This is my experience with Sharp Electronics since April of 2002
after purchasing a 32" Television. The quick summary is that I purchased
a Sharp Electronics Television and just over a month later it started
having problems. After trying to get it repaired multiple times, Dozens
of support calls, lost holiday and vacation days, being given the
run around and a replacement I'm left with a television that has never
worked as promised. Below is a log of my experience thus far. When
this started I had some faith that Sharp would take care of me as
a customer and didn't record every little detail about every call
for support. I then realized that this was going to be an involved
and lengthy process and started keeping track of every call and corospondance.
Letter to Sharp
I purchased the 32R-S480 32" Television from Best Buy Electronics
in Manchester New Hampshire on March 9th, 2002. About a month after
purchasing this television I started to get discoloration on my screen.
After making sure nothing was near my TV that could cause this problem
I went on the Sharp homepage and looked up my closest service centers.
I picked the following service center:
ELECTRONIC REPAIR SPECIALISTS
155 N BROADWAY
SALEM, NH 03079
(603) 890-3636
I called them sometime in early April and asked that they come to
take a look at the problem. They stated that they needed me to fax
them a copy of my Sales Receipt. I did so the next day and then waited
for them to call and set an appointment. After a few weeks and no
response I called to set an appointment. I was told that they never
received my sales receipt and asked if I could send it again. I did
so and they setup an appointment for June 1st between 10am and 1pm.
The problem was intermittent and when the technician arrived the
picture was normal. He was at my residence for about one hour. Just
before he left he took the back of the TV off and made some sort of
adjustments in the rear of the TV. He then put the TV back together
and just before he left I noticed that the brightness setting was
too dark. I asked that he fix that before leaving. He then took the
TV apart again and made another adjustment. Just then the discoloration
returned and he then told me that sometimes magnetism from the North
and South poles could cause this type of problem. When I asked why
it never affects the TV I have in the bedroom he told me it was because
that was only a 19" TV and it usually only affects larger TVs.
He then told me that the picture tube needed to be replaced and would
have one ordered. He explained that the main office would call me
to schedule another appointment and left.
After he left I noticed that he had increased the brightness so
much that I had to set the brightness control to zero in order to
have a normal picture. I called the main office and was told that
they would fix it when they replaced the tube in about 2 to 3 weeks.
I got a call about a week later stating that they needed to come
back out to get some information on my tube so they could order the
correct part. When questioned they stated that my model of TV had
a number of different tubes and they needed to get the correct one.
They setup an appointment to come back in a two hour window in the
morning. I believe it was 9am-11am. Around 10:30am I got another call
from the technician stating that he would not make it and would be
there between 2pm and 4pm. When the technician hadn't showed by 4pm
I called the sharp 800 number and opened a ticket. I explained the
problems I had been having with the TV and with the service thus far.
I was told that they would call Electronics Repair Specialists and
try to find out what was going on because my TV only had one picture
tube and they could have called Sharp directly to find this information
without coming to my home. Around 4:15 the technician finally arrived
and got whatever number he was looking for and then left. I was told
by Sharp that they were unable to contact the owner of Electronic
Repair Specialists and that after they had done so they would call
me back with more information.
I got a call a week to two weeks later from Sharp stating that I
should call a second repair shop and not deal with Electronics Repair
Specialists any more. The second shop I called was:
ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATES
4 FLETCHER ST
CHELMSFORD, MA 01824
(978) 256-5588
I was contacted by Electronics Associates sometime in late June and
scheduled an appointment to have my TV picked up for repair. I had
to take the day off to wait for them to arrive because they needed
help carrying the TV to the van. I did so and it was picked up July
1st, 2002.
I was told it would take a few weeks to get a new tube from Sharp.
I waited and then called the week of July 22th. I was told that my
TV was ready and that they could drop it off on July 25th but they
would need a hand carrying the TV back into the apartment.
I took that day off from work and did just that. I had to go out
of town that weekend and was unable to set up the TV until today July
29th. About an hour after setting up the TV I noticed discoloration
on the left side of my TV. About 6" long and 1" wide. It
is a vertical spot on the screen. It comes and goes just as before.
