG">1600x1066</a>)<br /><br />Look at these pictures, am I really imagining it?

[Felix Torres]

Do they have Small Claims court in NYC?
You could sue for the cost of the lemon and expenses.

[dean_shan]

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems12_360.JPG
Caption Time.

Oh. That would explain why I can't find my dog.

[Doug Johnson]

I won't shop at Circuit City for a different reason... Every time I have gone in there the salespeople don't know anything about the products they are selling, and lie to try and cover their butts. They consistently steer me towards the products that they have the most markup in, not the ones that are best for my particular situation. It's very consistent, and very frustrating.

[danlim]

Hi Suhit,
Did you tell them either you would bring them to Small Claim court to settle the issue or bring their poor tech support issue to the public as this Forum? May be you can have a couple witnesses to witness your problem in case you need to take them to the court. May be if they realize that they have much to lose by not providing the proper support or service, they may do something right fast.

DL 7-21-2004

[The Yaz]

Its a shame what you have gone through Suhit. I too had an unexplainable problem with my 27" Sony Trinitron three years into my ownership. The screen would never settle, and it would get grainy.

I did not have an extended warranty, so I took it to two repair shops who could not see a hardware issue that would cause such a problem. They said it must be the environment, but the tv had not been moved from its spot since the day I had first installed it. :roll:

I tried one last shop, and I was lucky that I did. The repair man had just gotten his Sony certification, and had an idea what was going on.

He told me that Sony had been using a wire-mesh/plastic membrane to insulate the control parts from the power source. In some cases, heat from the power source and room temp. would erode the glue holding the plastic to the mesh. The plastic would wear away from the mesh and slight distortions would appear on the screen.

He opened my tv, pointed to the insulation (which looked like a cheese grater with candle wax on it). Went in the back storeroom and appeared with a new insulation piece, installed it and closed up the tv. The picture was now fine.

He said that I needed better ventulation for the set so it would not get so hot in the future. When I got the tv home, I made sure to get two cabinet fans placed in the back of the tv area to increase air circulation.

I've had that tv for ten years now.

I hope your problem is really that simple.

Good Luck!

Steve 8)

[Crocuta]

Seriously, Felix is right. Just drop down to your local small claims court and file a suit. As your complaint, just copy down exactly what you've said right here. Then take along all of your paperwork (receipts for original purchase, extended warranty, etc.), a log of all of your calls and results, the log you kept for CC on the third try, printed copies of the images you've shown here and printed copies of images from your neighbor's exact same model showing the difference in quality. Then if you can convince the cable technician who used to work for Sony to come along to verify what they did to rule out interference, you should have a pretty solid presentation. If he can't come, then see if he'll write a report or if you can get copies of the reports he filed to the cable company.

Also, I don't know about NY, but in some states corporations have to hire attorneys even for small claims (i.e. can't send a non-lawyer representative), and if that's the case it will cost them $3,000 - $5,000 just to defend your suit. Even if they have house counsel, that person would want to spend their time on more important things and there will still be a cost to them of defending the suit.

Your best result is that they might settle, recognizing that you are suing for less than it will cost to successfully defend the case, and the worst result is that you lose and go home no worse off than you are, but knowing that you cost them lots of money. And one final thing, be sure to include Sony as a defendent as well. That will double the costs of the defense.

[Suhit Gupta]

Do they have Small Claims court in NYC?
You could sue for the cost of the lemon and expenses.
They do, but I can't really afford a lawyer. Seriously, I am just a student and I wonder whether it is worth it to actually go to court for this. Think also of the time commitment. Has any one of you been to small claims court?

Suhit

[Suhit Gupta]

Hi Suhit,
Did you tell them either you would bring them to Small Claim court to settle the issue or bring their poor tech support issue to the public as this Forum? May be you can have a couple witnesses to witness your problem in case you need to take them to the court. May be if they realize that they have much to lose by not providing the proper support or service, they may do something right fast.

