Toshiba Warranty Question (1 Viewer)

[DanGS]

I have a 50H81 and it has not worked since Jan 20. It is in the repair shop waiting for parts. I called Toshiba to ask about the parts and they have no idea when it/they are coming in.
You know what the last person at Toshiba told me? "Your warranty covers parts and labor, but it does not say how fast we have to fix it."
Am I out of line thinking this has gone on too long?
Before you part with money for a Toshiba, remember how they feel about time lines with warranty claims.
If I am out of line for being ticked that it is going to be at least three months or more, let me know. It seems unreasonable to me.

 

[Ed O'Neill]

Read what I wrote in this post: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=132791

The update is :
The picture tube is gone and the tv needs to be replaced.
Best buys warranty service said I could get a store credit for the amount I paid for the tv.

Just my 2 cents
Ed

 

[Gregg Loewen]

Dan, just go up the food chain and ask to speak with the warranty / service manager. Please keep us posted.

Best of luck

Gregg

 

[Jack Briggs]

Exactly. When you feel like you're getting unsatisfactory answers from people in the lower echelons, go to their bosses! No, you are not out of line expressing your impatience regarding a repair job taking more than three months even to get started. Be polite yet firm with whomever you speak. And, yes, keep us posted.

 

[DanGS]

The service center broke a wheel off the TV and that is the last part they are waiting for. The first thing that hits me when I found out they broke a wheel off, is how? Did they drop it that hard or what?
I guess I will see next week and will post results.

 

[DanGS]

Well they did bring the TV back, but it was out of focus. If you tried to use the touch focus you would get a "touch focus error" in red letters. Call Toshiba and get a tech back out.
Well the tech came out and did very little. He got in to a service menu and the screen had a bunch of boxes all over it. He fooled with that and tried the touch focus and got the same error.
Then he took off the screen to clean off some sensors around the edge of where the screen goes. No joy.
So after this he tells me he forgot some things at the shop and will have to come back in another week, and if that does not do it, he will take the TV and I should expect it to be gone at least 2-3 weeks. (2-3 weeks of tech time = 5-6 weeks human time).
If by chance it does get back in 2-3 weeks, it will be over 120 days to get this fixed. (it is over 90 now)
The last guy I talked to at Toshiba kept trying to put a spin on the problem, like it was my fault some how. Sure they gave me an extra year of warranty but I will use at least two months of it for this problem.
This is getting old, real fast. The marks they made on the sides of the TV taking it out the first time does not help. Also when the first tech took out the TV (he was not a happy camper) he was so mad he forgot to unscrew the cable from my STB, and pulled the cable out of a T&B Snap-N-Seal connector. My connector was on the TV, and the cable on the floor.
I better not say any more, because I get a little more steamed as I type my tale of misery.
I will keep you posted, but this thing is going to be a long time in between posts at the rate they have been doing this so far. :frowning: :frowning:

 

[Mike Hamilton]

Call Toshiba in New Jersey as if you are a new retail concern interested in selling Toshiba Video products.
The number is: 973-628-8000 Ask for the sales rep in your territory (Michigan?).

When you get the rep, wait until you are speaking with him directly (no message machine hints, just get him to call you back if he does not answer) and entail to him your episode and ask that he directly get involved with their regional Service manager or the factory in Lebanon regarding a replacement set. No extended warranty in exchange for service, but a brand new set of equivalent status.

Be patient, be concise (translated: No Whining! Not that you have been, no...not at all, but what you want is to not waste his time and not give him the impression that he is about to get married to a problem. You want him to interpret that you are contacting him as a last resort before you contact your attorney, and that you are merely giving Toshiba one last chance prior to litigation to rectify the situation.
Come from the position of strength: You are well aware that it is within his scope of responsibilities to put forth a resolution to your dilemma. You are also well aware that you have exhausted every avenue within the Toshiba warranty network to have your unit repaired accurately, responsibly, and expediently and yet, to no avail do you have a Toshiba product in your home representative of their design, marketing, and client satisfaction goals. Make mention in passing that it was "in one of the Internet Home Theater related forums that the suggestion to contact you" was made as a last resort, and it is your anticipation that with little effort on his part, would he please issue an RA for your defective unit and have Toshiba in Lebanon, Tn. send a replacement.

If you did not retain the box, assure him that upon arrival, you will have assistance and the necessary packing materials available to place your set into the new unit's shipping carton and that it will be properly repackaged to assure safe arrival at their Returns Center.
In fact, tell him that you will have by then already pre-printed four large labels, addressed to:

Toshiba Returns
1420 C Toshiba Drive
Lebanon, Tn. 37087

which you will place on all four sides of the returning carton, with a blank space to write in with permanent marker the RA number that he will be calling you back with, and that you will cover that in packing tape so if it should get wet, the documentation would be protected.

Thank him for his anticipated cooperation, and assure him that with such favorable service that you will certainly post positive comments regarding Toshiba's customer care on all the Internet forums for which you visit.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Not immediately in the conversation, but before you assess his intent or ability to assist you, give him a very firm and positive "I really believe that you can make this situation be a win-win for both of us...may I ask who your sales manager is and his contact information so I can have my secretary, who is terrific at these things, draw up a very complimentary letter to him/her regarding your assistance? (Gotcha!)

