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An Open Letter to William Wang, CEO of Vizio TV

Dear Mr. Wang,

In June of 2008, my wife purchased a 32" Vizio Plasma television for me for Father's Day. Needless to say, I was very happy, having wanted to make the switch to HD and finally being able to do so. Our current television was over ten years old, so I was looking forward to a long relationship with this television and Vizio.

Around December of 2009, I noticed some odd behavior from the television. It would flash on, and then off, and then on again. As though it were like a car having trouble turning over to start in cold weather. The problem was annoying in the beginning, and worsened over the last few weeks. Until tonight, when it refused to turn on at all.

Once the holidays were over, I called technical support, to find out just what I could do to either fix the television myself, or what you could do to stand behind your product. The customer service agent, who was very polite, informed me that since my warranty had been expired, and that my wife hadn't purchased an extended warranty upon purchase, that it would cost me anywhere from $200 - $300 to repair what was determined, to be something involved with the power supply.

Since my wife paid only around $650 for the television, I was shocked that the repair bill would be anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of what we paid for it. I understand that electronics and their components aren't cheap, but still - given the way that prices on LCD's and Plasma televisions have dropped over the past 18 months, I could just as easily purchase a new television for just a little more than the cost to repair my old new one.

That being said, I'm very disappointed in your product, and your warranty policies. I look at televisions like other major appliances - something that will last a long time, and when it breaks down, it will be from old age. If your product can't withstand average use for 18 months, I don't believe that I can trust it to last for the time that most other appliances should, and given the financial investment involved, I'm sure you can understand my disappointment.

At this point, due to financial reasons, I am going to have to go back to my now 11 year old television and use that, until I can afford to purchase a new LCD TV, which, given my understandable disappointment with Vizio, will be another brand.

Thank you for your time.

Jeremy Zehr
Caledonia NY

UPDATE 2/10/10

Approximately 24 hours ago, a link to my blog was posted on The Consumerist. I had sent this to Ben Popken when I posted it, but had actually forgotten that I'd done so. Several anonymous commenters have lambasted me, claiming that I did this purely expecting something for nothing from Vizio -- which couldn't be further from the truth, but what can you do, the Internet is full of trolls who have nothing better to do than assume the worst.

However, I did just get off the phone with a Sabrina Van Gilder, who works in the Customer Service Department at Vizio. This entire situation has taken an unexpected turn, which I will keep you abreast of in the days to come.

Comments

Mike Reynolds said…
While it sucks that your TV broke down, I certainly hope this doesn't make Vizio give you a new TV set. No piece of electronics is problem-free or made perfectly in any way despite any effort the manufacturer takes to make sure they send out a quality product. This is exactly why warranties and extended-warranties are available. Who's to say you didn't drop the TV set whilst setting it up or otherwise misuse it which caused this problem in the first place? Power surge? Why should Vizio pay for that? Since your TV set is out-of-warranty, the price they quoted you for shipment/repair of the device seems pretty reasonable. Do the Internet a favor and stop crying just because something you own broke and it's manufacturer is only following their processes to try and make you happy.
Anonymous said…
If you don't mind using a screw driver try looking for a power supply here http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=vizio+power+supply&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=vizio&_osacat=0.

