Monitor continually powering on and off

[Uber Schwarz]

Does anyone know what may be the problem for a monitor to continually power on and off and not display anything when it is on for that short amount of time?

I sent it in for repair at Hannspree and they just emailed me after 3 weeks and say they found a scratch on the screen and that I can buy a new screen for $125 and have them replace it. I don't understand how this scratch on the screen is the problem when it was working fine then after some use it suddenly starts that.

[ronallandottk]

Personally, I don't think the screen is the culprit. A bad scratch is ugly, and could kill a number of the pixels, but it won't cause the symptoms you're describing.

If it's continuously powering on and off, it could be a lot of other things, depending on how it powers on and off.

If it just powers on and off without displaying anything, the power supply could be malfunctioning.

If it displays the boot up screen, the desktop, or anything else of the sort in between powering on and off, the backlight could need replacing.

If you get a "no signal" or something similar displayed on the screen while it cycles, it could be a problem with the signal cable, the plug (RGB, DVI, HDMI, etc.), or the display circuitry itself.

Since $125 is already a lot, you could consider getting a new monitor instead of having your old one fixed. If it's under warranty, you shouldn't be paying for the repair.

If you do buy a new one, stick with the better known brands, they seem to be more durable. I have three Samsung LCD monitors of varying ages, the oldest about three years old, no problems so far. Dell monitors seem to be a favorite of others as well.

Good luck.

[Uber Schwarz]

It doesn't display anything. It just powers on and off. I've tried several power cables as well.

It sorta ticked me off today when they emailed me the following:

<My Name>

Your monitor was checked out and it was observed there was a scratch on
the panel and that it could not be repaired because it's a physical
defect not covered under the warranty. We can replace the panel but we'd
have to charge you for the parts and labor to do so, which for the 22"
would be $125 for the panel.

Please let me know if you would like us to replace it, otherwise we can
package and ship the monitor back to you as is, or if you wish instead,
we can dispose of it ourselves with your written permission.

Thank you,

<Hannspree's tech guy>

[ronallandottk]

I would be ticked off too, considering that the scratch probably has nothing to do with the power cycling.

I'd write them back telling them:

1. What you want repaired is the power cycling issue and not the LCD scratch;
2. That the unit is still under warranty and they are obligated to repair the factory power cycling defect, NOT the physical scratch;
3. Ask them to state what connection the physical scratch has to the power cycling problem; if the answer is flimsy, then they're probably pulling your leg.

I know how aggravating it must be to have a relatively new and expensive component fail on you and not be serviced properly. You could opt to have it back and have it repaired somewhere else, but it defeats the principle of having a warranty if you do that.

This skirts the technical nature of this forum, but if they refuse to perform the warranty work, and you're in the United States, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/index.shtml

If you're in some other country report it to the appropriate government agency in charge of consumer protection.

We all hate it when manufacturers don't honor their warranties.

[Uber Schwarz]

Well they me back today and said the they forgot to mention they fixed the power issue but the screen still flickers which they believe can be fixed by a screen replacement.

Is it worth paying $125 for a new screen + paying for labor or should I just go ahead and buy a new monitor? I paid around $76 to ship this monitor to Cali. for repairs.

[ronallandottk]

I think a new monitor would probably be more cost-effective.

Like this one 23" Samsung on Newegg.com:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001317

$219 and free shipping.

All in all, you'd probably be spending something similar for the replacement LCD, labor and shipping.

And if it were me I'd probably go with another brand.