Is Panasonic your most-loved technology brand?
Our latest Which? satisfaction survey found that Panasonic was the number one rated technology brand in almost every high tech product category. Do you agree? Or is there another technology brand you prefer?
With so much consumer choice available, many of us like to stick to the brands we know and love. And a recent survey of 9,637 Which? members found there was one brand we loved most of all.
Panasonic received the highest customer score – based on how satisfied Which? members are with a brand and the likelihood they’d recommend it to a friend – in most of the product categories it featured in.
From digital radios and DVD recorders, to PVRs and digital cameras, Panasonic was the clear number one choice. And Panasonic’s TVs received a staggering customer score of 91%, by far the highest in the entire survey.
In fact, it’s easier to list the few categories that it didn’t come top – set-top boxes (they came second to specialist manufacturer Humax) and mobile phones and MP3 players (neither of which they produce).
Why do you rate Panasonic so highly?
We know that Panasonic’s products often perform well in our lab tests. For instance, there are currently 28 Best Buy Panasonic cameras and 10 Best Buy DVD recorders. And our survey showed that Panasonic products are often very reliable, with five star ratings for its camcorders and radios (among others).
But is this really why everyone likes Panasonic so much? Sure it produces some reliable products, but it’s hardly the only tech manufacturer doing so. In fact our survey found that most tech brands are extremely reliable these days.
And while Panasonic makes some great devices, so do many other companies. Canon has the most Best Buy cameras (40 in total) and Samsung won the Best Home Audio-Visual Brand at our recent Which? Awards, thanks to its superior performance in our lab tests.
Perhaps it’s the way Panasonic treats its customers that puts it ahead? At Which? we’ve heard lots of anecdotal evidence that Panasonic deals with problems with its TVs more effectively than rival manufacturers Sony and Samsung. Or could it be that while its products may not always be the very best on the market, they’re designed to do exactly what we want?
Are you one of Panasonic’s many fans, and if you are, what is it that so impresses you about the company? Or do you think that Which? members have got it wrong and there’s another technology brand you prefer?
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HF
I haven’t bought a Panasonic product in years. Sony is almost always my first choice. When Sony don’t make something I want or I think the product is overpriced, then its LG or Samsung. Panasonic rarely tops the short list or one reason or another.
MAx
I haven’t bought a Panasonic Product in years… Because they just keep going!
I have a panasonic SJ-MR200 minidisk player that still goes and goes and goes. My mates sony lasted about 18 months. Mine has been going at least 10 years. Only really use it for recording these days but there’s not a int of it dying.
My TV’s are always panasonic and again where my partner’s Sony started flickering on one scart (which we can no longer use) and picture appears to have degraded… mine is pin sharp and rock steady.
As for customer service… well, panasonic have ALWAYS gone out of there way for me.
SONY? Would never by again after I bought a top of the range walkman which failed on the way home from the shop, got returned, went to the engineers who said it was a manufacturing fault, it got repaired, went wrong again…blah blah… didn’t really get to use it for 8 months in the first yr. Then when it went wrong again in month 13 (one month after warranty) the best they could do for me tell me I could trade it in for a (small) discount on a the newest top end model.
SONY have no customer service.
RANT OVER. Panasonic Rocks!
Ian
I`m a Panasonic man having sold their kit for years. However i do believe Sony is also a top brand so it is all about personal preference. Samsung have done really well over the last few years and forced both Panasonic and Sony to adjust prices downwards slightly. A fiercely competitive market which offers customers great value and great choice. Provided the survey sample is significant in number survey results can be relied upon.
dean
I have never had anything but a Panasonic TV
From 21″ CRTs to flat screen HD, only Sony comes close. Admittedly the competition are upping their game (Samsung, LG) but I guess if I have any brand loyalty at all, it would be to Panasonic, but only for their tvs.
I must also point out that not once has a Panasonic TV of mine broken down. None, not a sausage
Philip
This comes as no surprise to me at all. Granted, compared to most folk, I take my fanaticism of Panasonic to the extreme, I’ve even visited their HQ in Japan. However, considering my home is rammed full of Panasonic products, they are brilliantly designed, perform flawlessly and never let me down so my fanaticism is perfectly justified. I even had rare cause to email their customer service recently for an update CD for my blu ray player and they emailed back straight away and it arrived moments later.
I can’t understand why anyone would buy any other brand. Well done and keep up the good work Panasonic!
