Have you ever purchased a high ticket piece of electronics and had it stop working on you? Worse, have you ever had that piece of electronics be out of warranty or service plan when it croaks? Well, this has happened to me on more than one occasion and it sucks. In fact, this week I’m getting ready to throw a $688.99 high definition television right in the garbage.
There isn’t much of a story here other than that I’m pissed about this whole thing. I bought this television on November 26, 2005 (which happens to be the last Black Friday that I really went out and spent a bunch of money). The television is a 30 inch, 1080p high definition, widescreen Panasonic television with a CRT design (i.e. it has the heavy big back to it and is not a flat screen). About a year and a half ago, the television randomly stopped receiving remote control signals.
That’s my problem with the television and that’s why I’m getting rid of it.
The high definition works fine (it’s actually a wonderfully crisp picture) and there is nothing else wrong with the set. The only problem that I have with it is that it doesn’t receive signals from a remote control. That means that if I want to change a channel, adjust the volume, turn the set off, or do anything that you would normally do with a remote control – I can’t do it. Think of what televisions used to be like before remote controls – that’s what this thing is like.
You may have noticed above that I said the thing stopped working a year and a half ago. That was around December 2008 which was a matter of days after all of the warranties that I had on the set ran out, of course. I used the television as it was for a few months, but when I couldn’t take the drastic changes in volume between the television shows and the commercials and when I got tired of getting out of bed to turn the set off before going to sleep, I purchased a beautiful 48 inch Vizio flat screen, 1080p high definition set (with a three year warranty). Since I purchased the Vizio, the Panasonic has sat all but unused in the corner of my kitchen.
So…after watching it sit there for over a year with no use at all, I think that it’s time to cut the cord and get rid of the monster as a part of this year’s spring cleaning process. If you read this blog regularly, then you know I keep a very strict eye on my finances and that I hate waste. I really believe that bringing this television to the dump is a huge waste of money. I can understand that the television, which I purchased for $649.99 (and another $39.00 in sales tax), is no longer worth the original purchase price. The set is four and a half years old and has an old CRT design (though it does have all of the high definition and widescreen bells and whistles), so after taking into account the problem with the set being unable to receive remote signals I’d put its fair market value at about $250. The local television repair place charges $50 just to look at the set – that doesn’t include what it costs to get the set fixed. Unless the repair is $20 or $30, I can’t see myself spending the money to get it fixed. Further, I can’t see myself essentially giving away another $50 just to know whether or not the set could be fixed.
If anyone out there has a better option than bringing this thing to the dump, let me know. If not, then it’ll be at the dump by the end of this week.
Not sure if you have cable or not, but if you do have a cable service, get a cable digital box receiver with a remote. You keep the TV on channel 3, and the remote actually is operating the digital box… not the TV.
Get a universal remote or donate it.
Hey Martin – I tried to do the cable box hookup thing and it wouldn’t work properly. Something about the television not being able to receive the infrared signals wouldn’t make it happen. It’s annoying because it should work perfectly, but it doesn’t.
Hi Mom – the remote isn’t the problem, it’s the television’s ability to accept the remote’s signal. In fact, we’re using the remote on another Panasonic television that I have in our living room. I’d like to donate the set, but I can’t find anywhere that will take it. Even the Monmouth County SPCA won’t accept the television!
I say have a little fun with it. Just like the movie Office Space. You and you’re roommates should grab a bat and take turns at pounding it into oblivion. I mean you tried to donate it and they turned you down. Enough is enough. For all the frustration it gave you, you should give it right back. Now go grab yourself a bat and relish in the satisfaction it will bring you.
Cousin – I definitely have enough anger to go ape shit on the television. I’m in the middle of a back and forth right now with Panasonic about what they can do to help me get this problem fixed. If they can just send me the $5 part to fix the thing and tell me how to do it, I’ll keep the set and try to make it work. Otherwise, it may be time to cue up “Still” by the Geto Boys…