I can't believe how bad Samsung's support is - Lied to repeatedly, denied warranty for a new phone, refused to send unfixed phone back and charged $$$

[Sneaky_Turtle]

Hi everyone,

 

I have lost this battle but I wanted to share it anyway, mostly to find out if other people int he US have had similar experiences.

 

I'm a European who moved to the US a year ago, and a few months ago I bought an international S23+ from the Samsung store in Amazon (in the US). I had it two months before the charging port broke, and I sent it in for warranty. Now up to this point, I had been assured several times that the phone had warranty coverage, and the Samsung site shows I have it (the US site. I have screenshots if you are interested), so as annoyed as I was at a defective phone I didn't think too much of it.

 

That is until Samsung slaps me with a $110 repair fee because its not covered by warranty. I tell them that I was told by Samsung support staff, by phone, that I had warranty if I wanted to send it, and showed them screenshots of the warranty checker on their site. They kept saying they do not cover it and I must pay because its international. As a European I am used to having consumer right laws so this sounded insane to me, especially after being told by Samsung itself I had coverage, and with a website confirming that statement for its exact IMEI (not to mention the box it came in with a big "1 year manufacturer service"). Americans I have spoken to have said its my fault for getting an international model, but 1) it was sold new on the Samsung Amazon store and 2) I want two sim card slots for EU and US sim, what's the big deal.

 

After some consideration, a BBB complaint, and an email to the CEO's office, I give in and pay because I want my new phone back. And this was the biggest mistake I could have made. Even though the support rep told me it would take 7-14 business days, and that they could fix it, they immediately put the repair on hold for parts the following Monday. And then I waited one week. Two weeks. Three weeks. No contact ever came from Samsung, and every time I contacted them I got a different answer about whats happening. I have wasted so much time on this I should have tried to just fix it myself, I just didn't want to mess up my brand new almost thousand dollar phone.

 

Last week I contacted support again and I was told the repair is done, it's being inspected for QC, it will be shipped in 24-48 hours (this was by text so I have proof). Nothing happened after 3 days, so I called, where my case was escalated. One day later my repair was cancelled due to parts not being available, I was charged almost $110 for the "repair", and I was told that because my phone is international they 1) cannot return it to me unfixed and 2) cannot give me a replacement (because its a different model. seriously?? then give me the next best one, how is this legal). So I took a refund having no options, meaning I will end up without a phone and $110 poorer (plus all the money wasted on cases, protectors, accessories). At least, I chose a refund, it's been a week now and I have heard nothing from Samsung about it, and have not been able to provide any financial details for where to send the money. According to them, "they cannot give me a time frame because they are waiting for internal documents". At this rate, I'll either never get my money back or it will be by 2045.

 

In the end I am almost happy I am getting a refund and that I am being charged for being lied to and having my property taken, because it means I can never buy a Samsung product again and not have to keep using one. It's my first experience with Samsung and I will literally go as far out of my way now to never buy any appliance or product of theirs. I have spent so much time, been lied to so many times, I just needed to share my story with someone. Even if it dies in the forum, someone should know this experience. I genuinely think they just have fun gaslighting people and making life hard.

 

If you have any suggestions about what to do, please let me know, it was bought in VA if it makes any difference. What really makes me mad is I could have still returned the phone to Amazon when I checked if it had warranty (as the charging port was acting strangely with certain USB cables and I had a suspicion), but because I was told I had warranty coverage I did not do it.

 

Happy holidays and I hope you will not have to endure an experience like this.

[wanderingfool2]

11 hours ago, htimsenyawed said:

I've never taken a chance on any product they make, except the SSDs because they're apparently amazing but I see no difference in them and the Crucial SSDs. However, if the Samsung fails, I know that I'll be shit out of luck and just replace it with... Crucial.

Samsung SSD's are vertically integrated effectively, or at least they were...haven't needed to check if they still are.

