According to Ron Sharpe, Vigilant Vision’s managing director: “We have been alarmed by the number of monitors from other manufacturers coming in to our repair centre that have been assembled using repaired or remanufactured LCD panels.
“The provenance of these monitors cannot be determined from a cursory glance as they are assembled using new bezels, electronics, power supplies, etc. It is only when they are booked in for repair that the true nature of these products can be determined.”
Sharpe says Vigilant Vision has found stickers on the back of panels that were sold as new in 2011 showing when repairs were completed, some of which date back to 2008, along with manufacturing data showing that some are up to 5 or 6 years old.
Tell-tale signs
Other tell-tale signs of repairs or remanufacture include the use of sticky backed foil instead of the metal covers that would have been fitted by the original manufacturer to shield components mounted on the rear of the panels, the company says.
Sharpe said: “There are some other concerns that potential buyers should be aware of regarding these heavily discounted monitors.
“Not only will they deliver a substantially reduced operational life, but there seems to be no comeback for users who discover that their 12 month warranty is worthless when a fault occurs and they are referred back to the Far East manufacturer for warranty repairs.
“This contrasts with monitors supplied by reputable distributors, such as Vigilant Vision, who provide a comprehensive no-quibble direct 3 year warranty for all products.”
