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Kathy of 22306 Anza Ave CA (06/19/08)
Television broke after 32 days, its been four weeks since the TV has been picked up and still no answer on whats wrong with it, Toshiba customer service is of no help Model Number 55FX55)U
Paying for cable and no television to see it on
Jeff of Los Angeles CA (06/17/08)
I bought a brand new 2008 model LCD 52xv540u. It had purple blotches and a purple tint to it. Called Toshiba they gave me a # for a repair shop in Glendale, CA. They picked up the Tv on May 28th. Today is June 16 still no tv back. The repair shop said it was a faulty main board and charis board. Called Toshiba Customer Relations and they said parts are on backorder. 3 weeks later still on backorder for a new 2008 model LCD tv.
This is absurd. I am a victim here that is not treated properly. I requested a new LCD shipped to me. They said no. I want answers quick on my matter as I am a loyal Toshiba customer who just paid over $2,000 for a TV that I do not have. It was faulty since day 1!
The LCD arrived nice in the package. The damage was when I plugged it in on the ast day of ownership it had purple blotches and a purple tint to it.
Lawrence of St. Louis MO (06/06/08)
In July of 2007 I purchaesd a Toshiba Sattelite A135-S4527 notebook computer. I have had 1 motherboard repair, and 2complete new motherboards installed in this computer . Out of the 11 months I have owned it , Toshiba (it's service reps.) has had my computer for over a total of 3 months. The last repair (an entire motherboard) was completed 4 June 2008 . My notebook is working now , but running excesively hot .
Truthfully I have no faith in this system, I have lost so much every time it has died . I contacted Toshiba , and after being directed to fax numbers/wait time 30 then hang up/dept after dept would denie they were the ones that might be able to help me . A technition finaly took my info , gave me a log number ,and informed me that should it die again, I would recieve a new computer...Sorry but I feel like I am being stalled , seeing as my warrenty expires in 1 month. There is surely a problem with this model Toshiba.
Kelly of Federal Way WA (06/03/08)
Toshiba 46RF390U I purchased early Nov '07. By April '08 there were 'pixels' that were the wrong color on the screen. I called authorized repair shop. They came to my house, couldn't fix it and took the TV to the shop on 5/17/08. The shop took about 7 days to diagnose the problem. They say I need a new screen. Toshiba required them to email a picture of the problem to them. According to the shop that happened last week, and they've not heard back from them. Shop says once Toshiba OK's new screen it will take 7 to 10 days to ship. Shop will need 1 or 2 days to install and then a 3 day 'run' to make sure it's OK before they can return it.
I called Toshiba today to see where we stood as far as making a decision to OK the new screen. Customer service says they have to talk to someone in 'tech' to find out the status. However they can't just call over and ask. They have to put in some request and allow another 2 or 3 days for the 'tech' side to get back to the customer service side and then customer service will recontact me.
There doesn't seem to be anyone who can directly answer a question, bureaucratic stalling is all I'm getting. I find it completely unacceptable that at a minimum it will take 30 days of having a TV in the shop to get warranty service done on it. The cynical conspiracy theorist in me begins to wonder if there is some 'larger plan' to hold up service so long that the consumer has no choice but to go out and purchase a replacement TV.
I am unable to purchase a 'back up' HDTV. Thus I'm unable to watch TV and am paying for DISH HDTV service I'm unable to use.
Richard of Milton FL (05/31/08)
Purchased a 47HL167 LCD TV on December 26, 2007 on April 10, 2008, it was in an authorized repair shop. The TV had spots on the screen. Found out from the shop that they had a problem with the glue between the panels. Shop was told to scrape the glue off and try to re-glue it. Did not work. This was a problem that Toshiba knew about but still sold the model anyway.
Shop told Toshiba that it needed a new LCD panel. Toshiba said they needed a picture of the LCD panel with the spots, a picture of a picture get real!! Called customer support on May 5,2008 talked with Morris, and that it was as simple as shop ordering the part, but shop tried to do that and Toshiba wanted the picture.
On May 27,2008 called again spoke to SHAUN who said he needed a FAX to ask for an Investigation into the backordered part, needed our Name,Phone#,model#,serial#, etc. all which Toshiba already had. May 30 2008,called spoke to Shaun again, now stated he needed shop to call and give him the part number,description of the part,order #,order date and the original date they started working on the TV. Why was this not asked on the 27?? But excuse me but would not Toshiba already have this information for ordering part #[75007502].
Called on May 30,2008 spoke with Mike who said they were looking into the situation and needed more information, when i asked him what else he repeated they needed more information. If this does not sound like a around to you what is. Yes i have contacted the BBB, you do not have to be too smart to figure out the TV is 5 months old i had it for 3, the shop has had it for 2 months. Customer Service what Customer Service, I WILL NEVER BUY A TOSHIBA PRODUCT AGAIN. Anyone thinking about buying a Toshiba product, be warned if there is a problem, look what you have to look forward to.
We had to go out and Buy a 500.00 TV so we can watch TV. That was the cheapest LCD TV that we could find as we have High Definition Direct TV. SO we needed a TV with an HDMI input.
