The operation is too complicated, and the smart TV bought for thousands of yuan becomes a decoration
Some consumers complain that smart TVs are not friendly to the elderly at all
"Turn on the TV, but don't know where the channel is" "There are so many remote controls that I can't tell the score"...Nowadays, smart TVs are becoming more and more popular, but there are more and more complaints about smart TVs being "not smart", and some users even complain It's becoming less and less useful.
On February 14, West China Metropolis Daily and cover news reporters saw in some home appliance shopping malls in Chengdu that smart TVs that focus on intelligent operations accounted for "half of the country."
In these smart TVs, users can install and uninstall software, games and other applications by themselves, can connect to the public Internet, and some can even be equipped with new human-computer interaction methods, multi-screen interaction, content sharing, etc.
In response to the phenomenon that smart phones are not very friendly to some elderly users, some lawyers said that "whether a smart TV is smart" is a relative concept. Enterprises should avoid false propaganda, and consumers should also pay attention to choosing a TV that suits them.
User complaints
I can't find the program I want to watch
In daily life, most smart TVs are equipped with two remote controls, plus set-top boxes, optical modems and broadband wireless Wi-Fi, etc., and some TVs are even equipped with three remote controls.
Users need to use a remote control to turn on the TV first, then press the button to switch to the set-top box signal, and then use another remote control to adjust the channel.
"This is too troublesome!" said Huang Lan, a citizen of Chengdu. Her parents are in their early 50s and like to watch TV at home. Where to choose the TV channel, etc.
Aunt Zhou, a citizen of Chengdu, also had a similar experience with Huang Lan's parents.
Aunt Zhou usually lives in her son's house, helping to take care of her grandson, and sometimes returns to her home on weekends.
But every time she returns home, when she turns on the TV, she either encounters automatic updates, various advertisements pop up, or cannot find the channel. People are not friendly at all," said Aunt Zhou.
On the black cat complaint platform, the reporter searched the keyword "TV member" and found that there were 7,727 related complaints, most of which were complaints about TV members' screen projection fees, recharge chaos, and misleading consumption.
On February 15, the China Consumers Association released an analysis of the complaints accepted by the National Consumers Association in 2022.
It is mentioned that the "matryoshka-style" charges on the smart TV platform have caused consumer dissatisfaction.
Since the resources of each module in the smart TV system are independent of each other, consumers cannot watch all the video content even though they recharge continuously.
reporter visit
Smart TV occupies "half of the country"
On February 14, the reporter saw in a home appliance shopping mall in Chengdu that in the TV sales area, smart TVs of various brands were placed in prominent positions.
A salesperson of a certain brand introduced that a TV of this brand is currently priced at 4,899 yuan in the market, and can provide various application services such as Internet access, KTV, IP TV, digital music, and Internet video calls. After connecting to broadband and using a set-top box, users can Enjoy more services.
"Nowadays TVs have many functions, it depends on how big a screen you need, whether it is curved or flat." said the above-mentioned salesperson.
In addition to the size, the reporter noticed that most TVs generally include functions such as surfing the Internet, casting screens, and installing applications.
During the reporter's visit, not many people came to inquire and buy TVs.
Some merchants said that the sales volume of offline stores is indeed not as good as that of online stores. "Many people buy TVs and place orders directly online. After the TVs are delivered, they operate according to the instructions." Some merchants said that the advantage of offline stores is that Users can be manually instructed on how to operate the TV. "We will introduce which functions are practical and which ones need to be charged."
Lawyer's point of view
Smart TVs are "not smart"
The key is whether it suits you
Lawyer Zhu Jieping, founding partner of Taikunlu and invited researcher of the China Policy Science Research Association, said that smart TVs must meet the needs of target customers to the greatest extent in order to make products more competitive. A relative concept, enterprises should avoid false publicity, and consumers should also pay attention to choosing a TV that suits them.”
West China Metropolis Daily - Cover News Reporter Song Xiao
"West China Metropolis Daily" February 21, 2023 A4 version