Thanks Costco for fixing my Panasonic Plasma

[Joe1]

I purchased a 50 inch Panasonic plasma from Costco 18 months ago that died last week.

The mfg warranty was only one year, but Costco extends the warranty for a 2nd year on TV sets. I called the Costco concierge service and got through immediately with no wait time. They asked me to turn the TV on and count how many times the light blinked. That is all they needed to diagnose the problem.

They called a local TV repair outlet to service the TV free of charge. They followed up with me before to confirm the appointment and after to see if it was repaired to my satisfaction.

Their service was simply outstanding. The technician installed a new "SBS board" and the TV is working again.

I'm a bit disappointed that the TV only lasted 1.5 years before death. Moreover, based on internet searches, the issue I had seems to be prevalent with Panasonic Plasmas. It is called the blinking lights of death. I'm hoping the bugs are worked out with the new part.

I'm a bit disappointed with Panasonic ( although the TV has an excellent picture) and am VERY happy with the service Costco provided.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I'm not sure but if you bought your TV with Am Ex it will extend the warranty another year on top of 1 year from Costco and 1 year from Manufacture.

 

[901Memphis]

That's some sweet luck!

 

[daves87rs]

Nice!

 

[bigt61]

Costco is great - I bought a Samsung Plasma there a while back. If you watch a lot of sports, plasma is the way to go for smooth motion.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Only thing that turns me off about Panasonic TVs are their reflective,shiny screens. I won't buy a TV unless it's Matte.

 

[OneEyeJack]

The customer service at Costco is really good. Given anywhere close to equal pricing their service is worth buying from them.

 

[29662]

I love me some Costco. They replaced a laptop that my son(3 at the time) had accidentally stepped on and broken, no questions asked.

 

[gman2304]

I've had my Panasonic Vierra plasma for about 7 years. So far it's been great. I'm dreading the time when it does break. Glad to know yours was fixed without hassle.

 

[kkreit01]

Costco is the best place ever. I've been an Exec member for years, and buy everything I can from there. The experience starts in the parking lot -- where every space is as large as a Handicapped spot. I also recently bought a 48" TV there. My kids say, "Petco is where the pets go, and Costco is where the dads go". I couldn't agree more.

 

[EdwardC]

Absolutely love Costco, very reasonable prices on quality products, especially the Kirkland brand stuff. All seems as good or better than the national branded item. Good customer service too.

Their gas is usually one of the cheapest here within the city limits too.

Still waiting for them to carry some 0W20 though.

 

[john_pifer]

I bought a Panasonic Viera TC-P50ST50 plasma in Nov. 2012.

Great picture and features for the price I paid - $999 on Amazon.

I understand the successor model has even more features for not much more money.

However, I have experienced some minor burn-in.

I watch Fox News Channel every day, which has a static logo in the bottom left corner of the screen. Having that logo there for so many hours did cause there to be a slight shadow there when the screen is showing an all-white picture.

It's not noticeable in normal viewing, and it's doubtful that anyone but me would notice it.

Being a detail-obsessed BITOGer, and, being wary of that static logo, of course, I noticed it.

From what I've read, plasmas are more susceptible to burn-in when they're new. It's my suspicion that this minor case of burn-in occurred during the first hours of use. I first noticed it maybe 3 mos after buying the set. It hasn't gotten worse or improved since that time.

If I had it to do over again, I really wouldn't do anything differently, as I'm not going to stop watching my favorite channel just because of an issue like this.

A little disappointing, but I'd still buy this set again, because if the value. I would have had to pay much more for an equivalent LED TV.

Hope this one lasts for a long time.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Absolutely love Costco, very reasonable prices on quality products, especially the Kirkland brand stuff. All seems as good or better than the national branded item. Good customer service too.

Their gas is usually one of the cheapest here within the city limits too.

Still waiting for them to carry some 0W20 though.

The problem is every Costco member knows that and usually a very long wait on all lines. The Costco nearby has 8 lines and usually more than 8-10 vehicles waiting on each line.

 

[RTexasF]

Wow, that was a great deal. I had no idea they did that. One was just built recently about a 60 mile round trip from us. Perhaps I should check into it. I've read where their service and quality slaps Sam's upside the head big time. I must say that wouldn't take much though.

 

[sleddriver]

Perhaps your contrast (white level) setting is too high?