strange_one Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Just for the record, a friend of mine purchased this same set, has had it since September. It developed the same fault as yours and it was diagnosed at the mainboard and fixed on-site using a replacement spare part. Unfortunatley, it only lasted 3 weeks and the problem has risen again. Teac's policy is they don't regard their product to be a lemon( for a replacement) unless it fails with the same fault twice within a given time period. Here's hoping this crap LCD fails again after it is fixed the second time hopefully with the same fault! I'll ignore part of these comments but thanks for the info, the fact that it was fixed on-site gives me some hope. So your friend has had the same fault twice and they were willing to replace, or has he not had it fixed the second time yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsmith Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Just for the record, a friend of mine purchased this same set, has had it since September. It developed the same fault as yours and it was diagnosed at the mainboard and fixed on-site using a replacement spare part. Unfortunatley, it only lasted 3 weeks and the problem has risen again. Was this fixed by a TEAC tech or by a third party warranty provider ? Teac's policy is they don't regard their product to be a lemon( for a replacement) unless it fails with the same fault twice within a given time period. Here's hoping this crap LCD fails again after it is fixed the second time hopefully with the same fault! I had a similar experience with a TEAC CRT I purchased several years ago. I had the same component on the TV burn out three times resulting in a frame collapse. It was first repaired be an external repairer and then twice by TEAC. I was advised by TEAC that if this component failed again the unit would be replaced. As luck would have it, I changed the picture mode from mild to normal and the unit has been fine ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalhome Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Teac here in Adelaide use a third party company called TCS. They are the same people that were employed by Teac when they had an office in Adelaide. The replaced component needs to fail twice to consitute a lemon and a replacement set to be offered. The original part supplied with the TV from the factory is not included here. The replaced part must fail "twice", in other words, two service calls to fix the same component, and if that component fails again, a replacement or credit (organised with the supplier) will be forwarded to the owner. Hope that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 that makes more sense, cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_one Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 having no luck today I'm afraid after wasting too much time on the phone. Corporate HQ just keep putting me through to the National Customer Service call centre, no matter what I say or how I try to phrase it, they refuse to let me talk to anyone in corporate that might help me. It's a merry-go-round and I keep getting told to call the outsourced company who have been less than helpful so far. This is getting ridiculous. At the moment the best I have is a rough appointment time next week for an outsourced tech to come look at it. That's still a week away and I'm sure they'll just end up taking the TV for several weeks into their shop because they'll have no idea what this fault is. Why on earth can't Teac provide their own techs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsmith Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 At the moment the best I have is a rough appointment time next week for an outsourced tech to come look at it. That's still a week away and I'm sure they'll just end up taking the TV for several weeks into their shop because they'll have no idea what this fault is. Why on earth can't Teac provide their own techs? Whilst I have been fortunate enough to not had to have a lot of products repaired, my experience with PC warranties and more recently with a Sony r-series SXRD rear-pro is that warranty repair services were provided by a third party entity and not a tech from the manufacturer or retailer (in the case of the Sony SXRD it was actually a couple of service adjustments and not a repair as such). I suspect that TEAC may have been an exception to this and it appears now that they are too changing to third party repairers for warranty claims. In relation to the unit itself, the best thing to do is to be prepared when the tech arrives and deal with it one step at a time rather than concerning yourself with worst case scenerios. Dealing with service techs is a little bit like trying to negotiate a price with a sales person and any knowledge you can get about the issue at hand can prove very useful. Ddarby's info suggests that the fault is not unique to your unit. It's a bit of a long shot, but some web searching based on the info he has provided may yield further useful information. When the tech arrives the most important thing will be to get him to diagnose the fault and determine the replacement part (if any). Once this position has been reached, you will then be in a stronger position to negotiate the next step in the process with the tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray888 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 It seems that TEAC's warranty call has been contracted out for at least the past year. When I first had my plasma, there's the issue with the "shifting pixels" columns, which turned out to be a technique to reduce plasma burnt. At the time TEAC sent out their own technicians from 60 kms north of me and reassured me. Nice of them. This was around the time when TEAC Japan took over the Australian subsidiary. Then when the plasma started getting the "shimmering pixels" effect