Mitsubishi DLP 06 - Failed light engine

Richard:

That said..........my light engine is now on a "priority" status with Mitsu and they have told me it will be shipped to the service tech within 2 weeks. Expect a follow up.

I'm sooooo laughing that we customers have to CALL to get parts we have been waiting for "expedited." Isn't it interesting that the priority status they claim to be giving some of us is around the December 15th backorder date they gave us (after missing the November 14th backorder date)?!

LOL...I'm on the phone with the store I purchased my TV from for my third attempt at getting my elusive "Order Number"--which is needed to "expedite" the light engine part for a TV that has been broken since September.

BTW...Before being put on hold, the customer service rep told me that their store alone has 6 Mitsubishi TVs in for service that they cannot get parts for. Yep...Everyone is getting mad 😕

I agree....it's been nothing but lip service. The ONLY positive thing so far is the fact that Mitsu did, in fact, extend the Mfr's Warranty, which acknowledges the fact that there is a huge problem going on. I've read blogs from people that had the defective part replaced.......with another defective part!!!...Hopefully, if/when we ever receive the replacement, this issue will be resolved once and for all!!
Is the store you purchased the TV from also the "authorized" service provider for Mitsu?
I'm asking because a service tech has to place the order and also include the diagnosis AND estimate for repair!!!........Mitsu would not "expedite" my order without that! If you can't get the answer from them, call Mitsu customer service and get a referral to a authorized service center and start the process all over! That's what I had to do when I was in the middle of a disputed "rebuild" of the light engine via the extended warranty...when Mitsu extended the warranty themselves.............

Sheldon, all I said was

and no... Mits is in CA and GA, USA.

Clearly not a defense and you have corrected me, thanks. As for the rest you had to say about overseas CSR versus US based CSR that is not my experience. If it sucks it is because of the policies and procedures the manufacturer has created. When the person on the other end doesn't speak intelligible english that is truly frustrating and a huge slip by the manufacturer in not inspecting what they expect!

We can spend the rest of our lives debating these issues....so we'll let it end here (at least for now!) with only this final observation (on my part);
you are the one that stated this "When the person on the other end doesn't speak intelligible english". Must have been an issue with you at some point in time?

I appreciate the opportunity to express the issues in this forum and I respect your input.

I agree....it's been nothing but lip service. The ONLY positive thing so far is the fact that Mitsu did, in fact, extend the Mfr's Warranty, which acknowledges the fact that there is a huge problem going on. I've read blogs from people that had the defective part replaced.......with another defective part!!!...Hopefully, if/when we ever receive the replacement, this issue will be resolved once and for all!!
Is the store you purchased the TV from also the "authorized" service provider for Mitsu?
I'm asking because a service tech has to place the order and also include the diagnosis AND estimate for repair!!!........Mitsu would not "expedite" my order without that! If you can't get the answer from them, call Mitsu customer service and get a referral to a authorized service center and start the process all over! That's what I had to do when I was in the middle of a disputed "rebuild" of the light engine via the extended warranty...when Mitsu extended the warranty themselves.............

Yes...The company I purchased my WD-73927 from is an authorized service provider from Mitsubishi. I called Mitsu Consumer Relations again and had to listen to that ANNOYING on hold music while waiting for someone to take my call (can they get new on hold music PLEASE).

Anyway...They claim that they finally figured out what my customer number was (they actually gave me the number). The rep said they had "expedited" the light engine for my TV yesterday. She went on to say that my service center will receive the part in 2 weeks (which should be around December 20, 2007).

I asked the Consumer Relations rep if she had knowledge whether or not this is a new, improved part or just the same part. She claimed that it IS a newer version.

So...Time will tell. Here's hoping Santa and his elves return our TV to us before Christmas.

If you believe in Santa, your TV will be fixed by then......
stay in touch.

4 premature replacement bulbs, one light engine, almost $8000 now invested into my Mitsubishi WD73827 that is just a useless 6'x5' black box at this point. I've been waiting over 3 months for a repair. We need to start a class action suit. This just is not right.

Well like various others, my Mitsubishi 73 inch light engine began going seriously awry about a month ago (Before it went the rainbow and artifact route, the picture was very good). After getting the local dealer to forward a copy of my receipt with the extended warranty, I contacted the warranty service. They insisted on verification directly from the dealer and came out to the house around Nov 1. The technician removed the light engine and the chassis (?). He indicated that they would try to repair the light engine and, if they could not, they would send it to Mitsubishi so that they could repair it.

