Can I go to the Better Business Bureau about Sony? (1 Viewer)

[Dave H]

There was an article in some publication (no link), but basically it was stating how poor Sony's quality control has become over the last few years.

I really feel sorry for all of the people that experienced the "flicker problem" with bad CRTs in older models of my set ---- having to get them replaced two or three times before Sony finally figured out what the problem was. Sony denied the problem for a long time - then stated that it only occured in something like less than 2% of the models which we know was BS.

In addition, it's been over a week since I placed a call back to the service person (to inform them of the current situation) who was handling my case and I have heard nothing back at all.

Needless to say, I will never buy a Sony product again. This entire situation has left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Heinz W]

Dave H, that is really awful. I hope you can get this resolved.

I too have had more than a few bad experiences with Sony. My last Sony TV, a 1997 32" model that cost $1100, looked good but needed $200 worth of repair work done after about 5 years. Not what you expect for a "durable good" as far as I'm concerned.

In the early days of Playstation I went through three units before getting one that worked properly. I had to buy a new TV in 1995 because my Playstation was incompatible with my otherwise excellent Zenith.

No more Sony for me, last Fall I bought a 51" Hitachi 51S715 which, after Avia calibration, looks stunning. Love this set and have had NO problems whatsoever.

I only hope I can buy a non-Sony Blu-Ray player next year!

 

[Steve Berger]

Two comments.
In defense of repair work needed: A TV is an appliance, not a durable good, and subject to lots of outside influences that can damage it. There are four types of failures: Quality control, poor design, damage, and age. Some are the manufacturer's fault, some are not, determination made on a case by case basis.

The new CEO at Sony was an accountant in the business division (as I understand it); guess what direction they are headed. Nationally, they "declined to offer ... a contract for 2005" to 180 longtime servicers because they didn't do enough warranty work. Some of them had been "Excellent Servicers" with 25 - 35 years experience on Sony products.

 

[Arthur S]

A lot of people are having good reliability experiences with Sony according to Consumers Reports.

1) Rear Projection TVs: Sony is as reliable as the best within the margin of statistical significance.

2) Direct View CRT TVs: Again, Sony is as reliable as the best within the margin of statistical significance.

Too soon to say anything about plasma or LCD.

Having said that, I had a lemon from Sony about 20 years ago. I was quite bitter at the time.

Also, a lot of people have bought into the idea that Samsung has taken over benchmark status from Sony. According to CR, Samsung direct view CRT's are tied for worst reliability with RCA. I wonder what this bodes for the latest LCDs, plasmas and other TVs from Samsung?

I also had a lemon from Nissan a long time ago but I later bought a Maxima that has been very very reliable.

 

[Heinz W]

Jim, are you referring to the thread over at AVS about the Hit. 51-57S715? A couple people had problems with powering the set up, a minor problem fixed in the service menu. I also believe they were talking about the 57" model mostly, which separates in half for easier moving and may have had something to do with that model having more problems than it's smaller counterpart.

Saying there are "LOTS" of problems is a bit of a stretch, isn't it? When I did my research before buying I found that Hitachi had very high reliabilty ratings. I picked the unit up myself from Sears; it wouldn't fit in my cargo van so they removed the box, loaded it in and I wedged some carpet pad all around it. They said it would be fine. Still, the set rolled back and forth a bit. I was scared to death that it would break. It didn't. Played great right off the bat, and it even looked pretty good for factory settings (no torch mode). Still, the Avia calibration made it look even better. I would highly recommend this set to anyone looking for a 50" CRT RPTV.

Re 'durable goods', I thought it was anything you purchased that is expected to last three or more years, whether it be an appliance or something else.