DL 7-21-2004
I am but a lowly (and perhaps troublesome) customer from their point of view as far as I can tell. But no, I did not 'theaten' them. Hmm, I feel like they would just get very upset if I threatened to sue..

Suhit

[klinux]

Better yet. Go to the CC site, go through their PR release, investor relationship, SEC filings, etc, find the e-mail address of the higest ranking person you can find, e-mail them and make them aware of your site. I have a feeling you will get a response ASAP with minimal loss to you.

I had a problem with a Logitech wireless KB. After countless calls and e-mails to tech support, I finally went up to someone in PR/marketing who got the issue resolved ASAP.

In my previous very large company, a customer issue that reaches the director level via whatever means usually get a lot of attention so that it gets addresses quick.

Nevertheless, the likes of CC, BestBuy, CompUSA, etc have been known to be hateful/hostile toward their customers. :roll:

Good luck and let us know your progress.

[Suhit Gupta]

He said that I needed better ventulation for the set so it would not get so hot in the future. When I got the tv home, I made sure to get two cabinet fans placed in the back of the tv area to increase air circulation.
Interesting, I will try that, but I wonder whether it will help because I have moved the TV to another room with a lot more air circulation, and it wasn't in the entertainment center, and the problem still existed. :(

Suhit

[Felix Torres]

Do they have Small Claims court in NYC?
You could sue for the cost of the lemon and expenses.
They do, but I can't really afford a lawyer. Seriously, I am just a student and I wonder whether it is worth it to actually go to court for this. Think also of the time commitment. Has any one of you been to small claims court?

Suhit

Small claims court doesn't require a lawyer.
At least not in most states that have them...
The whole idea is to allow single-hearing settlement of issues.
And they tend to do a lot of consumer stuff because of this.

[Felix Torres]

Hmm, I feel like they would just get very upset if I threatened to sue..

Suhit

So don't threaten.
Just do.
You've got a case.
Let the judge decide.

[aro]

I had this kind of customer problem with Future Shop canada(living in Montreal).
After 4 months of sending and receiving back(3 times) a still problematic PocketPC I had to scare them with the eventuallity of sending the situation report to a newspaper. I called the newspaper and they gave me the email of a tech reporter. I sent him the situation report and within a week he replied that he could make this published in the reader's letters sections. I called Future Shop and tell them that I had spoken to a reporter(naming the newspaper and the reporter) and that he was waiting for my story. I also told the guy that I would send him a copy of the reporter email as a proof. I did not have to and within 2 week and a half, the problem was (re)shipped back,diagnosed, repaired and received.

Oh, I forgot to say...it did not cost a penny.

I really think that they are playing it with the "balls". They think we don't have any...
Good luck.

aro

[Filip Norrgard]

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/circuitcity/resized300/tvproblems20_360.JPG
Nope, it's the colors that are to blame! The fancy color-drenched Ikea stuff that this lady is leaning against has produced massive interference. :wink: Expensive black and white television anyone? :roll:

No seriously, sad to see this happen. I've previously thought that Sony's TVs have had bad picture, but your TV sure beat them! 8O

Why not go with this to NBC, NYT or any other of the big media guys? You should bring Jason and other DMT disgrunteled customers along with you to make this just bigger... :twisted:

[Phoenix]

Hmm, I feel like they would just get very upset if I threatened to sue..

Suhit

Yes, exactly. This is the idea. You've spent enough time letting them upset you, now you upset them. What they did was against the law - they can't sell you something with a warranty and then when it breaks, not fix or replace it. Big stupid companies like this count on most people backing off and just saying, "Oh Kaayyyy" and walking away. Time to put your foot up their butt, Suhit.

I sued a major computer company because a laptop they sold me broke down and they stuffed older parts into it, and didn't tell me. They never did fix it correctly. That's a big no no. I had an attorney write them a letter, and after he did so, the computer company called me and I ended up receiving a brand new laptop that was far more expensive than the one I purchased. I won. They lost. And I never bought from them again and never will.

