Plasma cracked and Samsung not honoring warranty

Well there is always one in every crowd. Time to knock this one down a few pegs.
First - I was in the room when it happened. The kids were sitting on the sectional on the other side of the room when the tv shut off. No one was near the TV at the time. And I keep a gate around the entertainment center for the sole purpose of separating child & toy from the entertainment center.
Second - There is always the possibility that the "physical damage" in the picture could have been caused by any number of different factors. To simply assume physical damage without doing an actual inspection (given how many complaints already exist on the same topic) is very presumptuous. If you read into these complaints, there are some who receive a favorable outcome from dealing with one person from Samsung over another.
Third - "Google" Thermal Expansion or Samsung Plasma TV problems and dozens of pages appear, mostly related to similar situation and similar outcomes. I understand not everything on the internet is Gospel but when the same thing repeatedly keeps coming up, you tend to give some merit to what is being said.
Fourth - Read accurately. Samsung not honoring their warranty when their TV's fail due to mechanical fault and not of the owner's actions is consumer fraud. That is what is being said. Not that we're all allegedly breaking our TV's and looking for a handout.
Fifth - It seems that everyone who complains to Samsung about this problem gets denied. They push the issue and Samsung throws some free parts at it hoping to make it go away. If Samsung truly thought there was no possibility of their product malfunctioning, they why give away parts like they are? That just doesn't seem to make sense. It's like a recall without making it public.

first - you should have included the additional information you now claim in your reply, in your very first post and indicated such information to the Samsung contact center agent you spoke with, what was the purpose to leaving it out ? it IS relevant information in making a PROPER determination.
second - if i send you a picture of a crack in my windshield would you be able to diagnose it any further if you are physically present ? if yes, please enlighten me on how, id love to know.
third - Google "anthony morrison millionaire" and believe what you see... that is VIRAL GOSPEL at its best isnt it ? how many suckers fell for it ? get the idea behind what im saying now ?
fourth - understand accurately, Samsung will make an exception on a case by case basis, but its generally favored for those who do not start viral threatening discussion topics about suing anything & everyone with nasty attitudes and threats when they call the contact center screaming with more threats and vulgar foul language. would you make an exception if i started to do that to you ?
fifth - of course everyone is getting denied, why ? its a direct result and combination of threads like this circulating all over the web inspiring many to "draw, shoot & kill before any questions of resolve has been concluded", when you have just a few people who start discussion threads all over the web filled with some exaggeration, lies, threats & dishonesty and it becomes viral, the herd of sheep will follow pursuit without question and validity - what did you expect ? SNAKEOIL at its best ?
one rotten egg spoils it for everyone, dontcha think ?

This is my last resort, not my first attempt. After receiving less than satisfactory customer service from Samsung, I am putting my story to the street. I'm not one of these yahoos looking for a freebee. I am an educated consumer who knows when something is not right. This is one of those cases. I went through the proper channels and followed proper procedure when my tv broke. I made multiple phone calls and escalated this incident to the highest possible level. To this day I stick by my story that NOTHING ever hit that television. I am appalled that this is how they do business and that is how they are handling service claims. And I'm sorry that you seem to feel the internet is not a viable source of information. I hate to be the one to tell you but more people around the world, including news media agencies, use the internet to get their message out than tv, radio and print combined. Sorry if I did not disclose ALL the intimate details of my conversations with the Samsung agents. But they got ALL the information. It would take a few pages to describe my entire interactions with the multiple persons I dealt with by both phone and email. Not that it's any of your business. You did not introduce yourself as a Samsung representative or employee when you started blasting me, did you? I did *not* start some discussion making threatening comments. I merely stated my general case, my opinion (which in AMERICA i am entitled to),asked if anyone else had experienced similar dissatisfaction and if they wanted to form together to do something about it as a group. I never mentioned the word "sue" or any derivative of it in my posting. I did however reference a lawsuit filed (and won by the way) in the State of New Jersey regarding consumer complaints over defective tv's that weren't being fixed properly under the warranty by Samsung. That is indisputable fact. My posting has no bearing on my case. I've already been denied at the highest level. I didn't start bashing Samsung then make a phone call asking "please fix my tv". You are really quick to go off half cocked yourself without all the details. It almost seems like you're a Samsung employee (which by the way I don't think they'd want you representing their company given how you talk to people on here) just trying to sweep another issue under the rug like the rest of them. I don't know where you're getting vulgar or foul language either because I did not talk to you on the phone, you do not know who I am and I never mentioned that in my postings here too. For someone who portrays themselves as a Samsung employee or supporter, your conflict resolution skills are deplorable. You just try to be sarcastic but really you're just coming off uneducated. And in regards to your earlier post about Sony being so nice to "give" away parts........no Sony would not. They would step up and fix the problem, not put a band aid on it. They would recall the television sets and remedy the problem.

