Couple's $4,000 TV Lasts Less Than 2 Years

A Virginia couple said when their $4,000 TV stopped working after less than two years, the company didn’t give them the help they needed.

David Gage of Alexandria bought the top-of-the-line Samsung TV to celebrate his retirement. He splurged on all of the bells and whistles offered to complete his dream home entertainment center.

“And we love the TV,” he said. “It’s really everything that I hoped for.”

But then there was a problem with the picture.

“We started seeing a little blue on to that screen,” he said. “At first, it was a minor annoyance. It wasn’t a major obstacle.”

But it repeatedly happened until eventually a blue line was there all the time.

“I called Best Buy first because that’s where I bought it from,” he said. “I went in and spoke with them and they said, ‘Well, you're out of warranty.' And they said it’s only a 12-month warranty on a $4,000 set.’”

He said he was told he was out of luck because he didn’t purchase an extended warranty.

But Gage said neither Best Buy nor Samsung ever offered him an extended warranty, which he said he would have purchased if asked.

“After spending $10,000 (on the entertainment center), it's inconceivable to me that we wouldn't have bought that extra $500 or so for an extended warranty,” he said.

Samsung sent a technician, who, the Gages say, admitted the TV was defective but handed them an estimate.

“It was $2,445 to replace the panel, which includes a whole new screen,” Gage said.

NBC4 Responds contacted Samsung and was told someone would look into the case immediately.

“I got a call from someone in the Office of the President of Samsung Corporation,” Gage said. “They said, ‘Mr. Gage, we are going to give you a repair on your TV at no cost.’”