Update on Toshiba HD DVD Fiasco

[20Glove]

Hello all!

I just wanted to give you an update on my experience with the HD-A35. I have not had a lot of time to be on here lately and just got it resolved.

Ok, a reminder, on 3/28/08 I could not load Bourne Ultimatium on my Toshiba HD-A35, but it did load Planet Earth. So I noticed there was a firmware update to help with reading some HD DVD discs. When I downloaded the firmware update and put in Bourne... it did not work... same thing with Planet Earth... called Toshiba who went through all the troubleshooting with me... found it, it bricked!! They told me they would call back. After 7 days ... they never called.

I called them one week after and they told me they could not fix the unit but would replace mine with an HD-A30... (mind you $100 less, no HD audio, no 5.1 channel inputs, and just plain a different product). Well I called Toshiba back on that Monday following my follow up call on Friday... I asked to speak with a manager and wanted to know where I would fax my Better Business Bereau Report and my attorney general consumer complaint report so Toshiba would have a copy of it. I was then told .... (WOW, suprising)... that they found a HDA35 for me, hmm... I wonder where they found that...

I then called Best Buy, who was trying to repair it, but could not due to Toshiba not sending parts anymore. They informed me that it would take 5-10 days to ship back to the store. I was ok with that.

I then called Toshiba back to inform them of this (on Wednesday- 2 days after the HDA35 ordered for me by a manager/supervisor in customer service), and they told me they had no information on file that I would be getting the A35 and that I was still scheduled to get a A30. Gave that representative the name of the Toshiba MGR/Spv that I spoke too and they said they had no record of my call. I was so angry... instead of complaining (which would have produced profanity-at the wrong person) I told them I needed to calm down and call back.

After contacting Best Buy again to see if I could still schedule a exchange authoriztion they said it would be possible since they still had the player with them at the repair center. I requested that instead of dealing with Toshiba... not sure what I was going to get from them... Heck maybe they might have sent the A3 and thought that may be fair!!

So now the update!!

Best Buy sent in the exchange authorization on 4/9 and it was accepted by corporate on 4/18... I was called immediately that day and given instruction on what I needed to do. I went into the store... (only expecting pro rated exchange rate - not 100% since I bought that HD DVD player originally when they offered 4 movies free, plus the 5 mail in, plus the 2 in the box) but they gave me 100% credit. I even said what about the movies and all that... they said corporate had approved 100% authorization.

Plus I had a 12% off coupon and got the LG BH200 HD DVD/Blu Ray combo for $30 more plus tax.

Best Buy was so cool about this... I take back everything I have said about them in the past on here... they really do care about their customers. They made this so easy on me and I did not even buy the extended warranty. They picked up Toshiba's slack, where they did not have too.

Plus, I asked about the $50 gift card (sent due to HD DVD death) if that would be void since we did the exchange, they told me no... I used it that night on some blu rays... So basically did not pay any extra on the LG at all.

I also sent a letter to Best Buy corporate explaining the GREAT customer service and communication all around (store, service center, and salesman) and also asked them to stop carrying Toshiba products and that as a company they proved not worthy to be carried in their stores!!

By Toshiba exchanging the HDA35 for the HDA30 (and not willing to fix my HDA35 even if I paid for it) it just proves they gave up on their product and appear bitter they lost the battle... but they have to remember that we (consumer who bought HD DVD) were in the trenches with them... and to treat us like the their punching bag seems a tad unfair! I beg everyone here to stay away from Toshiba... PLEASE! It would send a statement that needs to be sent! And to blame Sony and others that produce blu ray that they used unfair business practice to win the HD battle is juvenile. Again... please stay away from Toshiba.

Now after I am off my soap box, I love the LG... I went to avs forum and got the LG firmware update from March, (that is no longer on LG's site), and it works perfectly. Since Friday I have watched 2 DVD's, 2 Blu Rays, and 2 HD DVD's and WOW impressed! That firmware took care of the Dolby True HD and DTS master HD and outputs them as 5.1.

The picture quality is amazing! The sound output is GREAT! The set up and menu screen on the LG is super nice and super easy to use.

I could not believe the load times. I timed it... 18 seconds once the power button/eject buttons are pushed to have the drawer pop out. It took approximately another 15 seconds for it to read DVDs, 22 seconds to read "we own the night" blu ray, 35 seconds to read "Cars" blu ray, 19 seconds to read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" HD DVD, and 26 seconds to read "Bourne Ultimatium" HD DVD. I guess the varied times are based on the content. Still much faster than the Toshiba HD A35.

I have not had any skips in audio or video on any movie I have watched as of yet. I will keep you informed.

The look of the LG BH200 is awesome as well. When I get more use I will put a review in the review section.

Again, more companies need to take a look at how Best Buy treats customers, to me they have a customer for a very long time. Good job Best Buy!

Hope to read replies to this but I may have ramblied on too much, so if I did, sorry. Thank you all!

 

[GlocksRock]

Glad to finally hear one positive best buy customer service story. I'm happy it worked out for you, I would say you are lucky.