I have had this TV now for four months and I have had this problem
for three of them. And I was left without a TV for two to three weeks
of that time for it to be repaired. This is unacceptable. I spent
$549.99 on this TV that I have received just over thirty days of use
from. Frankly I was shocked that Sharp did not replace my TV immediately
after learning of both the problems with the set and the ensuing problems
with service and support.
After checking with the Better Business Bureau I found that ELECTRONIC
REPAIR SPECIALISTS have a poor record. Unfortunately I found this
information after my experiences with them. I'm frankly disappointed
that one of your repair shops has an unsatisfactory record with the
Better Business Bureau and that I was directed to this company from
your website. You can find their classification of Electronic Repair
Specialists with the BBB here: http://www.bbbnh.org/commonreport.html?compid=211
.
At the same time that I'm writing this report to you looking for
a remedy to this situation, I'm contemplating contacting my local
Consumer Protection Agency and the Better Business Bureau to file
a complaint.
Please contact me as soon as possible to discuss options for my TV
to be replaced.
Thank You
7/29/2002 11:45PM UPDATE: Submitted the above
via the online support form at www.besharp.com. Their phone customer
service was closed.
7/30/2002 UPDATE: Looking around on the net
I found this review at www.audioreview.com. The same problem I have
been having with discoloration. Since the TV reviewed was a 2001 model
this leads me to believe that they have had this problem before and
have neglected to fix it. The review is in the links section below
(1).
7/30/2002 4:02:54 PM UPDATE: I didn't receive
a call or an email from sharp today regarding my problems. So I have
filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
7/30/2002 6:00 PM UPDATE: I sent an email
to the BBB because my complaint was cut off during the submission
on their web site. Apparently you have to limit your complaint to
a few hundred words.
7/31/2002 1:09 PM UPDATE: I received an email
from "M. Polizzi" from the Better Business Bureau stating
"If you are filing a complaint go to our web site and follow directions
for complaint filing www.bbbnj.org We do not open attachments".
Apparently text attachments are a risk so I wrote back:
"I already opened complaint number 752xxx as stated in my Subject.
The reason I sent this email is because my complaint would not fit
into the submission box on the web site. Since you do not open attachments
how should I get the full complaint to you?"
We'll see what happens. I've also filled out the form to send to the
"The Consumer Protection And Antitrust Bureau" in case I don't hear
anything back from Sharp and I get nowhere with the BBB.
8/05/2002 2:29 PM UPDATE: I received an email
back from M. Polizzi at the Better Business Bureau. In response to
me asking how I should get a full copy of the complaint to him he
wrote:
"You could send it via fax 973 581 7022 or mail it to us at 400 Lanidex
Plaza, Parsippany NJ 07054"
I Guess I'll be doing that.
8/05/2002 2:55 PM UPDATE: I called Sharp again
at 1-800-237-4277 in order to speak with someone about my problem.
They gave me the same case number as the last time we spoke 613XXX.
I spoke with Joe at first and he put me on hold to transfer me to
the "Customer Relations" department. I then spoke with Lynndora who
told me that they would not replace the Television because they had
not deemed it "unrepairable". She stated that it wasn't abnormal for
a customer to have a problem for 3 straight months and have two repair
companies look at the TV and have one of them do a tube replacement
without deeming it "unrepairable". When I told her how I had to take
two days off from work to help the repair people carry the television
in and out of my house she said I shouldn't have to do that. And if
the repair place said that I had to, to call her back and she would
make sure they picked it up without requiring me to take time off
to help. I also asked her what would happen if after a year of having
the TV repaired over and over this was still happening would I then
be stuck with a TV that pretty much never worked and no options for
repair? She said that it usually doesn't take that long to be deemed
"unrepairable". We shall see.
8/05/2002 3:47 PM UPDATE: I called Electronics
Associates in Chelmsford to have them pick up my TV again for yet
another repair. I was then informed that their repair claim on my
TV was rejected from Sharp and they would be unable to pick it up
again for repair until I called Sharp to have them straighten things
out. This just gets better and better.
