Samsung Electronics Home Theaters Consumer Reviews

NORTH PORT, FLORIDA -- Good morning. I'm attaching a narrative that will provide the background on my situation. After nearly a year of trying to resolve the problem I've had with my new (and in my world, expensive) Samsung TV interfering with the remote control of every other device I've used with it, I've had to do all of the work and research myself to come up with a workable solution.

The problem is plasma interference, however the arrogance of your ECR department has come through loud and clearly when the last contact I had (TR # **) was a voicemail - with no callback # or opportunity to respond - stated that the conclusion they had arrived at was that the TV was fine, was functioning correctly, and that their intention was - AMAZINGLY - to do nothing. At all. You have a TV that reduces any device you surround it with not to function with remote controls, and have the complete lack of care for your customer to take a "fix the problem yourself" position.

I've discovered, purchased, and installed myself (at a cost of nearly $130.00) a Xantech DL85K DinkyLink IR Receiver Kit which is "plasma friendly". In other words, Samsung knows this problem exists, doesn't provide a disclaimer for their customers of "hey, even though you're using this under normal circumstances, as a result of using our TV you can't control the rest of your equipment", and gave me a runaround for nearly a year, I was left to my own devices to find a solution. Shame on you. As a company and on every one of the 20 different representatives I've spoken with for not taking responsibility at any level.

I will never purchase any Samsung product again, at any level, and will make it my mission to share with everyone in my life what incredibly poor customer service I've had from Samsung, their total denial that the TV I bought from you in good faith was the cause, and that if they expect any satisfaction with a Samsung product, they'd just as well plan to take care of it themselves, just as I'd had to do. Not to mention the hours and hours of my time on the phone with customer support, with ECR, with meeting 2 different technicians at the house, and the stress and hassle this has caused in not being able to do something as simple as watch TV. On YOUR TV.

In my experience, Samsung Customer Service means "no service". If the business I work for treated their customers as you have treated me, we would - deservedly - be out of business. Shame on you. Narrative follows:

On September 7, 2011, I purchased a Samsung PN59D550 from Best Buy (inv # **) in Port Charlotte, Florida. I also purchased a $299.00 4-year protection plan so we could be absolutely sure there would never be a service or performance issue with the TV. Immediately I had a problem with poor performance of ANY device in the system that used IR for control. I started out with a Panasonic Blu-Ray player, a Yamaha AV Receiver, and a DirecTV DVR – all of which struggled when anywhere near the TV to receive their own IR signals.

Think about it this way… in a contemporary AV system, the user is constantly interacting with, most particularly, the DVR – loading programming guides, setting up recordings, watching recorded programs. The energy from the plasma screen “floods” / interferes with ANYTHING else in the vicinity, rendering the remotes from any other device almost worthless. I've had a tech from Best Buy and one representing Samsung who have both made service calls to our home to confirm this.

Since the first call, I've spend another nearly $1200.00 on a replacement AV Receiver, a different Blu-Ray player, tried 2 different TiVos, and changed to Comcast so we could try one of their DVRs. I've installed an infrared repeating system, changed to a universal remote, and they all operate exactly the same way, so we've proven conclusively that the problem is with the TV.

We've even taken a video of the repair person trying to make it work in my home, with the different remotes and with the universal, and you can clearly see on the videos (which were submitted to Samsung) that he's also unsuccessful in operating the other equipment with the remote – HOWEVER when we cover the screen with a blanket you can control everything normally.

After the last service call, which was initiated by ECR (after 16 separate calls to Samsung in a plea for help) the tech / owner of the company spoke with ECR which I was on the phone, and everyone was in agreement that whether through a flawed design or a badly made product, I simply can't watch TV like any normal person. We're not doing anything exotic – we're simply trying to enjoy the television experience we paid nearly $2000.00 to have.

**, the last CSR in ECR we spoke with, believed on Friday that the tech who came out (** from Quality TV in North Port FL) would be able to file a 7000 on this TV since we were all believing that there was no way to make this TV work in this – or in any normal – application, even though the TV more or less works. They believed since we've had an unresolved issue for nearly a year now, that Samsung would finally issue us a credit through Best Buy, allowing us to return the TV and move on to an alternate unit.

When I spoke with the Samsung local technician today, however, he announced that the Samsung folks he tried to file the 7000 with turned him down flat and somehow believe this is our problem to solve. In the meantime, I'm approaching a year of trying to resolve this. Apparently Samsung is taking no responsibility that I can't watch television with their television because it won't let anything around it work.

During several of the several calls, I've asked for a manager/supervisor from ECR to return my call and let me explain – once again – what we're experiencing, to no avail. Bearing in mind I spent the extra money to purchase a 4-year protection plan, can you please tell me how can I move ahead from here and get our problem taken care of?

