Polaroid FLM-323B Repair Scam and Refund Rip-Off Camarillo California

I would be very interested in the outcome of your complaint. I would very much appreciate if you reported any updates to this situation. I am interested because I myself have gone through the same issues with Polaroid with only a very few differences,

I purchased a Polaroid LCD, however mine was a 37 inch and purchased via Circuit City which I too don't recommend buying from. My purchase was in Feburary of 2007, T.V stopped working in Late September early October, it just stopped getting a picture when turned on and once it was turned on, you couldn't then turn it back off without unplugging it?

I too started calling Polaroid Customer Service (What a Joke!!) as soon as this happened as it was still under the original manufactor's warranty. First call was told I would have the part needed within 72 hours at which time I was to call back to schedule repair, week later no part, called again this time was told there was no record of my first call yet I had a ticket number I was given, so if I never called how did I get that number? They had no answer for that and just made a new ticket. Another week still no part, so again I call this time I am now told the part is on back order and it would be another atleast two weeks and at most 4 weeks, ( yeah right!!)

I wait the 4 weeks but in the mean time have my husband call around to some local repair shops thinking at the very least we would just have to foot the bill for the repair as Circuit City even though we purchased their extended warranty didn't have any help to offer either, however to my horror after making several calls to local repair shops are told that they won't even mess with Polaroid T.V.s because they too can't get the parts needed and therefor end up with customers t.v.s for months on end with still no repair.

At the end of the 4 weeks again with no part, I call again and am then told this is an exsessive amount of time to wait, you should have been offered a replacement option after your initial 4 week period with no resolution in sight. I couldn't believe this, so after la couple days of trying to get authorazation for this exchange I am then asked what would you like to see happen to resolve this issue, my response, either my tv repaired quickly, a replacement or a refund and I am told, Great we can offer you a refund because the tv itself that is offered as a replacement is too on back order?

We are told to ship the tv back to them and include inside a copy (not the original, DUH) of the reciept as well as to fax them a copy with our ticket number which by this time has changed numerous times. I was told I would recieve a waybill in the mail within the week, once I got this I was to put it on the boxed up T.V. to be shipped back to them at which time I would recieve my refund within 30 days of them recieving the t.v. However now I wonder if I will ever see resolution to this situation? I guess I sorta feel lucky that I didn't have to pay for shipping, they actually included an account number for fedex to use to pay the shipping which had I had to pay for the same exact method would have cost over 400.00 however I wonder if my feeling lucky is a rush to judgement and I just pray they don't turn around and tell me that they are going to deduct the cost of shipping from my refund, that would just be the last straw to this camels back!!!!

I filed my own report earlier this morning, but as I said would be very interested in knowing if you get your refund as promissed. I too will never purchase anything else made by Polaroid, nor will I ever shop at Circuit City again either, some say you can't blame the place you purchased the product from as they didnt make it, they just gave you a place to be able to purchase it but I have to say I don't agree with that mentality.

Simply put, these big well known corparations are endorsing these products by selling them and therefor they give the consumer a sense of saftey by selling the brand they are selling. As consumers we put our trust in these places, (Circuit City, Best Buy, Wal-Mart) that the brands that they are selling and most of the time pushing on their buyers are good products and that the companies have good track records. I know my salesmen when I purchased my tv actually pushed the polaroid saying it was a very well made tv and he himself had one and never had any problems with the set, I seriously doubt now that either he didn't own one or that he had never had any problems with them.

I recently decided to start price compairing other brands of tvs and had recently seen Dr Phils Holiday Episode where he gave away some LCD tvs made by Vizio, so I thought those must be good tvs if Dr Phil is giving them away, so I typed Vizio into my search engine and to my horror saw nothing but more and more unhappy customer complaints basically the same thing as we are seeing here with Polaroid. I went to best buy to price their LCD's 37 inch or bigger and again their off brand which they push Insignia too has a horrible customer service report as well as inferior products being made and sold to the unsuspecting comsumer.

I too agree as consumers we too have to be our own worst critic and research most things, however I also feel when you put your trust into a huge corporation such as these big electronic stores to offer good, well made products that we should be able to trust that is what they will provide, as well as huge corporations like Polaroid, it isn't as if Polaroid just came out, it is a name that has been well known for many, many decades and because it has lasted the test of time, we assume they must make good products otherwise they would have been put out of business along time ago but the problem there is alot of people are simply just embarrased that we got taken by an inferior product and that we didn't do our research prior to the purchase therefor we don't report these issues to public forums such as this, well I think it is about time we stop being embarrased that we were taken for a ride, and pony up so others aren't taken the same way.

So in closing please post an update when you get your refund or if you don't please also let us know that too. I know if I don't get my refund within 30 days as promissed I will be filing suit.