I bought a new Samsung 32" 3 series LCD TV from Onking (Kota Damansara branch) early this month. The picture quality was great but the speakers were of very poor quality and the sound will "break" when I turn on the volume. Meddling with the sound settings would not help as well.

I complained to the salesman and he helped me to log a case with Samsung Malaysia. It took one week before a Samsung technician came to my house and inspected my TV, but the conclusion is the speakers are ok and there are no defects with them. I was adviced not to turn on the volume above 50% and not to use the true surround mode. What angered me the most was I was told that Samsung LCD TVs are known for their picture quality while the sound quality is not. Hence, I was also adviced to get a home theater system if I want better sound. This is ridiculous and I cannot  accept the fact that the tv does not come with a pair of speakers that can play decent sound. I was very disappointed with the attitude of the Samsung after sales service as well.

I called Onking again to ask for a replacement. Initially I was told they don't have a replacement policy even though I was prepared to exchange it with a different model of a higher price. After telling them I will lodge a complain with consumer affairs, they reluctantly agreed.

I bought the Samsung for RM14XX and managed to exchange it for a Sharp, which has a price tag of RM16XX, resulting in me having to top up an additional RM200, which is fine with me, since I got my exchange.

Then the day after, I saw the same Sharp model selling for RM13XX in another retailer. After checking Ongking's website, the price of the Sharp model is listed as RM15XX!!!  I was angry and disappointed with what has happened and I've vowed not to buy anything from them again.

The lesson is please do your survey properly and do not believe that the smaller or local retailers have better prices.

Actually we now do have some consumer laws here with the Sale of Goods Act and Consumer Protection Act. However, many people (incl retailers) are ignorant of them and hence the retail culture here is still lagging behind.

That said, there are still limits within the law. It's not to say that the consumer gets everything in their favour. You said: "If the sound quality isn't as good as you expected you SHOULD be able to get your money back." This needs to be qualified... meeting your expectations is very different from a manufacturer's defect or salesman's sales pitch. You can't say I bought a Kancil and expected BMW performance and get your money back. Models are displayed for you to view and test. If the sound quality is off due to a defect, of course you can claim. But the law doesn't have a satisfaction guarantee (although some manufacturer's, especially overseas, will voluntarily give a satisfaction guarantee).