My Email to Best Buy about my TV:
Hi there,
I bought a 42” Samsung DLP TV (Model #:hl s4266w) on 08/08/06. I also purchased the Product Service Plan. I’ve used and loved this TV since I got it. This August, when the warranty was due to expire, I decided to call the Geek Squad for a replacement bulb. I’ve been told DLP bulbs should be replaced every two years. So I called and scheduled a replacement.
Best Buy called me back and forwarded my info to a local repair place. It took a week or two for them to get the parts they needed, which pushed me outside the expiration of the PSP. When the repair technicians came out to replace the parts, they told me everything went well and to let Best Buy know if there were any more problems.
Fast forward to now. After four years of having a perfectly working TV, it’s now shutting off every 15-20minutes. The lights on the front all come on and blink when it shuts off. This includes the “StandBy / System Temp” flashing light. I’m assuming the TV is overheating or the bulb is malfunctioning. This strikes me as very suspicious, and quite frankly angers me that after working fine for so long, it breaks down immediately after getting repaired.
Normally this wouldn’t be a huge deal because the repair facility could come right back and fix the problem. But the bigger issue is I’m moving in little over a week. I got a job in San Francisco and will be out there by November 8th. It’s very possible that the repair center will not be able to get back out and fix the problem before I move. This would leave me with a broken TV once I’m finished moving.
When I called the Geek Squad number tonight and asked about this, they essentially told me I’d be out of luck if the repair center couldn’t fix it in time. The supervisor told me the center had a “90 day repair guarantee” and they were fully responsible from this point on, and that Best Buy had no further responsibilities since the original warranty was expired.
It angered me to no end to hear this. It’s completely unfair to expect that moving across the country, something I don’t have control over, should leave me with a broken TV and a huge national corporation (who I’ve given TONS of my money to) that wants nothing to do with fixing it. The local repair center obviously haven’t done me much help now, and I doubt they’ll be able to help me before I go. The supervisor told me that if I moved and the local center couldn’t come out, that I’d be stuck with a broken TV and that Best Buy would have nothing to do with it.
I’m sure you can see how this makes me angry. I understand that the warranty is now expired, and I’d understand his position if the problem I’m having now was a NEW problem unrelated to my previous service request (while the warranty was still in effect). But the fact that this is the SAME problem, a problem that has appeared because of the local center’s incompetence, should still be covered by Best Buy, regardless of the current state of the warranty. Best Buy took the request when I sent it, and ultimately I believe the responsibility is still shared by them. So to simply say “Best Buy no longer has any interest or obligation in helping you at this point” is absolutely ludicrous and something I won’t let drop. I have no problem going to someone like The Consumerist or even seeking some legal advisement if this is really the case.
All I want is my TV working again, or a replacement TV, wherever I’m living. I feel I’m entitled to that.
Thank you,
Matt
Hulu+ And You
So the oft-rumored and highly anticipated “Hulu+” is going live ‘soon’ and will bring the huge video streaming service to tons of devices all over the country. These devices include Apple’s iPhone/iPod touch and iPad. I received my invite last night, and promptly did some test viewing to see how it held up.
In general, I’ve noticed that loading the app and all its content happens pretty quickly, over Wifi and 3G. The app will open and display all the content available at a very decent speed. It’s when you choose a video that the delays start.
I noticed between a 5-10 second pause every time I started a video, either on WiFi or 3G. This is almost ten seconds of a straight black screen, so I’m never quite sure if something froze or if its just loading. Once the black screen goes away, you see the typical network bumper, and then a “brought to you by” message. After that, either your show starts or a commercial plays. I’d say it has been about 50/50 for me. Maybe a bit more in the “video starts instantly” boat. I’ve also noticed that resuming your place in a video takes a little longer as well. It’ll either jump right to your spot after the initial messages, or will play the beginning for a few seconds before pausing and jumping ahead to where you left off.
On 3G I was more impressed than on WiFi. Videos loaded nearly as quickly as they did on Wifi, maybe even slightly faster believe it or not. The black “waiting” screen wasn’t as prevalent, and the video quality looked very smooth and impressive on the iPhone 4’s screen. It wasn’t super-HD quality, but for streaming off the cell network, onto a phone, I was pretty impressed.
So far, for having tested during the last 12 hours or so, I’d definitely say this has tons of potential. After all, it’s still in the “preview” period, and will only get better with time. I’m not saying this because it’s bad now, but because I can’t imagine how much better it’ll get in time. Loading up Fallon while at a stoplight and having it play pretty quickly on the fly was very cool. Having my iPad in bed and watching the latest Cleveland Show episode was very cool too. This service shows a lot of promise.
I took some comparison shots over the course of last night and this morning. They were taken under a few different conditions:
A. At home on Wifi.
B. At work on Wifi.
C. Out and about on 3G.
Here are some comparison screenshots of all the different conditions and devices. As I spend more time with the service I’ll continue to post my thoughts and more screenshots.
iPhone 4:
iPad Wifi:
iPad Wifi (Low Quality):
