Samsung repair men break TV

[emmaf01]

We need some advice and or help.

 

 

We got our Samsung TV a few years ago. Recently it has become slow coming on. We googled this and found it was a common capacitor(?) problem and when we contacted Samsung they agreed and organised a free repair.

 

So the TV was still able to be watched. It still functioned as a TV.

 

Then today their repair men came round. They took the TV apart and replaced bits. Then fiddled a bit more. Then the picture wouldn't come on at all and the TV started making a horribly dangerous sounding loud crackling noise. They said the repair had blown the screen. They hummed and hawed, tried to phone their boss who wasn't in because he's on half day today. They laughed when I said they'd killed the TV and agreed they had but Samsung only paid them to change the capacitor and left.

 

My husband immediately rang Samsung customer services to complain. They say it is nothing to do with them, it was a free repair and the TV was out of warranty. We tried to point out it was working as a functioning TV before they sent these two men round to "fix" it. But they had paid two men to come round and break our TV.

 

This went back and forth with Samsung saying they had no idea IF it was working before the men blew the screen. We said we have witnesses if necessary. After an hour of getting nowhere and not even an apology we took the name and address of who to complain to because they wouldn't even let us speak to someone higher up.

 

What can we do? The TV is vital to us. My son is autistic and has a routine which includes certain things he "must" watch at certain times. So we now urgently must go and grab a TV, any TV we can afford otherwise he will literally go a bit off the rails. It's a nightmare on a low income where we are his carers and he is already not very well at all at the moment.

 

We were happy enough with the TV this morning and if they hadn't come round it still would be. I now its a few years old but it was working fine apart from coming on increasingly slowly.

 

If we had never had them come we would not need to go out tonight and buy a new TV. I know it was older and would need to be replaced eventually but not when their repair men came and wrecked it.

 

But what can we do? Have they no responsibility at all? If I paid two men to go to their office and break their computer I would be responsible- no matter the age of the computer I would think.

[BankFodder]

Yes - they are responsible - but you will need to be realistic about your expectations. You will not be able to claim a new TV.

 

You will be able to claim the cost of a new TV less a deduction for the use you have had for the old one.

 

A reasonable sum might be the price of a new TV/number of expected years of use - actual years of use = value of claim.

So if a replacement costs £500 and you expected to have 10 years use out of it but you have only had 5 years - then your claim is for half the cost of a new one.

 

I think that you need to prepare a detailed statement of what has happened, write to Samsung, enclose the statement and a detailed explanation of what you want and why you have calculated that.

 

Write the letter now. Send it recorded. Tell them that you need a new TV and that if you don't hear from them in 7 days, that you will be buying a new one anyway but that if they don't respond positively that you will sue them in the county court.

Don't make this threat if you are only bluffing. Tell them in the letter that you are disappointed at the fact that they are trying to deny responsibility simply because this was a free repair. - You will show the letter to the judge later on and he won't be pleased.

 

The chances of you winning this claim in court are pretty well 100% - and if you use the calculation I have suggested above, then the chances of getting the money you are asking for will be over 90%

 

The chances of Samsung bottling it when they receive the court papers at over 90%

[emmaf01]

We are going to have to buy a new TV straight away anyway. Our son is autistic and if he cannot follow his routine and set pattern- including watching the usual tv programme at 6.30 tonight, he'll be off and will become upset and difficult to manage.

 

That might sound bonkers but he's ill at the moment awaiting help from the mental health teams, we're waiting for a social services assessment and we don't need him getting worse become some people have broken the TV and messed with his comfort zone. This is like the straw that could tip him over and we need him calm right now.

 

Having checked, we got the TV for approx £480 in late 2007 which I know is a while but it was still working fine as a TV. It just took a while after you pressed the standby button to come on. The picture was HD, fine and all the wii and tivo worked fine with it.

 

We have spotted one on offer in Argos for about 250 I think- same size also a Samsung which rankles a bit - no bells and whistles on it but it will do the same job. It's not great having to spend that right now but we have no choice given the situation.

 

Have you got any ideas for what would be a reasonable sum to ask for? We are on a very low income and so court costs should be minimal. See I'm trying to look on the bright side.

[ashmk]

Buy your new TV from John Lewis or Costco. Nobody else comes close to aftercare. Even if it's a tenner more. It's worth every penny and you get a 5 year warranty as standard on most TV's.