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admiral_stabbin

August 12, 2009 9:44 PM

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I notice that the purchase was made from a BJ's Club. I've never been to one, but I wonder...do they have return policies like Costco or Sam's Club?

Sam's Club return policy was (maybe still is?) epic. I had a TV fail after a year and a half (37\" Vizio LCD). They note only took it back (sans packaging), they returned every single penny I originally paid for it. Further, they were nice while doing it.

Absolutely amazing.

6 replies

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August 13, 2009 9:25 AM

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@admiral_stabbin: Hit up BJ's customer service on their website. My guess is they'll tell you to bring it back for an immediate refund and work it out for themselves with the distributor. Otherwise, they'll do your bidding with Sylvania/Funai and get you an immediate escalation to the right people.

I've used them twice before when I had issues, and both times I got almost immediate resolution--once with a full refund, once with an escalation I couldn't get on my own. The guy buying one TV may not mean much to Funai/Sylvania, but the guy buying thousands of them has some serious power.

We've belonged to both BJ's and Costco for over 15 years. Both of their customer service departments rock.

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hypoxia

August 12, 2009 11:25 PM

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@admiral_stabbin: A BJ's Club? Never heard of it, but I know my husband would love to be a member. . . .

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admiral_stabbin

August 13, 2009 2:59 PM

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@hypoxia: I've never been to either type of club. If we have either of them in the metro I live in, their marketing has reached me yet...which is sad, because I'd totally sign up for both (note: I'm not married). ;-)

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August 14, 2009 12:04 AM

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@admiral_stabbin:

The only BJs I ever saw was in Atlanta - East Point specifically, right next to where I lived for a short time (OUTKAST HOLLAAAAA). I think it's a southern thing.

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*

August 13, 2009 8:49 AM

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@hypoxia: it's a BJ's club store, like costco, or sam's club... not A BJ Club. if it were the latter, i think they'd be doing much better.

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bkdlays

August 12, 2009 10:10 PM

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@admiral_stabbin: If this was costco they have their own hotline and everything. Their suppliers would never even think about treating a customer like this or they would get dropped.. quickly.

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Shaftoe

August 12, 2009 10:58 PM

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@bkdlays:
Yea Costco!
Disclosure: I work for them and am proud to do so

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nrich239

August 12, 2009 10:03 PM

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Since you're getting nowhere with the company, you may try your credit card company(assuming you put it on one) and see what they have to say about it.

\"including a complimentary extended warranty of an extra year on electronic purchases\"
[www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com]

2 replies

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August 12, 2009 11:30 PM

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@nrich239: Regrettably, that will not work as they will tell you to send it to the manufacturer for repair and then reimburse you for what you paid. I've done it and it worked. OP cannot get through to anyone that can repair the TV so he is thoroughly blocked.

Take it back to the store!

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sleze69

August 13, 2009 12:38 AM

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@ColoradoShark: So what remedy do we have if a company is unreachable? Is that a form of denying warranty resulting in legal liability (breach of contract)?

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August 16, 2009 6:51 PM

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@sleze69: Small claims court.

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August 13, 2009 4:10 PM

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@sleze69: If it's similar to what I had to do for a non-responsive airline, you might be able to get away with a chargeback and win.

I was unable to take a flight because of a medical emergency, but trying to reach the airline to ask to cancel my ticket and either refund it or tell me I was SOL (travel insurance would cover it then) was impossible. After a week of Emails and phone calls going unanswered, I called my credit card company and filed a chargeback. As of now, I have won the chargeback (this was in June) unless the airline files by tomorrow (8/14) that the charge was valid.

Of course, the CC company could say that because they have the TV, the merchant did deliver so YMMV

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bohemian

August 13, 2009 2:12 AM

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@sleze69: This would not be the first time people were left empty handed on a warranty. Companies go out of business and that warranty ends up worthless. But since this is a company still operating, not answering their phones is a bit odd. Maybe try a complaint to the AG's office in NJ since that is where the corporate office is?

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Woden501

August 12, 2009 10:08 PM

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Ah crap... I sure hope mine doesn't fail on me anytime soon. I should have known not to waste time on the Sylvania set I got, but it was a good $100-$150 cheaper than all the others. Eh, whatever I've gotten two years out of it. If it fails it fails, and I will quite enjoy beating the crap out of it after getting a new 1080p Vizio or Samsung set.

