aa1037

I just bought a Samsung 712N 17" LCD, 12ms response, 600:1 contrast - it is awesome, except for the single dead (or stuck) pixel in the upper right quarter of the screen. are there any fixes to dead pixels? i've heard of "massaging" methods? It is just really irritating because I dished out almost 450 for it and I want it to be perfect. Should I return it and try my luck? Samsung's policy is 10 dead for replacement, although I could return to BB with no hassle but also try my luck on another one and potentially have more dead

glytch

I don't know of any way to fix dead pixels, but if it's bothering you that much, I say take it back to BB and see if you can get another one. If you can and that one has more dead pixels, get another one. You'll surely get one that's good after a few returns, right?

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sheaux_down

Unfortunately, many stores have policies concerning this issue, and like you said, they've got a minimum dead pixels before replacement. Most stores have 6-8; Samsung is essentially fucking you over with the 10 dead policy, sorry to say it.

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aa1037

doh...well i think i might just live with it then

firebirdta

If you can't get BB to replace it, call up Samsung's customer support and demand that the problem be fixed. If the person you talk to says they can't help you, ask to speak to their supervisor and continue to do this. Be persistent until you get to someone who is willing to help you. I'm on my 3rd SyncMaster 173s and the previous two had only three and one dead pixels. I've simply demanded perfection and my current monitor has zero dead pixels. Don't give up. Hopefully everything works out for you.

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aa1037

hmm how long did you have to wair for their monitors though?

firebirdta

Samsung advance ships the replacement monitor, so you have to give them a credit card number. If you don't ship back your monitor within 30 days, they charge you $600.00 for a 17" LCD. They cover the return shipping, too. Each time I called, it took about one week for them to ship out the new one and another day or two for it to actually get to me.

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aa1037

hmm i guess ill try BB first, i work there so ill have em open it to test it out ill keep checkin em all till i get one i like

soccerchamp76

Sony has that policy, too.

They send out the new monitor, you take out the new monitor, replace it with the defective monitor, and then slap the postage sticker on the package, and send it off.

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bendsley

I used to work at BBY, if it's within their return policy, you can take it back and replace it at no charge to you. Monitors I believe are 14 days from the date of purchase. Have them open the new box before you leave and look at it there in the store, they should have no problem doing that. Also, if it is after the return policy, BBY has what they call DEVO, it means you take it back to the store under the mfg warranty and they replace it for you there in the store. BBY will send it back to the mfg and get their money back. Don't worry about how many pixels are bad. If they hassle you or give you problems, message me through the forums and I can try to help you.

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aa1037

yea i know, i work for the Geek Squad lol. im having my friend who also works there check it in RSS today to see the stock, if not, ill exchange it up at school once i get there. I know the monitor is DEVO anyway, not store stock

Flesh

so make some more dead pixels to meet the quota

Dragonlich

Most TFT producers have a dead pixel threshold of at least 4 sub-pixels (Iiyama), going up to 8 or 10 for less friendly companies. It really depends on the location of the pixel, and the nature. Is it a dead sub-pixel (red, green or blue), or is it a complete pixel (white/black = 3 sub-pixels)? Is it in the corner, or near the center of the screen?

We, as a computer shop, have a zero-dead-pixel policy within eight days - if you find one, you can get a new screen. We then cannot send them back, and have to sell them at a discount. Basically, it costs us money (lots of it). When Samsung takes them back, they can't do anything with them but throw them away, costing them lots and lots of money.

So, the advice firebirdta gives isn't quite as nice as it sounds. It's worth a shot, because the pixel might be a warranty case (if it's *really* annoying), but it probably isn't. Why should Samsung have to pay for your quest for perfection? That simply means higher prices for their other customers... If you want perfection, you'd better pay for perfection; 450 Dollars is a lot of money, but not for TFT screens!

On a brighter note, we had a batch of Samsung TFTs with loads and loads of dead pixels (50 to 60% had at least one), and we finally managed to persuade them to take them back. We're lucky we're powerful enough to force them to do that, because most smaller shops can't possibly do this.

Oh, and whatever you do: DO NOT MAKE YOUR OWN DEAD PIXELS! They can see that right away, and you'll be slapped with the "user abuse" warranty policy...

firebirdta

Dragonlich, why would Samsung have to throw them away? They usually send out refurbished monitors, which I assume come from people's returns. I'm not saying that you're wrong, I'm just curious about this.

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aa1037

yea it is only a stuck pixel (dead sub pixel - i only see a red dot) so i think i might just live with it

crony

My wife bought me an NEC LCD from Best Buy last year which had a dead pixel in it. We brought it in to the store for an exchange and they had no problem with it. They were even nice enough to test out the new one for us before we left the store. I'd say attempt an exchange as the worst they can do is say no.