which got worse, I was sent to a local service agent. They somehow sent a series of faulty boards, which the service agent tried on their own plasma! So they requested that TEAC sent them new ones before coming in to fix mine in-home. Somehow or rather, TEAC mustn't have received this fax from the agent because I was waiting and waiting. Mind you, this was before X'mas. In the meantime I would ring the agent weekly to see whether the new boards has arrived. In the end, getting fed up, I rang TEAC 1300 number. But I never got through to them because the recorded message would put me on hold and then after a while, suggest I call back 'cos the line was still busy. They don't provide an option for them to return your call. Of course when I next rang, the same thing would happen again. Finally I rang their Tullamarine HQ, not toll free (but I've Engin, ha). The TEAC parts guy said he didn't receive any fax from the agent requesting the new boards. Later he fessed up and said he only received it that day. Then he said the new parts just arrived that same day. I was a bit angry by now and gave him a bit. What would you know, he sent the parts express that night (I rang him at 4pm). The next day, the agent came and replaced the faulty boards. The morale of the story is try and try again and then be very firm. Oh, sometimes the agent can be slack and you'll have to pursue matters on your own. Sometimes its better not to call their 1300 number. Apart from that, TEAC hasn't been that bad in their service so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_one Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I wouldn't say Teac's service has been bad, it's just this attitude that now seems to be there of 'it's out of our hands now you have to ask all your questions to the 3rd party guys no matter what it is'. It's not the wait in particular that worries me, it's the fact that this electrical fault will no doubt be repaired and but then the TV will still have that screen damage problem that was there since the day I bought it and hasn't gone away since. I'll just have to explain it to the 3rd party tech as best I can, they at least know about the damage, although nothing has been done about it yet. The problem is it is up to them to inform Teac that a replacement is needed before anything like that could be done. I've asked Teac why can't you just have one person from there with experience with these Identity models have a look at it and make a decision that way but they say no that's not how repairs work anymore. When the tech arrives the most important thing will be to get him to diagnose the fault and determine the replacement part (if any). Once this position has been reached, you will then be in a stronger position to negotiate the next step in the process with the tech. How far do these guys usually go with repairs on-site though? I keep thinking that the tech will turn up, hear that the buzzing is coming from somewhere internal and then say pack it up it's going to the shop for investigation. Or is that something they try to avoid if possible? Do they usually take the casing apart etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsmith Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 How far do these guys usually go with repairs on-site though? I keep thinking that the tech will turn up, hear that the buzzing is coming from somewhere internal and then say pack it up it's going to the shop for investigation. Or is that something they try to avoid if possible? Do they usually take the casing apart etc? For me it would be unacceptable if the tech turns up and upon hearing a buzzing noise wants to take the unit away without further investigation on site. My experience with the TEAC CRT and more recently with the Sony SXRD was that the techs removed panels on site to diagnose and repair any faults/make service adjustments. If he is able to diagnose the fault on site but does not have replacement part(s) or tools on hand to repair the unit, I would argue the case for having the tech return at a later date to repair the unit in home when he has the replacement part(s) he needs. This way you will know exactly when the unit will be fixed. If he takes the the unit away for repair, he has to make a second trip to your home to return it in any case. If the tech does have to take the unit away for repair, you can at least get some information from him about the nature of the fault, availability of replacement parts and when it will be repaired and returned if he has diagnosed the fault(s) on site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_one Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 as always dr thanks for your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_one Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 update from me - tech came this afternoon and believes the fault is more than likely the power supply. This was without using tools and just listening to the noise but he said he was fairly sure that's what it sounds like, although by taking it to the shop they're prepared in case it is something else. A part is going to have to be ordered nonetheless so he ended up taking the set with him as he wanted his supervisor to check out the sticker mark problem himself as well. I was a bit hesitant at first to let it be taken and not have a return visit but if I'm going to ever get anywhere with this sticker thing I guess I have no choice, plus it isn't like the TV is doing anything but sitting here at the moment unable to be used anyway. Glad I kept the original box and packaging so it is safely protected at least. Will hear more by the end of the week hopefully but for now it probably won't be until sometime next week that it'll be returned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I guess the problem with a replacement set, is that it is less billable hours an outside company can bill TEAC for, they'd