Sony review: defective product 74

Hello StaceyD,
I have a problem in the same time frame. I purchased a kdl-40s4100 on November 28, 2008. It's picture stopped working on January 8, 2010 after 13-1/2 months. I was told the warranty was up by 6 weeks.
I asked if they ever made exceptions for thier customers since it was so close to the warranty period. Thier response was, " the warranty is up".
I'm 52 years old and have bought many products in the past from Sony, including 2 trinatrons. It seems as though Sony has no value for thier loyal customers. Nobody should have to pay nearly $1, 000.00 for a tv that functions for under 14 months.
REMEMBER: A satified customer will tell 10 people, a dissatified customer will tell a hundred.
It's heartbreaking and is not fair in certain situations, I'm sorry for your unreasonable lose.

Same problem here. Will go to attorney general and BBB. I will submit your blogs as well.
Time tv purchased was 12-29, 2008 - stopped working January 21, 2010. Something funny going here. By the way, was your tv standby light flashing twice repeatedly after the picture shuts down? Mine is.

Ditto. After researching the problem on the internet, sounded like it was either the A board or G board, so I replaced them both (albeit with used parts), and the problem persisted. Not sure what to do next, guess I'll keep researching.

Similar problem here. I bought my Sony Bravia flat screen television (model KDL40S4100) on 1/25/09. Three weeks ago it stopped receiving a signal (the no signal message showed on the screen.) Upon calling the service center and going through the Sony diagnostic protocol, which didn't fix the problem, I was told that it was "probably the tuner" and that my television was no longer under warranty, so I would have to pay all the costs of repair. I rarely watch television, so this television has been turned on maybe 60 times since I bought it. I'm completely disgusted.

I purchased a 46 inch Sony Bravia KDL46Z4100, in January, 2009, from Sears on sale for $1, 800.00 form $2, 500.00.

It just crapped out two days ago, June 6, 2010. THAT'S SEVENTEEN FRIGGING MONTHS.

My last set, a Toshiba, which cost about $800.00 in 1992, lasted until I bought the damn Bravia. That's SEVENTEEN YEARS.

I realize that the Toshiba was a regular TV, and not a flat screen, and I know that flat screens don't last nearly as long, but SEVENTEEN MONTHS is ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS.

I will NEVER purchase anything from Sony again. I am disgusted by this company.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION: I had this similar problem and I was able to fix it. I just unplugged the tv from the back and left it off for about 5 minutes. I then plugged it back in and turned it on. I saw a message that the time had been reset for a power outtage. After that I tuned to my HDMI and turned on the HDTV cable box and the cable came back on. I then downloaded the new firmware for my tv too.

I hope this helps someone. I thought I was going to freak out. My previous Sony TV lasted 14 years so i was going to be furious if this one died after 16 months.

My first Sony I purchased in 1985 and it lasted 22yrs. I purchased a Sony Bravia KLV 40U100M in 07'. 8mos after purchasing it the lcd board and another board went bad. They were replaced with used parts. 1yr after that the main board went bad. I was told it will cost 450 to replace it. The 1 HDMI port works so I can hook the cable box to it and use it.

Avoid purchasing anything by Sony: Product id poor and service is worse!

We bought our set in 2008 and in May it crapped out with these funny bars appearing on the left side of the screen. Was told by Sony that the TV would be scrapped after they sent a repairmen out to evaluate it. Luckily we bought the extended warranty and they sent us a check, but it took a MONTH before they finally got around to doing it. Pissed off at the service of Sony. I won't buy another Sony product including the PS3 that I wanted. I have since replaced the TCON board and it was not the issue. Going to try to figure this out.

Exact the same thing happened to my Sony BRAVIA KDL-40S4100 TV three days ago. I bought it in Dec, 2008. Trusted the brand and didn't see any reason to buy extended warranty. Today the TV repair man told me that the TV is not even repairable. I am so disappointed and for sure my next TV won't be a SONY, and for sure this model had to be re-called.

