DBR Lawyers - Warranty advice?

[Highlander]

So back in 2007, I purchased a 50" TV from a company called Tweeter. At the time, I purchased a 5 year warranty, under the advice of the technician who said the bulb on DLP TV's typically need to be replaced after about 5 years. I even had him expressly note that bulb replacements were included in the warranty. Well, a few min ago, I think the bulb died. I'm still within my normal warrant window, which is good.

However, I went online and discovered that Tweeter went out of business in 2008, filing for Chapter 11.

So my question is, do I have any warranty anymore, or did it go poof when the company went bankrupt? If so, any idea how I'd go about filing a claim?

[Indoor66]

So back in 2007, I purchased a 50" TV from a company called Tweeter. At the time, I purchased a 5 year warranty, under the advice of the technician who said the bulb on DLP TV's typically need to be replaced after about 5 years. I even had him expressly note that bulb replacements were included in the warranty. Well, a few min ago, I think the bulb died. I'm still within my normal warrant window, which is good.

However, I went online and discovered that Tweeter went out of business in 2008, filing for Chapter 11.

So my question is, do I have any warranty anymore, or did it go poof when the company went bankrupt? If so, any idea how I'd go about filing a claim?

Most likely Poof. You may have a claim against the successor company if Tweeter came out of Chapter 11 as an operating entity. If if was converted to Chapter 7 you are dead.

[OldPhiKap]

Most likely Poof. You may have a claim against the successor company if Tweeter came out of Chapter 11 as an operating entity. If if was converted to Chapter 7 you are dead.

Not a bkrptcy lawyer but that sounds about right. I can tell you that I recently replaced a DLP bulb and it wasn't too costly -- probably less than fooling with the warranty.

Also, when my other TV died, I got a brand new one for a heck of a lot less than a similarly-sized one from a number of years ago. So you may want to just go plasma/LCD/internet/3D. Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and YouTube on the TV is nice.

[Reisen]

Check ebay for the best prices. You'll probably find two options. One is with the housing, that will be simply plug and play, the second is the bulb only, and will require making a few simple electrical connections with pliers. I've tried both, and the bulb only isn't too bad if you're a little handy.

To give you a frame of reference, Panasonic wanted $300 for the bulb w/ housing, ebay had the bulb and housing for like $120, or the bulb alone (re-using my existing housing) for like $70.

I'd be sure you buy a listing that is selling a quality bulb like Osram or Philips.

[Highlander]

Most likely Poof. You may have a claim against the successor company if Tweeter came out of Chapter 11 as an operating entity. If if was converted to Chapter 7 you are dead.

So good news. I called Sony and explained the situation. Said it definitely sounded like a bad bulb, and that a new one would run me about $250. When I told the girl my sob story about tweeter, she said "oh, well I have the number right here for the company who manages those warranties! If you call them, and the can't find it, here's another number for a company who can look it up.

I called the first number and the found my warranty immediately. So HUGE props to SONY on their excellent customer service. Now, the warranty people said bulb replacements aren't normally covered, but said they would file my claim anyway since the salesman told me they were included (really the only reason I bought the warranty in the first place). So I have a repair guy coming on tuesday and just need to find my receipt to prove my story.

Best news is that this didn't happen during basketball or football season .

Oh, and I will be buying Sony TV's from now on more than likely. Very happy.

[Indoor66]

So good news. I called Sony and explained the situation. Said it definitely sounded like a bad bulb, and that a new one would run me about $250. When I told the girl my sob story about tweeter, she said "oh, well I have the number right here for the company who manages those warranties! If you call them, and the can't find it, here's another number for a company who can look it up.

I called the first number and the found my warranty immediately. So HUGE props to SONY on their excellent customer service. Now, the warranty people said bulb replacements aren't normally covered, but said they would file my claim anyway since the salesman told me they were included (really the only reason I bought the warranty in the first place). So I have a repair guy coming on tuesday and just need to find my receipt to prove my story.

Best news is that this didn't happen during basketball or football season .

Oh, and I will be buying Sony TV's from now on more than likely. Very happy.

It sounds like there may be smiles all around. I hope it all works out on Tuesday.

[Newton_14]

So good news. I called Sony and explained the situation. Said it definitely sounded like a bad bulb, and that a new one would run me about $250. When I told the girl my sob story about tweeter, she said "oh, well I have the number right here for the company who manages those warranties! If you call them, and the can't find it, here's another number for a company who can look it up.

I called the first number and the found my warranty immediately. So HUGE props to SONY on their excellent customer service. Now, the warranty people said bulb replacements aren't normally covered, but said they would file my claim anyway since the salesman told me they were included (really the only reason I bought the warranty in the first place). So I have a repair guy coming on tuesday and just need to find my receipt to prove my story.

Best news is that this didn't happen during basketball or football season .

Oh, and I will be buying Sony TV's from now on more than likely. Very happy.

Glad to see you were treated well. For the benefit of you and others, I will share my brother's experience. We both bought LCD TV's from Circuit City which also went bankrupt a few years after our purchases. His screen started "blotching" with huge spots near the top, so picture quality suffered in the area's of the spots. He called Sony and much to his surprise they offered him a really great deal. They offered him a selection of brand-new replacement TV's from their Bravia lineup which was actually a step above what we had. (Both of us purchased the Grand-Wega).

Depending on which screen size, the replacement cost ranged from $0.00 to $800. He went with a 46in screen for $200. The largest screen was 55in but ironically that was not the $800 version. We were both shocked that they were that good to him. Makes me even more loyal to Sony that's for sure.