Help with Replacement of LG TV Bought from The Good Guys eBay

Hi guys.

So I bought LG 55 smart TV in October 2018. Everything was working well until around 2 months later, a friend told me about LG TV app which let's you control the smart TV with Android or Apple smart phones over WiFi. Unfortunately the app didn't work with my TV. So I did some tests.

  1. I tried app on my phone at my friend's place with his LG TV and his WiFi, and it worked.
  2. I tried to connect from his phone on my network and new TV and it didn't work. Initially, I thought it could be router issue.
  3. I replaced my router with another one and tried and it still didn't work.

Then around January, I called TGG store from where this TV was delivered and they asked me to contact LG tech support.

  1. After contacting LG, they tried debugging the issue, resetting to factory settings etc, but could not resolve the issue. They thought it was issue with WiFi unit of the TV.
    5.LG arranged for a technician to visit my house to check the issue.
  2. Technician booked in some time in March. He concluded that the issue was with the motherboard and updated LG.
  3. Few weeks later I followed up with technician who said that LG don't have motherboard replacement, so they might replace the TV.
  4. LG maintained that they had the'replacement part' in stock and would arrange for a replacement.
  5. Now, come June, my TV suddenly goes off the WiFi network and the remote pointer disappears from screen. Restarting the TV doesn't help. So I call LG support again asking about the status of my replacement, mentioning about this new problem. They inform me that my case was already escalated to engg team and they would contact within 24 hrs. It has been a week after that and I am feeling completely frustrated.

So long story short, will I be able to get a replacement off this now 8 month old TV? If yes, whom do I ask for replacement, since I got it off The Good Guys eBay store online.

Thanks in advance

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Comments

  • +1

    Short answer: Yes; and it’s your choice who to ask (manufacturer or retailer).

    Whilst your initial reason for purchasing the TV wasn’t because it could be controlled by a mobile app, the manufacturers efforts to address issues with the TV and the failures now being experienced together constitute a Major Failure for consumer law purposes.

    This includes:
    - a failure to have replacement parts available for a reasonable period of time,
    - being unable to complete the required repairs within a reasonable period of time, and
    - that it is substantially unfit for its common purpose (being to play content accessed via the internet without repeated disruption caused by faults with the device) and can’t easily be fixed within a reasonable time.

    First thing, call LG. Be nice enough to tell them that their inaction means they have breached consumer law, and the TV is now considered major failure, and they’re now also liable to pay you for the time you’ve had to spend sorting this mess out with them. This should get their attention, and get a supervisor with decision making powers on the phone fast.

    Or - if you’re fed up waiting on LG to pull their finger out - either call The Good Guys customer service OR pack the TV up and take it back to the nearest TGG store, and request a full refund of the original price paid on Major Failure grounds. Be prepared to explain the timeline of events to them, in much the same way you have in this post, so they have enough content to conclude that over three months to fix something is unreasonable.

    Also, TGG isn’t allowed to push you back to LG, and they would also get in real trouble if they tried that on you.

    More information:
    https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees…

  • +1

    Seriously, you should probably call LG every day now and complain. As to be CC'ed in on all email correspondence so you know what is going on. Tell them that it has taken too long to resolve this issue and you are going to make a formal complaint soon.

    Or otherwise, as mentioned above, pack it up back in box with receipt and take it back to GG's and no accept no for an answer for refund/replacement.

  • Thanks for the replies, I had invoked acl while discussing the issue with tgg as well as lg and they didn't seem to give a damn.
    Will try taking the tv on Monday

    • +1

      Ok, then it’s time to kick it up a notch.

      Contact the Consumer Affairs agency in your state or territory, as they’ve denied to uphold your rights under consumer law.

      Let them take em’ both to task.

      • Ya, I was thinking about it, but never ventured on the law side before, always had questions like… Does it involve engaging lawyers to dispute my case? What time frames are the cases settled in? etc. Infact when I mentioned VCAT and ACL, the TGG store guy told me that both companies are already aware about these laws and know how they can defend themselves in such cases.

        I would have preferred if TGG or LG would have owned up and provided a solution.

        • Given the timeframe you’ve stated (which is well beyond reasonable) I’d suggest asking someone from your local TGG store to contact LG with your reference number and get them to request an RA number. With that RA number they can process the return much more smoothly and should be able to easily replace your TV, refund you, or put the money you spent toward a different TV. Hope it all goes well for you.

          • @slowey: Hi May I know why you have said unreasonable timeframe ? Isnt the warranty for 1 year? Will I be able to take it to any TGG store if I had got it off their ebay store?

            • @iamnowhere24: January to March to June is an incredibly long time to have a company dealing with issues. Generally speaking I’d say 4-6 weeks as a maximum could be considered reasonable. If a company is taking longer than that to sort it out there’s issues.

              Buying it through the eBay store is exactly the same as buying it from a physical store in terms of warranty and support. So yeah, take it into any TGG.

              After reading your comment below, I’d again suggest speaking to a good guys store and having them contact LG with your reference number - at the very least it should be an in home repair given it’s a 55” TV.

              All that being said, if they’ve known about the problem for months but haven’t done anything - I think you have grounds to push for a replacement.

          • @slowey: What is a RA number?

  • Quick Update:
    Couldnt take the TV yet to TGG, coz I wanted to follow up with LG first.
    LG case manager told me that the TV will be taken away for repair. He said the mother board needs to be replaced and that the issue with the smart functionalities is not classified as a major fault as per ACL. (Major faults are only if the screen has issues when it comes to a TV. I disputed that it was valid argument if it was a standard TV however consdering tht this is smart tv and I am not able to use the smart functionalities, its a major fault. )
    I told him that I will be taking this case to VCAT and he was fine with it.

    • Any more updates?

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