8/05/2002 4:02 PM UPDATE: I called Sharp about
the rejected claim for repair. I spoke with David and gave him my
case number. I requested to be transfered to "Customer Relations".
After explaining what happened he transfered me. I spoke with Tim.
After explaining what happened with him he called Electronics Associates.
After being on hold for about 2 minutes he came back and said to call
them again and speak with Hank to setup the appointment. He stated
that everything was cleared up.
8/05/2002 4:30 PM UPDATE: I called and spoke
with Hank at Electronics Associates. He setup Thursday the 8th to
pickup the television between 10am and 10:30am. I have to help the
van driver again. At this point coming into work a bit late is the
least of my concerns and Electronic Associates have been nothing but
helpful. Wish me Luck
8/07/2002 10:00 AM UPDATE: Got a call from
Electronics Associates. I need to re-schedule my repair pickup because
one of their guys had to go in for surgery.
9/17/2002 12:00 PM UPDATE: I've been on vacation
and had some personal things to deal with and was unable to re-schedule
my appointment with Electronics Associates. I called today and asked
to re-schedule. They will call me back.
10/14/2002 UPDATE: Received a letter from Bridget
Fitsimmons of the BBB. She advised that my complaint had been closed because
of "the company's failure to respond to the BBB requests for assistance"
10/14/2002 UPDATE: Received a letter from Nicole Hart
of Sharp Electronics sent to Bridget Fitsimmons of the BBB saying the file
was "currently in review"
11/19/2002 12:00 PM UPDATE: Again I've had
a lot of personal things going on and have just now been able to get
going on this again. I called Electronic Associates and was told that
the worker that went in for surgery is "totally Incapacitated" and
I will need to call sharp to find another shop to do the work.
11/19/2002 12:10 PM UPDATE: I called sharp
at their 1-800 number (1-800-237-4277), after being on hold for about
5 minutes I spoke with Phil and was told to use
Northeast Audio Visual
548 Donald Street
Bedford, NH
(603) 668-5511
11/19/2002 12:25 PM UPDATE: I called Northeast
Audio Visual. I left my information and was told I'd receive a call
before the end of business (5pm) with a pickup time.
11/19/2002 12:30 PM UPDATE: Jeff from Northeast
Audio Visual left me a voice mail asking for more details and to schedule
a pickup.
11/19/2002 12:32 PM UPDATE: Called Jeff back
and gave him my model number and size and requested tomorrow between
10-11am for pickup.
11/19/2002 12:39 PM UPDATE: Just checked
the BBB report for this company and here is a quote from the report:
Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with
the Bureau due to an unanswered complaint.
You can find the reports in the Links section below (2).
11/20/2002 10:30 AM UPDATE: TV and Sales
receipt was picked up from my home by Northeast Audio and Visual
11/20/2002 10:30 AM UPDATE: Left a voice
message for Jeff describing my problems with the TV
11/22/2002 2:20 PM UPDATE: Left a voice message
for Jeff asking for a status update.
11/25/2002 10 AM UPDATE: Got a call from
Mark at NEAV asking me to give him a call back to talk about the TV.
11/25/2002 1 PM UPDATE: Recieved a call from
Sharp asking the status of my situation. I told them it was with another
repair shop and they stated they would follow up. I believe I spoke
with Tanya.
11/25/2002 3:45 PM UPDATE: Called Mark back
and he explained the possible reasons why my TV could have color blotches
on the screen. 1) The picture tube is bad (which was replaced by Electronics
Associates) or an internal degausser. He said if it was the degausser
the blotches usually stay on the screen and when they come and go
its usually the tube. He is going to check and make sure Electronics
Associates actually replaced the tube. Because of the holidays he
will try to have a status for me next week by Friday. I'm still without
a TV.
12/03/2002 2:30 PM UPDATE: Received a call
from Tim at Sharp Electronics Customer Care and was asked to give
him a call back.
