Disposable TVs: Vizio Tells Owners Their Sets Are Un-repairable
Greg Tarr,
September 22, 2012
6 min read
Check Out Our Article: Do Vizio Disposable HDTV Sellers Have Your Back?
Updated
Vizio, America’s second best selling LCD TV brand, is now telling some broken set owners that their televisions cannot be repaired. If the set is past the 12 month factory warranty, Vizio advises owners to buy from them a replacement set !
HD Guru came across Jeff Bartran’s letter to Vizio CEO and founder William Wang complaining that the company’s service department had deemed “un-repairable” his 13.5 month old, high end $1868 Vizio 55-inch 
HD Guru investigated to determine if Bertran’s experience was unique. It didn’t take long to find eight additional cases of “un-repairable” out-of-warranty Vizios posted in the last thirteen months alone on the consumer complaint website consumeraffairs.com.
The un-repairable defects included black screens, dark spots and red and green lines. Vizio replaced defective in-warranty sets with refurbished units, which a number of owners complained also failed soon after the warranty period.
Vizio’s Florida customer service center confirmed in a phone call that defective set owners are indeed told that their TVs are un-repairable when the failure turns out to be the backlight unit (BLU), which is the light source within all LED and LCD flat panels. Mr. Bertran told HD Guru that according to Vizio, his set’s problem was, indeed, backlight failure. He also stated Vizio offered him a replacement at a discount , however at a price higher than he could get from Vizio’s etailers offering the same model.
Should an under one year old set be deemed un-repairable, Vizio’s warranty policy is to replace it (at their option) with a used, refurbished set they call “Recertified.” An out-of-warranty set becomes an expensive doorstop.
HD Guru contacted Vizio’s media relations company for a comment along with a request for a list of “un-repairable” models and the problems that would cause them to be so labeled but no response was forthcoming.
Best Selling Soundbars and 5.1 Surround Systems
What Do Other Companies Do
HD Guru asked other set makers about their “un-repairable” models, if any.
Panasonic responded:
“First of all, we do not currently have any OW (out of warranty) PDP (plasma) or LCD TV models where our standard response is to tell the customer that the unit is unrepairable and can’t be fixed. Our policy and practice is to fix customer units to keep them in the home and in the brand.
Having said that, we do occasionally work with OW customers where their defective OW unit might require extensive parts replacements that cause the unit to be uneconomical to repair. These cases are not common, but when we do run across them, we typically will offer the customer an option of buying a new set at a discounted price….in addition, we do occasionally run across a unit that just won’t stay fixed or stumps our technical people as to the cause of the defect….this is not a common occurrence, but when that happens, we will offer to replace the unit at a discounted price…..our goal here is always to keep the customer in the Panasonic brand.”
Samsung customer service said their TVs are repairable in or out of warranty including failure of the backlight.
A Best Buy spokesperson’s comments regarding out of warranty service for its Insignia house brand HDTVs:
“There is no minimum timeframe to how long Geek Squad will provide repair service. Customers who bring in their products outside the warranty period will be assessed a repair cost based on the severity of the issue and the product parts that are available. As with any consumer electronic product, as technology advances, parts are sometimes phased out and when unavailable, can affect our ability to make repairs on older models.”
What to Do
Check out our other “Disposable TV” article. Before purchasing a Vizio or a non-name brand TV, consider a set from company that actually builds them. Vizio and off-brands purchase their sets from assemblers, while name brand companies like Samsung, Panasonic, and LG have invested billions of dollars in panel and component manufacturing plants. They want to keep your business and so maintain extensive nationwide parts and service networks.
Also check out our extended warranty article to learn which credit cards offer free double the manufacturer’s warranty when you use the card to make the purchase.
Update-Vizio Responds
As mentioned above, we asked Vizio media relations (early Wed.) to explain why its HDTVs are un-repairable when a backlight fails and for an explanation as to what Vizio defines as a defect that is un-repairable. In addition, as an aid to our readers we asked for a list of Vizio models and the associated defects that make the sets un-repairable.
