17th July 2011
Welcome to Panasonic Plasma Fail
Greetings, and welcome to Panasonic Plasma Fail. This blog is intended as a site for consolidating consumer complaints about Panasonic Plasma television sets. If you are having problems with your Panasonic plasma television set not turning on, please add the details in the comments thread.You might have reached this site by typing in one of the following search phrases:
- my panasonic plasma will not turn on
- red light blinks seven times
- what is wrong with my panasonic plasma
- blinking red light of death
- faulty power supply on panasonic plasma
If this describes your situation, you have come to the right place. In recent months, a flood of consumers have reported that their Panasonic plasma television sets died unexpectedly. According to some forum experts, these failures are the result of faulty power boards that were shipped with the units.
The bad news is that Panasonic has not done much to publicly acknowledge this problem, and it is very difficult to reach their customer support on the telephone. My understanding is that most people who have encountered this problem after the warranty has lapsed have either (a) paid hundreds of dollars/pounds for costly repairs or (b) given up and purchased a replacement set. If you have NOT had to pay for this particular repair please let us know.
Within the electronics industry, a 3% failure rate is widely accepted as standard. However, a cursory search of Google reveals that an unusally high number 2007/2008 Panasonic plasma sets have displayed the dreaded "blinking red lights of death." In order to maintain its reputation for quality customer service, Panasonic should really do something to remedy this situation. They should either fix the television sets free of charge, or replace the television sets with working units.
There are dozens upon dozens of complaints about these Panasonic television sets posted to various forums both in the UK and America. If we can consolidate these complaints in one place, we may be able to put enough pressure on Panasonic to take action
My Particular Panasonic Out Of Warranty Problem..............................
17th July 2011.
I purchased my Panasonic TX-P42G10B from Currys online on 29th. August 2009. Recently the TV started showing off in so much that on pressing the start up power button either from the Remote Control or or the TV switch the red light power light would flicker but the TV would refuse to turn on. Occasionally the TV would switch on only to switch itself off again after a short passage of time.
On contacting Currys Service Dept. I was informed that as the set was outside of the usual one year Warranty period then I would be charged £60 (which I have already paid) for the engineer to come out and possibly take the set away for assessment. I would then be charged extra to put right whatever problem there is with the set.
I have advised Currys that this set is still under 2 years old and I believe this particular problem is inherent with many Panasonic models of plasma TV, including the TX-P range, and because of this I expect the 1979 Sale Of Goods Act to cover this particular repair, and therefore I am requesting Currys that I am not charged.
Currys have said that if indeed Currys repair found this problem to be inherent then my £60 would be refunded and I would not be charged further.
Currys are coming to collect the set on Thursday 21st. July 2011 and of course right now I do not know if I will be charged or not. But I will not leave it there if I am!
There is lots of evidence both here and in America in respect of complaints about this particular range of Panasonic Plasma TVs to the extent that this fault with Panasonic TVs is commonly known as 'The Red Light Of Death'!
17th July 2011.
I purchased my Panasonic TX-P42G10B from Currys online on 29th. August 2009. Recently the TV started showing off in so much that on pressing the start up power button either from the Remote Control or or the TV switch the red light power light would flicker but the TV would refuse to turn on. Occasionally the TV would switch on only to switch itself off again after a short passage of time.
On contacting Currys Service Dept. I was informed that as the set was outside of the usual one year Warranty period then I would be charged £60 (which I have already paid) for the engineer to come out and possibly take the set away for assessment. I would then be charged extra to put right whatever problem there is with the set.
I have advised Currys that this set is still under 2 years old and I believe this particular problem is inherent with many Panasonic models of plasma TV, including the TX-P range, and because of this I expect the 1979 Sale Of Goods Act to cover this particular repair, and therefore I am requesting Currys that I am not charged.
Currys have said that if indeed Currys repair found this problem to be inherent then my £60 would be refunded and I would not be charged further.
Currys are coming to collect the set on Thursday 21st. July 2011 and of course right now I do not know if I will be charged or not. But I will not leave it there if I am!
There is lots of evidence both here and in America in respect of complaints about this particular range of Panasonic Plasma TVs to the extent that this fault with Panasonic TVs is commonly known as 'The Red Light Of Death'!
At this moment of time I do not know if Currys are going to carry out my particular repair free of charge.
However, aside from me...... the reason that I have done this Blog is simply to help Panasonic Plasma users who have run into this problem get it sorted!
Please add your experience if YOU have had a Red Light Of Death problem!
http://panasonicplasmafail.blogspot....asma-fail.html
http://panasonicplasmafail.blogspot....asma-fail.html
In respect of my still ongoing problem with 'The Red Light Of Death'....
ReplyDeleteI do not believe it.....9.20AM on 21st July 2011 and two Currys guys from Currys offshoot entitled 'Know How have already been and gone with the set. No attempt at all to try and fix the set as would have happened in days gone by.
I suppose thay are just 'the collectors' (no offence meant of course) with not a person who could fix it in sight.
The have told me that the repair should take around 10 days. it's a good job I have my latest TV to look at in the Lounge which I purchased because I wanted a bigger 50" screen. (My missus likes them big)!
So on a piece of paper handed to me it says
Your product is in safe hands
We'll diagnose the problem and fit new parts in no time
Just to remind you, well reconfirm the date it will be back
If where having a problem getting hold of spare parts we'l let you know
So now I wait. If this thing goes to 10 days....I have been waiting 9 days for them to come after paying £60 already, so that will be almost 3 weeks, perhaps at best.
I gave the repair Men my letter in a sealed envelope so that is all I can do right now.
P.S. I even had to lend them a Pozidrive Screwdriver to take off the stand. I thought they where going to take the back off to look inside the set....fat chance!