Rick of South Windsor, CT (05/27/08)
I purchased a Toshiba 46HM94 DLP TV March of 2005. Since that time the projection lamp has blown 4 times. The first time it blew the manufacturer covered it because it was within the first year. I had to wait several weeks to get a new one because it was on back order due to heavey demand. The second lamp blew a year later, my GE extended warranty covered that one. The third blew the fall of 2007 and I had to pay out of pocket.
Now as of May 2008 the fourth bulb blew and I have to pay another $200 to replace it. At this rate I can by another TV set with they money I'm paying on bulbs. The other complaint I have is that the Cable Card never worked as advertised due to cable programming. So where I thought I'd save on my cable bill, I'm not.
Jim of Atco NJ (05/20/08)
Purchased a Toshiba 62HM15A TV in June 2006. In January 2007 lamp unit blub blew up. I was sent another one because the part was under warranty for (1) year. In May 2008 the new blub blows up again. Called and spoke with Customer service and they stated that the warranty was up on the second blub.It is only good for (6) months. Now if the new blub gets a one year warranty why does the second blub only get (6) months ? The blub are suppose to last 8000 hours.
The real problem here is that Toshiba knows they have a problem with this blub and they are not addressing it. The blub cost over $200.00 and it looks like you are going to have to buy a new one at least every year. There only concern with this problem was that they were covered under the warranty. I called around my area for a replacement and was advised by several stores that they were out of the blub because there has been a big demand on them.
There is nothing told to you at the time you purchase this TV for $2100.00 that the blubs will probably blew up after a year or less. That's right it doesn't burn out it blows up in a million pieces inside the casing. Something is wrong and Toshiba doesn't care because you have to buy another blub or you have no TV. Because of this situation I will not buy anything from Toshiba again.
Mary of Annapolis MD (05/14/08)
Update to my complaint the other day. My Toshiba 50HM66 not has flashing lights, no picture at all, and continuously restarts. I understand this to be the lamp bulb, to be purchased at a minimum $200.00.
$1,600.00 for the TV, $600.00 for the light engine, $120.00 service repair call (just to tell me the 2nd light engine is defective), and now, $200.00 for a lamp bulb. That's a total of $2,520.00 for an oversized replica of a TV.
Mary of Annapolis MD (05/13/08)
Purchased a Toshiba 50HM66 June 2006 for $1,600. Due to a recall the light engine was replaced October 2007. By January 2008, the TV would begin shuting off afer start with red, amber and blue light blinking. Sometimes the warning says temperature warning. Must unplug to restart, most times it will just continue to shut back off. If it stays on, the amber light blinks, then just the blue light. The same repair person came out again after waiting over a week in March 2008. I paid $120 just for them to come out. The repair person said it was the light engine again. Toshiba would not cover yet another faulty Toshiba part. The part cost $600.00. I cannot afford to repair the TV.
I $1,600.00 for a TV that did not last 1.5 years. I cannot watch the TV at all. Not to mention I pay for satelite service along with additional HD services just for the TV. Right now, I'm out $1,720.00, and, have no TV to watch. The TV has also been known to have lamp problems which I probably would experience that also, if the TV would play.
Nessa of Chicago IL (05/02/08)
We purchased a toshiba projector TD-T99 some time back and just yesterday while we were using it the bulb exploded. It did not die, it actually exploded with a cloud of smoke. We thought nothing of it at the time. It wasn't until later when we began experiencing headache and tachycardia that we decided to look online. We discovered that we had just ingested mercury vapors. We had no idea that the bulb contained mercury or that it would explode with ? overuse.
We are both doctors and we understand the health hazards of mercury. In small print, there is a warning in the manual and we got some warnings that the bulb was almost dead. I guarantee that if we had any idea that we would run the risk of ingesting mercury fumes, we would have exercised more caution. much more caution. My goal now is to get this information to Toshiba and have proper warnings delivered to consumers so as to avoid toxin ingestion. I dont want this to happen to other people. It is completely avoidable. We could have vacated the area if we knew but we simply did not know. That is not ethical. I will take this up with Toshiba.
Toxin ingestion of mercury vapors with symptoms.
Tj of Yorba Linda CA (03/01/08)
We bought a High definition DVD player HD-A30 on December 21, 2007 from Best buy. The price was $299.99 excl tax. On Feb 19, 2008, we learned that the unit became obsolete, we believe this means that within the very near future we shall not be able to buy DVD's to play on this DVD player. We have 2 DVDs to date. Toshiba committed at time of purchase to provide a further 5 DVD's but to date we have not received these. Because the unit is obsolete, I asked Best Buy if we could return it, but they denied the request, even for store credit it was denied. I asked Toshiba if we could return it but they denied the request, their claim is they do not take back units that are in working order.