It's not hard to replace them
Anonymous said…
DIY power supply replacement is a good solution that's fairly cheap, but uber tightwads who can solder would probably instead replace just the electrolytic capacitors and any burned out semiconductors. Not only will this save money, but the capacitors will be better than the originals and may let the TV last 10 years.
Anonymous said…
Did you buy the TV with a credit card? Because American Express and gold or platinum Visa and Mastercard automatically add up to an additional year to the factory warranty, and I've gotten good service with this from Amex and Visa (never tried MC). You may have to pay up-front for a diagnosis, so check beforehand about reimbursed for it.
Anonymous said…
Seriously? You are crying because your Vizio for $650 broke down? Look, I've owned several Vizio TV's that I have traded out and resold to family members to upgrade my existing TV's. But seriously, these TV's aren't nearly as expensive as they use to be. If you were paying $4,000 for a Sony, complain all you want, but when you're picking up the Walmart Special, maybe that $300 extended warranty just might be worth it.
Anonymous said…
To Mike Reynolds, it seems that you must either work for Vizio or one of those electronic stores or a repair shop because of your reply. If Vizio states that the power supply is bad then why would even begin to accuse this person of damaging his TV. What if this power supply is a known issue as it has been with other brands. Guess that you are too ignorant to realize this. Yes, the TV should last for more than the time stated and as consumers reports states, an extended warranty for the most part is useless. Vizio itself is not a brand that I would purchase anyway but they should back their hardware regardless. I would email the company at the corporate level, you would be surprised at what wonders the power of words can do as they may want to improve their image and reputation with the consumer. I had a sub-woofer from JBL go bad after two years (out of warranty) and did some research online and found that other people had the same problem, sent them an email, pointed this out and sub-woofer was replaced without issue. Good luck with that.
Anonymous said…
It does not matter the amount of money that a person spends on an item. A company should stand behind their product, plain and simple and if the public, who buys these products, stops doing so, these companies would realize that a well made product equals happy customers who would recommend their products and continue to purchase. Everything in the US seems to be made in China these days because it is cheap to do so, but in my eyes losing a customer equates to being more expensive in the long run.
Jaxopolitan said…
If your wife purchased with a credit card, call them and ask if they do extended warranty on electronics purchased with the card. My Visa automatically doubles the warranty on any product purchased with the card, under 2 years.

So, if you purchased it 18 months ago, and your credit card doubled the 1-year warranty, you might be able to salvage the deal
JoelKatz said…
Most consumers really do want a TV that can be made as cheaply as possible, even if that means that some of them will fail in a year and a half. I also own a Vizio HDTV and specifically bought it because it was the cheapest.

Technology changes pretty fast, and I'd rather buy a new TV every few years than pay a lot of money now for a TV that will still be working, but won't be what I want, 5 years down the line.

Yes, that does mean some TVs will only last a year and a half. You definitely got bad luck. But if you didn't want to deal with that, you were likely offered an extended warranty.

It seems you want the benefit of the extended without having to pay of it and want the benefit of the cheapest HDTV on the market without the downsides.
Chris Norton said…
Unfortunately I feel Vizio has let me down too. Initially I bought one of their TV's and had great results- they even included color laminated owner's manuals instead of the expected black and white newsprint ones that rip in your hand. I was really happy with them until I bought their 26" multimedia computer monitor which arrived with dead pixels in the center of the screen. Vizio told me over the phone that it wasn't enough to consider the product defective. I guess if it's a tv you're not going to notice a few pixels being out, but come on if the monitor is sitting right in front of your face like a computer screen it's a big problem. The seller did end up sending a new one, but with even more dead pixels! I finally just took all the shipping as a loss and bought one locally at Sam's Club hooking it up and testing it out before I left the store.

Great TV's and monitors if you can find one that works and... good luck with that. The customer service sucked.
Anonymous said…
Aside from credit card protection or buying a replacement board, I usually see LCDs flicker/turn off because of bad inverter boards, which is in turn caused by bad capacitors.

Fortunately, if you know how to solder or know someone who does (and really does and won't put the capacitors on backwards), you can usually solve the problem for $10 or under. Remove the casing, take out the board and replace the capacitors.
Anonymous said…
I agree with some of the others in regards to the extended credit card warranty... most cards offer an additional one year warranty after the manufacturers expired.

Also Vizio makes a solid product, unfortunatly for you I guess you can consider yours a defect. I own two Vizio LCD TV's a 26 and a 32 and the 26 is well over two years old and still works just as good as it did when it was pulled out of the box.

You might find better luck taking it to a TV repair spot and having them look at it first before deciding on what to do about buying a new one.
jeremy said…
Mike, my reaction to your statement is this - you either get paid by Vizio, or you're a salesman in a high end electronics store - just like the fourth anonymous commenter said.

I didn't write this letter to William Wang to get anything. In fact, I expect nothing from Vizio. The reason I put this story out there was in case anyone was in the market for an LCD or Plasma television and considering Vizio.

The power supply problem is a known issue with Vizio televisions, and they refuse to acknowledge it. Google Pop of Death and Vizio together and you'll find that hundreds, if not thousands of people have had the same issue.