Sometimes this is all it takes - the mere threat of a lawsuit via written letter from an attorney (which serves as undeniable proof that you are not messing around) - a lawsuit which will cost a lot more to them than if they just replace the TV.

And that's the thing - don't let them fix it. Make them give you a brand new TV. And make sure that they give you a newly boxed one before you send back the old one.

You absolutely can get this resolved. These big idiot gorillas can be dealt with. It just requires you to spend maybe a couple hundred bucks for a lawyer to write a letter. Often times, this is all it takes. Would a couple hundred dollars be worth it to you if you got a new TV? And make sure they throw in a free component of your choice (a nice one - like an A/V receiver) to make up for the money you had to spend on an attorney and the time you had to spend dealing with these retards. Make sure your attorney knows you expect some sort of restitution in addition to getting the TV replaced.

Also consider going to a local news station. Is this overkill? No, it isn't. Would they have a consumer division who would be interested in this story? You wouldn't know until you checked. This would get CC's attention.

Don't be the intimidated. I mean it. You intimidate them. Get it handled. And then never buy from them again.


Oh yeah, and don't buy Sony. If someone needs fans to cool their TV's, for instance, Sony has a quality control issue and/or a major design flaw.

[Filip Norrgard]

Phoenix's got a you a ready-made plan there, Suhit. ;)

Oh yeah, and don't buy Sony. If someone needs fans to cool their TV's, for instance, Sony has a quality control issue and/or a major design flaw.
Exactly! That's what I've told my friends and family. Especially after the MemoryStink disaster... :x

[Tim Williamson]

Wow, that sounds like a hellish situation...good luck with that.

[BugDude10]

BTW, do a little research first, to see if NY has any consumer-protection laws that might help you. Some states have additional penalties if a business screws a consumer (e.g., in Ohio, a prevailing consumer might get 3x his actual damages), and many states allow consumers to bring consumer-protection claims in small claims court.

Don't be afraid of small claims court. You're too smart, and tech-literate, not to be able to show the judge who's right, and to allow the brainless clods from CC to get away with this. (For general information on small claims courts, at least in Ohio, see http://www.jrmlaw.com/LP_small_claims_court.htm.)

Just my $0.02.

[mattmend]

Two things:

1) You have an excellent case in either small-claims court or civil court according to my partner who's an attorney here in the Big Apple.

2) If you'd rather start by filing a complaint with the state, then do so here:

https://www1.consumer.state.ny.us/cpb/CauComplaintForm.html

You will get a response. I've filed complaints before and they take all of them seriously. New York's pretty good with "lemon products".

3) CC sucks my left testicle.

Hope that helps.

Regards -

Matt (http://www.idealrhombus.com)

[bmhome1]

I bought a Sony Wega 32" TV from Circuit City in December 2000 also, but have had a very different experience. Against my instincts, my friend with me during the purchase insisted I buy the CC extended warranty for the maximum three year option.

In 2002 the Sony started acting up and I hesitantly called the CC service number and was promptly set up for a tech to inspect. CC service third-parties the service so it was a guy from a local TV repair outfit.

Long story short, he declared the picture tube was defective and ordered a new one on the spot. It was going to take three weeks since the Wega tube is special order. I asked the cost, and he told me the tube costs wholesale over $900 plus labor and was possible they would just give me a store credit to spend.

But the tube was ordered, three weeks later arrived, the same guy installed it (with my help, the tube is huge and extremely heavy), and he did a terrific job aligning the new tube. The TV looked perfect.

Last year my warranty was about to run out, so I sprung for another year. Just months before the expiration, the same problem resurfaced.

Long story short again, the same situation and results, twice superb service from both CC service people and the actual tech, who this time replaced the tube himself and did the best alignment and calibration of the TV since even new when purchased.

