rca.com / Technicolor review: defective tv, poor after sales service! 23

I also made the mistake of purchasing a RCA TV - 50" DLP - model HD50DLPW165YX2.

After just 3 years RCA no longer makes DLP's their quality is so bad.
After 1 year - the lamp burned out and cost over $ 400. After having the TV less than 3 years the "digital module" Part number 265944 went out costing over $ 700.00. Absolutely no help from Thomson/RCA customer service - phone calls, emails, letters - all to no avail.

Don't make the mistake of buying RCA.

I posted this today, it may help you. I got the same defensive crap you did...

RCA 52in Rear Projection TV - I purchased the TV from Circuit City 2 yrs ago. I'll try to make this short so here's the facts - TV made high pitched noises that stopped so we ignored them. Just 1 mth shy of the 2 yr warrenty (thank God) the TV went from color to dark green to no picture, had audio. Naturally I'm flipping out these TVs are expensive and should last more than 2 yrs! I called Circuit City who informed me they no longer sell RCA since they deem them "defective" but they would help any way they could. I contacted RCA customer service...with my God given gift of being a super B&^%$, lol, I managed to get the number of Thomson (actual company) number is 1/[protected]. They were knida like "How did you get this number?". I found out my TV would cost $800 to fix, I paid $999 for it! They admitted it was defective and that they do not make the TV anymore! Fast forward a month, countless hours, tears, frustration, etc at first they said they'd pro-rate me a TV since they didn't feel this fell uder warranty (say what?)so I took them on about that. End result is They picked up my defective 52 in Jan 2, they rc it in Texas 1/7, I just spoke with them again (3hrs) and my new TV hasn't even been ordered! THEFT! Kicker is I can't even get a 52 inch, they will only send me a 32 inch! How is this right, they know the product is crap and can't even replace it? Is there Lemon Laws for TV? After all the complaints I'm reading, like mine, what is being done? I'm having better results than most people but why such a hard time? Why are they robbing people?

I absoultely agree. I bought a 32" RCA (not sure of model#) in June 2006. Only had 1 year warranty, did not buy extended (HUGE mistake). By July 2007, after only 13 months, the TV completely lost sound. Picture remained perfect, but no sound at all. I contacted Thompson, which actually has a huge plant and call center about 30 minutes from my house. Would not even listen to me since my warranty was up. I had to have private TV repair person come and fix my tv. The entire motherboard was out and needed replaced, which was going to cost about $400, which I was not about to pay on a $600 tv. RCA is crap, do not buy.

Here is my advice and I hope that the world will become aware of this. I hope and pray you bought your tv with a visa card. Visa offers extended warranties on tvs. But- the warranty visa provides only starts once the manufacturers has stopped. So if your warranty just expired this is great. Visa warranty is same length of time as original warranty, but starts on day manufacturers expires. They will refund you the money... not make you waste time in repair shops.

Seems as though RCA has scamed alot of us. You may want to contact the attorney General's Office in your state. I still have no results but the office is still working with me to solve my $4ooo.00 problem with the "65 inch T.V. I have. It is a piece of JUNK!

I bought a 52 inch RCA tv from Circuit City. The tv went out in three months. Circuit City refused to help me because I didn't buy their rip off warranty. They also told me that I had bought a cheap tv. I told them that I had bought that cheap tv from them and I didn't think $900.00 was cheap. It took me a year to get RCA to replace my tv and this was only after waiting 9 months for the part to come in. When the part came in the tv still couldn't be repaired. RCA did replace my tv and guess what? This tv is no longer working. You will be watching it and it just turns itself off. Sometimes it will come back on and sometimes it won't. RCA products are inferior and somebody needs to help all the thousands of consumers that have lost their money purchasing their products.

Same problem here, I went to our local media & did an interview concerning the 6 month old 50 " DLP/HD with a defective lamp no picture. It is still under manufacturer's warranty. But that's even worst. I wish it could have lasted over a year b/c we purchased an additional 2 yr. warranty from Wal-Mart with the TV. I believe they would be more concerned & helpful. Everyone should keep raising their concerns.We also contacted the FTC speak up & make Thomson/RCA stand up to their name or put them out of business!

My boyfriend Tom purchased a 52" HD RCA tv about 2 yrs ago and it has been giving him problems ever since the warranty has ran out. How convenient huh? The tv ALWAYS turns on and off by itself and shows the "menu" screen constantly. We find ourselves messing with me "CLEAR" button more than enjoying our show. I know that he spent almost $2, 000 for this tv and I refuse for allow him to sink into this hole of expense to fix it when he has only had it that long. Something has to be done. I am sending this for 2 reasons...#1 Come and fix this TV WITHOUT charge! and #2 If you are some one in search of a tv set ...if these RCA men do not accept my offer, you will be hearing from me again! Rose from Ohio

I read your complaint on the troubles you had with your RCA 32" tv...were you ever successful in getting it repaired. We bought the same model and just over a year later it quit working. Do you know if there was a recall on that model? Thank you for you reply...Terry Kuhn

I bought a 50 inch hd, dlp tv Model no.hd50lpw42 from RCA dealer .Now 2yrs later and 2 bulbs $745.00 Ea.First one under warranty.Second one refused the warranty by RCA.Now the Didital board is gone and colour wheel needs replacing .I bought a 5 year full coverage warranty from RCA 2years ago that isn't worth the paper it's written on.It's an expensive lesson learned.TV cost $3000.00 .Woudn't buy another RCA product if life depended on it.Cheap, inconsiderate, and plain crooks.Should be made to at least live up to warranty commitments.

