Sony OLED Dead after 6 Years - Can ACL Actually Help Me?

KingJuf on 23/04/2025 - 20:51
Last edited 24/04/2025 - 09:24 by 1 other user

Hey guys, I bought a 55KDA8F during the EB Games promotions from Sony for $1999, unfortunately my TV has stopped turning on after 6 years with no LED light showing.

Spoke with Sony and basically they told me they could send out a tech to repair but I would bear the full costs or they offer me a discount on a new TV (no details provided). I got them to send me that response via email and sent a follow up request but was knocked back again with the same options provided.

Ideally I want to see if I can get the TV repaired or replaced but considering its already 6 years old what are my chances in getting Sony to foot the bill?

I have doing some research and reading some of the stories people have had of success like this one

This definitely gives me some confidence that I may have a chance but not sure how far I will need to go with it.

I recently bought a new LG OLED for a different room so I am also considering my options if its worth TGG concierge to avoid the hassle for 5 years albeit.

I have had several Sony Bravia in the past all that are still working after more than 12 years use. Am I expecting too much from an OLED TV?

Electrical & Electronics OLED TV Sony Warranty

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Comments

  • JIMB0 on 23/04/2025 - 20:53
    +11

    Most on here like to discourage people from going down the ACL path for some reason. You've got nothing to lose but your time by giving it a shot.

    • KingJuf on 23/04/2025 - 21:00

      Yeh, I am going to lodge a consumer complaint online but not sure if its worth taking to small claims court in WA.

      • JIMB0 on 23/04/2025 - 21:36
        +4

        You need to lodge a strongly worded complaint with Sony. Make it apparent that you'll go the distance and they may as well settle now.

        • Bruceflix on 24/04/2025 - 01:34

          This is the correct answer.

      • eccaz on 23/04/2025 - 22:54
        -2

        I believe Sony’s head office is in Sydney, so you may need to lodge a complaint with NCAT https://ncat.nsw.gov.au/ and not SAT https://www.sat.justice.wa.gov.au .

        NCAT has a filing fee of $60 or so. Sadly it’s often only after filing that a business will take an ACL claim seriously.

        Mention life expectancies for high end products, see if you can find any estimates Sony has provided and include them, as well as other brands of OLED’s and tv’s in general.

        Register your complaint with the ACCC, but they’re unlikely to help.

        • KingJuf on 23/04/2025 - 23:50

          I wonder if this means I also need to file to Fair trading in NSW? I have just submitted one to WA Consumer affairs so will see what they say I guess.

          • scottishdave on 24/04/2025 - 14:59
            +1

            @KingJuf: Approach NSW Fair Trading first. They will approach Sony and usually this is enough. I did this with an Ikea (Electrolux) oven that was just out of warranty. Ikea and Electrolux said out of warranty, sorry. They agreed to fix it after Fair Trading contacted them.

          • eccaz on 24/04/2025 - 19:10

            @KingJuf: Fair trading and WA consumer affairs will both do nothing. Go to NCAT.

        • gyrex on 24/04/2025 - 08:01
          +4

          You file a *CAT claim in the state you reside, not where the head office of the company you're making a claim against is located. The reason for this is that if mediation is unsuccessful, *CAT will file a case at your local court if you wish to have the case heard by a magistrate.

          • eccaz on 24/04/2025 - 19:11

            @gyrex: Have you actually been through this process? Filing in your local state/territory is pointless if the business is not registered there.

    • Dr Phil on 24/04/2025 - 08:25
      +3

      Six years is a long haul for a TV with 12 months warranty
      And you dont know what conditions the TV has been subject to, including if it has been moved or knocked or subject to a power surge.

      Sony is correct and OPs expectaions are somewhat unreasonable.

      TVs made 12 years ago were of much better quality manufacture.
      That is no indication of how long a new TV will last today.

      • eccaz on 24/04/2025 - 19:17
        +1

        A long haul? Stfu, it’s horribly disappointing. And it’s 24 months warranty in Australia.

        TV’s were no better 12 years ago. The only different might be that the market is flooded with far more rubbish tv’s these days.

  • SYLTB on 23/04/2025 - 20:57

    bought a new LG OLED for a different room

    Just swap the TVs.

