Philips DVDR5500 review

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1.0

abysmal

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Philips DVDR5500 user reviews

January 27, 2009

Posted by: sarak74

"Just shoot me now"

What I like:

It was cheap but still not worth it!!!

What I don't like:

IT DOESN'T WORK!!!

Review:

I purchased this item in November 2007 having done a bit of reasearch on what I needed a DVDR to do.
At the time it seemed quite a good deal at around £150 & I was initially quite pleased with the performance. Admittedly the updating of the recordings took a few minutes after it stopped recording & the one touch recording type of facility kept cutting off 5 minutes at either end of the programmes I set it for (irritating to say the least) but I found it quite easy to use & it did what it said on the box UNTIL...
It started freezing on a channel & no amount of leaving the remote control alone so it could "catch up with itself", followed by pressing every button on the remote when nothing happened, followed quite quickly by pressing all of the (few) buttons on the front of the unit unitl the standby button worked & then it refused to come back on again!!! The only way to remedy the fault was to unplug the unit at the mains & plug it back in again, followed by the inevitable re-initialisation sequence, AARRGGHH!
After this started to happen several times a week, I finally couldn't take it any more & took it back to Comet & asked them to exchange the unit, only to be met by blank indifference & the statement that Philips products are only CONSIDERED for exchange after they have been back to Philips for repair 4 times & deemed beyond repair. Now I don't think I am unreasonable, but does this seem right to anyone else? Given that I was going to get no joy arguing my case that it was obviously either faulty or not fit for use, I agreed to have it sent away for evaluation. 4 weeks later I got it back & the first night I took it home & plugged it in, it froze again! This sequence of events was repeated several times, with 2 exchange units & after the 1 year warranty finally expired I gave up bothering.
I have decided that when the whole freezing thing gets too much for me next time (as it is STILL doing it) I will just write off the money & smash it up for the satisfaction of at least being able to take my frustration out on the one electronic product that has ever managed to get to me, much as I hate to have to admit it...
DO NOT BUY ONE, SAVE YOURSELVES & AVOID THIS DVDR FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR SANITY!!!
You have been warned...