 

Crucial on the other hand relies on Micron for their NAND flash.

 

 

 

To @Sneaky_Turtle are you sure the warranty had been denied originally because of it being an "international" variant...or perhaps they noted that it was damaged due to improper usage (like being hit while plugged in).  As a note, most people don't do it, but you would have had to fill in the warranty card and submit it to them (it's part of the instructions)...although if you were told before hand that the phone was under warranty, then make sure you have that documentation.

 

When you say they offered a refund, do you mean a refund on the phone purchase or refund on the repair?  If they are not capable of effecting the repair, they cannot charge you for it.

 

While I am not saying you are lying, but I've seem people who flip out at service reps (and in turn the service reps don't care and just give them bad information).

 

If what you are saying was true, at the point they said that they cannot repair the phone and cannot return the phone to you; I would start documenting all the conversations and make sure they know you are documenting.

 

It might just be me, as when a company messes with me, I have a tendency not to care about my "time" and am willing to effectively let them regret not following their own statements.  I'd then clearly state to them they are legally not entitled to keep the phone and as they are unable to do the repairs in a reasonable time that they must return your phone.  Then when they say they can't, just say they cannot legally keep your phone and it must be returned.  At the point of offering a refund, I would have asked them to cover all costs associated with no longer being able to use the phone (i.e. The price of all the now useless accessories).

 

If they refused, then I get back to that they must return the phone.  If they refuse, then I would contact the local news...see if they would be willing to get involved (sometimes the news likes the story like this).  If not, again because I sometimes get into a vindictive move, I would file a small claims court requesting the return of my phone (I suspect they probably damaged it more by mistake).  If they say they cannot produce the phone, I would request fair compensation for the item, including all relevant expenses occurred from the time they said the phone would be returned.

[Mark Kaine]

12 hours ago, htimsenyawed said:

 

Every appliance they make is dogshit. They're priced like Miele and Speed Queen but frequently fail. I've never taken a chance on any product they make, except the SSDs because they're apparently amazing but I see no difference in them and the Crucial SSDs. However, if the Samsung fails, I know that I'll be shit out of luck and just replace it with... Crucial.

crucial is slightly slower, and has a bit shorter expected life span ... that's about it, and its also appropriately priced, as in slightly cheaper than Samsung counter parts. 

 

also don't forget the ram, Samsung makes great ram, typically more heat resistant and easier overclockable due to taking more voltage...

 

but i agree their other electronics seem to be a bit trash, especially their phones... but that also goes for most manufacturers currently i guess.

 

ps: i have a samsung evo 850, from release year (2014) still going strong,  wear level almost non existent (its at 96% or something iirc, while my much newer crucial mx500 is at 92%...)

[Fetzie]

38 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

Samsung SSD's are vertically integrated effectively, or at least they were...haven't needed to check if they still are.

 

Crucial on the other hand relies on Micron for their NAND flash.

Crucial is Micron's B2C brand

[Middcore]

Crucial and Micron are the same company.

[Sneaky_Turtle]

On 12/23/2023 at 11:34 AM, wanderingfool2 said:

Samsung SSD's are vertically integrated effectively, or at least they were...haven't needed to check if they still are.

 

Crucial on the other hand relies on Micron for their NAND flash.

 

 

 

To @Sneaky_Turtle are you sure the warranty had been denied originally because of it being an "international" variant...or perhaps they noted that it was damaged due to improper usage (like being hit while plugged in).  As a note, most people don't do it, but you would have had to fill in the warranty card and submit it to them (it's part of the instructions)...although if you were told before hand that the phone was under warranty, then make sure you have that documentation.

 

When you say they offered a refund, do you mean a refund on the phone purchase or refund on the repair?  If they are not capable of effecting the repair, they cannot charge you for it.

 

While I am not saying you are lying, but I've seem people who flip out at service reps (and in turn the service reps don't care and just give them bad information).