    • KingJuf on 23/04/2025 - 20:58

      Yeh except now I kinda need the two TVs unlike before, although the issue is not really time pressing I can deal with having one TV for a while.

  • MS Paint on 23/04/2025 - 20:58
    +4

    Probably a $3 capacitor. Easy fix.

    • KingJuf on 23/04/2025 - 20:59

      Source? Ive watched some videos and it looks like a bit more of a job then that.

      • MS Paint on 23/04/2025 - 21:31
        +12

        I fixed an LG TV that wouldn't turn on by replacing a swollen capacitor on the main board. It cost $3 from Jaycar.

        • dan2k on 24/04/2025 - 10:29

          me too! with a trusty Dick Smith Soldering Iron!

      • arkie0 on 24/04/2025 - 09:41
        +3

        Used to be a TV repair guy back in the day

        Start with Service Manual

        Do all the tests to help you determine what's wrong, but no power might be power supply.

        Lay TV flat
        Undo screens from back
        Take of back Panel
        Usually you will see 2-3 boards, motherboard is the biggest one, power supply would be where you plug in your power cable.

        At this point you can ebay second hand parts and just swap out the entire board / power supply which is what the Sony tech would do onsite, cost would be guessing around $200.

        Fixing the board itself, you need to know a bit more about electronics to continue unless as paint says it's an obvious capacitor.

        • Protractor on 24/04/2025 - 10:00
          +2

          Start with disclaimer, then life insurance.

          • tenpercent on 24/04/2025 - 20:11

            @Protractor: The following step was carelessly omitted by @arkie0 but I am providing it here for completeness.

            Step 1 of Fixing TVs for Dummies: Turn off the power point then using dry hands unplug the TV from the wall. Make sure not to put your fingers in the power socket. Zap bad.

      • cnut on 24/04/2025 - 10:51
        +1

        I swapped a capacitor out before that fixed an old LCD. Also worked on old GPUs when they still had easy to swap capacitors.

        Had bugger all experience. Just opened the thing up, saw that they looked stuffed and did a trip to Dick Smith for a soldering iron.

        I can’t vouch for more modern TVs though.

  • jv on 23/04/2025 - 21:14
    +6

    Can ACL Actually Help Me?

    Doubt it.

    After the operation, there'll be a lot of rehab.
    Takes about a year to get back to normal.

    • KingJuf on 23/04/2025 - 21:31

      Haha fair play!

  • joka on 23/04/2025 - 21:24

    Still not understanding what the anterior cruciate ligament has to do with your Sony TV.

    • jv on 23/04/2025 - 21:41
      +3

      Was watching footy when it happened ?

  • initiateit on 23/04/2025 - 21:40

    5 years for consumer electronics (esp OLED being so new) is on the pretty good to fair end of return of investment. One should expect 10 years for a TV, well thats been my experience anyway.

    Cant hurt to try, but its not going to be easy.

    • cnut on 24/04/2025 - 10:53

      I feel like 7 years is reasonable. It’s a shame it’s not a black and white thing for various categories of electronics.

      It’s more the environmental impact of people ditching 7 year old TVs that are fine, bar maybe a blown capacitor or something.

    • Nickels n Dimes on 24/04/2025 - 22:32

      Unless you paid top dollar for a super high quality model, eg. $20-50l for a TV, you can reasonably argue, can be expected to last several times longer than a more typically priced $1-2k TV.

  • Wiadro on 23/04/2025 - 22:15
    -5

    5 years is max

    • eccaz on 23/04/2025 - 22:55
      +1

      For what? A marriage?

      • Nugs on 24/04/2025 - 07:30

        Chilli bush
        .

  • dr on 23/04/2025 - 23:15
    +4

    I'll bite and play the devil's advocate for Sony.
    You had an OLED for less than $1 per day, which is reasonable given the cost of living, inflation and increasing tarrifs. I think that lifetime of 2200 days is commensurate with the $1999 price of the goods and that ACL should reject your case.

    • KingJuf on 23/04/2025 - 23:18
      -4

      Well if you put it that way sure but $330 a year for a tv is not chump change either. You could almost buy an aldi tv for that price yearly.

