Samsung Scam...

[DaveFromVan]

Hey LinuxTechTips Team,

 

I am a canadian that is overseas for work, I bought a samsung windows tablet in December 2018.  

 

The tablet did a windows and firmware update about 3 weeks ago.  When it rebooted, the tablet gave me a secure boot violation and wouldn't go any further.  I tried to enter the bios with no such luck.  The tablet would boot up to the Samsung logo, show the secure boot violation and then reboot.  If I plugged the charger in the device would show the battery status.

 

I contacted Samsung Canada for help but because I am overseas in Europe they were not able to help due to shipping restrictions; they recommended that I contact Samsung Germany.

 

Samsung Germany said they help and sent me the contact for an authorized samsung repair centre.  I filled out the RMA and clearly stated the problem was something from the software update. 

 

The service centre gave me a quote of 833 euros to repair the device.  They said they needed to replace the logic board and the lcd screen.  When asked why they also needed to replace the LCD screen as it was fully functional, they stated that based on their experience you always change the logic board and screen together.  

 

This made no sense to me, so I asked for the device to be returned.  When the device was returned to me --  the screen protector on the device had been removed, the screen was no longer functional, and there is grey adhesive around different parts of the device between the screen and the case.  It was clear that the shop had removed the screen and now the screen was non-functional!!

 

I have been trying to contact samsung canada and samsung germany to get resolution on this and I am getting a complete dead silence or run around....

 

HELP!!

 

ps. I'm happy to share all the docs to substantiate my comments...

 

No one likes getting screwed by unscrupulous repair shops that operate as "authorized repair centres" ....

 

Hope that someone on the team or in the forums might be able to provide some advice...

 

Many Thanks,

 

Expat Canadian.

[Tom_nerd]

7 minutes ago, DaveFromVan said:

 

Samsung Germany said they help and sent me the contact for an authorized samsung repair centre.  I filled out the RMA and clearly stated the problem was something from the software update. 

can you send me a link to the store that you went to because it is totally possible for a company to get that certification then turn there prices way up

[DaveFromVan]

https://www.letmerepair.com/location/bautzen

[SupaKomputa]

No, lcd screens are most like intact if it aint physically broken.

Now usually opening the tablet would need to get it from the front, opening the screen, hence the risk of damaging it.

This procedure is very risky even for veteran repairman.

That's why they usually ask for the screen cost.

The cost mostly coming from the logic board / motherboard, and it's expensive.

The lcd probably not that expensive.

They should ask you for the fee upfront, before doing anything, wait for your approval before opening.

This is clearly a breach of the standart procedure.

[DaveFromVan]

13 minutes ago, SupaKomputa said:

No, lcd screens are most like intact if it aint physically broken.

Now usually opening the tablet would need to get it from the front, opening the screen, hence the risk of damaging it.

This procedure is very risky even for veteran repairman.

That's why they usually ask for the screen cost.

The cost mostly coming from the logic board / motherboard, and it's expensive.

The lcd probably not that expensive.

They should ask you for the fee upfront, before doing anything, wait for your approval before opening.

This is clearly a breach of the standart procedure.

This is exactly my issue. 

 

I sent it to them with an issue where the windows update corrupted the UEFI/EFI, the device would boot to the samsung logo and then the blue light would blink.  Then a red box would come up indicating there was a secure boot violation due to an invalid signature.  I needed someone to reflash the bios (possibly) and re-install windows as I couldn't access anything from the loop it was in.

 

The device when returned has been opened, the screen is non-functional, and I am getting no answer from Samsung...on either the Canadian or German side...

[LogicalDrm]

If you have bought it from Germany, be in contact with German consumer protection offices. In EU, stores are also usually those which handle any warranty claims, so contacting Canadian offices if you have bought it in EU doesn't really have any effect. Its more effective to threaten them with authorities than anything else.

[TetraSky]

If it was just a secure boot issue... Couldn't you enter the bios of the tablet (through some button press during POST), disable secure boot and reinstall the OS ? This shouldn't have even been opened. I was able to do just that with a Dell windows tablet (only needed an OTG powered USB hub to plug a keyboard and mouse to the tablet to reinstall the OS... Could've also probably just use the built-in recover as well.)

 

That repair center totally broke your screen while opening the tablet, for some unknown reason, and decided to try and charge you for it.

[Rohith_Kumar_Sp]

I know this doesn't solve your issue, but this is exactly the type of stuff Louis Rossman deals, he usually does Apple stuff, but you should forward this post to him so he might cover the issue on his channel 

https://www.rossmanngroup.com/contact/

https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup/featured

[Helpful Tech Witch]

3 hours ago, DaveFromVan said:

LinuxTechTips

That's @GabenJr's channel.

 

Actually, that should be the next LTT sub channel.

