Hitachi 57T500 TV Purchase and Extended Warranty Woes

Purchased from Rex Store in my home area.

My husband and I purchased a HDTV- Hitachi --Model 57T500 on JANURARY

04-2005 from the Rex Electronics store in our area. We had researched

this type of TV and had gotten excellent reviews for the Hitachi as

being one of the very best, plus the Hitachi company seemed to be stable

and honest, or so we were told my the salesman and manager of the Rex

store who sold us the TV. We paid about $2300.00 or estimated closely to

that amount for the Hitachi TV and we also bought the exteneded warranty

so we would have 2 years warranty instead of the 1 year given by the

Hitachi company. We purchased this extended warranty at the suggestion

of the Rex store manager, who told us REX would certainly stand behind

this warranty if and when the Hitachi TV we purchased from them ever

needed servicing or repair at any time the warranty was in effect. (What

a lie that was and what a liar the Rex store manager and salesman were

and still are. We were scammed into purchasing this warranty so that

evidently Rex could pocket the extra money.

The salesman who talked with us and the REX store manager also, never

told us any fine details about the TV we were purchasing from them. They

don't tell you the pros and cons of owing a widescreen TV...they do NOT

tell you the risk of having them go whacky and they do NOT...I repeat

they do NOT tell you about ghosting or screen burn-in or whatever it is

called or that you CANNOT WATCH A CHANNEL ON YOUR TV for 30 minutes to

an hour before you get what Hitachi and REX call screen-burn-in from a

channel logo or any type of bright object on the screen. They do NOT

tell you that playing video games can wreck your TV, but they do LIE and

LIE and LIE and LIE,to the consumers, about what an excellent TV you are

purchasing at mega dollars (which you are paying) and how you are going

to love the TV. They do NOT tell you that you CANNOT WATCH a basketball

or baseball or a tennis match or watch the news, or any channel for an

hour or so each day or evening or it wrecks your TV screen. NO..they

leave the consumer ignorant of the risks and downfalls of these big

expensive HDTV'S.

My husband and I started having a problem with our 57T500 ($2500.00) TV

when it was just a few weeks over a year old and the *REX EXTENEDED

WARRANTY* is still in effect. In fact, the warranty will be good for

another year. The TV has started showing up different shadows on the

screen from a previous channel you had watched the day or evening before

and at times, you can see a faint logo image or I guess that is what is

is ..I am not sure as I am not well versed in TV lingo and I am not a

technican.Even using the Volume button to turn the volume up or to lower

the volume would leave faint shadows where it had been on the screen,

and lines have started to show up in the middle of the screen also, much

of just lines, and just very ugly and annoying when trying to watch a TV

program.

We called Hitachi, and they told us they would take care of it, but they

did request that the REX store should call them and they would instruct

the REX store to setup a day and time to have a certified Hitachi

technican to come out to our home to troubleshoot the TV and take it

into the shop for repairs if that was needed. I was told by a Hitachi

customer that since the TV was barely a year old, and it was not played

during the day, since both my husband and I work, that those annoying

things should not be happening to our Hitachi TV. We were glad that the

Hitachi corperation seemed so easy to work with and that they showed an

interest in us as one of their cosumer products customers. My husband

proceeded to call the REX store and he was told that they were faxing a

work order to the Hitachi service center which is 30 miles away to come

up to evaluate and repair our TV if needed and my husband, was told by

PRESTON, (name of the REX store manager) that if the problems with the

TV could not be repaired then the REX store would REPLACE IT WITH ONE OF

EQUAL VALUE. (Another damn lie from the REX manager)

The service center did call the next morning and say that they had a

work order to pick up our TV and take it into their shop and that they

were sure it would be repairable but they would need to keep it for 2

weeks and make the repairs and then bring it back, reset it up and be

sure it was working properly. While, not very happy, that the TV would

be gone for 2 weeks, we felt that the Hitachi and Rex store manager,

were working with us to get our TV repaired as it was still under

warranty. (Another damn lie from Hitachi and the Rex manager this time.

