Your LCD, Plasma TV or DVD Recorder is a piece of very high-tech equipment available at an artificially low cost to you, so when it goes wrong it can come as a shock to discover that a repair can appear to be disproportionately expensive.
At Butlers our record for handling repairs is second to none. Our team of qualified engineers fix things others give up on! In order to try and keep your repair cost to a minimum here are some tips to help save you money on your repair bill.
Most faults can not be repaired in the home. It’s just not practical to set up a workshop environment in your living room, so if you can, bring your faulty item to our Service Centre. This will save you the expense of a collection and re-delivery charge.
Please give as much fault information as possible to point us in the right direction when tracing the cause, particularly if the symptoms are obscure or erratic. For example, if the picture "goes off", how does it go off?
Does it vanish suddenly?
Does it go to a horizontal or vertical line?
Does it fade over a few seconds?
Does it leave any illumination on the screen?
Does the sound disappear simultaneously?
Remember, more clues can mean a faster repair and a lower charge.
If someone else is going to bring in the item for repair for you, include a note with your name, address and telephone number, plus clear symptom details. This avoids time-consuming "Chinese whispers" confusion. Remember that your first hours labour is payable before we will look at your faulty item, so make sure you send this with your item (This is currently £40 + VAT).
Always include the remote control, which is a vital part of most modern systems and without which the equipment cannot be operated and checked properly, if at all.
If a video or DVD recorder is not reproducing its own recordings correctly or only shows the fault on some tapes or discs, please include a sample tape/disc showing the symptom. This can save valuable time, particularly if the fault is intermittent.
If you are missing your favourite TV channel but all other channels are ok. If your picture breaks up at 8:00 every night but is fine for the rest of the day, chances are your TV is NOT faulty. Have you checked your aerial? Have you retuned your TV recently? Its good practice to retune your digital TV every 3-6 months just in case channels have moved or new ones added.
Dust is unsightly but rarely causes faults, and you may do more harm than good by trying to clean the innards of your equipment.
Electronic equipment often produces early warning symptoms of trouble to come. The LCD or Plasma that takes longer and longer to come on, the picture that disappears until you thump the cabinet, the DVD that squeals painfully when playing or doesn't always accept or reject a disc - typical examples of developing faults that are not going to correct themselves and will probably turn into more expensive repairs if left until they do not work at all.
Beware of the well-meaning friend who "knows about tellies" - he can prove an expensive acquaintance. Leave it to professional engineers.
Beware of the back bedroom repair man. All too often we see the costly results of botched repairs by amateur repair men who have ago and say “it can’t be repaired”. Unfortunately, not only will you have had to pay their bill but now also the cost of putting right any damage created before we can actually repair the original fault.
For greater reliability and to minimise your service frustrations and costs, remember that the cheapest equipment is not always the best value. Getting budget brands repaired can be very difficult as service information and parts availability can be very limited if non existent. Buy the best you can afford and keep your receipt safe – even after the guarantee has expired. Some of the more reputable manufactures may assist in some way towards your repair – not always but if you don’t ask you don’t get.
If your product is bought from another retailer and still under guarantee we can usually repair it for you. All we require is a copy of the original purchase receipt*.
We are approved service agents for Sanyo, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp and Hitachi and in November 2004 were appointed to the Panasonic Digital Service Network. So as an additional service to our customers we are now able to offer under guarantee repairs to Panasonic Plasma Televisions, LCD Televisions, and DVD Recorders.
* Administration fee payable unless by arrangement with the manufacturer |
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