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General discussion

Samsung warranty and technical support

Sep 28, 2018 9:35AM PDT

First, I used to be a big fan of Samsung. I have a number of their phones, a computer, several TVs, washing machine, Gear VR, and had a refrigerator. However, over the past year a couple of issues with Samsung has reared its ugly head.
First, our refrigerator started having problems when it was about 3 or 4 years old. First the ice maker quick working. Of course I was told it was out of warranty. Fine, things happen and I had to spend several hundred dollars to get it fixed. Then, water started leaking into the crisper trays. I found out this was a serious design flaw by Samsung. Based on all the issues I had, I just replaced it (not with a Samsung).
Then, against my better judgement, a little over a year ago, I bought a Samsung washing machine. Coincidentally, we had issues with it draining within a few months of the 1-year warranty expiring. The 1-year warranty should of been a red flag for me since if that is all the faith they have in their product, especially in light of all the issues they had with previous models. So, I had to pay for that too. I guess fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
Finally, the most frustrating issue I have had has to do with my Gear VR. I began having issues with it back in July. I called Samsung support and was very pleasantly to get a hold of someone right away and they promptly sent me a shipment label. Sent it in and they said they identified the issue and would send me a new unit. I was very pleased. They sent me the supposed new unit, but it had the exact same issue. So I went through the same process again. They said since it was the first time they had seen this particular unit, they would need to try a repair again. I was fine with that and sent the unit again. Again, they said they found the issue, replaced the part and sent it back to me. I got it back, and it was still having the same issue. So, I went through the same process again and sent it in. They told me that since in the first case they replaced the unit, they would again need to try to repair this unit again. I was ok with that and sent it in again. Then they tried to tell me that it was now out of warranty based on the serial number. I called and pointed out this has been ongoing and they approved the warranty "repair". Again, they said they found the problem, replaced a part, and sent it back to me. Got the unit yesterday (9-27-1Cool and guess what, still the same issue. Luckily, I kept track of all the emails Samsung sent (kudos to them that they at least provide fairly good communication). I looked back at all the ticket numbers and on each of those the record the serial number of the unit I sent in. In every case the serial number was different, even though they told me they were replacing a part and sending my unit back to me. Apparently, they are just grabbing an old one off a shelf and sending it to me. That explains why all of the sudden on the third time I sent it in they claimed it was out of warranty. They sent me a unit that was two weeks from the warranty expiring. Now, I call Samsung this morning and they tell me they have to try to repair again because they don't have a record of trying to repair this unit because the serial number is different than the last one. Again, I would point out that, aside from the first time, they claimed to have repaired my unit and sent it back to me. I then compared the serial number from the unit they just sent me and it does not match the serial number on the previous ticket I sent in (as it should have) or the current ticket. So, in every case, when they claimed to have fixed and sent me my unit back, it has been a completely different unit (my guess is one that they have received from someone else that had been "repaired"). I pointed this out to the two representatives I talked to and all they said they could do was escalate my ticket. I know this is only a $125 piece of equipment, but it is the principle that has me upset. Something very shady is going on at Samsung. Seems their push to have better customer service is merely lip service and their endgame is to wear you down so you quit calling. I guess maybe now I have learned my lesson and probably should not purchase any other Samsung products. Hopefully they will finally do the right thing, but I am not very optimistic.

Discussion is locked

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Let's go over how most repairs happen on $125 things.
Sep 28, 2018 10:57AM PDT

If it's a mass produced product the usual is to take in the failed unit and ship out a refurb/repaired unit.

The failed units go into the bin destined to the refurb/repair group.

This can really upset those that expected to get "their unit" back. We all wish the makers would share how such systems work, but it rarely is revealed since some consumers will not allow this type of system. Some will demand a new unit but in reality even a new unit might have undergone a trip to the group that refurbs and repairs.

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$125 repairs
Sep 28, 2018 11:16AM PDT

Thanks for the info, very enlightening! You're are right, they should share that with folks, especially when they use the serial number to determine when a warranty expires. This is especially shady in Samsung's case, because they require two attempted repairs before replacing, exchanging, or refund. This practice insures an never ending cycle of hassle to the consumer. What a shame, well done Samsung!

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Yes, I hate it too.
Sep 29, 2018 10:19AM PDT

It's not just this maker. I will share my Sony PS3 repair story.

Way back then my nephew had a dead PS3. At the time Sony had this 150$ flat exchange rate and this PS3 was in sad shape. The case cover would slide off (retention nub gone) and it was all scratched up from the nephew moving without care over time. I really worried if Sony would honor the full exchange. The PS3 would boot then crash in 5 minutes so it wasn't a total dead unit.

So I did the dead, buying the dead PS3 for little and then paying Sony. I couldn't have made a better deal as Sony shipped me the shipping box with instructions which I followed to the last letter and off it went. 7 days later it came back. The machine looked like new. They had all new exterior plastics and the PS3 worked without flaw. The serial number stayed the same since that's how the Sony network IDs your unit. Was it the same board inside? Don't know, don't care.