Late Thursday night, after this article was published, Vizio responded . The spokesperson did not honor our request for an explanation as to why Vizio calls a bad backlight(s) un-repairable (other companies repair sets with the same defect) nor did they provide us with the list of un-repairable Vizio TV models and their associated defects we requested. Instead they made a response regarding defective panels, although we never inquired about panel defects. Below is Vizio’s response verbatim.
Corrected and updated 9/23
“Panel defects are extremely rare with VIZIO televisions. In cases where a panel defect does arise, VIZIO’s policy is to replace the unit as opposed to sourcing, shipping and installing a replacement panel because it is considered “beyond economical repair” (BER). Panels can be replaced, but it is economically impractical because the cost of a new unit is comparable and comes with a full manufactures warranty. VIZIO is addressing it’s customer service response to ensure there are no further misunderstandings.”
Vizio’s Recently Received Secondary Response -Updated 10/2
“At VIZIO, customer satisfaction is paramount. Our customer service personnel are instructed to provide consumers with all of their options. VIZIO honors all in-warranty repairs either by replacing parts, or by replacing the unit. Consumers with out-of-warranty units always have the option to replace parts and repair – their decision comes down to cost. When the cost to repair a unit nearly meets, or exceeds the cost of a new unit, Vizio counsels the consumer that it is deemed Beyond Economical Repair. The final decision to repair or replace is at the consumer’s discretion. This extends to panels, backlights or any other component of any VIZIO unit.
The above article has been updated.
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122 Comments
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I have a 42″ vizio bought in 2007. This TV has been moved from VA to OR to ID and finally now in TX. Been used with cable and satellite, wii, xbox and numerous dvd players. And recently with a RCA wifi streaming box, figured tv still works fine spend $30 (black friday) for a $50 wifi box for my netflix cause I had gotten rid of the wii. (hence no internet to tv) All in that week I only added the RCA box, moved the tv from one side of living room to the other, and used a longer coax cable from outlet to cable box, (25ft.) One morning same week I turn tv on and its flickering. Theres several modes on the remote depending on what you want to use with the tv. I have my cable on component 1 nothing on component 2 nothing on HDMI 1 or 2 and on AV 1 is my dvd player AV 2 is the game console (old school xbox) and on TV mode, nothing, shows cable ch 1 or 3 at top of screen when in that mode but the cable is not set to the TV compenent. *??? hubby and or cable company set that one up. LOL
OK. so on TV mode, the TV was not flickering, only on the other modes/components so I would let the TV warm up so to say and after approx 5 minutes i could switch it to component aka cable and watch tv.
Just this past week, (many months of not confronting the issue myself) It started flickering while watching tv and flickering on all component settings.
SO I googled it came up with a youtube vid that said flickering vizio easy fix and was a looped video of person going into menu/picture/down to backlight. going down to zero and back up to 100. couldn’t tell if they were just cycling and leaving it at zero or 100. so i checked mine it was set at 90 so i put it to 100. Immediately stopped flickering. Turned TV off and on waited waited, no flickering. So I took it down to zero and bam within minutes it started flickering while watching TV .
I don’t know how long this setting is going to keep my tv from flickering.
I have googled this issue but not found anyone going into exact detail about the flickering and most people have lost sound I haven’t.
Also, I have seen several videos of people ‘fixing the flicker a number of ways
backlight inverter board,
power supply board
power supply (cable?)
Cable inside tv going from one board to another
or
capacitors
each one of those had done the trick.
obviously I am no repairman and know that those parts do add up if i were to try each one till the prob is fixed.
So wondering if anyone else has had the exact same issue i have and what if anything fixed it?
LOL ugh
I bought a Vizio xvt423sv appr 3 years ago and have been extremely happy with it until two days ago when I accidently bumped into it and knocked it over breaking the screen. I have been a computerelectronics techengineer for over 25 years and have replaced dozens of lcd panels in laptops and tv’sand have never had any trouble sourcing a replacement. I have spent hrs over the last two days, on the internet trying to locate a replacement screen. I have never run into this experience before where there are no outlets for the panels. I can’t find one anywhere. Is there a cross reference screen that will work in this model that anyone knows about. Everything works, sound, input changes, channel changes, I can even see a partial picture on some parts of the screen so I know if I can find a panel it’s all i’ll need. Any suggestions?
