Funai Knows TV Broke Under Warranty, Hopes You Go Away
UPDATE: Funai Finally Answers The Phone, Offers Refund For Dead 5-Month-Old TV
Back in February, Funai put a Consumerist reader on hold for two and a half hours before telling him that there was nothing they could do about selling him the entirely wrong DTV converter box. Now Funai has decided to head those long hold times off at the pass, and their warranty division has stopped answering the phone entirely.
You may not recognize the name Funai, but they sell electronics under the Emerson and Sylvania brands, and handle distribution for Philips/Magnavox TVs in the United States.
Tavie and Gina bought a Sylvania TV in March, which suddenly stopped working in July. "Good thing the TV has a one-year warranty," they said. Or it would be if the warranty department would answer their phones.
Tavie and Gina fired off this letter over a week ago, and have received no response:
Tetsuya Kawasaki, Funai Corporation
Senior Executive Director of ServiceDear Mr Kawasaki,
Re: Sylvania LC3321SS9
On March 3rd, I purchased a Sylvania 32-inch HDTV flatscreen television from BJ's price club in Jersey City, NJ. It cost $403. It's been treated very carefully and was working perfectly until two weeks ago, on July 22nd, when it suddenly just stopped. Wouldn't turn on, nothing. Dead as a doornail.
On Thursday, July 23rd, I called Sylvania Customer Service and they gave me a number and said I had to speak to the people in the warranty division. They told me that I would probably have to leave a message. I called the number all day on Thursday and kept getting a message that said "If you know your party's extension, press 1, or press 0 for more options." Every time I hit 0, it would repeat the message. I called customer service again after I got home and they told me that there had been problems with Warranty's phones and to try again Friday. On Friday, nothing. On Monday, nothing. I called Customer Service again and they told me that they really could do nothing and I had to keep trying that number, that it was fixed. I tried the number again yesterday and kept getting the message that the box was full. Called CS again today and once again told nothing they could do till I called that number and they were so sorry and could understand my anger and that I could talk to a supervisor but it would do me no good.
Sir, is there someone to whom we can escalate this problem? In today's economy it's very difficult to spend that much money on a product and not be able to use it. I am paying for cable that I can't see because the television set I purchased from your company does not work. I have taken time away from my working day in many attempts to contact someone at your company that can help me resolve this issue, to no avail.
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate a refund of my $403 or an exchange of my broken set for a new product that will not break after 5 months of use.
I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem, and will wait until Monday, August 8th before seeking help from a consumer protection agency or the Better Business Bureau. Please contact me at any of the email addresses or phone numbers listed below.
I tried the number for Funai USA's headquarters in New Jersey, and it's true that that all calls end up in a switchboardless, phone tree-less void. "I suspect this will go on for the next 7 months until the warranty expires," Tavie mused in an e-mail to Consumerist. Let's hope not.
With no response from Funai, they've taken to Twitter, using our "tweet to power" method to get the story out and urge people to boycott Funai products. Funai is trying to expand their business in North America, but cultivating a reputation for unresponsive service and not standing behind products isn't a good way to go about that.
On the other hand, they won a "Supplier of the Year" award in their field from Walmart for last year, which may tell you something.
Boycott Funai [Twitter]
PREVIOUSLY:
2 Hrs, 25 Min On Hold Just To Get A Busted DTV Converter
Post a comment
Comments:
Since you're getting nowhere with the company, you may try your credit card company(assuming you put it on one) and see what they have to say about it.
"including a complimentary extended warranty of an extra year on electronic purchases"
[www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com]
Ah crap... I sure hope mine doesn't fail on me anytime soon. I should have known not to waste time on the Sylvania set I got, but it was a good $100-$150 cheaper than all the others. Eh, whatever I've gotten two years out of it. If it fails it fails, and I will quite enjoy beating the crap out of it after getting a new 1080p Vizio or Samsung set.
HOMER: Look at these low, low prices on famous brand-name electronics!
BART: Don't be a sap, Dad. These are just crappy knockoffs.
HOMER: Pfft. I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look, there's a Magnetbox and Sorny.
SALESMAN: Listen, I'm not going to lie to you. Those are all superior machines. But if you like to watch TV, and I mean really watch it, you want the Carnivale. It features a two-pronged wall plug, a pre-molded hand grip well, durable outer casing to prevent fall apart...
HOMER: Sold. You wrap it up, I'll start bringing in the pennies.
