Today I decided to get in contact with Samsung customer service via twitter. I asked them to look over my case and tell me what steps I should take next. Within an hour, a customer relations executive gave me a call and we began the process of replacing the television. I simply emailed her my original receipt for the television, as well as, the order notes from the Geek Squad. She said that I should be able to exchange the television for another one at Best Buy within 5-7 days. Samsung even has a handy feature that sends you SMS updates as your case progresses.
I was so impressed with the whole process that I nominated @Samsungservice for a Mashable Award in the Best Social Media Customer Service category. Thanks Jess.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Another Failed Power Supply?
My wife and I have been traveling for the last couple of weeks so we haven't had a chance to get anyone in to fix the rattling audio noise yet. However, last night the same buzzing noise as the other times came back as loud as ever. I suspect this may mean yet another power supply replacement. If that is the case, it will be at least the 4th power supply this television has seen in the last 2 months.
So, at the moment, we have a new buzzing noise coming from the power supply coils and a loud audio-related rattle that appeared after our last repair session.
Even though I am frustrated with the television, everyone I have dealt with so far has been really nice and helpful, but the problem just doesn't seem to go away.
So, at the moment, we have a new buzzing noise coming from the power supply coils and a loud audio-related rattle that appeared after our last repair session.
Even though I am frustrated with the television, everyone I have dealt with so far has been really nice and helpful, but the problem just doesn't seem to go away.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Audio-Related Rattle
Over the past week or so the audio-related rattling noise has gotten a bit worse. I'm not totally sure why it is happening, but the back of the set has been taken off and on several times by repair people. That seems like the simplest explanation, but I am no expert. Maybe it could be a loose screw or something. I hope there is nothing wrong with the speaker.
I have an episode of 30 Rock recorded on DVR that rattles horribly. I'll call Geek Squad back again to take a look at it now that I can successfully recreate the problem.
I have an episode of 30 Rock recorded on DVR that rattles horribly. I'll call Geek Squad back again to take a look at it now that I can successfully recreate the problem.
Still Seeing How It Goes
Yesterday morning I got another phone call for an appointment that I wasn’t aware I had. This time it was one of the repair guys that had visited on the 22nd. He was asking about the new rattling noise I had mentioned to the repair guy over the phone on the 3rd. I told him that the new power supply seemed to be have fixed the initial 2 issues I was having with the set. The buzz related to the power supply was gone and the picture stopped randomly turning bright orange. He said that there was an issue with the second power supply they tried and that was causing the orange screen malfunctions.
I did tell him that this new audio-related rattling noise had arose after the last repair. He said it could be due to how thin the televisions are made. He also said it could have something to do with how speakers are made these days and that these televisions are really made to have surround sound systems attached to them. I agreed to see how it goes a little longer and to call him if the rattling gets worse or if I am able to recreate the sound to show them exactly what is happening. I would like to have this new rattling noise fixed if possible.
After our conversation, he closed the ticket for now and sent me a receipt for the latest round of service. He also included a recap of my initial interaction with them a month ago, as well as, the very latest round or repairs.
I did tell him that this new audio-related rattling noise had arose after the last repair. He said it could be due to how thin the televisions are made. He also said it could have something to do with how speakers are made these days and that these televisions are really made to have surround sound systems attached to them. I agreed to see how it goes a little longer and to call him if the rattling gets worse or if I am able to recreate the sound to show them exactly what is happening. I would like to have this new rattling noise fixed if possible.
After our conversation, he closed the ticket for now and sent me a receipt for the latest round of service. He also included a recap of my initial interaction with them a month ago, as well as, the very latest round or repairs.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Slight Miscommunication / New Rattling Noise
I got a call this morning from yet another Geek Squad repair guy asking if I was available for an appointment today. I was completely unaware that an appointment had even been scheduled. The last I heard, the guys that were here on the 26th had left a ticket open and told me to just "see how it goes" with the parts they put in there.
It appears that they had gone ahead and ordered the replacement panel for my television and created an appointment for someone to come out and replace it. I made sure the latest repair guy was aware of the entire situation and told him that the new power board from last time seemed to be working OK so far.
The only issue I am having now is a brand new rattling noise. This one is clearly audio-based and sounds like a loose bolt or something in the speaker. It appears to only happen when certain frequencies come from the speakers. I had planned to call the last repair guy as soon as I could consistently recreate the noise to show him. I did tell the new repair guy that I would like someone to take a look at this new rattle, but was unable to leave work today on such short notice. He said he would email Brian (the last repair guy) and make sure he is aware of the situation.
It appears that they had gone ahead and ordered the replacement panel for my television and created an appointment for someone to come out and replace it. I made sure the latest repair guy was aware of the entire situation and told him that the new power board from last time seemed to be working OK so far.
The only issue I am having now is a brand new rattling noise. This one is clearly audio-based and sounds like a loose bolt or something in the speaker. It appears to only happen when certain frequencies come from the speakers. I had planned to call the last repair guy as soon as I could consistently recreate the noise to show him. I did tell the new repair guy that I would like someone to take a look at this new rattle, but was unable to leave work today on such short notice. He said he would email Brian (the last repair guy) and make sure he is aware of the situation.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Strange Turn of Events
As scheduled, the Geek Squad guys made another trip to our house to work on the television. This time two guys came, neither of whom were there for the first visit. My wife turned on the television and before too long the picture froze and turned to bright orange streaks. Both guys were left scratching their heads as to why or how a replaced power supply could effect the screen in such a way. They thought the issue had to be in the display and not the power supply.