The consequences are that I have a DVD player with 2 DVD's for which I paid $299.99 ($323.24 incl taxes on my receipt) and there will be no more DVD's in the future for this player. I asked to return it within 2 months of the purchase date and it was denied. Also Toshiba have not even completed their deal where as part of the purchase they promise to send 5 more DVD's. I believe Toshiba and or Best buy have sold this unit with the knowledge that it might be obsoleted within the short term, yet they are not prepared to compensate the consumer.
Charles of Lexington IN (03/01/08)
We purchased a 50 Toshiba DLP television (model 50HM66) January 24, 2007, from Best Buy. On February 18, 2008, (25 days out of warranty) we came home from work and the picture wouldn't come on - only the sound. After about an hour of trying it, I finally took the lamp out and it was shattered into a thousand pieces. I then got online and saw that it was going to cost me about $250 to buy a replacement lamp for my $1200 1-year-old tv, which the salesman had told me would last a good 5 years. Upon further research, I discovered that Toshiba had extended the warranty on some models due to this exact problem. So, I called Toshiba the next day. Of course, our tv wasn't included, even though I saw many complaints online about our particular model's lamp. I even talked to supervisors who wouldn't even admit there had been an upgraded lamp for our tv since our purchase. Our lamp is a Y-66 and Toshiba is now selling the Y-67 instead. He actually lied to me and told me they simply changed the part number!
We saved for this tv for a year. We went with Toshiba because we always heard they had quality products and outstanding customer service. I suppose we would've known better had we known about your website. We are so disgusted and heartbroken. I refuse to give Toshiba one more dime of my money to purchase one of their lamps that will likely blow again. I can't afford to pay $250 a year to maintain a $1200 tv. It is now a nice (expensive) corner shelf in our living room floor until Toshiba decides to admit there is a problem and we deserve a replacement lamp at no cost or until we find an after market lamp that Toshiba has no part in manufacturing or selling.
Patrick of Henderson NV (02/08/08)
I purchased a 62 Toshiba DLP TV in November 2006. The last week of Jan. 2007, the bulb went out. Four days before the Super Bowl! It took about two weeks to have someone come out and replace the bulb. I bought a 5 year extended warranty with it. On Feb 1st, 2008, 2 days before the Super Bowl, the bulb went out again! I called for service and they are sending a repair person out. But they claim even the extended warranty covers only one bulb! I am waiting here, frustrated, to see what happens now. This is crazy that these bulbs don't last.
I may have to pay the cost of the bulb.
Natalie of Huntington Beach CA (01/23/08)
My husband and I purchased a 42 Regza HDTV Toshiba in September, 2006. A few months ago, I started noticing a dark stripe running down the middle of it. He's nearly blind and didn't see it at first, but it got darker and he finally saw it. He called Toshiba in early December, 2007 and was told we were out of luck because it was over the one year warranty period. We spoke to a couple of different supervisors, but they all made up excuses, (one claimed it was refurbished, which it was not, the other started spouting off dates that weren't even correct), so they could get out of repairing it.
Jav of Mastic Beach NY (01/13/08)
Purchased the Toshiba 72HM195 DLP television for $3,500 on 6/13/2006. Within two years the bulb has gone bad 3 times as of this morning. Toshiba replaced the first one for free then I ended purchasing the other two...Does anyone knows who we can complain to besides Toshiba?
Virgil of Loudon TN (12/12/07)
I have owned a Toshiba 52HM95 DLP TV set since Dec. 2006. I am currently on fifth lamp which went out last night. It was installed 11-19-07. Toshiba customer service tells me there is really nothing they can do about this problem. Can you render any advice? Thanks.
B. A. of Westphalia KS (11/15/07)
Toshiba and Best Buy were pleased to sell me an overpriced 62" inch TV, but neither organization will provide in-home repair service nor can they recommend anyone who will. (NOTE: The cost of providing repair service is *not* an issue).
What is the issue is that I spent $3500 on a TV that after five years no longer functions. No one will repair it, and Toshiba nor Best Buy cares. I will never spend a dime on any of their products again.
Cesar of Philadelphia PA (11/04/07)
I purchased my first 52 Toshiba DLP television at Best Buy in May 2006 and a second 57 Toshiba DLP television in November 2006. In February 2007 my 57 set developed a 6inch shadow across the top of the picture. In July 2007 I began to notice that my 52 which was now out of warranty by 2 months, began to have static interruption in the picture. It became worse over the course of a week and finally the bulb powering the DLP blew out.
I searched for a replacement and found it was $400. After only 14 months of minimal use I needed to replace a bulb? This was unjust. Then I found on toshiba's website that my 52 model bulb was defective and that they replaced them for free. They sent me the new bulb and after I installed it I noticed the static flickering was still happening, and it became worse right away. The tv now did not function at all 5 minutes after installing the new bulb.
Leonard of Williamston SC (10/24/07)
On 10/17/2007 we sent our Toshiba Mod.# 37HV66 LCD TV in for repairs. The authorized Toshiba service is Micro-Tech in Anderson SC. Bill the owner now is unable to tell us when or if it will be repaired. The TV is still under warranty with Toshiba but they can't tell us either. I have called Toshiba 7-times and talked with 7-people, who don't know when the part will come in. When do we go to the next level?