@admiral_stabbin: If this was costco they have their own hotline and everything. Their suppliers would never even think about treating a customer like this or they would get dropped.. quickly.
@Woden501: Vizio is big junk too. They don't make anything they purchase the cheapest parts and assemble them. One tv to another can be completely different parts.. and they are the cheapest possible stuff.
You get what you pay for. I have a Sony and I definitely paid.. but I love it.
@bkdlays: Exactly. It's horrifying to see electronics evolve into a disposable item.
I paid a little bit more for my Samsung, but I can definitely say it was worth it.
Funai has been buying deceased brands that used to mean something - cheap perhaps, but at least of some quality - and selling abyssal garbage under these memorable brands.
The last Magnavox DVD player I bought $30 lasted exactly 4 days. At least it was cheaper than a rental, but that's not the point: I have purchased cheaper, Chinese-branded DVD players in the past that lasted me years.
So even in the low-fi end of that business, Funai brands are best avoided. From my experience any no-name brand will probably serve you better. DOn't be fool by the logo on the box - these companies no longer exist!
One method I have used in the past to avoid the phone menu death maze is to pick random numbers around the main number. These are often the same company, but direct lines to various phones in people's offices. When I get a real live person, I ask them for a person whose name I made up. They will, of course, state that no such person is there. I'll then try other tactics like asking when he left, or who his replacement is. Of course the person on the other end knows none of this. Eventually I just ask if I can speak to his boss (again, they won't know this). This is all a setup to eventually ask for the number for his department. He works in "legal". Sometimes I have to try several people. But once I get the number to the legal department, I have my foot in the door. I still use a similar tactic talking to the people in the legal department until I get to someone (his "replacement") who seems important enough. All along I'm collecting phone numbers and names.
BTW, this worked well once when I was almost ready to sue the phone company. I got a real lawyer who somehow had the power to fix the problem within 24 hours (which was basically just stupidity in customer service).
@Ptath:
On a related note, RCA is no longer a true brand, but a logo that is simply placed on mass marketed merchandise, not even manufactured by the same company. Some French company just licenses the name out to various companies to slap on their TV, DVD player, remote control.
RCA may have been a big player in 1955, but today I wouldn't even go near it.
Hey Go here
Text-
Locate a Funai Authorized Service Center
Enter your zip code below to find a nearby Funai Authorized Service Center.
Please consult your Owner's Manual, our FAQ section, or call one of our Customer Support Hotlines before taking or sending units (particularly VCR's) to a service center.
If a unit in need of service was purchased within the last 90 days and you have a receipt, an Authorized Service Center will repair it free of charge. If it has been more than 90 days but less than one year since the date of purchase, and you have a receipt or other proof of purchase, an Authorized Service Center will replace any defective parts free of charge, but you will be responsible for any labor charges.
Postal Code:
Please contact the Authorized Service Center to be sure they can repair your specific model, or if you require service on a television larger than 13".
Please note: If a product was purchased at Sears or if the model number begins with SR, please contact 1-800-469-4663 for service.
It's for this reason that I think congress needs to change the way that warrantys are enforced. If the onus was placed on the retailer and not on the mamufacturer, as it is here in Australia, it becomes a much faster process for the consumer and a much harder process for manufactureres to wiggle out of.
@Skaperen: Nice. I used to do a modest variant of this, and I'd totally forgotten about it. You could also put in numbers for "if you know your party's extension."
my brother in law purchased a Funai (Sylvania) TV from BJs as well, using my bj's card. Likewise, it failed within a year. The good news is that, while he couldn't find his receipt, I fired off an email to BJ's with the approximate date of purchase, and they emailed me back with a combined receipt for everything purchased on my account with a couple weeks in either direction. Proof of purchase taken care of!
The down side is that the warranty actually sucks. I didn't bother with the phone number, I found a local "authorized service center," and the TV was taken there. Unfortunately, while the part (probably $30, the backlight's inverter) was covered, they charged for labor, a good bit over $100!
the final on this: will not buy again. I had purchased, maybe a year before, an OLEVIA TV from BJs, likewise $100+ less than the cheapest of the "major" brands, and besides having trouble finding universal remotes that work with it, and a general lack of features (PIP, extra inputs, etc.) I've had no problems at all.
@admiral_stabbin: A BJ's Club? Never heard of it, but I know my husband would love to be a member. . . .