This didn’t make a ton of sense to me since the issue with the screen began within seconds of replacing the power supply in the last visit. Also, replacing the display would mean that the TV would then be made of at least 50% replacement parts, and that just didn’t seem right for a set that is only 8 months old.
Luckily , the guys had just come from another house where they worked on a television identical to mine. Coincidentally, that television also had the exact same buzzing issues with the power supply and needed a replacement board as well. They had put a brand new power supply in the other television only to have the buzzing start back up and having to take it back out. However, by plugging in the new buzzing power supply from the other TV into mine, we could determine if the problem really was in my power supply or in my display. In other words, if we plugged in this other power supply and the display didn’t act up, then we know the problem is in the power supply and not the display.
So the repair guy plugged it in and everything seemed fine with the screen. The strange thing is that this power supply did not buzz once it was plugged into my television like it did in the other one. That being the case, the guys assured me that it was a new part and recommended that we leave it in there for the time being. They said they would leave the ticket open for now and I should report back to them and see how it goes.
In the end, the repair guy also gave me his direct number so I could just call him if something goes wrong and they said they would email me some sort of ticket for the work done. To be honest, I’m a little skeptical of the whole situation, but still hoping for the best.
This didn’t make a ton of sense to me since the issue with the screen began within seconds of replacing the power supply in the last visit. Also, replacing the display would mean that the TV would then be made of at least 50% replacement parts, and that just didn’t seem right for a set that is only 8 months old.
Luckily , the guys had just come from another house where they worked on a television identical to mine. Coincidentally, that television also had the exact same buzzing issues with the power supply and needed a replacement board as well. They had put a brand new power supply in the other television only to have the buzzing start back up and having to take it back out. However, by plugging in the new buzzing power supply from the other TV into mine, we could determine if the problem really was in my power supply or in my display. In other words, if we plugged in this other power supply and the display didn’t act up, then we know the problem is in the power supply and not the display.
So the repair guy plugged it in and everything seemed fine with the screen. The strange thing is that this power supply did not buzz once it was plugged into my television like it did in the other one. That being the case, the guys assured me that it was a new part and recommended that we leave it in there for the time being. They said they would leave the ticket open for now and I should report back to them and see how it goes.
In the end, the repair guy also gave me his direct number so I could just call him if something goes wrong and they said they would email me some sort of ticket for the work done. To be honest, I’m a little skeptical of the whole situation, but still hoping for the best.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Good News / Bad News
Early Wednesday morning I received a call from the Geek Squad repairman that was coming later that day to work on the television. He was even nice enough to agree to call me 15 minutes before heading to my house to give me enough time to drive home from work to meet him. He mentioned that he had dealt with the same problem on the same television the day before and had called Samsung to ask about the issue. He said that Samsung was aware of the problem and that it was almost certainly an issue with the power supply board. He said that often the buzzing issue will return after the power supply is replaced because a lot of the replacement boards have the same issue as the one that shipped in the TV, but you just have to keep replacing the part until you finally get one that does not buzz. Once you find a good one, the problem should be solved.
I met him at my house around 2:00 and helped him take the set off the wall. He took the back off the television and replaced the power supply. I was amazed that there are only 3 main parts in the back of the set. It seemed pretty simple and luckily the buzzing issue went away. However, once the TV was mounted back onto the wall the picture began to freeze and streaks of bright yellow and orange would begin to appear on the screen. Neither of us knew quite what to make of it, but he figured that a connection in the power supply board wasn’t completely seated. We took it back down and he reseated the connections. He stuck around for 30 minutes to make sure this fixed the problem while wrote up a ticket for the job. After that, everything seemed fine and he took off. He was a great guy and genuinely interested in making sure the job was done right.
Unfortunately, the problem came back the next day. I’ve noticed that just after the television is turned on in the morning, there are some small popping noises as it warms up. Shortly thereafter, the picture freezes and turns to bright orange streaks. While this is happening there is also some slight audio distortion. Often, after about 5 minutes, the picture will return to normal for a while, but it usually happens throughout the day.
Hopefully there is simply an issue with the connections and the problem can be easily fixed. I’ll call the Geek Squad back today and see how it goes.
I met him at my house around 2:00 and helped him take the set off the wall. He took the back off the television and replaced the power supply. I was amazed that there are only 3 main parts in the back of the set. It seemed pretty simple and luckily the buzzing issue went away. However, once the TV was mounted back onto the wall the picture began to freeze and streaks of bright yellow and orange would begin to appear on the screen. Neither of us knew quite what to make of it, but he figured that a connection in the power supply board wasn’t completely seated. We took it back down and he reseated the connections. He stuck around for 30 minutes to make sure this fixed the problem while wrote up a ticket for the job. After that, everything seemed fine and he took off. He was a great guy and genuinely interested in making sure the job was done right.
Unfortunately, the problem came back the next day. I’ve noticed that just after the television is turned on in the morning, there are some small popping noises as it warms up. Shortly thereafter, the picture freezes and turns to bright orange streaks. While this is happening there is also some slight audio distortion. Often, after about 5 minutes, the picture will return to normal for a while, but it usually happens throughout the day.
Hopefully there is simply an issue with the connections and the problem can be easily fixed. I’ll call the Geek Squad back today and see how it goes.
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