Siam TV vs. Power Buy for future service on appliances

[stargazer9999]

I've bought appliances from Siam TV before and the service used to be decent but I think it's gotten harder to get quick service in recent years.  I could get an A/C cleaned or repaired by Siam in a day or two before.  Not anymore.  And I abhor their aggressive sales staff.

 

I was considering buying a fridge from Power Buy on the Northwest corner of the moat instead.  Has anyone had any experience with them for servicing a fridge, A/C, or whatever?

 

I don't want to buy from Tesco/Lotus or Macro.  If anyone has a better place to buy from near the Old City please let me know.   I'm not worrying about buying the fridge so much as getting quick maintenance in the future if/when needed.

[petermik]

Good luck with ANY guarantees here........

[HullyGully]

Try HomePro

[Dante99]

Saha Panich has been good for servicing their sales for many years, very good.  Guarantees too.

[scorecard]

32 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

Saha Panich has been good for servicing their sales for many years, very good.  Guarantees too.

 

Agree.

[scorecard]

 

Siam  ...   their attention to our wishes, was impressive. We bought a desktop computer as a gift for a friend, a model with everything fitted inside the slim modern design.

 

Took it to friends home, 5 minutes away, and it didn't work, so straight back to their shop within 10 minutes. Sales team no longer interested at all,  we got told to go to service and repairs building.

 

Service staff more interested in their own chatting than customers and staff just didn't listen when my adult Thai son tried to explain that we had bought the item just 45 minutes ago.

 

Service staff just kept repeating '2 weeks, 2 weeks'. 

 

Son tried to convince them to plug it in and turn it on, it's new, maybe something very simple can be fixed immediately. Service staff just kept repeating '2 weeks, 2 weeks', and their attitude getting worse.

 

Son asked if he could plug it in in the service room. Not allowed.

 

We left the computer at their service center and son called several times and got poor attitude when he asked when we could pick it up.

 

At 14 days son went to the service center. The service staff who 'know about your case' not at the building and son's request that they call these guys was just ignored.

 

Son went back at 18 days, junior told son that it was finished maybe 10 days ago. Son picked up the computer.  They wanted payment, son produced the invoice, cc receipt, and warranty document, but they tried to insist there was a payment due.

 

Son paid the money to get the matter settled, I forget how much he paid. Took the computer to friends house still not working correctly.

 

Son and friend took it to a capable guy upstairs at Pantip Plaza who quickly discovered there was a programming error which he fixed within a couple of hours, 300Baht. 

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2018 by scorecard

[canthai55]

Do not buy a computer from a Big Box store, buy from a computer store.

Same as jewelry. Buy a gemstone from a dealer, and have the jewelry store mount it if you want.

Way way better price.

Edited February 24, 2018 by canthai55

[scorecard]

Just now, canthai55 said:

Do not buy a computer from a Big Box store, buy from a computer store.

Same as jewelry. But a gemstone from a dealer, and have the jewelry store mount it if you want.

Way way better price.

 

Good advice. 

 

[scorecard]

1 minute ago, canthai55 said:

Do not buy a computer from a Big Box store, buy from a computer store.

Same as jewelry. Buy a gemstone from a dealer, and have the jewelry store mount it if you want.

Way way better price.

 

Good advice.

 

 

[1337markus]

And I abhor their aggressive sales staff.

 

Yes that's why I veto that store in CNX.