 

If what you are saying was true, at the point they said that they cannot repair the phone and cannot return the phone to you; I would start documenting all the conversations and make sure they know you are documenting.

 

It might just be me, as when a company messes with me, I have a tendency not to care about my "time" and am willing to effectively let them regret not following their own statements.  I'd then clearly state to them they are legally not entitled to keep the phone and as they are unable to do the repairs in a reasonable time that they must return your phone.  Then when they say they can't, just say they cannot legally keep your phone and it must be returned.  At the point of offering a refund, I would have asked them to cover all costs associated with no longer being able to use the phone (i.e. The price of all the now useless accessories).

 

If they refused, then I get back to that they must return the phone.  If they refuse, then I would contact the local news...see if they would be willing to get involved (sometimes the news likes the story like this).  If not, again because I sometimes get into a vindictive move, I would file a small claims court requesting the return of my phone (I suspect they probably damaged it more by mistake).  If they say they cannot produce the phone, I would request fair compensation for the item, including all relevant expenses occurred from the time they said the phone would be returned.

I have written documentation with them saying that they are charging me because it's an international variant, not because the damage is my fault (this was never mentioned). Also, I never received a single instruction telling me to fill out the warranty card. I was sent a packer and followed the instructions in it, that's it. But I went to a walk-in store before that and they said it's defective, and would have fixed it for free if they could have ordered the international part (but it was not available in the system).

 

As to being told I have warranty, that was by phone so I don't have recorded evidence besides the website showing the IMEI under warranty (I have screenshots of that). I did have text messages confirming it as well, but since they were from the phone I sent in and Samsung backup only lasts a month, that's gone (convenient, isn't it?)

 

I asked several times to have my phone returned and the guy just said no, and that refund was the only option. I wasn't even given a choice before they went through with "approving" the refund, even though I haven't received a cent for it and it's been 2 weeks. Every time I contact them they say they're waiting for documentation.

 

And yes, they're charging the repair without having repaired anything. The money they are saying they will refund is just the phone + tax, I included receipts for accessories but they will not refund those.

 

I don't even think they will refund me at this point, never mind give me the repair money back. If this is breaking a specific law please let me know so I can reference in my emails with the CEO office. I'm getting so stressed out having had 20+ phonecalls and just being stonewalled, the support staff just yells at you and repeats the same script over and over.

 

 

 

 

[Lurking]

22 minutes ago, Sneaky_Turtle said:

I have written documentation with them saying that they are charging me because it's an international variant, not because the damage is my fault (this was never mentioned). Also, I never received a single instruction telling me to fill out the warranty card. I was sent a packer and followed the instructions in it, that's it. But I went to a walk-in store before that and they said it's defective, and would have fixed it for free if they could have ordered the international part (but it was not available in the system).

 

As to being told I have warranty, that was by phone so I don't have recorded evidence besides the website showing the IMEI under warranty (I have screenshots of that). I did have text messages confirming it as well, but since they were from the phone I sent in and Samsung backup only lasts a month, that's gone (convenient, isn't it?)

 

I asked several times to have my phone returned and the guy just said no, and that refund was the only option. I wasn't even given a choice before they went through with "approving" the refund, even though I haven't received a cent for it and it's been 2 weeks. Every time I contact them they say they're waiting for documentation.

 

And yes, they're charging the repair without having repaired anything. The money they are saying they will refund is just the phone + tax, I included receipts for accessories but they will not refund those.

 

I don't even think they will refund me at this point, never mind give me the repair money back. If this is breaking a specific law please let me know so I can reference in my emails with the CEO office. I'm getting so stressed out having had 20+ phonecalls and just being stonewalled, the support staff just yells at you and repeats the same script over and over.

 

 

 

 

Why was there a phonecall? OP says you bought it from US Samsung Amazon store. I never ever made a single phone call to Amazon (or 3rd party seller). Everything is handled through messaging using the Amazon recorded communication. That way you have a record Amazon can review.

