I purchased a Sony Home Theater model DAV SB200 about three years ago and had a completely harrowing experience. On the day the warranty expired the set started giving problems and the DVD player would not take commands properly, the tray would open on it's own randomly, and the set would dis function. Sony service center here took two months to repair it after the set was taken back to the service center about six times. Apart from the cost of the set which was then Rs.33,000/- I had to spend another RS.5000/- on repairs (the faulty parts were not returned) . Apart from the money I had to face endless problems and spent days on end chasing them. It was just amazing that a company of Sony's standing could behave with such complete disdain to a customer's plight. I wrote letters to the Managing Director which were routinely replied to without a semblance of regret. Though the set was giving trouble I managed to run it for another year and a half but had to send it again to the service center with the same problems. they worked on it for a month but could not even identify the problem nor could they repair it. I again wrote to their Managing Director who did not even reply to my letters. In sheer exasperation I had to discard the set as junk.

After spending Rs.38,000/- and sparingly used the the set I had to discard the set just because Sony were unable to identify the problem nor set it right. Finally I wrote to the Chairman of Sony Corporation in Japan and again the letter was redirected to the Calcutta office which in the first place could not handle the situation. Ultimately the "Regional Customer Care" wrote back to me offering an embarassing 25% discount on a product purchase. In any case retailers offer 10% discount on many items so the offer was really for something like 15% off, for all the hassles that I put in and the huge financial loss I incurred.

I still insist that Sony products are best value for money but with an inefficient Service Center and a completely uncaring Customer care service you purchase a Sony product at own risk and just hope nothing goes wrong with it.

Also it is distressing that they have double standards of service for developing countries like India and will not dare to mete out such treatment to customers in the developed world or in Japan