About an hour later, I received a phone call. It was from Preston (the

REX store manager) and he told me that HE WAS NOT GOING TO SEND ANY

SERVICE CENTER TECHNICAN OUT TO OUR HOME TO LOOK AT THE TV OR PICK IT UP

FOR REPAIR AS PROMISED. I was told then they HE KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH

THE TV AND THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE REX WARRANTY AND SO HE

WOULD NOT BE DOING ANYTHING AT ALL. When I asked HIM "How could he know

what was wrong with the TV since, he had NOT been willing to come out

and look at how it was projecting pictures on the screen, and he

certainly had not ever seen it nor had HE had a Hitachi technican look

at him and give him a report, he did not, would not and could not give

me a reasonable, qualified answer. *His repeated answer was to say he

just knew what was wrong with it and that the REX store was NOT GOING TO

SEND ANY HITACHI SERVICE TECNICAN OUT TO LOOK AT THE TV AND THAT REX WAS

NOT GOING TO HONOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WE HAD PURCHASED FROM THEM IN

GOOD FAITH.

I ended that phone call from the REX store manager, and proceeded to

call HITACHI again. I explained to some lady named Tracy that the REX

store manager had called me and I repeated to her what he had told me as

related above. I then tried to make her understand just what the TV

screen looked like and she was not very friendly at all. She kept

directing me to page 3 of the Hitachi manual, when says something about

burn-in and watching more than 15% of your TV time on any one channel to

which I tried to ask her if one could not watch the news or a sporting

event such as the Olympics without your screen getting screwed up and

then becoming so garbled with trash you can't watch it, then WHY did NOT

they warn the consumers in the manual IN A MORE DETAILED WAY, in a RED

UNDLERLINED WARNING OR SOME SORT (instead of putting a very small

paragraph of nonseniscal working which does NOT explain anything to the

purchaser of the risks of watching a simple hour or 2 hour show or even

playing a video game etc.) AND WHY DID THEY NOT MAKE IT MANDATORY FOR

THE COMPANYS LIKE REX WHO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS TO INSTRUCT THE CONSUMERS

WHO ARE PAYING MEGA BUCKS TO PROVIDE DETAILS OF THE RISKS AND SETBACKS

OF OWING A HITACHI HDTV. She had no answers for me, and she kept

referring me to the small bottom of the page manual.

At the end, of our conversation she said to me that HITACHI WAS NOT

GOING TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL TO SEE THAT THE TV would be evaluated by a

qualified HITACHI SERVICE TECHNICAN and that although she felt sorry for

my husband and I, that is just how it was. In shock, disbelief and utter

amazement, I hung up from her. I immediately called PRESTION (remember

him, the REX store manager here in my city) and HE WOULD NOT EVEN COME

TO THE PHONE AND TALK TO ME WHEN I ASKED TO SPEAK TO HIM. I requested

that he please return my call and I waited....and waited....and waited

and he did not ever return my call. I then called my husband, and

requested to him that he call PRESTON...(yeah, you remember by now, the

REX store manager and LIAR) and my husband did so. Later, he called me

back and told me that PRESTON (the REX store manager and LIAR) had told

him the same thing he told me. REX was NOT going to HONOR THEIR WARRANTY

ON OUR TV AND HE WAS NOT GOING TO DO A SINGLE THING TO get it serviced.

My husband was just disgusted with the whole thing and had to get back

to work so that was the end of my conversation with him.

Later, I again, called HITACHI and spoke to someone named Matt...he

tried to be of help and was somewhat more courteous than Tracy was, but

he also kept referring me to page 3 of the manual as if *THEY ALL KNEW

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THIS HITACHI TV WITHOUT EVER EVER HAVING ANY SERVICE

CENTER TECHNICAN LOOK AT IT TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEMS. He passed the

buck back to the REX store and the manager and when I told him, that

PRESTON WAS A LIAR AND WAS NOT GOING TO HONOR THE EXTENEDED WARRANTY, he

had NO answers.

I then, requested to speak to a supervisor or a Hitachi offical and he

told me that none were available but that he would speak to his

supervisor for me, and see what he could find out about the EXTENDED

WARRANTY. HE CAME BACK ON THE PHONE AND I WAS TOLD THAT HIS SUPERVISOR

WAS GOING TO CONTACT THE REX STORE COPERATE OFFICE AND REQUEST THAT THE

REX STORE HONOR THE EXTENEDED WARRANTY AND that Hitachi would call me

back when they had any relevant info. It was also suggested to me that

the Hitachi company would set up a vist to have the TV checked out for

problems but that if they did that that would be at *MY EXPENSE*...to

which I replied ****NO WAY**** am I paying for something that I have

already paid for when purchasing the extended warranty.