[cacahootie]

I've just recently moved to Chiang Mai from Bangkok - I have purchased all my appliances from PowerBuy, fridge, washing machine and aircon, as well as an iPhone 7 Plus.  I have been quite satisfied to the point where I wouldn't consider buying elsewhere, except for computer stuff which I have just used InvadeIT for and am waiting to see if they live up to their reputation (so far so good).  The website is easy to use and generally accurate (although the AC I bought on special was advertised as a 12k btu unit, and it ended up being a 13k btu unit with heat pump capability - which I never use, but regardless, not going to complain, esp since it's an inverter unit so there's no penalty to the increased capacity).  They've just revamped the site as well, and now it appears that you can schedule a 1/2 hour delivery window (I've not used that capability yet so I can't speak to the accuracy).  The prices online vs in store appear to be the same, so you can browse in store and then buy online for ease of checkout and clarity in setting up delivery.  I've not seen better prices on things except perhaps Makro, I haven't strictly compared item to item.  I don't use them for service, I had an AC company I used in BKK that serviced my AC units, and expect to do the same here in CM.

[CNXBKKMAN]

7 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Siam  ...   their attention to our wishes, was impressive. We bought a desktop computer as a gift for a friend, a model with everything fitted inside the slim modern design.

 

Took it to friends home, 5 minutes away, and it didn't work, so straight back to their shop within 10 minutes. Sales team no longer interested at all,  we got told to go to service and repairs building.

 

Service staff more interested in their own chatting than customers and staff just didn't listen when my adult Thai son tried to explain that we had bought the item just 45 minutes ago.

 

Service staff just kept repeating '2 weeks, 2 weeks'. 

 

Son tried to convince them to plug it in and turn it on, it's new, maybe something very simple can be fixed immediately. Service staff just kept repeating '2 weeks, 2 weeks', and their attitude getting worse.

 

Son asked if he could plug it in in the service room. Not allowed.

 

We left the computer at their service center and son called several times and got poor attitude when he asked when we could pick it up.

 

At 14 days son went to the service center. The service staff who 'know about your case' not at the building and son's request that they call these guys was just ignored.

 

Son went back at 18 days, junior told son that it was finished maybe 10 days ago. Son picked up the computer.  They wanted payment, son produced the invoice, cc receipt, and warranty document, but they tried to insist there was a payment due.

 

Son paid the money to get the matter settled, I forget how much he paid. Took the computer to friends house still not working correctly.

 

Son and friend took it to a capable guy upstairs at Pantip Plaza who quickly discovered there was a programming error which he fixed within a couple of hours, 300Baht. 

 

 

 

 

The last thing i bought at Siam TV was a food blender. It stopped working after the first use with smoke coming out of the motor. Took it back the next day and it was the same situation they said it has to go back to the manufacturer for repair, two weeks wait etc. They could have given me a replacement on the spot and sorted it with the manufacturer later but they don't see any benefit in that. About 3 weeks later they called to say a replacement was ready to be picked up. The replacement has had no problems and worked fine for the last couple of years.

[peergin]

12 hours ago, Dante99 said:

Saha Panich has been good for servicing their sales for many years, very good.  Guarantees too.

 

SIAM: It is already a number of years ago that I bought 16 appliances in a single day. The amount of money involved was substantial.

Unfortunately, the subsequent number of problems with the company was also substantial.

On one occasion I threatened the owner (in writing) to take his company to court. I had the necessary written evidence to win the case and he knew it. That finally solved the protracted battle and he quickly settled/paid up.

Just think for a moment: how did he manage to grow his business from a small company in a small backstreet to a very large company, with a huge showroom, in a major thoroughfare, in just a few years?

 

 

POWER BUY: I once bought a B 9,995 vacuum cleaner for domestic use from Central Dept Store. It came with a 1-year warranty from the very major Japanese manufacturer. However, I let the salesman convince me to BUY an additional 2-year warranty from Power Buy. Meaning 3 years in total. The unit appeared to be garbage because the first of many problems occurred after about 15 months. This was, of course, well within the 2-year warranty from Power Buy. Unfortunately, the company never responded to my several requests. Not a word. Ever…. That was the first, and the last time I paid money to this company.     

 

 

SAHAPANICH: I have used them for many years. They will invariably abide by the terms of a warranty and in an admirable fashion. Never an issue. The only problem is that their service people are not all that knowledgeable. However, the Service Manager will gladly step in if his staff can't solve a problem.