@nrich239: Regrettably, that will not work as they will tell you to send it to the manufacturer for repair and then reimburse you for what you paid. I've done it and it worked. OP cannot get through to anyone that can repair the TV so he is thoroughly blocked.
Take it back to the store!
Funai is barely a step above Coby, both being the 2000's century answer to such 70's and 80's classics like Llyod's, Soundesign, Hanimex, Sankyo, Philco, Craig, Electrobrand, and other bottom-feeding electronics manufacturers.
Even getting support for a mid-level brand can be hell-on-earth though, as I can attest to when I tried to get my Samsung TV repaired under warranty. It's a long story, but it was awful.
Proud owner of a "Polaroid" lcd tv for 3 years...no problems...don't care that it's some rebranded chinese stuff because most everything is. Not only that...some big name tvs are made in the same factories with the same materials and quality control as the no-name "brands".
I used to be a Sony guy until I found Samsung; they really are the bang for your buck leader. And don't peg for American brands because it's all made in China. "Designed in America/Distributed by an American Company"=pfft.
I still haven't figured out how Colgate-Palmolive AND Proctor & Gamble get's away with not having any country of origin/manufacture information on their products. Take a look at your Irish Spring, Colgate, or Crest folks! That's phony "Buy American" fraud plain and simple; and for items that can directly affect your health if tainted.
@☠Grяrяrяrяrя sings the doom song now!:
Coby does make a very useful all region DVD player-for $30. The player costs less than the Australian Farscape Season 1 discs I play on it...
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Walmart is never getting any of my money, ever.
Once upon a time I used to sell electronics at a lesser known shop. I had a customer that needed 35 TV/VCR combo units for training at Safeway stores. Of the 35, 18 were broken out of the box. This was in the late 90's maybe their quality has improved.. but I highly doubt it.
Stay far far away from Funai products.
@ColoradoShark: So what remedy do we have if a company is unreachable? Is that a form of denying warranty resulting in legal liability (breach of contract)?
@Skaperen: The only thing that works is to dial by name. I have a Blackberry, so I don't even have the right letters on my keys to do that. :)
funai (no news here) they kept me going around the bend till the tv's warranty DID run out. and then thy wouldnt do anything.
Funai. HINT: doesn't the name tell you something? Really, a name can speak volumes here. 10 years ago, they made crappy TV-VCR combos. They didn't last a year; I called their Tech Support and was told to buy a new one. Sure!
@sleze69: This would not be the first time people were left empty handed on a warranty. Companies go out of business and that warranty ends up worthless. But since this is a company still operating, not answering their phones is a bit odd. Maybe try a complaint to the AG's office in NJ since that is where the corporate office is?
I'd try taking it back to BJ's. IF that fails, I'd file a credit card dispute. If Funai can't answer the phone they'll still get a chargeback from BJ's or the CC company.
And Funai? Really? Please just shop more carefully for mid-tier and upper brands like Panasonic/Sharp/Hitachi. If you watch the sales and rebates you can get those for close to these gotcha brands when they change model years and you'll have none of the hassle and *surprise* actual support of something goes wrong.
I know most people don't want more bureaucratic intervention but I think this type of 'support' is prevalant in all industries. You are put on hold for hours or transferred multiple time before getting dropped. There's secret shoppers so why not secret callers and if calls aren't answers/fixed in a certain time frame or a percentage of calls aren't take care of then the company gets fined. Make them actually put some effort into customer service. it's like they have 50 people signing up new customers but only 2 guys that work only 3 hours a day to take complaints and file returns.
To some extent, on the assumption that warranty service will suck, I just target the best rated products or brands and then wait out a decent price. If it has a good reputation and maybe a 2 year warranty (many appliances that are generally 1 year warranty tend to be 2 rebranded as "kirkland" through Costco.)
This doesn't mean I'm not still going to call for warranty service if it breaks, but I just don't see the point of getting a "killer deal" on something that is just bound to break in warranty, and start racking up wasted time on my part. You know, time = money?
Somewhere in Funai HQ:
Exec #1: (Pensively) Zannen desu ne?
Exec #2: (After a long pause) Soo desu nee...
The Suntory is then broken out along with a carton of Mild Sevens.
Actually, Thomson SA, a French company still "owns" the RCA IP. However, they have currently licensed all aspects of the business to a Chinese company.