If you would post the transaction number of your call to Samsung, the Ambassador may be able to escalate your issue to higher authorities. Can't hurt.

TQ

gwp026 - Many of us here on the CNET forums have identical stories, including myself. elitedata is most likely here running interference for Samung. Possibly a Samsung employee or contracted by Samsung? Regardless, I find this person's posts to be disrespectful and confrontational. I agree with you, there is no need for this person to try and intimidate and belittle.

Samsung probably knows they have a big problem that's growing. This windshield analogy elitedata keeps mentioning (in several forums) is completely false. A friend of mine owns glass company; they've replaced hundreds of windshields. She told me that a rock crack on a windshield without any mark or scuff on the outside is extremely unlikely. Likewise, I find it very hard to believe that an impact hard enough to crack that inner plasma panel, especially through the protective outer panel, would not leave a mark, a scuff, SOME evidence on the outside!

I don't know about others, but I've always been matter-of-fact and courteous in all my contacts with Samsung. Yet I was met with the same denials as everyone else with every dept. I spoke with. That is until I escalated this to the NJAG's office. When they got involved, Samsung then provided me some relief; to their credit, Samsung DID provide a new panel, provided I paid for labor costs. But only after much effort and several months without a functioning product. I still feel ripped off having to pay anything out of pocket for what I feel is a defective product. Contact the NJAG's office - they will help you!

I own many Samsung products - monitors, phones, TV's, a refrigerator and a washer and dryer set. After this experience, I will most certainly avoid their products when possible. Remember, we as consumers have power with our buying choices and to share our product experiences with others. I'm posting here to hopefully help others - don't give up!

elitedata's profile:

Short bio: "We're here
publicly and assist people, particularly in warranty, and even some out
of warranty exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis. Few
manufacturers offer to do that, especially on a public forum like
Samsung does. Look around CNET at some of the other manufacturer's
forums. We try to help people. We participate. We reach out." - Be nice
to Samsung and they will be nice to you and make an accommodation for
you

Hi HD Tech - Thank you for clearing this up. I'm certainly glad this person doesn't represent Samsung. I'm hoping the moderators will block this person for falsely implying that he or she does.

I've been following the various Samsung threads throughout CNET, and I know you've gone above and beyond in trying to help people. I'm sure some here have had successful resolutions to their issues because of your efforts. What happens in other departments at Samsung, that's another story.

dvi10 -

First and foremost, thank you for introducing yourself and clearing the air. I has a suspicion that "elitedata" was not who he/she portrayed themselves to be. Nonetheless I still have a major problem. My TV broke, it's 9 months old, no one/thing hit it at the time it failed (or was in the vicinity of it) and I'm being told that somehow it broke underneath the protective coating due only to being struck externally, without even leaving a mark on the outside mind you, sometime before it "failed" and that it's not being covered under warranty. That's a bit more speculation than I can swallow. Furthermore, I've been in phone and email contact with Lisa Gatsch numerous times at the Executive Office who is of little help either. She offered me the same deal as the customer service representative, and her supervisor, to cover the cost of parts but not the $200-$300 in labor costs. I email her and it takes 2 days on average to get a response. I call and leave a message on her voicemail (the greeting message has been 1-3 weeks old on her phone extension). I have little faith in her at this point. She promised me an email explaining my claim was denied. Never got it. Asked her for it via 2 more emails and she finally replied exactly as follows: "I
am unable to provide you with any further communication then what I have as well
as our customer service has provided you. You are aware that Samsung is
offering to cover parts for your physical damage unit. If you wish to proceed
with this offer then please let me know." I have received nothing from Samsung customer service. I got a phone call from the service tech saying it would not be covered. I got verbal confirmation from Samsung customer service and from the Executive Office that it would not be covered except for parts. I never received anything in writing. I do feel I am entitled to at least that. It's no wonder people get so infuriated and are going to the lengths that they do. They are "feeling" like someone is ripping them off here. And the customer service end of it is very difficult to deal with. My TV has been broken for over a month now. I emailed Lisa yesterday morning and told her that while I may not agree with their decision I will accept the parts and have the TV repaired under the notion that Samsung voluntarily supplied them and not that I am admitting any fault on my own. Still have yet to receive anything from her. This is not helping move my case along and only compounds that frustration I'm already feeling. And reading what I've read throughout the net, it seems like there are a lot of people who feel the same way. I don't know if there's anything you can or want to do but at this point I'll try anything and talk to anybody who will listen. I loved my TV and went with Samsung because of their reputation/past experiences I've had but this incident and the customer service end of it really has be flustered.

