Akai Plasma TV (still under warranty), Trying to Get Refund

[CoBRaXT]

I bought an Akai 42" Plasma TV during last year's Fry's Black Friday sale (11/25/2005) and for the past few months, it has been starting to act up with weird red pixelation all over the screen.

I contacted Akai during the last week of May, and they gave me the number to a local service provider. I set up an appointment with them and they came out and looked at the TV, and ordered parts for it to be fixed. Three weeks later, I give the service guys a call and they said that Akai does not have the parts in and to call Akai for a refund.

So I do that. I speak with Akai on the phone after a long wait time and they set me up for another service company to come out and look at it. Same thing, they cannot fix the TV either and call for parts, which are no longer being made.

I then call Akai again demanding a refund because this has been taking way too long. I speak with a supervisor who says she will forward the info over to corporate and that I would expect a call within 24 hours. Fast forward 48 hours, I call in again and speak with a different supervisor, only to find out that the other supervisor did not forward the information correctly. I still have not heard anything regarding a refund.

What should I do? I checked Akai's rating with the BBB and in the past 36 months, they have had 17 complaints, with 13 of them being ignored (hence a rating of F).

I was thinking of just bringing back the TV to Fry's, armed with all of the evidence (I have work orders from the two service companies), and ask them nicely for a refund.

What do you guys think?

cliff notes:
Akai TV still under warranty.
Red pixels all over screen.
Two service companies cannot fix it.
Both call for parts.
Parts are no longer being made.
Akai customer service keeps sending me in circles.
This has taken over two months already.
What to do?

 

[lizardboy]

put your elbows on the table

 

[Sphexi]

Ask Fry's, perhaps they'll help you deal with it.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

Is it too late to reverse the CC charge?

 

[CoBRaXT]

Originally posted by: ThaGrandCow
Is it too late to reverse the CC charge?

I think with BofA, the time limit is 6 months right? If so, it would be too late...

 

[CoBRaXT]

Originally posted by: Sphexi
Ask Fry's, perhaps they'll help you deal with it.

If I don't hear back from Akai by tomorrow, I will have to do that.

Does anyone have experience with this sorta deal and speaking to Fry's about it?

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

In a nutshell you are screwed.

1. Akai is under no obligation to give you a refund. Their only obligation is to repair the unit under warranty. If the parts are not available, you just have to wait.

2. The suggestion from the repair shop to seek a refund from Akai was just that. A suggestion. And it was probably made because they don't want to mess with the repair or spend the next three months of their lives chasing down Akai for parts and they probably know that whatever they fix, something else will break. Not a good thing for you.

3. Frye's is under no obligation to grant you a refund either. If you are out of their exchange period you have nothing but the warranty. You might be able to get ugly and have someone give you a refund but I wouldn't hold my breath.

4. And this is the most painful one of all... You bought the cheapest plasma on earth. Any time you buy cheapest thing out there you assume the risk that... A) It's cheap because they cut corners everywhere, including QC and customer service and... B) Well, there is no B. When you buy the cheapest product in a pricy market you should expect this kind of thing.

 

[Lucky]

"If the parts are not available, you just have to wait. "

And since the parts are no longer made???

 

[CoBRaXT]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
In a nutshell you are screwed.

1. Akai is under no obligation to give you a refund. Their only obligation is to repair the unit under warranty. If the parts are not available, you just have to wait.

In the warranty I have, it says repair or replacement within 1 year. Since it cannot be repaired, it should be replaced. It seems as if they want to delay this as long as possible.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: CoBRaXT

Originally posted by: ThaGrandCow
Is it too late to reverse the CC charge?

I think with BofA, the time limit is 6 months right? If so, it would be too late...

try them anyway. this is why I try to use AMEX, the service is great.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: CoBRaXT

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
In a nutshell you are screwed.

1. Akai is under no obligation to give you a refund. Their only obligation is to repair the unit under warranty. If the parts are not available, you just have to wait.

In the warranty I have, it says repair or replacement within 1 year. Since it cannot be repaired, it should be replaced. It seems as if they want to delay this as long as possible.