Tom
t’s a bit obvious but I think the best technology firm at the moment is Apple. I’ve used Apple products since the 80′s and they always ‘just work’. More recently the design aspect of their products has made them hugely desirable. I understand their development process involves creating products without any outside influence, to come up with unique products and experiences that revolutionise te market. Not all good though, it’s probably this lack of relationship with proposed end users that led to the faults with the with the iPhone 4 but part from that you have to give them credit. Their share price has rocketed 3-fold since the launch of the first iPhone’
Jon Barrow
Hi Tom,
Apple also performed extremely well in the survey, receiving the highest customer scores in the two categories that it featured in: mobile phones (84%) and MP3 players (83%).
And it typically does very well in Which? Computing’s annual survey. We’ll publish the latest results of that – covering printers, laptops, netbooks and desktops – in the September issue of the magazine.
Chris Godfrey
Panasonic does indeed produce many quality products that shine in the reliability tables but I have always been a dedicated Sony fan since the 80s when I bought my first portable colour TV which is still going strong.
I think Sony products are aesthetically pleasing and satisfy my somewhat geeky nature as well as being reliable.
wavechange
I have used many Panasonic products but not bought many. Generally they have been technically good but the user interface leaves a lot to be desired. A couple of years ago I struggled to set up a Panasonic DVD recorder, even with the help of the instruction booklet. In the 21st century it should not be necessary to use an instruction book to get something working. (Instruction books can be very useful to explain advanced features.)
I bought a Panasonic Lumix camera, only because it was heavily discounted. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that the controls are intelligently designed.
My worst ever Panasonic purchase was an answering machine. The sound quality is very poor, sometimes I have to call a number three or four times before it connects, and numbers have to be entered on each handset. It should have been returned. I have gone back to using my ancient Philips answering machine which is better in almost every respect.
HarryMonmouth
I was brought up with Sony back in the days when they made things more akin to machines than devices. I always knew they were supposed to be a quality brand but it wasn’t until recently when I bought a Sony computer that I discovered that their devices with the same specs as others would operate far more smoothly and quickly and I realised what it really means to be qualtity. It is not a case of specs, it is what you do with the same specs.
MAx
Vaio laptops are very well constructed and specced out… however there does appear to be a silly amount of extra software and links that get bundled in – lots of Sony clutter that you’ll probably never use!
Probably the only Sony products I’d recommend.
john.mccolgan
Panasonic and Samsung are my first choice in Tech. Panasonic just edges ahead with the owner/franchise service u get in their shops. Sony used to be the leader of the pack but whilst still producing some great kit their prices carry too much of a premium now and their customer service is embarrassing
terfar
I have a Panny TX-37LZD85 and the picture in HD is just stunning. I use both BluRay and FreeSat HD and everyone who sees our TV is overwhelmed by the picture quality.
I also had a Panny TZ-3 for a number of years and recently upgrades to an LX-5 with viewfinder. I love both cameras.
Bill C
Very disappointed with Panasonic kit. I bought a TX-37LZD81 TV, a surround sound system and a PVR all Panasonic. The remotes are all different layouts and lead to confusion. I’ve been waiting while they promised iPlayer again and again and again … still not got it. The VieraCast internet service is very poor. All recommended by Which, but I’ll not buy this brand again.
terfar
They certainly could make more effort to keep the remote controllers more similar. But if you enable the Viera Link option, you can use just the one remote control for both devices. It certainly keeps it simple with the TV and BluRay player.
Colin
Bill C is correct,the remote for the TV and the one for the PVR should have things in the same location,my wife and I are constantly making a mistake when accessing the guide.
We have a 2009 PVR and TV and it did take a long time for iPlayer to be made available. We have it now but I understand that 2008 kit is still waiting for the update.
I do think that Panasonic kit is very good quality but the service with regard to updating older models is rather poor.
wavechange
I have a Philips TV, DVD-recorder, set-top box and a DVD-player. They are not the same age but the remote controls are similar and the remote controll for the DVD works the commonly used controls of the TV. My previous Philips TV and VHS recorder had remote controls that were compatible.
I bought a Panasonic DVD-recorder for a friend who already had a Panasonic TV, assuming that one remote control could be used for both. That was a mistake because they were totally incompatible.
Panasonic could learn about user-friendly design from Philips, and even more from Apple.
Alberto
We own 2 tv, mico wave, electric razor, 1 slr camera, 1 compact camera, 1 ipod player, & they all were
made by panasonic all are well made & value for money.
patlon
Yes, I also switched from Philips shavers to a Panasonic one. Perhaps not as ‘fancy’, but lasting a lot longer and a better and quicker shave.