So not all CC warranty service is a nightmare, my experience has been the very opposite. And for around $400 in extended warranty, I received over $2,000 in parts and service.

I'll be renewing the warranty this winter when expiration nears. I'm riding this pony as far as it will go.

Seriously, I think you should just insist on a different TV service center to be farmed out to (there must be several in Manhattan). My tech guys have been great and very reasonable to deal with.

[Montego]

I think you definitely have a case here, but somewhat in CC's defense, I will relate this small story:

I bought a camcorder from CC here in West Virginia, and it was the only time I purchased an extended warranty. Something about all of those small and delicate transport parts made me think something could go wrong.

After a shoot (and after my regular warranty expired), I noticed that there was a smudge in my video. I checked the camera, and there was a dead bug on the inside of the lens. Don't know ho it could have happened, as I take really good care of my cameras.

Took it to CC. Had it back in two days, and on the repair note, the tech had written that besides cleaning the inside of the lens, he had tested the camera and noticed that some of the electronics needed to be adjusted, which he did. Total cost was $125, of which I paid nothing.

I also might add that the CC I go to has many (but not all) knowledgable sales staff. I can't say the same when I've visited our local Best Buy. So, I don't think all of CC is bad. I guess it boils down to whose running the individual stores.

Good luck with your problem.

[Phoenix]

...In 2002 the Sony started acting up...

...the picture tube was defective...

...Last year my warranty was about to run out, so I sprung for another year. Just months before the expiration, the same problem resurfaced.

Another reason why not to buy Sony.

[Suhit Gupta]

Two things:

1) You have an excellent case in either small-claims court or civil court according to my partner who's an attorney here in the Big Apple.

2) If you'd rather start by filing a complaint with the state, then do so here:

https://www1.consumer.state.ny.us/cpb/CauComplaintForm.html

You will get a response. I've filed complaints before and they take all of them seriously. New York's pretty good with "lemon products".

That does help... except,
1) what is the difference between going to small claims court vs. the NYS complaint thing?

2) It seems to me that the NYS complaint thing is a precursor to an actual small claims suit. But does the suit get affected if no agreement was reached in the negotiations done by NYS?

Suhit

[Suhit Gupta]

...In 2002 the Sony started acting up...

...the picture tube was defective...

...Last year my warranty was about to run out, so I sprung for another year. Just months before the expiration, the same problem resurfaced.

Another reason why not to buy Sony.
bmhome1, you are lucky, although like you point out and like Phoenix notes, shouldn't a TV tube never go out this frequently? Isn't that a bad sign for the model in the first place?

Suhit

[ctmagnus]

shouldn't a TV tube never go out this frequently?

We've got a RCA that's ~17yrs old. Never had an issue other than pebkac.

[Suhit Gupta]

shouldn't a TV tube never go out this frequently?

We've got a RCA that's ~17yrs old. Never had an issue other than pebkac.
Yeah, that is the kind of life I would normally expect from a TV.

Suhit

[Doug Johnson]

We've got a RCA that's ~17yrs old. Never had an issue other than pebkac.
RCA's from that era are good sets, but I wouldn't even consider an RCA (or its sister brand, GE) from 1990 onward... WAY too many problems.

[Suhit Gupta]

We've got a RCA that's ~17yrs old. Never had an issue other than pebkac.
RCA's from that era are good sets, but I wouldn't even consider an RCA (or its sister brand, GE) from 1990 onward... WAY too many problems.
So what is a good TV these days then? Samsung?

Suhit

[Chris Gohlke]

We've got a RCA that's ~17yrs old. Never had an issue other than pebkac.
RCA's from that era are good sets, but I wouldn't even consider an RCA (or its sister brand, GE) from 1990 onward... WAY too many problems.
So what is a good TV these days then? Samsung?