probably be more inclined to try and fix it and get more $$$, it's for this reason push hard the unacceptable nature of the sticker mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_one Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 well that's true, the guy did seem concerned about it though and understood why I wasn't happy with it, but he made it clear it wasn't his call to make and that his supervisor would have to make a decision if a replacement was needed. He said they'll look at it when there's a picture on the screen (there wasn't at my place since I had unhooked the STB and also the TV wouldn't stay on long enough to see anything cos of the power supply), but if there isn't a significant burn-like mark with normal viewing or any sort of colour difference there might not be anything they can do. If they can't help I'll just have to keep pushing Teac for it. They should have been the ones to look at it and do something about it in the first place. Overall I was much happier with this tech guy than the first one the company sent. He didn't seem rushed and was happy to discuss it all with me and explain things as best he could. To be honest I think I might have had a longer wait if I had of told him to come back with the replacement part for on-site install, since then I'd have to make another booking and they're usually booked up a week in advance. Plus there would have been the calls just to make sure the part was ordered and/or in. Who knows though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_one Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 wrote that last post in a hurry so just wanted to add - the guy mentioned that there've been lots of customers of their's complaining about Teac customer service lately. Most of them are apparently plasma owners who've all had the same component fail and Teac are very much with the attitude 'deal with the 3rd party company only for repairs not us'. Regarding the sticker mark, he also told me that even if him and his boss thought it should be replaced it would probably still have to be inspected by someone at Teac in the end anyway, since they wouldn't let something like that through without checking it out themselves. That's what really annoys me. I don't think it is too much to ask to have one person look at it sometime. I even tried to make it easier by emailing pictures through to at least get some thoughts on the matter and I'm completely ignored. I was reading on the whirlpool forums last week a bloke who had his LG plasma break down and it was 1 month over his 1 year warranty. He called LG in the morning and someone came out and fixed it anyway free of charge later that same day. Stories like that make me think I've supported the wrong company by buying this panel Anyway here's hoping I don't have to be without the set for too long. Would they have to order the part from Teac themselves or do these repairers usually get common parts like power supplies from elsewhere? He told me 5 days would be the normal fix time but it will be 2-3 more if they need to order a part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_one Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 another update from me if anyone is still bothering to read about this saga! Called the repair company today to see if there was any news, I was expecting them to tell me a part was being ordered and they're waiting, but the lady told me it was all fixed and ready to go! So fixed 3 days after pick-up, not too bad really, I'm impressed. I have no idea if the part had to be ordered but she said it was the power supply that was buggered. I now just have to wait until they call and tell me when it can be delivered back since I can't pick it up with the vehicle I've got. Hopefully it'll be tomorrow but I guess it might have to wait until after the weekend. Good news though, I'm glad I'm going to be able to see at least a good majority of the Aussie Open on this set like I was looking forward to. Also got a call from Teac yesterday (first time they've ever actually called me, which was odd in itself) with a customer service guy telling me he was returning my call for a message I left over a week beforehand with someone. I thought I was just going to be put through the motions again of what they always tell me but this guy put me straight through to a tech to discuss the sticker mark. He informed me that he was well aware of this problem and that it was actually evident in alot of the first batch of this model made (this was a surprise too, first time someone at Teac knows what I'm talking about). He said wait 2 months and it should be gone. I replied I'd already waited that long and it was still there, he just said trust me be patient it will fade. I also described the shut-down symptoms to him and he agreed it sounded like a power supply but could also be the mainboard, he said that overall there haven't been many problems with the 4235A that have been sold, just a few that have had the power shutdowm problem like me. Can never know how true that is of course but he sounded honest about it. I've at least got a new contact there now that is a tech who I can call with any other queries in the future so that's good at least. Sounds for now like I'm not going to get anywhere with something getting done about the mark but at the moment I'll just be happy to have the thing back and working. Words can't express how much of a downer it has been going back to a 51cm these past couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoco2 Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 another update from me if anyone is still bothering to read about this saga! Good to hear that your saga so far has a happy end, let us know how the set is when you receive it back, whether it's all working fine again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimwdv Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I