DISQUS

kerri haxton · 1 year ago

We have exactly the same problem and with 5 kids there is no way we can buy another one nor should we have to! We saved up for this TV and were so excited the day we brought it home and now It's just a blank reminder that we bypassed a vacation to get the TV and now we don't even have that. At this point I would've preferred the memory of a nice vacation!

davidb · 1 year ago

I'm sorry to hear that... Try contactin Jean Wasko (See above comment) and complain complain complain!

stephen sullivan · 1 year ago

I have also had the same problem.the repair shop said it was a 400$ part and judging from other peoples problems its the same part that has gone bad on there sets.I was told by the repair shop there is a nation wide back order on this controller,its obvious ther is a big problem that polaroid doesn't want to own up to. Dave if possible could you contact me with the info you have for contacting the VP of customer relations I would like to see if they would be willing to give me the parts for the repair.thankyou

davidb · 1 year ago

The email address of the VP of Customer Relations is: JHWasko@polaroid.com -- Jean Wasko.

PFUNK530 · 1 year ago

WOW TO HEAR SOMEONE ,OTHER THAN MYSELF, IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEEM WITH THEIR OWN POLARIOD IS HEARTBREAKING. i TOO GOT TOLD THAT THEY WILL SEND ME A REPLACEMENT TV FOR A MERE $510.00 DOLLARS, AND I GET TO SEND THEM BACK THEIR FIRST TV. i DON'T WANT TO FIND OUT THAT I JUST WASTED A THOUSAND DOLLARS, IF I CAN'T GET THIS TV FIXED. ANY IDEA ON WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND COST. I'M GOING TO EMAIL THAT CONTACT AND SEE WHAT KIND OF RESULT I GET. THANK FOR YOUR COMMENT.

CarolynR · 1 year ago

..Our family has been in "Polaroid Hell" for a few months. Our stories are basically the same. We purchased a new tv after 20 years of watching a perfectly fine 20"RCA. Oh, we also are proud owners of an Orion. It has been dragged to the tree fort, back and forth to boarding school for 4 years and everywhere else and is still kicking! The Polaroid was suppose to be an upgrade ...Anyways, after 10 short months the tv just went black and the blue light stayed on. I called for repair and they sent the "Sears" guy after the control panel was delivered to our house. As suspected, it did not work. Their policy is that the Repair guy has to call the Polaroid people "from your home" in order to have a second control panel sent to out BUT only if you supply them with the original receipt. A few weeks later the "Sears guy" comes out yet again and tried the second control panel and naturally it did not work. Needless to say, these idiots sent us a new tv (which was dropped in my living room 3 days ago.) Guess what- tonight it has squiggly lines going up and down the screen.....I now have another broken $1000. tv and yet another confirmation number for a "Sears repair guy". This time they are sending 2 control boxes. Lucky us. Last time the "Sears" guy was here, he said that Sears was going to stop contracting with Polaroid. Dave, I called these morons every chance I had and basically harrassed the customer service people to get these repairs done. I told them that they were sending me aftermarket control panels - I suggest the same. Thanks for Jean Wasko's contact info. ***I agree, Polaroid sucks***

mitchellpk · 1 year ago

I also had the same situation with our (1year plus old) TV and contacted the VP of Customer Relations Jean Wasko at JHWasko@polaroid.com. He was very polite and sent me another TV at no charge within a few days. I didn't have to jump through any customer service or repair service hoops. The new TV is working fine but does make a click when it turns on so I am hoping that it will last. I feel bad that my story was more carefree than most. It is a shame that Polaroid has not recalled this product, but I am impressed that they offered me great customer service.

ROBCO · 1 year ago

You're so not alone! As a hobby, I repair televisions. No, I don't do it for a living, but I've been inside enough TVs to know my way around. At any rate, I have "more than a couple" of friends/customers that purchased Polaroid (32-37-40 inch) TVs from Wally-World over the past few years only to have them exhibit pretty much the exact same symptoms you describe. The part in question is what Polaroid calls "The Control Box" (the main, most expensive thing in the innards or the beast) and there are so many of these TVs going bad that sometimes there is a three month backorder/backlog or this roughly $500 (!!!) part. It is just so sad when I have to put one of these things out on the curb for trash pickup. It is true that the Polaroids have a super picture when they are new or actually working, but from my experience my advice to everyone I see is AVOID the things like the plague. Your money is most often better spent by adding $100-$150 to the price of the Polaroid and buying something with a little better reliability/repair history. Oh, and by the way... I've got a pair of old Orion TV's going strong just like yours. The one's I have I purchased at WM some years back and they're Panasonic/Matsushita on the inside. They are just great.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Polaroid TV.

davidb · 1 year ago

Lots of comments & complaints.

Just noticed that this blog post is in the top 10 for "polaroid televisions" on Google, must be why. This is good, that mean the people at Polaroid are aware of this blog post and all of your problems. Keep at'em!