file # 3101068717 in case you need it.

gwp026,

Thank you. I send an email on the 25th to the executive office in reference to my repair status and have yet to receive a reply.

gwp026 -

It's unfortunate that you did not have any "good" news for me. Compound that with the fact that I have yet to hear a reply from the email I sent to the Executive Office regarding repair to my TV only elevates my frustration. I am as much of a fan of social networking, email and modern technology as the next person but sometimes there is no substitute for a good old fashioned phone. Given the fact that I've wasted almost a whole week getting no where with fixing my TV, is there someone I can call directly that can help facilitate a speedy repair? My set has been out of commission for over a month now and I need it fixed. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all your help and I know it's not your call on whether or not my claim pushes through or gets shot down. This experience has been a real eye opener, and now a wallet opener, to say the least. Nonetheless, thank you for your assistance. I'll give you an "A" for effort

I can't provide phone numbers. The last time we tried that, the person whose desk it sat on rang non-stop. And I mean: Non. Stop. And it became posted on sites, people said, "call this person". One person was helped and spread the number around, so everyone suddenly expected results from the new-found "hotline".

Thank you. Let me know if you hear anything. I need to get this thing fixed one way or another.

You decide to replace TVs case-by-case isn't that discrimination? And I agree with some of the other people that I don't believe Samsung would authorize anybody to represent their company on a webpage called CNET. If anything this would be done through an attorney. A multi-billion-dollar company such as Samsung will not send one person out to deal with so many angry consumers. And we have every right to be angry. When people waste hours and precious time trying to resolve an issue that is supposedly covered under warranty and I told too bad it's your problem now you have a very large piece of trash sitting in your living room. And if it's a case-by-case basis what kind of cases does it take to get your TV fixed? Because let me tell you right now if I found out that somebody else got their TV fixed with no problem I would probably go off the deep end. If you're going to fix it for one you have to do it for all. After all we do live here in the United States and we know our rights. And violating to Federal Trade Commission laws is very real. That was made more than clear to your company during one of the class action lawsuits that Samsung lost. You misrepresented your product just like you were doing right now. So if I were you and we don't even know who you are or if you actually even work for Samsung which I highly doubt, I would keep your mouth shut. Because for starters there's a lot more of us than there are of you. And and to be quite honest we can make or break your company because you need us more than we need you. And if I want to be rip-roaring mad because I purchased an item that is broken by no fault of my own and you guys tell me well you're just s*** out of luck , and then tell me that you're going to escalate it and I don't hear another word from you yeah I'm going to get the big guns out and have the federal government deal with you. And yes I've already posted stuff online and I have that freedom as an American. So you can try to say no we're not going to fix your screen but I think the federal government is going to tell you to play nice in the sandbox. Consumer Fraud is frowned upon here. Talk is cheap. And if you have time I have a bridge I can sell you for really cheap money. If I lost a multimillion-dollar lawsuit I would learn to shut up and fix the problem. Because obviously it's still happening. And Samsung's new motto should be deflecting blame. Seems suitable to me.

It's unlikely that you'll get a reply from such an old post. But folk do need to vent so there's that.