 

[20Glove]

Glad to finally hear one positive best buy customer service story. I'm happy it worked out for you, I would say you are lucky.

It was a GREAT customer service story. I think they have been getting better for a long time. At least in our area... for the last 2-3 years... it initially upset me that they were still selling HD DVD players after the announcement... and then they upped and sent everything back.. .thought that was a little bogus ... but they made up for it!!

Again good job best buy.

 

[jamie2112]

Yeah, I am glad to hear a positive best buy story as well. I have had many problems with best buy in the past but I hope that trend is changing.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Best Buy has always been hit or miss for me with customer service. I think it depends on the managers mood. If one store says has said no, I just go to another, you don't have to return things at the same location you bought them at.

Glad to hear you got your player situation resolved. It sounds like its going to work out better this way for you too.

Jack

 

[stratman]

Nice ending............I agree with Jack though, with me it has been a hit or miss proposition when it comes to BB, it depends on the store and on the manager.

 

[allargon]

I've never had issues with Best Buy customer service. Their media pricing is horrendous. However, they've been very gracious with exchanges with hardware exchanges.

That is beyond crappy for Toshiba to pull that with the A35. They know good and well it is the audio that separates the A35 from the A30. There's a reason you paid more for the A35.

I'm curious that you picked the LG combo over the Samsung as the LG only has two channel analog audio out vs. the 5.1 analog audio out on the Sammy. (The LG has a lot less bugs and will likely go to Blu profile 2.0. I'm guessing that's why.)

 

[20Glove]

Nice ending............I agree with Jack though, with me it has been a hit or miss proposition when it comes to BB, it depends on the store and on the manager.

I agree it has been hit or miss in the past.. but their phone wait times have been less, the product knowledge has seemed to increase, and Magnolia in their stores I think may have changed this attitude at least in my area anyway.

As for the prices, my BB (one of the 7 around me within a 20 mile radius) usually match prices... I have one place that will match online authorized dealer then bring in that invoice and my BB will usually match or beat prices. So again I attribute this to Magnolia, I could be wrong... but that is what I have noticed.

 

[20Glove]

I've never had issues with Best Buy customer service. Their media pricing is horrendous. However, they've been very gracious with exchanges with hardware exchanges.

That is beyond crappy for Toshiba to pull that with the A35. They know good and well it is the audio that separates the A35 from the A30. There's a reason you paid more for the A35.

I'm curious that you picked the LG combo over the Samsung as the LG only has two channel analog audio out vs. the 5.1 analog audio out on the Sammy. (The LG has a lot less bugs and will likely go to Blu profile 2.0. I'm guessing that's why.)

The reasons I choose LG over Samsung in this case are as followed:

1) According to the 100 or so reviews I have read about LG and Sammy... it seems that Sammy has many disc reading issues/bugs. Freezing pictures, Freezing Machines, Audio dropouts, and very little firmware to fix these issues. I read that both machines have trouble reading "Sunshine" on Blu Ray, but overall LG appears to have less issues.

2) Sammy had no information on the HD Audio firmware update and I just did not want to play these two GREAT formats and not get GREAT sound. Both Sammy and LG both confirmed that they both have official word that it will have firmware updates making the HD Audio 5.1 over HDMI. LG said there official firmware will be out b4 the end of May... Sammy had no idea. I know LG may never release that update but at least it seemed interested in giving people what they want, plus LG had that update out once... so it seemed they were ahead of the game on this. They took down this Beta firmware update... but you can still get it from someone at AVS forum.

3) Customer Service appeared quicker and more efficient at LG (called both companies twice Once on Saturday and once on a Friday). Wait times were equal. Knowledge was equal in regards to specs... but not information... meaning that Sammy had to send me to Tier 2 or level 2 support to answer the firmware question... as LG put me on hold but same rep gave me that info. So it appears more efficient. LG made it feel more personal I guess.

4) Best Buy had both at the same price or pretty close... I could have gotten the Sammy for a tad less after exchange... but not much. Same price at Best Buy but they would have matched Circuit City on the Sammy which was $100 less but then not give me the 12% off coupon due to price match... so after 12% I think it was a $27 difference with the LG being more... since I had the exchange it did not mean much to me.

5) Sammy 1st generation duo player versus LG 2nd generation duo player... felt LG learned from their mistakes on 1st Generation. Made me feel more cozy.

6) This will be my primary HD DVD player and my Xbox 360 HD DVD player I picked up for $18 on craigslist will be my secondary. I was looking for less cord action with this player so only was using HDMI did not care at all if player had 5.1 analog out. I want a high end blu ray player when we move next year so that is when I will look for the analog outs.

7) I knew the firmware was out there to change the HD audio and fix some bugs with disc loading... took it home to see if the firmware would hold... if not I would have turned around and traded it back in for the Sammy. But it held and that update took care of everything.

8) Finally, I thought the LG looked better and was built better. I thought the LG was class and cool with the blue lights and touch buttons. So looks played apart believe it or not.

And to end it ... TOSHIBA sucks!! Never again will I but a product from toshiba... have I said that b4?

 

[wish]

Glad it ended well for you. Sounds like BB did right.