I even went so far as to post this letter on the Vizio Facebook page, forward it to Vizio on Twitter, to no avail. The Facebook page even banned me and deleted the post - they wouldn't want anyone out there dare question the quality of their product.
Anonymous said…
Try a local repair shop. Next time buy from Costco to get an extra year warranty. Even if you've got to join for 2 years, $100 for a year extended warranty isn't bad. And, their prices are rock bottom.
Anonymous said…
Or just buy the same model (if it is still available) and then put your old set in the box and return it, saying the power supply must be bad. They will return it for credit to the manufacturer anyway.

We had our plasma tv for 3 days and the power supply went bad... Panasonic wanted to send a tech out. Oh no, I said, it's going back. Then I went to Costco and bought the same model with double the warranty for $100 less (I didn't know they sold TV's).

Just my .02. Of course I would NEVER advocate being less than honest. :)
SidusNare said…
I have a vizio 50" plasma the power supply is going out, and of course, over a year old. The plasmas aren't that long lived, the LED and OLED live a lot longer, I wont buy vizio ever again, quality is crap. I am thinking of getting a projector till the oleds come down in price. projectors are versatile too, its a 60" TV you can carry to your friends house
Anonymous said…
I expect a company to honor a repair under warranty, and not so much once it runs out. So I understand them saying it is your problem. But, that said, look at Microsoft's XBox 360. The realized they had a issue that caused many (not all) units to fail, and they extended coverage to folks with problems. Vizio *knows* they have a LOT of users with failed power supplies. And they are hiding behind the 1 year warranty. That is chicken poop. My Vizio died 2 months after the warranty expired. I do expect the warranty to be the "good until date" on a loaf of bread, a TV should last 5-10-15 years if not abused. I would warn EVERYONE to avoid the Vizio brand. They are not built to last more than 2 years. I paid $3,000 for a 50" plasma, and it is a $1,500 repair?!? I can get a name brand new 50" plasma for $800! Horrible brand, you save NOTHING buying a cheap brand like Vizio.
Anonymous said…
I would LOVE to write a letter to the CEO anonymously. I am in fact a TV tech that does in and out of warranty repair work for Vizio. I can tell you firsthand that their product is by far one of the worst on the planet. I have seen Vizio's come defective right out of the box, days, weeks, or months later... if it hasn't died yet, it will. The company responsible for their repair work (ITI) is a sub-standard sub-contracted company that pays any person off the street on average of $60 to "expertly" repair the Vizio branded sets. Sad that a lot of the TVs were taking at least two repairs to resolve their problems due to poor troubleshooting and crappy internal components. Now, any repair attempt after the first, requires you to send in your set at your own cost. What a deal hey?? There is a HUGE price to pay when you pay for this cheap Chinese garbage and it would be great if the US would just block their import altogether. It may cost a little more, but do yourself a favor, all of you... buy ANYTHING BUT VIZIO.

Another thing that disappoints me more is the fact that they call themselves an American company, when everything except for the CEO's office is in China...

But then again... that's the new American way right?
WatcherXP said…
You didn't know the warranty period for making the purchase?
Unknown said…
I am a previous employee of Sam's Club and know that Vizio started selling TV's in warehouse clubs before expanding. If you bought it at Sam's Club or Costco within the past 2 years, they should be able to take it back even without your receipt. If it was Sam's Club ask them to do an "Item Lookup" and not a "Purchase History." They can do it by item # or description. Also, if they try to give you BS about electronics only having a 3 or 6 month policy, that applies mostly to computers and you purchased it in a time when such policy did not exist AND they should still give you a refund under "Member Satisfaction." Sometimes if your lucky, they'll give you your money back PLUS $50 due to the almighty "Member Satisfaction." Without a receipt you will be forced to get a gift card. Hopefully you purchased it at one of these locations and I hope this helps.
jeremy said…
I knew the warranty period, but didn't expect a product to fail less than two years after purchase. Everyone knows that Extended Warranties are pretty much useless.

Given the issues that many people have had with Vizio power supplies, I'm really surprised that they haven't done anything to combat the bad PR. But then again, combat costs money, doesn't it?
Anonymous said…
So, let me get this straight. You purchased a TV for really cheap (I bought my TV ~1.5 years ago and paid $1400 for a Panasonic Plasma), did not buy the warranty and now want a free fix, post 1 year?