Panasonic UK
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Which’s members who participated in the recent satisfaction survey for the confidence and trust they have in the Panasonic brand.
At Panasonic we listen humbly to what others say. We are happy to receive suggestions and ideas from any source to lead to betterment and particularly thank the Which? team for their honest and often frank views and opinions, which have always challenged us to improve and excel further
wavechange
Thanks for posting. Please can you provide an email address so that we can make suggestions.
Patrick Steen
Brilliant to see you on here Panasonic UK. Wavechange, we will make Panasonic aware of the comments you post here (if they haven’t seen them already) so please feel free to make suggestions.
Jeff F
Panasonic is the first brand I look for when shopping for electrical items. I am very happy with the performance and reliability of the brand. Thanks also to Which for doing what we pay them to do in finding the best brands and products.
Mark, London
Excellent to see Panasonic getting this credit and recognition. I am certainly a fan.
We have a Panasonic TV which is over 20 years old (a big CRT model of course), still in daily use and working perfectly.
We also have a Panasonic microwave oven purchased in 1987, used daily (often several times), that has been 100% reliable.
Keep up the good work Panasonic and thank you!
Bill Dobson
Bought a Panasonic DVD Freesat recorder. Very problematical when recording via the Electronic Programme. Sometimes worked sometimes didn’t. Panasonic said they hadn’t heard of my problem but I got replacement from a helpful John Lewis, and had same problem and same Panasonic response.
Then on the internet I discovered others with the same complaint.
Now Panasonic don’t have a Freesat recorder in their range. Wonder why ?
My conclusion is they are not reputable by not being honest with their customers and admitting to problems which they cannot solve.
No – Panasonic is not the brilliant company Which? would lead you to believe. When there’s a major issue they don’t face up to their responsibilities. Admittedly they’re not alone in this respect.
Clive
We had a Wharfdale – a truly ghastly TV that delighted us when it died after only 2 years of use. We bought a Panasonic after Which? recommemded the Viera in one of its tests. It has a superb plasma picture and good sound quality. Engineering standards are excellent. When it came to buying a second LCD TV for the breakfast room, it was no brainer! Both TV’s are brilliant, reliable, easy to use and give great pictures. I wouldn’t buy another brand…….
ribes
I have been more than satisfied with Panasonic VCRs over the years, Panasonic VCR/DVD recorder and an excellent Panasonic 26″ TV. Also 2 Panasonic cameras. No real problems in set up but had to do internet faultfinding with the recorder. However when seeking to replace over the last 18 months I have been put off by particular features including the Gemstar EPG containing adverts and disconnecting from the programme being viewed, and the reported poor sound quality of TVs. Possible that the better viewing angle will swing it for the TV but still unsure.
Richard Jones
My first choice has always been Panasonic for all electronic equipment. I have owned several videos over the years including a Hanai and others but none matched the quality or performance of my Panasonics. My current HD TV is a Panasonic also. We have even had a Panasonic vacuum cleaner in the past. However I do agree with Wavechange (above) the instruction books are sometimes fairly useless because some vital information is usually missing and it takes a lot of trial and error before I can find out how to use the advanced features. It may be something missing in the translation to English. I have a combination video/dvd recorder E95EV model and when I try to copy from VHS to DVD and follow the instructions some of the screens do not show up and I have to guess. I still cannot use the chapter or titles screens. But I will still always choose Panasonic first.
Ron Glatter
“From digital radios and DVD recorders, to PVRs and digital cameras, Panasonic was the clear number one choice”. I’m very surprised that Panasonic are mentioned in connection with digital radios. I didn’t know they produced any. Certainly they’re not one of the main manufacturers in this category (unlike, for example, Pure, Roberts and Sony) whereas they are in the other categories mentioned. This is either a mistake or the sample size must be very small.
wavechange
I encountered a Panasonic RFD1 DAB radio a few years ago. Compared with an older Pure Evoke-1 it was rather poor. I don’t know about more recent Panasonic models.
Patrick
I have many Panasonic products the best of which is an LCD TV of about 5 years old. I paid a lot of money for it and the picture quality is still better than many new product.Only last weekend I was watching the Tour De France on Sky HD on a friends Toshiba and the picture was not as good as the standard definition freeview on my TV. I have since bought a Sony LCD for the bedroom and the picture is no where near as good.
I recently bought a Lumix G2 camera which is superb.
The worst product I have is a Lumix/Panasonic HD digital video camera (D900?). It is simply too complictated to download the video content which has resulted in me not bothering with it.