__________________
I read in yesterdays I "John Browett, the chief executive of Dixons Retail, has pocketed a cash bonus of £122,000 for the year just ended, despite the owner of Currys delivering a loss of nearly £225 million pounds"
How gross is that when all I want is for my under 2 years old Panasonic Failed TV to be fixed for free!
Original Panasonic Plasma Fail Blog!
ReplyDeletehttp://panasonicplasmafail.blogspot....asma-fail.html
Above link did not work.....this should for original American Blog!
ReplyDeletehttp://panasonicplasmafail.blogspot.com/2009/07/welcome-to-panasonic-plasma-fail.html
Sharing my Panasonic blinking red light of death story...
ReplyDeleteOK..so I purchased the 60" version of this Panasonic plasma from Amazon...spent an entire day running wiring behind my wall and putting up a wall mount...turn it on and the picture is BEAUTIFUL...then 2 mins later the picture goes completely BLACK and I get the "blinking red light of death"!!! Do yourself a favor and Google it BEFORE you buy...it is very real. I also bought a matching home theater at the same time and will be returning it as well....Panasonic has lost my business. I went with the Panny plasma after reading all the 5 star reviews (including an "excellent buy" rating from CNET ) and I own a commercial grade Panasonic plasma which still shows a great picture after 7 yrs, albeit 720p. I wanted a "no frills" set since it will be connected to my htpc. Thought I had a winner with this one and felt great about the buy since I got it when the price was $899. You truly get what you pay for. My understanding after reading countless blog posts on this blinking red light epidemic is that there is a serious issue with the Panasonic power supplies...one that the company is not acknowledging. And even worse is the fact that it can happy at ANY TIME to any Panasonic regardless of model or price range. So, you could be one of the lucky ones who never experience this problem or you could end up like me, with a 100 lb paperweight in your living room. Thank God it happened early so Amazon is refunding my money. I can imagine the horror of something like this happening in the middle of the Superbowl or NBA Finals etc AND after the warranty has expired. It's a $1000 gamble...choose wisely.
The specifics:
Panasonic TC-P60U50
AUGUST 2012 Manufacture date
Ser No. MJ22290747
Hopefully this is still being pursued! Purchased our TH-42PX80U on 12/17/2008 and had it repaired the first time within a year under warranty (power supply). Then again two years later. Now it has gone out again except now out of warranty. Panasonics response was to basically take it to a nearby dealer and get it fixed yourself! Seven red blinking lights of death is DEFINITELY something that needs a class action brought! This was a lot of money wasted on a product to only have it last 4 years. Someone with the know-how needs an investigator on this!
ReplyDeleteIt is Wednesday, 2/13/13 at 10:00 pm EST. My TC-P50S30 will not turn on and I to have the "Blinking Red Light of Death". 7 flashes to be exact. Reading these comments, I am worried that I may have just wasted my money on something that is not going to be fixed by Panasonic. I to read the reviews and ratings from several different resources, all saying how good Panasonic Plasma TV's are. I never thought to add the blinking red light into me searches. Wish I had. I will be contacting Best Buy and Panasonic both tomorrow, wish me luck.
ReplyDeleteGreenville, SC
I would like to add that we too are facing down a costly repair to our Panasonic plasma P50S30. The television is only three years old and I woke up this morning to find the 7 blinking lights when I went to turn it on. We did our research before purchasing the tv, and by all consumer accounts, Panasonic stood out as a quality set. Now I'm reading that this is a common problem in their sets? This is unacceptable! I wonder if there will be a class action? There ought to be! So here we go... Now we have to find a reputable tv repair... (I called Panasonic and the one certified repair place in our little city is out of business.) I guess we are on our own. I'm very disappointed and disgusted with this company. If they know that these SU or SD boards are pieces of crap, they should fix the problems free of charge, and THEN invest in creating a better board.
ReplyDeleteI bought the TV on Oct 12, 2012 so it's out of warranty. The blink of death occured 2 days ago, so I'm out of luck. I would join a class action if there's one. Customer support was horrid also.
ReplyDeleteI am also interested in the class action. Mine worked for about two years before dying.
ReplyDeleteMine just started blinking yesterday
ReplyDeleteA solid red light of death just started today for me...
ReplyDeleteMy is Jean and i find this page after researching why my Panasonic Plasma 50" just went out will not turn back on red light just blinks, My is only 4 years old I bought it in Nov 26, 2011. You would think that if it is because of a bad part on this tv's and they are aware of it that Panasonic Company would fix them, wish there was a law suit because i would sure claim this. Thank you for your time.
DeleteGreetings, I am Jack. Well, I guess that I am joining the long line of people that have had the red light scenario. I purchased mine in 2011, and it just died today, on Sept. 24, 2016. I guess that I was luckier than most, to have gotten the years that I did. At this stage, I will not bother with throwing money into a repair job, which most likely would cost almost as much as a new set. Prices have dramatically fallen since I purchased this set. From what I have seen of Panasonic's attitude/action toward this documented issue, I will never purchase another Panasonic television, for myself, or anyone else. I will neither recommend them.
ReplyDeleteReplacement boards are available on eBay. Most for under $100. You only need a Phillips screw driver to remove the back cover and the boards. A volt/ohm meter is needed to check the boards. Be careful removing connectors as shown on many YouTube videos.
DeleteHad to replace the SC board twice on my 60 inch plazma Viera. First time after 3+ years with 8 (or 6) blinks. This replacement board shorted out after 2+ years with 14 blinks. Again I replaced the SC and the TV now works. Most of the diagnostic advice suggested problems with P and/or A boards. As it turned out these boards were fine.
ReplyDelete