Samsung LCD monitor repair question

[Joerg]

Probably not. A country wide pizza delivery service calls their pizzas
'double fucking tasty' in their TV commercials over here.

I am pretty happy that they wouldn't be allowed to do that here.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

I am pretty happy that they wouldn't be allowed to do that here.

Joerg, I have the impression that if the system that lawyers get
payed percentage of the damages they can get, was allowed here,
then the Netherlands too would be more 'regulated'.

Almost nobody sues anybody here, as it costs more then it brings in.
A test (maybe 5 years ago) of TV repair shops in Germany showed people
getting billed for a new CRT, while all that was done to the set was
change an antenna cable or something (the consumer organisation
had marked and photographed the CRT before the repair)..
In the US that would not be possible, you would at least lose your license>?
I think that company is still in business.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Not good. There is usually a reason why it fried.

Here is a picture:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/double_sided_tape_saves_usenet_and_samsung_is_blue.jpg
There must be a clamp problem too, the horizontal bands are where there is text
at the left side of the screen.
See how blue the Samsung is, in the pager top right, that is with blue gain at zero,
and the other color gains at 90% or so.
The mysterious thing that hangs from the window is a Huawei E172 USB high speed
wireless modem (GPRS/HSDPA).
Double sided tape saves Usenet
Interesting is that he plastic stripes do not seem to affect the RF,
it is there so the signal is better.

The Vodafone man told me that these days the base stations have a generator,
this thing will keep me online the next time there is a power failure for half a day or so.
And it is portable too of course.

The orange creatue is from mars, and watches us.

 

[Joerg]

Joerg, I have the impression that if the system that lawyers get
payed percentage of the damages they can get, was allowed here,
then the Netherlands too would be more 'regulated'.

Yes, we are a bit over-litigated out here. It fosters "ambulance
chasers" and what is plain wrong is that a defendant cannot necessarily
claim his own leagl defense costs if he/she wins the case.

Almost nobody sues anybody here, as it costs more then it brings in.
A test (maybe 5 years ago) of TV repair shops in Germany showed people
getting billed for a new CRT, while all that was done to the set was
change an antenna cable or something (the consumer organisation
had marked and photographed the CRT before the repair)..
In the US that would not be possible, you would at least lose your license>?
I think that company is still in business.

That's not right. In the US it'll be on the evening news, the place gets
sued into oblivion and the guys from the business license board might
come waltzing in the next morning.

 

[Joerg]

Here is a picture:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/double_sided_tape_saves_usenet_and_samsung_is_blue.jpg
There must be a clamp problem too, the horizontal bands are where there is text
at the left side of the screen.
See how blue the Samsung is, in the pager top right, that is with blue gain at zero,
and the other color gains at 90% or so.

If you have the time check the supply voltages with a scope. Sometimes
cheap electrolytics dry up and cause all kinds of hickups in chips.

The mysterious thing that hangs from the window is a Huawei E172 USB high speed
wireless modem (GPRS/HSDPA).
Double sided tape saves Usenet
Interesting is that he plastic stripes do not seem to affect the RF,
it is there so the signal is better.

Plastic doesn't affect RF much.

The Vodafone man told me that these days the base stations have a generator,
this thing will keep me online the next time there is a power failure for half a day or so.
And it is portable too of course.

Hopefully it starts and there's enough gas in it. With the prices these
days ...

The orange creatue is from mars, and watches us.

I thought it was Marsupilami's cousin

 

[Adrian C]

Almost nobody sues anybody here, as it costs more then it brings in.
A test (maybe 5 years ago) of TV repair shops in Germany showed people
getting billed for a new CRT, while all that was done to the set was
change an antenna cable or something (the consumer organisation
had marked and photographed the CRT before the repair)..

However, if it's a purposely blown fuse that has been used to replace
the original healthy fuse, the TV repairer has a legitimate right to
investigate why the fuse failed and make (for the sake of safety)
replacements to suspect components that may have caused it.

This action is widely misunderstood by the judge-jury-executioner
consumer organisation as unnecessary work, and the unlucky business
proprietor is unfairly victimised for it.

For some reason you don't hear of consumer organisations getting sued ...

 

[Jan Panteltje]

If you have the time check the supply voltages with a scope. Sometimes
cheap electrolytics dry up and cause all kinds of hickups in chips.

OK, I have planned for a closer look Sunday, if no joy it goes back on Monday.

Plastic doesn't affect RF much.

Do they not use some plastics with different RF breaking index in microwave antennas,
like in flat antennas?
http://www.cumingcorp.com/microdm.php
Also the plastics are sometimes mixed with metal particles.

