Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In the beginning of January I purchased this sound bar after several weeks of studying and price-checking. I have had never had a Soundbar or a Vizio product before and was so incredibly excited for this to come in since I had bought a 51" Samsung Plasma TV back in December (2013). I purchased the Soundbar System and the product was delivered in a timely fashion. The set-up was easy, but it did take a while for my fiancé and I to figure out why we couldn't really hear any "surround sound." Our remote that was given to us was not very good. Sometime it took several pushes of the same button to get the menu to switch from Bass to Treble; and then another 3 or 4 pushes on the remote to get it to move to Surround Sound, etc. Because this product was new to us it took awhile for us to figure out that we had a defective remote, but it in the end we could make it work. Not a big deal. What is a BIG DEAL is that after 5 weeks of ownership AUX 2 and the Digital inputs stopped working. The only input we used from that point on was the optical, which did work and still does. I called in to Vizio and I was told to just plug all of my components into the TV and run the optical to the Soundbar from the TV. Everything I had read (and I am not an expert) was that this is the last thing you want to do. I read that most TV's will not put out the Surround Sound as it was intended in the 5.1 mode if you set it up in the manner Vizio suggested to me. That the best way to accomplish this is to plug each component to your TV, but the sound should go directly to the Soundbar. After spending $300 for this product I was surprised to hear Customer Service tell me to just ignore the inability to use Surround Sound. I told them that I am not an expert, but I am not a novice either, and that I knew what they were telling me was not right. Had I been an older man or woman I am sure I would have believed them and let it go. It makes me really uncomfortable knowing that this was their first attempt to help me with my issue. That if this was my Dad, he would have been taken advantage of... Now that they were aware that I am not a novice, I was walked thru a "power re-boot" of the system. Great! Everything worked! I was happy that my fiancé & I would be watching a movie thru the Roku that night. So, two hours later, I set up the Roku and Vizio system to play and the Vizio product had conked out once again. I was so frustrated after spending all of that time on the phone with them earlier in the day. I went thru the steps of a system re-boot once again, only this time it did not work. I called Vizio again to let them know what was going on. I also made them aware that the bottom covering of my Soundbar was drooping, and sent them a picture of the space that existed between the Soundbar and the bottom paneling. I had no intention of bothering Vizio with my Remote Control issues and the bottom paneling, until the system stopped working properly - again. In regards to the paneling, I was asked if I could push it back up to see if I could snap it back in place. Really? I am supposed to push the plastic paneling back up and hope it snaps in place? I was nervous that if I did that I could break it and then all of a sudden this problem is my fault. I took the leap and tried anyways, but to no avail. The paneling is still not flat and it will not snap back into place. I never even told them about the Remote Control issues because it seemed so unimportant compared to the rest of my issues. After Vizio received my pictures of the product (as I was asked to do) and reviewing my issues with the "supervisors," I was told that they would happily do an exchange. After all of this, I was ready for an exchange. BUT HERE IS THE KICKER!!! I WAS GIVEN TWO OPTIONS. GIVE THEM A CREDIT CARD, ONE THAT IS NEITHER ATTACHED TO A BANK, NOR A PREPAID CARD. THEY WOULD HOLD $300 ON THE CARD AND ONCE I RECEIVED THE NEW PRODUCT, I COULD PACKAGE THE LEMON IN THE PACKAGING THAT WOULD ARRIVE WITH THE NEW PRODUCT. ONCE THEY RECEIVE THE RETURN, THE $300 HOLD WOULD BE LIFTED. I PURCHASHED THIS SOUNDBAR WITH A CREDIT CARD OTHER THAN WHAT THEY ALLOW TO DO RETURNS ON. SO VIZIO WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY FROM ANY ONE OF YOUR CARDS FOR AN INITIAL PURCHASE, BUT WILL MAKE IT VERY CHALLENGING FOR A RETURN. MY OTHER OPTION IS TO RETURN THE LEMON ON MY OWN. THE BOX ALONE FOR A PRODUCT THIS SHAPE IS ABOUT $50 FOR THE SOUNDBAR (NOT INCLUDING THE SUBWOOFER AND SATTELITE SPEAKERS WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE BOXED SEPERATELY FROM THE SOUNDBAR). BETWEEN THE WEIGHT OF THE PRODUCT AND THE BOXES NEEDED TO RETURN THEM IN, IT WILL COST ABOUT ONE HALF OF WHAT I PAID FOR INITIALLY FOR THE PRODUCT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! Sorry for the capital letters folks but I needed to get this point across and I hope others will heed my warning. There was a time when my system was working that I was so happy with the product, and agreed with many of the other positive reviews listed here. Never in my life have I written a review this long, and I have only written a few product reviews in the past (I am now 40). I cannot be more disappointed with Vizio and the customer service that they offer. I am so frustrated that I wasted $300 and there is nothing I can do about it. Not once did it cross my mind that I would get a defective piece, and then get stuck with it. This whole thing is a sham. I do believe in karma, so either karma is coming back to bite me for something I did in my college years maybe, or maybe karma will come back and bite Vizio. I am half-kidding about that but, either way, how could I ever buy a Vizio product again? I don't trust them and I am out a Soundbar...what a terrible experience.