Apparently, the warranty service and Mitsubishi were not able to repair the light engine. The technician who re-installed both the light engine and chassis informed me that Mitsubishi forwarded a new light engine. I asked if it could be a rebuilt one and he stated that it was not.

In any event, the picture is even better than before. The colors appear to be richer and deeper. I have frequented a couple of stores in the last couple of weeks and have been looking at the latest 1080p LCD's and Pioneer Kuoros 60 inch (FD 150) sets. While they are very impressive, particularly the 60 inch plasma, I remain pleased with the 73 inch Mit.
Hopefully, it hangs in there. While I have an extended warranty through Oct 2010, it is not pleasant to forego the set for a month. I can't imagine being without it for 4 to 6 months.

Good luck to all who are still waiting for the repair.

NICE!!........Finally some positive input.
Thank you. While it doesn't help with the fact that I've been waiting since August, it certainly gives me something to look forward to. Hopefully the outcome will be the same.
I took advantage of the Toshiba HD3 sale recently (for 299.00!) and can't wait to be able to watch HD DVD!

My new light engine was ordered but has not been shipped.
I called the tech, got the order and part number, then immediately called Mitsu. Consumer Affairs.

They knew right away who I was, what TV I had, where I purchased it, what the issue was, etc. They went over the issue with me (as if they didn't trust the tech) and said the part would be shipping "soon".

I complained a bit about how I had this NEW TV only 5 days before this happened and was then told my order would be "expedited" and ship within 2 weeks (It seems they tell everyone their order will be expedited, eh?)

I wasn't satisfied with his 2 week estimate and told him so... he explained that he had no power over that and could only give me 14 days as a number. He also did not know if the part was available at this time.

He attempted to get me off the phone at that point, but I was not done yet. I asked to speak w/ a supervisor but was told none were available. Then I got nasty saying basically that I was sold a defective product which amounted to consumer fraud and that I wanted the TV replaced or I would seek legal counsel, contact the appropriate agencies, file the relevant complaints, etc., etc.. The poor guy could do nothing except quote his book: not our policy, we don't do that, etc. while he documented all I said.

I repeatedly asked to speak with a supervisor until he finally said he'd escalate the matter and someone would call me back within 1 business day. So, now I await the call so I can bitch some more.

I still have no confidence that my TV will be replaced. But, I look @ it this way: It WILL be fixed eventually (maybe before 2008 if I'm lucky). But, pushing for a replacement, even w/ no result, can't hurt.

Also, as far as Mitsu is concerned, if I bought the TV from a retail store and it was defective, the store would take it back and return it to Mitsu. So, Mitsu can certainly take back a defective product - Just like if Best Buy had it returned to them (which WOULD have happened had I bought it there). And, MAYBE.. just MAYBE.. if they do right by me, I'll buy another Mitsu product in the future and not tell the world to avoid their products at all costs.

I heard the following through the grapevine, a direct and personal grapevine that will have to remain undocumented but...

Mitsubishi has been over this particular light engine, have made necessary modifications and is fully confident that beyond a normal failure rate, which is to be expected, the rebuilt ones should be fine. The only problem for them at this point is getting the product in and as noted many are arriving this month. As far as Mits is concerned this problem is behind them...

I also asked about other companies that claim they can rebuild this light engine or any other Mits light engine. That raised eyebrows because Mits doesn't sell any of these parts to anybody else; they are the only ones that they allow to rebuild the engine. Now this doesn't mean that another company might not have some connections overseas to acquire some of the parts nor the fact that a handful of parts in the engine could be obtained generically. It does mean NOBODY will be getting any help from Mits to do it. Extended warranty companies may suggest and even require a light engine be sent to a generic rebuilder but as Sheldon's debacle shows, it is not going to be in anybodies best interest, especially if things go wrong!

That parallels a point that comes up with car repairs whether due to insured collision or extended warranty and whether or not you are getting after market parts (so the insurance company can save money) or genuine manufacturer parts...

As for CSR's that speak terrible english yes 🙂 that did happen to me one time and in the past was a common complaint for many who farmed out CSR. Some of those countries, like India, went out of their way with english language programs so they would not embarrass the manufacturer and retain those contracts.