It’s a shame that the camera and the video cannot use the same battery charger as their batteries are almost identical. It would save carting both around.
We also have a Panasonic combi microwave which surprisingly broke down after 5 months use. It took about three weeks to fix. I would have expected an immediate replacement or a loan machine whilst it was fixed.
We recently bought a Panasonic
MAx
RE: your LCD tv… I have an old 28″ Panasonic CRT as well as some LCD… and the picture on that is better than some other manufacturers current LCD. Especially the deep blacks but the picture quality in general knocks the socks off my friends SONY Bravia LCD… which has truly poor picture quality in comparison. I PAID £400-£500. He paid at least £1400-£1500 at the time.
Paul
I bought a Panasonic 37″ LCD TV just over a year ago and it has failed 3 times already. I’ve now requested a replacement from Panasonic directly
Karen
We bought a Panasonic television in April this year and it is fantastic. Great sound and picture quality.
megman
When looking for a replacement for my 4 year old Sony Bravia, the Panasonic Viera had the highest score and rated the best buy in Which? I did look around and for the money it was a good buy.
I do like the TV. The style, the simplicity and the connectivity are all good. The picture quality is excellent in both SD and HD. The SD picture is better than my son’s LG in HD.
It’s the sound that lets it down. It has to be the very small speakers because using headphones the sound it really good. Panasonic headphones of course.
I am seriously contemplating buying a sound bar just to improve the listening quality.
When it came to buying a Blu-ray player, I had to go with a Sony, both for quality of picture, internet connectivity and price.
joeninety
SONY any day for all products ie. mobiles, tv’s, vcr’s. Easy to set up and very reliable with excellent quality.
charles d
Our Panasonic TV recently failed after just 27months. Because we had bought it overseas (we have been out of the UK for several years and only recently returned) it was strictly a non-UK model, although we had checked that it was designed to work in the UK. Repair was going to cost about £250, and Panasonic UK refused to provide any support, other than selling us the spare part with no guarantee of success. Very disappointed with both the product and the support. We have now bought a Samsung with a 5 year guarantee.
Ken Pashley
I have a Panasonic TV TX-L37V10B. I’m having trouble with the speakers vibrating, I also have a Panasonic Blue-ray recorder, both operating manuals are a minefield to understand unlike the Sky HD Box, easy to use, a marvellous piece of equipment. I still have a high regard for Sony also I think Samsung are have excellent TVs.
Philip Herlihy
I won’t buy another Panasonic product until I’m satisfied they’ve stopped using them as a platform for advertising. The Programme Guide in my latest telly uses a large block of screen space to push adverts, mostly for another company I don’t much like (one that spends millions on celebrity TV advertising while telling me my endowments won’t come close to covering my mortgage!).
redder5
I share the same disappointment with the EPG on our Panasonic TV. Not only does the ad panel provide and irritating distraction, it eats up valuable screen space and means channel and programme titles are more truncated, e.g. “Channel 4″ and “Channel 4 + 1″ are indistinguishable.
Furthermore, selecting the EPG loses the picture and sound of the current programme – a great deterrent to checking what’s on other channels and later timeslots. Luckily we rarely watch real-time broadcasts, preferring to watch recordings from our Humax DVR. The Humax has none of these EPG drawbacks.
I e-mailed Panasonic about my dissatisfaction and, to be fair, they did at least acknowledge my reply and said they’d passed my feedback on to their product design team.
Other than this gripe, our Panasonic products (TV, BD player, DECT phone and bread-maker) perform well and are very reliable. Along with Sony, Panasonic have been technology trail blazers for digital TV performance. As the difficult technologies mature, other manufacturers catch up and Sony’s & Panasonic’s lead gradually eroded. Competing on price is the next phase but, thankfully, Which? reports and surveys allow us to track the “invisibles” – product reliability and customer support – where Panasonic seems to gain their edge.
David Hancock
On 1 April 2010 I bought a Panasonic DMR – EX99VEB Hard Drive / DVD / VHS Recorder from John Lewis. The VHS Head was very noisy and was replaced. Timed recordings on the Hard Drive were unreliable with a weekly failure rate. The original equipment was replaced by John Lewis in September. The second machine was equally unreliable and it spent 6 weeks at a local repair agent. Following a Software Upgrade, Timed Recordings are satisfactory. However, Freeview reception is still considerably inferior to my Sony HXD 870 Hard Drive Recorder. I do NOT recommend this product or similar Panasonic equipment.