 

 

NIYOMPANICH: exactly the same. (They used to be sister companies.)

 

 

TESCO-LOTUS & MAKRO: take their responsibilities very seriously.

 

 

HOME PRO: don't know.

 

 

Edited February 24, 2018 by peergin

[Dante99]

6 hours ago, peergin said:

The only problem is that their service people are not all that knowledgeable.

I have found them to be quite knowledgeable so I guess it is a mixed bag.  They seem to work areas, the same two guys working the same area for years.  At least we have had the same two for pumps, refrigerators and washing machines for years.  

[peergin]

On 2/24/2018 at 12:41 PM, petermik said:

Good luck with ANY guarantees here........

 

It might perhaps appear slightly off topic but actually the quality of items that you buy (no matter from which retailer) is also highly important. Here are a few of my experiences that I find particularly disgusting:

 

THE THAI BRANCH OF A MAJOR AMERICAN MANUFACTURER

-          a 4-burner gas stove with oven. The first problem became apparent after only 14 months of use. When opened, the inside was found to be made from some cheap corrugated metal which was literally rusting/rotting away.

-          a microwave oven. It has worked well so far. Except, the LCD time display has become so faint that it is no longer legible. So, the user must stand in front of the unit with a watch in hand to prevent under- or over-cooking.

-          a large refrigerator (20.13 cu.ft./570 liters). Many problems. My experienced, independent fridge repair man solved these problems except for the last one. He always needed to scavenge old appliance dumps to try and find an old/used replacement part. Unfortunately, he did not succeed the last time. So, this fridge is now useless because of a lack of a replacement part the size of half a match box.

-          a washing machine. The only appliance that has worked well so far.

The U.S. manufacturer's Thai branch in Bangkok has advised me that it does not keep spares. Instead it urges customers to throw a defective appliance away and buy a new one. So, that is what I will do, BUT it won't be the same brand! Clearly this supplier has some serious quality problems!   

(By the way, I don't think this company's appliances are made in the USA. I suppose they come from China.)

 

A VERY MAJOR JAPANESE BRAND:

-          3 (different) water pumps that stopped working.

-          1 computer hard disk drive ditto.

-          1 (very expensive) vacuum cleaner (for domestic use) which proved to be garbage.

-          1 water heater. Immediately after installation it was found that it would not heat water. (Incidentally, 3 of Niyompanich's mechanics tried hard but could not find the problem. Finally, finally, after some angry, registered letters to the management of the Bangkok office of this Japanese manufacturer, one of their own mechanics succeeded in repairing this brand new appliance. I think my threat to submit this matter to the head office in Japan may have done the trick.   

-          1 electrical breaker/switch which did not work very long.

 I am forgetting a few more instances but I don't want to dwell more on this subject because it is not good for my blood pressure.

 

People who may want to obtain the 2 brand names are welcome to send me a personal message.

[janclaes47]

48 minutes ago, peergin said:

 

It might perhaps appear slightly off topic but actually the quality of items that you buy (no matter from which retailer) is also highly important. Here are a few of my experiences that I find particularly disgusting:

 

 

 

THE THAI BRANCH OF A MAJOR AMERICAN MANUFACTURER

 

-          a 4-burner gas stove with oven. The first problem became apparent after only 14 months of use. When opened, the inside was found to be made from some cheap corrugated metal which was literally rusting/rotting away.

 

-          a microwave oven. It has worked well so far. Except, the LCD time display has become so faint that it is no longer legible. So, the user must stand in front of the unit with a watch in hand to prevent under- or over-cooking.

 

-          a large refrigerator (20.13 cu.ft./570 liters). Many problems. My experienced, independent fridge repair man solved these problems except for the last one. He always needed to scavenge old appliance dumps to try and find an old/used replacement part. Unfortunately, he did not succeed the last time. So, this fridge is now useless because of a lack of a replacement part the size of half a match box.

