Olevia 542i 42-Inch LCD HDTV
by Syntax Corporation
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Syntax CorporationBrand: Olevia
Edition: Electronics
Model: 542I
Publisher: Syntax Corporation
Studio: Syntax Corporation
Music Label: Syntax Corporation
Product features:
- Device Type - LCD TV
- Dimensions - 43.3" x 34.7" x 14.2"
- Weight - 96 lbs
- AmazonBasics Ultra-High-Speed HDMI Cable Braided (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters)
- AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Braided Cable (6.5 Feet/2.0 Meters)
- AmazonBasics 3RCA Component Video Cable (6 Feet)
- AmazonBasics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Cable, 6 Feet
- MONSTER CLNCTH Micro Clean Cloth Kit with Counter Top Display (Green, Black, White, Silver)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Olevia 542i 42-Inch LCD HDTV
Customer Review: I had high hopes and wanted to like it
Summary: 2 Stars
I really wanted to like this TV. I bought it for my husband December 2006 as a Xmas present. Right from the first time that we turned it off, it made clicking noises. Customer service said it was cooling down... basically saying it's normal. After a month or so we started having color problems. Yellow, swirly marks would show up where it was bright white... and months later showed up where it wasn't white as well. Luckily (I hope) I had also purchased Target's extended warranty as a back up in case Olevia's warranty would suck (which I was right). I called Target customer service for help and through them I got to Olevia to send out a technician. However, the "parts" didn't come in for a month. So I had to wait a month for someone to come and fix the tv. Well finally the Syntax (Olevia) tv tech came to replace the main board in my tv. The color is great! BUT NOW THE TUNER IS MESSED UP! I call up Target customer service and they say that it is a manufacturer problem, so I call Olevia again. I was directed to try to input channels one by one and save them and see if the tv remembers. Mind you now I am missing SEVENTY-FIVE CHANNELS! I just did 3 to test, and lo, the tv has amnesia. The second step the Olevia tech (over the phone) said to take was to get my cable company to test the signal strength, which could be the reason why I was missing channels. So my husband calls Charter Cable and a cable guy comes out within two days. Nope, nothing is wrong with the signal strength and to top it off, he says, "I've been seeing these Olevia tvs with tuner problems a lot." Step three: If the cable/signal strength is fine, then "it's a tuner problem." These words came from the tech guy at Olevia customer service. So we call them back to tell them we tried steps 1,2 and now it was time to talk about number 3! We were speaking to another tech guy (you can never get the same person as last time) and this guy says to load new firmware. The old firmware might be the problem, he says. We load up the new firmware later (had to wait for husband to help with that) and nope, still missing almost all of my analog channels. My husband calls Olevia customer service this time to tell them of the newest findings. We are asked if we could lug the tv to them so they could look at it. I suppose if I wasn't pregnant and my husband could juggle the 42" tv there without damaging --- SURE WHY NOT? It clearly says in the warranty that if damage occurs during transporting it the warranty is void, so that would be dumb of us. Plus all the packaging, boxing, and shipping would be a royal pain in the a$$ to get and do. The tech then says that they could send out another tech but it might take several weeks or something like that. Tech said he'd call us back to schedule an appt. My husband asked to speak with a manager, and the tech support gave him an attitude, saying no managers were availabe. In order for us to get service, either my husband or I would have to take off of work M-F, because they only service M-F between 9-4. I've already done this. Why do I have to do it again? The first time the Syntax tech came out to replace the main board in my tv he said: If this (replacement part) doesn't work, then you'll get a new tv. Talking to customer service over the phone, that's not the idea I'm getting. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to have to push the Target warranty. Target warranty states that if they fix the same problem twice, and it requires a third repair, then they will issue a Target gift card not to exceed what I paid for it, minus taxes. I had really, really high hopes for this tv. I did a lot of research, reading reviews before buying it. There were lots of excellent reviews out there. Too bad. The worse part is my husband is so mad... saying today, "Never buy these off-brands again!" On Syntax's website, they have a slogan that states that their focus is customer satisfaction. With so many customers recently venting about bad customer support... Olevia/Syntax is failing in that respect. Again I must reiterate, I really wanted to like this tv/brand... but I don't think we'll be purchasing this again, nor will we be recommending it (to anyone we like and respect).
EDITED 10/18/07:
Ok, so the problem is now resolved! I emailed the COO of the corporation and immediately balls started rolling and the wheels started turning in my direction! It's a super long story, but the jist of it is - customer service was FANTASTIC and I had a brand new television delivered TWICE to my house. The first one still had issues, but the second one (a different model 242 I think) had NONE - no problems. The techs called on Saturday, came after work hours... was on call to help us with anything we needed. So I suppose the moral of this story is: When the little guys won't help - go over their heads to the CEO or COO of the company! I love my TV! It really is a great TV. I think all companies crank out lemons now and then.
I'd revise my rating to 4 stars for the TV and 5 stars for the customer service (if customer service and quality control is consistent). :)
Description of Olevia 542i 42-Inch LCD HDTV
42" LCD HDTV HDTV-compatible 16:9 aspect ratio 1600:1 contrast ratio 1366 x 768 resolution 750 brightness & 178 ultra-wide viewing angles 8 ms response time & real-time graphics 1080i/720p/480p/480i compatible 2 x 15w srs surround sound stereo speakers video inputs 1 atsc/ntsc combo tuner input hdmi 2 component vga-1360 x 768@60 hz s-video & composite vertical speaker position rs-232 controlDigital Cameras & Photo Categories