Why do you believe you deserve this? Why didn't you but the warranty? I paid an extra $200 for an extra year on my factory warranty, so why should you get the same treatment for paying $0?

I'm on the side of Vizio on this one, and I hope they don't give you anything since you are encouraging people to be babies.
Anonymous said…
Why should a consumer have to buy a warranty (even an extended one) to assure that they get a product that will work or be repaired? Shouldn't that be the requirement for a sale? That the product performs and that it lasts a reasonable time?
Around Christmas time, I attempted to buy a small Vizio tv at my local Walmart. The sales associate practically begged me not to buy it, saying that they had an extremely high return rate on Vizio products due to poor quality.
jeremy said…
"So, let me get this straight. You purchased a TV for really cheap (I bought my TV ~1.5 years ago and paid $1400 for a Panasonic Plasma), did not buy the warranty and now want a free fix, post 1 year?"

Dude, learn to READ. I said I don't want or expect anything from Vizio. This letter is something that should serve as buyer beware for anyone who is considering buying a Vizio television.
Anonymous said…
@jeremy You posted this as an open letter to the CEO of the company. By doing that it looks a lot like do want something out of it and its not a warning to others when you address it to someone specifically. A repair for 300 dollars is rather normal it just so happens you bought the TV for a low price to begin with. Cost of buying parts and paying someone to install them for you don't go down just because the TV was cheap. I have had a vizio for 2 years with no problems and i spent around 200 on an 3 year extended warranty. I had a sony before and they soured my mouth with the very situation your shaking your finger at vizio for. Yeah it sucks but it taught me how the industry is. If you know the written warranty policy of a product don't be surprised when they stay true to policy. I mean hell i expect a company to honor the warranty during the warranty period so i may as well assume that they will keep their promise that when its over its over.
Anonymous said…
It's a shame really, I'm afraid the days of buying a quality product and expecting it to work for years are over. Good customer service went out the door too.

Americans want to pay the lowest cost possible for things, China has made that possible. It's cheap and it's crap but every American can afford to buy all the junk they want now. Younger folks already seem not to expect quality.
jeremy said…
Anonymous commenter: Believe what you want, I at least have the balls to post something under my real name. And forgive me for expecting a product to actually be stood by when it's an issue that is common and should be taken care of.
Anonymous said…
You dont have a legitimate complaint, sorry.

You got boned, Vizio did nothing wrong here, and attempting to call out Vizio and their CEO via an "open letter" smacks of a shameless ploy to be compensated outside of their reasonable 1 year warranty policy.
jeremy said…
Google Pop of Death and Vizio. And you'll see why I'm complaining.
Anonymous said…
Check the back light inverter transformers for open windings also
With all due credit to your situation, most knowledgeable consumers know what they're getting into when buying a Vizio. They're not known for their longevity, and when they do, it usually comes as a surprise. It's more to the credit of the company for showing exceptional customer service by assisting with your out of warranty television set, and not to their detriment if they say you're SOL.

I hope in the next update we read regarding this story isn't "Vizio offered me a new tv, and I took it."
jeremy said…
No Vizio didn't offer me a new TV.

My only goal was to see them own up to a well known issue to their TVs, which they have done with me on the phone.
Troy said…
Jeremy,

Hopefully you got at least some satisfaction from Vizio. But you should feel, sort of, lucky that your tv at least lasted through the warranty period. I haven't been so lucky.

I'm currently going through a fight of my own after our 21 day old 47" Vizio died a couple weeks ago. I was told our On Site Swap replacement tv would be delivered today. Unfortunately the shipper doesn't even have the replacement yet.

I've talked to 5 different reps and 2 supervisors so far. Vizio's customer service reps are very polite but the actual service has been spotty and overall less than satisfactory.

After reading your post and some of the more intelligent comments here I definitely don't have good feelings about this purchase and won't buy another. I've also made sure friends and family are aware of my experience. I know I've stopped at least one purchase! My mom was going to buy one until I told her ours died after 3 weeks.

