iFixit Drops Samsung Harder than Linus Drops CPUs

[Nimoy007]

Summary

iFixit will no longer be partnered with Samsung to provide official repair channels for Samsung devices. The given reason for this move is iFixit's general distaste for the way Samsung is handling the partnership and repair options in general.

 

Quotes

Quote

For example, iFixit — due to the partnership — was limited to selling “seven Samsung parts per repair shop per quarter.”

 

My thoughts

I'm no apologist or fan for either company, but this is certainly not going to make Samsung look good against Apple's own efforts, even if Samsung doesn't greenwash nearly as hard. Hopefully, this news will gain some momentum in the tech community and serve as a wakeup call for how little effort companies are putting into repairability efforts and how much effort they put into opposing 3rd-party repair. As someone who has repaired multiple phones, including Samsung phones, this doesn't surprise me, but it does sadden me.

 

Sources

https://9to5google.com/2024/05/23/samsung-ifixit-repair/

[da na]

"Seven Samsung parts" as in literally seven parts? Or, unlimited quantities of seven particular part numbers?

 

Certainly won't look too good for Smasnug.

[8tg]

47 minutes ago, da na said:

literally seven parts

exactly this, 7 parts per repair shop per quarter

not 7 types of parts, or 7 parts per customer or per order, but 7 individual parts

[Beskamir]

It's very obvious Samsung has become just as anti repair as Apple is, and both those companies will pretend otherwise while simultaneously crippling the repairability of their products in every way they possibly can.

[WereCat]

1 hour ago, 8tg said:

exactly this, 7 parts per repair shop per quarter

not 7 types of parts, or 7 parts per customer or per order, but 7 individual parts

Samsung be like... 

 

Also

 

https://www.404media.co/samsung-requires-independent-repair-shops-to-share-customer-data-snitch-on-people-who-use-aftermarket-parts-leaked-contract-shows/

[Doobeedoo]

Yeah bit odd turn. Though not sure how this would evven affect where I am locally for repairs at ISPs you buy phone from. Then again I never ruined the display.

[Nimoy007]

6 minutes ago, Doobeedoo said:

...at ISPs you buy phone from.

You buy your cellphone from your ISP?

[Doobeedoo]

5 minutes ago, Nimoy007 said:

You buy your cellphone from your ISP?

Yeah, just few of them, they are the main sellers and most offers and where you buy it on contract. Where else though.

[Nimoy007]

Just now, Doobeedoo said:

Yeah, just few of them, they are the main sellers and most offers and where you buy it on contract. Where else though.

I might be splitting hairs here, but surely you mean "carrier," not "ISP?" I just want to make sure we're on the same page, because the companies I'd call an "ISP" (Charter Spectrum, etc) are not places I'd expect repair processes to be very good. Not that places I'd call a "carrier" (Verizon, etc) I would expect to be that much better, but they typically have stronger existing relationships with repair "services" or insurances.

Personally, I have always had prepaid cell service, so I am always responsible for my own device, including repair/replacement. That might be because I worked electronics retail for so many years, including doing mobile activations, that I know enough about the industry to realize that the support and payment options available to me from a carrier are not worth the extra cost.

[Doobeedoo]

7 minutes ago, Nimoy007 said:

I might be splitting hairs here, but surely you mean "carrier," not "ISP?" I just want to make sure we're on the same page, because the companies I'd call an "ISP" (Charter Spectrum, etc) are not places I'd expect repair processes to be very good. Not that places I'd call a "carrier" (Verizon, etc) I would expect to be that much better, but they typically have stronger existing relationships with repair "services" or insurances.

Personally, I have always had prepaid cell service, so I am always responsible for my own device, including repair/replacement. That might be because I worked electronics retail for so many years, including doing mobile activations, that I know enough about the industry to realize that the support and payment options available to me from a carrier are not worth the extra cost.

I mean carrier or ISP they are one and the same. At least here in EU where I am. We have 3 they sell internet service and phones and plans.

[Nimoy007]

24 minutes ago, Doobeedoo said:

I mean carrier or ISP they are one and the same. At least here in EU where I am.

Forgive me. I'm not super familiar with the way it works in the EU. Here in the US, although both cellular providers and "traditional" Internet companies both provide Internet, and in some cases, both have cellular plans, we typically distinguish between them because they market themselves in fundamentally different ways and their physical storefronts are very different. This is slowly changing as they grow more similar in services provided, but in terms of repair options, our major cellular "carriers" are much more likely to have an easier repair/replacement option since they have more physical locations, including inside Best Buy stores. Note that this does not mean that the repair/replacement option is necessarily faster/cheaper/less stressful, it is just easier to begin the process with a carrier.

[Jumballi]

I had such a bad repair experience with Samsung. 

About 6 months after Samsung announced they would be allowing the self repair and partnership with ifixit, my father who had purchased a $1500 samsung galaxy book pro 360 dropped his laptop cracking the display and causing minor damage to he chasis.

 

Now I worked in computer sales and repair, and had purchased a ‘Samaung Care’ as it was bundled with the laptop at a discounted rate as I worked at a partner retail location, my first thought was to attempt the repair myself, how bad could it be with most laptop displays on the after market costing just under $200.

 

After going to ifixit, the official source to obtain said parts, I was sticker shocked to find the display cost $400, with the chassis another $50 and $100 for bottom and top. The parts are also out of stock
 

Seeing that it was a an outrageous cost, I decided to reach out and start the lengthy warranty repair process. Samsung care on their website listed any damage to the screen was covered under a small deductible, which was considerably cheaper than the cost of buying the panel itself.

 

So I reach out, unfortunately this is where it goes from bad story to horror story. Even though I purchased the laptop directly from samsung, and I picked it up from bestbuy, a store that I verified scans the serial numbers for all laptops coming out of online pick up, samsung somehow lost my serial number in the transaction, and instead placed an imei number for a tablet instead. How samsung on their own services saw that it was the wrong number and still decided to put it is beyond me. And from there I was quickly denied service.

 

this story goes for a few more years but ai’ve run out of time right now to finish, I’ll come back to update this post with the rest of the story. TL;DR took over a year and lawsuit to get samsung to repair the device.

[Nimoy007]

11 hours ago, Jumballi said:

I picked it up from bestbuy, a store that I verified scans the serial numbers for all laptops coming out of online pick up, samsung somehow lost my serial number in the transaction, and instead placed an imei number for a tablet instead. How samsung on their own services saw that it was the wrong number and still decided to put it is beyond me.

I used to work at Best Buy. They might've scanned the IMEI instead of the serial number. That doesn't excuse the other issues, as an IMEI is still unique and can clearly be traced back to ONLY your laptop, but wanted to point it out that it might not have been Samsung's fault for the wrong number.