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Panasonic’s horrible customer service & zero accountability
There comes a time when everyone reaches that point, like the guy in the film Network News, when you have to scream, “I’m not gonna take it anymore.” And, Panasonic has finally driven me to that point, because they have clearly proven to me that, among other things, they do not stand behind their products, show a complete and utter disregard for their customers and their contractual obligations to their customers, and furthermore, that it is impossible for customers to get any satisfaction from anyone within the corporation who is actually accountable.
Since 2006, when I bought my first Panasonic Pro HD Plasma, I have been a vociferous advocate of these Panasonic products here on The Cow and elsewhere. Just search the FCP Forum and you will see that I have recommended Pany Pros and written about their good qualities whenever forum members have asked for the best buy in an HD client monitor.
Well, let’s just say that Panasonic has let the ball drop to such an extreme that I will most likely never use their products again, and that certainly means that touting them or their products from this point forward is simply out of the question.
In short, despite a five-year on-site repair contract, and numerous promises from Pany representatives and management, one of my Panasonic Pro Plasmas has been sitting at an authorized Panasonic repair facility for approximately nine weeks now, supposedly awaiting proper authorization from a mysterious and anonymous and unreachable “field rep.,” and it has neither been fixed nor replaced.
I could go through the entire story, and list every one of the various promises that Panasonic have made and then broken, but that would just bore the heck out you all and it would just serve to make me even angrier than I already am. However, let me just conclude by telling you all the very latest news on this matter as of last week. On Thursday, May 27th, I was brought a loaner, which turned out to be a vintage 2006 consumer model that absolutely reeks, and I was told that if I’m patient, and just wait another 14-days, a replacement will be delivered. Of course, when I asked why I should believe this promise, when every other promise was broken, I was told I just needed to have trust in Panasonic.
Well, I’m writing this now because I don’t have any trust in Panasonic, and because I sincerely do not not want any of those here who’ve bought their products on my recommendation to suffer the same fate I’ve suffered. I just hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else, and only wish I had a solution for others if it does, but unfortunately I don’t.
Meanwhile, should Panasonic honor their contract, honor their promises, and somehow make good on this situation, I will be the first to report that here. But, until then, as far as I’m concerned, Panasonic is simply a corporation that has decided it is too good for its customers, and it must seem to them that the customer is always wrong.
For me, it’s bye bye Pany, it was nice knowing you.
David
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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19 Replies
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It never ceases to amaze me that companies will spend tons of money developing and marketing products, but completely drop the ball when it comes to customer service. I know I’ve had past experiences like David’s. And with the growth and availability of the Internet, companies should be even more concerned about providing good customer service, because word of bad service can travel quickly and widely.
I hope there’s a favorable resolution to your problem, David.
Jim
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[Jim Glickert] “I hope there’s a favorable resolution to your problem, David. “
Thanks Jim.
Lord knows, had I not tried every conceivable route to get Pany to honor their pledge to me, I wouldn’t speaking out here. I just hope that someone from Panasonic sees this and understands that it’s not about making them look bad, it’s about fixing an untenable situation of their own doing.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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Well, know that there are many different divisions of Panasonic too… Consumer Electronics, Telephones, still cameras, video cameras, professional gear. So your interactions with the consumer electronics/television division was horrid. When it comes to the PROFESSIONAL equipment level, I have had nothing but good experiences.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Shane Ross] “your interactions with the consumer electronics/television division was horrid.”
Actually Shane, the Pany Pro Plasmas are considered to be part of the industrial division. Nonetheless, not even their management were in any way effective in resolving the problem.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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Panasonic Pro HD Plasma
is a consumer product?
It’s listed on their business page.
Not sure where that would fall, division wise.
OSX 10.5.7; MAC Book PRO (EARLY 2008); Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30, Sony vx2000/PD170, Canon xl2; Pana, Sony, and Canon consumer cams; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.
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It falls into a huge crack somewhere between “let’s promise him anything” and “maybe he’ll just go away.”
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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Mr. Weiss,
It may be that you have done the following, but here goes:
When I have any form of customer service problem I find out the name and address of the CEO of the company and write to that person. I send a mailed letter to head office – the US head office, not the local state one.
I find that a short and obsequious mailed letter which I always conclude with the sentence: “I am surprised that a company with the fine reputation of Blobby’s Ice Cream should be so remiss in their treatment of their loyal customers”, has an almost instantaneous effect.
You will, in my experience, find that your complaint has then been “elevated to executive level” and, with few exceptions, the response I have received with this cunning ruse is immediate.
Just a thought.
You should be aware that I am a serial complainer – particularly when it comes to bad projection in movie theaters, for which there is really no excuse – particularly at places like “The Arclight” which, although making a great to-do about their supposed superior projection, have machines which are poorly serviced and the crossboxes are in such bad shape that the image jiggles around worse than your local AMC.
So, keep up the good work kick these bums around.
I do advise writing a paper letter because these people are then compelled to do something about it – minimally to file it away(!), which is better than hitting the delete button as a response to your passionate emails.
Best wishes.
Don’t let them get away with it.
Yours, swimming in resentful hate of numb authority figures,
Passionately,
Harry.
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Hey David, I feel your pain. I think you’re doing the responsible thing to talk about it. Pany knows they are in a world with an internet and their service will need to stand up to criticism. I probably bought my Pro Plasma partly based on your previous review. It went kaput a few months ago and had to be sent to a shop. I called the 800 number in my warranty booklet and got reasonable direction from Panasonic. Our local authorized shop picked it up and fixed it in fairly short order. These monitors are touchy assemblies with rows of tiny contacts along the edges. One part of the display went bad after the initial repair. The shop took it back and fixed it again. This time all the way. They also retouched the big scratch they made on the base the first time around. It made me nervous to trust my monitor to a local shop, but I was satisfied with the result.
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[Shane Ross] “Well, know that there are many different divisions of Panasonic too… Consumer Electronics, Telephones, still cameras, video cameras, professional gear. So your interactions with the consumer electronics/television division was horrid. When it comes to the PROFESSIONAL equipment level, I have had nothing but good experiences.”
I’m totally with you Shane. Been dealing with Panasonic and their representatives here in Atlanta since 2001 or so. Nothing, and I mean nothing but incredible experiences with them.
This is a classic example of needing to work with a really good VAR in your local area. I know that if I was in this situation, my VAR would have brought me a loaner plasma screen to use while mine was in repair. They have done that in the past with 1400 and camera loaners. Heck, I ran one of my VARs Mac Pros for 5 weeks while I waited for my 27″ iMac to show up because Apple took their own sweet time shipping it.
So my experience with Panasonic and my local VAR has been the complete opposite. Complete accountability with the local reps and incredible customer service. Customer service that often exceeds expectations. The plasma screen hanging in my edit suite is going on four+ years old now and still rocks for picture quality. I would recommend the Panasonic Plasmas any day, and still do…
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” featuring Sigourney Weaver coming soon.
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Great idea Harry, I’ll definitely send that letter out to Blobby’s Ice Cream tomorrow. Do you think someone at Blobby’s will forward it on to the CEO at Panasonic?
Seriously, I’ve done everything except write the CEO, but the numerous assurances and promises I received kept me complacent.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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