Don't let the haters get you down! Lots of trolls on the web!
Anonymous said…
That sucks that you got burned. Visio buys the cheapest parts they can find and outsources to have them slapped together into a set. Are you going to go for a repair?
Anonymous said…
Hello everyone,
This information was sent to me, about a Class Action Lawsuit, which is getting mounted for anyone's Vizio woes, so step up instead get some relief and follow through-Here is the info link-
Here is a law firm exploring a class action law suit against Vizio:
http://chimicles.com/case/vizio-televisions
TimothyMathews@chimicles.com
Anonymous said…
Jeremy,
Ithink it was very brave and courageous! Please go here and register your experience- They are going to bring a Class Action Lawsuit on behalf of wronged consumers, which is all of us. By that I mean legitimate people who have had this problem! Not the pretenders who work for the company- info: Here is a law firm exploring a class action law suit against Vizio:
http://chimicles.com/case/vizio-televisions
TimothyMathews@chimicles.com

I wish you nothing but the very best, and don't listen to the evil negatives! regards,
Fighter!
Writing that letter is a brave act and it serves to inform other customers regarding such issues. It is also a good way to encourage other people to voice out their opinions and not to just keep silent about them.
mags said…
It doesn't matter if you spend $100 or $1000 on a Vizio product. By purchasing it you have entered into a contract with them and they DO NOT STAND BEHIND their promise of giving you quality. So what that they are the fastest growing company of their kind, They got there because the "little guys" like you and me bought their products with the expectation they would work and if they didn't something would be done The customer service staff is indeed friendly, but THEY DO NOTHING!!!!! I have been promised to, passed from one to another, and it cost me $$$to send the product back to them Most companies send you a prepaid shipping label when their product is defective. So now they have my product, my money and I have nothing, but receipts. Things like this are more than frustrating. I work "hard for my money" and don't like throwing it away on inferior products. I will stand in the electronics departments of Wal Mart, Best Buy, Ultimate and anywhere else that sells VIZIO and beg people NOT to buy these products. I have never been treated so shabbily. It's a sad commentary oon their business practices. Thanks for allowing this rant!
Mylinda Allen said…
Jeremy,

LOVE your letter! I came across your blog in search of Mr. Wang's contact info myself. I purchased a Vizio 42" Plasma TV back in December 2006. Two years later I got the black screen of death. Vizio informed me it was out of their standard one-year warranty so they opted to not help me. I then went back to Costco, where I purchased the TV from, and surprisingly it was still covered under their two-year warranty. I was able to get it fixed. Now another two years later and just today guess what!? Yep, black screen of death for the second time. This now makes this twice in four years and my TV is no longer covered by Vizio or Costco. So our 2K we spent on this TV essentially was for a 4 year lifespan....BOGUS! A TV should last 10 years at the very minimum. I am extremely upset with this and the fact that I have also come to learn that Vizio has also stoped manufacturing Plasma TVs. Good luck to you and I will be checking back.

