23.4.08

Samsung de shitty service.

just post for all to see...well written complaint from online...see all the big players like nokia, sonyerrikson service all quite sucky but this case quite jialat.


Episode no 1

I am having a Samsung handphone Ultra Edition 8.4 and since Day 1, I always had dropped calls on it. Finally I decided to bring it to Samsung Service Centre before the warranty runs out. Right after the first trip, after the “software was upgraded”, I still get dropped calls. When I brought it back the second time, they “upgraded the software and changed the circuit board”. The very day itself, I still get dropped calls. On my third trip there in 3 weeks, I told the service personnel that I wanted a 1-to-1 exchange since they apparently could not repair it. I wanted to speak to the service manager but “they were not around”. The service personnel mentioned that “processing 1-to-1 exchange would take 3-5 working days”. So I left my phone with them again.

On the 3rd day, a nice lady from Samsung called to ask me how was my phone, to which I replied that the phone was back at the service centre and that I had requested for a one-to-one replacement. The lady promised to find out the status and get the service centre to call me at the end of the day.

End of day and no calls, so I called 1800-SAMSUNG. The guy told me that it was recorded that my handphone “has a major technical problem” and noted that the service centre did not call me back and my request for 1-to-1 exchange. On the 4th day still no calls. On 5th day, they said that they are still servicing the “major technical problem” which was the reason for the delay, to which I told them that I had expected a 1-to-1 exchange not their fruitless attempts at servicing my handphone.

The next day, a service manager from Samsung called me to tell me that “it is not Samsung’s policy to replace handphones”. They will only replace the circuit boards “which was as good as replacing the handphone”.

She further claimed that the dropped calls are due to me using a “3G phone on SingTel’s network”. “We notice that a lot of 3G handphone users on SingTel’s network experiencing dropped calls at West and Jurong areas”. She offered to let me use her StarHub line to test out my phone when I pick up the phone on that day. When I came to the service centre at the appointed time, the counter staff said that “she went for a meeting” … and she did not call me to make alternative arrangements nor did she call back after that.

1) Their service personnel who attended to me all the times I was there apparently never noticed that “dropped calls are due to using 3G phones on SingTel’s network as they would have told me right in the first place if it was so frequent as the manager said it was.

2) I have never heard from any of my friends about the same problems with “using 3G phones on SingTel’s network in West and Jurong area”. Anyway, I also have the same dropped calls outside “West and Jurong areas”.

3) All along, whenever I mentioned 1-to-1 exchange, none of their staff mentioned that it was not Samsung’s policy not to change handsets. Suddenly someone out of the blue came out with a new policy.

4) The “major technical error” was only uncovered the 3rd time send my handphone for repair. Right after collecting it back, the dropped calls resumes … so much for servicing …


Instead of their proclaimed intend to “go the extra mile” for the customers in their customer survey cards at the service counter, I must profess that this entire issue has made me walk THAT EXTRA FRUITLESS MILE to their customer service centre in making 4 trips, to and fro, from Jurong East MRT station.




Episode 2

Upset by this entire exchange, I wrote in to complain … another customer service manager called me back and offer to replace handphone (finally, apparently they could only do it on management’s approval and makes me wonder why the 1st Service manager could not “walk that extra mile to get my handset replaced) … she mentioned that she will try to find the exact model and asked for a few days to check as “this model is rather old”.

Called me back today and offered Samsung Z710 … “almost the same as your existing model, Z370” … you can check our website for the features …

I went to check Samsung website but cannot find the model. The service manager could not be contacted so I called their 1800-Samsung and the guy asked me if it was the Z170 phone which “was a very old model, 1996”. I was sure that the service manager told me Z710.

Finally managed to get the service manager back and told her that that model (Z710) was not listed. She insisted it was and directed me to the Consumer > Mobile Phones > Basic features phone > Z170 … “sorry I must have said the model wrongly, it was Z170 not Z710.”

Mine was the Ultra Edition 8.4 and now they can only replace me with a crap Z170 which is “almost the same as your existing model” … Ultra Edition 8.4 vs Basic Features Phone

By now, I have enough of Samsung ….



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