Pioneer Electronics Products - 60 inch projection screeen Television set Model SD-P6081 - failed at 5 years

# 24 for January 19, 2002

Complaints.com received the following e-message on January 18, 2002:

From: sllight [Email User]

Pioneer Electronics Products - 60 inch projection screeen Television set Model SD-P6081 - failed at 5 years

January 18, 2002

TO:

Kazunori Yamamato, CEO

Pioneer North America, Inc.

2265 East 220th Street

Long Beach, CA 90810 FROM:

Lawrence Lightner

139 Royal Ave.

Hawthorne, NJ 07506

(973) 427-5081

Email User

Dear Mr. Yamamato, I wanted to bring a problem to your attention and hope you can help me gain some satisfaction. Specifically, my complaint concerns customer service. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated because this incident has made me extremely upset. For your reference, the model name or number in question is SD-P6081. Here's my problem: Pioneer Customer DIS-SERVICE, In my opinion, Pioneer is not at all confident about their product, other wise why would you only have a 1 year warranty on a $3,000.00 Television set. For anyone reading this, let me take you down the path of frustration. My 60 inch Projection Screen Television failed at 5 years on the dot just like it had a timer in it. It turns itself on and off and the picture is distorted. What television fails in within 5 years. Answer A Pioneer. Were not talking about a $100.00 TV that I would throw in the garbage, This is an investment consumers make and the show piece of their living rooms. Pioneer couldn't care less. I started with their Customer DIS-Service, no answer to my E-mails for almost a month. When I escalated my frustration, I got a call from their Customer Dis-Service Supervisor. I explained that televisions don't fail at the 5 year mark especially $3,000.00 TV's. Pioneer does not agree. Their first offer was to sell me the parts wholesale. I refused, I didn't spent this kind of money initially to dump more money into it because of shoddy parts and workmanship. E-mail after Conversation After E-mail after E-mail only got me as far as, Pioneer offering me the Parts for free but I would have to pay for the installation. That would cost around 550.00. I still tried to get the point across to Pioneer that I'm not going to pay to fix something that SHOULDN'T BE BROKEN!! I can't seem to get anywhere with the American citizens that work for Pioneer so I decided to call Japan, perhaps someone over there might have some common sense. Guess what, their a carbon copy of their U.S. Counterparts. They would not help. I asked to speak with Kaneo Ito, Chairman of Pioneer, they would not put him on the phone, IN FACT, THEY TOLD ME THAT HE DOES NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. I came back to the U.S. employees and went for Kaz Yamamoto, Pioneer's President of North America. After a weeks worth of unanswered telephone calls I was finally redirected to their legal department. I made sure my tape recorder was on and spoke with their legal council.

This guy made it a point to compare my television to my car, suggesting they both require repair to operate. I countered that you can not compare my television to my car. My car travels down snow covered roads, my television sits in my living room. They don't compare, he countered "They Compare Very Well". Only a highly educated lawyer can see that a car and television are the same thing. The rest of us must be idiots. If I didn't record the conversation I would think I was hearing things.

As of 1/18/02 Pioneer's Position is they refuse to have my Television repaired. After reading all the other posts on this site I can't imagine why they even use the words customer service. If someone gave me a Pioneer for a Xmas gift I would return is to the store they purchased it at. They don't understand the concept of consumer expectations when they purchase a product. I wouldn't recommend Pioneer to Bin Laden. They have your money, you can go pound salt.

I should have purchased the Hitichi that was right next to it. Customer Service, Product Support, We stand behind our products, bla bla bla. A new all time low has been set by Pioneer and since this corporation follows their leaders then Kanio Ito, Chairman and Kaz Yamamoto, President, must be the source of Customer Dis-Service. If my staff acted like this, I would loose face and stick a bamboo knife in my stomach. Sorry, thought I was in Japan for a second. Here's how you can help: How about standing behind your products instead of shielding yourself with silence and lawyers. Every Day my experiences with Pioneer go out more and more news papers, television stations, radio stations, consumer groups, companies, your competitors, stock message boards, e-mail clubs and on and on. Pioneer's management is jumping over a dollar to save a nickel. Guess that's what it takes to be President.

Sincerely,

Email User CC:

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Marge Roukema

Robert Torricelli