[peppy13]

I have had to return a Viewsonic VX2435wm monitor 2 times for buzzing noize issues, the screen flashing on and off randomly, and colors flashing on the screen.. I just got the 3rd monitor today. I plug it in, and everything seems fine, except now I see red lines appearing on the screen.

At this point, can I take legal action? I keep sending these pieces of crap back, and they get replaced with more pieces of crap.

[Boceefus]

I have never had to deal with returning a monitor but I would try to get someone on the phone. Not a CSR, not a Super but try to get a hold of a manager if possible. Maybe call the corp office. If this is your third monitor then I think its time for them to take the step of giving you a different model or better yet a step up.

Not saying they will do it but it is worth a shot. You always have the option of legal action but I would be very persistent and climb the chain until you get someone that is willing to make things right. Three strikes and they are out.

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by Boceefus

I have never had to deal with returning a monitor but I would try to get someone on the phone. Not a CSR, not a Super but try to get a hold of a manager if possible. Maybe call the corp office. If this is your third monitor then I think its time for them to take the step of giving you a different model or better yet a step up.

Not saying they will do it but it is worth a shot. You always have the option of legal action but I would be very persistent and climb the chain until you get someone that is willing to make things right. Three strikes and they are out.

Well I have spoken many times on the phone with these guys several who claim they are managers. I am also recieving emails from their "vip" customer service email list whatever that is. I haven't tried calling corporate directly so I will try that next step and get this escalated as far as I possibly can. Its gone past the point of lunacy with these guys.

They have told me they do have a program where they would replace the model with something "comparable" which is highly subjective. The "straight" answer from the so called manager was that it was up to the shipping dept. to choose what they were going to send me and it was basically a crapshoot as to what I would get. This is a problem for me because I need to have specific inputs. I need to know exactly what I'm getting. Even the manager couldn't guarentee a particular model we both agreed was "comparable", only flag it as a "recommendation".

And to me anyway whats the point in doing all of this again if I'm just going to get another bad monitor. At this point I may pursue a request to a full refund of the value of the monitor and see how they respond. If I can take legal action could anyone with experience point me in the right direction to get started? I've spent countless personal time on the phone with these guys about these issues.

[rabb1t]

I don't have the ability to research if you've talked about this before (I think you did, dumb slow crap computers), but I can think of a couple of things...

- Did you verify that it was not the video card causing issue? Have you checked your system on a different monitor?

- Did you verity that the cable was not causing the issue? I know most people don't have an extra DVI laying around, but if you checked on an older monitor with a different cable it could be the cable and wouldn't know.

Not to defend the makers, but buzzing can come from your electrical outlet. At my previous house I had a light buzzing on my PSU and Monitor. The plugs / electrical power in that place was old and poo. On a few items, like battery backups, the buzzing was so loud it was very easy for anyone to hear who did not have super hearing like me. So, there can be some buzzing from electronics when things are 'just fine'.

At this point I may pursue a request to a full refund of the value of the monitor and see how they respond.

I'd actually demand they refund the full purchase value AND anything you had to pay in shipping for the swaps. But that's what I'd do if I were in your position.

If I can take legal action could anyone with experience point me in the right direction to get started? I've spent countless personal time on the phone with these guys about these issues.

Not a lawyer, but here's what I see...

- You could only claim lost income / compensation if the time you spent caused you to lose income. Like say you worked for yourself (you owned your own buisness) and had to spend time during your open hours and were prevented from working and earning money. You could then likely sue/claim the lost income.

- The only real settlement you could get would likely be 1 of 2 things - they replace the monitor until you get one that works, or they refund the full price you originally paid plus shipping. I really don't see you getting anything for your lost time, as I really don't see this as being something you could claim ... um ... compensation for anxiety? Not sure what the term would be. 'Pain and suffering' maybe? Don't think a monitor would qualify.

Sorry for sad things

[Renekal]

Like rabbit is saying, you aren't going to get anywhere w/ legal action, I'd imagine threatening w/ and then following through by contacting the Better Business Bureau

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

I don't have the ability to research if you've talked about this before (I think you did, dumb slow crap computers), but I can think of a couple of things...

- Did you verify that it was not the video card causing issue? Have you checked your system on a different monitor?

- Did you verity that the cable was not causing the issue? I know most people don't have an extra DVI laying around, but if you checked on an older monitor with a different cable it could be the cable and wouldn't know.

