Customer Reviews

DELL W4201C 42" High Definition HD Plasma TV

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

After only 4 months my Dell 42"Plasma HDTV developed a thin line running from the bottom of the screen up about midway high. When I called customer service they told me they would replace the TV with a refurbished model. I had only used my TV on weekends for football games or when watching a DVD, it may have had 100 hours of use. I argued that it wouldn't be fair to replace it with someone elses lemon that had been repaired & maybe had a thousand hours on it! According to the fine print there was nothing I could do about it. After a few weeks the refurbished replacement arrived. I was told to come look at it before the serviceman brought it into my house. Sure enough, the screen was scratched in 2 places & I did not accept it. After many, many calls & faulty information from customer service, I asked to speak to the supervisor & threatened a lawsuit. Finally I was promised a brand new TV as a replacement. I recieved the new TV 9 weeks after I first contacted customer service about the vertical line. I am happy that I recieved a new TV but unhappy that the warranty does not start over with the replacement, it still begins with the original sale! I have never in my life spent that kind of money ($3000) on an item from a catalogue or from viewing it on the internet. Had I bought this TV from a store, I would have been at the counter immediately & recieved my replacement TV much quicker. I spent many hours on the phone during the Christmas holiday speaking with at least 15 different Dell representatives, many of which could not speak English. It was a very aggravating situation to say the least. Never again will I spend that much money on an item without 'test driving' it first.

I bought this TV direct from the dell website for much less then offered here (I paid just over $2200 including shipping). I had read reports that the TV had a buzzing sound, which made me a little wary, but it came with a warrenty and a money back promise so I figured I'd give it a try. The buzzing sound DOES NOT exist in my TV, and it has flawless picture and sound. The only thing that irritated me was the inputs which took forever to get working correctly, but with a little patients everything worked out. I do believe the only downside to the TV now is the annoying volume bar, which after you change the volume on the TV seems to stay there forever. Hardly something that should make or break your decision to get this TV.

There are many features incluided in this plasma item by great price.
The great image quallity, picture in picture options, native resolution, terrific sound, package of inputs and outputs, etc. are just a few things that you will have with this television.

ENJOY IT!!!

We purchased our 42" Dell Plasma TV 2 years ago and it has died. To make matters worse, Dell is no longer supporting the parts and specs so the TV repair shop can not repair it. Do yourself a favor don't buy this or any product from Dell, there computers are just as cheaply made.

Along with a bunch of other people, our Dell died after 2 1/2 years as well. After weeks of talking to Dell our best option was to take it to a repair shop, which I now find out have no parts to fix it. Lesson learned... cheap is not the best bang for your buck!

Two bold black vertical lines appeared on this TV.
I also have a 20 inch tv and a 27 inch TV - both Japanese
made and great condition after big time usage.

VHS, DVD, etc. have worked very well. This DELL model is great as long as it works. I am concerned that the first one did not last 3 months.
This second model seems fine - so far. It is a pricey model.

$2K is too much to pay to have to worry about condition of the actual machine....Go with Samsung, Panasonic, Phillips, Mitsubishi or be prepared for early obsolescence, break down in the DELL lane.

I was given my 42" as a Christmas gift 4 years ago and the same as with everyone else, it just died out. This was WAY too much money to pay for such a piece of junk. In a way, I'm just as happy to be rid of it, as I never was very impressed with the quality (or lack thereof). I will never buy any Dell product again! (Are they still even in business anymore?)

We purchased the Dell 42 inch plasma. We loved it for about 2 1/2 years. Then it died. Now $2000.00 later we have no TV and no support from Dell, because the warranty only lasts 1 year. Please think twice before you buy a Dell TV.

I bought this T.V. about three years ago for a little over $2000. I have to say this plasma has been great. Love the great picture!!!!!!!!!!! I purchased the 4 year ext warranty and I am glad I did. The t.v. just went to a black screen and started smelling like something was burning. Called Dell (India) and they are sending me a new t.v. within three days. I am wondering what I am getting since Dell does not make this t.v. anymore.

Exactly 2 month after the warranty was expired, my 42" Plasma TV died. After talking to someone in India I was asked to call the 3rd party support company in the US!! They asked for almost $1000 shipping fee and $260 diagnostic fee plus labor and parts!! The technician told me if it was his TV, he would ask someone local to look at it... if the problem is the Plasma panel (which most likely is) then it would cost me more than $1000 to replace it... if the tuner is the problem, then it would cost $200-300 to fix it...
So the bottom line is that seems like this model has the life time of about 26 months! (and like Dell's printer cartrige it counts the number of months since you opened the package and not how much you used it!!!)!!!