[RejZoR]

I've had similar BS ages ago. Had netbook with Windows XP (Acer Aspire One) and it got infected with Virut virus somehow which screwed up the built in recovery partition. And I had to pay like 70€ to get a fix because I couldn't reinstall WIndows XP because all you got was that recovery partition that was screwed up. Literally had to pay for their shit design. If they put external means of reinstalling Windows XP I would do so myself.

 

Thank god Windows 10 can be rolled over from any source and it'll detect HardwareID and instantly activate the license back up.

 

As for your case, damn, for that money you can get a brand new fully functional device with new warranty. Absurd price for a repairing of a problem their own system/design created...

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

1 hour ago, RejZoR said:

I've had similar BS ages ago. Had netbook with Windows XP (Acer Aspire One) and it got infected with Virut virus somehow which screwed up the built in recovery partition. And I had to pay like 70€ to get a fix because I couldn't reinstall WIndows XP because all you got was that recovery partition that was screwed up. Literally had to pay for their shit design. If they put external means of reinstalling Windows XP I would do so myself.

 

Thank god Windows 10 can be rolled over from any source and it'll detect HardwareID and instantly activate the license back up.

 

As for your case, damn, for that money you can get a brand new fully functional device with new warranty. Absurd price for a repairing of a problem their own system/design created...

Sir... you do understand how viruses work right? 

[RejZoR]

18 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Sir... you do understand how viruses work right? 

Yeah, in a way that recovery partition that should recover shit failed to recover shit. If they put a damn CD or USB drive with it and I could actually RECOVER anything...

[RejZoR]

30 minutes ago, rrubberr said:

Do you think it's appropriate to blame Acer for you installing malware?

Yeah, it's appropriate to blame them for only providing absolutely worthless recovery method that's built into the device drive. I mean, what kind of "recovery" it is if it can't recover shit?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

43 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Yeah, in a way that recovery partition that should recover shit failed to recover shit. If they put a damn CD or USB drive with it and I could actually RECOVER anything...

You do realize viruses can and will target recovery partitions as well right. That's what they're meant to do, cause havoc. Which is why the first thing you're supposed to do with a new laptop is to create that recovery CD/USB. Otherwise, no one can guarantee if anything in that partition is compromised. 

[DaveFromVan]

22 hours ago, TetraSky said:

If it was just a secure boot issue... Couldn't you enter the bios of the tablet (through some button press during POST), disable secure boot and reinstall the OS ? This shouldn't have even been opened. I was able to do just that with a Dell windows tablet (only needed an OTG powered USB hub to plug a keyboard and mouse to the tablet to reinstall the OS... Could've also probably just use the built-in recover as well.)

 

That repair center totally broke your screen while opening the tablet, for some unknown reason, and decided to try and charge you for it.

Yeah this was my first thought too, so I tried this but had no luck entering the bios it would just show the secure boot failure and then restart.  This was the primary reason I wanted to have it go to a repair centre as there was the chance that the update also did a firmware update as well when the windows update came down...but I truly don't know, it updated and then rebooted and on reboot it was the secure boot violation and the continual reboot cycle...

 

23 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

If you have bought it from Germany, be in contact with German consumer protection offices. In EU, stores are also usually those which handle any warranty claims, so contacting Canadian offices if you have bought it in EU doesn't really have any effect. Its more effective to threaten them with authorities than anything else.

So this is where the problem comes.  I bought the device in Vancouver from a London Drugs before coming to Germany.  Now I'm here on an extended work arrangement and the issue with the device happened.  I called Samsung Canada and they said I could send it to a Canadian repair facility but that repair facility could not ship it back to me in Germany (it can only ship it to a canadian address which I don't have and if I had a relative do this for me I would have to pay duties as it re-entered the EU).  Samsung Canada recommended I contact Samsung Germany.  I did this and Samsung Germany said that it sounded like a software problem so they were pretty confident a authorized repair centre here in Germany could help and they gave me the address of the closest repair centre.  I sent the device to them and ipso facto ... here we are...

 

so essentially I am stuck between Samsung Germany and Samsung Canada and I'm not getting any answers from either -- hence my appeal for some assistance from anyone who has ties or contacts in either company who could help get this sorted out...

 

shitty situation....

 

 

22 hours ago, Rohith_Kumar_Sp said:

I know this doesn't solve your issue, but this is exactly the type of stuff Louis Rossman deals, he usually does Apple stuff, but you should forward this post to him so he might cover the issue on his channel 

https://www.rossmanngroup.com/contact/

https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup/featured

Thanks - I sent them an email...

 

21 hours ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

That's @GabenJr's channel.

 

Actually, that should be the next LTT sub channel.

Any exposure this gets, will help put some pressure on Samsung to deal with this (I hope...in my own naive way...)

[Mark Kaine]

Yeah well, that really seems like a scam because samsung should have told you to send this item in directly to them and not some " authorized repair center".

 

Now you could either sue Samsung (germany) as they were the ones telling you to do this,or the"repair center", neither of which are desirable solutions, but may legally the only options regardless. (Could go to a lawyer, sometimes a nice letter can solve issues like that too)