I purchased a 55 inch Sony TV from JB HiFi and it failed just on 2 years. Sony said it was out of warranty (came with a 2 year warranty) So we went to JB HiFi and they contacted Sony, low and behold they said "yes it will be repaired.
2 years later exact same issue again and they are saying too bad it is obsolete and there are no parts for it but you can buy a new TV from us !!! Yea like thats going to happen. I believe they should be made to fix or replace it. What advice can anyone give meplease
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Welcome to the Community @Pags
Could you elaborate on what failed, how was it fixed, and what warranty was provided for repair? It is not the case that if something fails, and repaired under warranty, that one gets another two year warranty as if the TV was new.
And is it JbHiFi saying it can’t be fixed, or Sony support?
Strictly speaking, the warranty provisions should be the responsibility of the seller. But as the TV is now well past the manufacturers warranty period, you need to deal with Sony for support. Not JB.
Since electronics have product lives of 6 months to a year before being superseded it is common that they do not keep parts for repairs. Most repairs would cost more than the original product so they replace as often as repair. Some manufacturers will stock parts based on a statistical failure rate and when they are gone, they are gone.
That is incorrect. The retailer owns the responsibility for the warranty from day 1 to however long one can establish rights under the Australian Consumer Law. That being written whether going to the retailer or the manufacturer case-by-case varies.
As @Pags reported contacting JB was more efficacious than Sony at 2 years, apparently just beyond the manufacturer warranty. Whether that is sufficient under the ACL is another matter. @Pags needs to do some research and if it can be documented the new fault is the same as the old, that the TV, considering its price point and any advertised claims, should reasonably last more than 4 years, @Pags should read about rights under the ACL and present a formal ‘letter of complaint’ to JB management clearly making their case, as if arguing in front of a magistrate who knows nothing and closing with what is wanted for the outcome, and with a date for JB to reply.
Unless a good case can be made the outcome may not be as hoped for, but 4 years seems a minimum noting Choice guidance.
Real trouble shooting takes time and therefore money so they do the obvious and get on with their own jobs; warranty work is a cost centre so the manufacturers’ goals are to minimise costs.
As for repairs, it is too common that symptoms are fixed, not the underlying fault. For example if a power supply is dodgy it can cause a short life for another part by generating ‘dirty power’. The repair will replace the part that failed and not even look for why it failed, eg maybe a dodgy power supply. The dodgy power supply could cause the new part to fail similarly to the first. Nobody wants to know about the power supply, often they won’t have the necessary equipment to check since they repair by replacing field replaceable parts that failed, and no matter how many times the same part fails they will once again replace that part until they can avoid further liability.
Relevant experience -
For context to the problem with the Sony TV, the retailer that sold the KWC mixer stepped in at roughly 10 years and made it right by providing a very acceptable store credit. While KWC advertises KWC products are built to last they only offer a 5 year warranty noting my experience is a few years old now so these documents were not current at the time.
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I haven’t approached JB HiFi, I dontr think they should be responsible for the issue. To me it is Sony, the have previously fixed the TV and now the same fault has reoccurred. They are saying it is obsolete so basically tough luck. Buy a new TV from us. Not a hope in hell of me ever buying anything Sony ever again. Not with their attitude.
With all due respect, @Pags just venting anger at a company that has made a product that has had two failures does not get issues resolved.
Sony are not a manufacturer that deliberately makes poor quality products. Nor are they one that has a reputation for poor support, as far as I know.
It reads to me that you may have got some idiot call centre person who has given a very bad response with the too bad, can’t fix spiel.
A four year old TV can certainly be fixed. There will be parts. Now it may not be fixed by them, but by an accredited service center near you. You may have to pay for it, but how much could be open to negotiation.
There are some in this Community that would be delighted to help with advice, but we need some details. What was the fault fixed? TV model? Any written warranty on the repair?
Regardless your rights as enshrined in the ACL state that the retailer is often the responsible party. Whether you agree or not does not change that priority.
Each state has similar advice.
edit: Consider your leverage with Sony as an individual consumer. Possibly nada or not much. JB sells a significant number of Sony products. JB wants customers to be happy and as Sony’s primary customer has the leverage of the number of units of Sony kit they sell. Will you or Sony be more likely to get attention from Sony if Sony starts to push back?
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