LG Ultragear 27GL83A-B 27 inch 16:9 QHD IPS 144Hz Refresh Rate 1ms NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible Gaming Monitor, Black

The monitor broke after 2 days of use. It now flickers every 6.5 seconds. I swapped cables and ports. No avail. Plugged different computers into it. Same result. So I submitted an online support ticket to LG.

Let me say this: bad things happen. I’m not overly irritated the monitor broke. No production process is flawless and duds will happen. My concern is LG’s support process.

I received it on Friday. It started malfunctioning on Sunday.

I submitted the online support request Sunday night and received an automated email almost immediately. The closing line is “We will call you as soon as possible.” Note that word: “call.”

Monday I received an email from “Arianne” reiterating the ticket number, informing me to look for additional correspondence with shipping labels, offering condolences, and providing links to create support requests. As an IT professional, I hate these emails. All of that could have been accomplished in the automated response. Additionally, since I have created the ticket which kicked off this process, I don’t need instructions or links to accomplish what I’ve already successfully done. These emails are designed to placate the individual and provide a “human touch.” I find them condescending and superfluous.

Tuesday night I received the shipping label and instructions to arrange a FedEx pick up.

FedEx picked up the monitor Saturday.

Keep in mind, it has now been 7 days and there has been no mention of when I will receive a replacement, and no actual contact with any support professional, no troubleshooting, and no “call.”

So I called them.

I asked for an estimate on when I can expect a replacement. I am informed that it is under warranty (duh, it broke after 2 days). But the warranty is a repair or replace warranty. So they have 10 business days from the time they receive it to attempt repairs. It could take as little as a “couple of days” if it’s an easy fix. If they determine it’s not repairable or cost effective to repair, I will receive a replacement or a refund. I am also told to allow 3-4 days shipping each way. For those keeping count, that means 3-4 days to them, 10 business days for assessment and repair (which will include at least 1 weekend), and 3-4 days return trip. I paid for a monitor, got 2 days of use out of it, and won’t have it back in working fashion for up to 20 days if all goes well. If all does not go well, I will wait a full month for a monitor I already paid for, and then be given a refund, purchase a replacement, wait another week for delivery, and hope this process does not repeat.

When I spend a few hundred dollars on something, I expect it to work. If it happens to be faulty, I expect a PROMPT replacement. Nothing about this has been prompt thus far, and they are promising more of the same. And don’t tell me you’re going to call and then make me have to reach out to you a full week later.

At this point I hope it becomes a refund scenario because I am not overjoyed at the prospect of doing business with LG in the future.

**First update**
Last week I called LG support again since they still seem unable to contact me and provide any guidance or information. I was told the monitor was still in transit.

**Second update**
It is now May 17th (14 days since I submitted the support request)
I called the support number to day for an update. The support person tells me the repair team has not received the monitor yet, but he will follow up and have someone contact me. He advises me to expect a phone call and that I should “keep my line clear.” He also took down my email address because they will send out “periodic updates of repair progress.” That part is concerning since that information is already in the system with the repair tick (what they refer to as an RNN number). I have not received any call or email yet. Meanwhile, my repair status is still “Appointment Confirmation” which is the same status it has been in since I submitted the request 2 weeks ago.

**Third Update**
It’s May 31st. They still list my monitor as being in repair status. Since my last update I have had contact with them twice. The first was when they called me to due to me filing a complaint on their website. All that person did was reiterate this is their standard support process. He took down my number and email address and informed me they would update me periodically throughout the process. To date, that call is the only contact they have initiated. I have received no updates in any format without reaching out to them myself. I called them again on the 26th to get a progress update and spoke to someone who told me it had not yet been repaired and parts had been ordered. He told me to expect the monitor between the 27th and the 31st. Seeing as how the ticket shows it still hasn’t been repaired (and the date of this update), we can all guess how accurate that information was.

**Fourth Update**
June 1st. It has now been 29 days since the support request was submitted.
I called again today since yesterday was the deadline for them to complete repair, replacement, or refund. I am being told the repair facility is waiting on parts which will not be available until next week. I requested they escalate the call to a manager since they are now in violation of their own terms, which they have explained to me each time I have reached out for updates. The response I was given is that they will transfer the call but I will be provided the same information. I reiterate they are past their own deadline and this is unacceptable. I clearly state there needs to be a resolution today and I need to be transferred to someone who can make that happen. He says please hold. I have been on hold for half an hour.

**Fifth Update**
June 1st update part 2. After being on hold for just over an hour, I spoke to a woman who explained the following to me:
1. They should have never given me turnaround times. They are not supposed to set those expectations because they cannot guarantee them.
2. She will initiate the refund/replacement process for me, but can’t do it herself. She has to send an email to the repair department (Elizabeth) because they are the only ones who can initiate a replacement or refund request. She will send the email off instructing (asking?) them to initiate a replacement or refund request and call me back in “a few days” to “let me know what they say.”
3. The parts needed to repair my monitor are on back order.
So for those keeping score, I am still losing. My current status is that the department that has failed me repeatedly are apparently the only ones who can resolve the issue. I should basically just kiss my $406.59 goodbye. I have utilized the “Email the President” feature on the LG website but I am not holding my breath. In short, while I like LG products and have purchased numerous over the years, their support system is the worst I have ever encountered and I will not purchase any of their products in the future.