Richard:
Thanks for the valuable insight.
When Warrantech authorized the light engine to be rebuilt, instead of replaced, my first questions were;
1) Once rebuilt, is the extended warranty still in place as though it was new (answer was yes).
2) Is the rebuild done by an authorized Mitsubishi company (answer was yes again)

We can only rely on what we're told and it's a huge benefit to have the kind of information that everyone shares here.

😄

Sheldon, all I said was

and no... Mits is in CA and GA, USA.

Clearly not a defense and you have corrected me, thanks. As for the rest you had to say about overseas CSR versus US based CSR that is not my experience. If it sucks it is because of the policies and procedures the manufacturer has created. When the person on the other end doesn't speak intelligible english that is truly frustrating and a huge slip by the manufacturer in not inspecting what they expect!

Richard - I wholly agree. While CSRs are seldom US based any longer, it makes no difference!

I've worked on software for CSR call centers and can tell you from experience that all those people do is go down a list of things to say along with another list of information to gather. They take notes on what the consumer says and have access to product manuals. They have no ability to do ANYTHING beyond that. Yelling at them is worthless - albeit stress-relieving (and possibly even enjoyable) - but useless nonetheless.

Getting upset that they are in a foreign land is infantile and ridiculous. As I said, they can do only what they do and no more - regardless of their nationality or native language (although when you get one that doesn't speak English well, it certainly can be annoying.)

When you have a problem, the BEST you can hope for with CS is to get a supervisor or someone else closer to the heartbeat of the actual company who may actually have some wiggle room to make a decision.

In the end, CSRs have no authority, power or ability to help beyond what's in front of them or in the same book you probably already have in your hand when you call. Like it or not, that's the reality.

I yelled at a Mitsu CSR today and felt a bit bad about it since I KNOW full well he can't help me. But, I did get my issue escalated to the next level (with some effort). So, in that respect, it worked. Surely, after I got off the phone, some other irate consumer was next in line to yell at him for something completely beyond his span of control. I feel for those people. I, for one, would not want to deal with ME! LOL

I'm fully aware of what the role is for all csr's. The big difference in dealing with a company that keeps their staff here is that an issue can usually be escalated relatively quickly, compared to the false promises that "someone will call you back today"...or "tomorrow".
Frustrating? You bet it is. "Foreign land" bashing? No. Company/product bashing? Hell yes!
Thanks for the "infantile and ridiculous" comment...I feel much better now.
Oh, wait.....infantile would be yelling and verbally abusing someone.
Although infantile and ridiculous is probably the best compliment I've had today.

I didn't discover this site until I had been informed that a light engine was ready to be installed. Had I been aware of the unbelieveable delays that you and others have been subjected, I would have been very discouraged. Nonetheless, I found all of your postings very informative.

Best wishes.

The big difference in dealing with a company that keeps their staff here is that an issue can usually be escalated relatively quickly, compared to the false promises that "someone will call you back today"...or "tomorrow".

My experience would not agree... c'mon... it's a new world with messages and discussions taking place anytime you want! I can call anybody I want or send email to anybody I want on this planet provided they are awake and connected to some form of electrons!

Nope, its the policies and procedures, nothing more... and we all agree they can really suck!

I repeatedly asked to speak with a supervisor until he finally said he'd escalate the matter and someone would call me back within 1 business day. So, now I await the call so I can bitch some more.

I waited the day for a supervisor to call me wayyyy back in October when I, and the Customer Service Rep from the store I purchased from, insisted that Mitsubishi pay for parts and labor to fix my year and a half old almost $7000 TV.

The Mitsu Super called the following day (as promised) and told me they would ONLY pay for the part (not the labor since I was past the year warranty). My store CSR was so mad and wanted me to fight it but Mitsu was adamant back then. I was just happy at that point to get something. I'm so glad they've reconsidered, especially after all the grief they've put me through these past months.

Have fun talking to the supervisor 🙂

Richard:
At least we agree on disagreeing! I can counter your points, but won't.
Thought you would enjoy the following though;

There is a columnist in the Los Angeles Times California Section by the name of Steve Harvey. His column deals with humorous issues such as advertisements, pictures sent in from readers..etc..etc. In todays issue, he printed an ad that was sent to him (as follows);

"Free 52" Mitsubishi TV
Model WD52525. Not working, other
wise in good condition"

His comment underneath it is:
"This TV might better serve as a coffee table"

LOL!!!!

