Last year we bought a Vizio SV421XVT for use in our organization. One feature that was absolutely essential for our needs was a USB port for thumb drives to view mp4 files in our weekly meetings (we typically only use the television set for an hour or so on Saturday afternoons and again on Sunday mornings). The television itself has not disappointed, but our experience with customer service and Vizio company policy here in Taiwan has been disappointing. Fortunately though, our story has a happy ending.
After we bought the set, almost immediately it became apparent the remote control and the TV were only sporadically talking. Sometimes the remote would work; sometimes it wouldn’t. We called Customer Service: “Have you put in fresh batteries”? Duh, yes, we tried three sets of batteries in the first week! In addition to repeatedly calling into doubt our intelligence by asking this question again and again, they refused to send us a replacement remote control at their expense insisting that the problem was on our side. Their instruction was to buy a new remote!
We then called 3C, the chain store from which we purchased the set the previous week. They quickly dispatched a worker out to visit us, who confirmed with his instruments that indeed there was a problem with the brand new remote that came with the set, and that it was shipped this way with delivery. Armed with this authentication, Vizio had no choice but to reluctantly send us a new remote control at their expense.
For the next 8 months we got by using the set in our weekly meetings. But from the start for perhaps as many as 1 in 4 or 5 meetings, we would suddenly discover that the remote was not communicating with the TV. This usually resulted in us panicking to change the batteries, rubbing the contacts, or resort to hooking up a computer to the TV and inserting our thumb drive into the computer since the USB functions are not available from the TV buttons (reflecting, incidentally, a very poor design).
We called the company once or twice during this period but they did not offer any helpful insight or assistance. Finally, this past week, we had enough and decided to do whatever it might take. After hearing the repeated “have you put in fresh batteries?” a few more times, we were then told we should buy a new remote (They cost $NT1,200) Huh? Two remotes with the same problem, and we need to buy another one? Our secretary asked if they were intentionally selling flawed devices. She also somewhat jokingly but firmly asked if forcing customers to buy extra remotes was a scheme for making extra money?
Vizio finally relented by sending out a repairman to check on the TV’s 感應器 and told us if the problem was with the remote, then we would need to pay a $500 NT service fee, an arrangement to which we agreed. The friendly and helpful repairman was able to verify that the set was fine, and that the problem was indeed with the remote. However, he told us it was against company policy for repairmen to repair the remotes. They are not even allowed to carry extra parts to fix TVs or even sell remotes. Policy required us to buy a new one directly from the main company. Furthermore, when we told him the customer service representative on the phone had told us it was possible to control USB functions from the buttons on the set, and asked him to show us, he confirmed our earlier conclusion from reading the manual that it was indeed not possible.
Fortunately a well-connected friend who shall remain unnamed was able to re-solder a few of the connections inside the remote for us for free in just a few minutes. He told us of someone who had encountered a similar problem with their Vizio set. Following company instruction, they bought a 2nd remote. When even the 2nd remote did not work, the company finally relented by sending a repairman who fixed the set. When the customer then asked what they should do with the second unneeded remote for which they had paid good money, the repairman simply shrugged… Certainly a scheme for the company to make money! 賺錢的手段！Let the prospective Vizio customer beware.
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