EDITED: Philips product experience

I purchased a Philips DVD Home Cinema System model LX-3500D in August of 2003. In the summer of 2005 the audio would fail when the system was turned on, every once in a while. Later I noticed that after a time, generally anywhere from about twenty minutes to over an hour, there would be a loud pop, and the sound would come back on.

A year later, in the summer of 2006, the problem became much more frequent, and began to cut out during movies as well. Finally, in Nov. ’06, I went to the Philips web site to see if “Support” might be aware of some common problem with this model. The model was not listed anywhere on the Philips site ?! Remember, this model is only 3-4 years old.
By the way – I have not taken the “big screen plunge” yet; so this home DVD player is connected to a Sharp television that’s about twenty-five years old and still going strong.

Not having any success with the Philips web site, I called their customer service number on the owner’s manual. That was on Nov. 9, 2006. After finally getting to a real person, I was put on hold for seven minutes while the service rep looked for information on my model. She came back on the line, confirmed the model number I had given her, and told me she could, “not find any documentation on that model number.” She then suggested I try their web site… I reminded her that I had already told her earlier in the call, I could not find the model number anywhere on their site, which was what led me
to calling customer support. I was put on hold again for a few minutes. The rep came back on the line and told me my only recourse was to take the unit to a repair shop.

I explained that I did not expect Philips to repair the unit three years after purchase. I was just hoping to get information about the history of this model, or anything that might be helpful in solving the problem. I ask the rep if it was typical of Philips to drop any reference whatsoever to products that were only 3-4 years old. Of course, the answer did not even address that question.

When I ask for a name and title of someone with Philips to whom I could write with further inquiries, and likely a complaint, about the apparent disappearance of model LX-3500D from any Philip’s records, she gave me a company P.O. box in Marietta, GA and that is all she would give me.

I realize that everything from the lack of adequate information on which to make an intelligent purchasing decision regarding a product, to the laws that almost totally are in favor of big business, is the norm these days. So I suppose this incident should not surprise me; but still, 3-4 years and then no more support for an electronic product from a major manufacturer, seems to me quite outrageous.

If you’re considering a Philips product – BUYER BEWARE !!

Remember equipment at this price point is what's termed throw away. Once it starts giving you problems it's cheaper to replace than to fix. Phillips is a giant global concern, a product of this magnitude for them is negligible. And big corporate entities usually are not stellar performers when it comes to customer service, they'd rather you buy new. Sad, but true.

I think your expectations far exceed current market norms.

Here's the problem - you're singling out Philips, but the bottom line is that this story could be said about ANY major AV manufacturer in the world right now. Unlike the products of 25 years ago, the fast-moving US economy and economics of home theater have turned planned extinction into a reality and products such as yours are simply not supported after a year or so...

Plus, go back and see what kind of features you get for the money on a product such as the pne you purchased several years ago. You had far less features in exchange for a simpler, more reliable product (which, incidentally, probably cost a lot more as well.) At one time many people paid, for a simple VHS machine, what you likely paid for that an entire system - or more.

The reason is that most companies replace and renew products every year now (or faster). Providing meaningful support on older products (beyond the included warranty period) would entail a separate business model altogether which are outside the scope of the manufacturers' focus.

If products lasted as long as you desire the level of innovation would be unsustainable. It's a trade-off and innovation has supplanted product longevity - in some areas. You should expect your new TV to still last 5-7 years, but not 25. Smaller electronics - all bets are off. This is also why they are so inexpensive and yet provide so many features.

You can always pay more and get better quality and less features.

As stratman said big business has a few problems with service especially on the lower end models,they make so many products that only last a year or two its a huge task to access the info on outdated models,the info is there somewhere but finding it is another story.

As for phillips making bad gear that is not the case,phillips makes some of the best & most reliable cd transports in the industry that last for decades,i have a phillips cd burner that was the 1st model on the market like 10 years ago or longer & that baby is awesome,if it wasnt that the phillips looks didnt match the rest of my gear that player would be in my main rig instead of the mcintosh dvd player im now running infact ive used that player as the main player in secondary systems & the sound & build quality is as good as it gets.

A little hint,when i buy gear(even high dollar gear)i always buy a service manual to put away in the box just in case the tech i use cant find the info he needs.

three to four years in this business is like several geneations.