We paid $1700 for the TV which is almost new. We purchased it for football season but so far have missed every game.Please help...
Marie of West Palm Beach FL (12/05/06)
Bought a 32 Toshiba TV at Sears on 3/4/06, Model # 32A35 BAA802109789 and paid $351.42 total. Eight months later, Nov. 26th, the TV had no picture (black screen) I could hear the program and the change of channels from the satellite dish but no picture, the next day there was no picture and no sound. The TV was completely dead. Called Sears where I purchased it and they gave me a ph # to call an authorized Toshiba TV repairman. I did, had an appointment, confirmed for Monday, November 20th from 8:00am to 5:00pm, stayed home on my vacation day. I called the phone # given to confirm again that Monday morning. I called at 8:30 and I was confirmed for that day from 8:00am to 5:00pm.
At 3:10pm the repair shop called to say the technician would not be in because he was sick and had gone home. They could reschedule the following Monday. I guess the technician is the only one in the World? I slammed the phone down, called Sears and complained. Nothing they could do. I called Toshiba, complained........nothing they could do but were very helpful in finding another certified Toshiba technician in the area.
I called and set up an appointment with Tekno TV in Lake worth, Florida. $55.00 I had to pay for him to set his feet in my house. He came in on Wednesday. My husband was home to receive him. Instead of taking the TV he only took the chassis. A week later he calls to say the chassis worked OK at the shop so it must be the picture tube and if that was it then it would be $200 for labor and Toshiba would pay for the part. We are talking about a $351.24 total including tax TV and I would be paying an extra $255 so far.
Tsetan of Santa Fe NM (11/29/06)
I bought a brand new Toshiba HDTV from bestbuy and after 3 month or so the bulb blew up. And then after 2 month or so the light engine went bad. And it took about month to fix it. And again after month the bulb blew up again and we had it enough.
Marina of Waretown, NJ (09/14/06)
We purchased a 52 toshiba TV in Jan '06. We had to replace a bulb in April for $400 and in August the control panel went down. We got an estimate of $1000 to repair it. Toshiba only had a warranty for 90 days - it broke down 2 weeks after it expired.
We lost $2500. This was a big investment for me as a single mom with 3 kids on a limited budget.
Janice of Madison WI (08/02/06)
What is the problem with Toshiba projection tv's? We purchased two 57 projection tv's from Best Buy in 2002. One has already been returned on the 4 year extended warranty because of the panel that went out and Toshiba does not make those parts anymore. We received $1800 in credit toward another tv, but of course the prices have gone way up and so we had to invest another $1900 to replace it. We purchased another Toshiba 62 DLP in January 2006. We have already had one lamp explode and if the repair company had not had one in stock, it would have taken 7 - 10 days to repair it. I have read other reviews on this same tv and apparently the lamps explode quite often.
Advice to anyone purchasing a projection tv -- Buy the extended warranty! The other 57 we purchased in 2002 is also going out, but so far Toshiba will not replace it and the repair guy says he has done all he can. The color and picture is still not right. What do you do?
We have a 57 projection tv from Toshiba that has a terrible picture now. Cannot get it fixed or replaced.
Beverly of Covington TX (04/12/06)
Contacted Toshiba Customer Service Dept on 3/10/06 when my 20" LCD display panel lost power. It was under warranty until 4/3/06. They said they would send out a new power adaptor. Called again on 3/17 and was told they were on back order. Called again on 3/24, same answer. Called again on 4/6 and spoke with Michael Wilson who said he was a supervisor. He was to call me back the following day (4/7). No call. Called again on 4/10, 4/11, and 4/12. He is still not available, nor is his supervisor. Now, we've been without our TV for over a month with no resolution in sight, and meanwhile our warranty has expired. If they cannot provide the power adaptor, they should arrange for a replacement TV. Would like a higher contact. Customer Relations states there is none.
Jeff of Henderson NV (04/04/06)
We purchased a 62" HD DLP television on July 30, 2005. Since then, we have had it go out twice. The first time was in October of 2005 and the second time was in March 2006. The problem is a special lamp that the television takes. It has exploded twice. Each time we have had to wait at least 5 days before getting a new lamp, thus 5 days without a television. We spent $3200 on this television and can't believe the performance of it. The only resolution we have gotten, is a replacement lamp each time. We offered to pay overnight shipping the last time, and we were turned down. So we went another 5 days without a television. They haven't even offered us anything for our inconvenience.
Chris of Calgary Alberta (03/18/06)
1-second power outage and the flat screen Toshiba sd-p4000 is blown. I see other complaints on the net. I checked the user manual -- nothing about connecting the tv to a power surge protector.
Shar of Oregon City OR (02/15/06)
I purchased a 32" Toshiba flat screen TV on 11/02/04 from Sears in Clackamas, (Portland) Oregon. In January of 2005 I began having problems with the TV and by January 15th had no sound or picture. Toshiba told me I must contact Sears. Sears could or would not give me a repair station that could answer my questions or help me analysis the problem. Parts for the set was warrented for 12 months the picture tube warrented for 24 months. All TV's over 27" could not be brought into a certified reair station so a technician from Sears must be despatched to my home.