 

-          a washing machine. The only appliance that has worked well so far.

 

The U.S. manufacturer's Thai branch in Bangkok has advised me that it does not keep spares. Instead it urges customers to throw a defective appliance away and buy a new one. So, that is what I will do, BUT it won't be the same brand! Clearly this supplier has some serious quality problems!   

 

(By the way, I don't think this company's appliances are made in the USA. I suppose they come from China.)

 

 

 

A VERY MAJOR JAPANESE BRAND:

 

-          3 (different) water pumps that stopped working.

 

-          1 computer hard disk drive ditto.

 

-          1 (very expensive) vacuum cleaner (for domestic use) which proved to be garbage.

 

-          1 water heater. Immediately after installation it was found that it would not heat water. (Incidentally, 3 of Niyompanich's mechanics tried hard but could not find the problem. Finally, finally, after some angry, registered letters to the management of the Bangkok office of this Japanese manufacturer, one of their own mechanics succeeded in repairing this brand new appliance. I think my threat to submit this matter to the head office in Japan may have done the trick.   

 

-          1 electrical breaker/switch which did not work very long.

 

 I am forgetting a few more instances but I don't want to dwell more on this subject because it is not good for my blood pressure.

 

 

 

People who may want to obtain the 2 brand names are welcome to send me a personal message.

 

Either your understanding of major US and Japanese manufacturers maybe different of mine, or you're just born for bad luck, but the summing-up of your problems is astonishing.

 

In fact I can't think of a major Japanese brand that makes all the items that are listed in your post, so I guess you may be a bit confused about major.

[cacahootie]

4 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

Either your understanding of major US and Japanese manufacturers maybe different of mine, or you're just born for bad luck, but the summing-up of your problems is astonishing.

 

In fact I can't think of a major Japanese brand that makes all the items that are listed in your post, so I guess you may be a bit confused about major.

The hard drive is the oddball, and is perhaps a misunderstanding.  Toshiba makes hard drives, as does "HGST", which has the name Hitachi in it, and was previously run by Hitachi, but is now actually a subsidiary of Western Digital (with a small ownership stake by Hitachi).  It is more likely the poster is referring to Hitachi (given that it makes more home appliance type stuff than Toshiba), but as of 2012 it's not really accurate to call HGST Hitachi anymore.  Regardless, HGST is known for reliable hard drives, but as with anything mechanical, there is a nonzero failure rate.

[worgeordie]

I will never ,ever buy anything again from Siam TV, nothing but bother

from them, I bought a fan that was displayed,said i want the Grey one,

do you have it in stock,before I hand over the cash, yes we do,asked

several times 100 % sure,they brought a box over from the warehouse,

I opened the box,its Olive green,....we dont have a Grey one, what a job

i had to get my money back,tried to fob me off with a credit note.

 

Another time I took a fan in for repair at their old place,few days it was ready

took it home opened it up to see what they had done,to replace the part they

had just cut off all the wires ,then taped them back up,instead of desoldering

them,

 

At there new service centre ,ordered an internal speaker for a Samsung TV,

took old part in,had serial numbers part ,and tv, had to pay money up front

first, couple weeks later,part is in, completely different speaker, you dont want ? !

it's no good to me,want my money back,cannot yet somebody higher up to authorise

not here,I ended up returning 3 times to be given B/S it was only 2K plus,but

i was not going to give in to them,so the last time i went and they tried more

excuses, I lost it ,caused a scene, and they finally handed over MY money.

 

Other things have happened with products i bought from them,as once there

was not much choice on where to buy electrical stuff,but now they have

competition,i would never buy from them again.

regards worgeordie

[stargazer9999]

SPORTS UPDATE!

 

I spent Saturday and Sunday running around to all the local places doing research on fridges.  I'm looking for something around 12-14 cubic feet with a price between 12k-15k.  There are many choices but I'm not sure which brands are reliable and which ones to avoid. 