May 23, 2009 I purchased two Sony KDL-40S4100 42inch screens. The first one just completely quit working about 3 months after installed the green on light was the only thin that worked. This tv was covered by warranty the second tv is now past warranty (16 months) and has developed the same problem. This looks like poor quality work on someones part. I paid $868 for each tv and depending on the cost of the repairs will determine if I repair it. Maybe it is time to get the states Attorney General to check Sonys operation out. Will I buy another Sony I don"t think so they are not going to get a chance to kick me twice. Pappy

KDL40S4100
Purchased 10/27/2008
Left side of the screen is all color bars.
Sony told me to take it to a repair shop. The repair guy is quite far away and said it could cost a little or could cost a lot.
I did not buy an extended warranty due to the name brand.
This TV was purchased at Walmart.
Do they sell defective TV's at Walmart?
I have other TV's that are about 10 years old and they work fine.

I can't believe that a $900.00 Tv did not even last for two years. This happened in September 2010
No more Sony products for me.

Well I got the BAD news today on the cost of repairing my 16 month old Sony Bravia KDL-40S4100 over $700 dallors I only Paid $868. Whats wrong with this picture? Buyers beware. No I will not repair it I am going to be a pain to Sonys custiomer service department.

Bought a kdl40s4100 2 years ago for around $900. Now the tv works for 10 minutes and while the audio continues, the video goes into what looks like a screensaver which alternates between solid green, red, blue, and horizontal bar screens. Out of warranty and won't be buying another sony.

I bought the Sony KDL-46S4100 in Dec of 08. About 3 months ago the picture or the right side started to slowly double. If I left the tv on for about 10 mins it would fix itself. Over time the wait for it to fix itself got longer and longer. Now the picture is always doubled and jumpy on the right side and I also have 3 horizontal lines that go through the picture. The warranty is up and Sony will do nothing about the issue. The closest Sony repair place is over 100 miles away. Looks like I will be buying another TV and will NEVER buy Sony again!

Much like many previous complaints, it seems that Sony has perfected planned obsolescence... My KDL 40S41000 is failing, and is out of warranty. This Sony product was purchased in August of 2008, and FAILED August 2010. Beyond Belief that a Strong Brand like Sony will not honor defective merchandise. I would not recommend any Sony Product based upon this poor consumer policy.

Bought my Sony Bravia KDL-40S4100 Sept 12.2010. Worked fine until two weeks ago when half of the screen either blacked out or developed multi-colored vertical lines. Called Sony Customer Service. They said the TV was 2 months out of warranty. They gave me a local repair company's number and told me to call them and have them diagnose problem. This cost me $75. The repairman diagnosed the problem as a bad LCD panel with a cost of over $1700 to replace it. Don't forget that this is the repair company that Sony told me to call. After nearly two weeks of complaining to Sony, there final offer was either a discounted TV for $450 or $900 toward repair cost. I paid $880 for the TV last year. I explained to Sont that I was not satisfied. Customer Relations told me that the two options was their final offer and that if I did not take them up they would note in my case file that I was dissatisfied and would close it out. After seeing the many similiar, if not identical, complaints for my model TV, I feel this is not an isolated problem and that Sony manufactured a faulty TV. I also find it odd that if you go to Sony's website, you will see several other Bravia models, not to include mine, that they have extended their warranties to OCt 12, 2012, for bad LCD panels. DO NOT BUY SONY!

Bought SONY kdl40s4100 from SEARS, Puerto Rico.
Unit is showing a block of vertical lines displayed at the left side of the LCD panel.
These lines are multi-color or mixed-solid colors, covering almost 40% of the picture area. This appears to be a common defect in these units.
My unit is just 18 months old… Definitively, this is the LAST Sony product in my house.
SONY Corporation is aware about this defective product.
ADIOS hasta la vista SONY!.

I have the same problem The "A" Board went bad after just two years of service. Sony won't replace the TV and is offering a small amount toward the $650 repair, even though I bought it direct from them. The equipment came with a one-year warranty that is expired. The TV cost $1000 new so this offer is inadequate. I would recommend not purchasing a Sony based on my experience. It is clearly unreliable.

I have the same problem with vertical blue lines. Call suppport, no help at all. Asked if they were aware of the problem and the tech said he did not have any information on this.
Sony has a problem and are not owning up to it. Bye bye Sony...

