Hi people,

Hoping you could offer me some advice. Anything appreciated.

I discovered on Friday that my 50” Plasma LG 50PJ550 purchased from a Comet store 18 months ago was no longer working. It has the following problem:

When I tried to switch the LG 50PJ550 on with either the remote control ormanually on the LG 50PJ550 itself the red standby light goes outand the LG 50PJ550 tries to illuminate briefly then goesback to standby mode and then tries to switch on again then switches off. There is also some loud clicking when this ishappening therefore I believe the unit as faulty.

Just going on random AV forums would suggest there is an inherrent problem with this model and the exact same symptons and diagnosis. LG support believes the unitis faulty and their diagnosis based on our transcript leads them to believe itis the power supply board within the TV. Coincidentally, this was also Comet's diagnosis over the phone yesterday. LG also stated in transcript that from asupport perspective they have had this very same issue reported previously. Given that both LG and Comet's initialanalysis suggests a problem within the TV I would want this problemdealt with by the retailer.

LG also stated that as it was out of warranty by 6 months that it would be at a chargeable cost. I have directly approached Comet and said that under the Sale of GoodsAct 1979 makes it an implied term that goods be as described, of satisfactoryquality, free of flaws and made from durable materials to last a reasonablelength of time. As they are in breach of thisI am entitled by my statutory rights to have the LG 50PJ550 repaired at no cost,replaced or a full refund given.

They have responded by saying that they would inspect it at a cost of £69.00 as in agreement with Trading Standards. Citizens Advice state that my statutory rights are such that I should have it repaired at no cost.

I'm not sure where to go with this but am mooting the idea of small claims court. Any suggestions? I have sent them a recorded letter today with 14 days response required as to their actions.

Michael

Hello and welcome to the site.

As you will have read,Comet have a shocking history of dealing with customer complaints.

The AV forums are a good authority for identifying whether there are common faults.

Funnily enough I had an older set to yours and also had exactly the same problem.

I ended up replacing the PCB myself since I bought the TV cheap second hand-it was worth fixing.

If you are up for a small claims action,then wait and see how they respond to your LBA.

Get together all supporting papertrail etc.

It will not be a complex or expensive route to go down.

Comet need to be shown that they cannot continue to get away with this treatment of consumers.

Soga. Use it , love it.

If they dont adhere to statute law, then its time to take them to court.

Although you shouldn’t have to do this but it might save you a lot of time, money and the hassle of dealing with Comet by repairing it yourself if you’re confident with a soldering iron. I’m not 100% sure but I think the issue with the PJ550 series TV’s was down to either one or two failed resistors on the power supply board. There is a thread on the av forums site which goes into detail about this issue and a number of people have repaired it themselves for as little as a couple of quid. You could even try an independent TV repairer if you don’t feel confident.

I had a nasty experience myself with Comet a couple of years ago before they got into difficulty and my TV was in warrantee. I would brace yourself for a fight.

Theres no real need to do it yourself, when statute law says that Comet must refund or replace it, no questions asked.

Comet these days seem to think consumer law doesn’t apply to them.

Then take legal action and get compensation too. Plus press coverage. Could always notify watchdog too. I'm pretty sure theyd be interested when they investigate and find that hundreds, if not thousands of people are being missold policies and comet are ignoring the law.

The Sale of Goods Act 1974(as amended) states that for the first six months after purchase, if anything goes wrong then that fault is assumed to have been there at purchase and it is up to the seller to prove otherwise.

After six months, it is then up to the buyer to prove there was an inherent fault with it. You can only do this by paying for an engineers report. If that report show there is an inherent fault, then the seller must repair or replace at his discretion and refund the engineers report.

You should get an independent to examin it and not the seller, especially if that is Comet.

Hi Hug ,

I agree with Conniff here an independent report will show the issue is an inherent fault as in the Components failing in the Power Supply which johny mentions in his post as being the cause of the fault with the Tv which he is 100% correct .

Best leaving this repair to the experts and hopefully COMET will stump up one way or another after the Tv has been examined independently .

Regarding the post from rene ,

when statute law says that Comet must refund or replace it, no questions asked

That may well be the theory but the practice would show this does not happen going by the number of unresolved posts in the COMET Threads here on CAG that would confirm this .

Thanks for all the replies people

A question then on soga. Comet responded today after I quoted soga by stating they would examine the TV for any defects at a cost of £69.00 as in agreement with Trading Standards. This charge seems to be the norm with Comet. Is this reasonable or should I stick with my soga stance which is basically 'You're in the wrong by law, the unit hasn't lasted a reasoble length of time and I'm not paying a penny for something that cost a fortune and lasted 6 months past it's warranty period'

Or should I pay the £69.00, leave it in their hands? Citizens Advice suggested I pay the £69.00 and claim back but it kind of feels like I'm giving into their demands in a way.

Just how are my kids going to get their daily dose of In The Night Garden???

Up yo you.

If you are prepared to pay the fee and wait.

Make sure that you put it in writing that you will be claiming the fee back along with associated costs later.

How did you pay for it ?

There is no time limit on a s75 claim.

Martin,

It is on a 36 month payment plan which I'm half way through. So I'm still making payments but under protest.

Ah ok.

There was a case a while ago similar to yours but I think it was a laptop.

Comet would not budge.The OP ended up getting a written repair estimate which I think cost about £20 as it was an expert witness one.

In that case also Comet had wanted him to pay £55 I think.

In the end they caved in and sorted it and also paid the £20 he had paid for the report.

It was a hairsbreadth away from an N1.

Will see if I can find it.

Thanks Martin very helpful,

I have rung around local TV repair shops and I have been quoted £25.00 for an independant Engineers report to identify the fault. Now Comet want £69.00 for their own engineers report. Would it then make sense to go with my option and then present it to Comet or would they still insist on their own analysis.

Do it your way.

I think they will insist on following "Their own Policy"

Obtaining your own report would obviously be more favourable to you in the event that you filed a small clams action.(Which would be a route if they were presented with your own report and failed to resolve matters)

It is reasonable to assume that a report done by them would have some vested interest if you see what I mean ?

Before filing a claim,you would be expected to have given them the op to resolve your complaint.

It would seem to be the right course to get an indi report for £25 and put it to them.

Like others have said it would be better to have the TV inspected by an independent rather than Comet or whoever they want to look at it. £69 is quite steep for a written report and there is a good chance it will state the fault is down to “wear and tear” and not a manufacturing defect. Then you’re down another £69 and still no further forward.

To be credible and accepted by Comet, the independent report should be on headed paper and include a VAT number.

Hi There,

Reading your story and found it very interesting and am wondering where you have got to and whether your TV is now fixed.

My TV,exact same model seems to have the same issues,it tries to switch on,clicks,the red LED goes on and then it switches off. V frustrating.

I'm thinking the best and quickest solution will be to contact a local TV engineer.

What do you think and where have you got too??