I too have the DLP light engine problem as described. I have model # wd65732 purchased 11.06 from HH Gregg.
1st lesson....don't buy anything from HHGREGG!!! No customer service and don't care.
2nd lesson... buy locally from merchant who has defective product replacement policy.
3rd lesson.... don't buy MITSUBISHI!!! They don't care either.

Here is a link to see the picture....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIkmiLsW2eA

Started happening Thanksgiving weekend and the earliest a repair tech can even look at my TV is DEC 21!
Thats just great....a 2800.00 black boat anchor in my living room....PERFECT!
Reading these post, I don't hold out much hope of having it fixed in a timely manner.
I did write complaint letters to both HHGregg and Mitsubishi NA.
As of today, no response.
I'll wait for the tech on the 21st and if he can't fix it in a timely manner(that Day) I'll get my local TV consumer advocate to investigate this "DLP DISASTER"
Someone has to care.....

Hang in there....that's about all you can do for now. I never called the retailer that sold me my set because the problem happened about 18 months after I bought it. I don't think it's the retailers responsibility for parts that fail after a year or year and a half. Personally, I don't believe that I have ever seen a "no questions asked" return policy on electronics, but maybe they're out there. I had to wait 2 weeks for the 1st service call also, and I've had to wait anywhere from 5 - 10 days for each subsequent service call (4 in all so far).
Keep us posted about your progress. I feel your pain!!!!!!!!!

Best Buy and Circuit City both allow returns on defective TVs. My brother bought a JVC 60" from Best Buy and they replaced it 3 times in the first month... they gave him a bit of a hard time but in the end, he got the TV he wanted and it works (most importantly).

Unfortunately I purchased mine from Electronics-Expo who has a no return policy on anything over 36" (lesson learned - BIG TIME!)
I had my TV (WD73732) only 5 days before the light engine failed and all the store says is, "it has to be fixed under warranty". What crap!

However, the service tech was here within a day of calling them. They even had to come back the following week (since the TV would not act up the first time). So, my experience on THAT end has been positive thus far (at least).

I wholly agree you redogleader in that Mitsu doesn't care. They take their sweet time for sure! Even after you've had the issue diagnosed and an order placed, expect to wait another 2 to 3 weeks minimum before it will be fixed. Also, my tech indicated that Mitsu does not like to give up a light engine easily and will opt instead for a main board replacement knowing full well that's not the issue. So be sure your tech is willing to fight to get you the right parts the FIRST time. Else you'll be waiting months potentially.

Also... If you call Mitsu CS they tell everyone their order has been "expedited" - which is total bull. Your parts get shipped when they get shipped. There is no such thing as expedited or priority with them - it's all just words to try and give the impression they are actually doing something and hope you'll go away and wait.

I have been calling them daily asking for status and am still waiting for a supervisor to call me back. I will continue to do so until I get some satisfaction or my parts arrive and the TV is fixed.

Good luck!

PS: Here's a vid of mine acting up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK14iA9OU1Y

It is true that Mitsu doesn't care about customer service. I was even told that by a very helpful customer service rep. at Mitsu. He stated that parts cannot be expedited and upper management will not call back. He stated that supervisors would not call back. (So to who ever is waiting for a supervisor to call back you might as well stop waiting and start writing instead.)

The latest and greatest on our light engine is that our part came in the end of Nov. I called the
sub-contractor up to find out when he is going to install my light engine. He told me that the part was for another customer and a different model then mine. I called Mitsu to inquire about my part. Mitsu informed me that the sub-contractor made the mistake and the part was for us, and the part number did match our model TV. The rep went on to tell me that he spoke with the sub-contractor prior to me calling and informed him of his mistakeby installing it in some other TV. He told the sub he has to make it right with us. Who do we believe?

Well, here we are now waiting until Jan 9, 2008 for the part. I am currently in the process of filing the complaint and requesting a new TV from Mitsu.

Who was the person talking about filing a class action in California?

He immediately said, "Yep, that's the light engine." He then explained to me how Mitsubishi doesn't like to replace them, that they always try to get techs to replace the main board first (even knowing full well that the board is not the issue) and constantly give consumers the run-around before actually agreeing to replace a light engine.

That is one heck of a nasty claim! Due to availability they require authorization from tech assist to make sure the part is not being wasted on a problem that does not need it preventing other customers from getting theirs. While I can't refute the claim I can share our experience. I just ordered one and it was no hassle but I did have to provide information that convinced them it was the light engine.