Suhit

I've got a 19" Samsung that my parents bought me in the late 80's when I was in high school. It still works great and is now in my garage. Otherwise, I have a 36" Toshiba that I have had for about 6 years that works great and a 65" Apex widescreen (I got it new on amazon for around $1300) that I have had for about 6 months that also rocks (Just got HDTV for it last week and it is beautiful). We also have a couple of cheapo 27" Phillips sets in the bedrooms that have had no problems.

[Crocuta]

Two things:

1) You have an excellent case in either small-claims court or civil court according to my partner who's an attorney here in the Big Apple.

2) If you'd rather start by filing a complaint with the state, then do so here:

https://www1.consumer.state.ny.us/cpb/CauComplaintForm.html

You will get a response. I've filed complaints before and they take all of them seriously. New York's pretty good with "lemon products".

That does help... except,
1) what is the difference between going to small claims court vs. the NYS complaint thing?

2) It seems to me that the NYS complaint thing is a precursor to an actual small claims suit. But does the suit get affected if no agreement was reached in the negotiations done by NYS?

Suhit

Suhit, definitely don't be afraid to make them angry. Just print out Pheonix's post and read it to yourself once a day. You absolutely have a right to satisfaction here and it doesn't matter one bit if they get angry about your insisting on it. On the consumer complaint thing, I don't know about NY in particular, but in most states, filing a complaint with the consumer protection agency does not affect your right to file a small claims suit. The only exception would be that some states do run a binding arbitration service where both sides agree to allow an informed person hear the complaint and make a ruling. Then they are bound by the result. It's really a lot like a small claims hearing except that its less formal and the rules of evidence are more flexible. If you agreed to that, it would replace your ability to sue, but any regular complaint should not. Go for it and do not be intimidated by these thugs. They have stolen your money as sure as if they'd stuck a gun in your face and you have a right to pursue every legal remedy at your disposal.

[mayno224]

Hi Suhit,

Another way to get CC's attention without spending too much is by filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau...

http://bbbonline.com

Good luck!

-MaYn

[jodster]

Dang! Sure hope this is not representative of the Wega line.
I just purchased the same model and, so far it's good.
Bought through Sears, surely paid more, but their service record up here is excellent.
Sorry to hear you got shafted by CC, guess that's why they're not here in Canada.

[DiGiTYZED]

First off, please leave the sales associates out of this. They hire anyone looking for a job. They don't hire people like us because, let's face it, we can do better. So there's your knowledgable sales associates.

Second, for every dissatisfied customer, there's 237 satisfied ones. Sorry Suhit you had to be that one. But CC is not bad. I've personally heard too many praises about their associates and warranty service to let this thread rip them so.

No matter what though, they could of handled your case better. But I bet you there was some faults on your end. I've dealt with customers like you and by God you were always being difficult. Always haggled me and my department. But all in all we are suppose to be professionals regardless and give you the best service. But it sure wasn't easy. Sometimes you get backlashed and shrugged off. We're humans too.

Anyways, unlucky situation, so sorry you had to go through it. You should be directing your complaints to the third party repair shop and suggesting CC don't use them anymore if they want to keep up their good standings. Good luck.

[Suhit Gupta]

First off, please leave the sales associates out of this. They hire anyone looking for a job. They don't hire people like us because, let's face it, we can do better. So there's your knowledgable sales associates.
I did not lambast the sales assiciates at all. In fact most of them were quite sympatheic towards the whole situation, and did their best to help out. Clearly it was out of their hands, because they obviously do not have the authority to allow an exchange.

Second, for every dissatisfied customer, there's 237 satisfied ones. Sorry Suhit you had to be that one. But CC is not bad. I've personally heard too many praises about their associates and warranty service to let this thread rip them so.
I am sure that may be the case. However, when one is treated this way over multiple years, one tends to get a bit more disgruntled. Try watching poor TV reception for years and you will feel pretty awful yourself. I am just frustrated and I don't know what else to do. What else would you recommend that I haven't already done?

