A Bad Experience

Author's Rating:

Pros: Price was good. Picture was decent.

Cons: Random Psychotic Behavior. Poor Customer Support.

The Bottom Line: 
A decent design poorly implemented by a third-rate manufacturer using a formerly first-rate brand name.

Author's Review
I bought this model LCD TV on 9/06 and was pleased with the price and performance. But slowly odd behavior manifested, such as random booting. Then the remote became unresponsive, and the only solution was to switch the TV off/on. Then the remote failed completely, and we couldn't even use the case buttons to power off...we had to pull the plug and restart. A call to Crutchfield (the seller) was made, and a replacement exchange was made in November to my satisfaction.

Well, the replacement unit began its own abnormal behavior within 3 months. It seems to be heat-related, as the screen display will de-stabilize (and become un-viewable) for about 20 minutes after powering on, then clear up after 10-15 minutes. It doesn't matter what the source is (OTH, DVD Player, or computer), the picture goes crazy for approximately the same amount of time.

Called them again, but Crutchfield won't provide a second exchange.

Calling Customer "Service" at Westinghouse, they suggested relocating the TV to a different circuit in the house, stating that "these units are very sensitive to electrical current fluctuations". Well, I tried to relocate the TV throughout the house with No Joy. I purchased a dedicated UPS/Line Conditioner...no luck. Attempts to improve the cooling resulted in no noticeable changes. After these trails, Westinghouse suggested factory-authorized repair (at my cost to ship). A quick Google reveals many horror stories related to people's experiences with Westinghouse's repairs (or lack of completing them). Sorry, I'm not going to spend any more time (except to warn others) or money on this sorry excuse for a television. What else am I to do...move out of my 2-year old home to accommodate a "sensitive" TV? None of the other electronics in my home have any problems.

Every night, the wife gets a garbled-screen reminder of how I made a bad choice in trusting Crutchfield and Westinghouse. And despite being a bona-fide Geek, I find it very disturbing to be woken up in the middle of the night by the TV having switched itself on.

I cannot believe that Crutchfield still sells this, and any other model, from Westinghouse. I will no longer be purchasing from Crutchfield, as they can no longer be trusted.

The Westinghouse brand name has been subverted...please stay away from it!