 

I didn't go to Siam TV so I saved some money because I didn't need to do a follow up blood pressure exam at CM Ram.

 

I did go to these places:

Saha Panich 

Power Buy (moat)

Tesco/Lotus (near airport)

Macro (Hang Dong)

Home Pro (near driver's licence hell)

Big C (near driver's licence hell)

Global (down the highway from Home Pro over the river)

 

I must admit I'm a bit burn out with looking at fridges.  There was a lot of overlap with what makes/models they had and the prices were generally about the same.  Some places had "specials".  That might be that they're just trying to get rid of something that didn't sell but I'm not sure.

 

Saha Panich  - Sales staff gave up after a few minutes of my ignoring them.  Then when I had questions they were helpful.  Thought I found a Samsung model I was going to get (had fridge on top, freezer below) but it got mixed reviews.  Some petty issue like it wasn't cold or something.

 

Power Buy - Staff were aggressive yet useless.  They didn't know any of the correct answers to my questions.  One model had 3 sections and I asked if the middle on was a fridge or a freezer.  They said freezer confidently.  It didn't look like a freezer.  I read the documentation inside and it ends up it's a fridge.

 

Tesco/Lotus - Not as many choices as I had hoped for.  Not sure I want to buy from them anyways.

 

Macro - Almost nothing to choose from on 2nd floor.  Maybe five models?

 

Home Pro - Lots of choices.  Not sure about their service dept.   Staff were attentive but certainly not as annoying as the Siam TV aggressive sales routine.    Not sure about service.

 

Big C - Many choices.  Staff left me alone except when I requested a tape measure.  Saw a large LG for the "nice price" but I have to look at reviews today.  Anyway use their service dept.?

 

Global - A few choices but I don't think I want to buy from them.  Not sure why.  They're okay for ceramic tiles and such.

 

 

So my big question is what brands should I avoid and which ones do people like.  Any feedback on this will be quite helpful.

 

The brands I saw were:

Electrolux

LG

Panasonic

Samsung

Whirlpool

Mitsubishi

Siemans

Toshiba

Hitachi

 

I'm in no rush to purchase so it's great to do plodding research and get TV feedback first.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sparkles]

Not sure why you are stressing out on such a simple issue.Google will show you independent reviews if thats what you want.

Everything has a warranty and service will most likely come from the maker, ie Samsung, if still under warranty, not where you bought it from.They will do installation thye dont carry parts of all makes and models

 

We just had the Mitishbui company tech out to fix out 13 BTU Mr Slim aircon which we have had for 11 years without any problems, just normal cleaning.He fixed the problem,taking an hour,it wa squite complicated  and it was a total of 800 baht inc parts

 

We have bought a range of appliances, all makes and models, from many outlets without many problems .

 

Not wanting to buy from a particular store does not make sense its the product you arre buying not the store.

 

Staff at sales outlets are not trained to provide tech info on all products,dont blame them they are on incentives to sell,poorly paid and on commission and far too many staff to share the spoils.

[CMKiwi]

Actually not wanting to buy from a certain store can make a lot of sense.  If their customer interaction is crap then it's quite likely their after sales service will be likewise.

 

I prefer to buy from a shop that is good in both respects.  If say I purchase a new cellphone and after a short time it fails,  I expect the store to fix or replace it.

 

If however I get the run around, I will never buy from them again and as sure  as thunder follows lightning ....I will tell others about such poor service etc.

 

In regards to sales staff having very little knowledge on the appliances they are trying to sell...well one can't teach stupid.

 

 Or is it just a Western way of thinking? Salespersons SHOULD know their products. How can they push the benefits of said product otherwise? If they can't be bothered to learn then I can't be bothered to listen to BS banter from them about it being a nice colour etc etc.

 

Sales staff in the Philippines are not much better.  

