Hisense Refusing Warranty Repair on TV

watwatwat on 22/10/2021 - 03:20
Last edited 22/10/2021 - 05:51

I have a Hisense TV that is within warranty (just over 2 years old) and has been having some audio issues for months. Mostly when streaming, periodically it will emit a high pitched ticking noise and that happens either if using internal audio or with an external speaker attached. The noise lasts for some milliseconds but happens again and again.

I have lots of videos recording the ticking happening and it is very annoying/unwatchable when this happens and it gets me a headache. The problem is that is only seems to happen sporadically. Sometimes a week can pass when I don't encounter it, then I watch some videos where it happens a lot for days in a row.

Hisense so far have replaced the main board and also a technician has taken it and claims they tested it for 2 days in streaming and 3 days in free-to-air without fault. They say they are unable to proceed with any further remedy because the technician was unable to find fault and that "the TV is fine". Also that a replacement TV is only offered if a technician finds a fault.

I feel like this is such an obvious case of a fault happening with the TV that is within warranty and I have lots of proof of it happening. But because the technician gets the TV and turns it on in the background and he isn't able to hear the fault during that particular timeframe, he claims there is no fault. Clearly I don't think a TV that emits high pitched ticking/clicking noises is of reasonable acceptable quality and that is fit for purpose.

As such, they are refusing to do anything further and if I want a second technician to look over it, I could be charged a fee. The problem is that the symptoms are sporadic so maybe they wouldn't be able to hear it during their testing time, too.

What would others do in this situation?

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Comments

  • PensionerXXL on 22/10/2021 - 05:26
    +1

    depends on the value of the tv

    expensive = keep fighting, take it to one of those tribunal places that deal with these claims
    secondly buy a cheap or good speaker(s) see if that removes the problem - if not further evidence of the issue, especially if the sound starts coming through the speakers

    cheap = bin it, move on with life

    • watwatwat on 22/10/2021 - 05:54
      +1

      Thanks. There was this guy who took a TV manufacturer to small claims court, so that could be an option once I read up on how to do this (looks like the fee is at least $106 to lodge): https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/389179

      secondly buy a cheap or good speaker(s) see if that removes the problem

      The problem happens both with internal speakers and also through the external speakers if I plug those in.

      • websterp on 22/10/2021 - 07:02
        +2

        Can you add a ticking video you have recorded to this post?

        • watwatwat on 22/10/2021 - 14:32

          Yep, here is an example video that was provided to the technician who proceeded to say "the TV is fine":

          https://imgur.com/a/AYGNzQi

          • Saver Scott on 23/10/2021 - 07:09
            +2

            @watwatwat: That sound is odd. How is the tv even making that noise? But it kind of sounds electrical and I’d be worried the tv will catch fire.

    • Topdog on 22/10/2021 - 07:31

      I agree with this. I have never owned this brand of TV, so cannot comment on my thoughts if you should just give up or keep going.

      Have a quick story though, one of my cheap TV's had the best speakers ive ever had in a tv, more so then big name brands I had owned. It was hard adjusting to the new speakers on the new tv. HAHA. The sound on the normal speakers in the tv actually sounded like i had a sound bar and sub attached sometimes.

      If this TV is the best speakers you have had in a TV OP. Fight for your right. cause you will miss that sound.

  • peterwilliams83 on 22/10/2021 - 07:08
    +6

    Have you shown Hisense the recording of the issue? If so, what did they say? If not, show them, and if that doesn’t satisfy them there is a problem, you could try posting to YouTube and sharing the link on various forums to attract some attention to the issue…

    • watwatwat on 22/10/2021 - 07:45
      +3

      Yes, I've sent them multiple videos.

      Mostly they don't acknowledge them and I don't know if it led to their decision to change the main board and have a technician review the TV. It seems their stance is "A replacement is only offered if the technician advised the TV is faulty.". Which doesn't make much sense for a problem that is sporadic.

      The technician also sounded like a dumbass. He has a bigpond email address, doesn't seem to know much about the internet and claimed that skipped frames from streaming could cause such a high pitched noise, says he reboots his phone and computer every 4 days because electronics are unreliable.

      • Duff5000 on 22/10/2021 - 10:26
        +2

        Tweet them the video and ask if it is acceptable. Shame you have to resort to it but it can be effective.

  • Brotality on 22/10/2021 - 09:19
    +5

    Have you considered that it could be some kind of interference in your environment that the tech couldn't replicate when he took the TV? Badly designed electronics could be susceptible to all kinds of crap, from a phone being too close, to something else on the electrical circuit messing things up (Like a drying pulling a lot of power). Did you buy or change anything new before the issue started happening? have you tried to run the TV in a different environment (or preferably house?)

    I know you still want to hold Hisense responsible which is fair. It's their product and they should know what's wrong with it. But at a certain point when headaches are here either way, It wouldn't hurt to do some troubleshooting.