2 replies

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bkdlays

August 12, 2009 10:12 PM

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@Woden501: Vizio is big junk too. They don't make anything they purchase the cheapest parts and assemble them. One tv to another can be completely different parts.. and they are the cheapest possible stuff.

You get what you pay for. I have a Sony and I definitely paid.. but I love it.

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Between the Bars

August 12, 2009 10:15 PM

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@bkdlays: Exactly. It's horrifying to see electronics evolve into a disposable item.

I paid a little bit more for my Samsung, but I can definitely say it was worth it.

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August 16, 2009 7:03 PM

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@MessageinaBottle: Magnavox used to be a great product, but a few years ago, I bought 3 Magnavox televisions in fairly rapid succession and ALL had problems. In fact, one of the three was a replacement for the other and it developed the same problem as the first fairly new one we were replacing. The other one was a small kitchen tv with a minor captioning issue that isn't a deal-breaker - it thinks we're a deaf Spanish-speaking family despite all our protests to the contrary (we turn it off, it's back as soon as we turn the TV on again - oh well). Actually, the other two had funny problems that I can't resist sharing as well - they both had poltergeists. They would each inexplicably turn themselves on. The longer we had the TV, the more the ghost wanted to watch until it would demand to remain on at all times. The original TV lasted a mere week. The replacement lasted a couple of years before its poltergeist came out of the woodwork (or wirework as it were).

Anyway, as the salesperson at the other store explained it to me, once Philips divested itself of Magnavox, Magnavox as a brand began aiming for the ground. Which explains why Wal-Mart sells so much of it. We forced Circuit City's hand (I know how to do this) on the extended warranty we bought and got our money back. We took the money to a different store and bought a new Sanyo. I wasn't sure about the Sanyo, but we haven't had a blip out of this one. BTW, my ca. 1996 Magnavox is still going strong. Bought that one before they started aiming downward.

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August 12, 2009 10:09 PM

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HOMER: Look at these low, low prices on famous brand-name electronics!

BART: Don't be a sap, Dad. These are just crappy knockoffs.

HOMER: Pfft. I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look, there's a Magnetbox and Sorny.

SALESMAN: Listen, I'm not going to lie to you. Those are all superior machines. But if you like to watch TV, and I mean really watch it, you want the Carnivale. It features a two-pronged wall plug, a pre-molded hand grip well, durable outer casing to prevent fall apart...

HOMER: Sold. You wrap it up, I'll start bringing in the pennies.

1 replies

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G.O.B.: Come on!

August 12, 2009 11:01 PM

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@Parapraxis: I'm partial to Sumsang and Tochiba televisions, myself.

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August 12, 2009 10:29 PM

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Funai has been buying deceased brands that used to mean something - cheap perhaps, but at least of some quality - and selling abyssal garbage under these memorable brands.

The last Magnavox DVD player I bought $30 lasted exactly 4 days. At least it was cheaper than a rental, but that's not the point: I have purchased cheaper, Chinese-branded DVD players in the past that lasted me years.

So even in the low-fi end of that business, Funai brands are best avoided. From my experience any no-name brand will probably serve you better. DOn't be fool by the logo on the box - these companies no longer exist!

2 replies

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wrjohnston19283

August 12, 2009 10:34 PM

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On a related note, RCA is no longer a true brand, but a logo that is simply placed on mass marketed merchandise, not even manufactured by the same company. Some French company just licenses the name out to various companies to slap on their TV, DVD player, remote control.

RCA may have been a big player in 1955, but today I wouldn't even go near it.

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August 13, 2009 1:00 AM

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@wrjohnston19283: The Chinese own RCA now.

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August 13, 2009 3:49 AM

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@catnapped: Correction. RCA is owned by Thomson SA which is a French conglomerate (as WRJohnston1923 said.) They license the RCA brand name to Audiovox (American,) Sony (Japanese,) and TCL (Chinese, but majority owned by several multinationals, including Thomson.) TCL itself sells products under the RCA, Thomson, and Alcatel-Lucient tags worldwide. So a Chinese firm does, technically, own RCA in that RCA is owned by Thomson, as is TCL, and TCL owns a chunk of Thomson in a 'bite your tail' stock sharing agreement.