12/03/2002 3:00 PM UPDATE: Called Sharp back
at the 1-800 number and spoke to Cal, he told me that Tim called to
talk about replacing my TV. He transfered me to customer service.
I spoke with Tim and he said that Sharp does not want to repair the
TV and is going to replace it. My options were teh same model as I
had or the 2002 version of the same TV. I opted for the new 2002 mode
(32US-710). It will be shipped to NEAV and should arrive there in
15 working days. (December 24th) and hopefully be delivered to my
home shortly after that.
12/06/2002 UPDATE: Received a letter from Nicole Hart
of Sharp Electronics sent to Bridget Fitsimmons of the BBB stating that
"On 12-03-2002, Mr. agreed to a new
exchange unit. The exchange has been processed and shipped to the customer"
12/31/2002 4:45 PM UPDATE: Called Sharp back
at the 1-800 number and spoke to Sandy. She told me that they have
no record of any replacement TV being shipped to me or NEAV and they
have no record of my conversation with Cal on the 3rd of December.
I was told to call back on Thursday to try and find out what is going
on.
01/06/2003 10:30 AM UPDATE: Called NEAV to
speak with Mark about the replacement TV that should have arrived
on the 24th. Mark is out sick and I asked to speak to someone as opposed
to voice mail. I then spoke with Brian who told me that my TV arrived
today and that because their technician was out sick they couldn't
deliver the TV today. He said they will try to deliver it to my home
tomorrow. I told him to stop by anytime as there would be someone
home to let them in. We'll see... any bets on if it works or not?
;)
01/07/2003 ~10:00 AM UPDATE: Brian Called
from NEAV to tell me his technician was out sick again today so they
will be unable to deliver my TV today. Apparently I'm "first on the
list" to have it delivered.
01/10/2003 ~11:00 AM UPDATE: I called Brian
from NEAV asking for an update on the delivery of my television. He
told me that it was on the truck and would be delivered today.
01/10/2003 9:00 PM UPDATE: I came home today
to find my new Television set in my living room. NEAV didn't set it
up because they didn't know how my connections worked. Apparently
they never tested to see if the TV actually worked because within
about 5 minutes of plugging the set in and turning it on I had a splotch
of purple on the top right hand side of the screen near the corner.
This is a new model mind you. I will be calling sharp to notify them
of my problem to see what they suggest but I'm filling out the papers
to file a lawsuit against sharp electronics this weekend.
01/12/2003 4:15 PM UPDATE: I got a post today
on this site from Jon, the president of NEAV. He stated that he would
follow up with me on Monday. I'm actually kind of surprised that anyone
found this site. It seems to be buried pretty deeply on Google. I
will probably call NEAV to notify Brian or Mark about the new set
but before I do I will be contacting Sharp. I don't see this as an
NEAV problem and they have been helpful to this point. So Jon, if
your reading, thank you for the comment and for the work your company
has done for me but I'm going to pursue the issue with Sharp.
02/24/2003 5:30 PM UPDATE: I guess I've been
slacking off a bit on this. I really should be persistant but this
is probably how big corporations get away with screwing over the little
guy (read: people like me). They make the process of getting problems
resolved so difficult and frustrating that most people probably give
up after a few months and just write off the $550 as a loss and then
don't do business with said company again. But I'm not about to let
it go, I've just been busy with personal things and work and whatever.
Seeing the other posts on this site have reminded me to get my butt
in gear and get this going. Many people that I've spoken with have
suggested I not give Sharp another chance to "make it right" and I
go straight to my attorney general. I will be calling Sharp one more
time to see what they want to do about this. I don't want anyone to
say I didn't go through the proper procedure to have my Television
fixed. One thing worth noting that I didn't put on here. A while ago
I got a snail mail CC of a letter sent to the BBB stating that they
resolved the problem with me. I guess replacing the TV could be seen
as resolution but they never did bother to get in touch with me to
see that this was actually the case. Now I didn't notify them that
the new TV is defective yet so its not a big deal. But I guess I have
to contact the BBB again to let them know I'm not taken care of. More
fun. Thanks to everyone that has posted with their story as I was
begining to think it was me going crazy and not the TVs. I promise
to update soon.