Is this your unit?

http://www.electronicsnation.com/en/products/flypage/prod_id/LX3500D

Each generation is cheaper and has more features than the previous one but. Build wise, you generally get what you pay for and, in the world of home audio, this is roughly the equivalent of a $10 toaster one buys at Liquidators Wholesale Distributors.

I don't know what you wanted from Philips, but I'm fairly sure that they could point you to a service facility that might be able to repair your unit at a price.

But, be aware that that price might exceed the cost to replace it.

And, it's not really nice to use your first post to bash a company. It causes one to wonder..

Responding to the responses

Stratman, Clint, Highfihoney, and MarkW:

First of all, my apologies for using my first post to "bash a company" as Mark put it. That's partly because I just discovered your site in my "travels" relative to my problem. And partly because I believe in consumerism and putting the word out there relative to one's experiences with a company, for the benefit of other people. Look at Highfihoney's reply - she's happy with Philips - as for me this was my second , and last product purchase from Philips.

Anyway - Thanks for the responses, although I have to say, it all left me kinda depressed.

I realize the Philips LX-3500D is just a basic system. That's all I wanted - something that would play DVD's and put out "acceptable" sound.
I was under the mistaken impression however that a Philips product would be reliable. The whole concept of "throw-away" products, as stratman put it, should be a crime as far as I'm concerned. And I mean that - literally. It's a waste of resources from the materails used, to the gas used to ship the product, and the paper used for the owner's manual, etc. etc.

I paid close to $300 at the time I bought it. I know that's not anything compared to what you audio-meisters are into - OK, don't put a bunch of features into the product; but for gawd's sakes, make something that will at least last awhile!

I have to disagree with Clint's logic - well, I guess it's not his logic; more like an explanation, or take on current affairs. The whole innovation vs sustainablility thing is bogus in my opinion. I guess I'm just a naive ol' fart that remembers the old values - like standing behind your product or service. I'd bet the numero uno reason companies are introducing "new features" every year is simply to outdate their product, and everyone else's, in order to keep consumers "on the hook" wanting to buy the latest thing. In effect they have their customers making monthly payments. That's what big business loves as far as business models go. Netflix is a good example - there are some months when I don't want to rent a DVD... These companies just want to get hooked into the steady source of income, Sadly, too many consumers ( audioholics ) are all too willing to buy into that model, literally.
As long as consumers "cave" and buy products that come from "planned extinction" business models, those models will continue to exist.

How many of those "new features" each year are really groundbreaking, and how many are just fancy teminology given to the tweak of a transistor here or there; or something that you really can live without?

You guys are all going to laugh, but my next step is going to be checking out what might be causing the sound to just not work when the DVD is spinning, and maybe get it repaired. I really don't like the throw-away mentality.
And after all, if you step back and look at the things that are really worth while in life, a " killer sound system" is not really up there. It won't feed you, keep you warm at night, make you proud of it's accomplishments as it grows up, or even appreciate in value...

JR-1of9 said:

Look at Highfihoney's reply - she's happy with Philips

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Ahahaha,dont feel bad but your not the first person here to refer to me as a her,just so you know i'd make even an uglier female than Rosie Odonald

There's actually a story behind my name here but it involves a female other than my wife & some things are better left off unsaid but i assure you i would make the ugliest & harriest woman on the planet

JR-1of9 said:

if you step back and look at the things that are really worth while in life, a " killer sound system" is not really up there. It won't feed you, keep you warm at night, make you proud of it's accomplishments as it grows up, or even appreciate in value...

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I know your new to these forums so i want to let you know im not busting your chops or doing any eye poking over your post but i did want to say that in my case & most likely the case for many others you are mistaken.

For myself listening to music is what makes things happen in life for me & what holds my head together when i feel like ripping it off,television for me is brain drain....... a waste of time & i feel that it makes people zombies,there's no thought involved in watching tv so i gave it up years ago.

Having "a killer sound system" is the means to the end for most of us,it allows us to hear & appreciate music in a way that others take for granted,not that we are golden ear guru's but most of invest in these systems for the love of music & for nothing else.

Some of my most cherished memories in life revolve around the music that my son & i shared together before he passed away & without the mutual love of music we both shared i'd not have these memories,music can give people something they desperately need,time to reflect.