Hopefully it starts and there's enough gas in it. With the prices these
days ...

Yes, promises need to be kept

I thought it was Marsupilami's cousin

I did read some of the Suske and Wiske (?) (Jerommeke, Marsipulami, aunt Sidonia..)
comics in my school days.
The orange creature was however inspired by last years football IIRC.
The Marsipulami had a _much___ longer tail with stripes IIRC.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

However, if it's a purposely blown fuse that has been used to replace
the original healthy fuse, the TV repairer has a legitimate right to
investigate why the fuse failed and make (for the sake of safety)
replacements to suspect components that may have caused it.

This action is widely misunderstood by the judge-jury-executioner
consumer organisation as unnecessary work, and the unlucky business
proprietor is unfairly victimised for it.

I once repaired a TV for somebody, it was a Philips, and a common fault
was a capacitor in the flyback changing value, causing the voltage to go
way high and blow the HV multiplier.
So I put in a new HV multiplier PLUS a new cap (standard procedure).
He started arguing if the cap was really faulty.
So I told him, why not place the old one back, and find out?

He did not.

For some reason you don't hear of consumer organisations getting sued ...

I am not sure, I have seen them place corrections.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Yes, we are a bit over-litigated out here. It fosters "ambulance
chasers" and what is plain wrong is that a defendant cannot necessarily
claim his own leagl defense costs if he/she wins the case.



That's not right. In the US it'll be on the evening news, the place gets
sued into oblivion and the guys from the business license board might
come waltzing in the next morning.

This is Europe.
There are a lot of guys doing expensive repair work, replacing
and charging for things that did not need replacing, charging lots
of time because of incompetence, in the TV repair, in the car repair,
in the locksmith repair.

If you find a good shop, stay with it.
Was on the news on a regular basis in Germany, you know, hidden camera,
they go into a shop, or have a car towed with just a lose spark plug..
One women lost her key, called a locksmith, who then did not open the lock
but spend hours and finally charged her for a new very expensive new lock.

From the POV of those guys who do that, 'they need to make some money'.
PC repair, graphics card not plugged in properly, sell a new card.
Those are cases straight from the TV programs.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

But can make good lenses, cannot find the link I wanted to show you,
but this shows at least some aspects:
http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~jt21/scanning-antenna.htm

 

[Joerg]

This is Europe.
There are a lot of guys doing expensive repair work, replacing
and charging for things that did not need replacing, charging lots
of time because of incompetence, in the TV repair, in the car repair,
in the locksmith repair.

If you find a good shop, stay with it.
Was on the news on a regular basis in Germany, you know, hidden camera,
they go into a shop, or have a car towed with just a lose spark plug..
One women lost her key, called a locksmith, who then did not open the lock
but spend hours and finally charged her for a new very expensive new lock.

From the POV of those guys who do that, 'they need to make some money'.

It is unethical. If they "need to make some money" and can't raise that
kind of money with what they are doing they should be looking for other
types of jobs.

PC repair, graphics card not plugged in properly, sell a new card.
Those are cases straight from the TV programs.

Don't you have a better business bureau or licensing body where
consumers can go online and see complaints against a business and
whether and how they resolved it? That's how it works here. And it was
the reason for me for rejecting one roofing contractor. He was a bit
surprised but immediately backed off when I told him why. Never called
again.

 

[Joerg]

OK, I have planned for a closer look Sunday, if no joy it goes back on Monday.



Do they not use some plastics with different RF breaking index in microwave antennas,
like in flat antennas?
http://www.cumingcorp.com/microdm.php

Yes, but it's special stuff with dielectric gradients and stuff in
there. Lots of Dollars. Out here it's probably less popular because the
sun beats almost everything plastic into gray-brown pulp.

Also the plastics are sometimes mixed with metal particles.

There used to be lead in them. Not anymore, especially after they found
out that toddlers can chew on the ends of vertical blinds.

Yes, promises need to be kept



I did read some of the Suske and Wiske (?) (Jerommeke, Marsipulami, aunt Sidonia..)
comics in my school days.
The orange creature was however inspired by last years football IIRC.
The Marsipulami had a _much___ longer tail with stripes IIRC.

Yellow with black stripes IIRC. And AFAIK it's spelled Marsupilami.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

It is unethical. If they "need to make some money" and can't raise that
kind of money with what they are doing they should be looking for other
types of jobs.