03/10/2003 12:20 PM UPDATE: I called sharp
again today. I HAVE been really busy and every time I think about
this TV it really bums me out so I guess I've been avoiding the problem
until some other things in my life have been cleared up. Anyway I
spoke with Keri and asked for a full refund of my money since I'm
having the exact same problems as the old model and its now been 1
year and 1 day since I bought the original TV. She put me on hold
and when she came back she explained that NEAV would have to evaluate
the TV again and that I should call them to set an appointment. She
also gave me a new case number for the new TV. I will be calling the
attorney General Today to see what my options are under New Hampshire
law.
03/10/2003 12:40 PM UPDATE: I called the
New Hampshire Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau and spoke with
Carla. She informed me that I could file a complaint with the Bureau
and they would act as mediators for me with Sharp. The likely outcome
was a new TV or a refund at best. My thinking this whole time was,
if I can get a working replacement or a refund from Sharp directly
the matter would be closed. If I have to start using state help to
get a resolution I may try to get damages as well such as lost pay,
for taking days off work to help move my TV in and out of my house.
So I'll be reading up on the Department of Justice website about the
Small Claims Court process to see what actions are available to me.
I'll keep you updated. Thanks to Andrew for keeping me posted on his
situation as well.
03/10/2003 2:13 PM UPDATE: I think its worth
noting that NEAV now has a SATISFACTORY rating with the BBB and also
worth saything that I never had a problem with them and would recommend
them for Television service. You can see the report in the Links section
(2).
03/10/2003 3:08 PM UPDATE: I called the Nashua
District Court Office to ask for some basic information before filing
my suit. I need the company name the companies Legal Agent of Service
and $35 in order to file the suit. One thing that was suggested by
Carla at the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau was that I send
another letter to Sharp certified mail before proceeding in court
and I"ll be doing that this week. I'll then be getting my documents
together and filing with Nashua District Court for the amount of the
TV, fees and damages.
03/10/2003 3:20 PM UPDATE: I called Sharp
back at the 1-800 number to try and find the name of their Agent of
Legal Services. The support person gave me to James, the supervisor,
who wanted some information about me as well as my ticket numbers
before he would give me the information. He asked me questions about
the problems I've had and for a minute I thought they might try to
take care of the issues I was having but after I gave him the information
he gave me the number for the Sharp main offices. 201-529-8200.
03/10/2003 3:40 PM UPDATE: I called the number
James from Sharp gave me for the main office and asked to speak to
the Legal department. I spoke with Mary from legal and asked for their
Agent of Legal Services and she asked if I meant to "serve process"
on them and I indicated that I did. She said the name was CT Corp.
but didn't have an address or a current phone number. Seems odd if
they are the people that handle all of their legal issues. I did some
research and found
CT Corporation:
111 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
1-800-624-0909
So now I have the information I need to file a suit against Sharp
Electronics. I actually had some hope today that James might take
care of the situation but I think he just wanted to get my name down
to notify their legal department. I'm not sure of this but he didn't
do anything to help the situation and only took my information. I
can't think of any other reason.
03/11/2003 1:00 PM UPDATE: I've updated
the page to clean it up a bit and make the comment submission a bit
better.
04/08/2003 11:00 AM UPDATE: I was holding off on taking Sharp to court because I could not find my original sale receipt for the TV. When my new TV was delivered I forgot to the put the paperwork in my safe where I keep all my other important documents. And with two children things get misplaced ;). Anyway I found that and I can hopefully file by the end of the week.
04/18/2003 3:00 PM UPDATE: I went to the district courthouse and filed papers. They said I won't hear anything until May 27th at the earliest.