Repairing these sets is paying off my student loans. I replace backlight panels all the time. The LCD can be removed from the panel but it’s delicate work. I’m sure anyone that actually does tv repair will agree these sets are far from unrepairable.
hi. do u have access to schematics or repair manuals for any recent models, last year or 2?
No schematics or manuals. I do everything on my own. I’m able to fix no power freeze problems on most of the E series.
We have had our vizio 42 inch lcd for about 6 yrs and never had a problem til recently the picture flashes like a strobe light it just disheartens me we paid over 1200.00 and you can buy one now for 499.00
I was looking and didn’t see anyone post about my problem so maybe someone can help. I have a 55 in lcd vizio. I bought it about a year and half ago. One day I turned it on and it flashes rapidly for about 20 to 30 seconds then the screen shuts off but the white vizio at the bottom of set is still on until I actually turn the tv off. You can almost hear a quiet little hum sound as its flashing. Any idea what this is?
Yes I was hooking up a dvd player to a 32 inch
visio and you get picture but no color. Can you
tell me what the problem is. THANK YOU.
i have a VW32L VIZIO TV IT DOES NOT TURN ON PIN I ON J1 HS NO 5VOLT I AM LOOKING FOR THE SCHEMATIC OF THE MAIN BOARD 3632-0622-0395 OR THE MAIN BOARD CAN ANY BODY HELP ME ON THAT OR HAS A SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM
My visio 32inch model# E320AR. Is 5 months old. This morning the picture just died. In waiting for 11am to come because the customers service is only open from 11-6pm. Its still under warranty. I can’t find my receipt so im fearful they will not honor it. I cannot afford to spend a time on this tv, and i don’t think i should have to. Im sick of corporations making million off the backs of hard working people. Wish me luck with customer service!
Many retailers can look up your purchase in the store computer and reprint a receipt. Contact the retailer and try to get a copy of your receipt.
Vizio can determine the date of manufacture by the serial number, so they will know if the TV was made less than a year ago.
If you can’t get the receipt and Vizio requires it for warranty repair, we found a website called SalesReceiptStore.com. It is an online store to help anyone who needs replica store receipts. We have no experience with this company, just passing along the information.
HD Guru
i purchased a black friday vizio 50″ plasma at walmart 5 years ago, and its still working very well and is used often. a few times i had to contact vizio support they were very communicative and efficient…
i am “in the market” for Vizio (or Amtran) service manuals (repair manuals with schematics or diagrams) for current models, of many sizes. They do not seem available anywhere, not eve for purchase, which I am willing to do. If anyone has any or a source or will allow me to buy (CD or pdf preferred but paper is OK) or copy, please contact me asap thank u – jkorobow ***at(((( comcast dottttt net
I purchased a 46 inch tv VIZIO E 55 OVL it’s two years old has broken main board is bad i can not find a board to repair it I don’t remember what the warranty was on them can you help me out thank you
Its one year P&L, unless you bought it at Costco which gives a 2 year warranty on all TVs. If you paid by American Express or MasterCard you get one more year through the credit card company. Have you tried contacting Vizio? It has set up some independent parts distributors.
HD Guru
I have a Vizio P50 HDM that I bought when it first came out (aprox 6yrs ago) and about 2 years ago it messed up-red lines in the middle of the screen. I travel a lot for work and this tv is not used that much. So I called the manufacturer and they laugh at me saying “why am I wasting their time calling them knowing it’s out of warranty”. I guess every customer service is different, the good ones (name brands) would not laugh at their previous customer when they have concerns pertaining to any of their products, (Panasonic have the best customer service-by far-I trust them). So, consumer beware- VIZIO are cheap-yes-thats why they “WILL” not last long…cheaply made- from a sweat shop!! Very disapointed and I tell my friends in the market for HDTV to stay away from it…
Have Vizio VP50 which I have told is a cold start problem. Manuf date is March 2007 so, of course it is out warranty. The video started coming on slow about 2 years old. A few seconds at first and gradually longer. Now it 8-10 min to get full clear video. I been told Vizio knows the problem. They recommended the service number. They wanted $130 to come to house for diagnostic and then parts and labor for what they think will fix it. Or I can take it to Boca for $40 diagnostic. I want some certainty of what is the problem. I don’t want to throw money at attempted fixes.
