Panasonic DVD-LS50 7 in. Portable DVD Player

I just experienced the dreaded "H03" error on my Panasonic DVD-LS50 dvd player after having it for 11 months. I was on vacation and needed a DVD player for the trip back to entertain my 2.5 year old on the long flight back, so I bought a cheaper player planning to get the LS50 fixed because it was under parts warranty. The Toshiba SD-P1600 I bought for $200 at Target came with everything I needed and filled in just fine.

I then went to the Panasonic site to get the name of an Authorized Service Center, I picked TV Unlimited in Sunnyvale, CA because of its proximity. They took the player and $45 to diagnose the problem. I asked what is the usual change to fix the players and I was told by the owner it was about $80. I thought that was okay, seeing that they subtracted the $45 diagnosis fee from the total, if you had it fixed.

They then called me saying that the player had some dust and a hair in it, they cleaned it and it was working. No parts were needed. They changed me $150 fee to fix the player. I was upset about the much higher cost and I wanted to know, if there was a flat fee to fix it, why didn't the owner tell me that when I dropped it off. After calling the owner to say I would be right there to discuss my bill and the work performed, she was conveniently running errands when I arrived 10 minutes after I called.

In the future, if I get the "H03" error again, I will take the player apart and try to blow it out. If I can't fix it, I will just go and buy a new player like the Toshiba or the Mintek. I seems the more economical way to go, if they are this unreliable and expensive to fix.

This experience also left a very bad impression of the Panasonic Authorized Service Centers and their ethics.

Hope this helps someone avoid a very frustrating experience.