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August 13, 2009 3:48 AM

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Actually, Thomson SA, a French company still \"owns\" the RCA IP. However, they have currently licensed all aspects of the business to a Chinese company.

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Skaperen

August 12, 2009 10:30 PM

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One method I have used in the past to avoid the phone menu death maze is to pick random numbers around the main number. These are often the same company, but direct lines to various phones in people's offices. When I get a real live person, I ask them for a person whose name I made up. They will, of course, state that no such person is there. I'll then try other tactics like asking when he left, or who his replacement is. Of course the person on the other end knows none of this. Eventually I just ask if I can speak to his boss (again, they won't know this). This is all a setup to eventually ask for the number for his department. He works in \"legal\". Sometimes I have to try several people. But once I get the number to the legal department, I have my foot in the door. I still use a similar tactic talking to the people in the legal department until I get to someone (his \"replacement\") who seems important enough. All along I'm collecting phone numbers and names.

BTW, this worked well once when I was almost ready to sue the phone company. I got a real lawyer who somehow had the power to fix the problem within 24 hours (which was basically just stupidity in customer service).

4 replies

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August 13, 2009 5:32 PM

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@Skaperen: I totally do this! Or I look up officers in their SEC filings, etc. and go from there.

I was able to get Kenneth Lay's assistant at BofA to do a ton of work on a problem I had (still have), and think they might have spent more than $10K in corporate time; same with Staples (that wasn't easy).

My last electronics coup was getting BestBuy's Insignia brand to get me a replacement remote sent free for a TV I bought on Craigslist. It's not like I wanted to screw the company out of $12.95; I had tried 3 of my universal remotes and Insignia didn't have a code (including my TiVo's). So they had it coming!

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August 13, 2009 12:42 AM

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@Skaperen: The only thing that works is to dial by name. I have a Blackberry, so I don't even have the right letters on my keys to do that. :)

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legwork

August 13, 2009 11:17 AM

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@Laura Northrup: Ah, yes. I recall my first week on a Blackberry. And that precise instant when I realized the number/letter thing... Had to be my biggest chicken-blink/helpless moment ever.

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August 12, 2009 11:18 PM

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@Skaperen: Nice. I used to do a modest variant of this, and I'd totally forgotten about it. You could also put in numbers for \"if you know your party's extension.\"

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Skater009

August 12, 2009 10:49 PM

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Hey Go here

[www.funai-corp.com]

Text-
Locate a Funai Authorized Service Center

Enter your zip code below to find a nearby Funai Authorized Service Center.

Please consult your Owner's Manual, our FAQ section, or call one of our Customer Support Hotlines before taking or sending units (particularly VCR's) to a service center.

If a unit in need of service was purchased within the last 90 days and you have a receipt, an Authorized Service Center will repair it free of charge. If it has been more than 90 days but less than one year since the date of purchase, and you have a receipt or other proof of purchase, an Authorized Service Center will replace any defective parts free of charge, but you will be responsible for any labor charges.

Postal Code:

Please contact the Authorized Service Center to be sure they can repair your specific model, or if you require service on a television larger than 13\".

Please note: If a product was purchased at Sears or if the model number begins with SR, please contact 1-800-469-4663 for service.

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Bos

August 12, 2009 10:59 PM

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It's for this reason that I think congress needs to change the way that warrantys are enforced. If the onus was placed on the retailer and not on the mamufacturer, as it is here in Australia, it becomes a much faster process for the consumer and a much harder process for manufactureres to wiggle out of.

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Andyf

August 12, 2009 11:21 PM

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my brother in law purchased a Funai (Sylvania) TV from BJs as well, using my bj's card. Likewise, it failed within a year. The good news is that, while he couldn't find his receipt, I fired off an email to BJ's with the approximate date of purchase, and they emailed me back with a combined receipt for everything purchased on my account with a couple weeks in either direction. Proof of purchase taken care of!