Cost for dispatch was $89.00 and cost to repair the TV was $354.68 plus the down time to order parts and cost for additional time for coming out to my home agin and additional labor. Total costs would have been greater then the cost of the set.
Frank of Cudahy WI (02/06/06)
I purchased a 46" Toshiba DLP TV set on October 8, 2004. On February 3, 2006 the projector Bulb ruptured and I lost my picture. I called American TV where I purchased the TV and they said that although I had an extended warranty, the factory warranty was in effect and gave me the customer service number. I called them, waited 30 minutes to get a customer service agent, who told me he'd ship me a nerw bulb within two days. The bulb didn't arrive. I was beginning to panic, as the Super Bowl was the following Sunday and i had planned to have about 12 people over to my house to watch it.
I called customer service again, and the representative apologized and promised to send the bulb out next day FedEx. I would have it Friday. The bulb didn't arrive and my Super Bowl party never happened. I called Toshiba customer Service on Monday, February 6, the day after the Super Bowl and was told that the bulb hadn't been shipped. At that time I asked to speak to a supervisor, who assured me that he'd personally see to it that the bulb was shipped out immediately, next day FedEx. I asked that he send me two bulbs so I wouldn't have to exoperience such a delay again and he said he couldn't do that but he ould definately call me back within a few hours with the FedEx tracking number so I could be assured that the bulb was actually sent.
He never called back and I'm still waiting for the bulb. The TV dealer talked my and my wife out of a Sony and into the Toshiba. I think it was the worst decision I have ever made. I have nver experience such poor service.
Ray of Los Angeles CA (01/29/06)
I purchased an HD ready TV in May 2000, Toshiba TN50X81, I didn't have an HD signal to feed this set until June 2005, and found out then that it is not HD ready. I've contacted Toshiba many times, and about a month ago, spoke to a supervisor. His excuse was that the HD receiver feature that made my set HD ready was dropped, and thefore Toshiba was not responsible for my set not working in HD. Other people at Toshiba told me that my set wasn't HD compatible.
I've searched the net regarding this issue and found out that all three models with similar model numbers, for different screen sizes had the same problem. Seems to me that Toshiba should be responsible since they sold the set as HD ready. Perhaps this is a class action issue?
Richard of San Diego CA (01/02/06)
I bought a 52 inch Toshiba TV (Model# 52HM95) for about $2500 on 8/15/2005. I have not had use of the TV since November 7, 2005, eight weeks ago, because it is not working. Two parts have been on backorder and I have not gotten the last part as of this date. In addition to not haveing use of the TV I have paid for high definition cable service for two m onths at $120 per month that I wihs to be reimbursed for.
Stewart of Houston TX (12/08/05)
55" Toshiba Cinema Series TN55X81. Another bad Toshiba product. I remember once upon a time Toshiba represented quality products. Now only the rent to own stores carry their products. My TV went out after 5-1/2 yrs. Contrast this with my 21 year old Sony XBR and my two fifteen year old Mitsubishi 40" Diamond Vision tubes. The Toshiba products for the last few years have been junk. The better stores don't carry them. I've had two DVD/VCR's go out after just over a year. I probably didn't use them a dozen time each.
Sylvana of Cape Coral FL (11/27/05):
I purchased a Toshiba 50-inch rear projection television model #50h81. Exactly four years and two months later the TV died. I was told by Toshiba the guns in the tv only last about three to four years and the tvs with lamps, the lamps only one year. When I told them I had the extended warranty they told me it expired two months ago, but they usually send out letters letting people know their warrenty is about to expire in two weeks. I told them I never got one.
They said well there is no guarntee you would. They then told me to buy another one or complain to Best Buy where I originally bought it. Best Buy told me to complain to the manufacturer. My tv cost over $3000.00 plus the $400 for the warranty. Wouldn't it be nice if when spending thousands of dollars on a television the salesperson would let you know it only has a life of 4 years for a tv with guns or 1-1.5 yrs for tv's with lamps?
Meykin of Bronx NY (12/28/04):
On about November 20th or so my Toshiba Television wouldnt turn on, I tried unplugging it and so forth still nothing. I distinctly remember because it was close to thanksgiving. I was upset being as it was so close to the holidays and so.
I remembered that my Warranty was still active, so I decided to finally put my money to use and call the repair company. Some guy came to my house and concluded that I needed some board for the tv and that he would have to order one. I was a little upset being that the guy could not get the set fixed at that moment. The guy leaves, telling me that they will call me schedule an appointment when the piece arrives.
It's now dec 28 and quess what no tv no date when it will even be fixed.
Elzy of Portland OR (11/30/04):
In August 2001, I purchased a Toshiba HDTV Model# CN36X81 for almost $3000. In August of 2004 (3 years later) the TV crapped out on me. I sent it to the Authorized Toshiba repair facility that two months (Oct. 2004) later informed me that a critical board component within the television set had corroded itself to the point of non-repair -- a rather obvious manufacturer's defect that could not have been discovered until two to three years later.