was playing around with the settings on my HTPC and TEAC 3735a yesterday, and managed to run it WIHTOUT overscan through HDMI - without having to have the firmware updated. However, it's only at 1360x768, so it's NOT 1:1 pixel mapping. But it's a lot sharper than any other settings I've found so far - including the overscanned 1920x1080 and 1360x768 via VGA. Some details: I've got an NVIDIA 6600 card, running Forceware 84.21. It's set in single display mode, LCD TV. Unfortunately, I was fiddling around and didn't record exactly what I did but as far as I can remember I was already in overscanned 1080p, and went into nView Display settings. Display mode is Single display, current display is LCD TV. I fiddled around with some settings in Device Settings, and in the overscan settings, and suddenly there it was. If anyone is interested, I'm happy to post more details - but don't know which ones are relevant. Would it be just the advanced timing, or is there something else, too? If anyone knows the relevant ones I'd love to hear it - I'd like to be able to duplicate this, LOL. Miriam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadley Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I bought the 3735A after reading this thread ($1899 from Truscotts on 36 months interest free, comes with 3yr standard warranty) and I am very pleased with it. I couldn't justify spending an extra $1.5-2K on a Sony or Samsung 40" and 37" is plenty for the way my lounge room is setup. My unit has no backlight bleeding and no dead pixels. PQ is unbelievable, especially through the xbox 360 hooked up via component running at 1080p. I also have it connected to my HTPC via VGA and find I get the best picture setting the resolution to 1360x768. I haven't got a DVI->HDMI cable as yet but ultimately I want to run the HTPC at 1920x1080 over HDMI (1:1 pixel map) so by the sounds of it I'll need to contact Teac to get a firmware update done. Unbelievable 1080p set for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 congrats on the purchase - hopefully you continue to enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5teve Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Guys to continue this thread... does anyone have a vcr connected up to this panel? im having some issues with macrovision protected videos.. (dont ask... we just have lots of videos so i was 'asked' to set it up...) im almost convinced its the reciever blocking the signal as im upconverting composite to component (for cabling simplicity)... however i want to check that it isnt the tv.. so... anyone with a vcr.. hooked up via svideo or composite.. having issues with (some) original tapes.. ie no signal or intermittent blanking Thanks Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5teve Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Guys to continue this thread...does anyone have a vcr connected up to this panel? im having some issues with macrovision protected videos.. (dont ask... we just have lots of videos so i was 'asked' to set it up...) im almost convinced its the reciever blocking the signal as im upconverting composite to component (for cabling simplicity)... however i want to check that it isnt the tv.. so... anyone with a vcr.. hooked up via svideo or composite.. having issues with (some) original tapes.. ie no signal or intermittent blanking Thanks Steve Hi again Guys... Switched this set on this morning... no sound from any source... just a clicking noise when i turn the volume up. any ideas? im board that deals with sound is dead... tally so far this week is one dud sub, 1 dud fridge and now a broken tv.. at least i guess thats the 3 things! Thanks in advance Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 No good nfi if my speakers work or not.. all my sound goes through my amp :S fingers crossed for a good result though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5teve Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 No good nfi if my speakers work or not.. all my sound goes through my amp :S fingers crossed for a good result though Thanks well i have the amp... but until i get a decent remote the fiancees sister can only operate the TV! so she watches it without the amp... luckily i have phoned Teac and they are sending someone out on wednesday to fix it and do a firmware upgrade. have to say i was expecting them to ask me to drag it back.. but no.. i didnt even have to ask.. it was just a 'no problem sir we'll send someone round to look at it!' i dont mind things going wrong.. its the backup service that worries me.. and in this case.. hopefully will be ok. I'll let you know what it was... Thanks Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5teve Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Thanks well i have the amp... but until i get a decent remote the fiancees sister can only operate the TV! so she watches it without the amp... luckily i have phoned Teac and they are sending someone out on wednesday to fix it and do a firmware upgrade. have to say i was expecting them to ask me to drag it back.. but no.. i didnt even have to ask.. it was just a 'no problem sir we'll send someone round to look at it!' i dont mind things going wrong.. its the backup service that worries me.. and in this case.. hopefully will be ok. I'll let you know what it was... Thanks Steve Bit more of an update.. the headphones socket still works so im guessing it must be the amp or the amp input rather than the tuner being hosed.. helps a bit i guess. i now have a strange buzz too just while i change sources... hopefully it will be fixed on site on wednesday! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Did the service centre give you any indication of recognition of the problem, or just give the usual (for any centre) "wow, thats a new one"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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