Vizio SUCKS…. 47 in 3D LED blew after 13 months. Vizio wants more to fix then we paid. Why isn’t the Better Business Bureau investigating them? The Internet is loaded with their TVs blowing. A TV should last longer than one, two, three….plus years.
My husband and I turned on our Vizio last night and had 2 lines going across the screen and one going vertically along with ghosting on the screen, we called the vizio number and they said that we could either have a technician come out and fix it but to replace the screen would cost $1300, we paid half that for the tv. We might as well go out and buy a new tv for $1300. Our warranty expired in July, it’s only October. This is ridiculous!!
We concur, you should expect any HDTV to last far longer. In case you missed it in the article above, if you purchased your Vizio using a American Express Card or Mastercard you have a free one-year extended warranty via the credit card company .
HD Guru
Watch out for Sony too. My 3yr 10mn old 52″ XBR6 needs a $73 part that isn’t available. For $2600, the TV is now a doorstop until I hear back from Sony. When the TV repairman diagnosed the problem, he said the total repairs would cost mid $300. He called back later that day and said no part was available. There ought to be law.
We are aware of a California state law (covering its residents) requiring TV parts supply for seven years from date of manufacture. Check with you state or local consumer affairs department for information.
HD Guru
My 13 month old, $1200 Vizio 3D TV, 47″ died supposedly due to a bad main board. Vizio did put me in touch with a repair service that offers a fixed-fee $300 repair, which replaces any components except for the screen itself. While Vizio is clearly in the right here – my set is indeed out of warranty. But it’s just not worth the hassle of scheduling a repair guy, being without your TV, and all the other inconvenience for any supposed savings you get from buying this brand. Next time I will pay extra for a Samsung or other reputable brand that makes their own equipment and knows how to engineer it to last longer than warranty plus a month or two.
Vizio sucks BIG TIME !!!!!! I own a 13 month old 42 inch Visio and the mother board burnt out . Vizio said they can’t do anything for me because it is out of warranty . Way to stand behind your product . U guys blow and I will NEVER buy another product from u again. I will advise everyone I know to do the same.
I originally bought the 55 inch Vizio from Costco. Costco extends the warranty and prices it right. About a year and 3/4 later, the green problem shows up. Costco does a 3 way phone call and Vizio responds very well. Repalces the whole mother board. 3 months later, some green is coming back. I called Vizio direct, they spent quality time on the phone with me testing and inquiry. They are swapping out my unit for a refurbished model. Look, Vizio is doing what they are supposed to be doing. I dont like problems with anything, but lets keep life realistic. Go with Costco and Vizio…so far,so good…thank you
All products made in China are not built to last! I have not one but two samsung POS. I also have a Haier POS. All of them have the same problem, They were made in China with a jacked up sense of business morals. When we are finally tires of throwing are hard earned money in the toilet, maybe we will build something here in the usa. You think!!!!!!!!!!
Bought a Vizio in Dec of 09, two and a half years later I have a white line running from the bottom of the tv up 2/3 of the tv. When I contacted customer support they told me that my tv is out of warranty and it would cost more to replace the panel than to buy a new TV. Wow Vizio way to stand behind your product I will never buy a Vizio again.