Not to defend the makers, but buzzing can come from your electrical outlet. At my previous house I had a light buzzing on my PSU and Monitor. The plugs / electrical power in that place was old and poo. On a few items, like battery backups, the buzzing was so loud it was very easy for anyone to hear who did not have super hearing like me. So, there can be some buzzing from electronics when things are 'just fine'.



I'd actually demand they refund the full purchase value AND anything you had to pay in shipping for the swaps. But that's what I'd do if I were in your position.



Not a lawyer, but here's what I see...

- You could only claim lost income / compensation if the time you spent caused you to lose income. Like say you worked for yourself (you owned your own buisness) and had to spend time during your open hours and were prevented from working and earning money. You could then likely sue/claim the lost income.

- The only real settlement you could get would likely be 1 of 2 things - they replace the monitor until you get one that works, or they refund the full price you originally paid plus shipping. I really don't see you getting anything for your lost time, as I really don't see this as being something you could claim ... um ... compensation for anxiety? Not sure what the term would be. 'Pain and suffering' maybe? Don't think a monitor would qualify.

Sorry for sad things

I have verified that is is not my graphics card. This also happens when I plug in consoles. This is a defect with the LCD itself. I have also tried different cables. I also have verified the buzzing does not come from my outlet, it does come from inside the monitor itself.

At this point I don't care about lost time. I just want a fricking monitor that works. I will try to pursue a refund, thought I did buy this from newegg and not directly from viewsonic. Thanks for the help and suggestions. I'll post an update sometime tonight after I call these guys again. I tried to call their corp. office. All they have is a recording answering. I wish I had some way to contact a manager or something like that at Viewsonic headquarters.

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by peppy13

I have verified that is is not my graphics card. This also happens when I plug in consoles. This is a defect with the LCD itself. I have also tried different cables. I also have verified the buzzing does not come from my outlet, it does come from inside the monitor itself.

At this point I don't care about lost time. I just want a fricking monitor that works. I will try to pursue a refund, thought I did buy this from newegg and not directly from viewsonic. Thanks for the help and suggestions. I'll post an update sometime tonight after I call these guys again. I tried to call their corp. office. All they have is a recording answering. I wish I had some way to contact a manager or something like that at Viewsonic headquarters.

Ok so I finally got a little light shed on the situation. I didn't actually recieve new replacements. What they sent me were refurbished monitors that didn't get tested at all. No freaking wonder they broke! I insisted for a full refund and the person I spoke to ultimately refused to do this. What I was told is that they would TRY to get me a brand new replacement instead a refurbished model. They didn't guarentee anything. It sounded more like a line of bullshit.

I explained to them politely, what the hell is point of sending me stuff if its going to break again. This is why I asked for a refund. So really I'm back at square one. I guess I'll continue to keep shipping back their shit until I get one that works. At least its going to cost them money every time to keep shipping this stuff.

[Boceefus]

Was the monitor refurbished to begin with? Some sort of open box deal or something from newegg? If you purchased a new monitor and they try to pawn off a refurb as a replacement I would go ape shit crazy on some CSR's. I would contact the BBB, find the corporate headquarters and get a directory listing and start email and calling every sad sack you can.

How long ago did you purchase this monitor? If it is recent I would also call newegg as well and see if they can help or give you an avenue to people at crapsonic that can really help. You did not speak to a manager if he is telling you that crap. I would call every hour on the hour and talk to every person in that building until someone does you right. At this point you not only deserve a new monitor but a upgrade at that. I would find the next size up monitor with the inputs you need and good reviews and tell them that is the one and don't take no for a reply. It is only fair and as I said I have never had to return a monitor so if you have had to pay shipping for these returns then that's a lot of dough as much as the weigh.

I would also find out what legal avenue you would take as I am not sure if it is small claims court or what but make sure to mention that and the BBB every 2 minutes while on the phone with these idiots. Sucks you have to go through all this hassle man I hope they do the right thing. Try the newegg thing if you haven't already as sometimes they are known for helping in bad situations.

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by peppy13

I didn't actually recieve new replacements. What they sent me were refurbished monitors that didn't get tested at all.

Oh that's BS.

If someone told me that, particularly if I bought a new product, I'd demand 100% refund of my money, 100% refund of any shipping costs, and go straight to a different manufacturer and never return to that manufacturer.

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by Boceefus

Was the monitor refurbished to begin with? Some sort of open box deal or something from newegg? If you purchased a new monitor and they try to pawn off a refurb as a replacement I would go ape shit crazy on some CSR's. I would contact the BBB, find the corporate headquarters and get a directory listing and start email and calling every sad sack you can.