mylindawn
Anonymous said…
Jeremy,

Kudos to you for posting your comments. I tried something similar on their facebook page. I have a 46 in LCD tv with the black lines and shades all over it. The customer service rep said the life expectancy on lcd tvs is only 3 to 10 years. I feel 10 should be a minimum.
Anonymous said…
I would never buy a vizio television again. I purchased a 32 inch tv for my son for christmas and the computer hit the bricks. They did come with another computer and that one was also bad. So they contacted me and told that they would replace my tv and I had 2 chioces on how to recieve a new tv. Well i was not happy with neither one but what could i do. Customer service is very rude they said well you did only pay x amount dollars but so what. Thay were so rude and so was the managers. Well it has been 7 days and I still don't have my tv. They are so rude and I would buy this brand again and I would tell everyone else not to purchase this tv you will be wasting your money.
Anonymous said…
Vkvibiig
Anonymous said…
Dear Mr. Wang I have been through several tv cause when they arrive there either damaged or have pixels out on the screen or led lights bleeding through them I was promised they would start my 2 year warranty over as soon as I got a tv without blue or red dots on the screen it not my fault this is happening to me well there telling me I'm not getting the 2 years they promised and if I don't take my money back there going to strip the 9 months that I have left on my original warranty please don't let them do this to me all I want is a tv without a bad spot in the screen so my family and I can enjoy it please help me Mr. William Wang. My name is Michael Johnson my phone # is 816-254-2299 your are only hope
Anonymous said…
Dude that's not right if your still under warranty it does matter how many tvs they send you if you send in pictures of pixels out that's there problem to fix it I would get attorney and sue there ass cause they can't do that Mr. Wang should do something about this good luck
Anonymous said…
Vizio can't do that, your under warranty, Mr.Wang should do something, If every picture you send in has proof of pixels out on the screen they have to send you another, they should test one before they send it. This is a good case for Mr. Wang to look into cause your customer under warranty
Anonymous said…
Dear Mr.Wang I got a call from a man named Chris from corporate he told me if I email you again it will end up on his desk and he will not do anything about this issue as I posted earlier about getting several tvs with blue dots in screen they promised me they would start my two year warranty over after this tv arrives I have 9 months left of my original warranty now there telling me I take a refund or they tv is not under warranty he just called again and told me I have until Monday I do NOT want my money back. Mr. Wang you have the power to over rule them please tell them if something goes wrong with tv they have to fix it and to extend the warranty as they promised. I called them about this tv cause the delivery man dropped it and the front panel is not attached to the screen it has white blurry spots in it. It's not my fault and the treat me like it is. I love vizio tvs please don't let them take my tv away and my warranty I beg you Mr. Wang PLEASE help me. My name is Michael Johnson # 816-254-2299 or mljtln@aol.com your my only hope
Anonymous said…
William Wang your the CEO of the company HELP this guy
Anonymous said…
I BET HE NEVER BUYS A VIZIO AGIN
Anonymous said…
If Mr. Wang Does Not Help This Guy I Won't Be Buying A Vizio In The Future Cause That's Not Going To Happening To Me. Michael Please Post And Tell Me If He Even Does Anything For You .
Anonymous said…
Very interesting situation. I just bought a Vizio in Oct. 2012. It had some volume issues (worked intermittently)from day one, but I thought it was the cable remote that was the problem. Not a brand new set. That is, until today 1/15/13. Went to turn it on... dead. Tried resetting it via instructions from Vizio support. Nothing. If the product had died just two days earlier, on the 90th day of ownership, Vizio would replace it, but since it died and was reported on the *92nd* day, the most I can expect is a "repair." God only knows what else is wrong with it just waiting to present at the most inopportune moment.

Yes, there are better brands available, I suppose, but I'm a recent college grad. The little under $500 wasn't even in my budget, but I decided to get a new one so I didn't have to worry about probs with it. Plus, I'd had Vizio before for two years with no issues -- and I bought that one used. I figured I'd be in really good shape with a brand new one.

The previous Vizio I bought used from Overstock.com. A power surge took it out, but up til that point, it worked perfectly.

No matter what brand it is, you don't go into a store and buy a television with the expectation that you're going to be repairing it in 3 months. And but for want of two days, they would be sending me a replacement, anyway.

I'm told one of the boards has gone out. If it's defective now, it was defective on the day I purchase the set, and I believe an exception to warranty policy for those 2 days (replacements are within 90 days of purchase. Mine died on the 92nd day)should be made and my set replaced with what I purchased -- a new one.

I've spoken to three Vizio reps so far. I asked to speak with someone higher up but they said higher ups don't talk to Customers. That's according to the customer support supervisor I spoke with.

For me, the way Vizio is handling this issue is almost as bad as the tv dying.

Pretty sad and frustrating for me as even with the repair, the only way I have some peace of mind concerning other defects is to give Vizio an additional $99 for an extended warranty. A little like taking your car to the mechanic that put the sugar in your tank. :(((
Thank for the open letter, btw. And thanks for some place to vent and share this common experience.
Very interesting situation. I just bought a Vizio in Oct. 2012. It had some volume issues (worked intermittently)from day one, but I thought it was the cable remote that was the problem. Not a brand new set. That is, until today 1/15/13. Went to turn it on... dead. Tried resetting it via instructions from Vizio support. Nothing. If the product had died just two days earlier, on the 90th day of ownership, Vizio would replace it, but since it died and was reported on the *92nd* day, the most I can expect is a "repair." God only knows what else is wrong with it just waiting to present at the most inopportune moment.

Yes, there are better brands available, I suppose, but I'm a recent college grad. The little under $500 wasn't even in my budget, but I decided to get a new one so I didn't have to worry about probs with it. Plus, I'd had Vizio before for two years with no issues -- and I bought that one used. I figured I'd be in really good shape with a brand new one.