The likely solution would be to replace the board and I would pay for it since the set was out of warranty. However, therein lies the problem - for some unknown reason to the Toshiba Repair Facility, Toshiba stopped manufacturing this specific critical board shortly after the television set arrived to the market. So replacement was not an option for this 3-year-old television set and I was told that my $3000 spent was simply trash and that I needed to buy another television set.
Dissatisfied that I had just been told that I must throw away $3000 of my hard earned money I contacted Toshiba Customer Service and was told they would look into the problem. Weeks later I received a call from Toshiba customer service and they informed me that there is nothing they would do for me because A) The Warranty period had Expired B) The likely cause was due to the customer (me) either spilling something into the set of the environment the TV was in had too much moisture and caused this single board to corrode into an irreparable state.
I begged to differ with both statements because of the location the TV in made it a physical impossibility that either of such things could happen and that the Toshiba Repair Faculty was witness to where the set was located and neither the rear of the set was accessible and the environment was enclosed with no windows and no moisture of any type in or around the set. Furthermore the board is buried in a location that would have caused the other components around it to fail should either of the circumstances they suggested were true. There was no visible damage of the surrounding components by the repair facility.
I asked Toshiba whom they spoke with at the repair facility to arrive at this conclusion and Toshiba Customer Service said "the receptionist". I was furious and asked if they spoke with a technician and the Toshiba Customer Service Representative said "NO" and that they receptionist seemed to understand the issues with my particular set.
I then contacted the Toshiba repair facility and inquired why their receptionist was giving a technical overview of television sets problem. The Toshiba Repair Facility said that Toshiba contacted them this morning and coincidentally the technician that was working on my set happened to standing next to the receptionist when the call arrived. However, the repair facility said Customer Service never asked any details or the status of the television set they simply wanted to know if it was there in the facility and the receptionist responded "YES", THEY NEVER ASKED TO SPEAK TO A TECHNICIAN OR DETAILS ABOUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE SET.
The Technician said, "...it is clear a manufacturers defect part that cause the television to fail and it was strange to him that Toshiba stopped making this one particular electronic component for such a new television."
Today, Toshiba Customer Service contacted me and insulted me with an offer, alleged to be coming from their US Corporate HQ's, compensation of $947.50 for my trouble and the TV set. A pure insult as I cannot replace or get close to the price of replacing the defective HDTV they sold me for that little bit of money. The closet price I could come to replacing my 36in HDTV is over $4000.
"Z" of Novi MI (8/19/04):
Toshiba customer service is terrible. I bought a Toshiba 42hp83 plasma TV, all of the inputs went out after one month of use. Then it has taken five weeks to get an answer about the parts need to fixed for this TV. The service repair shop for Detroit is Gibson TV, they could not even give me an answer about parts ether. All anyone could tell me is that it's on back order.
The ABC warehouse that I bought the TV from was great about getting in touch with Gibson TV, but Toshiba won't give any answer to them ether. So I got on the phone with what Toshiba wants to call costumer service, I can't tell you how many times they told me that they would call me back and didn't. I called everyday for six weeks trying to get my new TV fixed, and could not get any answer at all. Customer service has no clue what is going on or any check and balance in place to make sure that the customer gets any help at all.
All they could tell me was "what do you want me to do" and "I can't answer that because I don't know." Toshiba customer service has no time frame to work in and you can tell by the service that they give.
William of Hainesport NJ (8/25/04):
Purchased a VCR/DVD player combo. VCR developed vertical jitter and hold problems after about a month. Returned for another unit. After about a month the new unit developed the same problem. Returned it and got a JVC unit which has developed the same problem. It appears likely both brands are using the same I.C. or module which has a failure mode that requires about a month to manifest itself. If this is true, then there may be thousands to tens of thousands of defective sets being sold.
Matt of Overland Park KS (6/10/04):
My fiancee and I purchased a 46" HDTV from Nebraska Furniture Mart. Delivered on Sept. 28, 2003, we enjoyed our small home theater for about 5 months until POP!! the entire screen went black. Picked up by authorized repairmen on March 9, 2004, they said it would take about 8-12 business days to repair the tv. Try 2 months! It was delivered to our home on May 4, 2004, and with a greenish tint I might add. On May 5, it blew out again.
Now its been one month to the day since they picked it up the second time for repairs. Upon phoning Toshiba customer service requesting a replacement tv AND a free extended warranty, we have heard absolutely nothing other than that they must try to resolve the problem with the tv at least one more time. We've been making monthly payments for a television we haven't watched in three months, not to mention a quarter of our 1-year warranty flushed away.
Carmine of Chambersburg PA (5/15/04):
My 65-inch tv went out and all I get is a runaround. The tv is a 65H81. I had the tv for less then a yr and 6 month and it went out just like all the outher ones I read about on the net. The tv cought fire in one of its components so thay said thy will replace it and it can be fixed. I do not think this can be done, to tell you the truth. I paid over $3,000 for a tv that doesn't even work.
