Thread: Currys - intermittent fault within warranty (just)

We bought our TV last Boxing Day (Polaroid 20" LCD- £220) from Currys and it has recently started to make a low pitched crackle/hum intermittently when turned on. A firm tap in the back top righthand corner usually then makes it stop the noise. At the moment it is occuring possibly once a week (the TV is in our bedroom and is watched for an hour or two daily) and is very clearly audible in a quiet house especially with the volume on low, and enough to make watching the TV unpleasant when it is making the noise. Whilst 90% of the time the TV works fine as it is within the warranty period we are keen to get the problem resolved.

We called Currys and were told to take it to the store for them to verifiy the fault. Therein lies the problem. The Customer Service guy said they will run it in store until they can show the problem. I do not think there is any way they will hear it in a noisy shop and due to the intermittent nature I have no idea whether it will occur over the next week anyway and would really like a working tv in the room over Christmas. If the fault does not occur and I take the TV home if it becomes a more frequent problem when the warranty expires am I likely to get any joy from Currys honouring their warranty or will it be SOGA time? Even then where do I stand with an intermittent problem?

As an aside - I was horrified by the attitude of customer services in Currys. I was told that intermittent faults do not occur and they never find them on TVs with reported faults.

Would really appreciate any ideas about what we can do to sort this out. I have a horrible feeling we are going to end up with a TV which is destined to become more permanantly faulty outside the warranty period...

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Originally Posted by kateandpete

We bought our TV last Boxing Day (Polaroid 20" LCD- £220) from Currys and it has recently started to make a low pitched crackle/hum intermittently when turned on. A firm tap in the back top righthand corner usually then makes it stop the noise. At the moment it is occuring possibly once a week (the TV is in our bedroom and is watched for an hour or two daily) and is very clearly audible in a quiet house especially with the volume on low, and enough to make watching the TV unpleasant when it is making the noise. Whilst 90% of the time the TV works fine as it is within the warranty period we are keen to get the problem resolved.

We called Currys and were told to take it to the store for them to verifiy the fault. Therein lies the problem. The Customer Service guy said they will run it in store until they can show the problem. I do not think there is any way they will hear it in a noisy shop and due to the intermittent nature I have no idea whether it will occur over the next week anyway and would really like a working tv in the room over Christmas. If the fault does not occur and I take the TV home if it becomes a more frequent problem when the warranty expires am I likely to get any joy from Currys honouring their warranty or will it be SOGA time? Even then where do I stand with an intermittent problem?

As an aside - I was horrified by the attitude of customer services in Currys. I was told that intermittent faults do not occur and they never find them on TVs with reported faults.

Would really appreciate any ideas about what we can do to sort this out. I have a horrible feeling we are going to end up with a TV which is destined to become more permanantly faulty outside the warranty period...

So long as you reported the fault within the first year, your covered under the manufactorers warantee. Even if the fault persists outside the warantee period, by reporting it within the period they can't just fob you off because you've left the store with your TV.

And the TV will be left on test in a seperate testing room probably at the rear of the shop. Usualy the room is placed so they get no interfearance from outside stuff like noise or other TV's. This is just to make sure that your TV isn't the one of hundereds per year we get back with signal problems relating to your other equipment. If they send the TV back to polaroid and it's not faulty they will incur charges to the value of twice the price of your product directly off their bottom line.

As an employee of the company, I find it hard to believe anyone but the most ignorant customer service staff could outright deny the existance of intermittant faults. They even have an option to specify if a fault is intermittant when booking in for repairs so there really is no excuse besides them trying to fob you off. Just ignore them or report them to head office, (the instore manager won't do anything) providing them with the branch, and staff members name.

If when you come to collect it, they say it's fine. Ask for a report of who tested it, and when/where it was tested or checked and what tests or checks were perfomed. If they can't provide this or the TV was left outside the repair bay for testing then they haven't properly tested your TV and ask that it be sent for repair or exchanged. Do not let them leave it on test in store anymore because this is just wasting your time.

Although it's a bit sneeky, you could turn up during a busy period such as a satuarday between 11am to 1pm, although you'd be waiting around longer for service, your almost guaranteed to get a result if you kick up a fuss with other customers around and start asking for a manager. I'd tell you to go easy on the customer service bloke who serves you. But if they have the balls to just tell you a straight lie and say intermittent faults don't exist, he really doesn't deserve it.

Thank you very much for replying.

Our TV was turned on and just left running behind the desk. There was so much noise in the shop there is no hope of the hum being heard and if the TV is running continuously it will almost certainly not start up as it only seems to happen when first turned on. Even if there wasn't all the noise of customers and music I'm not even sure how the acoustics of such a large building would affect the noise - although it's very obvious in a smallish, quiet room.

I did say in the store that they would be unlikely to hear it in those conditions, but this is when the guy started implying we were making the whole thing up and showed another us TV which had apparently been running there for 3 days without its alleged fault being observed. All the staff were serving customers with their back to both sets.

I'll go back at a busy time and see how I get on. To be honest even if I need to take it home and let them test it after Christmas I'd be happier (may have picked up a new TV in the sales too so be better able to cope without it for a while!) but was worried about the warranty ending.

Thanks again

Originally Posted by kateandpete

Thank you very much for replying.

Our TV was turned on and just left running behind the desk. There was so much noise in the shop there is no hope of the hum being heard and if the TV is running continuously it will almost certainly not start up as it only seems to happen when first turned on. Even if there wasn't all the noise of customers and music I'm not even sure how the acoustics of such a large building would affect the noise - although it's very obvious in a smallish, quiet room.

I did say in the store that they would be unlikely to hear it in those conditions, but this is when the guy started implying we were making the whole thing up and showed another us TV which had apparently been running there for 3 days without its alleged fault being observed. All the staff were serving customers with their back to both sets.

I'll go back at a busy time and see how I get on. To be honest even if I need to take it home and let them test it after Christmas I'd be happier (may have picked up a new TV in the sales too so be better able to cope withoutffor a while!) but was worried about the warranty ending.

Thanks again

I wouldn't wait until after christmas, because it's time they could spend fixing your TV. Once sent off for repair, under their own policy they have 28 days to repair it or replace it.

Just tell them that you warned them that the shop was too noisy and the fault was unlikely to be found in such loud conditions. And no action was taken, tell them that you'll be issuing a complaint to head office in hemel hempsted and trading standards unless your TV is immediatly booked in for repair, to be collected from the store sent to thetechguys or the manufactorer. Or is replaced with the same or similar specification or refunded. Ask for a manager if the staff member on the desk isn't willing to do anything.

If the manager still refuses to do anything, tell him that legaly he is obligated to prove that your television is not faulty and his testing in poor conditions proves nothing. Theirfore the company is legaly obligated to book your TV in for repair and failing to do so is breaking the law and leaving them open to legal action.

Which failing that threat is where you go all "SOGA" on them and start with letters and legal proceedings.

A couple of things:
Don't let them send you directly to the manufactorer
And insist on collection from the store.
Never let them keep your recept
Insist on a copy of the service docket, they'll print once booked in, for you to sign.

Great - I'm off work on Friday and will let you know how I get on!