The support guy was very quick to point to where the issue was so I reckon it probably is fixed on newer ones!

I'm not sure if a Harmony remote would have worked much better with the way the IR receiver was located in the front panel initially. It was probably 1cm away from the glass and then shielded also so only a tiny part of it was exposed.. Maybe that is how they normally come but taking the shield off and bending it outwards is working great for me!

If it helps anyone else then happy days and if not then I'm still delighted lol...