Problem with Samsung SIR TS 160 and Samsung

Unit I installed in customers new $20.000.00 theater, died after 1 month of operation, went back to distributor, they would not take it back, because it had been activated, they said call direct TV, I called Direct TV they said they had no Idea what I was talking about, finally got a hold of Samsung support, they said take it back to the distributor who once again said they would not take it back as per their agreement with Samsung. This all continued on and on for 4 days straight. Finally got a hold of the A main guy? At Samsung who was very rude, he told me that I could not do anything but to tell the customer to mail it to a Samsung service center and it would be fixed in an undetermined amount of time, I told him I cant ask my customer to send in something I installed that was only a month old he said that was there policy. I told him I would no longer recommended Samsungs products because I cannot get proper support, he hung up on me.

I had to buy my customer a new HDTV box out of my own pocket.

What the hell is up with Samsung!

They pile tons of hype and brochures on us at the trade shows and then abandon us in the field when we need them.

I have one thing to say: no discrete codes in the SIR-T165. Boo, hiss!

Your distributor's agreement with Samsung has nothing to do with their relationship with you. You are the customer in that equation, and should be taken care of because it's the right thing to do.

One big problem is that there are no satellite receivers designed for our industry. One rack space, serial port w/ published codes, discrete IR, etc...

Another case where CEDIA should step in.

I expect to hear something about this, but here goes.

Distributors, including one I'm very familiar with, generally emulate manufacturers policies when it comes to doa situations. Manufacturers have their own whims as to what they want to do when a product fails.

I would offer the following observations/questions to all, not just our friend in Bellevue.

1. Did you know going in what the doa policy was with your product? What about after a month?
2. Did you know that several prominent manufacturers have a service only policy, even if doa? I'll mention Panasonic, but I bet there might be a couple others with that same policy.
3 What is fair for a manufacturer/distributor to offer? Is 30 days too little? How about 60 days? A year?
4. Have you loaned the customer something while the service issue is taking place?

I strongly recommend that installers purchase equipment ahead of time and burn it in before installation. Not only do you have a reason to collect a larger deposit, it keeps you honest on your cash flow. By testing everything out ahead of time, before install, you can discover glitches, correct programming issues, find dead on arrival things before emotions get high.

My two cents....

They don't get our business, EVER


30 days, and no restocking fee if DOA


Yep, you're right. There are many different names for the world in which this can happen - Xanadu & Utopia are 2 that come to mind.

Please forgive my sarcasm, nothing personal. But there's the right way, and there's the only way. And rarely are the 2 the same. I set up & program systems ahead of time whenever possible, which is about 10% of the time.

The problem is that too many people just don't do their job. How many of us consider it the rule & not the exception that everyone around us will ultimately fail in their duties, and we'll have to pick up the slack? I assume that product will not be available, or that tech support won't return my call, or will not have an answer if they do, that the electrician will fail to install the outlets we discussed a dozen times, or that a salesperson will sell a system that doesn't work without a pile of black boxes & adaptors, or that the architect will design an equipment cabinet that's only 12" deep.

A distributor refusing to accept a DOA piece for return is hindering our industry, not helping it, and is therefore not doing his job.

And so we come here to vent.

- Doug

Doug, where can I get returnable Directv receivers?
I've always had to get them repaired?

I have 2 distributors that carry sat receivers. Best Buy is cheaper than both, so I get them there. In fact, tomorrow I'll be returning a defective Philips SatTivo to them.

- Doug

That is bull sh**! If your purchasing a product direct or through distribution, you should NOT be liable. They back that product. You rip the bad one out and put a new one in. If the Man. or Dist. has a problem crediting you back for the broken one it is very simple. YOU NEVER BUY PRODUCT FROM THEM AGAIN! There is way too much competition from every side in this industry. There is always another product or another rep. to buy the same or better product from. As for burning gear in prior to..... How can you take multiple jobs with tons of gear and burn it in? I know I have about 35-40 projects that will expect to have their equipment installed within the next 30-60 days. That is alot of gear to "burn", plus explain to the customer of all the open boxes. We and the end user pay alot of money for their product. I know DOA happens. It is electronics. Plain and simple the manufacturer and distributor is in business for one reason. TO SELL PRODUCT. If the product is not performing they HAVE TO back it up. Otherwise, hello to the next line. My two cents

I am right there with you JMAV.

The distributor claims that they have had multiple problems with slamsung where in Slamsung would not take the product back, and the distributor got stuck. The distributor went on to try and sell me a different brand with a workable guarantee. I now buy from one of the 8 other distributors I normally buy through, Oh and I buy stuff from Best Buy also when it’s prudent to do so.

is it the distributor or Samsung that is the problem...

In my area, the Onkyo problem is the distributor. i have a unit going back to Onkyo for a refund because it's a total POS... the distributor wouldn't take it back (he's an ass and doesn't get much business anymore)

The distributer says there contract with Slamsung leaves them stuck if they try to return anything. they say that they still have units laying in the warehouse that slamsung wont take back.

I can buy Denon from ADI. I can also source it from a local distributor. The local guy is cheaper, about 5% but will never ever take any product back. ADI will take back DOA's. I buy from ADI and when I return a DOA for exchange I tell them that this policy is why I use them even at a higher price.
You have to know the return policy at your distributor or it can cost you.

RTIinstaller will not really have to eat his problem unit. He can replace it for the customer, have the defective one repaired and sell it as a demo to another customer at a discount. He could also buy a new unit to use as a loaner and later sell it. He can use his display unit as a loaner. These solutions may affect his cash flow a little but it won't put him out of business. He will also have a happier customer. Hopefully he will learn his lesson on this $500 piece and not have the same problem with a $5000 plasma.

Samsung does have a DOA exchange program set up with their distributors. They have provided their distributors with what they call "seed stock". These are new units supplied without access cards or accessories to replace DOA's. Have your distributor check with their Samsung rep about these units.

Slamsung only has this return issue with their sat receivers. I did not mean to mislead everyone regarding their other products. Which as I understand can be returned and exchanged within the standard period if found defective.

The "Seed Stock" exchange program that I refer to is for HD sat receivers, I exchanged an SIR-TS160 last week. It was a true DOA, never did power on. I called the distributor the day after I got it and after 6 days of fighting with them, they exchanged it after speaking to their samsung rep.
I do not know if this program would apply to a 1 month old unit but you could try.
I don't believe Samsung has a return issue at least not thru my distributor. I also called Capitol and they said they would also exchange this model. Samsung's problem lies in the quality of the product. The best exchange program in the world can't improve a crummy product.

I have installed quite a few Samsung receivers and have had problems with quite a few, ranging from doa to will not see all satellites. Although recently they have been more reliable I stay away from them whenever possible.