How long ago did you purchase this monitor? If it is recent I would also call newegg as well and see if they can help or give you an avenue to people at crapsonic that can really help. You did not speak to a manager if he is telling you that crap. I would call every hour on the hour and talk to every person in that building until someone does you right. At this point you not only deserve a new monitor but a upgrade at that. I would find the next size up monitor with the inputs you need and good reviews and tell them that is the one and don't take no for a reply. It is only fair and as I said I have never had to return a monitor so if you have had to pay shipping for these returns then that's a lot of dough as much as the weigh.

I would also find out what legal avenue you would take as I am not sure if it is small claims court or what but make sure to mention that and the BBB every 2 minutes while on the phone with these idiots. Sucks you have to go through all this hassle man I hope they do the right thing. Try the newegg thing if you haven't already as sometimes they are known for helping in bad situations.

The original model i bought was not a refurb, it was brand new. I did demand a refund of my shipping cost and value of the monitor. They refused to do this. I purchased the monitor like in march. I did look at a model which was a slight upgrade with a so called manager (probably BS) and the only comparable replacement model we could find and both agreed was comparable. The problem is he could only recommend the shipping department to send it to me, not a guarentee. It was up to the shipping folks to send me whatever they had at the time if I choose to go with a different model. It could have been potentiallly worse or better. A crapshoot I am not going to take.

I have tried to call thier corporate office but all i get is a recording. I don't have a directory list and dont know how to obtain one. I need to find a way to cut throught the red tape. I doubt newegg will do anything about this since it was a few months ago. But maybe they might be willing to help my situation since I am a returning customer there.

Yeah at this point its time to pursue an avenue to make this a fricking PR nightmare for Viewsonic. I know my local new station has a consumer on your side type of tthing where you can send email ask questions, and sometimes they broadcast your story. I will look into BBB too. I am also going to write a letter to viewsonic and see if that gets any results.

If I can get this resolved with a refund I'm going straight to somewhere reputable, I hear Samsung is fairly good.

I posted my experience on anandtech but there hasn't been much response, any other big name tech forums or monitor forums you guys suggest maybe posting on for more suggestions?
At this point too I'm afraid of doing another Advanced RMA because you have to give out credit card info as collateral. I dont want like 1k of my funds put on hold for this bullshit.

[Boceefus]

Like I said I would spend the next day or two calling them relentlessly. I would also call them and get in touch of the shipping department and talk to the shipping manager and confirm what the last guy told ya and get as much info as you can. I would write down the names of everyone you talked to and the time/date an d a summary of what was said on both ends.

They did you dirty on this deal and you deserve to be compensated. With out taking legal action to a point you are at their mercy and you have two chances. A. you finally find a person with some heart that will do the right thing or B and the more likely outcome you bug the living shit out of them until they do the right thing to get rid of the headache. Again I would mention the BBB and legal action every other sentence and when talking to these people try to throw in a "I know this is not your fault so I am sorry for dumping on you but I can not take any more and really need to find someone to help me and make this right" type stuff. You will be surprised how well that works. I have gotten more free stuff and cash credits by doing this then I can count.

[rabb1t]

I'd actually just let the frustration go and go straight to the BBB.

What you'll do is fill out a (web) form referencing who the company is, their physical address, their phone number, your info (phone, address, etc.), a brief description of the problem (like really brief, like 250 "words") and then the amount (in this case you'd reference the full retail amount + lost shipping) and your resolution choice (in this case "full refund".) They then have something like 30 days to comply or come to an agreement.

What that would do is force their hand into giving you a refund or giving you a better monitor within that timeframe. (Better monitor would be something you'd list under 'secondary settlement conditions' after you've chosen "full refund" as the ideal/primary choice.) I don't know what happens if they don't, but it's serious bad joo joos and would greatly speed up the process and put everything into their hands to deal with instead of you needing to make all these calls and such.

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

I'd actually just let the frustration go and go straight to the BBB.

What you'll do is fill out a (web) form referencing who the company is, their physical address, their phone number, your info (phone, address, etc.), a brief description of the problem (like really brief, like 250 "words") and then the amount (in this case you'd reference the full retail amount + lost shipping) and your resolution choice (in this case "full refund".) They then have something like 30 days to comply or come to an agreement.

What that would do is force their hand into giving you a refund or giving you a better monitor within that timeframe. (Better monitor would be something you'd list under 'secondary settlement conditions' after you've chosen "full refund" as the ideal/primary choice.) I don't know what happens if they don't, but it's serious bad joo joos and would greatly speed up the process and put everything into their hands to deal with instead of you needing to make all these calls and such.