Dragonlich

I talked to one of their sales reps about it - he told me they throw them away. He *might* have been lying, of course. I don't know if they really do throw them away - they might (somehow) turn them into smaller displays if possible, or they might use them in another way. I can only go with the available evidence/reports.

Do you have any proof that Samsung sends refurbished monitors *with a dead pixel* to people? I very much doubt that, because that'd be really, really bad for their reputation.

By the way... Samsung guy claimed that the screens are checked before they leave the factory (=zero dead pixels), and that the screens are usually damaged during transport. Furthermore, he claims they have the same pixel warranties as Iiyama would have. (Which is a lie if they have 8-10 as a threshold.)

Back to aa1037: Try the store you bought it, then try Samsung, but don't expect miracles. You might want to drop a hint about further screens you'd like to buy (for work or something) - make it seem worthwile to help you.

bermuDa

fyi: sony's policy is SEVENTEEN dead pixels, and from what I understand, it has to be within a square inch.

if you just bought it from any respectable retailer, they'll hook you up with a new one without much trouble (the typical period is 14 days"

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macmanmike6100

it is a sucky situation but really, i agree that this quest for perfection is somewhat inconsiderate of the corporations involved. $450 is definitely not a lot of money for a TFT monitor, first of all. to make sure that every single pixel is functional is very expensive, so for corporations to be responsible (at this point) for every rare dead pixel is a little unreasonable.

still, see what you can do; the worst that they can say is no.

aa1037

yea, since i worked there this summer, i dont want to be a pain in the ass to them. i go back up to school tomorrow and i'll try to see if i can exchange it at the BBY there

firebirdta

I know that the replacement monitor I was sent was not perfect. It may have been sent out this way, or it may have been damaged in shipping. There's really no way to tell.

As for this "quest for perfection," I expect companies to make a quality product. If that's going to raise the cost of the product, so be it. To me, having a dead pixel in a brand new monitor is like having a scratch in a brand new car. A lot of people wouldn't care about, or even notice, such a small imperfection. But then there are a lot of people who would and do care about this. I'm not sure where people are getting the figure that $450 isn't a lot for a TFT/LCD monitor. (It'd be interesting to see the cost figures) I highly doubt that many companies are losing money on these items, though. To say that the quest for perfection is inconsiderate to the companies or corporations involved is opening up the door for poor worksmanship and service. Samsung has been very good in getting me a great product, exactly as they should be.

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Jakejake

You should try gently massaging the screen around and on top of the dead pixel using a soft cloth. I used to have a dead pixel that would appear now and again, and this massaging method would get rid of it for a few days. Now it is gone completely, I haven't seen it for years.

BuddyHawks

You should call Samsung and act like you have no clue what you're talking about.
Samsung:"How many dead pixles are there?"
You:"ummm...i dont know. The screen looks really bad, I want it exchanged."

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Dragonlich

We're talking about a good-quality 17" TFT; Poor quality (less warranty, lower specs) models typically cost some 350 to 400 Euros over here, while higher quality (better specs) TFTs can go up to 550 or even 600 Euros. Most hover around the 450 mark. So no, it's not a lot of money for a 17"-er.

Samsung probably makes some 100 Euros of profit on those 450 Euros screens, but that quickly goes down the drain when they have to swap and throw away monitors over dead pixels. It's simply a huge liability; that's why they have the 'X dead pixels' warranty.

Furthermore, I know a lot of shops have the following policy over here: If you pay an extra amount of money (15-45 Euros), they'll check the screen for dead pixels before you take it home. If you do not pay this, the warranty of the producer comes in, and they simply won't swap it. We are one of the exceptions in that we take them back within 8 days regardless of the complaint (including dead pixels) - but that's *our* warranty, and costs *us* money, as I've explained previously.

bendsley

You should be able to exchange it at any BBY in the country, as long as you have your receipt. If not, go to BBY and have them lookup the receipt in Electronic Journal. Other stores would have to get it faxed to them.

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firebirdta

Samsung's profits are certainly not going "down the drain" on LCD monitors. Not even close. A quick google search gave me the results that for the 2nd Quarter of '04, the total revenue for LCD sales was KRW 2.47 Trillion (That's just over 2 billion USD). With a profit margin of 33.1% (so profits are just over 700 million USD). Swapping out a monitor here and there will certainly not hurt their profits significantly, but will do good things for their reputation as a company who does what it takes to please their customers.

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