The manufacturer has indicated that a shipment of inferior bulbs in 2005 lay at the root of the problem, and it has been reported that the warranty on the projection lamp has been extended to two years.
However, while Toshiba DLP owners were generally happy that the manufacturer would belly up to the bar and buy the next round, many became frustrated at the long wait times for a bulb to become available. Back-ordered inventory, whether it is due to just-in-time delivery protocol or a sign of a more systemic failure, appeared to be a common occurrence.
Combined with such early failure of the bulbs, consumers feel like they have been set adrift without a paddle, and certainly without a TV.Most frustrating of all, is that most consumers would not be in a position to pay cash for such an expensive appliance. Most financed the purchase, and most were making payments early in their ownership experience, while their almost-brand-new purchase sat idle in a corner, waiting for a replacement lamp.
Projection lamps are supposed to have a lifespan of 6,000 to 8,000 hours before need of replacement. To most consumers, that is a reasonable time, and is admittedly a lot of TV time before shelling out for a bulb that retails at a starting price of $200. While the warranty protects against bulb replacement while the warranty is in force, the consumer must dip into his or her own pocketbook once the warranty period has expired.
Still, the need to replace a bulb after 6,000 to 8,000 hours of viewing is reasonable to most buyers of Toshiba DLP televisions, and that expectation, together with the expected cost, would have been factored in as part of the initial buying decision.
What began to alarm people was the failure of bulbs after as little as 100 hours. This, probably due to the defective shipment as outlined above. And most affected consumers writing in online blogs report that Toshiba was very co-operative in covering the cost of a replacement bulb—once the replacement bulb became available. Some had to wait a few days, while others were forced to wait weeks or more.
Some report that the replacement bulb burned out in similar fashion, begging the question: did Toshiba replace the defective bulb with another defective bulb?
And...did they know?
Owners of Toshiba DLP televisions rave about the picture quality—excellence that was factored into the buying decision. However, as consumers continue to have a hard time keeping these expensive units going, many are wondering if they have made the right choice.
The projection bulb is paramount to the operation of the unit. Thus, as consumers continue to have to deal with bulbs blowing out, and then the sometimes long wait for a replacement, satisfaction turns to condemnation.
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Many of these consumers buy such units to coincide with a major sporting event, such as an international hockey tournament, the NASCAR season or the upcoming Super Bowl. Many have found that a blown lamp has literally spoiled the party, when the bulb fails right before, or during the game.Worst of all, is the frustration that most consumers are continuing to have to make payments on their purchase, in the midst of all the fuss.
And in the end, the questions. Is it a bad batch of bulbs? Or is there some kind of design flaw in the unit that is blowing the lamps prematurely? If these bulbs are not going to last the expected 6000 to 8000 hours, then how am I going to be able to afford to keep the unit in operation after the warranty expires?
Worse—for some—the warranty expires before the unit is paid for.
Little wonder that a class action lawsuit against Toshiba America Consumer Products has been launched, in the midst of so much uncertainty.