Just want to toss an update, after yet more lengthly phone calls I got Viewsonic to agree to send me a brand new model, not a refurbish. Providing that this alleged "brand new" monitor works I'll be reasonably satisfied, but still will never buy anything from Viewsonic EVER again. I ask if the monitor had been thouroughly tested, they claim it has, but I've been thrown lines of bullshit before from these guys i.e. the other defective monitors were supposed to be brand new according to what I was told, and they were not.
Should arrive soon the first thing i'm going to check for is the electrical buzzing noise if the brightness is turned down from anything other than 100. That will tell me right then and there. This is the absolute last chance I'm giving these idiots/asswipes/morons/cheats/liars ect.

The warranty lasts for another 3 years, if this new monitor fails at any point during that time from the day i get it to 2 years and 300 days I will go straight to BBB plus my local newstation. I will call Viewsonic once more if this happens, try to get a manager on, to tell them they can shove the monitor up their ass.

[Tomcrit]

I am from the UK so the legal position may be different but the overall guide in most countries is that the item be "fit for the purpose it was sold for" I.E if you buy a toaster to make toast and it won't make toast then it is not fit for its purpose.
You bought a monitor and have accepted replacements which from your description are simply not "fit for purpose" if an item is not "fit for purpose" then they are in breach of their contract with you and you are right to demand a full refund.
Just re-read a post above and read that you purchased from Newegg, again in most countries your contract would be with Newegg so it may be worth speaking to them directly as to getting a refund or as i guess you would prefer a different make/model and let them deal with the manufacturer themselves.

[Loampounder]

Originally Posted by Tomcrit

You bought a monitor and have accepted replacements which from your description are simply not "fit for purpose" if an item is not "fit for purpose" then they are in breach of their contract with you and you are right to demand a full refund.

The US has this stame exact stance; it is called suing for recision. Basically, it's a legal way to cancel the contract and return both parties to the same condition as before the contract agreement. It can be done in small claims court and can include covering of all damages (shipping costs, time spent at a reasonable rate, court costs etc.) You would need to find who the agent for service for Viewsonic is in your state, but you can file in your town's small claims court. The fact that you tried to work through their customer service and they could not provide you with the proper monitor weights heavily on your side.

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by Loampounder

The US has this stame exact stance; it is called suing for recision. Basically, it's a legal way to cancel the contract and return both parties to the same condition as before the contract agreement. It can be done in small claims court and can include covering of all damages (shipping costs, time spent at a reasonable rate, court costs etc.) You would need to find who the agent for service for Viewsonic is in your state, but you can file in your town's small claims court. The fact that you tried to work through their customer service and they could not provide you with the proper monitor weights heavily on your side.

Thanks for the input guys. Got a question. Since Viewsonic has to date been unable to provide me with a working monitor, I did try demanding a refund for the value of the monitor and all costs (shipping). Is it illegal for them at that point to refuse me the refund?

[Loampounder]

Originally Posted by peppy13

Is it illegal for them at that point to refuse me the refund?

Illegal? No, they can do anything they want. The court will side with you in a contract dispute, but they would not have broken any laws by saying no. Their inability to provide you with a functioning monitor is basically a breach of contract (specifically a breach of warranty). While the remedy is through the courts, their actions are not "illegal".

[Tomcrit]

Loampounder isn't the contract with the vendor rather than the manufacturer?

I.E if I buy a sony tv from a local store or even a national chain my contract is with that store/chain, because that is who I contracted to supply me with the tv.

Often it is better to deal if possible with the vendor because they are often more protective of their customer relations and they often have the muscle to deal with the manufacturer.

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by Tomcrit

Loampounder isn't the contract with the vendor rather than the manufacturer?

I.E if I buy a sony tv from a local store or even a national chain my contract is with that store/chain, because that is who I contracted to supply me with the tv.

Often it is better to deal if possible with the vendor because they are often more protective of their customer relations and they often have the muscle to deal with the manufacturer.

When the new monitor fails, which according to track record it undoubetly will, I will try sending an email off to newegg. BTW, the new monitor has the same buzzing noise the other 3 had as well. This I can deal with if the screen doesn't flash on and off or doesn't display red lines. I'm giving it a few weeks to see how it holds up. I did send viewsonic another email about the buzzing noise and explainging my dissatisfacton with it, and if the monitor fails I am through dealing with them.