Sure, it is unethical, but it happens.
I really do not like that sort of thing.
I have always tried to give my customers a good deal,
there were one or 2 cases where a customer tried to take advantage of that,
but that was actually the error of the guy we had who took in the repairs,
he was not technical, and under estimated the problem.

Don't you have a better business bureau or licensing body where
consumers can go online and see complaints against a business and
whether and how they resolved it?

We have 'consumentenbond' a big consumer organisation.
Sometimes, if enough people complain there about the same thing, they may start
legal proceeding for a group.


I once was a member, one day ran into a problem with an ISP, asked their
free (for members) legal advice, followed it to the letter.
The advice turned out to be 100% misinformed.
Solved it myself, cancelled my subscription to 'consumentenbond'.

That's how it works here. And it was
the reason for me for rejecting one roofing contractor. He was a bit
surprised but immediately backed off when I told him why. Never called
again.

Yep, that is the way it should be.
These days doing an internet search may turn up things too.

 

[Nico Coesel]

It is unethical. If they "need to make some money" and can't raise that
kind of money with what they are doing they should be looking for other
types of jobs.

As long as there are idiots that are willing to pay too much...

Don't you have a better business bureau or licensing body where
consumers can go online and see complaints against a business and
whether and how they resolved it? That's how it works here. And it was

Not really. Some business types like car sales/repair and travel
agencies have some sort of a licensing body.

When it comes to car repairs, everbody is in so prices remain high.
Nowadays I order new car parts from Germany (through Ebay). It saves
me at least 50% (sometimes up to 70%) including shipping costs. No,
I'm not comparing dealer prices, just prices from the car parts shop
around the corner.

 

[JosephKK]

Because their service department sucked, and no idea how long it
will take them to repair it, even if they repair it.



I have fed it some nice test signals, also looked for a defectibe blue clamp,
that seems all OK.
I ran ntest.exe on it too (Nokia monitor test, recommended, do a google for it).

Well... I will think about this for a while..... what to do with it.
Why am I so reluctant with service departments? Because I worked in one myself.
I will save you the stories.

If you still have the receipt, try beating the retail vendor over the
head.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

OK, I have planned for a closer look Sunday, if no joy it goes back on Monday.

Well, ... Did not want to damage it, and void the guarantee.
Called Alternate.nl (where I bought it) on Monday, after filling out return forms etc.
They told me: 'Send it to us, and it takes 6(!) weeks.
But we can give you a Samsung phone number, send it to them,
and then it will only be 3 weeks'.

So called the Samsung number, they will contact me in 24 hours and pick it up at my place.
Not bad!

So far so good.

 

[Joerg]

As long as there are idiots that are willing to pay too much...

I see that differently. You and I may be able to discern but we must
mind older people who don't have that ability anymore or maybe never had
it. In the same way that I do not rip off clients just because they
don't happen to have anyone on staff who understands analog. There has
got to be ethics in every business.

Not really. Some business types like car sales/repair and travel
agencies have some sort of a licensing body.

IMHO there has to be a complaint registry that is publicly accessible,
preferably via Internet. Kind of what you guys call ombudsman (and we
entered that word into American English as well). In the US we have that.

When it comes to car repairs, everbody is in so prices remain high.
Nowadays I order new car parts from Germany (through Ebay). It saves
me at least 50% (sometimes up to 70%) including shipping costs. No,
I'm not comparing dealer prices, just prices from the car parts shop
around the corner.

I remember from my days in NL. Car parts and gasoline had to be bought
in Germany, bicycle parts and Diesel in the Netherlands, books,
electronics and software in the United States. Luckily I lived close to
the border

 

[Joerg]

Where is it that is close to all three boarders? Or did you build a
transporter? ;-)

The German border was withing five minutes walking distance and the
Belgian one about 1/2 mile but that required scaling a steep hill with
the bicycle. Problem was the Belgian side had good pubs so I turfed it a
few times.

 

[Joerg]

The German-US border? Used to be somewhere east of the Bismarck
Archipelago, but where is it now?

That was when I still lived in Europe.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

OK, I have planned for a closer look Sunday, if no joy it goes back on Monday.

Well, ... Did not want to damage it, and void the guarantee.
Called Alternate.nl (where I bought it) on Monday, after filling out return forms etc.
They told me: 'Send it to us, and it takes 6(!) weeks.
But we can give you a Samsung phone number, send it to them,
and then it will only be 3 weeks'.

So called the Samsung number, they will contact me in 24 hours and pick it up at my place.
Not bad!

So far so good.

Monitor came back today, works perfectly again.
16 days, free pickup and delivery, nothing to pay, a PLUS for Samsung!