I then called the REX store manager again, and he answered the phone

that time so could not refuse to talk with me. I explained that Hitachi

had told me they were going to try and contact the REX COPERATE OFFICE

and find out why REX WOULD NOT HONOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE TV.

His reply to me, as it was time and time again, was that unless his

coporate office mandated or ordered him to send a Hitachi service

technican out to my home to troubleshoot our TV, he was NOT going to do

anything about it at all.

End of story.....

-----------------------------------------

This is where it stands as of now. HITACHI DOES NOT WANT TO HONOR THEIR

STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT WARRANTYS...and the REX STORE HERE AND THE

MANAGER PRESTON, HAVE BEEN TOTALLY RUDE, OBNOXIOUS AND BELITTING IN

THEIR RESPONSES AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS TO US.

HITACHI AND THE REX STORE ARE EACH TRYING TO GET OUT OF HONORING THEIR

WARRANTYS AND PROMISES AND EACH OF THEM ARE PASSING THE BUCK TO THE

OTHER ONE, WITH REX BLAMING HITACHI AND HITACHI BLAMING THE REX STORES,

(BTW) WHICH THEY SAY THEY HAVE NO CONTROL OVER, BUT YET THEY ALLOW THE

REX STORES TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS AND EXTENDED WARRANTYS ON THEM AND

BOTH OF THEM MAKE MEGA PROFITS FROM THE SALES AND EXTENDED WARRANTYS.

(What a farce, both of you ought to hang your head in shame for taking

advantage of people.)

Where are my husband and I going with this?.

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First of all, let me say..THIS IS NOT GOING AWAY, WE AM NOT TUCKING OUR

TAILS AND RUNNING FROM REX OR HITACHI IN FEAR. WE ARE POSTING THIS

LETTER AT COMPLAINTS.COM TO MAKE THE CONSUMERS, SHOPPERS. AND PURCHASERS

OF ANY HITACHI PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY A WIDESCREEN TV AND PURCHASING THEM

FROM ANY REX STORE OR ANY STORE WHICH MIGHT BE AFFILATED WITH REX A VERY

BAD DECISON. STAY AWAY FROM HITACHI PRODUCTS...THEIR STANDARDS FOR THE

TV'S IS NOT WHAT THEY CLAIM, AND THE MANUALS GIVE NO CLEAR AND PRECISE

INFORMATION AS TO WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO THE TV SCREEN JUST FROM NORMAL

VIWING OR FROM LETTING YOUR CHILD PLAY A 30 TO ONE HOUR VIDEO GAME. THEY

DO NOT EXPLAIN THE RISKS OR DOWNFALLS OF WATCHING A NEWS, SPORTS OR in

fact, ANY CHANNEL WHICH PRESENTS A LOGO OR EVEN USING THE "CAPTION

FEATURE" IF YOU HAVE IT.

PLEASE DO NOT SHOP AT REX STORES AND PLEASE THINK TWICE BEFORE

PURCHASING A HITACHI WIDESCREEN-TV FROM THERE. I can promise you, in the

end , if your TV screws up. neither REX store or the Hitachi Corp. will

not help you at all and will find any bogus reason to not help you. I

have proof of this, in the legitamate Hitachi warranty, and purchaser

papers, verified and legal proof of the purchase from the REX store for

our 57T500 TV. I also have proof of the legitmate extended warranty and

the exact time it is valid for.

We will wait a few days to see if either Hitachi or the lying REX store

manager decides to do the right thing and send out a repair technican

with a licence and with the proper credentials, which I will require

before he enters my home and touches the TV.

If neither company responds to us, as I stated this letter has been

posted at *complaints.com* and a copy will be sent shortly to the REX

COPERATE COMPANY AND TO THE HITACHI CORP.

If we are still ignored, with our valid warranty, then we will proceed

to turn this matter over to my husbands business attorney and he will be

instructed to file a lawsuit against the HITACHI CORPERATION AND THE REX

STORES INC. and he will be instructed to check into the option to

proceeding with a *class action lawsuite* against both companies.

IF ANYONE is in the middle of a situation like ours, OR EVER HAD THE

SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS we are having, WITH REX STORES OR THE HITACHI

CORP. THEN WE ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING FROM YOU.

We are NOT going away and forget about this injustice and we are NOT

going away and hide.

Regards

Charles Z.

Determined to make the companies honor their warrantys which are

correct, honorable and binding.