NEW JERSEY, NEW JERSEY -- Purchased a Home Theater, more commonly referred to as a "Theater in a Box"; July 2008. May 2009 it stopped working and I was instructed to send the unit to Koambra with the supplied Trouble Ticket number. I was told it would take 7 to 14 business days. This was June 10th; and after a 20 day wait, I phoned the 800 number supplied. The number went to the Philippines, and I had to be transferred around until you reach someone you can understand and can understand you.

After 30 minutes on the call, the person told me the unit was un-repairable and I am going to be transferred to another department in New Jersey. At this point I have a trouble ticket number, a replacement number and an exchange order number. I was told, the unit was not repairable and I was to receive a replacement; again. The time period was 7 to 14 business days while the unit was shipped from Long Beach to New Jersey. This is sometime in late June. After another waiting period, I called again, reached the Philippines, talked for 20 minutes trying to find someone I could converse with.

Prior to this, when I asked to be transferred because of the language barrier, the representative hung up on me. This resulted in me having to go back to the beginning. Finally, I was able to convince the representative to transfer me to the exchange department. I do not know if this was any easier or improved. I had to go through the whole history... again, from the beginning. The representative somewhat politely excused themselves to supposedly check on the status of my unit; while I hung on the line for another 10-15 minutes.

The representative returned and gave me the same rhetoric I was told the last time I called. The unit had to be shipped to New Jersey before an exchange can take place. I informed the rep; that was supposed to have happened before the last call. Same excuses, same tone, felt as if I was in terminal déjà vu. Phone call after phone call, and still the unit had not arrived in New Jersey; and Samsung could not locate the unit through the UPS shipping number. I asked for the number and I contacted UPS. The number does not exist and did not have the correct digits or letters for something shipped from CA to NJ.

Called Samsung again, this time they said the unit arrived but needs to be checked in. Now, aren't you seeing a pattern here? Besides why did it take from June to September to ship a box from CA to NJ? Did the carrier walk it to NJ? Now I am going through the replacement ticket was requested, but it doesn't mean the unit has been selected for replacement.

It just means we requested the ticket and the wait is 7 to 14 business days before the ticket will be issued. Then it will be 7 to 14 days to find the number, 7 to 14 days to cross reference the number with the unit, 7 to 14 days to find a stamp, 7 to 14 days to find someone to lick it, 7 to 14 days to locate the person to request another number to ship it, etc., etc. SAMSUNG is a joke.

Their customer service is non-existent, they waste more of employees time, with all the delay tactics and lame excuses; most of the merchandise could be replaced in a timely fashion and satisfy the consumer. But all one has to do is read the complaints on the net to dissuade you from purchasing anything from Samsung.

Samsung has to have the worst customer service possible. I received a home theatre system as a Christmas present in 2009, and it was faulty straight away, with the DVD's freezing and stopping. I rang Samsung as the item had been purchased in November wanting the item to be fixed under the warranty. The item was returned on the 18th January and my wife was contacted on the 12th February to say the item was ready to be returned. The return delivery was scheduled for the 15th Feb, so we stayed in all day but nothing arrived.

I contacted the service team who said it was coming on the 16th, but we could not be at home so arranged for it to be delivered on the 17th instead. Again I took time off work and again no delivery. I tried contacting Samsung and they said they would find out what was going on and contact me. I heard nothing. I again had to ring the service team who said delivery was scheduled for the 19th (Friday). Again we stayed at home awaiting the delivery and even rang the svc team again at 3.30 pm to confirm delivery was still happening, which they said yes too. Again no delivery.

I again contacted Samsung saying that I wanted a new unit as the old unit was obviously not being returned. Samsung did not want to know. Samsung have repeatedly said they would ring us back, but have only contacted us once. We currently have Samsung saying that the unit was being delivered back to us on the 26th Feb or the 1st March but these dates have now passed and no delivery has arrived again.

There is a total lack of communication between the svc team and Samsung as both have been telling us different things. It is now March 2010 and I do not believe we will ever receive the unit back as we believe the unit has been lost as the courier company have no record of it since the 15th Feb! We will not be buying Samsung again as the after sales service is total rubbish!

RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY -- The sound system as being going off for days. It will not stay on more than a few short minutes. I tried to get help through their online technicians. After going through two different technicians, no help. I emailed product support, no acknowledgment of my email. I tried calling corporate headquarters, got busy signals or no answer to my calls. I called corporate headquarters and asked for him the CO. By name. His phone rang a few times and a voice came on and said "no one answering the phone" and I was "cut off." I called numerous Samsung numbers listed for help, but got no answers to the call on the other end.

At one time, I got the message that they "did not have people to answer the call." I was absolutely shocked that Samsung makes sure that you cannot get anyone in authority to answer your calls and they will not respond to an email. It was hard for me to believe to find such a big company in America that "completely closed out" a consumer from reaching anyone in authority for an appeal of any problem. No local repair people will work on the unit. As a result, I am having to "trash" my set.