Samsung LCD Model LA40B530: Poor Production Quality Control

How does taping those cables really matter? It didn't start working after taping anyway. I wouldn't like my cables and PCBs held together just by a tape. No warranty seals on my Sony LCD as well.

As already suggested, keep following up for getting replacement asap.

well i too haven't seen a single tv,hi-fis with warranty seal.

I realise what you went through. I guess there's a general problem with the 5 series. The same thing happened to me as well i bought LA32A520 Full HD LCD in May. After 4-5 days, the panel lights would go off, LCD wouldn't start depsite pressing power multiple times, clarity was bad and woofer was way out. I logged a complain and Samsung promptly sent it's technician. The technician saw all this and said he'll check the LCD. This is where i PUT MY FOOT DOWN. i refused to let him open the LCD and made it clear that i want a replacement. i asked him to call his superior and gave him a piece of my mind and made it clear that only a replacement is going to appease me or else a refund and i'll head to Consumer Court.
Credit to Samsung service - I promptly got a replacement and that too upgraded LA32B530 version.
so point to note for all : NEVER NEVER ALLOW A TECHNICIAN OR ANYONE TO OPEN YOUR LCD/TV OR CHANGE THE PANEL AND BE FIRM FOR A REPLACEMENT.

hey rags, open up any "high end" piece of equipment and you'll be surprised to see how far from high-end it looks on the inside, on the inside it's mostly "whatever works" and in your case it looks like it didn't work let's hope you get your replacement set soon.

Hi all, This is to let u all know that I received the replacement TV today. Though the condition of the cover (it was pressed from top and was torn at many places) gave me initial jitters, the TV inside was safe. And yes, it worked fine this time. Got the set up checked by the service engineer and only after that signed the user satisfaction certificate.

I must say here that, though the product gave me sad times initially, the customer support of Samsung is good. It took precisely 8 days for them to accept the complaint, get the approval for replacement from Delhi and replace the TV. All the while, the reps were polite, friendly and professional.

But as far as the product is concerned, I must say that it was not the transit damage which made my TV’s picture go off, but the defect in the electronics itself. A lot of people felt that I got a lemon and it was an one-off case happened probably due to transit damage. Initially I also thought so. But the nature of the problem made me think otherwise. Initially, the picture used to hold after one or two switch off-ons. Later it needed 20-25 on-offs to settle down. Also I noticed that the problem was getting solved faster if the set was warmed up for 1-2 hours ( means keeping the set in stand-by or in ‘on’ state with no-picture condition with audio muted ). Later I found out a solution to watch the TV without getting the problem also!! I reduced the backlight to zero and the dangerous backlight flickering suddenly stopped!! After that I increased the contrast and brightness to max with backlight setting to zero, it worked! However, the picture quality was very poor with fog like pictures. At least I managed to stop the crankiness of my son which used to happen whenever the cartoon channel went off. All these experimentations ensured one thing- that this problem cannot come from transit damage. It HAS to be a circuit fault.

This was confirmed when the service engineer came home to install the replacement TV. He also said that it may be something to do with the ICs, or may be solderings. He also said that it is very much possible that the system might have been QC passed with just a brief switching on and testing. Hence my initial doubt of reputed companies not giving much importance to quality of the products sold in India and other ‘third world’ countries still holds good.

@Square wave- yes, the piece might have been a lemon and u also might have seen a dozen of satisfied Samsung LCD TV users. But the fact is that the poor quality control need not manifest in all the products. If the problem comes in all the products, the company will automatically rectify the fault: be it in design or in production. Poor QC manifests always in random products only.

@reju. Taping of the cables help in reducing the tension of the cable at the connector end points. Also in some cases, transit vibration of the cables.

@ visheshk- your experience is in sync with my opinion that the problem is not due to a freak transit damage, but something more. Yes, their customer care is good, I too experienced it.

@psychotropic- Pal, I beg to differ. High end products are expected to have better circuit design and hence neater PCB layouts. I had a Thomson 29 inch TV which I bought 9 yrs back ( It was high end then, having paid more than 30K). It had one of the most clutter free cables layout inside when compared to cheaper models such as BPL, videocon etc.

Thanx friends for joining me over this discussion and providing me with valuable inputs. Wish u all happy viewing experiences!!

Ok so finally another Samsung Owner is happy. So how about now changing the title to Samsung - Poor Production Quality but Excellent After Sales Service ??

hey rags, i don't think we're disagreeing here, what i meant was that there are several high-end products where you will find less than high-end innards, the Thomson was more likely the exception than the rule.

I agree, pal

This wire taping may be found inside some products may NOT be there in others. It all depends on the design of the circuitry and placement. If it's not there, does not mean it's a fault or poor work! Why don't check out the new TV? I am sure it will not be there. But don't worry, you don't have to tape them.

Enjoy your new TV experience!