No matter what though, they could of handled your case better. But I bet you there was some faults on your end. I've dealt with customers like you and by God you were always being difficult. Always haggled me and my department. But all in all we are suppose to be professionals regardless and give you the best service. But it sure wasn't easy. Sometimes you get backlashed and shrugged off. We're humans too.
If I made any mistakes, CC should have pointed them out. In fact, if anything, I was more polite that was warranted. I have not once acted like a typical disgruntled customer, well at least I have tried not to. I work as a systems administrator (have been doing so for seven years now) and I know how hard to deal with disgruntled customers can be. Note how many people here have recommeded I file suit or complain against them with the BBB. I have never once threatened or acted silly. In fact I have given clear bug reports and tried to be as accomodating as possible. I have tried to give contructive suggestions on trying to solve the problem and have had to be proactive in all cases. Note also that I am on a small budget and when I spend a ton of money of a product, I think I should be allowed to expect some returns. However, what irks me most is the fact that when I told CC that the local dealers were just plain lying, they refused to accept my word for it. In their words "Why should they lie, they have nothing to gain from it". And I already pointed out that I found out from an ex-CC approved TV repairman (don't know whether he was disgruntled or not) that they are told to be very careful about how they mark items as unrepairable since that would mean that CC would have to replace my TV. But I really have been completely polite.

Anyways, unlucky situation, so sorry you had to go through it. You should be directing your complaints to the third party repair shop and suggesting CC don't use them anymore if they want to keep up their good standings. Good luck.
Note that most of the negative comments are against the idiocy of the repair shops. The reason why I have such a gripe against CC is because I have not only tried to explain the whole situation to them several times, but also offered to pay extra money (difference in cost) if they were willing to replace my TV. But neither seems to be drawing any attention. I am perfectly willing to listen to further suggestions. I really have tried everything, at least stuff I could think of, without threatening or suing, and I don't really want to do either.

Suhit

[DiGiTYZED]

Sorry if I came off rude or negative. I use to work as a CC associate and repair tech and dealt with some pretty unfair and unrealistic people.

Anyhoo... after 1.5 years my Sony TV cease to show picture/video (got it from Best Buy actually with no warranty). i was frustrated because the brand is suppose to be top notch plus i shelled out so much for it and it only took 6 months after the manufacturer's warranty ended to break. Forget Best Buy, forget Sony, I just became unlucky and knew it and simply took it to a repair shop and got it fixed and returned a week and half later, no problems since.

Repair tech says it was faulty parts and Sony is known for this. Says it was simply random and it happens.

Try Advisory TV Labs. They're Sony certified.

My close friend is manager, i'll ask her what can be done about this situation, if any. In the meanwhile, stay away from 14th St store, cuz those managers are d1ck5, even to their own employees

[Suhit Gupta]

Sorry if I came off rude or negative. I use to work as a CC associate and repair tech and dealt with some pretty unfair and unrealistic people.
No problem at all. I completely understand your point of view.

My close friend is manager, i'll ask her what can be done about this situation, if any. In the meanwhile, stay away from 14th St store, cuz those managers are d1ck5, even to their own employees
I would really, truly appreciate it if you could talk to your friend, and let me know what she suggests.

Thanks
Suhit

[rey1701]

Never again? How about not, in a lifetime! I would never buy anything from CC. Same goes for Best Buy. My friend could not get $5000.00 worth of equipment for her new apartment delivered because "the computer said so", as our friendly sales rep replied when we asked, why? My motto is ... cut the middleman, buy direct!

Cheers!

[Perry Reed]

I would highly suggest going to one of your local TV news desks. Most of them have a "on your side" consumer rights reporter who love this sort of thing. Often it takes little more than a call to the company by the reporter and the problem gets solved. Most companies do not want the negative publicity of having the story air without it being resolved.

[Frank]

I feel terrible for you. This is the exact reason why companies offer these bogus extended warranties. They get a huge amount of cash up front and then, even if there is a claim, they will do everything possible to avoid paying claims. Total ********.