Not everybody is in this hobby just to build the best system.

highfihoney said:

...just so you know i'd make even an uglier female than Rosie Odonald ...

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Sorry, but that's just not possible.

JR-1of9 said:

I have to disagree with Clint's logic - well, I guess it's not his logic; more like an explanation, or take on current affairs. The whole innovation vs sustainablility thing is bogus in my opinion. I guess I'm just a naive ol' fart that remembers the old values - like standing behind your product or service. I'd bet the numero uno reason companies are introducing "new features" every year is simply to outdate their product, and everyone else's, in order to keep consumers "on the hook" wanting to buy the latest thing. In effect they have their customers making monthly payments. That's what big business loves as far as business models go. Netflix is a good example - there are some months when I don't want to rent a DVD... These companies just want to get hooked into the steady source of income, Sadly, too many consumers ( audioholics ) are all too willing to buy into that model, literally.
As long as consumers "cave" and buy products that come from "planned extinction" business models, those models will continue to exist.

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I cannot argue with this. I often wish it were different as well. Just remember you can still purchase quality.

Hey JR,

I would venture to say that most audioholics don't care for the throw-away mentality that's crept into the Ameircan manufacturing scene over 30 years ago, but it's not just A/V it's automobiles, clothing to some extent, especially if you're a fashion victim (but that's another story!), appliances (how many times can you fix a dishwasher till the repairs out price a new one?), forget small personal appliances, when was the last time you had a blowdryer fixed? Does any one repair those? It's cheaper to get rid of it, go to Target and for 20.00 you have a new one. Sure it's entertaining to try and repair something, but reapiring most A/V equipment is out of the realm of the average person.

JR-1of9 said:

And after all, if you step back and look at the things that are really worth while in life, a " killer sound system" is not really up there. It won't feed you, keep you warm at night, make you proud of it's accomplishments as it grows up, or even appreciate in value...

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I don't think any of us have ever confused this hobby with these things. Believe it or not, we DO know there's more to life besides audio. If you read that into us, you're sadly mistaken. My five grandkids are the important things in my life but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy other things, does it? Actually, your going through all teeth gnashing and acrimony over an inexpensive htib seems a bit obsessive, doesn't it?

As for "ground breaking" new features, well, to some this is important. ...gotta be on the bleeding edge. Me, personally, I'm still using a HT receiver I bought in 2003 (a leftover from last years model that had all the major features I needed. It stil ldoes what I want and need. I haven't felt the gnawing urge to get the latest/greatest just because they say we need it. I know what I need and when they do come up with something I consider worthwhile, then I'll consider it. I think a lot of us here feel that way.

Again, as I said in my original post, you get what you pay for, and this goes for build quality and estimated longevity.

Good luck on getting it repaired but, be aware that the people fixing this stuff need to make a living wage. Just because it didn't cost an arm and a leg to purchase, don't expect service to be any cheaper than it would be for a megabuck item.

Remember, whenever you buy an "all in one" unit, when it goes bad you need to replace the whole thing. A wiser approach may have been to pay a little more and get a component system in the first place. You can get inexpensive DVD players for $30 on up, 5 channel receivers for anywhere from $130 on up and speakers for any amount of money you want to spend.

...something you may want to consider before throwing more money into your current system. It's not like it's a family member or a beloved pet, is it?

Now, when one of those components went south, you could either get it repaired and pay the man what he wants, or simply replace it with a new one.

Don't take this as liking this "planned obsolescence" thing. I'm from the "old school" too. Take it as simply accepting the world for what it is.

A LOT of my "Stuff" is over thirty years old and some is a lot newer. For instance, even as I write this I'm listening to a receive I bought in '72 and some speakers made in '74. But, then again, when I buy something I generally pay a little more for a sturdier product. When I buy a $10 toaster, if I get a few years out of it, I simply accept it and get a new one rather than pay shipping to and from the factory, not to mention the cost of repairs.

Good luck in your endeavours and may suggest you weigh the costs/benefits ratio here. Throwing good money after bad is not an old school idea either.

As for phillips making bad gear that is not the case,phillips makes some of the best & most reliable cd transports in the industry that last for decades

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While I agree with your statement on their CD transports, I cannot extend that to a majority of their products. The store/service center I work at will not even work on Phillips products anymore because they had an extremely high failure rate and were a major pain to deal with.