  • OwMeKnees on 22/10/2021 - 09:24

    Ive had a few issues with various things under warranty and calling Fair Trading has always sorted it out for me right quick. Give them a call, worst that will happen is they'll give you some advice.

  • wallet72 on 22/10/2021 - 09:39
    +1

    If you are 100% sure it's the TV and not environmental (like someone else suggested) then email Hisense. Spell out exactly what you want, explain that you have attached proof of the fault, ask for confirmation of receipt of email, and give them a time limit for response. Tell them you will wait 7 days before contacting Fair Trading to seek further action.
    This sounds like a pain, but it will help when you contact FT.

  • bongom on 22/10/2021 - 10:05

    Is the streaming content from a built in TV app like Netflix or downloaded videos from another source?

    • watwatwat on 22/10/2021 - 14:34

      I can't tell for sure as I spend most of my time watching Youtube and that is where I have noticed it most of the time.

  • netjock on 22/10/2021 - 10:43

    periodically it will emit a high pitched ticking noise and that happens either if using internal audio or with an external speaker attached. The noise lasts for some milliseconds but happens again and again.

    The CCP tapping into your comms. That is standard from Hisense the government owned appliance company.

    On a serious note, just setup a recorder in front of the TV and record the problem. If they don't fixed it with the previous acknowledgements (demonstrating potentially their incompetence) take them to small claims.

    • resisting the urge on 22/10/2021 - 12:43

      But seriously, app surveillance, telemetry and a sporadic streams of user-interaction data being pushed to hisense servers, is actually highly likely to be a contributing factor to user-noticable faults, at least on some models.

      These things do not pass by top-notch quality assurance, even when the model is first produced. Let alone updated numerous times after that…

      • netjock on 22/10/2021 - 12:51
        +1

        These things do not pass by top-notch quality assurance, even when the model is first produced. Let alone updated numerous times after that…

        It is like android phones. Flagship processor and after 2 years of updates feels like midspec.

        • resisting the urge on 22/10/2021 - 13:30

          … and all user-input is recorded by Google, the vendor, as well as (when implemented) app and app-platform vendors.

          Hard to do these days, but there remains no point using devices that require agreeing to collection of metadata, or PII. Unless you really understand the risks, costs, and can fathom a way to get properly paid for producing the data they choose to collect. Better off avoiding than being complicit with the inevitable tyranny they bring. Most OzB bargains fail to factor this into the value when posting deals or 'voting' on them.

          We need a user-beware metric, not just the upvote/downvote feature. That way offers that predate OzBargain members, their families, network, be it by recording or actively selling PII and other valuable info, would be clearer. When you think about it, this is a very overdue feature.

  • brendanm on 22/10/2021 - 10:47

    Steaming through Netflix, or YouTube?

  • Catullus on 22/10/2021 - 13:20

    Surely if you're hearing it, it must be an audio signal and should see it on a scope and maybe able to tune it out on the equaliser.

  • RotundPolarBear on 22/10/2021 - 14:10
    +1

    I have a Hisense R5 58inch and this happens to me as well, but only on some Youtube videos. There will be a short crackle or static sound occasionally throughout the video. Never noticed this on any other streaming service.

    Might be an issue with the built-in Youtube app, or the way some videos have their audio encoded.

    • watwatwat on 22/10/2021 - 14:34

      Wow, this is very interesting. Does your's sound like mine? https://imgur.com/a/AYGNzQi

      I find it so dodgy that Hisense can watch this video and then say their technician "confirmed no fault with the TV". WTF. Why do warranties even exist if they can snake their way out of them……

      • RotundPolarBear on 22/10/2021 - 16:44
        +1

        Yeah it sounds pretty much the same. Sort of a high-pitched clack.

        But not every video on Youtube has this problem for me, and it comes and goes. For instance I just watched this Bloomberg 14 min video https://youtu.be/zbzcZr_Nadc and heard the clack around 3-4 times, but straight after I watched this CNBC video https://youtu.be/0lpOMNC2Elo which was also 14 mins and didn't hear the clacking at all.

        It's an odd problem, that's for sure. I just put up with it. Mine was a cheap TV, so, oh well.

        Coincidentally, I've also had my TV for a little over 2 years, so we might have a similar model which has this issue.

        Perhaps as a suggestion, if you haven't already tried it, is to use an external Android TV device or Chromecast to rule out the in-built Youtube app as the problem. I use lots of other streaming services including the in-built Netflix and Stan app aswell as Binge/Disney+/Prime Video via Vodafone TV and never get the clacking there.

        • watwatwat on 22/10/2021 - 17:00

          Well well well. Your comment is quite useful.

          My discussion with the technician was so annoying because he tried to blame literally everything other than the TV. Could be a microwave near by or someone with interfering electronics, could be slow internet, could be that I haven't rebooted it frequently enough, claims he has never heard this ticking noise in 20 years working on TVs.

