Interesting Stories About A Projection Lamp Dealer
Buying A Projection Lamp.
I recently (February 2010) purchased a replacement lamp from advancedlamps.com for a ae3000u. First, the lamp arrived “unhinged” from the chassis. I had to reseat the bulb for it to fit. I had them note this on my order. So, I installed the lamp in the projector. Amazingly, and to my dismay, this “new” lamp was dimmer than my 2700 hour OEM “old” lamp!
To say I am angry is a bit of an understatement. Hopefully, I will get my money back. Before I do that, I first wanted to find out if a lamp takes time to “brighten” after its intial startup time.
After waiting 30 minutes for it to stop its “dimness” and brighten, there was no change. While doing a little research and after asking around, it seems the bulb should be ready for viewing after 5 minutes, including on first use. It seems my “new” bulb is just a crappy oem replacement.
This is what I get for trusting this company. The bulb is so dim, it is useless to watch. My screen is only 88 inches at 10 feet away. Playing CODMW2 was impossible, despite the room having no sunlight and with all the lights turned off. I still couldn’t see in dark areas that were no problem with my “old” bulb.
Be careful who you trust. If you are going to take a chance, do it with someone who has a reputation to protect and lots of satisfied customers.
Buying a Projection Lamp in Australia.
I really did not want to publish anything to harm a business’ reputation, so before posting, I contacted Advanced Lamps to review my post and correct any errors. They did not respond, so here is my story.
My JVC Order.
In December 2009 I purchased a “Genuine Original JVC Lamp” for my HD750 projector. It arrived in Australia quickly but was held up due to the value on the package. It was incorrectly marked as $1388 rather than $388.
This meant the package required customs clearance. Also, GST (sales tax) was now due because of the higher, marked price.
I contacted UPS and reported the mistake. However, since it had already been processed, UPS demanded $66 for agent charges before delivery to me. I told them it was not my mistake so they should get it from Advanced lamps. Next, I emailed Advanced Lamps and told them of the problem. After 1 week, 5 emails, and 2 telephone calls without an answer, I just paid the charge.
Testing the Lamp.
After installing the new lamp, it was the same brightness as my old lamp! Before complaining about this, I arranged with my projector dealer to test the lamp in his projector. We measured the lamp as 1/3 less bright than his original lamp. So, I requested a replacement lamp from Advanced lamps.
The replacement lamp arrived and I installed it. Once again, it was dim. Can you believe 2 lamps could be that far from specification? I had JVC inspect my projector. They confirmed the second lamp was 70% as bright as their reference lamp.
I contacted Advanced lamps to return the lamp and get a refund. They said they would not give a refund. However, “as a courtesy” they would send another replacement. I asked for an assurance this 3rd lamp would perform as expected and wanted them to confirm the lamp was a genuine JVC lamp originating from authorized JVC channels.
Poor Customer Service.
After more than a week, they have not replied. After emailing them about publishing this report, they replied to my emails. After several emails, they decided a refund would be best. They said they would arrange a refund of the customs agent charges.
So, they sent me a refund for the price of the lamp. However, they did not pay for shipping or customs charges. I emailed them and after 5 days, they have not responded.
The Bottom-line.
After the refund, I lost $230 and spent more than 10 hours on this issue. I suppose it is a lesson learned. But, it is also an opportunity to warn prospective customers of the problems dealing with this company.
There is a happy ending. I bought a lamp from the local JVC distributor. It was a considerably higher price, but I am happy since it perfoms perfectly to specifications!
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Don
Advanced lamps sent me 4 bad bulbs in a row. Inside the bulb is something that is not even a commercial bulb. Maybe someone works at a bulb factory and collects the seconds without brands on them, who knows? Worst company I ever dealt with. They have a horrible Better Business Bureau rating but for some strange reason they have a bunch of high rated reviews. Notice the ratings read like ebay comments instead of real life experiences. No one actually has said “this is great lamp”. All B.S. if you ask me, these reviews. Must be them behind the curtain. The bulbs from them blow (literally). Stay away!!!