Lost tribe of Westwood

Buy American

What ever happened to the pride of knowing if you bought American made products you would get quality for the price. Buying American usually means getting screwed American. Our quality is so bad that the Chinese won't allow our products to be sold in their country. Our Automobiles are being replaced by foreign competition because the quality is better. I have tried to buy American when I can, but the quality is just becoming so bad, I have to rethink my decisions. I have been having a problem with Westinghouse and their 32" TV. The first one I bought lasted a little over a year before it caught fire. Fortunately we were home and no damage was done to the house. We called Westinghouse and a soon as I mentioned that it had caught fire, they fell over themselves to replace the set. They paid to have the defective set sent back, and then sent us a "refurbished" set. This set lasted a little over one year and now will not hold a picture. I have talked with them and emailed them but have just received the runaround. Below is a series of emails between myself and Westinghouse

A few years back I bought my first flat screen TV. I Chose Westinghouse for many reason which include price and that it is an American company. A little more then 1 year after I bought it, it caught fire. Westinghouse jumped up to the plate and replaced it with a refurbished one. A little over a year later, this rebuilt one won't hold a picture. My conversations with Westinghouse resulted in my being told that there is nothing they can do because it is out of warranty. I assume from the conversations that 32" Westinghouse flat screens only last a little over 1 year. The refurbished model is SK-32H240s-A with a serial number 5062w74706004A Qc 5013935. The ship date on the replacement model October 9, 2009. The account number was4505 1834 4 .

My bedroom TV is a 20 year old Westinghouse that is still working, I guess my wife and I can squint to watch our small TV because we can't afford to buy a new one since we are both on disability.

I would assume this is not the publicity that Westinghouse would want, but I realize we are only one small poor customer that had to buy their TV from WalMart. Maybe in a few years we can save up enough money to buy a 40" Tv, but right now it's medical bills that come first. Having two heart surgeries last year has made TV watching a bigger part of my life. My wife had back surgery last year and her mobility is limited, and the amount of medical bills we have to pay is enormous. If you can help out, this would be appreciated.



Don VanAntwerpen

Liz VanAntwerpen

Westinghouse offers an upgrade option to all of our Out of Warranty customers. The units we have to offer as an upgrade are:

SK-26H640G for $200.00 plus tax
VR-3250DF for $250.00 plus tax


If you agree to the upgrade, you will be responsible to package and ship your defective Westinghouse unit to us. Westinghouse does not hold any responsibility for damages incurred during shipping and will decline to upgrade if such an instance occurs. Once your unit has been received and inspected for non-warranty damages, about 3-5 business days, then the upgraded unit will be ordered. We will email the tracking information as soon as it becomes available.



Please contact us at:



Westinghouse Customer Support Center at:

1-800-701-0680



Our service and support team is available:



Monday - Friday

7:00am - 7:00pm CST (North America)




Sincerely,





Westinghouse Digital LLC Customer Support




Let me understand this, I can get my defective 32" Westinghouse replaced for $250.00 plus shipping. The TV set originally cost around $275, now to replace it in the store would be around $320.00. I believe that shipping cost would be around $50.00 and there is no guarantee that something might get broke during shipping which would make this a 32" paperweight that I paid 275.00, plus 250.00, plus 50 shipping. If it doesn't get damaged during shipping I would get a refurbished 32" for$575.00, which would be over $200.00 above the retail cost of an average 32" flat screen.
The first set could have burned down our house, and the refurbished one just set there and reminds me that I wasted time, aggravation, and money on a 32" paperweight.
----- Original Message -----
From: WDE_Service
To: VANSMAIL@COMCAST.NET
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 5:57 PM
Subject: zw1094213


Don VanAntwerpen,

Buy American? Think twice.