I have the exact problem an $1800 piece of s–t
Vizio has no customer service. Complete run around. Don’t buy any of these wall bricks. You wont be happy you wont get service and the only thing Vizio is good at is the run around. Buy at your own risk. Or buy a SHARP
I too have a defective Vizio. I have had multiple problems from when I purchased it 13 months ago. It would turn on and off several times a day and it took aprox 10 months for Vizio to create an firmware update to correct the problem. Then on month 13 the panel goes out on the tv. Yes, one month out of warranty. Vizio would not honor the warranty and it would be to costly to repair. I could purchase another tv from their warehouse at a discount. After multiple conversations with Vizio and complaint to the Better Business Bureau Vizio will not take responsibility even will the hundreds and possible thousands of complaints. Take my advise DO NOT BUY A VIZIO!
If you purchased the TV using an American Express card, Mastercard or a Signature Visa car you have a one year extended warranty via the card company. For more information go to our article
http://hdgurucom.wpengine.com/what-retailers-dont-want-you-to-know-about-hdt-extended-warranties/5126/
Good luck
HD Guru
I just got off the phone w/ vizio. my set was purchased december 2010.
A 55″ VF552XVT.
The Remote quit on me….and for a set this expensive, thats unacceptable, as it was well cared for.
Heres the deal all you victims…CONTROL THE CONVERSATION WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE!!
AND FOR GODSAKE DO NOT LET THEM OFF THE PHONE!
The first girl I spoke with told me my set was out of warranty and blah blah blah. I politely asked her to stop speaking…they are trained to throw as much BS at you as possible and get you off the phone. And unbelievably…most people listen to this garbage and accept it. I had to cut her off as she kept trying to tell me about policies and warrantys etc.
I asked politely for someone with the authority to make decisions.
I was transfered to the next level, and BAM before I could say a word this guy was talking a mile a minute. He saw the set was purchased 12/10 and started into the warranty business.
I asked him to stop talking.
I said to him, you mean to tell me a large corporation like vizio was gonna stick me with a bum remote after I spent 2g’s on their product???
Off he went again talking a mile a minute about policy BS.
I asked him to stop speaking and listen. I told him I’d be happy to send back the broken remote so they could see it wasn’t abused to which he replied that if I sent him pictures of the remote he would look at them…and then tried to talk me off the phone.
I said no…we’ll take care of it now, I have an iPhone and lets just take care of it. The pics were sent…received, and I was told in appreciation for working with them…they would send me out a free remote.
These folks are trained to confuse the hell out of you with their fast talk and talking over you. You are the customer…do not let them off the phone until you get what you want! No matter what. You hang that phone up forget it.TAKE CONTROL!
I bought a 50′ flat screen Vizio in January of 2010. I was very pleased with it until 2/10 /2012 I got the black screen. Thanks for all the information. I wish I had checked this site out before I bought it. I thought a TV was supposed to last more than 2 years but apparently I am mistaken … I am going to think twice about paying a lot to repair the POS. I have a very tecky friend that may like to experiment on my $900.oo guinea pig .
You just got a great deal on a new LED/LCD large screen TV – now go spend the money you saved on an extended warranty. You will end up with a great TV covered by an extended warranty for 4 / 5 years. I did that and when my plasma’s main board fried, I got a new TV as a replacement.
I will say that the main board going out on my Vizio was my fault. A power surge went though the main board and fried it. It also fried my HDMI port to my PS3. That really sucked. Sony at least fixed my PS3 for 120 out of warranty.
I think if you just really look at the problem try buying some parts used from EBay for your TV you can fix it yourself “Maybe” without too much hassle. Besides if it’s out of warranty and the company won’t help you. Better to try and fix it yourself for around $300, than pay the outrages prices TV repair people want to charge you. Might as well buy a new TV.
Vizio did referee me to a TV repair man, which is their customer service. They will give you a number to one of their certified repair people in your area. So I fell for it and was charged the $80 dollars for him just to look at it. So he wanted to charge me $599 for the repair when the same TV new was $699. Not worth it!! So I spent $200 dollars to fix it on my own. $80 less if I didn’t let the repair man look at it. So $120 off of eBay!!