It was a cool december morning, in 2005. I finally decided to make the leap, not marriage...but to be apart of the HD nation. I went out to my local electronics store (name will be spared so they dont sue me) to purchase the most recommended tv available. I bought a 50 inch HD DLP (HD50LPW175). The brand was RCA. If I knew this website exsisted, we would not be reading this blog, commment or whaterever you want to call this. Now just my luck, the P.O.S. goes out. I assumed it was the bulb but I was advised that if the bulb goes out there would be no picture. I had picture and the tech only said it is somethign worse. The advised me I needed to Photo light Generator. Long story short since I did not buy the extended warranty plan, I am screwed. The part I need, does not exsist. I get the run around from RCA and they tell me there is no ETA on when the part is available. They tell me it could take up to a year to get the part. The retailer is no help, come to find out they do not even carry that brand anyway. Now I am stuck with a TV that doesnt work and cannot fix. Well I was also advised by another repair shop that RCA tvs are the most expensive to repair. And today a repair shop advised me I can wait 2 months until black friday and buy another tv... DONT BUY RCA... AND ALWAYS GET WARRANTY FOR AS LONG AS THEY CAN GIVE YOU... well I have to go now.. I have to get my old tv from college that still works great. The Irony of that is, it is RCA as well. Guess that will go soon too.

I bought a RCA television with the same results as others in January, 2008. TV turns itself on and off at all different times.
Thomson/RCA calling center representatives only give you a run around. I sent a certified letter with a money order for their
"warranty fee" to a P. O . Box address in Marietta GA. Guess what? There was no one there to sign for it. I called today, and they told me YES, there is a person there. The last info I sent there they told me they did not receive.
I sent the TV back to an address in Texas. Don't know where this mess is going, but I will not give up. The Federal Trade Commission will be my next stop. This is a scam!
DO NOT BUY RCA, unless you want to be ripped off BIG TIME.
No wonder there stock is falling. Crappy Company, crappy products. I will NEVER buy any RCA product again.

Yes, I'm a RCA/Thompson victim as well, Been months working with the so called warranty people. I also returned my set to a El paso TX. address and was told once their, I would get a replacement unit.
Now today I called to get a update, and was told I have to pay labor and cost of shipping to get my TV back... THIS IS NUTS ! I could have bought a new one by now. Its under warranty. It did last a few months before it went belly up. I agree. DONT BUY RCA Products. They don't stand behind their warranty. I filed a Complaint with the BBB. Found out there are a lot of unhappy people out there. I just wished I would have checked them out before I bought this TV.

I bought a 42" RCA DLP in March 2006, for $1400, the lamp lasted 19 months ad had to be replaces at $179: wow over 10% cost of the TV. That was Nov 2007, yesterday, the lamp went ot again. Another $179 down the drain! I went through thesame ordeal with Thompson/RCA, basically, "you're out of luck!" This is kinda like a sed car you just keep money into. i guess I'll stop the bleeding and get a LCD; but never a RCA product again. Bad product and worse service plans!

I bought a RCA 42" tv for $900 on july11/08 and on july18/09 one year and seven days it stoppped working I then took it to an authorized service center and was told it would cost $2000 to replace the lcd panel I will never buy another RCA product or anything the TTE corporation makes

In october 2008 I purchased an RCA L32HD32D LCD w/ DVD player. By March my TV started the same on/off activity as the rest of the RCA complaints but didnt quit compleatly until June. On July 3 209 I delivered it to a RCA recomended repair center with nothig but months of the part has been ordered. Calling RCA direct only got me a case number and the promis of a return shipping document which still has not come. Wal-Mart where I purchased the Tv will not help, the service center says they are getting no help from RCA and it seem like my only recourse is to rely on the extended warrenty coverage from my AMEX card. DO NOT BUY RCA!