Replacement is not a refund. Repair or replacement is at their discretion. And your wording is incorrect. What it says is that if the item proves to be defective in the first year of ownership they will (again, at their discretion) repair or replace the item at no charge. It does not say that they have until one year of purchase to do either. They can take their sweet time so long as they are not withholding available parts from your.

Hey I feel for ya. But I've been in retail for 15 years. And there is a world of difference between customer expectation and reality in matters like this.

The thing about buying the cheapest thing out there is that the only way AKAI can offer a product at the price they did when you bought it is to cut corners. LOTS of corners. This means cheap components, crappy QC, inadequate parts inventories and poor customer service among other things.

I wish you the best. But be prepared for a lot of frustration.

 

[Jmman]

Threaten to take them (Akai) to court. Send a letter to their agent for service demanding repair or replacement......

 

[RKS]

If you really can get nowhere you can always contact your state AG and/or file a claim in Small Claims Court.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: Jmman
Threaten to take them (Akai) to court. Send a letter to their agent for service demanding repair or replacement......

Ok... So first you have to decide how far you would actually take that action. Consider the costs.

Second, all AKAI has to say is that they are waiting for their parts supplier to come back into stock and that they are expecting to see those parts (insert fictitious date here).

Eventually the parts will come off backorder and the repair shop will be able to complete the warranty service. But it probably wont happen in the OP's desired time frame.

 

[Baked]

And that's why you buy your TV from Costco. Costco used to sell Akai, but I guess they pissed Costco off and got dropped.

 

[jpeyton]

The best case scenario is that you get your AKAI repaired or replaced, but you'll still have an AKAI plasma. Chances are you're going down this road again after the 1 year warranty expires.

 

[tfinch2]

That's what you get for buying an Akai plasma.

Sucks.

 

[vi edit]

Did I miss something or Akai no longer a Samsung rebadge?

All Akai products I've seen are the SAME EXACT THING as Samsung right down to the remote controls.

Last time I checked, Samsung isn't crap. Obviously the customer support is handled by the "Akai" group, but it's still Samsung components. By no means rubbish or the cheap knock off crap that you guys make it out to be.

 

[Jmman]

I have sent about three or four letters in that manner to different corporations and I have always received an immediate response. I had a rebate from Best Buy that was delayed and one little letter got my rebate not only paid within a week, they sent me an extra $150 gift card just for the hassle. If they know you are serious they will solve the issue quickly since court costs always amount to more than solving the original issue. Out of those four letters, I did not have to proceed any farther........

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: Baked
And that's why you buy your TV from Costco. Costco used to sell Akai, but I guess they pissed Costco off and got dropped.

Yup, COSTCO FTW!

 

[Pikachu]

Buy the same unit somewhere, preferably Fry Electronics, though I see they no longer sell it. Swap the panel containing the serial numbers. Return it for a refund. I could do that with a clear conscience, since Akai is the one who would eat it. That's only fair at this point.

 

[sygyzy]

They are going to string you along until the warranty runs out, which is only another 3.5 months.

 

[yowolabi]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
They are going to string you along until the warranty runs out, which is only another 3.5 months.

You're the second to say this. Since the problem occured long before the year was up, and he initially contacted them then, this doesn't seem to be a realistic strategy.

 

[Trikat]

Keep calling back and demand something to be done...
Such as replace the TV with the same or better model...
Or have then fix the damn thing.
Sounds like you haven't persued the issue aggressive enough as you stated this has taken over two month already.

 

[CoBRaXT]

Originally posted by: Trikat
Keep calling back and demand something to be done...
Such as replace the TV with the same or better model...
Or have then fix the damn thing.
Sounds like you haven't persued the issue aggressive enough as you stated this has taken over two month already.

As per my record, I have called Akai and spoken to a supervisor 6 times. The reason it has taken 2 months is because the first service company did not hear anything from Akai (basically ignored the service center's part order) for about a month. When I called Akai to ask about this, they claimed they had no idea what I was talking about.

edit: I was told i would be contacted by corporate (we'll see) in about 24 hours. If I don't hear from them, I'll contact my bank.