Down with Samsung

[Bensiff]

A little under four years ago my wife and I bought our first nice television, a 46" Samsung. A month ago it started clicking before starting up and it has since gotten worse. Some google-fu resulted in finding out that this is an issue with cheap capacitors. Samsung is fully aware of it and offered to fix 50, yes 50, units regardless of warranty date. So, I just got off the phone with Samsung. Quickly bypassing the poor customer care rep that can't do anything and speaking to a manager I was told they had extended the warranty for this issue to 39 months. Since my television was manufactured 47 months ago it doesn't count for me.

I went through the standard stuff saying Samsung clearly doesn't stand by its product and all the manager did was repeat, "I understand," over and over again until it was apparent that he had tiny little balls that made it so he couldn't terminate the phone call and was waiting for me to get angry enough to do so. So, that is that, Samsung put out a product and sold it at a premium price level and used crappy parts internally. They are clearly happy to produce something that will not last four years.

Now, if they offered to fix it without hassle I'd be annoyed at the issue, but be the first one to buy another Samsung product knowing they back their product. Since they don't, I'm telling everyone to take their business elsewhere because reciprocity is a b!+(h.

 

[Revvy]

Welcome to the 21st century, stuff purposely made to be disposable.

 

[Bensiff]

Welcome to the 21st century, stuff purposely made to be disposable.

They missed the mark though, should have built it for 6 years than I couldn't really complain...under 4, argh. On the flip side, look at the original Ford Mustang, it was built to last 5 years and they are still all over the place.

 

[Airborneguy]

I have a Samsung TV, bought it like 3 years ago when I bought my house. I got the Sunday papers one day while working a midnight, and saw a huge discount with the fine print "Only 10 in store". I was the first person at the door when the store opened, and they tried to play that crap that it was sold out. I called BS, stuck to my guns, and got the TV even cheaper because they said "Ok fine, we only have one", and the box was damaged. "Well since you don't have another one, and I know you wouldn't lie to me..." Scored a 52" for under $1000.

 

[passedpawn]

Prolly an electrolytic cap in the HV power supply. These things are almost always spec'ed improperly (too low voltage) and often placed too close to heat sinks or regulator components that get really hot.

The good thing is that they are easy to find replacements for and fix, and very inexpensive. Do you have any electronics buddies nearby?

I've fixed this exact problem in my subwoofer. (my last CRT tv had a solder-related problem also, with the convergence module, that I tracked down and fixed).

 

[beersteiner2345]

Pretty sure all new TVs are crap for longevity.

I have a 42" Philips LCD and have been happy enough with it, but I have a Sony Trinitron that's about 40 years old now and still running strong. I bet the Philips won't make it until 2015.

 

[jafo28]

Had a similar problem with my Samsung a month ago. A buddy of mine knows a TV repairman, yes they're still some of those around, it cost $240 to fix. When he took it apart he vacuumed out dust that ends up collecting inside of the TV reducing airflow through the back so it cant cool as well, so I will be vacuuming the vents on my TV religiously. Not sure that led to the problem, but electronics need to stay cool, so lesson learned.

 

[Homercidal]

Prolly an electrolytic cap in the HV power supply. These things are almost always spec'ed improperly (too low voltage) and often placed too close to heat sinks or regulator components that get really hot.

The good thing is that they are easy to find replacements for and fix, and very inexpensive. Do you have any electronics buddies nearby?

I've fixed this exact problem in my subwoofer. (my last CRT tv had a solder-related problem also, with the convergence module, that I tracked down and fixed).

I agree. Find a decent repairman and let them know you think it's a cap issue and show them the information on the issue. They should be able to fix for a few bucks.

They can even replace with higher voltage caps and keep it from coming back, as opposed to replacing with factory spec parts and having the issues again in a few years.

Heck, If I knew what parts are normally bad, I could probably solder new caps in, provided I didn't damage the unit getting to them!

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

If you can buy another brand new, comparable tv for $750, why pay 1/3 of that to try and fix it? I would agree w Revvy on this one.....

We have an LG 42" plasma that was purchased about 4.5 years ago for right at $1k....no problems yet!

 

[Bensiff]

I'm playing with the idea of fixing it myself. If I can make a circuit board for my stir plate why not replace a cap? My biggest beef is that they recognize it as a problem that is their fault but won't buck up and fix it as I figure if you value a customer and want ten to believe in your product you take care if this stuff. What they told me was they don't care if their product craps out in under 4 years. Oh well I get a hefty discount for panasonic through my company.

 

[TxBrew]

Welcome to the 21st century, stuff purposely made to be disposable.

That's our unfortunate reality.

 

[Homercidal]

I'm playing with the idea of fixing it myself. If I can make a circuit board for my stir plate why not replace a cap? My biggest beef is that they recognize it as a problem that is their fault but won't buck up and fix it as I figure if you value a customer and want ten to believe in your product you take care if this stuff. What they told me was they don't care if their product craps out in under 4 years. Oh well I get a hefty discount for panasonic through my company.