The previous Vizio I bought used from Overstock.com. A power surge took it out, but up til that point, it worked perfectly.

No matter what brand it is, you don't go into a store and buy a television with the expectation that you're going to be repairing it in 3 months. And but for want of two days, they would be sending me a replacement, anyway.

I'm told one of the boards has gone out. If it's defective now, it was defective on the day I purchase the set, and I believe an exception to warranty policy for those 2 days (replacements are within 90 days of purchase. Mine died on the 92nd day)should be made and my set replaced with what I purchased -- a new one.

I've spoken to three Vizio reps so far. I asked to speak with someone higher up but they said higher ups don't talk to Customers. That's according to the customer support supervisor I spoke with.

For me, the way Vizio is handling this issue is almost as bad as the tv dying.

Pretty sad and frustrating for me as even with the repair, the only way I have some peace of mind concerning other defects is to give Vizio an additional $99 for an extended warranty. A little like taking your car to the mechanic that put the sugar in your tank. :((( Sorry for the double post.
Anonymous said…
I had a issue very similar. I actually called after only owning the product for 3 months (still under warranty) and they didn't do anything. Then when my TV was 13 months old the entire LCD went out. I called back and they said they cant find my previous call and that I had to pay $150 to exchange my $175 TV for a refurbished TV that was 2 inches smaller. I posted it on Facebook and because a bunch of people commented they banned me from posting or messaging Vizio on Facebook. I will never buy another Vizio product again because they are cheap and their customer service is a joke.
Anonymous said…
last yr my son turned 40 we had a big family party for him and his gift was that we all pitched in for a 55in Vizio smart tv..we were all excited and couldn,t wait to give it to him and when we pulled it out all wrapped up the look on his face and his familys faces were words I can,t describe...we are unfortunately a family that lives check to check so it was a big deal for us to pitch in to buy my son this tv...well this Vizio Smart TV only last for 11mo,s the screen went black like the TV burned out along with the controller... we are all so upset about this I did call Vizio about 6 times we cant find our receipt but I did give them the serial and model number, the store (Target in Gurnee Il)and the day and time of purchased ( we still have the box)we are still desperately searching for the receipt we have until oct26 to find it.....you would think with all the infor about upon the purchase of it and my 6 desperate calls about the TV going black I would get some kinda help then after spending all morning on the computer trying to contact the founder CEO William Wang about the TV only lasting 11mos I read so many stories from other people about their VIZIO TV,s going black also ( burned out)so now what!!!! VIZIO has our money and we don,t have a TV... THIS IS SO WRONG!!!SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS ( SELLING BAD TV,S TO THE COMSUMERS)this is no loose change in peoples pocket to purchased an item like a TV some of us have to save for something like a TV.... I see VIZIO TV,s in every store so I thought it must be a good choice to pick a VIZIO so MR WILLIAM WANG PLEASE CONTACT ME and MAKE THIS THE RIGHT CHOICE THAT WE MADE PURCHASHING A VIZIO SMART TV ( MY CASE NUMBER IS 3834672 with all my infor on it)
Dave Cox said…
Yep, count me as a disgruntled Vizio customer. My 37" sound went out, independent repair states it's an EPROM issue but only the complete PCB is replaceable, not the individual EPROM. $305.00 to repair a less than 3 yr old TV. I grew up on CRT type TVs lasting year and years. Failures less than 5 years are not common. Vizio offered out of warranty for $175 but my point is -- why don't Vizio products last? Throwing $175 after $500 is not a Win for the Consumer. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD BJs, SAMs EVERYONE -- quit selling and consumers -- quit BUYING VIZIO -- they are RIPPING US off!!!

Oh BTW -- There are PR type firms that specialize in reviewing social media, chat rooms and other internet sites purely for the purpose of negating complaints and posting POSITIVE reviews. Some of these anonymous replies seem to be from these type of businesses.

A company that stands behind their Brand reputation is TOSHIBA who took a $BiLLION write-off to support laptop customers affected by that Intel? chip issue about 8 to 10 years ago. A company that has known problems and continues selling faulty products deserves consumers' warnings like a speed trap deserves blinking heaDLIGHTS!

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