Im an attorney in New York and I've got to say that you shouldn't feel intimidated by the idea of going to small claims court. These courts are structured to make it easy for consumers like you to get your day in court. Do some research online and take a shot. The only thing you have to lose is (most likely) a small filing fee. After all the BS you've had to put up with its worth a shot. Plus, Im sure you'll find most judges in these cases more sympathetic to plaintiffs like you than big corporate defendants. Dont let them off the hook!

Good luck.

[makicr]

I feel terrible for you. This is the exact reason why companies offer these bogus extended warranties. They get a huge amount of cash up front and then, even if there is a claim, they will do everything possible to avoid paying claims. Total ********.

Actually, most of these warranties are insurance policies through a separate company. A good chunk of the money goes to the insurance company. While the store has some control over the repair or replacement of equipment, if they make the wrong decision and effect repairs (or replace the equipment) and the insurance company denies the claim, then the store is out the money on repair/replacement.

This is not to say that they were right in handling this claim. To me, it sounds like the defects were well documented and that additional action should have been taken.

I personally like to shop BestBuy and get their "warranty" on big ticket items (handhelds, TV's, etc). I have had good luck at getting replacements for defective equipment through them. I have heard horror stories with them as well, but I have had good experiences overall.

Im an attorney in New York and I've got to say that you shouldn't feel intimidated by the idea of going to small claims court. These courts are structured to make it easy for consumers like you to get your day in court. Do some research online and take a shot. The only thing you have to lose is (most likely) a small filing fee. After all the BS you've had to put up with its worth a shot. Plus, Im sure you'll find most judges in these cases more sympathetic to plaintiffs like you than big corporate defendants. Dont let them off the hook!

I am an attorney in California and I used to volunteer with a small claims advisory service (funded by the State) and have sat as a pro tem judge on SC cases. Frank is right that the courts are geared to normal people like yourself.

As I go into courts on a weekly basis for my career, I am a little more confortable there. However, you seem to be able to present yourself well and I have no doubt that you would be able to make a strong case for reimbursement/repair.

You may want to have an independent company check on the TV and prepare a written report on the set. If you have the repairs done, and it fixes the problem, then you would have a case that is hard to beat.

[odeon2000]

I've been to small claims court, and I've had a life full of these "enriching experiences". Enriching if you learn from it , so I'll tell you what I learned:
1) the most important thing is to quickly use a multi-faceted approach, all guns blazing, "Expose idiots to bright lights" is my new mantra, don't you know that idiots hate being exposed, like in this blog?
2) in small claims courts the action is quick so have your facts ready, speak clearly and logically, and hope that the judge doesn't know the defendant! Mine did! But, long story story short is that I had little known federal postal law on my side.
So first thing you'll find is if the defendant isn't there - you win! (and visa versa and you pay court cost! ) Second thing is that if both parties are present you must try to settle out of court , there is a finite amount of time before you'll have to report back to the judge. Third is that if you don't settle out of court that's when you have to briefly arbitrate your case. Prepare to spend all day in court buddy 'cause there are many suckers like us.
3) you are hurting yourself and others if you don't file with the NYC Chapter of the Better Business Bureau, must do this
4) write in a periodical not only on this blog, like write in PC MAG, consumer reports, etc . Same copy different mags. They need and some use stuff like this. Hey, one time I had the head of Borland Software Marketing department call me at home asking what the hell went wrong and how he could fix it 'cause the magazine had just written an article about their outstanding technical support and I wrote a letter to the editor basically stating that Borland could not find their rear-end with a road map and then proceded to explain my experience.
5) DO IT! talking about isn't gonna help. DOING IT Mightr just get your money back!

Good luck

[Suhit Gupta]

Ok, after much thinking, I am writing to the Circuit City head office. I am hoping this will bring some results saving me from taking legal measures. I will keep you all posted.

Suhit