Watsupdoc

I purchased a Sony Bravia model number KDL-40S3000 in February of 2008. This past October of 2010, I turn on the TV and the TV switched off and I got the flashing red "Standby" signal. I called the vendor that I purchased the tv from and was told that because my warranty was up there is nothing that they can do. So, I called Sony explained the situation and was given the names and phone numbers of 2 authorized Sony repair vendors.
I called the closest tv repair vendor to where I lived. They said they charge $95.00 just to come out to examine and diagnois what is wrong with the tv. I said yes, because I spent close to $2, 000 for the set including a 1 year warranty! I would have never paid that much for a product that has lasted 2 years and 8 months!
The repair guy order a part that he thought would solve the problem, it did not. When the repair guy put the new part in the TV the same thing happened-- the TV switched on then switched itself off. The repair guy said that the TV was defective and that he would call Sony to let them know, just be sure he said, that I had my receipt.
I called Sony the very next day and they gave me the company line about not purchasing an extended warranty! If I would have imagined that this would happen after 2 years and 8 months, I would not have brought the TV let alone an extended warranty.
Sony has not gotten back to me as of, yet. I do not expect them to do much if anything. After reading similar situations as mind on this website, I would never buy Sony, again.

I purchased a SONY KDL-46S4100 in January 2009. After barely 2 years this TV lost it's A Board (according to a service man) Cost to repair is $799. This TV is a low hour set located in the Master BR in my seasonal home. I am so upset. Sony will do nothing as it is past warantee. (Does this sound familiar?) There has to be a flaw in this TV for so many to have similar problems. This was not the high end TV but it was not cheap. NEVER SONY, EVER AGAIN! & I have 2 big screen Sony LCD's. A loyal customer ~ no more! If anybody has found a recourse I would like to hear it.

I am having the same issue with the Sony Bravia KDL-40S4011, luckly we are still under warranty thru Target and a technician will come to the house to check this product. I will let everyone know later in the future if the problem can be fixed.

NEW JERSEY

After reading all the reviews, even with the extended warranty and do not feel confident about this issue being resolved. I am pretty sure I will never by SONY again...I recommend Magnavox and Panasonic they are pretty good.

I bought a Sony Bravia 40-inch HDTV (sorry, no model number at the moment) at Nebraska Furniture Mart last year Feb/2011. Got a good price on it, too, and now I know why. Thankfully I bought an extended warranty at the salesman's insistence because "LCD TVs are notorious for bulbs burning out after a couple years". Well, it took a little less than 14 months, and just yesterday it developed a line across the middle of the screen. The lower half of the screen is blurred (like analog quality) and colors bleed. At times there are lines, too. Reading 150+ pages of Consumer Affairs complaints and now this website don't make me feel really good about what I'm going to face here as I get ready to contact the warranty people. Will I buy another Sony? Nope. Read some good things about Samsung, maybe a Vizio is in my future? Sony, what are you doing to your reputation?!

By the way we had our issue resolved with the Sony Bravia. How you ask? Well we had an extended warranty and there was no way to fix the issue and we received a brand new tv, that since to be the only solution. Do not buy Sony and make sure to extend your warranty for as long as you can, I stronly recommended.

I am not going to put my name here but I got my settlement I too have a kdl 40s 4100 that is a year and 2 months out of warranty and the same bars came on the left side of the TV. They too gave me offers to buy a discounted TV since mine was out of warranty and both times i said NO DEAL, unacceptable. I have hammered Sony in their Customer Relations group where they are just going to up and send me a refurbished new 40" Bravia. NO cost. It pays to be persistent and insist that there is NO Remedy unless the unit is replaced or repaired. Nothing else is acceptable. Feel free to contact me and i Will share my story and how I approached it.

To Gadgetguy39~ I would be interested to know just how you were able to get them to listen to you. They just told me sorry, nothing we can do for you. My TV was barely 2 years old & might have had 100 hours of run time, as it is in the master bedroom of my seasonal home. They should not be allowed to stiff the consumer & turn up their nose all the way to the bank. Any help will be appreciated. Wow! There could be hope for this issue.
DGTMT

Gadgetguy please contact me as well my tv did the same issue and a repair said it might be the panel. Please o please help

Hello Singlemom3,
My name is Evelyn from the Sonylistens team. I apologize for the issues you are having with your set. Sony would be glad to assist you with this. Please e-mail us at Sonylistens@am.sony.com and include the information in your post and your contact information. We look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,

Evelyn Perez
SonyListens Team

To SONY Listens team:/ Evelyn Perez,
I have sent you a copy of my complaint listed from a previous date on this site. I am sure that all of the Sony TV owners with similar issues with thier TV's will be so apprecaitive if you & SONY will assist with a satisfactory resolution for the many of us with similar problems with your TV's.
Sincerely, DGTMT

