Toshiba DLP Defect: "Toshiba Should Step Up"

Kimberling City, MOChristopher M. (not his real name), purchased a 2005 model Toshiba 62 inch DLP television and also convinced his mother and cousin to buy the same model in a smaller size. Now, all three have had to replace the light bulbs in their television sets, and Christopher says he is having even worse problems with his Toshiba television.

The bulb on Christopher's television blew out approximately five to six months after he started using the television. He says he was aware that this could happen because the bulb on his cousin's television blew out about a month earlier. His cousin had phoned him, told him about the exploding bulb and said, "Can you believe this?"

When Christopher's television stopped working, he phoned Toshiba and was told there was a batch of faulty bulbs but Toshiba would ship him a new one. He says they did, and the new bulb worked fine...for approximately six months until the new bulb also exploded. Once again Toshiba said they would replace the bulb, but Christopher, not wanting to wait for the shipment, had a friend do the replacement, which he paid for.

Then, approximately one month ago, Christopher's television started making a "strobe effect," with teeny dotted lines covering the television. An hour after this happened, a blue color rose from the bottom of the television and covered the screen. So far, this problem has not been repaired because none of the service companies in his area are familiar with the company through which Christopher bought his extended warranty.

"I am sitting here with a $3,000 television that I can't watch," Christopher says. "I've replaced the bulb twice and now the light engine is more than likely gone, which is a $1,000 repair. I'm sitting here waiting for a company to repair the television, which I will pay for out-of-pocket and pray for reimbursement. Otherwise, I will have a $4,000 television that will likely give me more problems. I am very frustrated. I've blown two bulbs and now I have another issue. I'm looking at having to pay $400 for bulbs every year."

In the meantime, the bulb on Christopher's mother's television has also blown out. "There were three units that I know of that blew the bulbs, and two of the three televisions also required major repairs," Christopher says. "I'm not going to spend $400 every year to replace a bulb that should last 4,000-5,000 viewing hours when I'm nowhere near that. Toshiba should step up if there are issues with these televisions and do right by their customers, who have spent money on these televisions. They should give us all lifetime bulb replacements."

Steven R. (not his real name) in Wisconsin says he was going to sell his Toshiba television, until he learned that the bulb problem is ongoing and decided he could not do that to another person. His Toshiba television was purchased on February 10, 2007 and he was told he would get around 6,000 hours of life out of the light bulb. Unfortunately, his bulb blew out on August 15, 2007. Toshiba replaced the lamp, but it took almost a week for the new bulb to be put in.

Then, on January 25, 2008, the new bulb burnt out. Again it took a week for the new bulb to be put in. Steven says that when he called Toshiba they had one excuse after another for why the bulbs did not work. When an acquaintance researched Toshiba televisions, he learned that there was an ongoing problem with the bulbs.

Steven says each of his bulbs only lasted around 700 hours, nowhere near the 6,000 hours promised by the sales representative. "It's going to cost around $500 a year to run this television," Steven says. "There's no way I'm going to pay for two lamps per year. I'm extremely dissatisfied with the Toshiba problem and misrepresentation about bulb hours. My experience is that I have to replace two lamps per year. Once the warranty is up, it's up to the consumer to pay for the lamps. Plus, if you pay for DirecTV, you lose that money. I pay for DirecTV and that was the only television in my house, so I couldn't watch it for a week both times the bulb blew."

Consumers who purchased Toshiba DLP televisions are now investigating the possibility of a lawsuit against Toshiba, alleging that the company misrepresented the lifespan of the bulbs to consumers. Many consumers believed the bulbs should have lasted anywhere from 5,000 hours to 8,000 hours when in actuality the bulbs lasted less than half that time.