Diane Roberts
So pleased to see Samsung came top in audio-visual tests. I am an ex TV producer and picture quality and sound quality is so important to me that I always look for places that allow you to run comparable sets side by side when buying and each time the Samsung LED HDTV stood out. Well done Which for your reliable testing!
Peter
We bought a Panasonic television(TX 26LXD80)after reading the rave reviews in Which, several months before our local digital switchover. As a result, a fault in reception was not finally attributed to the set itself, rather than the aerial, or transmitter shortcomings, until after expiry of the warranty. A part was, nevertheless, replaced, free of charge, and everything went well until the winter, when a similar intermittent fault revealed itself. The local Panasonic repair agency failed to to find the fault,so we contacted Panasonic directly. Their best solution was for us to take the set to another repair shop, which would investigate further, for a £150-£200 fee. We feel that this is a completely inadequate customer service response to a complaint about a television set which was not fit for purpose, as sold, and so we have no intention of purchasing a Panasonic television set ever again.
DaveG
After reading about the faults people have had,I think they should be looking at the Sale of Goods Act,but it’s surprising how many staff at Firms know nothing about the Act,so if you insist on speaking to their Supervisor then you will get a response.It works.
Phil Bailey
I have both a 32″ Panasonic LCD TV (L32S20) and a new BW780 Blu Ray Recorder and I think they are both absolutely fantastic. I have only had these for a few months, so cannot comment on long term reliability (though previously I had a Panny DVD/HDD recorder which performed flawlessly for 5 years or so) but the picture and sound quality of both cannot be faulted, nor the very intuitive useability.
I also agree with Tom that Apple products are also excellent as I have an iPhone and a MacBook Pro, both of which are also excellent.
So, keep up the good work both Panasonic & Apple!
fan
panasonic plasma is best tv currently on market
patmac
I was extremely pleased with my Panasonic 32″ LCD tv, however when upgrading I didn’t consider Panasonic due to the EPG with adverts – really annoying.
JayTee
Bought a Panasonic TV from Comet (unfortunately). The TX-L42ET5B. It died post-Comet, and is in the local Approved Panasonic repair facility for a warranty repair. The inform me that there is a 5 week lead time for the necessary part. So, a £750 TV which is under a year old is sitting gathering dust, whilst, in order to keep my daughter happy, I’ve had to buy another TV to tide her over, whilst Panasonic ‘regret the delay’. So do I, and buying it in the first place. My first and last Panasonic TV. It didn’t even do what it said on the tin. “Watch catch up TV over the internet”, which is true if you only want BBC, it won’t do ITV or Channels 4 & 5..
Patrick Steen
Hello JayTee, would you like us to pass your details over to Panasonic? They have contacted us and would like to help you.
JayTee
Hi, Patrick. I’ve been in touch with Panasonic, eventually (customer service is difficult to find, Technical Support had to put me through), they were less than helpful, merely re-iterating the information they gave the repair agency. How would they help now, with only a week and a half left before the spare is delivered, hopefully? But please do. Regards, John.
JayTee
8 days later, heard nothing from Panasonic. Had a message from the repair organisation yesterday. One board for the TV is in, the other is due on the 16th April. Rubbish customer service and product.
JayTee
Just had an e-mail from Panasonic (17th April), asking for my details to “investigate this matter”. Too little, too late, sadly.
Len M
I have always loved Panasonic, especially their cameras & TVs. However, my Panasonic PVR (TU-CTH100) has been a real pain. It would often freeze, and had to be turned off to “Re-boot” it. It is also very slow in response, and if you hurry to do something just after turning it on, up comes the banner “Hard disk not ready – Please Wait”. The latest problem, is that with the clocks going forward, the automatic time correction has stopped working, and there is no way to set it manually. From a search on the internet, this is not an isolated case, and one expert, replying to someone’s request about resetting the time, suggested resetting to “Shipping condition”. In desperation, I tried this, but it didn’t solve the problem. I’m still on GMT, and now have to replace all my settings. I have a vague recollection that the time was obtained from Teletext, which may no longer exist, but couldn’t Panasonic do a software upgrade?
Philip
Kettle, toaster, microwave, 2 HiFi systems, 3 TVs, vacuum cleaner, shaver, 2 bedside alarm clocks, 2 cameras, blu ray recorder, hair clippers,HDD recorder, surround sound system, rechargeable batteries and chargers are to name only some of the Panasonic products I own!
And they are all brilliant. By far the best electronics brand on earth. And no, I neither work for them or have been paid by them to write this!