On 08-01-09 my HP PL4260N 42" plasma TV made a POP noise. The picture is now gone and the sound still works. I verified this on multiple inputs to the TV. First I thought I would just let it cool down and maybe it would work the next day. I looked online and saw that many people had the same problem and it was probably related to a Y Sustain board problem. Some of them had there Tv fixed for free by HP even though it was out of warranty.
I contacted HP on 08-02-09. They had me turn off the power disconnect all cables and hold the power button down. Then they told me that the problem was the Y Sustain board (a common problem that can be found from an internet search). They said I had two choices 1) Pay them $629 for 3 attempts to fix the TV with no guarantee or 2) contact an authorized dealer to buy a Y Sustain board and pay them to install it. They could not verify that it actually was the Y sustain board until someone looks at it though. I asked about other users who had similar problems and had it fixed for free. The representative told me that problem was related to a manufacturer's defect and that my unit did not have the same defect, even though it is the same problem. This sounded a little strange since it was the same problem and they haven't had a chance to examine my system so how do they know if the problem has the same cause or not.
I went to the HP executive contact site and wrote a complaint about the TV breaking after only 2 and 1/2 years. And explained that I was disappointed in their product and would like to know if they were willing to repair my TV.
The next day (08-03-09) I recieved a form response from the exec contact site and I called the number in the email to see if I could get a quick response to my complaint. I was transferred to a case manager. I asked if I could get a replacement Y Sustain board sent to me and I would be happy to install it myself. They said that their repair was the only solution that they could offer and she told me that they could offer the repair for 50% off. I asked if they would be willing to buy the broken TV back for a percentage of the original cost. They again said no. I asked about other people with the same problem and how they got their TVs with the same problem fixed. She told me that they were fixing the problem for free until January 09. I explained that my TV was working and I was happy then, but they said that HP stance is that the only offer they can offer is the repair cost of $315 for 3 tries with no refund. I also told her that I would be concerned about the TV breaking again in another 2 years and she said that she could only offer the repair with no refund. She also said that they could nto offer to sell me the replacement part.
I am upset because the TV specs state that it has 60,000 hour display life. It only lasted 2 and 1/2 years. It is also a problem that HP admitted that they new about and were fixed up to a point for free. But, probably they found out that a lot of TVs had this problem and they are unwilling to fix it now. When the manufacturer knows of a problem of this sort they should have recalled the product.
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