      • zonra on 24/04/2025 - 00:17
        +1

        OLED though?

        • KingJuf on 24/04/2025 - 00:41
          -2

          I think the point still stands, I would have thought with a superior technology like OLED it would last longer. Perhaps not I guess…

          • zonra on 24/04/2025 - 01:07
            +5

            @KingJuf: OLED tech was never about panels lasting longer though, and I'm sure you know this.
            I'll pose the question this way: Would you have preferred watching on a new $330 55" TV each year over 6 years, or that one OLED set you've had over the same period?
            It's like saying you're disappointed a $100 restaurant meal didn't last as long as $100 worth of instant noodles you could have bought.
            And I'm not dismissing your OP's concern about a TV lasting "only" 6 years (personally I think it's debatable depending on how many hours it's been on everyday), it's more the fact that you're comparing a semi-premium product to bargain bin stuff. I haven't searched hard enough but $330 sounds like a stretch for 55" TVs.

          • cnut on 24/04/2025 - 10:56
            +1

            @KingJuf: Sony TVs are honestly not that much better than other manufacturers in many ways. They rely a bit on their brand.

            I had 4 during my time, and 2 had a fair bit of the dirty screen effect, and one made a clicking noise out of warranty, but still worked so I never bothered to fix it.

            But I do agree, they’re on the top end of TVs in terms of cost, so you’d expect better reliability.

            • KingJuf on 24/04/2025 - 11:03

              @cnut: Yeah hence I chose LG this time round prior to my Sony OLED failing. The equivalent Sony would be 1k more in price.

          • Speckled Jim on 24/04/2025 - 20:45

            @KingJuf: "The light that shines twice as bright burns half as long"
            -Some Guy. Always wore a shirt

      • dr on 24/04/2025 - 19:25

        True, but how many soy-macha-latte-with-almond milk?

    • cille745 on 24/04/2025 - 17:09
      +3

      Good thing that there's precedent that means you're wrong

      https://www7.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/vic/VCA…

      8 years according to Panasonic v Peters, and that's for a cheaper TV

  • solidussnake on 24/04/2025 - 05:57
    +5

    $2k for six years life out of a TV is pretty impressive i think you'll struggle winning.. please keep us updated !

  • geekcohen on 24/04/2025 - 06:06
    +1

    Is this 5 years for a TV that has been used every day? Or is it 5 years of just being used on the weekends to watch the Footy?

    Also, did you maybe experience a power surged and its killed it that way? Was it protected by some sort of surge protector?

    Electronics can be very hit and miss unfortunately with various conditions and parts that heat up and then cool off. I have a Soniq TV that is still going after 8 years and it's used daily. But another Soniq TV I had running 24/7 only last 4 years. I have a TV from my Grandparents used in the Garage that would be probably 15 years old, its heavy, doesn't have a SD/HD TV Tuner but has 1 HDMI, I just use it for steaming foxtel via a PC in the garage over the weekends. One day, it'll die, but when? That you can sometimes never tell.

    5 Years from a $2k investment is $200 a year, which really isn't bad. That is 50 cents a day, people spend more on a Coffee!

    • Nugs on 24/04/2025 - 07:33
      +5

      "5 Years from a $2k investment is $200 a year"
      Seems I've been doing maths wrong if that's the case
      .

      • geekcohen on 24/04/2025 - 08:21

        Sorry, it was early…… and I had only had 1 coffee.

        Still $400 a year at $1.10 a day (or there abouts) is still reasonable. But again, depends if they have been using it every day or its just watching footy on the weekend.

    • Bruceflix on 24/04/2025 - 12:30
      +1

      Is this 5 years for a TV that has been used every day? Or is it 5 years of just being used on the weekends to watch the Footy?

      Apparently is was only used by his Grandma to watch the church service on the Sunday.

  • Ash-Say on 24/04/2025 - 06:53
    +2

    This is my experience - My 65inch Sony TV stopped working after 4 years. After lot of arguments and complaints, they finally gave me latest 75 inch model for $920 while this new TV was being sold by everyone for $3700.
    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/82858/121135/screensho…

    My old TV was purchased for $1200 so I was happy with latest tech, better resolution and 10inch bigger TV for an extra $950. I think I also used Amex offer to bring cost down to $820.