You can mostly blame our government (FTC)? for the fix were in now. Back in the late 70's and into the 80's they looked the way when the Japanese and other places were 'Dumping TV's" and other electronics, (selling them at or below cost), to try to capture the market . The Japanese government in turn would subsidize the manufacture. They were caught red handed but, by the time the US courts had ruled it was too late. A lot of my family and friends had worked at the Zenith plant in Springfield Mo and was a decent place to work and had good quality until cost saving measures drove them down. These guys had come up with digital TV and flat screens you could hang on the wall quite a while back.. LG (Goldstar) ended up with the technology US engineers came up with. Most of the overseas electronic manufactures now have the big US names but everything else is gone. Talk about giving away our resources

I am a television service technician for...years now, and remember when RCA meant something. Now they are just a pain in the butt. Dlp's are mostly not repairable due to no parts. There is no more tech support, no factory parts to speak of unless you own a bank, but the sad part is these were sold so heavily in our area they account for at least 60% of my tv repairs. With the sellout, now wasting time om these beasts is the norm, other than the exception. Weird problems, nonexistant and expensive parts put yet another nail in small business's coffin.

This is SSOOOOO true. I bought a 42"" HDTV last year. In less than 1 year (during the regular warranty period), the TV started developing a problem where the picture would go out, and only the sound was on. I had to call RCA multiple times (waiting on hold forever each time), and FINALLY they told me to take it to a repair shop. The technician said it was too expensive to fix, so RCA should just send me a new TV. I called RCA back, again after multiple calls, spanning over 6 weeks, they told me they were shipping me a NEW TV to replace mine (which was in perfect condition, aside from the technical issue). However, they sent me a "remanufactured" piece of garbage that was in far worse shape, with nicks all around the edges of the refurbished screen. After multiple calls, where "technical support", and "customer service" point their fingers at one another in an attempt to avoid ownership, I still can't get someone to take ownership and replace the TV as originally promised. It would be very unwise for anyone to invest in any RCA product. If anybody has a more helpful contact for RCA/TTE Technology, please post it here.

rca television is the worst peice of junk that that is on the consumer market withen the last 20years.people of this good planet earth, please do not buy anything with the logo RCA, this company will screw you thight until your a$% cant fart any wind any more.this company is very cruel, and selfish towards consumers who work very hard for him or her money and get rip off by this company.these rca people are all conist, selfish, a think i am wiser than the consumer we sell our product to, and sh#@ STICK.PEOPLE OF THIS PLANET DONT BUY ANYTHING THAT HAVE THE RCA LOGO, YOU WILL BE SCREWED.THANK YOU TO ALL WHO READ THIS AND GET WISE UP.

I totally agree that RCA has the worst customer service I have ever seen. I did not do my research before buying the TV...it is a 40" RCA LCD FLAT PANEL. The TV worked fine in the beginning and after just 4 months started shutting off for no reason. I was told that it was having power surges...and that it must be my electrical in my house. I had maintenance checked out the place and there is no issue. I sent a emal to RCA...it took 7 days before they responsed to my email stating I needed to call a different number. I called that number and was told that they did not have any documentation in the system from my email and took all information again. The man put it in and then stated that I needed to fax them the receipt to show warranty of the unit. I did on a Monday and was told someone would call me in 3 business days to set up a house call to fix my unit. HA HA...it was over a week and no response. I called again the man was very rude on the phone and by then I had enough. I gave it right back to him. It stated he could not understand why I had not been called earlier and that I probably was not home when they did...excuse me that is what a answering machine is for. It stated that I could not take the unit to a shop and have the charges put to them...RCA would go out of business if they did that...what BULL...Still 7 days after I spoke with the guy still no response from the repair people who is handled by American Systems...it is all a run around. DO NOT BUY RCA TV"S THEY ARE CRAP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I am going to check with my credit card company to see if they can help me in anyway. It has been a month now trying to get it fixed and I have a TV that is not worth a dime.

I bought a Rca scenuim 61 " DLP tv 2007 feb. 2 lamps went out and now the color wheel is out RCA dont make lamps or color wheels anymore also remotes, and who knows what other parts are absolete? 2200 dollars i paid for this DLP hdtv junk. Found color wheel aftermarket, 300 bucks will be 550 dollars to fix. Cant get no response or email to RCA...man did i get ripped off! I thought id get at least 5 to 7 years on this expensive piece of crap! Now im hurting because of economy, , and RCA made a ton of money by ripping off unsuspecting customers. NEVER NEVER AGAIN RCA! any help be appreciated like a class action suit! Lets band together get one going. I will never Stop trying to organize against RCA! They are crooks, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , lets organize, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Email Jchammerman@ aol.com!

Read all the comments on this site about the RCA TV. I am going to research the one suggestion about contacting the Attorney General. I to bought a RCA (58") TV. It starting going bad on me and when I tried to contact the company on the warranty (Thompson) I could did get anyone to answer the telephone. Then I got a letter that said Thompson would no longer cover their warranty. I got a repair person to look at my TV and they said that the lead wires were installed improperly, which caused the transmitters or something to burn up. Cost was about $500 to fix. I was sold a new TV that was not new. This was downright fraud.

Watch out about RCA, they will probably change their name soon and try to do business under a new name.