Samsung Customer Service....or lack thereof

Posted by TheBlueF0x on February 10, 2013 08:38 pm 13

So, here's the down low. I contacted Samsung customer service due to an issue with my GSIII that I purchased towards the end of October 2012 that I wanted to get resolved. Needless to say, it's not going to happen.

The other morning, I was up getting ready for work and picked up my phone from the desk as I was leaving. I noticed the phone was hot to the touch as I removed the usb charging cord. I have a Samsung FlipBook cover installed, and upon opening it, discovered that the screen had what appeared to be a crack running horizontally across it. I tried to feel of the crack, but I couldn't feel it on the surface. It seems to be under the glass. Needless to say, I've never seen/heard of this and thought it may have been attributed to the phone being so hot.

I contacted Samsung because this wasn't something I did to the phone myself. I take meticulous care of my electronics almost to the point of obsession. I stated this disclaimer too. If I had done something to cause this "physical damage" as Samsung calls it, I wouldn't ask Samsung to replace it. I wouldn't ask anyone else to cover for a mistake I made because it's not right to be dishonest like that (my personal opinion) and karma would probably cause it to blow up on me.

I was told by Samsung Customer Service, both online and via telephone, that the phone was now out of warranty after almost 4 months due to "physical damage", and they would repair it, but it would be out of my pocket. This upsets me! The purpose of the warranty is too cover physical defects in whatever shape or form. The phone was hot to the touch and the screen is now cracked under the surface. I wouldn't dare ask them to cover it if I screwed it up, but this truly wasn't anything I did to the phone. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary with it the night before either. I laid it on my desk and plugged it up as usual.

I know a lot of people would lie to try to get a new phone when they did something like run it through a washing machine (just an example), but they treated me as though I'm a liar when I'm being completely honest.

I've always purchased Samsung products because they've always lasted the test of time (for myself), and generally, I like their products. However, this has left the most sour taste in my mouth now, and it makes me reconsider their brand as I'm purchasing a new tv in the upcoming month or so.

Is there any similar experiences out there? I'm not trying to bad mouth or degraded Samsung, but I'm just truly disappointed with their service and think others deserve to know before making a purchase of their own.

Below is the online conversation transcript:

Chat Transcript

info: Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond. info: You are now chatting with 'Stanley M'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today. info: Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK56402591315X Visitor: Hello Stanley, I'm Justin. Stanley M: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today? Stanley M: Please go ahead with your query Justin. Visitor: Could you please tell me what I need to do to start a warranty claim? The other night when I went to bed, I plugged my GS3 up as usual. When I woke up the next morning, the phone was almost hot to the touch and the screen has a crack that appears to lie under the glass almost like the inside of the glass is broken. Visitor: You can't feel it on the outside of the glass surface, and I don't know how that even happens. Stanley M: I am sorry to know that your phone's screen is cracked and that your device is getting hot. Stanley M: I understand that you would like to file for the service. Is that correct? Visitor: Yes, please. Stanley M: Thank you for confirming. Stanley M: May I know the model number of your phone ? You can find the model number beneath the phone's battery which generally starts with SGH, SCH or SPH . Visitor: SCHI535RWB Stanley M: Thank you for the model number. Stanley M: I would like to inform you that the device is out of Warranty as the device has incurred a physical damage as there is a crack on the screen. Visitor: Sir, I didn't do the physical damage. Stanley M: To get help for your device, you need to contact our Voice Support. They will be able to help you out in this regard. Stanley M: You can contact our voice support at 1-888-987-4357, Mon-Fri: 7 AM - 9 PM (CST), Sat: 9 AM - 6 PM (CST). Stanley M: I am sorry for the inconvenience. Stanley M: However, all the cases regarding Physical damage are only handled by our Voice Support,. Visitor: So even though I did nothing to my phone and take extraordinary care of it, there's no warranty now? Stanley M: I am sorry but I cannot comment in this regard as it as I do not have information regarding how these cases are handled. Visitor: Well, I appreciate your time. Have a good afternoon. Stanley M: You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with?