 

I find generally that one has to do their own research prior to going out shopping (when looking for major appliances.)

 

Having annoying sales people frequently speeds up my departure from their store.

 

Perhaps my idea of professionalism or salesmanship is a lot different than what is on offer in a lot of these stores.  Some are a lot better than others.  Siam TV is possibly at the lower end of the scale.

Edited February 26, 2018 by CMKiwi

[MaeJoMTB]

I buy everything from Lazada.

Cheaper than everywhere else, and so far the service has been great.

[elektrified]

14 hours ago, stargazer9999 said:

SPORTS UPDATE!

 

I spent Saturday and Sunday running around to all the local places doing research on fridges.  I'm looking for something around 12-14 cubic feet with a price between 12k-15k.  There are many choices but I'm not sure which brands are reliable and which ones to avoid. 

 

I didn't go to Siam TV so I saved some money because I didn't need to do a follow up blood pressure exam at CM Ram.

 

I did go to these places:

Saha Panich 

Power Buy (moat)

Tesco/Lotus (near airport)

Macro (Hang Dong)

Home Pro (near driver's licence hell)

Big C (near driver's licence hell)

Global (down the highway from Home Pro over the river)

 

I must admit I'm a bit burn out with looking at fridges.  There was a lot of overlap with what makes/models they had and the prices were generally about the same.  Some places had "specials".  That might be that they're just trying to get rid of something that didn't sell but I'm not sure.

 

Saha Panich  - Sales staff gave up after a few minutes of my ignoring them.  Then when I had questions they were helpful.  Thought I found a Samsung model I was going to get (had fridge on top, freezer below) but it got mixed reviews.  Some petty issue like it wasn't cold or something.

 

Power Buy - Staff were aggressive yet useless.  They didn't know any of the correct answers to my questions.  One model had 3 sections and I asked if the middle on was a fridge or a freezer.  They said freezer confidently.  It didn't look like a freezer.  I read the documentation inside and it ends up it's a fridge.

 

Tesco/Lotus - Not as many choices as I had hoped for.  Not sure I want to buy from them anyways.

 

Macro - Almost nothing to choose from on 2nd floor.  Maybe five models?

 

Home Pro - Lots of choices.  Not sure about their service dept.   Staff were attentive but certainly not as annoying as the Siam TV aggressive sales routine.    Not sure about service.

 

Big C - Many choices.  Staff left me alone except when I requested a tape measure.  Saw a large LG for the "nice price" but I have to look at reviews today.  Anyway use their service dept.?

 

Global - A few choices but I don't think I want to buy from them.  Not sure why.  They're okay for ceramic tiles and such.

 

 

So my big question is what brands should I avoid and which ones do people like.  Any feedback on this will be quite helpful.

 

The brands I saw were:

Electrolux

LG

Panasonic

Samsung

Whirlpool

Mitsubishi

Siemans

Toshiba

Hitachi

 

I'm in no rush to purchase so it's great to do plodding research and get TV feedback first.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's ridiculous - just to buy a fridge? A couple of years ago we popped into Siam TV. They had the largest selection of Samsung fridges I've seen. We got one of the inverter models and I highly recommend it. We used to have problems with veggies going bad after a couple of days. With the inverter, even lettuce will keep up to 7-9 days, celery, carrots - 10+ days, etc. They delivered the next day and a guy from Samsung accompanied the delivery guys. He showed us the proper settings (told us to disregard the settings in the manual), how to change the settings in hot season, cold season, etc. Been about 2 years now, never a single problem. Samsung inverter....excellent.

[cmtg1]

4 hours ago, elektrified said:

That's ridiculous - just to buy a fridge? A couple of years ago we popped into Siam TV. They had the largest selection of Samsung fridges I've seen. We got one of the inverter models and I highly recommend it. We used to have problems with veggies going bad after a couple of days. With the inverter, even lettuce will keep up to 7-9 days, celery, carrots - 10+ days, etc. They delivered the next day and a guy from Samsung accompanied the delivery guys. He showed us the proper settings (told us to disregard the settings in the manual), how to change the settings in hot season, cold season, etc. Been about 2 years now, never a single problem. Samsung inverter....excellent.