Yeah, they've already admitted there was a problem, and won't at least offer to replace the parts? But honestly, I think that Samsung has had one of the better quality ratings in the past several years. Everyone has had their share of bad models though. Even Sony has had similar problems with some of their product lines.

Like I said. If it were me, I'd try to change them myself. If you can safely remove the old caps (sometimes it takes a bit of care) then there is nothing difficult about soldering new parts in. Mouser or one of the other online component stores will have TONS of suitable caps.

If you could get to the caps without damaging anything (sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not) then the cost of parts would be a few dollars.

 

[Bensiff]

That's our unfortunate reality.

So is social media for businesses

 

[Bensiff]

Finally pulled it apart and would you look at that...even though Samsung told me my model was not effected by their crappy capacitors I think these two capacitors say something else.

 

[Homercidal]

Looks like those caps are saying "FU, Buddy!"

Nice thing is they are easy to replace and as long as they haven't caused any damage you should be good to go.

Mind the polarity.

 

[Jamming]

I have had excellent service from samsung they at least have a service line. Panasonic is also another excellent choice. Some of the sonys are well built but some models are made in china. Sxrb is a great Sony line but speny. I have 9 tvs in my household including motorhome and all have been reliable the oldest is a Sony 2004 but I did have a samsung die and they fixed it for no charge and it was out of warranty ! So I will buy from them again for sure.

 

[nutty_gnome]

My dad had a phillps 42' with the ambilight. Just before they downsized (after about 4 years of ownership) the caps went bad in the power unit. This is a well documented problem and phillips would do nothing to support the issue. We looked into having a TV guy repair the issue, but he wanted to charge about 600 bucks to install a brand new power unit. Only the $0.89 caps were bad, so that wasn't a viable option.

Some googling brought up youtube videos about this very issue. So I followed the videos and I took the TV apart very carefuly and ID'ed the bad capacitors just like it showed on the youtube videos. I ordered a few 50 cent capacitors and installed them with a new radio shack soldering iron. I'm have some experience soldering wires for hobby purposes, but nothing like a circuit board. Even so, it was easy and best of all it fixed the problem. Just do it, you'll save yourself a lot of cash.

I inherited the TV when they did downsize, so it all ended well for me.

I'll never buy another phillips product though. Internet research clearly showed that they used inferior parts and didn't stand behind the problems caused by their cheap-ass decision.

 

[Bobby_M]

HP tried pulling a similar thing with a laptop problem. "well yeah, we documented the same problem with a similar model but not yours exactly so we're not honoring an extended special case warranty". I wrote a letter threatening several social media campaigns as well as championing a class action lawsuit and all of a sudden, customer service became responsive.

 

[TheMan]

After my last name brand purchase I have seen these other "2nd tier" tv's out and about and they honestly look very good compared to mine. My next tv purchase will not be Samsung or Sony, I don't feel the value is there. Friends and family have much cheaper tv's that are lasting just as long.

 

[passedpawn]

Prolly an electrolytic cap in the HV power supply. These things are almost always spec'ed improperly (too low voltage) and often placed too close to heat sinks or regulator components that get really hot.

Ha! Now how about that. Looks like a big heat sink right next to those electrolytics.

 

[Bensiff]

Ha ha, they got their butts sued. I usually don't like class action as it seems to benefit the lawyer more than anybody; but, this is funny.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2400675,00.asp

 

[aiptasia]

Been pretty happy with our Sony Google-TV purchase. We don't use half the features of the TV (we have a TIVO premiere, for example) but it's been working well so far and it's a pretty sleek little wifi aware TV for the space.

 

[passedpawn]

I have a big Samsung plasma. I'ts a year old. I love that tv. I have pandora running through it right now.

 

[Bensiff]

I have a big Samsung plasma. I'ts a year old. I love that tv. I have pandora running through it right now.

Yeah I loved mine until the capacitors went bad. If they simply offered to fix it I'd buy another Samsung in a heart beat. But if I get bad customer service I start to look elsewhere. I think that is the failing of many large companies, they get to the point they stop caring, assuming their volume will make up for losing occasional customers to such things. Just ask Netflix how well jerking customers around works .

 

[rhamilton]

It's a sad state of affairs. Corporations cutting corners on basic components like capacitors and even flux to save pennies on the dollar. My favorite example is the XBox red ring of death issues - basically the flux they used was cheap and melted under high temps When the flux got soft, it either flowed out of the chip connector or the chip itself separated from the board. Millions of dollars in warranty replacements and lost customers because they cut corners on the simplest item.