Steve of Sandwich IL writes (2/7/03):
I am writing regarding our HDTV. This television is 50 inches in screen size and was purchased a shy under 6 months ago. We are experiencing a fading of the color. I am planning to send a letter to Toshiba indicating that this television has not exceeded the warranty and should not be experiencing problems. We contacted them and they are sending a service-person out. This was promised on 1/28/03. It is now 2/7/03.
A lot of money was spent on a product that did not even last the 1 year.
Steve had better start documenting the problems. He should send Toshiba a certified, return-receipt-requested letter outlining exactly what happened so that he can document it later if necessary. Telephone calls and emails are NOT sufficient.
Craig of Jacksonville FL (4/6/04):
I purchased a Toshiba SD-V290 DVD/VCR combo unit on 05/25/2003. After two months, the power supply failed. I rang up the Toshiba Service center to get the name of an authorized service agent. I took that unit to the authorized service agent, in my area on 07/24/2004. After almost 2 months of not hearing from the service agent, I rang them and they said that the power supply was on back order. I waited one more month (end of October 3004), before finally ringing Toshiba Customer service directly. They told me to ring the service agent to get the part number that was on back order.
I got the requested information and rang Toshiba back. They said that the reason that the power supply was not shipping was because the unit was not repairable and that I was to fax them my details, including a copy of the receipt and they would consider doing an exchange. I faxed them my information, in early November 2003, requesting that I get a refund, rather than an exchange, since I had already waited over 3 months and I did not want to wait for an exchange item and go through the same issues if that one broke.
They said that it was not their policy to refund under any circumstances. I told them I would be referring this matter to the Better Business Bureau and lodged a complaint with them in late November 2003. I finally received a letter from the BBB on 22nd March 2004, along with a letter indicating that they would not prvide a refund and I had until 25 May 2004 to effect an exchange. I relented and attempted to retrieve my unit from the service agenton 2 April 2004. The unit had been scrapped (in January 2004)!
My last contact with the service agent had been in late October 2003 when I rang them to get the part number that was on back order. They had made no attempt to contact me before they scrapped the unit, neither did any of their documentation indicate that there was a time limit for repair items. I rang Toshiba Customer Service who told me that this was no longer their issue and that I must deal with the Service Agent to be compensated for the scrapped unit. So much for customer service.
Chad of Decorah IA (3/9/04):
I purchased a Toshiba PDR 5300 digital camera for $385.53 which included tax and shipping via Toshiba's online store. I made the purchase November 25th 2003. Dec 31st the camera malfunctioned and the lens assembly quit working. I contacted Toshiba and they gave me a case #9567985. I sent the camera to United camera and binocular repair and they are unable to get the repair part or a date on which they can get it.
I have waited over two months just to have my camera repaired. And I have no idea when it will be. I know it is not the repair company's fault and they said they are doing all they can. I have talked to whomever I could get hold of at Toshiba and they tell me there is nothing they can do about it. I have asked to speak with a supervisor or somebody higher up and they gave me a email address that wasn't real.
If I had purchased the camera from Best buy or even Walmart if the camera wasn't repaired within a month I would have recieved a new one. I have even purchased a three-year warranty with Toshiba but spending over $500 for a camera I can't use is not acceptable to me and now I am angry.
I have plane tickets purchased for a trip to Laos in Asia on April 2nd when I am over there me and my fiance will be getting married and if I don't have a camera it is really going to upset me.
Richard of Pearl River NY (3/4/04):
I sent my Toshiba Digital Camera to be repaired or replaced, to Toshiba Exchange, as per instructions, received from them via E-mail, on 1/24/04. I have been trying to contact Toshiba Exchange since Monday, 3/1/04. All I get is message that they will be right with me. I have spent over 100 minutes on hold since.
I have called numerous individuals at Toshiba, I have telephne records, to no avail. No one at Toshiba seems to care and I mean no one. All I want is my camera back repaired and an apology for the treatment and their lack of service.
Brendan of Woodside CA (3/2/04):
I purchased a Toshiba SD V-280 VCR/DVD combo unit about 1.5 years ago. Now the unit shuts itself off about 5 minutes after start up. I read one of the complaints on this site which states a similar problem that Toshiba claims is induced by surge or lightening. Well they must outfit their equipment with THE cheapest, worst power supply/harness out there since all my other electrical equipment has shown no signs of surge-related degeneration. I believe this is a RECALL issue.
Don of Raleigh NC (1/5/04):
I purchased a Toshiba TV/DVD/VCR MW20FM1 from Best Buy 11/02. On 9/02 it stopped working. I took it to the Toshiba Service Center in Durham, NC. The Service Center person (Kevin) says the unit was damaged by a power surge and the repair isn't covered under warranty. In addition, the part for the repair has been on back order since 9/03. I contacted Toshiba HQ for help in getting the part. They called back 12/30 and said they didn't have any idea when the part would be available.
I was planning on watching some TV. It seems that 4 months is a long time to find a part for a TV that's less than a year old.