Amen  They are not buying a damn  pacemaker for God's sakes. Identify your price range, pay for it and leave

[stargazer9999]

I guess it's easier to just buy things in the "ignorance is bliss" way mentioned above.   I prefer a more scientific approach and actually enjoy researching the best choice.   I also have the luxury of time to do so which some people don't have.  If I got something that had problems later on and the service department was horrible (like mentioned in some posts above) I'd feel like an idiot.  It might stress me out and make me have a heart attack which required me to wear a pacemaker.

 

Where can I good pacemaker in CM?  Who has the best price?  Do they have a good service department??  Or maybe there's no need to worry about that...

[peergin]

On 2/26/2018 at 8:29 AM, worgeordie said:

I will never ,ever buy anything again from Siam TV, nothing but bother

from them, I bought a fan that was displayed,said i want the Grey one,

do you have it in stock,before I hand over the cash, yes we do,asked

several times 100 % sure,they brought a box over from the warehouse,

I opened the box,its Olive green,....we dont have a Grey one, what a job

i had to get my money back,tried to fob me off with a credit note.

 

Another time I took a fan in for repair at their old place,few days it was ready

took it home opened it up to see what they had done,to replace the part they

had just cut off all the wires ,then taped them back up,instead of desoldering

them,

 

At there new service centre ,ordered an internal speaker for a Samsung TV,

took old part in,had serial numbers part ,and tv, had to pay money up front

first, couple weeks later,part is in, completely different speaker, you dont want ? !

it's no good to me,want my money back,cannot yet somebody higher up to authorise

not here,I ended up returning 3 times to be given B/S it was only 2K plus,but

i was not going to give in to them,so the last time i went and they tried more

excuses, I lost it ,caused a scene, and they finally handed over MY money.

 

Other things have happened with products i bought from them,as once there

was not much choice on where to buy electrical stuff,but now they have

competition,i would never buy from them again.

regards worgeordie

Sounds very familiar. One time my large tv set stopped working from one day to the next. After some delay one of their "repair men" showed up. He checked the set as well as the satellite dish. Came back saying that the tv needed a new motherboard. Expensive! Very expensive! I did not agree, had a look myself and found that my maid had inadvertently unplugged the set when she cleaned the back of it.....

 

Also, they advertise and have large banners in their showroom about their "pricing guarantee." If you buy something and subsequently find the same item at a lower price in another store, Siam TV will pay  you 10 times the difference. One day I did buy something and found the same item in another store but B 1,700 cheaper. Went back to Siam TV with the evidence and demanded 10 x B 1,700 = B 17,000. You think they agreed to pay? Nothing doing. The owner himself told me that the NEVER pay. I threatened to take him to the small claims court. Got my B 17,000 48 hours later! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[peergin]

On 2/26/2018 at 1:07 AM, janclaes47 said:

 

 

 

On 2/26/2018 at 1:07 AM, janclaes47 said:

Either your understanding of major US and Japanese manufacturers maybe different of mine, or you're just born for bad luck, but the summing-up of your problems is astonishing.

 

In fact I can't think of a major Japanese brand that makes all the items that are listed in your post, so I guess you may be a bit confused about major.

Major?? Seems to me that you are the one who is confused. Look at Post # 17.

[peergin]

On 2/26/2018 at 1:21 AM, cacahootie said:

The hard drive is the oddball, and is perhaps a misunderstanding.  Toshiba makes hard drives, as does "HGST", which has the name Hitachi in it, and was previously run by Hitachi, but is now actually a subsidiary of Western Digital (with a small ownership stake by Hitachi).  It is more likely the poster is referring to Hitachi (given that it makes more home appliance type stuff than Toshiba), but as of 2012 it's not really accurate to call HGST Hitachi anymore.  Regardless, HGST is known for reliable hard drives, but as with anything mechanical, there is a nonzero failure rate.