The down side is that the warranty actually sucks. I didn't bother with the phone number, I found a local \"authorized service center,\" and the TV was taken there. Unfortunately, while the part (probably $30, the backlight's inverter) was covered, they charged for labor, a good bit over $100!

the final on this: will not buy again. I had purchased, maybe a year before, an OLEVIA TV from BJs, likewise $100+ less than the cheapest of the \"major\" brands, and besides having trouble finding universal remotes that work with it, and a general lack of features (PIP, extra inputs, etc.) I've had no problems at all.

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Grrrrrrr, now with two buns made of bacon.

August 12, 2009 11:31 PM

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Funai is barely a step above Coby, both being the 2000's century answer to such 70's and 80's classics like Llyod's, Soundesign, Hanimex, Sankyo, Philco, Craig, Electrobrand, and other bottom-feeding electronics manufacturers.

Even getting support for a mid-level brand can be hell-on-earth though, as I can attest to when I tried to get my Samsung TV repaired under warranty. It's a long story, but it was awful.

3 replies

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kexline

August 13, 2009 7:04 PM

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@☠Grяrяrяrяrя sings the doom song now!: Hey now. My circa-1982 Lloyd's alarm clock still wakes the crap out of me. Which is why I don't use it, but hey, it's good for days when I have an important appointment.

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Grrrrrrr, now with two buns made of bacon.

August 14, 2009 3:21 AM

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@kexline: Yeah, but I bet it only gets like 2 FM stations (had a few clock-radios like that).

On a side note, the $20 GE clock radio (also a cheapie) that I bought in college still works and it so loud you can even hear it when you're outside of the house. Good for when I've stayed up too late reading The Consumerist the night before.

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August 12, 2009 11:58 PM

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@☠Grяrяrяrяrя sings the doom song now!:

Coby does make a very useful all region DVD player-for $30. The player costs less than the Australian Farscape Season 1 discs I play on it...

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nstonep

August 12, 2009 11:51 PM

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Proud owner of a \"Polaroid\" lcd tv for 3 years...no problems...don't care that it's some rebranded chinese stuff because most everything is. Not only that...some big name tvs are made in the same factories with the same materials and quality control as the no-name \"brands\".

I used to be a Sony guy until I found Samsung; they really are the bang for your buck leader. And don't peg for American brands because it's all made in China. \"Designed in America/Distributed by an American Company\"=pfft.

I still haven't figured out how Colgate-Palmolive AND Proctor & Gamble get's away with not having any country of origin/manufacture information on their products. Take a look at your Irish Spring, Colgate, or Crest folks! That's phony \"Buy American\" fraud plain and simple; and for items that can directly affect your health if tainted.

1 replies

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August 13, 2009 5:41 PM

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@nstonep: I agree. SONY is the best; and Samsung is a great value. I love Panasonic, too. My Panasonic plasma is still going well after >5 years. I bought it when the 42-inchers dipped under $2K. It's technically an EDTV (720p), but has a zillion features and inputs. I bet they don't make 'em like they used to!

I also have a VIZIO LCD that I got used on eBay, but haven't had any problems yet, but I figure it was a stop-gap to getting another good brand when the prices come down.

I have a Samsung tiny microwave that's about 8 years old and used every single day!

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August 13, 2009 12:05 AM

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I've said it before and I'll say it again: Walmart is never getting any of my money, ever.

2 replies

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chiieddy

August 13, 2009 9:47 AM

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@mariospants: What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

The OP bought the TV from BJ's, a wholesale club based in the northeast and on the same vein as CostCo and Sam's. While Sam's Club is a Wal-mart company, BJ's is not.

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Cybrczch

August 13, 2009 1:17 PM

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@chiieddy: Because of the gratuitous one line paragraph where Walmart award Funai a \"Supplier of the Year\" award. After all, you can't talk smack about a company without throwing Walmart's name into the fray.

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August 13, 2009 1:32 PM

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@Cybrczch: bingo (you from CZ or something?), from the article: \"On the other hand, they won a \"Supplier of the Year\" award in their field from Walmart for last year, which may tell you something.\"

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August 13, 2009 12:24 AM

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Once upon a time I used to sell electronics at a lesser known shop. I had a customer that needed 35 TV/VCR combo units for training at Safeway stores. Of the 35, 18 were broken out of the box. This was in the late 90's maybe their quality has improved.. but I highly doubt it.

