No they buy them retail from stores. They do try to be incognito but this doesn’t always work.
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Choice staff advised they also do repeat shops at a few stores where Choice is known over time, but Choice buys retail from them like anyone else would and gets regular stock.
Whenever a manufacturer loans products in special circumstances it is always made transparent, including when a cameo review is published.
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Coincidentally, sports are quite a useful test for a TV’s refresh rate. Things are moving fast, and are not under the control of the person filming them or the TV on which they are playing.
Unfortunately this is not always the case. I heard something recently about video card manufacturers giving ‘the good stuff’ to reviewers - as casually mentioned in this article from 2020.
Here is a similar article about binning CPUs and the wide range of performance the end user can get - and I suggest that the manufacturer will most definitely be sending reviewers the best they can find.
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I bought a di look into the problem55 inch TV 3 years ago and just recently it developed a dark cloud on a third of the screen which made it unwatchable. I contacted Samsung who did look into the problem but after sending photographs said due to it being out of warranty they could not help. I need to know now if it is worthwhile having it repaired. I have been told it could $600 or more to replace the screen.
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That is not good. I am sure there is a relevant topic about Samsung TV support (and more commonly lack thereof) on the forum but a quick search did not reveal it.
‘Warranty’ is a Samsung policy. It does not over ride your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
With diligent research you can ascertain if the price/market position of your specific model should have gone longer than 3 years and if you can collect some evidence that say 5 years would be reasonable, you can write a formal ‘Letter of Complaint’ to Samsung citing your rights under the ACL and ask it be repaired under the ACL. There are many links to the ACL and Letter of Complaint on the Community with resources from Choice and the ACCC as well as member advice on same.
Until you have done a Letter of Complaint you are engaging in idle chit chat not working toward a resolution.
It is rarely cost effect to repair a modern TV.
This Choice link should be helpful re the expected reasonable life of a TV to give you perspective and get you going.
Please keep your topic posted regarding how you proceed and how it goes.
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It may be useful for other consumers for you to post a photo here. However I admit it can be a bit hit and miss getting a good photo of a TV screen (that is operating).
It would be my guess that a Samsung 55" cost you a non-trivial amount of money and that there is no way that 3 years is a reasonable lifespan for such a TV. I would be claiming that the particular unit that you have been sold is not of “acceptable quality”, not “fit for purpose”.
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This to me nails it.
Start with that. Samsung may consider that a 3 year old TV of their manufacture should not fail like that. They may consider a remedy despite the warranty period expired. May meet you half way, and perhaps supply the replacement screen for free, and you pay the labour.
You won’t know until you formally lodge a complaint with the company and present your case.
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Hi @Pat2,
have you approached the retailer that sold you the TV ? Did you buy the TV direct from Samsung ?
As already noted, any warranty offered by Samsung is separate to your rights under the ACL.
Unless you purchased from Samsung directly, you entered a contract with the retailer, not Samsung, and the retailer ought to be your first port of call. You may need to point out to them that you have rights under the ACL, and that a reasonable person would expect such a TV to last more than three years.
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As others have indicated, if you wish more advice you will need to provide more information to the community.
In the meantime, I have moved your question to the relevant topic. If you look back through the receding posts you will find others have had the same experience with Samsung customer service.
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