Once I opened the TV up it was easy to replace any main boards are the power box. If you have any computer repair knowledge you can do this yourself. I would recommend a nerdy friend if you have no knowledge. Just buy as much as you’re comfortable with in terms of stuff you can repair yourself. If the problem is fixed great, if not well you can always keep trying until it just becomes not worth the repair cost. I personally wouldn’t have gone past the main board or power, I would have spent around $200 (not including the $80 dollars) if I had to buy new power box. That to me would be worth spending to repair my TV.
I bought a 42in VIZIO and the main board went out. I took it to a repair person that charged me 80 dollars to look at it. I found out what was wrong and wouldn’t pay the 500 dollars he wanted me to spend to fix it. I went on E-bay found the main board for 120 dollars “Used”. Took apart my TV and to my surprise it looked just like a normal computer. So I took off the main board and reconnected the new (Used) one in and now I have my TV working like new again. Very easy fix cost me only the price of the board and the 80 to get it looked at.
Yeah Vizio has poor customer service. I did buy a new 47in Vizio, because I do think their TV’s have gotten a lot better with time. I have had mine for 2 years now without a problem. Plus the one I repaired. I got two now! No problems at all. I did buy my new Vizio from Dell and got the 5 year Dell full retard proof warranty! So I got 3 years of worry free viewing. If it goes out after 5 years of viewing aww well.
I purchased a Vizio XVT553SV in December 2010 and cringe whenever I turn it on and hear the static crackle and cause noise on the screen for the first 30-60 seconds. It’s partially my own fault, in that like most people I wanted the largest screen with the most features at the lowest price — which left me looking at the Vizio and other “bargain brands.” Should have gone with Sony like I have the past 30 years, but then I’d have a 32″ screen, but which would be repairable. Fact is, if you want reliability and top-rated customer service, you need to pay a higher price. The bargain sets are basically throw-away items if they break after the warranty expires.
We hope you call Vizio asap to get the problem fixed under warranty (or the set replaced by Vizio) before the one year warranty expires next month. Readers report if you are one day past a year you will be out of luck.
HD Guru
Shane doesn’t know a thing about my business, training, experience and certifications. It is true that I will probably never use my time to replace individual CCFL bulbs in a panel unless it’s my own. However, since I have added onsite HDTV repair as part of my technology business, I have received training, certifications, and experience in trouble-shooting components’ voltages/signal paths in different types and also specific models of HDTV’s from several manufacturers.
90% (my estimate) of problems people encounter with their TV’s can be diagnosed over the phone along with pictures and can be repaired in one reasonably-priced visit.
It’s not rocket science.
If I can order one or two suspect boards and charge the customer for the needed board add my onsite rate, then return the unused board, get a credit for the defective core, everyone wins. My customers know I’m looking out for their best interests and in return, I’m their go-to guy for their other technology issues. I also get referred and it’s working very well.
Time is money – multiple visits and taking a set off-site means more money and trouble for someone. Go at it the other way if you will – a TV repairman like Shane with overhead needs to repair TV’s. I don’t. But I do prefer to do the right thing. In the case of HDTV’s, I advise intelligently based on my customers’ potential repair cost and the feasibility of repairing yesterday’s HDTV vs the purchase of a new one with modern features and a better picture.
If my area had a TV repair shop like Shane’s I would definitely refer them to him for panel repair estimates as another option for them.
changing bulbs in ccfl lcd tvs is very accomplishable.
changing the LEDs is doable as well.
Inverters/Balancers should be a replaceable part and DO NOT require disassembly of the panel in any form.
the difficulty is just procuring the correct parts, but is still VERY doable. I agree, it might be a good idea to bring it back to the shop, but only because of the need to disassemble the tv more than just taking the back off, which is what Steve is trained to do only. He doesn’t troubleshoot the tv, just changes the parts.
Steve says the HD guru should leave tech talk to techs, when he is just a glorified board changer.
Support your local TV SHOP not your glorified board swapper.
“Instead they made a response regarding defective panels, although we never inquired about panel defects. Below is Vizio’s response verbatim.â€Â
… Author doesn’t know anything about TVs. The representative’s response was correct. The back light is a part of the panel and they do not do part replacement on panels. None of the major TV manufacturers do. Any of them in this case would replace the entire panel.
