Woman gets runaround on TV repair

Friday, January 27, 2012

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Diane Wilson
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DURHAM (WTVD) -- Many of us can't go too long without a TV, but that's exactly what happened to Elizabeth Weatherspoon.

She contacted me after getting the runaround on a repair to her television that lasted much longer than expected.

Elizabeth bought the TV back in April 2009, along with a $500 extended warranty.

In December she realized something was wrong with her TV.

"It had red streaks down the middle and the color seemed to be fading," Elizabeth said.

The TV was still under warranty, so she called the company, NEW. They sent a repair company to pick up the TV and make any necessary repairs.

What seemed like a quick fix, turned into Elizabeth waiting around for a delayed part. She waited three weeks, and there were still no signs of the part she needed.

She was told that New made an error in processing the part and that they would contact her when it came in.

After a month of waiting, Elizabeth contacted me.

"I just felt like I wasn't getting a straight answer from anybody," she said.

Once I reached out to NEW, I immediately got a response. And the response was more than Elizabeth had hoped for.

Her TV was not repaired, but the company refunded Elizabeth $3,100 instead. That's enough to cover the original cost of the TV, warranty, and even delivery costs that date back to when she first purchased to TV in 2009.

Elizabeth took that money and bought a brand new TV. NEW also covered the cost of a warranty on her new TV.

"I'm really happy with the outcome," she said. "I just know I was getting the run-around and I just don't know how much longer it would have lasted. I couldn't be more pleased"

A representative for NEW told me they are very concerned about Elizabeth's experience and are thoroughly investigating their repair vendors and internal processes to ensure a solution is implemented as soon as possible in future cases.