 

[Lancer033]

1st TV i got in college was an open box 27" Samsung tube TV. Nothing special, and it was still going strong when i gave it away. I replaced it with another Samsung TV, this time a 42" DLP TV that I've had for 5 years now and haven't had any problems with (knock on wood), and the Samsung Smart TVs are on my dream sheet right now. I also have a Samsung Chromebook and Galaxy Tab 10.1, and if they had a Galaxy SII on Verizon, i'd probably have one of those (the Galaxy Nexus is on my short list though). Keep in mind that they also have built most of Apple's Chips and displays that everyone loves.
----
edit, verizon is having a sale today, so the Galaxy Nexus is on the way.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

1st TV i got in college was an open box 27" Samsung tube TV. Nothing special, and it was still going strong when i gave it away. I replaced it with another Samsung TV, this time a 42" DLP TV that I've had for 5 years now and haven't had any problems with (knock on wood), and the Samsung Smart TVs are on my dream sheet right now. I also have a Samsung Chromebook and Galaxy Tab 10.1, and if they had a Galaxy SII on Verizon, i'd probably have one of those (the Galaxy Nexus is on my short list though). Keep in mind that they also have built most of Apple's Chips and displays that everyone loves.

I have a 32" GE/Phillips CRT in my bedroom. I have been married for 14 years now and had that TV before I got married. Had it warranty serviced once prior to hooking up with my now wife.

If I were to guess at it, I'd say that thing is nearly 18 years old.

Just recently it has begun to have some issues. It'll pop really loud (cabinet) and then teh sound will drop to about half the volume.

I really acnnot wait for that thing to just smoke (so long as I am there to see it and douse it) so it can be replaced with something a fraction of the thickness.

Will prolly be a Samsung.

 

[HawksBrewer]

Ironically my first flat screen was the Samsung LNS4041 listed in the suit above... and it still runs like a champ. In fact I was so happy w/ it I bought a 52" 3 yrs ago and gave the old one to my parents. Still works great to this day. I suppose YMMV stands to reason.

 

[Homercidal]

I tried checking the model last night against the list. Ours is a 46" and is quite possibly one of them, but the wife was watching Oscars and I decided to wait until she wasn't watching before turning the tv around to get at the numbers.

What I could make out from my viewing angle suggests it might be one of them bad ones.

I doubt I'll have Samsung replace the caps though. It's simple enough to do and I wont' want to wait for them.

 

[passedpawn]

the Samsung Smart TVs are on my dream sheet right now.

I've got the 59" PN59D6500. These TVs do so much, I have trouble keeping up with the new apps that appear on them (connect to your network at home and keep them up to date). They stream content very well across your network. I absolutely love ours. (Oh, and 3D is very cool too; I've got Avatar 3D and it really shows off the 3D).

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

They stream content very well across your network. I absolutely love ours.

I have issues with this. I forget my model but it is the recent 55" SmartTV.

It will only access the network if it's hardwired and has way too specific on what file types it will play unless you use the PlayTo function of WindowsMediaPalyer. But, on the latter, then you have no control of what is being displayed from teh set.

 

[passedpawn]

I have issues with this. I forget my model but it is the recent 55" SmartTV.

It will only access the network if it's hardwired and has way too specific on what file types it will play unless you use the PlayTo function of WindowsMediaPalyer. But, on the latter, then you have no control of what is being displayed from teh set.

Yes, hardwired is especially important for HD and 3D.

Most problem file types: you can trick the tv DNLA streamer by renaming the file extension to *.avi. I.e., *.mkv files are a problem.

I don't play from a PC, so re-coding on-the-fly isn't an option for me. I have large RAID5 NAS boxes that hold everything digital in my house.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Yes, hardwired is especially important for HD and 3D.

Most problem file types: you can trick the tv DNLA streamer by renaming the file extension to *.avi. I.e., *.mkv files are a problem.

Yeah, I knew that. But, I have even had issues with the TV rejecting files that were created as .avi to begin with via a camcorder. IIRC, it came down to the bits in the audio.

I just gave up because 2/3 of what I tried to play on it got rejected. Yet, everything I have sent over using WMP PlayTo has worked without fail.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I don't play from a PC, so re-coding on-the-fly isn't an option for me. I have large RAID5 NAS boxes that hold everything digital in my house.

I have opted to use a combination of Plex and Roksbox for my Roku DVP's instead. I wanted to be able to have my library available to every TV in teh house. I do not rely on on-the-fly transcode because it has always resulted in too frequent a buffering. So, if the file is not natively supported I transcode before I make it available to the network.

As for storage, I keep everything on a 3tb external with another 3tb external for a backup.

 

[passedpawn]

I have opted to use a combination of Plex and Roksbox for my Roku DVP's instead. I wanted to be able to have my library available to every TV in teh house. I do not rely on on-the-fly transcode because it has always resulted in too frequent a buffering. So, if the file is not natively supported I transcode before I make it available to the network.

As for storage, I keep everything on a 3tb external with another 3tb external for a backup.

Probably you know about AVS, but if not, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=39. They also have an active Samsung forum there.