Patricia Wilson’s new television wasn’t cheap.
The Frankfort resident paid more than $1,500 for the set at her local Best Buy in November 2009, figuring it was a solid investment.
The 52-inch LCD screen was, after all, a Sony.
“You think you’re going to pay a little bit extra for a quality product instead of a no-name television or some of the new ones coming out,” she said.
Wilson was so confident in the purchase, she decided not to buy Best Buy’s extended warranty service. The television was covered by the manufacturer’s one-year warranty, which seemed like a decent safety net.
It wasn’t.
Less than a year after she bought the television, horizontal lines formed across the screen and the picture became blurry.
“It almost looks like a 3-D television without the 3-D glasses,” Wilson said. “That’s how broken up it is.”
With the television picture getting worse, Wilson called Sony in late October and asked for her TV to be fixed. Initially, Sony told her it would not send a repairman because the issue was a known defect in her Bravia model, she said.
On Nov. 18, four days before the warranty was to expire, Wilson called Sony and was told by a representative that Sony had ordered replacement parts, she said.
Over the next four months, Wilson said she called repeatedly and was repeatedly told the parts had not yet arrived. At one point, she was offered an extended warranty while she waited for the parts. On another call, she was offered a refurbished television, but was told Sony would not extend the warranty on that set, she said.
In late March, she called again and was offered a new television — at a discounted price.
Wilson said they wouldn’t tell her the price unless she agreed beforehand to pay it.
She refused.
Throughout, Wilson said, it was difficult to get a straight answer out of Sony.
“It was very frustrating,” she said. “When they say that they’re going to escalate the problem and it essentially goes nowhere, I don’t know what ‘escalating’ means to them.”
With her television still fuzzy and the necessary parts still missing, Wilson emailed What’s Your Problem? in late March.
She said the horizontal lines and fuzzy picture go away after the television has been on for 20-30 minutes. To avoid the frustrating fuzziness, Wilson’s husband had begun leaving the television on 24 hours a day.
“But that’s not so good on the electric bill,” Wilson said.
What she wanted was simple: a new television for free, a refurbished television covered by an extended warranty, or her broken television fixed.
“The reason I chose Sony over another brand is they had a good name and I’ve had their TVs in the past and never had a problem with them,” she said. “They don’t want to honor the one-year warranty.”
Problem Partner Kristin Samuelson contacted Sony spokesman Ray Hartjen on March 28.
Two days later, a Sony representative called Wilson and offered her a refurbished 52-inch LCD Bravia television with a full warranty through Jan. 22, 2012.
Wilson accepted the offer Monday.
“Customer satisfaction and product quality and reliability are very important to Sony and we stand behind the quality of our products and services,” Hartjen said in an email.
Wilson’s replacement is scheduled to be delivered Thursday afternoon.
She said she asked the Sony representative to verify the right model would be delivered. The representative promised to call back an hour later but never did, she said.
“Oh, well, we’ll see,” Wilson said.
The Problem Solver will provide an update in Friday’s column.
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