As a matter of record, do not get down on the current servicer as far as the length of time that it takes to receive parts. It is well known that Toshiba suffers from this problem...they have for years and it appears they will continue to do so. They are notorious for issuing product without parts support, and for those interested in having read this far, be well advised that despite all assertions as to performance or calibration-ability, you are signing on to this possible grief when you purchase a Toshiba.
With economic uncertainty as it is and looks to be, it WILL NOT get better within the service organizations of companies such as these. Cost cutting measures will only guarantee that the already handcuffed service legs of these companies will get less money and manpower to work with, not more.

Good luck...hope this helps.

 

[Jack Briggs]

The physical damage caused to the set's cosmetics is alone worth a replacement. This situation is completely unacceptable and a genuine blemish on Toshiba's reputation. And you may quote me—I've long extolled the virtues of this company's displays. Your experiences should give pause to a lot of people.

 

[Ari*S]

Mike Hamilton's post above is awesome and a perfect boilerplate for any customer service problem resolution, not just for this instance. I second the idea of moving up the food chain and generally being a polite, factual, but firm, squeky wheel. And coming across with a solution to the problem rather than just the problem; makes the vendor mangager's life a little easier and hence problem resolution. My $0.02. Hoping this will be resolved and keep us posted.

 

[Jim.Bennett]

Mike,

You seem to have a very intimate understanding of the Toshiba organization! Excellent post by the way.

I wonder if you have heard about the reports of flicker on the Toshiba HDX series sets being talked about at hometheaterspot.com? I own a HDX that has been flickering for a while now (along with a bunch of other folks) but I have thus far been reluctant to call for service as there is no service bulletin for this problem.

There have been several people who have been able to get a replacement set from their retailer, only to find the replacement also had the flicker problem. One guy had 3 in a row with the flicker, another had 4.

To date most of those that have tried to get it fixed (rather than a replacement set) have had their CRTs replaced. This appears to fix the issue temporarily but it seems that the same model CRTs (Pegasus III CRTs) are being used to replace the flickering ones. At least two owners have reported that the replacement CRT or CRTs later started to flicker.

Anyhow, just wondering if contact with a Regional Service manager might help some of the folks with the flicker issue who are unable to exchange/return their sets to the retailer and haven't had any luck with a repair either.

 

[Gregg Loewen]

Wow, go Michael go!! (are your fingers bleeding yet? )

regards

Gregg

 

[Mike Hamilton]

Thanks Gregg!:wink:
I see this type of situation fairly regularly, and it is generally NOT in the interest of the Service end of an organization to replace product. Most of the time, they are a separate entity as far as the "books" go, and the dollars allocated to the Service budget are precious and spent wisely. On the other hand, Sales can not afford bad press, and strive to remedy these unfortunate, but sometimes all too often, situations.
Please do not take my comment about Service and Service Managers out of context. They have guidelines for which they are required to follow and must exhaust every avenue before issuing an exchange.

In addition to calibrations, I work for a few manufacturers in the service capacity. Far and wide the best organization for service is Runco. Often, on the sales side, people take light of Runco due to their using an OEM chassis as the platform for their mods and resulting final product. However, when a Runco client needs service, they are in the best hands possible.

If my suggestion is followed, it usually accomplishes the goal when followed as sketched. Tact is stepping on someone's shoes without messing up the shine!

Jim, sorry, but I have not seen the flicker issue manifest in the field. I am certain that Toshiba sells well in Arizona, but it is not carried by the power retailers who tend to do 90% of the TV business here. I do not see that many Toshiba sets. It certainly could not hurt to contact a Regional Service Manager, but GOOD LUCK! The West coast RSM's personal message mail box is always full!

BTW Gregg: Thanks for the referrals. I will PM you when I get a chance. Hope all is well!

 

[DanGS]

I called the lady that was helping me, but she was on vacation so she could not respond to the last tech until yesterday. I thought I would give her a chance before "going over her head". Besides I thought she was doing everything possible but these service people are out of her control.
I told her the story and she said she would call the service company to see what their story is. They told her they do not work on TV's in a customers home (where you would have to solider in new parts), they only do work like that in the shop.
Her words were "we can't have that TV out of the home again, we will just replace it." Not only are they replacing it, they are giving me a better unit. I had a 50H81 and you would think the replacement would be a 50H82. They are giving me a 50HDX82. [I think that is a
better unit, tell me if I am wrong..well this flicker business does not sound good]
They (Toshiba) has gone from having the worse possible customer care in my case, to giving me much more than I think I deserve. Don't get me wrong, I will take it but they gave me more than needed to make me happy.
I did have some problems with a few of the CS people at Toshiba, but the root of my misery was at the service center.
What I did learn out of this ordeal is if you have a problem with a Toshiba and the CS people give you the run around, go to a manager. The managers at Toshiba can and do make things happen. I got results that gave me "Shock & Awe".
I will post as to how the delivery goes with the new set next week.