Right . That’s why companies sell replacement lamps for LCD TVs. For example http://www.ccflwarehouse.com/ . You must be shocked they are in business selling parts you claim don’t exist. I guess they don’t know anything about TVs either. LEDs sometimes require replacement of the back light unit, which is NOT part of the LCD panel, according to manufacturers we spoke with in preparation for this article.
HD Guru
—————————————
HD “Guru”? Right.
You linked to a site that sells CCFL tubes. TUBES. That type of repair absolutely must be done in a controlled facility and NOT in an end user’s home. Panel replacement is possible on location but even that isn’t recommended.
If you knew more about the technology you write about, you wouldn’t have gotten your underwear in a bunch to begin with. You may want to get a few certifications under your belt.
CCFL tubes. heh
Stick to criticizing PQ and leave the tech stuff to techs.
I purchased a Visio 32 plazma 3 years ago, with no issues,yet. So I purchased a 42 lcd 13 months ago for my girlfriend, at 12 months 2 weeks it would turn on for 5 seconds and shut off. Called Visio, they said sorry warranty is up it will cost $489 to reset the picture if they sent a repairman out to see it. (I just about threw it out the window!) I called around, found a tv repairman, he quoted $300 but to my surprise, charged me $98 for labor and parts. Advice, Visio customer service needs help! Shop around for service. I was shopping for a 55in Visio but they just lost a sale. I will not be purchasing a Visio or recommending thier product.
I took a look at a failing Vizio TV for an old co-worker. Turned out to be failed capacitors on the inverter board. I think it cost maybe $15 to buy three replacements via ebay. A little soldering work, and it was as good as new. Worst case, I found replacement boards on ebay as well for a few more $$.
Just leaves me wondering how many such nice, large TV’s have ended up in the landfill due to failure of a few very inexpensive parts that should have been engineered to last longer…
Hey!Disgruntled Vizio owners.Vizio is acting like the low budget,crap company they are.YOU got what you paid for,a low budget bargain basement flat screen TV! It’s all about what’s in the box not how pretty the wrapping paper is!
I was wondering when the bloom was going to come off the Vizio Rose. I purchased one of the first Plasmas available to the general market,a Hitachi 42″ model.By todays standards, I paid an outrageous price…$6,495! But that was the going price for a Plasma display when I bought it.In 3 months I will celebrate my 10th (TENTH!) year of flawless,problem free performance.I estimate the set has 18,000 + hrs on it.The set has a plasma display engineered by Fujitsu.Apparently they don’t make them like this anymore!
I had made a mistake like this with my HDTV (not a visio). I bought mine from Video Only and it was a floor model so they took a hundred bucks off and sold it to me no warranty. About a year later, Something happened to the motherboard so the TV option no longer worked. Long story short. I paid half the price of the entire tv to get it repaired.
Make SURE you get the best extra warranty you can get. You won’t regret it!
I service LCD panels and Visio is full of crap. The side lit LED’s are one of the easiest to repair. You literally have to slide out a strip of $10 LED’s and slide in and new one and plug it in. Thats all. Since they buy their TV components from the cheapest dealers, once they have enough parts to make a build of TV’s they buy enough for a production run and don’t want to deal with storing spare parts. Whereas larger manufacturers use standardized parts it is easy for then to stock spares that work on multiple models. So don’t buy TV’s from scrap dealers like Visio.
If your set, or anything else for that matter, breaks just after the warranty expires, try your credit card. Many, like American Express, have an “Extended Warranty” program that will double the manufacturer’s warranty, up to one year.
This information is covered extensively in our “extended warranty” article that is linked under “What To Do” above
HD Guru
Kyle K,
Why would Panasonic need to mention “LED” TV’s???
They mentioned LCD’s. That INCLUDES LED backlit TV’s. Because LED backlit TV are also just LCD’s too.
Changing the backlight of an LCD from CCFL to LED does not make a new product line. It’s still an LCD.