 

Warranty conditions always are written and differ by market. 

 

Did you contact the seller or Amazon? Are you sure it really was the official Samsung store? Sounds odd that the official Samsung store doesn't publish the warranty, but their employees state there is warranty by phone, which turns out to be untrue. That needs more clarification.

 

And for the future, never deal with manufacturer or seller if Amazon offers free return. Even if the manufacturer is compliant (which doesn't seem to be the case here), it still cost you shipping, more time and the risk of denial. Amazon is 100% customer focused, manufacturer is less so.

[Sneaky_Turtle]

9 minutes ago, Lurking said:

Why was there a phonecall? OP says you bought it from US Samsung Amazon store. I never ever made a single phone call to Amazon (or 3rd party seller). Everything is handled through messaging using the Amazon recorded communication. That way you have a record Amazon can review.

 

Warranty conditions always are written and differ by market. 

 

Did you contact the seller or Amazon? Are you sure it really was the official Samsung store? Sounds odd that the official Samsung store doesn't publish the warranty, but their employees state there is warranty by phone, which turns out to be untrue. That needs more clarification.

 

And for the future, never deal with manufacturer or seller if Amazon offers free return. Even if the manufacturer is compliant (which doesn't seem to be the case here), it still cost you shipping, more time and the risk of denial. Amazon is 100% customer focused, manufacturer is less so.

I contacted Samsung itself, I tried amazon but after the return period they said I need to contact the manufacturer. And yes, it's 100% off the Samsung Amazon store. And yes, you are right, should have returned it to Amazon at the first sign of trouble.

 

If you ever tried to interact with Samsung, you will know 80% of interactions have to be made by phone, which is really horrible. The SMS/Whatsapp support lies through their teeth and is useless - they told me my phone was ready and fixed 2 days before the repair was cancelled.

 

I have an email saying the repair was cancelled, and another invoicing me for the repair, do you think I have a shot disputing the charge with my credit card provider if I provide those two documents? I was thinking just try to get the refund for the phone, and then dispute the charge (since the service was never provided)

[wanderingfool2]

22 hours ago, Sneaky_Turtle said:

I asked several times to have my phone returned and the guy just said no, and that refund was the only option. I wasn't even given a choice before they went through with "approving" the refund, even though I haven't received a cent for it and it's been 2 weeks. Every time I contact them they say they're waiting for documentation.

 

And yes, they're charging the repair without having repaired anything. The money they are saying they will refund is just the phone + tax, I included receipts for accessories but they will not refund those.

 

I don't even think they will refund me at this point, never mind give me the repair money back. If this is breaking a specific law please let me know so I can reference in my emails with the CEO office. I'm getting so stressed out having had 20+ phonecalls and just being stonewalled, the support staff just yells at you and repeats the same script over and over.

If the listing you purchased from said there was a warranty, and you had confirmation that it was under warranty prior to sending it then honestly I would never have even paid them for the repair in the first place.

 

Of course the "not a lawyer", but if they offer a specific service they would have to honor it really.

 

The instant they say they cannot repair the phone, I would ask for it back and if they say they cannot I would say they legally have to as it's not their property.  If they say that it's against the law, tell them to sight the ordinance...at that point personally I would just quickly reach out to a lawyer (either writing a demand letter for damages or full refund where they pay for all costs incurred).

 

That's just me though, I am a bit petty if I feel a company is trying to pull a fast one on me...and am willing to even pay money to make sure they get their just deserts. (and I personally wouldn't ever agree to any refunds unless it includes full value as as soon as you agree to it you lock yourself in place)

 

At this point though, I would serously consider small claims court asking for either the return of your phone or full refund of all accessories etc (of which you must be willing to essentially hand over all the accessories to Samsung's lawyers).  Actually if you really wanted to, probably could request just gettign the phone back and refuse any refunds.  As it's your property they would have to comply at that point or give actual reason