Jim of Houston TX (2/3/04):
I sent in a DVD portable player that has been used 3 times. The next time I turned it on no video was present. So I looked up the nearest service center for me which was in Tennesee. It has been several months and still not returned repaired. I spoke with Mike and he said the screen is bad and needs to be replaced. Toshiba is covering the parts but he wants to charge me $180.00 for labor. I can go out today and buy a brand new one for that. I only played it 3 times and paid a lot for it.
Waclaw of Easton PA writes (1/17/03):
In September I purchased a Toshiba brand DVD/VCR unit, type DV280, that right out of the box had to go to authorized service shop for VCR section kept damaging tapes. It took about 1.5 weeks to have it back. Then, in November, DVD section failed to perform. After evalution in authorized shop, where it was kept for about a month, the unit was deemed unrepairable and it was arranged with Toshiba to return it for replacement. Toshiba received the retruned unit and acknowledged so but they never shipped to me a replacement one nor have they told me why the substitute hadn't been shipped. I made numerous phone calls and sent a number of inquiring emails but without success.
Justin of Fairfield CA (2/11/02):
I bought the best TV Toshiba makes. A 65-inch-wide screen HDTV. It has not worked in 71 days. The service center they refer me to, have been out 5 times with various parts and still not working. They told me Toshiba has ok'd a replacement board for inside the TV and it has been over a month and they tell me it is still back ordered. This is ridiculous. The service center are understaffed, overbooked and trying to handle too many sponsors for such a small shop. I have missed over 40 hours of work for repair appointments. Have not had a TV for over 70 days. There is such thing as a lemon law.
Heidi of Atlanta (10/4/02):
I bought a Toshiba SD-V280U VCR/DVD combo unit through Amazon.com on June 10, 2002. The power supply died on July 29th, 2002. I took it to Toshiba authorized repair, who held it for a month, and then returned it saying that it wasn't worth repairing. They said that the "failure was typical of lightening or surge damage."
Since there was no storm, it was on a power strip that was not tripped, and our computers and other equipment showed no sign, I was skeptical. Then I found out that if they can say it's a power surge, then Toshiba does not have to honor its 90-day warranty! In my view, the power supply (and perhaps the whole unit) was inferior and/or defective. My previous unit from another company worked just fine for over 20 years. However, the Toshiba product stops working after 6 weeks, and they get to ignore the rights of the consumer. So far, they are getting away with it.
My emails to their so-called customer service department went unanswered. No response through either the Better Business Bureau or the consumer sites. Finally, I got a telephone number to call (there is no actual connection between the customer service department and the email address!). Their “investigation” resulted in a simple restatement that the repair person said that the damage was not incompatible with lightening or a power surge! They instructed me not to call again when I suggested that they put a big red sign on the box warning of the need for an expensive power surge protection system, since even if they are right, the unit is so sensitive that the power supply blows up even when other equipment is not affected whatsoever.
Just as a side note, this unit didn't even have a manual eject, so I had to throw myself on the mercy of Blockbuster Video for a month's worth of viewing frees for a new-release dvd (unlike Toshiba, they were terrific, and waived the fees). This is the second time that I have been stupid enough to purchase a product from Toshiba (a motherboard blew on a Satellite notebook computer). Between the two purchases, Toshiba has cost me thousands of dollars in defective product. If you look around on some of these complaint sites, you will see that there are problems with both Toshiba's quality of product and its responsiveness to their customers. I, for one, will never buy another Toshiba product.
Robert of Niceville FL (1/30/02):
On 5 Sep 01, I received a new Toshiba SD-1700 DVD player as an early Christmas gift from a family member. I promptly registered the player with Toshiba. After two uses, the DVD player quit working. I went to the Toshiba web site which instructed me to take the DVD player to the nearest authorized Toshiba repair center (Sight & Sound Service in Pensacola, Florida). I turned it in to Sight & Sound on 21 Sep 01 and each month I called them to see if it was repaired. Each time I called, they said the player requires a new power supply and Toshiba was having trouble getting one to them. However, they assured me they would have the DVD player repaired by mid-December.
Just after New Years 2002 I called Toshiba Customer Service, spoke with "Jeff" and told him all that had happend and explained I was livid because the repair was still not accomplished after nearly four months. I demanded a new DVD player! They wanted to know where I took the DVD player and I told them. They said Sight & Sound was NOT an authorized Toshiba repair center. I told them that I got their name off the Toshiba Repair Center list right off their Website. I immediately drove to Sight & Sound and asked them if my DVD player was fixed. They said no and it was good that I came by cause they are going out of business and are about to close the doors.
They further told me when they announced they were closing for good, Toshiba dropped them as their authorized repair center. I took the UNREPAIRED DVD player back home and called Toshiba customer service again explaining all that happened. I again demanded a new player. They told me I would have to take the player to a repair center in Monroe, FL which is over 200 miles away from my home. I said this is ridiculous and they said sorry but they would not replace my player.
Two 130-mile round trips to Pensacola plus one days total time lost work. A great deal of aggravation and now two 400 mile round trips with two days lost work... I'm disgusted!
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