 

You are absolutely right, sir! It wasn't Toshiba.

 

[peergin]

On 2/26/2018 at 9:23 AM, stargazer9999 said:

SPORTS UPDATE!

 

I spent Saturday and Sunday running around to all the local places doing research on fridges.  I'm looking for something around 12-14 cubic feet with a price between 12k-15k.  There are many choices but I'm not sure which brands are reliable and which ones to avoid. 

 

I didn't go to Siam TV so I saved some money because I didn't need to do a follow up blood pressure exam at CM Ram.

 

I did go to these places:

Saha Panich 

Power Buy (moat)

Tesco/Lotus (near airport)

Macro (Hang Dong)

Home Pro (near driver's licence hell)

Big C (near driver's licence hell)

Global (down the highway from Home Pro over the river)

 

I must admit I'm a bit burn out with looking at fridges.  There was a lot of overlap with what makes/models they had and the prices were generally about the same.  Some places had "specials".  That might be that they're just trying to get rid of something that didn't sell but I'm not sure.

 

Saha Panich  - Sales staff gave up after a few minutes of my ignoring them.  Then when I had questions they were helpful.  Thought I found a Samsung model I was going to get (had fridge on top, freezer below) but it got mixed reviews.  Some petty issue like it wasn't cold or something.

 

Power Buy - Staff were aggressive yet useless.  They didn't know any of the correct answers to my questions.  One model had 3 sections and I asked if the middle on was a fridge or a freezer.  They said freezer confidently.  It didn't look like a freezer.  I read the documentation inside and it ends up it's a fridge.

 

Tesco/Lotus - Not as many choices as I had hoped for.  Not sure I want to buy from them anyways.

 

Macro - Almost nothing to choose from on 2nd floor.  Maybe five models?

 

Home Pro - Lots of choices.  Not sure about their service dept.   Staff were attentive but certainly not as annoying as the Siam TV aggressive sales routine.    Not sure about service.

 

Big C - Many choices.  Staff left me alone except when I requested a tape measure.  Saw a large LG for the "nice price" but I have to look at reviews today.  Anyway use their service dept.?

 

Global - A few choices but I don't think I want to buy from them.  Not sure why.  They're okay for ceramic tiles and such.

 

 

So my big question is what brands should I avoid and which ones do people like.  Any feedback on this will be quite helpful.

 

The brands I saw were:

Electrolux

LG

Panasonic

Samsung

Whirlpool

Mitsubishi

Siemans

Toshiba

Hitachi

 

I'm in no rush to purchase so it's great to do plodding research and get TV feedback first.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently went looking for a 20+ cubic feet (about 570 liters) fridge. Did not find much. The only one that appealed to me was a Samsung. However, I have since learned that the Japanese government (yes, the government!) has just set up a quality control unit to check why Samsung's quality is so poor and how it can be improved. The government appears to be concerned that it damages Japan's image. I have not bought it (yet) because it worries me. Are there Thai Visa members who have positive experiences with Samsung's large fridges?

   

P.S. I would not buy a Whirlpool,

 

Edited March 13, 2018 by peergin
Correction

[Naam]

7 minutes ago, peergin said:

 

I recently went looking for a 20+ cubic feet fridge. Did not find much. The only one that appealed to me was a Samsung. However, I have since learned that the Japanese government (yes, the government!) has just set up a quality control unit to check why Samsung's quality is so poor and how it can be improved. The government appears to be concerned that it damages Japan's image. I have not bought it (yet) because it worries me. Are there Thai Visa members who have positive experiences with Samsung's large fridges?

   

 

yep! you learned that the Japanese government is concerned about Japan's image because a South Korean company does not produce quality items.