The issue of cracked screens is an industry issue. Gone are the days of those touch as nails CRTs.

why would you let your children watch tv with a hammer, this what it sounds that like you was implying.
i had the same problem back in 2011 with a Samsung 51 3d plasma and i did not have a hammer when the engineer delivered and installed the TV nobody touched it everything was done by the remote why would you damage something that you payed a fortune for. i am not trying to insult you but there are a lot of problems with Samsung screens, i have stopped buying Samsung know and if everyone with a problem with Samsung did the same they would soon get the message and supply better customer service.

Planted this string is a few years old. But I'm reading the responses to someone's feet about Samsung not living up to their warranty and I totally agree because the same thing happened to me. I also have children. And for a company to blame a manufacturer defect on children is discriminatory. The gentleman I spoke to in regards to my warranty that was the first question that spilled out of his mouth. Not could you please explain what's wrong with your TV or even my name to look up my warranty coverage on my television. Instead he tried to place the blame on my son who by the way happens to be autistic. He is apraxic. Meaning he does not speak. No one was in the room when this happened. And I am not out to get a new TV or defraud the system I have much better things to do with my time. And not that people need to know this butt I am terminally ill and the last thing I need to deal with this Samsung. I paid over $1,000 for a TV that only lasted 4 months. And before Miss smarty-pants goes asking me I just recently found out I am terminal. It was after I bought the TV and if somebody smashed your windshield with a hammer for starters the glass would not break. There would also be an indentation on the outside of the glass where the hammer struck. Not on the inside of the glass. So for Samsung to claim that this damage was caused by the consumer is just insanity. There are way too many people who have the very same problem for it to be coincidental. And no I don't believe everything I read on the web. But why reply if all you're going to do is sit here and argue with somebody and then accuse him of being nasty when you yourself are being nasty? How you view others is how you view yourself. Maybe you have nothing better to do than to spend money? Or you're very bored with your life take your pick. But some of us aren't sitting on a mountain of money and can go out and buy a brand new TV at the tune of almost $2,000. It seems to me that the person who wrote the response has a real attitude problem. And just because you have kids how dare you automatically place the blame on the children. And if someone were physically present to look at your windshield they would be able to tell where the blow came from whether someone was inside your car or outside of your car any moron can figure that out so you asked a very stupid question. If you're going to argue with someone at least make a point. But when a multibillion-dollar company is stealing and making a product out to be more than what it is, that is called fraud plain and simple. And to me whoever is selling these TVs is just as guilty and they should honor the contract that they force you into buying. Why would I buy A2 year warranty if the manufacturer is not going to honor it. When they can't come up with a feasible explanation as to why these cracks are happening they're going to automatically blame the consumer. There's already been one class action lawsuit and Samsung ended up settling out of court because they knew they wouldn't win and now there is a second one going on for the same exact reason. If this keeps up Samsung is going to end up being forced out of business. But Samsung is taking a very discriminating stance on this. I think Samsung should step up to the plate and take accountability that they made a faulty item. With the amount of people that are returning their TVs and just wanting either the screen repaired or wanting a new one and the warranty is still in effect is not going to make a dent as far as the wealth of this company. If they want to keep the customers coming back then they need to stand by their product. I felt the company not the consumer. Yes I have two children who were nowhere near the television when it decided to crack and three quarters of the screen is now White. And for Samsung to assume otherwise is wrong. That's like buying Auto Insurance and a rock accidentally hits your windshield and creates a crap. For one it is against the law to be driving a car with a crack in the windshield. But the insurance that you pay for every month covers the damage. They don't sit there and say well that's your fault you're going to have to repair it. It's the same thing as with a warranty you bought an insurance policy for a product and they need to stand by that insurance policy until it runs out. They cannot pick and choose what they decide the fax. Maybe they ought to go online and look at what consumers have to say about a lousy company.

I purchased a brand new 51" Plasma from Target three days ago. When I got home, I found the edges of the screen were internally cracked. I called Samsung customer service and they asked me to connect it and see if it works. There was no image on the screen and it made loud buzzing noise. So they set up appointment to have service come over and look at it.

In such cases, how does Samsung handle warranties?

I would like to know what the options are. If Samsung will not warranty it I will simply return it to Target and get a refund.

physical damage is only response ppl get from samsung, instead of being the customers friend they will go the opposite way on this issue even with thousands of cases they can pretend it's not a built quality issue