          He was absolutely adamant that the TV had no problem. Even though a few days of testing is obviously not able to with ABSOLUTE certainty rule out any problems at all with the device.

          we might have a similar model which has this issue.

          So far it certainly sounds like there is a common side affect here of the ticking and both on Hisense TVs manufactured at a similar time.

          And well well well round 2, it appears as though Hisense has warranty claims that are 5x higher than industry average:

          https://www.channelnews.com.au/exclusive-hisense-allocates-m…

          This is so frustrating for them to reject a totally valid warranty claim.

  • WreckTangle on 22/10/2021 - 23:02

    Sounds like the noise a digital tv makes when there is signal loss - does it do this on free to air + streaming or just one? Also, do you stream wirelessly or with a cable?

  • jackary on 23/10/2021 - 14:05

    My Hisense TV (55PX) does this using the built in YouTube app. Doesn’t happen using the YouTube app on my Vodafone TV. I just assumed the built in app is shit, as they are on most TVs. I am willing to bet $50 that the issue is the YouTube app and not the TV itself.

    I’m sorry for your experience but I’m somewhat siding with Hisense on this one.

    Conversely my remote stopped working around 3 months in and they gladly sent a new one out. Can’t really fault Hisense support.

    • watwatwat on 23/10/2021 - 15:16

      When I first got this TV, I also established that it doesn't work with the antenna in the wall.

      In the same room: my previous Hisense TV worked fine for years. Then when getting this new TV, suddenly it showed 0% reception when plugged in to the wall.

      I literally had 2 Hisense TVs next to each other; plug one cable in to one and it shows fine, plug the cable in to the new one and it can't play TV at all.

      Hisense came out with a special testing device and plugged the antenna cable in to the device, it showed full reception (proving the reception was good quality).

      So the ultimate result from this was that Hisense said it must be environmental and that I just need to deal with the fact the antenna doesn't work.

      Now 2 years later, when streaming is the only other major function of this TV, you think I now need to accept that their apps don't work, either?

      It just seems like Hisense TVs are crappy if you need all these workarounds to use basic functionality of what the TV sells itself as doing.

      • jackary on 30/10/2021 - 13:23

        Sorry for the late response.

        I can’t really comment on aerial issues - mine has always been fine. Personally I’d have insisted on a refund there. You chose not to do this.

        You’ll find every manufacturer has issues with streaming apps - Hayu on my Samsung TV for instance has been unusable since day 1. It’s not an indicator that Samsung OR “Hisense TVs are crappy”, I think it just highlights how difficult it is for both TV manufacturers and app developers to keep apps working for a million different makes and models of hardware over a period of years. There is a reason Android TV/Apple TV sells in the tens of millions.

        Im not going to respond from here as I don’t think it really matters what I tell you, it appears the only resolution you’ll accept is a refund for your well used TV, which you’re not going to get. I think you need to realign your expectations on what was invariably a budget TV.

        • watwatwat on 30/10/2021 - 15:17

          insisted on a refund there. You chose not to do this.

          That is not true. I tried to pursue a refund as it was not fit for purpose and they refused and said it could an environmental issue and that I'd need to contact an antenna specialist. But that argument doesn't make sense as I had a previous Hisense tv in the same room that worked and their device showed full output.

          Ultimately, Hisense do not want to fulfil their warranty obligations.

          It’s not an indicator that Samsung OR “Hisense TVs are crappy”

          For a TV that doesn't work with free to air and doesn't work well with Youtube. What else is a TV used for?

          And based on that article that implies returns for Hisense are way higher than other manufacturers, it would seem they are crappier than other brands.

          • jackary on 31/10/2021 - 19:09

            @watwatwat:

            That is not true. I tried to pursue a refund as it was not fit for purpose and they refused and said it could an environmental issue

            So you should have taken it further at the time if you believed there was a fault… as an aside, have you tried a signal amplifier? Not to suggest you should have to, but hey, if it fixes your problem right?

            And based on that article that implies returns for Hisense are way higher than other manufacturers, it would seem they are crappier than other brands.

            Have you ever heard of confirmation bias? If your source of information is ChannelNews, we’re definitely done here.

            Take Hisense to xCAT in whatever state you’re in.

  • watwatwat on 30/06/2022 - 13:43

    I never updated this thread but just wanted to advise everyone that I ended up getting a free brand new TV replacement from Hisense and it was a newly released model at the time, as well.

    The new TV has worked perfectly ever since and has been great so far.

    The Hisense technician who came out several times and then had definitively concluded that the original TV was working "fine", was clearly full of sh**. He tried to blame it on interference etc. because he is too lazy or incompetent to investigate the real root cause. On a percentage basis, I would say he is 80% incompetent, 20% lazy.

    And Hisense had just agreed to give it to me, after I pushed. I never had to resort to small claims court etc. but I would have been willing to pay the fee and go through that process. Glad I didn't have to in the end.

    Don't let your dreams be dreams.

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