Stay far far away from Funai products.

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August 13, 2009 12:49 AM

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funai (no news here) they kept me going around the bend till the tv's warranty DID run out. and then thy wouldnt do anything.

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icezod

August 13, 2009 1:30 AM

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Funai. HINT: doesn't the name tell you something? Really, a name can speak volumes here. 10 years ago, they made crappy TV-VCR combos. They didn't last a year; I called their Tech Support and was told to buy a new one. Sure!

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August 13, 2009 2:14 AM

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I'd try taking it back to BJ's. IF that fails, I'd file a credit card dispute. If Funai can't answer the phone they'll still get a chargeback from BJ's or the CC company.

And Funai? Really? Please just shop more carefully for mid-tier and upper brands like Panasonic/Sharp/Hitachi. If you watch the sales and rebates you can get those for close to these gotcha brands when they change model years and you'll have none of the hassle and *surprise* actual support of something goes wrong.

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bravo369

August 13, 2009 2:25 AM

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I know most people don't want more bureaucratic intervention but I think this type of 'support' is prevalant in all industries. You are put on hold for hours or transferred multiple time before getting dropped. There's secret shoppers so why not secret callers and if calls aren't answers/fixed in a certain time frame or a percentage of calls aren't take care of then the company gets fined. Make them actually put some effort into customer service. it's like they have 50 people signing up new customers but only 2 guys that work only 3 hours a day to take complaints and file returns.

1 replies

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ninram

August 13, 2009 4:23 PM

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@bravo369: Secret Shoppers are hired by the company looking to improve customer service. I find it unlikely that any company that has such poor customer service would hire a Secret Shopper firm.

btw. I have worked as a Secret Shopper, and there are people who call up customer service lines, reservation lines and ever pizza delivers phone lines to determine customer service.

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memphis9

August 13, 2009 2:33 AM

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To some extent, on the assumption that warranty service will suck, I just target the best rated products or brands and then wait out a decent price. If it has a good reputation and maybe a 2 year warranty (many appliances that are generally 1 year warranty tend to be 2 rebranded as \"kirkland\" through Costco.)

This doesn't mean I'm not still going to call for warranty service if it breaks, but I just don't see the point of getting a \"killer deal\" on something that is just bound to break in warranty, and start racking up wasted time on my part. You know, time = money?

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bilge

August 13, 2009 2:59 AM

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Somewhere in Funai HQ:

Exec #1: (Pensively) Zannen desu ne?
Exec #2: (After a long pause) Soo desu nee...

The Suntory is then broken out along with a carton of Mild Sevens.

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MyPetFly

August 13, 2009 4:30 AM

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That's a Funai way of doing business...

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MyPetFly

August 13, 2009 4:37 AM

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Here's some WHOIS information for y'all. Unleash havoc at will.

Registrant:
Funai Electric Co., Ltd
3000 Scott Blvd., Suite 111
Santa Clara, CA 95054
US

Domain Name: FUNAIUSA.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Devicenet USA, Inc. kusanagi@devicenet-usa.com
4125 BLACKFORD AVE STE 100
SAN JOSE, CA 95117-1704
US
408-557-0413 fax: 408-557-0414

Record expires on 15-Oct-2011.
Record created on 16-Oct-1996.
Database last updated on 13-Aug-2009 00:36:24 EDT.

Domain servers in listed order:

NS.JWEBCITY.COM 216.98.109.133
SARU.MWLK.NET 216.98.102.163

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August 13, 2009 4:57 AM

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Why the dig at Wal-Mart...honestly. Just because Funai managed to conform to Wal-Mart's exacting (efficient) delivery standards = It's a bad company on those grounds?

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mbz32190

August 13, 2009 5:06 AM

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Stay away from most Philips and Magnavox products as well. While some of the higher end stuff may not be made by Funai, all of the lower end stuff (stuff with the Magnavox label and lower priced Philips items) is the exact same junk as Sylvania or Emerson. (If you don't believe this, go into Best Buy and aim one of the Sylvania remotes at a Philips or Magnavox TV..if it works it, stay away. Spend the $50 more and buy a more known brand

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Foneguy

August 13, 2009 12:05 PM

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OH, Help me Jebus!

