Do all Sony LCD screens only last 2 years?

[unhappycustomer]

The screen is going on my KDL 40W 4500 after just 2 years. Sony refuse to contribute to the cost and replacing it is only slightly more expensive than the repair cost. This was a best buy in Which? magazine.

I am now going out to buy a new TV. It will be my first non Sony for 20 years. I am now a non customer for any Sony product and will share my experience widely.

[joes1999999]

Lee, i'm also having some major issues that affect sony users worldwide but have no response from sony.

i purchased a vaio vgn fe41e from new...within hours i could see it was not a healthy machine...keyboard buttons not working, battery life an an hour on low power, kept crashing(windows).. cd player  does not work...still doesnt.. so i rang customer service..which i believe i spoke with people based in ireland... after basically being called a liar and going thru endless system restores... i asked to speak with a manager..who then called me a twat,  as he thought i was not on the line.... i asked to speak with his managers manager to lodge a complaint but i never got a call back... so i tried again, calling your "helpline"...insisting that this machine should be return at no cost to myself..an onslaught of blame being pushed towards me or the seller... the seller , also very rude, blamed sony...so a complete impass....i had just recieved surgery on my back and was house bound.. i needed a computer...in the end after balling my eyes out on the phone to a lady who said she cant help...again passing the buck...i had to go to the doctor after this and i had lost the will to live...serioulsy ...its really ios that bad... i never had money in my life...so when i bought a machine for over the odds thinking im paying for quality i was ripped off...and felt you guys were laughing at me... taking the most money i have ever spent £700 and not giving a hoot

so i gave up....gave up my job became depressed...i can link tis all to the issues i was having being passed around your customer service

but now i have the same issue 4 years later and i as a result of such an unsavoury experience, i have made it my goal to get truth to actually what happened to this vaio computer..and what happened to sony,    as literally thousands of other vaios users... please see the us version of this page...have this exact issue....

the issue is my wireless connection is random, intermittent has been since new... i read on pages that a poor wireless card product was used in the vaios from manufactuer...can you confirm this or will you deny or at best ignore tis painstaking reply...

best

j

[nijohns4547]

It would seem that just over 2 years in our case (2years 8 months)!!!

We own a KDL40Z4500 purchased december 2008, early this week faint green lines appeared 200mm wide, next day more dense lines until yesterday complete obscurity of that part of the screen.

Luckily??? we have 5 year warranty, contacted Sony Centre, gave me a phone number to ring after several attempts got through, put on hold passed to another dept. finally explained fault to operative, there response was we will order a new L.C.D Panel (4-5 days) then contact you with dates and times available to fit panel.

Will keep you all posted as to how this goes?!?

As a side line we have had Sony products for years and they are generally very good but just lately have noticed a decrease in quality.

[sahammo23]

Same 'dark shadow' problem with KDL-V40A12 U.

The TV is now a few years old BUT the problem appeared after only a couple of years.

I have two dark shadows about a third of the way in from both the right and left. I imagined it might be 'dust' attracted to some internal component. Could it be?

The 'shadows' are clearly visible whenever there background is light and is very distracting.

If Lee you can provide any hope that Sony will offer some support here I'll take the matter forward with you/them.

If you can't offer such hope I don't see any point in wasting my time with SONY and very sadly will not be buying or recommending a sony product ever again. After being a fan and customer for many many years.

[lilalune]

Sony LCD screens only last 2 years?

The cost of repair is higher than a new one (transport etc.), for sure I won’t ever by a Sony Product.

[SickofSony]

Yes, Sony screens do last more than two years -- all of two years and 10 months in our case. In recent weeks the right side of our KDL-40W4500 screen has been distorting into a 150 mm square pattern with sub-titles distorted and appearing double. It clears after 20 mins but is persisting longer and longer so the end is nigh.

Like so many others I too have bought Sony exclusively for decades: TVs, sound systems, videocams back to the tape era, phones etc. All have been a pleasure to own, and our previous (CRT) TV is still working well for a relative. But with KDL-40W4500 I'm afraid Sony has lost its reliability and its reputation. Any contact with Sony has been returned with spam, ie attempts to sell me more Sony stuff, no attempt to help the customer.

Unlike some of the unfortunates on this forum, thankfully I can pay out another £1000 for a new tv without problem. I certainly wouldn't bother with an expensive and timewasting repair to a set which will probably fail again within months. So I'm off to buy a new set, and it sure won't be a Sony.

[Iain_L]

We bought our KDL-40W4500 back in Nov 2008, and when the screen went in August this year felt very fortunate to have a 5 year warranty. A gentleman from the nearest Sony repair centre came and looked at the TV, said it was the screen, which would need to be replaced. We like the style of our TV, and were a bit disappointed to read here that it may have to be replaced because of the problems sourcing new panels. We were then cheered up by the repairers contacting us after a coupple of days to say that we would have the TV back after all, with a new screen.

It came back on 5th Sep, so only just over a month ago. Last Sunday morning I switched the TV on to watch the Formula 1, only to discover that the double imaging had returned with a vengance, so this Sony screen has only lasted 6 weeks.

I am now going to get in touch with Sony again, as I don't think a second replacement screen is acceptable on a TV that cost £999 less than 3 years ago.

Currently a very unhappy Sony customer, but we'll see what they say.

[Iain_L]

Well, I have to say I'm disapointed at the response, although not surprised. Whilst I can accept that components fail, Sony seem to think that 6 weeks after a faulty screen has been replaced it is ok for another one to fail, and all I have to do is contact the Repair Centre and it'll be repaired again.

Who knows how long another screen is going to last? Am I being unreasonable in expecting my expensive premium brand TV to last longer than 3 years, or that a replacement screen will last longer than 6 weeks? I don't think I am.

[Bravia55HX]

Hi,

that is very unfortunate in such a short space of time and i agree its very frustrating however Sony's last reply to you to contact the repair centre and get it repaired (again!!) is the right call, just keep a log of the repairs.

i had one of these models on loan and watched it go wrong week by week as the pixels died out, yours is different but a lot of these 4500's seem to have had issues sadly.

[chr15rey]

I had/have a KDL40-x3500 which was working fine, I paid £1375 for un Jun08, my local store does internet price match, at the time the TV was £1900 in Comet & currys.

I seen the engineer test recall in the paper & rang the number to book a check, the engineer arrived with a spare TV under his arm, strange as I was told it was an on-site check.

He took my TV to there workshop & said it would be 7-14 days, I rang after 11 only to be told my TV was SCRAP!

I rang Domestic & General as it had the 5 year warrenty on, they have offerd me a KDL40-ex723 with NO warrenty as its "a manufacturers replacement", so if I get the new TV & it breaks within a week, tough!

I asked for vouchers so as I could buy a new TV, D&G value the replacement TV at £900, so £900 of vouchers I thought, wrong again, if I was to have vouchers I'd only get £540's worth as that is what the TV costs them to replace.

So, from having a TV with nothing wrong to having a crappy loaner TV where none of the buttons work & the only prospect is a new TV with no warrenty, does this sound correct?

I've phoned Sony, D&G the repair place but as I see only an unsatisfactory result, Why should I be given a cheeper lower range model with NO warrenty because SONY have a recall?

What would you do?

[Iain_L]

These 2 photos provide an example of my KDL-40W4500 6 weeks after the LCD panel was replaced. I have asked Sony Customer Services to escalate this, as having expected Sony to have sorted the problem with the panels, I have no confidence that another repair will last any length of time. I paid for what I thought was a quality product from a premium manufacturer. I will have no hesitation going to Trading Standards and discussing this case if required.