I know my phillips cd burner is top notch build quality from the severe useage ive put that old sucker thru,ive burned about 1,000 discs for our cars on that bad boy & i couldnt even begin to total up the number of disc's my kid's & their friends have burned on it,as for my experience with other phillips stuff i might be experiencing the cost vs build quality thing because all the phillips stuff i own is in their uber price range.

Im sure hiho's comments are more qualified than mine to judge the overall longevity of the brand itself but i cant ever remember repairing or throwing away anything made by phillips.

I tend to agree with HiHo, Phillips stuff of late, including their tvs, leave much to be desired. Most everyone that I know has traded their Phillips LCDs for something else.

My Proceed cd player uses the Phillips MkII mechanism, it's almost 15 years old and not one glitch, if I'm not mistaken the early Krell Cd transports and players were also based on Phillips tech.

stratman said:

I tend to agree with HiHo, Phillips stuff of late, including their tvs, leave much to be desired.

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See this is where im out of date with phillips then, was just sitting here thinking about this & everything i have from phillips is at least 5 years old with most of the stuff being closer to 10 years old,maybe they have succumb to drastic cost cutting durring production to compete with jiffy pop brands.

It kinda bum's me out that they have taken a turn for the worse because i specificaly remember equating phillips as being a well made brand,im glad to be involved in this thread about them though because its going to be tv replacement time throughout our house this summer once we move.

highfihoney said:

See this is where im out of date with phillips then, was just sitting here thinking about this & everything i have from phillips is at least 5 years old with most of the stuff being closer to 10 years old,maybe they have succumb to drastic cost cutting durring production to compete with jiffy pop brands.

It kinda bum's me out that they have taken a turn for the worse because i specificaly remember equating phillips as being a well made brand,im glad to be involved in this thread about them though because its going to be tv replacement time throughout our house this summer once we move.

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Hey HH How you doin'?

Yeah Phillips has fallen into the cost cutting trap, I remember the day when Phillips was top dog, it's sad when that happens to such a well respected brand. Like I posted before their CD mechanisms were the best,period. At any price.

OK, guys, I'll put forth a little defense of Philips, as I'm a 17-year employee. Philips is a Dutch company that's about 150 years old, and consists of several fairly separate divisions: Medical (which I work for) designs, manufactures, installs, supports, and educates technologists in cutting-edge CT, MRI, Ultrasound, X-Ray, and Nuclear Medicine systems. They also make monitoring and cardiovascular monitoring, as well as Medical IT systems.
The other major division is lighting - a lot more than the light bulbs you see at Costco - they are one of the leading technology developers in this field, for industrial, commercial, as well as consumer-level stuff.
They were one of the leading electronic component manufacturers (ICs, capacitors, etc.) until fairly recently, but sold that business off.
Last, but not least, is their consumer electronics/lifestyle products (Norelco shavers, SonicCare toothbrushes, etc.) To be honest, I'm not really impressed with their audio/video products - they're trying to compete with Panasonic, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Hitachi, and the Chinese and Korean companies. (Incidentally, they owned Marantz for a short period)
They're really not much different than any other mass-market consumer electronics company these days, just trying to stay in the public eye while selling cheap stuff at Target & WalMart. Like others have said here, this type of stuff is in the disposable appliance league. If you want heirloom-quality audio/video components, there are lots of companies out there that cater to us, as all of us who frequent this website are acutely aware.
In other words, if you want furniture to last you for a generation or two, stay away from Ikea.

stratman said:

I tend to agree with HiHo, Phillips stuff of late, including their tvs, leave much to be desired. Most everyone that I know has traded their Phillips LCDs for something else.

My Proceed cd player uses the Phillips MkII mechanism, it's almost 15 years old and not one glitch, if I'm not mistaken the early Krell Cd transports and players were also based on Phillips tech.

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Yup, myself included. I had a 42" Phillips LCD and had 4 problems with it within a year including replacing the panel. I will never purchase a Phillips product again.

Folks, don't worry, SONY is well on its way of joining Phillips, my last SONY product was a Kirrara Basso 53" RPTV, great color as compared to its competitor but died on me after 6 years of sparing use, I found out it was common in this model, I bought the SONY because of my previous SONY purchases, their TVs had excellent color and lasted long, they made some real good audio separates, sadly today SONY is name branding and nothing else.