My Experience With Sharp USA Big Screen Television and Its Warranty

I waited years and years to buy a big, flat screen TV. I had to beg and plead with my wife to buy a new television. There was a huge negotiation on every conceivable aspect of the purchase from size, cost, quality, etc. I ended up saving for a long time and bought one with cash. So, last year, I finally bought a 42 inch Sharp Aquos LCD flat screen TV. It was beautiful!

I loved that television, and I was crushed a few weeks ago when all of a sudden the TV made a “pop” sound and the picture went out. Then, it started blinking lights on the front. I could not get the TV to turn back on. I tried everything. I managed to look up the blinking light code on the internet, and one website called it the “green blinking lights of death”. Not a good sign.

I had not even owned the television for an entire year yet. But, luckily, it was under warranty. So, I begrudgingly called the Sharp 1-800 customer service number. I have never had a good experience with those customer service lines. I dreaded making the call.

I was pleasantly surprised to get a customer service center that had not been outsourced overseas. The customer service representative was able to look up my particular television model based off of its serial number. I was especially lucky in that regard since I could not find my receipt.

The company sent out a third party repairman who replaced some parts, but he could not fix the television either. So, they ended up sending me a replacement television. And, even though the replacement was refurbished, it was a bigger model with better refresh rate than my original one which was no longer available.

So, what is the point of the story?

Keep the receipts for your large purchases.
Do not forget to sign up for warranties or turn in those little warranty cards when you buy a large item like a television.
There is still great customer service available at big corporations.
Paying with cash is always better for large purchases if you can do it.

Has anyone else had a great customer service experience from a large company? Which one? And, what happened?