OK~ An update on Sony Listen contact results, today. I sent my complaint /concern to the e mail listed by Evelyn Perez earlier today. I receved a very fast e mail response with an event ID number & a phone number to call for assistance. Well~ after about 35-40 minutes on the telephone with 2 very courteous customer service reps, I am not much further ahead than before my contact & call. They offered $200 towards my $799 repair bill or offered to sell me a similar TV to my defective unit for $640. I paid about $1500 for my TV, I think. That TV retails for $900 but available for $750 - $800 from several retail providers. I have not accepted either of the offers as I do not feel they are worth getting excited over. Not happy about my call experience so will continue to wait & see. Maybe enough complaints will trigger a recall? Wishful thinking, I think.

I had the same problem with the standby light blinking twice. Paper weight. I will never buy a Sony product ever again. I spend a lot of money on electronic equipment too. At least I used to. My children will never buy Sony either. Ever. I spent $1300 on this Sony Bravia 40 inch. Disappointing.

Hello Idwind,
My name is Evelyn from Sony electronics the SonyListens team. I'm sorry to hear about the problems you are having with your TV. Please contact us at Sonylistens@am.sony.com and include a brief description of your TV, the problem, and your contact info. We look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,

Evelyn Perez
SonyListens Team

My Bravia stopped working in less than 2 years and was advised that it'd cost $800 for the repairs. I spoke to Sony and tried to work out a deal that made business sense to both of us. They offered to cover for $370 of the total cost, meaning that I'd have to pay over $400 for the repairs. That makes no sense to me. I'd rather use that money to buy a new product. Sony's position is that this is the "best" it can do considering that my warranty had expired. My point to Sony (and to everyone here) is that this is NOT a warranty issue. I've researched the same KDL 40S4100 model and found there has been many, many complaints for the product after less than 2 years of usage. THIS IS A PRODUCT DEFECT ISSUE, outside of the scope of the warranty. I'm considering repairing the TV (which is what Sony wants me to do) and bringing a case to a small claims court for Sony to pay for the full cost of repairs.

Another thing, I doubt Sony will recall the product. I've been on the phone with 5 "cusomer relations" representatives and they insist that the product is good (based, partly, on reports they get from Sony authorized techs). I told her, who pays $800 (or even $400 in my case) to repair a TV? If there were to be a lawsuit for this, I'm sure we can get many records of all the calls Sony had received for complaints on this specific product. And I suggest that when you call you specifically ask that your complaint be of "record" (whether your problem is resolved or not). I think the best we can do is to bring our small claims in court for them to cover the full cost of repairs because the product is simply defective. There are so many online posts to support this.

Hello SJ76,
I apologize for all the problems you have had. Please give us an opportunity to help you with this matter. My name is Evelyn from Sony electronics the SonyListens team. E-mail us at SonyListens@am.sony.com with your event # if you have one and your contact information. Include a brief recap of your previous posting.
Best Regards,
Evelyn Perez
SonyListens Team

To SonyListens/Evelyn Perez: I don't know if this is an automated reply to complaints posted on this site. In any event, based on what I've read from previous posters, you're going to provide me with your customer relations number, which is [protected]. As I've stated before, I have talked to 5 representatives already (and I can name them). You already have my contact information and complaint on record (E50175583).

To SJ76~
The reason that Evelyn Perez revisited this complaint site today may be because I sent another e mail to Sony Listens with a link to this site. I have, like you & many others, contacted Sony numerous times concerning my SONY Bravia defective TV. My results have been the same as all the rest. "Sorry TV is out of warantee." But they offered me $200 towards a $799 quoted repair cost or I could purchase a similar TV to my dead one for $640 instead of the $750- $900 that it sells for from other sellers. My 46" TV cost about $1500 2 years ago.
I really do not have a magic answer (or any answer at all) as to what to do next. FRUSTRATED is the situation that I find myself in. So~~ I bought an 8 year old TV at an Estate sale & put my 2 year old, dead SONY in the store room for the time being. Can not afford either of the options that SONY offered to me, at this time. Good Luck with your quest!

I just got off the phone with a Sony representative. I still have the same, non-functioning tv, but now I'm even more disappointed because they told me to take it to a technician and pay to have a diagnosis on it. I already know what the problem is and the amount it takes to fix it is hundreds of dollars, with no guarantee that it will solve the problem. For the rest of my long life I will buy all of my electronics from their number one competitor.