**Sixth Update**
June 8th. No one ever called me back as promised back on June 1st. The monitor simply showed up at my door yesterday (not a replacement or refund as indicated on the 1st, but the original monitor…supposedly repaired). I bit my tongue and set it up. It seemed to work fine last night. This morning, however, it is back to flickering…but now every 3 seconds. So the monitor is worse than when I sent it in. I called LG support and they said in this scenario they would ask that I send the monitor back to them for additional repairs. I refused and said I want my money back. Now I’m on hold again to speak with someone from “executive support.”

**7th Update**
After speaking with “executive support” on the 8th, I was told they were going to submit a request for a refund and someone would call me back on the 10th or 11th. It is now the 14th and I have heard nothing, so I called LG support again and was immediately informed by the gentleman who answered the phone that no request has been processed. So I’m on hold (again) for “executive support.” This has moved from agonizingly frustrating to downright unacceptable and bordering on theft.

**8th update**
After a brief hold I spoke to a woman who said she needed to put me on hold to track down a co-worker (presumably the guy I spoke to last week). 5 minutes later she came back on the line and gave the same initial greeting. I told her I was still waiting for her to track down the co-worker and she hung up on me.

**9th Update**
Called back and spoke to someone from the executive support/services team who says the following:
1. The refund request was not submitted last week because their is a chance it could get rejected. So I have been waiting for a week on a callback to update me on the status of something they never actually did.
2. Their policy is that they get TWO repair chances before a refund can be considered.
3. They can submit the refund request but there is a chance it could get rejected because I have not allowed them a second chance at repairs.

As of this writing, I have reached out to them twice via the message the president feature (which I received only one response to). That person said they were my case manager and I haven’t heard from them since. I have reached out via Twitter with no response yet. I have tracked them down by phone on a regular basis because no one ever follows up as they promise. And now I know they don’t call me back because they don’t take the actions they tell me they will, and if I don’t call them I’ll never know that I’m sitting with a broken monitor that no one wants to deal with.

This is not “customer support.”

**10th update**
Charlie from LG is now my case manager. According to him, the refund request has been submitted which goes to someone higher up for review. That takes 7-10 business days (sound familiar?). If it is approved, I can expect a refund in 4-6 weeks (mid August). If it is rejected, I have to send the monitor in again, and if all works as it previously did, I’ll get it back sometime in mid August…and maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t.

So lose/lose.

**11th update**
June 26th.
Yesterday (the 25th) was the 10th business day (7-10 business days to review a refund request). I reached out to Charlie by responding to the text message he sent me on the 14th. Here is Charlie’s original text to me:

“This is Charlie from LG following up with you regarding your case. I will be your case manager until this is resolved. I will be sending you updates on your case. You do not need to call into customer service. Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions or concerns and I will respond promptly.”

Is anyone surprised I have received no updates regarding my case? Is anyone surprised that I got no response to my inquiry yesterday? Me neither.

The saga continues.

**12th update**
July 26th
Haven’t updated this in a while because, frankly, I just thought I was over it. Turns out, I’m not.
My refund request was denied because I have to give them two repair attempts. So I sent it back.
It arrived on my doorstep today. No updates or notifications since I sent it back to them, and the case tracker says repairs haven’t even been started. But it’s on my doorstep…with no power cable.
I called in and explained the issue. I got put on hold while the rep “went off to see what he can find out.” He came back and told me he sent this to someone above him and that person will review and get back to me. I asked for an ETA. He said he can’t tell me “when they will have time to reach out.” I told him that was unacceptable and he hung up on me.

**13th update**
July 30th
So I spent two days calling the executive management hotline and they are apparently no longer taking my calls. I pulled the number for the repair facility off some shipping labels and called them (NOT LG by the way…they outsource repairs). That rep told me they had a ticket for me to return the monitor for a third attempt at repairs. I explained that it was returned to me without a power cable, and that I did not know if it needed repairs because I cannot plug it in to check. She then closed the return request and arranged to ship me a power cable. Today I received a text message from the Executive Support number. It states: “Our service records show that you recently spoke directly with an LG Presidential Liaison, is that correct? Please kindly select a number to let us know. 1) Yes 2) No” I have NOT spoken to any presidential liaison and responded accordingly. I have no idea at this point what that question and response will or won’t lead to. The power cable arrived today, and at this point it appears the monitor may be functioning properly. I’ll leave it running and reverify tomorrow since the issue has never presented immediately.

At this point I should mention the guy who hung up on me on the 26th told me, “sir, we are doing our best to help you.”

I really hope my experience is NOT what LG considers to be their best.