    You may have more success getting a latest model for few hundred dollars than getting a free replacement. Everyone offcourse would like to have free replacement but may need to meet in the middle.

    Read this thread as you find useful info here.
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/627668?page=2#comment

    • bbinc on 24/04/2025 - 09:41

      An excellent deal. Perhaps OP should find out what Sony is willing to offer.
      When my 7yr old LG OLED dies, I’ll be happily looking forward to the improved features and tech on the latest models. I’m stuck with an old operating system (now subbed with an Apple TV box). My Marantz CD player is around 50 yrs old and still sounds great.
      Technology change usually kills my electronics before they stop working.

      • plmko on 24/04/2025 - 10:51

        That's why I don't buy any TV without Google inbuilt.

        I have a 9yr old Bravia, whilst the apps still work fine I can simply cast content from my phone without any additional box or accessories.

        Zero desire to upgrade because picture quality hasn't changed that much, only inconvenience is HDMI limitations for the latest game consoles.

    • KingJuf on 24/04/2025 - 10:41

      Yeh ill try give it a go and see what they can offer, dont necessarily need another OLED

    • KingJuf on 24/04/2025 - 10:51

      Just spoke with their sales, they are prepared to offer around $295 off their current price on Bravia 3 or other higher end series.

  • ihbh on 24/04/2025 - 08:19

    I have had several Sony Bravia in the past all that are still working after more than 12 years use

    There is a distribution of length of life of TVs, people, etc. They don't all die at 12.6789 years, etc.

    There would be a minimum cut-off covered by manufacturer warranty and ACL. You're probably clutching at straws.

  • Cheaplikethebird on 24/04/2025 - 09:20
    +2

    The Choice magazine infographic in this ABC article on stat warranties back in 2018 gives an estimated lifespan of 5 years for budget TVs, 8 for mid-range, and ten for high-end. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-26/how-long-should-a-fri…

    • jv on 24/04/2025 - 10:18

      The Choice magazine infographic

      Is that enforceable by law ?

      • JimB on 24/04/2025 - 11:45

        Criminal law

        Sony CEO can be subject to capital punishment.

        • jv on 24/04/2025 - 12:13

          He is Japanese though, not Chinese…

          • JimB on 24/04/2025 - 12:16
            +1

            @jv: In that case, the only choice is Seppuku

            • jv on 24/04/2025 - 12:18

              @JimB:

              choice is Seppuku

              Is it different to Harakiri?

              • JimB on 24/04/2025 - 12:28

                @jv: same result- OP will have pay for his own repairs or buy a new TV.

      • Cheaplikethebird on 24/04/2025 - 12:17

        No but doubt OP would progress it that far. Really you just need as much ammo as possible for whichever call centre team leader is making the call on a refund.

  • Protractor on 24/04/2025 - 10:01
    +2

    Nasty storm,that.
    Try fusion claim via insurance

  • sponson on 24/04/2025 - 10:28
    +3

    see: Peters v Panasonic Australia Pty Ltd (Civil Claims) [2014]

    iirc it was decided that a good quality TV should last 8 years.

    • gyrex on 24/04/2025 - 10:38

      Can you please share how I can get access to court result searches? I've got a QCAT case coming up for a laptop and would like some guidance based on previous precedents.

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 24/04/2025 - 11:47

    6-years isn't unreasonable life for a TV but you can lodge a complaint

    • Bruceflix on 24/04/2025 - 12:33

      I'd think it it for a recognised brand name TV. I go back to my childhood where at least 10 years was the norm for a TV. At minimum. Now that I think about it, The TV in my bedroom is 7 years old.

      • Trying2SaveABuck on 24/04/2025 - 13:21

        it depends on usage i check the ACCC there is no 'timeframe' for electronics fair wear and tear
        chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Electrical%20%26%20whitegoods%20-%20an%20industry%20guide%20to%20the%20Australian%20Consumer%20Law.pdf

        i all depends on who you ask i guess for me 6 years isnt 'terrible' esp consider i got no indication of how much OP used it or looked after it

  • payless69 on 24/04/2025 - 19:38

    Ask Gerry
    get $1 off his $800 hdmi cable….

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