I will also say, that since this problem occurred I've had 14 people contact me, knowing I own a Polaroid, and asking for my opinion. I've told all 14 of them to stay away, spend the extra $200 for a better brand.

I've had my iPhone for almost a year now and I'm on my third one, mostly because of my faults, but everytime Apple replaces my iPhone hassle-free -- above and beyond customer support. Polaroid should take note.

Billy · 1 year ago

Same problem here. Will complain,complain,complain!!!!

Billy · 1 year ago

Well I called customer service and she told me she had NEVER had a caller with a problem with a Polaroid TV. So what is she there for? Didnt get anywhere

Norma · 1 year ago

Absoultely the exact same situation. WTF? Thing is, I got this one cause all the others offerred where brands I'd never heard of. I figured if it was POLAROID, I'd be fine. I may have to try the XYZ brand that wants to make a name for itself and is willing to help people.

Tony · 1 year ago

My Polaroid t.v is a 37 inch LCD, It has done the some thing to me, it started with a little buzz from the speakers, then with in two days after that, I would turn it on and I would get a dark screen, with sound, sometimes with, and without the buzz, Then on day two, power light comes on, But I have a completely black screen no sound, and then you can't turn it off. unless you unplug it, which used to make it work too, but now I can't get anything. My t.v is just over a year and a half old. After reading all of these horror stories, I now realize I spent over a $1000.00 for 18 months worth of t.v. watching. . And yes, I'm on my second X box 360. and Microsoft has some of the best service I have ever seen, they gave me a new one, and renewed my one year warranty. now try getting that from Polartard.

Kevin Preston · 12 months ago

I purchaced the Polaroid TLA-04641C 46" LCD TV sometime in the beginning of 2008 and around 4 months owning it a buzz started comming out of the speakers.

I could change the input or cable channels, not even using the built in tuner but there is no way to get rid of it.

Customer support was no help, I tried through an email with the result stating that their is no software or fix for my problem but I could send it back . I never tried to contact customer support through the phone and I'm sure that I could have whined more but the buzz was so low that any normal audio overshadowed it.

My searching on the web produced no fruit at the time because, I suspect, Polaroid 's televisions were basicly new at the time. Come to find out as of today, hundreds of similar complaints are out there.

I grew up with Polaroid being a household name and now I woulfn't buy a camera from them much less a television. By the way, this is just the Polaroid name and not the original company. I suspect they needed a name brand to back up their shitty venture.

The next television I by will be a Sony, I will pay the extra money for it so I don't get the same raw deal ever again. Greedy Corporate Bastards.

I have a Vizio, a name I never heard of and it's given me no problems but a little burn in, my fault, for the last 4 years. Picture is still crisp and everything works great.

NEVER AGAIN POLAROID.

RogerR · 11 months ago

I too have all the typical signs of the bad control board. First the sound from the speakers, and then the black screen. Mine still works if I unplug it, but I see the future. I called customer support and talked to someone who didn't seem to be aware that this is a common proble, and offered to sent "the guy" out to fix it for half the cost of the original TV, and not much less than a new cheap TV. I sent a e-mail to Jean Wasko, we'll see how that goes, but you would think Polaroid would stand behind a product that has so common a problem, and such a short product lifetime.

Regina · 11 months ago

Same Problems here. I purchased a 42" LCD Polaroid television approximately 9 months ago. Unfortunately, I did not keep the receipt. A couple of weeks ago, the television just went black. You could still hear the sound but no picture at all. I purchased it at Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart will not return electronics after 90 days. They gave me Polaroid's number. I contacted polaroid who stated without a receipt they could not help. They refused to do anything despite the fact that the back of the television showed a Manufacturer's date of October 2007 and Polaroid even admits that the very first television could not have been sold prior to November 23, 2007. This means that if I had purchased the TV the first day it was on the shelf, I would have owned the product for only 1 year and 2 months! I two was offered an option of allowing them to repair the product for over $400.00 and they would warrant the product for 90 days. "NO THANKS." I am so frustrated. I spent $1000.00 for a television to only get a few months of enjoyment. Your blog has really helped me to see that Polaroid does not take care of its customers. I plan to print this site and send a copy to the VP of Polaroid. If this doesn't help, I find out every company that sells polaroids and send them a copy of this site as well as my letter to the VP. I will let you know how I come out. Wish me luck!

davidb · 11 months ago

Definitely do that! Print it out, let them know where they can find this post.

Tell them to look at all the comments of people who are completely miserable because they made a shitty product and do not back it up.

In 2009, not being transparent will kill your brand. Consumers today are obnoxiously educated and they can no longer create a terrible product that will last up until the warranty and then not work. People will go on the Internet and make decisions based on their behavior, much like many have done by Googling Polaroid and finding this page.

Go get'em.