The LocalCirles Report further mentions that 66% of consumers chose to repair their TVs locally instead of at company outlets
New Delhi: A recent survey conducted by LocalCircles, which gathered over 36,000 responses from consumers across 329 districts in India, revealed that 32% of respondents (one in three) experienced problems with their last television within five years of purchase. This marks a significant shift from previous decades when televisions typically lasted much longer without requiring repairs.
Smart TV sales are on the rise, and so are complaints.
As the Indian Smart TV market continues to grow—valued at $11.53 billion in 2023 and expected to reach nearly $33.72 billion by 2030—the number of households upgrading to these devices has significantly increased. The survey found that 35% of respondents who bought a television in the last five years did so through e-commerce platforms, reflecting the shift towards online shopping for electronics.
Despite this growth, the quality of televisions appears to be a concern. The survey highlighted that while most TVs lasted beyond five years without issues, a notable 32% of consumers reported problems within this period, with 13% facing issues in as little as one to three years.
Of the respondents who experienced TV issues in the last five years, 66% chose to repair their TVs locally rather than through the manufacturer, owing to the high cost of repairs quoted by brands. Only 35% of respondents opted for repairs through the brand, with many others either choosing local services at more reasonable costs or upgrading to a new television altogether.
Interestingly, 16% of respondents decided to replace their faulty TV with a new one instead of opting for repairs, citing the prohibitive costs as the main reason. This trend indicates a growing consumer dissatisfaction with the pricing and service standards television manufacturers offer.
The findings of the survey underscore the need for better standardisation of repair services and the implementation of consumer-centric programs like the right to repair. With TVs failing more frequently outside the warranty period, consumers are left with few affordable repair options, leading them to rely on local services that may not always guarantee quality.
LocalCircles plans to escalate these findings to key government stakeholders, advocating for stronger consumer protection measures and the enforcement of standards that could help reduce the cost of quality repairs. The organization emphasizes that while the Right to Repair exists on paper, it needs to be implemented rigorously to ensure that consumers are not left bearing the brunt of high repair costs for products that should last longer.