05/01/2003 10:00 AM UPDATE: I received a call from Judy Corman from Sharp Electronics this morning. She said she received my paperwork regarding the lawsuit I filed in District court. She stated that the process of having my TV fixed/replaced shouldn't have taken as long as it did and that Sharp would be willing to refund my original sale price of $549.99. I stated that that was unacceptable at this point. After having waited over a year to have this issue resolved, days off from work and lost personal time making many phone calls for support I stated that I was looking for:
A) The price of the TV that never worked as promised.
B) The $35 it cost me to file court fees.
C) One day of lost pay for helping one of the repair shops move my TV.
Judy stated that she could not give me that dollar amount at this time and would call me back after she spoke with the legal department. I should be hearing from her today or tomorrow.
I wish I had a kept a better log of how much time I spent making calls, moving TVs around and taking off from work because certainly I spent more time than one day trying to get this resolved. I think I'm asking for a fair amount of compensation for over a year of frustration. If this goes to court I am also seeking an additional day of lost pay for the day in court that I must take off from work. If they come back and give me A, B and C I'll consider this matter closed. And this website will no longer be updated. However it will remain online for as long as I run a website. I think any prospective Sharp consumer should be aware of the treatment of customers.
Also worth noting she asked me why I hadn't called sharp back in January when the TV was delivered and waited until March. I explained that I had been pretty busy. I have no idea why she would ask them that though. Does it matter? I have a year warranty. She also asked if I'm still using the TV. Since I use the TV in the bedroom (19") I sadi no but its still setup. I SHOULD remove it and put it in a closet somewhere I suppose but its just to big to put anywhere but the TV stand.
05/03/2003 3:50 PM UPDATE: I'm not totally surprised but I didn't receive a call from Judy Corman or anyone else from Sharp over the last 2 days. I suppose they think I'm asking for an unfair amount of money but I also don't think they full appreiciate, or care, how much much of my time/money they have wasted. I actually hope this does go to court just so I can have my treatment in public record. Right now I guesss I have to be patient as I won't receive a court date before June ( thats my guess anyway ). On antoher note I submitted this page to slashdot yesterday with the hope that more people would get the word about Sharp but the story was rejected...oh well.
05/05/2003 3:22 PM UPDATE: I just got a call on my cell phone from Judy Corman at Sharp. She stated that they would be unable to reimburse me for all of my lost pay but she offered:
The cost of the TV
Court Fees
and an additional $275
I Accepted. I need to get a copy of my sales receipt to her and she is going to call NEAV to have my TV picked up from my home. I have to sign a document stating that I will not persue any other action against Sharp and that will close the matter. I'm not disapointed with this outcome. I don't get reimbursed for all my lost time or the frustration but I'm not looking to get more than what I think is fair. I no longer have this TV, I get all my money back and some of my lost wages. I'll probably update the site a couple more times after I have the TV picked up and receive my check and then I'll leave this site up for others to learn from.
05/16/2003 5:22 PM UPDATE: Here is a quick summary of what has gone on since the last time I updated: I've spoken to Judith Corum again. I got her name wrong above. She sent me the paperwork that I had to sign. I signed it and sent it back via fedex yesterday. I also set up an appointment with NEAV to pickup my TV yesterday after 2pm. I tried to have it done today but they couldn't do it. They never showed up. So I still have the piece of crap in my living room. Hopefully they will return my calls and setup a new time soon. I'm personally sick of looking at it. Judith assured me that I'd have a check in 2-3 weeks. So I'm waiting for that. Also I need to contact the court to let them know we settled. I'll do that next week at some point. I'm in no hurry to do that. If I had my check I might be more motivated ;) Until I get my check......
05/30/2003 10:30 AM UPDATE: The television was picked up by NEAV, after 3 missed appointments, sometime in the last 7-10 days. I don't even remember nor care to remember the exact day they came to take it away. I received a couple calls from Judith about the status of my check over the last week or two and today I received a Fedex package. Inside was a check from Sharp for $859.99. I consider this matter closed and will only update this page one more time to put a picture of the check up here and maybe clean up the way it looks....fix spelling etc. Thanks to everyone that emailed me with similar stories. It was nice to know I didn't have the only piece of crap with a sharp label on it this whole time.
