Swap outs?!

Under certain circumstances, when you have a television or other device needing warranty repair, you may get the rare opportunity to have your set swapped out. This can either be done by the retailer or the manufacturer, depending on which warranty you are being covered under (remember, always get the extended warranty on things you can't fix yourself, like televisions!).

Swap outs can happen for different reasons, but are always initiated by a need for authorized repair.

• A television, in particular, can be swapped out because that is the store or manufacturer's policy on that make or model.


• Parts may no longer be available or manufactured, especially if the set is not a popular model.


• If parts are available, but are backordered and the expected shipping date is over a month, then that set will most likely get swapped out.


• The parts required to fix the television are not replaceable, even by an authorized service center. This commonly happens to Samsung Plasma televisions when the Plasma screen needs to be replaced and does not have physical damage.


• If a customer recieves a unit damaged through shipping, that unit is often swapped out for a new one by the retailer.


• The cost to fix the television outweighs the cost of a new television of the same or comparable quality. This commonly happens to Plasma televisions when the screen itself is no longer operative.


• And finally, if your make / model is obsolete, due to changes in engineering designs, or has a known defect that keeps the set from working as intended. Sometimes these fixes are done in the field as needed, but other times these sets are recalled quietly, and only when repair is needed. The Panasonic PT-50LC13 LCD Projection Set particularly comes to mind. Anyone with this set has probably already got their set swapped out when the bulb blew. And if not yet, then you are lucky, because when the bulb finally blows, you will end up getting a new TV.

These are the basic guidelines that are used to determine how one person gets repaired and another gets a new set. Length of ownership is taken into account, so don't push too hard for a new set if yours is older than 6 months.