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markvii

August 13, 2009 12:36 PM

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With the disclaimer that IANAL (but as a former field customer relations manager), the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act deals with breach of warranty, and may be helpful here.

Send a followup letter to both Sylvania and Funai. Be sure to enclose a copy of your initial letter. Send it Certified Mail so you can prove they received your letter. After the predictable lack of response, initiate a small claims court action against Sylvania for three times the purchase price of the product. (It's Sylvania's product, never mind that Funai OEM'd it for them.)

That just may get their attention.

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August 13, 2009 12:40 PM

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I suggest two calls: one to your AG and one to the FTC. Then see if the balls gets rolling.

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August 13, 2009 2:41 PM

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What's the plural of funny? Funai!

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JGBrock

August 13, 2009 2:49 PM

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Yeah call the Better Business Bureau, that'll work.

If they have paid their membership dues to the BBB, they will be rated \"Satisfactory\" even if the TV set climbed off the table and murdered your family in their sleep.

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thomas_callahan

August 14, 2009 7:02 PM

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Funny, we have a 13\" Funai TV that's close 20 years old and it still gets the best reception of any TV I've ever owned (or it did until the digital switch). Actual Funai brand. I didn't know they were still around -- it doesn't even usually show up in programmable remote lists, I have to try the generic ones or codes at random until something works.

And it's been dropped a couple of times in ways that I wouldn't have expected any electronic device to survive, but it keeps on going.

It's become a running joke in our house -- \"Yeah, we'll get a new TV for that room when the old one dies...\". I won't be surprised the day I come home to find my wife's just given up and taken a hammer to it.

But I bet if I bought one now it would just make a \"zzzzt...\" sound and a little puff of smoke when I plugged it in.

1 replies

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August 16, 2009 7:17 PM

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@thomas_callahan: It's probably because it's 20 years old instead of 10 years old or newer. Like I said earlier, my 13-year-old Magnavox TV is still in prime condition, but none of the three I bought five years ago were worth squat.

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August 16, 2009 7:23 PM

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One issue I haven't seen mentioned among all of these comments is regarding whether the OP should have tried to speak to the supervisor at the original number where the humans were actually answering the phone. You know...where OP called CS and eventually was given the option \"that I could talk to a supervisor but it would do me no good.\" This is a deterrent the company is feeding you, not the truth. You should always say, \"I'll take my chances with the supervisor.\" And if they say they have the supervisor call you, you should respond, \"I'll hold.\" Because it isn't likely they'll ever actually call you if you hang up. Customer Service Agents aren't empowered to do much, but supervisors *sometimes* can do a little more. But they tell the CSAs to discourage people from speaking to supervisors by telling them the supervisors will only say the same thing. Never believe that without actually talking to the supervisor.

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September 18, 2009 3:32 AM

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I know that this is a bit after the fact, but I have a 32-inch Emerson TV that I bought in February of this year, and I'm having the exact same problem. A quick search on the internet for troubleshooting advice turns up page after page of similar complaints, and they almost all end with Funai giving the customer the finger.

I have no idea what to do. It's still in warranty by five months, but attempts to contact customer service have bore no fruit. I can't get these shysters to respond at all, much less set up some sort of repair or replacement.

I'm thinking that I'm going to join those folks in their crusade. I've also got several friends looking for new television sets, and I will make sure that they stay very far away from Funai unless they want to be ripped off. There's no reason why a TV that was used moderately and kept in good condition ought to refuse to turn on, and there's no reason why Funai should treat its customers like they don't exist when they try to get the company to make them whole on their purchase. Furthermore, given how widely documented this issue is, there's no reason why this particular model ought to be on store shelves at all. Funai ought to recall the thing and fucking do it right.

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January 11, 2010 8:37 AM

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I know nobody is going to read this, but I just wanted to say that Funai finally got back to me out of the blue in mid-December of 2009 to issue me a refund. I got the check the day after Christmas and deposited it the following Monday. The funds cleared within three days.

I don't know why Funai contacted me for a refund. I don't really even care at this point. I'm just glad to have my nightmare with Funai over and done with. I will never buy another product from the company again, and I will remain ever vigilant when it comes to making sure other folks don't get suckered in like I did.

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