Nothing like that “new TV in your home” feeling. No more watching movies on your laptop or janky old TV. Finally, you get to sit back, relax on your couch, and enjoy your favorite shows.
Now, imagine building up all this anticipation, and when you finally hang up the big flat screen, it doesn’t work.
Erika Simon (@erikalynnsimon) posted a video of this happening to her with her recent purchase of a TCL 65-inch flat-screen TV. With much excitement, she and her boyfriend turn the TV on and see the word “TCL” appear in the center of the screen. Then, nothing happens. They turn it off and turn it on again; nothing.
“Well, that was exciting,” Simon sarcastically says as her boyfriend continues to fidget with the remote. The video has over 1.6 million views and 36,600 likes.
‘Someone Actually HAS to Be F’ing With Us…’
“Someone actually HAS to be f’ing with us at this point,” Simon captions the video in frustration. It’s unclear if the L.A. couple’s TV ever started to work eventually. However, viewers are not surprised by the disappointing result and question the purchase entirely.
“Unfortunately your first mistake was buying a tcl tv,” says one comment with over 8,000 likes.
“You paid $849 for a TCL?” a different person asks in shock.
“That’s TCL for you, why would you spend $850 on a TCL?” someone else says.
“TCL QM7K and QM8K are generally great TVs. And yes, they cost $850+. A lot of people in these comments don’t know what they’re talking about,” says one comment defending the TV choice.
“People in the comments acting like brands don’t make budget low end models, mid range, and high end models anymore. Their $800 tcl is probably the QM6K or 7K which is one of the best-reviewed midrange tvs on the market next to Hisense U7 which is also around that price range…” another comment says, justifying the purchase.
Simon responded to this comment, saying, “Exactly!!”
Is a TCL TV Worth It?
In short, it can be. As many of the comments said, some models are worth the price, and it’s all about what you’re looking for and your price range.
According to furniture store Folders, TCL TVs have several high-quality features, “despite their affordability.” These features include 4K UHD models; advanced audio technologies like Dolby Atmos and HDMI ARC; and integrated platforms, such as Roku TV and Google TV.
Reddit users say that folks seem to enjoy bashing TCLs, but really they are comparable to other TV brands.
“There’s a lot of Sony/LG fanboys that are threatened by TCLs Qm7k/8k line up I think,” says one comment.
“I remember the same talk with Samsung and LG back in the day,” says another comment.
The TCL Q8ML was even cited as the top pick by the review website CNET.
All in all, it seems that TCLs are a solid choice when compared to other TVs, and perhaps Simon’s TV was an outlier case of a TCL TV not working well.
Subplot News has reached out to TCL for comment via email and to Simon via TikTok direct message and email. We will update this story if they respond.
@erikalynnsimon Someone actually HAS to be f’ing with us at this point 😭😭 #couplestiktok #newapartment #tv #interiordesign #homedecor ♬ original sound – Erika Simon