@catnapped: Correction. RCA is owned by Thomson SA which is a French conglomerate (as WRJohnston1923 said.) They license the RCA brand name to Audiovox (American,) Sony (Japanese,) and TCL (Chinese, but majority owned by several multinationals, including Thomson.) TCL itself sells products under the RCA, Thomson, and Alcatel-Lucient tags worldwide. So a Chinese firm does, technically, own RCA in that RCA is owned by Thomson, as is TCL, and TCL owns a chunk of Thomson in a 'bite your tail' stock sharing agreement.
That's a Funai way of doing business...
Here's some WHOIS information for y'all. Unleash havoc at will.
Registrant:
Funai Electric Co., Ltd
3000 Scott Blvd., Suite 111
Santa Clara, CA 95054
US
Domain Name: FUNAIUSA.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Devicenet USA, Inc. kusanagi@devicenet-usa.com
4125 BLACKFORD AVE STE 100
SAN JOSE, CA 95117-1704
US
408-557-0413 fax: 408-557-0414
Record expires on 15-Oct-2011.
Record created on 16-Oct-1996.
Database last updated on 13-Aug-2009 00:36:24 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS.JWEBCITY.COM 216.98.109.133
SARU.MWLK.NET 216.98.102.163
Why the dig at Wal-Mart...honestly. Just because Funai managed to conform to Wal-Mart's exacting (efficient) delivery standards = It's a bad company on those grounds?
Stay away from most Philips and Magnavox products as well. While some of the higher end stuff may not be made by Funai, all of the lower end stuff (stuff with the Magnavox label and lower priced Philips items) is the exact same junk as Sylvania or Emerson. (If you don't believe this, go into Best Buy and aim one of the Sylvania remotes at a Philips or Magnavox TV..if it works it, stay away. Spend the $50 more and buy a more known brand
@hypoxia: it's a BJ's club store, like costco, or sam's club... not A BJ Club. if it were the latter, i think they'd be doing much better.
@admiral_stabbin: Hit up BJ's customer service on their website. My guess is they'll tell you to bring it back for an immediate refund and work it out for themselves with the distributor. Otherwise, they'll do your bidding with Sylvania/Funai and get you an immediate escalation to the right people.
I've used them twice before when I had issues, and both times I got almost immediate resolution--once with a full refund, once with an escalation I couldn't get on my own. The guy buying one TV may not mean much to Funai/Sylvania, but the guy buying thousands of them has some serious power.
We've belonged to both BJ's and Costco for over 15 years. Both of their customer service departments rock.
@mariospants: What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
The OP bought the TV from BJ's, a wholesale club based in the northeast and on the same vein as CostCo and Sam's. While Sam's Club is a Wal-mart company, BJ's is not.
@Laura Northrup: Ah, yes. I recall my first week on a Blackberry. And that precise instant when I realized the number/letter thing... Had to be my biggest chicken-blink/helpless moment ever.
OH, Help me Jebus!
With the disclaimer that IANAL (but as a former field customer relations manager), the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act deals with breach of warranty, and may be helpful here.
Send a followup letter to both Sylvania and Funai. Be sure to enclose a copy of your initial letter. Send it Certified Mail so you can prove they received your letter. After the predictable lack of response, initiate a small claims court action against Sylvania for three times the purchase price of the product. (It's Sylvania's product, never mind that Funai OEM'd it for them.)
That just may get their attention.
I suggest two calls: one to your AG and one to the FTC. Then see if the balls gets rolling.
@chiieddy: Because of the gratuitous one line paragraph where Walmart award Funai a "Supplier of the Year" award. After all, you can't talk smack about a company without throwing Walmart's name into the fray.
@Cybrczch: bingo (you from CZ or something?), from the article: "On the other hand, they won a "Supplier of the Year" award in their field from Walmart for last year, which may tell you something."
What's the plural of funny? Funai!
Yeah call the Better Business Bureau, that'll work.
If they have paid their membership dues to the BBB, they will be rated "Satisfactory" even if the TV set climbed off the table and murdered your family in their sleep.
I notice that the purchase was made from a BJ's Club. I've never been to one, but I wonder...do they have return policies like Costco or Sam's Club?
Sam's Club return policy was (maybe still is?) epic. I had a TV fail after a year and a half (37" Vizio LCD). They note only took it back (sans packaging), they returned every single penny I originally paid for it. Further, they were nice while doing it.
Absolutely amazing.