That Buy Wasn't The Best

In 2010, my Christmas gift was a brand new 32" flat screen high-definition TV with a built in Blu-ray player. It replaced the TV I'd had since the early 1990s, so needless to say it was quite a step up and I loved everything about it. But then, early that February, it started losing power for no reason and the only way to turn it back on was to unplug it and plug it back in. Well, that was annoying. I called the manufacturer, explained the situation and the timeline and they told me no problem, take it back where I bought it and they'll give me a new one. Great. Can’t ask for more than that.

Off I went to the store with my TV disassembled and back in the box, where they told me I was out of the 30 day return policy period. They refused to exchange it. They would send it out for repairs, but said it might cost me $80. This was not news that made me happy. I had given my old TV away and while of course there are other things to do for entertainment in central New York in February, I have to say that TV watching is right up there. And they have completely misassessed the situation if they think I’m giving them money to repair a TV that’s two months into its one year warrantee period.

I asked what their normal 30 day return policy was. Did they take things back no questions asked? When they said yes I said great, sell me another TV exactly like mine and I'd return it when mine was fixed. They said that wouldn't work because mine could be gone for up to 5 weeks (more of me not happy) which would be past the 30 day return period.

I said I’d buy a new TV, return it in 28 days, then buy another model and return that when mine was ready. Eventually I wound up on a conference call with the TV manufacturer and the manager of the store and they did agree to let me buy (as in pay full price for) a second TV just like mine and they extended the return period until whenever mine was ready. Also, the repair would be free. OK, that seemed fair.
A few weeks later, I got the call that my TV was back and repaired. I brought back the replacement TV and it was like we were participating in some sort of hostage exchange. They went through everything in the box I was returning to make sure it was all there and undamaged. They also showed me what was in box they were returning to me. Some of my packaging and manuals were lost, but I let it go. Happily, they were good to their word and gave me a full refund for the replacement TV I had been using.

I got back home and unpacked everything to reassemble it. I took the TV remove out and it wasn't mine. When they showed it to me, it was still in the protective bubble wrap. I was making sure there was *a* remote, it never occurred to me I could get the wrong remote. This one had a big sticker from the store on the back of it. It looked like it had been in use for a long time. I immediately drove back to the store with TV remote in hand and after some tense moments they did eventually find mine.
Imagine my surprise when the very next day, my TV lost power for no reason. Oh no you di'int. So back my TV and I went. Surely NOW they'll give me a new one. Nope. I was informed their policy is they have up to four chances to fix something before it's declared a lemon. My TV was sent off for repairs again and, after calling my credit card company to make sure the credit for the return from earlier went through, I repurchased the other TV I had been using. It was now at a $50 discount as a used item. I confess I took some pleasure in knowing I cost them $50, but I had the hassle looming in front of me of again assembling and then taking apart the TV and stand and boxing it all up, just to swap it for another used TV of exactly the same make and model. WHY?!? I was annoyed, but didn't see another option. I felt a little better when they agreed, since the TV is sent away for repairs, to next time plug it in and check it out themselves to see if they agreed it was repaired prior to my coming in.

They called several weeks later to let me know my TV was ready for me. This time they replaced the motherboard. I went back to the store for the "hostage exchange". They seemed to trust me now. They hardly looked through the box of the TV I was returning. In fact, the sales clerk saw me come in and said "Oh hi, Barb" (but needed to see my ID anyway). I got my full refund again, and, ever wiser, I asked to SEE my remote before driving home. I also reconfirmed they plugged in my TV and looked at it. I was good to go! Took it home, plugged it in and...there was a long white bar at the bottom of the screen and bizarre backlighting issues. POP! That was the sound of my brain exploding.
So back I went to the store, pretty well PO'd, but determined to be polite. As I was explaining the latest situation to one of the managers, a member of the staff ran up to him and breathlessly exclaimed "I need to report a hard core electrical fire!" This, for the record, is the only moment that I found humor in what was happening as it was happening. Sure enough, just a minute later that unmistakable acrid odor wafted over. They had a problem. Here's something I found interesting - the manager decided to stay with me instead of investigating the matter. Sure, I was an annoyed customer, but sir, you might be ON FIRE! Go! Investigate! Instead, some other folks looked into it. It took them a while, but they found a light fixture that was the culprit.

Before they figured it out, the aforementioned sales clerk's shift ended and she nicely came over to me before leaving "I hope they can fix your TV this time." Me: "I hope your store doesn't burn to the ground."

Anyway, you see this coming – off it went for repairs again and I re-repurchased the backup TV. I considered buying a 3 ring binder while I was there for all the receipts and paperwork I was amassing. At least I got quicker and quicker each time with assembling the TV stand, attaching it to the TV, hooking up all the cabling, and taking it all apart and into the packaging and box again. It almost felt anticlimactic when they finally did fix it, but it’s nice to not have to carry a big heavy TV on road trips to the store and back anymore.
So many of my friends and family have TVs much, much bigger than mine, and sometimes I imagine leveling up, but after all we've been through I can't imagine parting with it while it's still actually working.