Richard:
What time frame did they quote you for the light engine?

About a month as expected. Fortunately for this customer it is still intermittent working more often than not...

The warmer it gets, the worse it becomes? We can watch our TV with the "rebuilt" light engine for about 20 minutes before it all becomes pretty much unwatchable. Forget about watching any HD. I'm hoping that's related to the light engine issue?

He immediately said, "Yep, that's the light engine." He then explained to me how Mitsubishi doesn't like to replace them, that they always try to get techs to replace the main board first (even knowing full well that the board is not the issue) and constantly give consumers the run-around before actually agreeing to replace a light engine.

That is one heck of a nasty claim! Due to availability they require authorization from tech assist to make sure the part is not being wasted on a problem that does not need it preventing other customers from getting theirs. While I can't refute the claim I can share our experience. I just ordered one and it was no hassle but I did have to provide information that convinced them it was the light engine.

I agree that is a nasty claim, but it is verbatim what I was told.

As you pointed out, the tech needs to provide Mitsu w/ information that "convinces" them that is is in fact a light engine problem. As I stated above, I was told that even when the tech KNOWS it's a light engine, Mitsu often will not agree to send such unless the information given is serious enough to warrant it. Instead they'll require a main board replacement or other fix first and if THAT doesn't work, THEN they'll supply a light engine.

I found out through the grapevine that some techs are forced to "embellish" the truth just to get the correct parts. i.e., the "convincing evidence" they supply is not just "ghosted image" or "loss of clarity", but something like, "I could hear the light wheel making noises" which forces a light engine replacement since it's a single unit for Mistus. I'm sorry, but THAT's ridiculous. If an authorized tech's job is to diagnose these issues and get the parts needed for a fix, then Mitsu should not be deciding the course of action needed for that fix.

Part availability is a separate issue entirely and one that Mitsu should be addressing internally. Sure, they don;t want to send the wrong parts and then sum1 else with a "real" need has to wait. But, the bottom line is, consumer's should not be put off and tech's forced to lie because the corporation can't see fit to manufacture enough parts to meet the demand of their own malfunctioning products. That's Bulls&*%t and the reason I will never purchase a Mistubishi product again.

I Just noticed the following on the Mitsu-tv site (maybe it's old news?, but...):


Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc (MDEA) 2005/ 2006 DLP

I can't believe this...

I just got off the phone w/ Mitsu CSR - after 4 other calls this week and being told repeatedly that my part was "expedited" and that a supervisor would call me back (and never did BTW) - today I call and am told that my part was never "expedited," no escalation was ever placed on my order and the light engine will not ship now until January 9th.


The CSR even told me, "I could put you through to a supervisor but they are all busy on other calls." To this I responded, "I'll WAIT!" She didn't know what to do then, saying, "uhh.. umm.. well.. ahh.. they're going to be on the phone for quite awhile.. and well.. umm... this is the reason for the call back" Way to get caught in a LIE dumbass.

Grrrrrrrr..... You can just image how pissed I am right now!

After over a week of being told my part would ship BY the 20th, now it's suddenly moved to the 9th of January and EVERYTHING I was previously told amounts to nothing more than CS lip service and the usual Mitsu bull.

Today they even told me to call and complain to my tech/service center as "they can get the parts faster". What a complete line of crap!
I'm writing a letter now to their corporate headquarters and finishing up my letter to the Attorney General's office of NJ - I can;t wait to speak with this "supervisor" if and when they ever call me back.

I cannot believe how inept this corporation is!

Oh...I can believe how "pissed off" you are!!!!..........it is extremely discouraging trying to deal with them. Chances are you will never get a call back from a "supervisor". I don't think they exist.
As you know from my posts, my 73" DLP has been out of service since August (now there's a "GRRRRRRRRRRR" for you!!).
This is the end of the long haul for me. I have also been told that my part is now "expedited", and that it will be shipped within 2 weeks (that was on 12/6). IF this is delayed one more time, they can expect a certified letter demanding a replacement TV and they'll have the time that is statutory in Calif to do just that before I file a small claims action against them.
Maybe I should just hold a fund raiser for a needy organization in our town:
Take the TV outside somewhere, and raffle off blows to the TV with a sledge hammer. The first swing would be the most expensive...etc..etc...the media exposure would be great, don't you think????
Best of luck to us all...................