**14th Update**
August 6th
I can now confirm the monitor is finally working. I have been using it for just over a week now and the flickering has not returned. There has been no contact from LG since they sent the missing power cable, and no follow-up to the previously mentioned text wherein they were “confirming” I had spoken to some mystery liaison (which never happened). And to be blunt, I am not calling to let them know they finally fixed it because, as I think we all can agree, they don’t really care.

So, in summary, beware of LG support. It took over 3 months and ridiculous amounts of frustration to get a broken device repaired.

Toodles.

Worked for 30 minutes and the it just died.
Constant flickering , permanent ghosting , and other artifacts

Maybe I got a lemon.

Returning this for another replacement to give it another shot.

G-sync compatible
The response time is outstanding
Low input lag
sturdy stand
outstanding color accuracy
has good reflection handling

Out of the box, the wide gamut takes a bit to get used to. The colours are good, but the white is a little cool. The SRGB emulation is spot on and nicely calibrated. No colour banding. No weird artifacting. Minimal or not noticeable backlight bleed. Great gamma curve, IPS glow is barely noticeable on a full black screen. Great responce time. Good colour reproduction. Contrast is purportedly low but it looks good to me.

Best of all, no returning endlessly to get a good monitor. (I’ve gone through a few, notably AUO panels from Acer and Asus – all AOU panels, like the Predator X27, are $2000 pieces of garbage). Lagom certifies my monitor across the board, and it looks good with high resolution media too (so a good all-rounder).

Hands down the best panel of 2019 in my opinion. Sure, I *really* wanted a 32″ 4k 144hz monitor that shares all of the above, but that’ll be for 2020 or 2021 whenever they come out. This is the monitor to buy in 2019 if you need a solid gaming monitor that can cover a few bases.

On paper, this monitor has it all (minus 4k obviously).
2k Res, 144 hz, IPS 1ms response, HDR, I mean you read the description obviously.

In practice :
+ Amazing Picture quality, brightness and colors, it was an out-of-this-world upgrade for me compared to my ASUS VG248QZ
+ Responsive and high refresh rates
+ Easy to tweek settings, all options have a description which helps understand what it does and it displays at the top the main settings status like refresh rate, adaptative-sync, response time, HDR…
+ Sturdy Build

~ Adaptive-Sync, didn’t really see any difference from not having it on my ASUS VG248QZ so far.

– HDR rendered the image bland, turned it off. It allows the HDR input but the end result is mediocre.

Overall, I am happy with this monitor, I may upgrade my GPU (1660ti) so I can appreciate it even more!
Not recommended if HDR is your main concern.
I will provide an update to this review if anything significant changes.

Gorgeous picture quality while still retaining snappy response times. For a primarly MMORPG player, there is no better monitor in this price category. 1440p gives you a large overview of the scenery/battle area, while the IPS keeps that scenery looking gorgeous instead of washed out. Meanwhile the response times are still good enough for most FPS gamers, and the 144 HZ refresh rate is also good enough for most gamers as well (hugely noticeable difference from 60fps). My only caveat is, now that I’ve gone from 60-144 HZ, I’m thinking if I one day change monitor in future, I think 240 HZ might very well be worth it. However, I enjoy my picture quality too much to switch to an TN panel just yet. Regarding choosing a 1440p monitor over a 1080p monitor, keep in mind that older graphics cards may struggle to give high FPS on a beefy 1440p monitor. However, the latest generation models (2060-2080, or 1070-1080 NVIDIA cards) should have no problems running 100+ fps on most games in high or ultra high graphics for this monitor.

The stand is quite nice to use. Super adjustable. Looks decent. Does what it needs to do lol.

You’ve probably been asking yourself for days, TN or IPS panel? And probably you just can’t make up your mind. And after doing a lot of my own research, I finally crystalized my thinking on it, and perhaps what I concluded can help you too.

Your choice will depend on the type of gaming you prefer. If you are a *primarily* FPS-gamer, I’d stay with mid to upper-range TN panels for now. Sure, the colors will be a little more washed out, but those super-low response times and input lag combined with 240HZ (or better) will be what you want. However, if you play a mix of FPS and adventure/mmorpg/other games, and/or you want to watch videos/pictures/etc and have them look amazing, this particular IPS panel is fantastic. The colors are undeniably better than TN panel with the performance coming startlingly close to that of a TN panel—perhaps close enough that only a professional FPS player might be able to tell the difference. And finally, if you don’t play FPS at all, then this monitor is also suitable, though perhaps even more than what you need. (As a non-gamer, you might consider VGA for the most true-to-life color representations, though the response times/input lag make them not really that suitable for gaming).

Hope that helps.

Do recommend this monitor, though not to those on a budget. But I consider it worth the money I spent. If you are on the fence, try shopping for it around Black Friday/Cyber Monday and see if you can snap up a deal!

Picture shows new monitor in middle, 27”. On right is an old, 18.1” alienware laptop screen for comparison. On left is meshify S2 computer case.