Vizio gets what it deserves. It is America’s #1 economical brand of display thanks to partnering bids with Walmart, Sams and similar outfits.. and Vizio’s warehouse stock and margins are so tight it is outside their own budget to go “the extra mile” for the customer and would rather draw the line in front of the customer.
For a company to respond to a customer the way they have is beyond bad customer service. I would welcome the opportunity to test one of these models and see how long it lasts in a demanding envirnoment at TechwareLabs. Needless to say Vizio has made my personal “Do not buy” list.
I dont understand why people get bent out of shape about things being out of warranty. I dont know where these people are buying their tvs and letting them go out of warranty but I have had several manufactured tvs from samsung to my current vizio and everytime I but one I get asked a real simple question. Do you want to buy an extended warranty so that you are covered after the manufacturer’s warranty?? Yeah it may be an expensive option up front but I tell you what 2 or 3 years down the road you wont have to worry about repair costs. As far as Vizio goes it is the best non major brand tv I have owned and see no problem with them. Every major manufacturer has had some kind of negative press from cars down to tvs but yet people still buy. Its a matter of economics and personal prefernce!!! Vizio has been around for quite awhile now and are sold by lots of retailers and nobody has complained enough that nobody has stopped selling them!!!
This is specifically about their LED Backlit TVs, which is correct in that, depending on the method used, is integrated into the panel. For instance, if it’s side lit, the LED array is embedded around the outside edge of the panel. And as Vizio is one of the cheapest brands out their selling at near cost, I could see that their is no room for repair. This would make their statement about it being “BER” absolutely true.
Now take Panasonic’s carefully crafted response. ““First of all, we do not currently have any OW (out of warranty) PDP (plasma) or LCD TV models where our standard response is to tell the customer that the unit is unrepairable and can’t be fixed.” Notice LED backlit LCDs were not mentioned here.
Take this with a grain of salt people. It IS standard practice, and Vizio is doing nothing wrong here.
Chris, tell us how you like working for Vizio… I have had pretty much all name brand Tvs in my house at one time or another. Most recently had my DLP go out, 200 dollars and a light engine later, good as new… Also had my backlight go out on my 47in LED one that cost all of 133 dollars in parts and about an hour of my time to replace it. I cannot put faith in a company that says get a new car when its the fuel pump that needs to be replaced.
“Instead they made a response regarding defective panels, although we never inquired about panel defects. Below is Vizio’s response verbatim.”
… Author doesn’t know anything about TVs. The representative’s response was correct. The back light is a part of the panel and they do not do part replacement on panels. None of the major TV manufacturers do. Any of them in this case would replace the entire panel.
Right . That’s why companies sell replacement lamps for LCD TVs. For example http://www.ccflwarehouse.com/ . You must be shocked they are in business selling parts you claim don’t exist. I guess they don’t know anything about TVs either. LEDs sometimes require replacement of the back light unit, which is NOT part of the LCD panel, according to manufacturers we spoke with in preparation for this article.
HD Guru
A few months ago my brother gave me his three year old Samsung, on which the picture would just disappear after some time of viewing. A little searching revealed this to be an extremely well known and widespread problem, and that a simple board–maybe the backlight unit?–was the culprit. I found plenty of instruction on replacing that board, including videos. I took the set apart, checked the board number, searched for a replacement, and $75 and a few days later had a new board in my hands. Ten minutes later, the TV was completely fixed.
Interestingly enough, the component dealer I used had this listed as being for both Samsung and Westinghouse. Fascinating! Westinghouse is a disposable brand, yet it and Samsung use the same parts!
I was going to get a Vizio when I upgraded but, now I probably won’t. Thanks for the heads up.
I have several Vizio tv’s, most of which work fine, but had trouble with one, and was out of warranty. Vizio did not tell me the tv was unrepairable, but stated they could not repair it due to it being out of warranty. They directed me to two national repair companies they work closely with and were a great help getting me taken care of even outside of warranty. Can’t expect them to fix it outside of that period, but they still helped me out a lot. Thanks VIZIO and keep up the good work!!!