Purchase S8+ cell phone directly from Samsung (M6E1J21QN). Received delivery 9/14/2017, open 9/15/2017, but it had a cracked back. The cell phone did work. Called Samsung customer service 9/16/2017, and was issued an return authorization. I was told a credit will be issue and to order another phone (order D75W9A0SM). Bad phone was received at Samsung 9/25/2017. On October 3, the bad phone showed up at my house without any notification or explanation from Samsung. I received the 2nd new phone purchased at full price ($880) and now paying for 2 cell phones through Samsung financing. No credit was issue for the bad phone that now needs to be $800 since the first phone was bought was $680 with S6+ traded that provided a $200 discount. I tried calling Samsung Customer Support / E Commerce October 3, 2017, but was getting long hold time recording. I endided up logging a service request on the internet. October 4, I was getting email from agent they would call, but played phone tag for a day until October 5 when I spoke to an agent on the phone. Agent indicated shipping and receiving notes indicated the phone was physically damage and the return was not accepted and sent back. The agent understood I was instructued by Samsung that provided the RMA number to send it back for credit and I received the phone as damaged. I was provided another RMA number to send the phone back for the second time. Agent indicated she was putting notes into the RMA so shipping and receiving could see it and not return the phone to the buyer and issue credit. I sent the phone back and it was received by Samsung on 10/16/2017 10:24 a.m.
On October 23, I emailed Samsung again that there was no credit to my account for the phone. Another agent replied and wanted background information with the tracking number so they could do some research. On October 25, I place a customer dispute to Samsung Fiancing program (TD Bank) about the the cell phone issue. The bank accepted my dispute, put the amount on hold until a resoultion is reached to resolve the dispute within 90 days. They bank indicated they have back channels to Samsung to get this problem resolved.
I did not hear anything back from Samsung Customer Support from the October 23 email, so I emailed them again on 11/1/2017. I got another agent response 11/1/2017, (4th differnet agent now) that apologized and they would escalate to 2nd level support and someone would get back to me. Later that afternoon, a fith agent responded and indicated they validated my history and Samsung did receive the phone on the two dates I communicated to them. The agent wrote I would receive credit for the phone in 10 to 14 days.
On Novemebr 14, 2017, I sent an email to Samsung customer support indicating I did not receive a credit as previously indicated and that I just received another email from Samsung on 11/14, that that my return was unsuccessful (listed 4 or 5 reasons that could apply) and the product was being returned to me again. I did not get a reply to my email. I decided to wait for the phone to be returned but by December 10, I have not recived the phone. I let TD Bank know this information and the the dispute was still being investigated.
After the holidays, I called Samsung Customer Support 1/3/2018, and demanded to talk to a manager. (Agent indicated there is no manager at their site and only supervisor.) Peter (I have his employee number) the agent refused to engage the supervisor but eventually gave in after some heated debate for 30 minutes. Reza the supervisor got on the phone. I reviewed with Reza the history of the bad phone and that on 11/14/2017, I received a letter the phone was being returned again, but I never received the phone. I indicated to him to either send me the bad phone back, or issue a credit, and if shipping indicated they sent the phone back, I want the tracking number to show the delivery date and that I signed for it. Reza was very apologetic and indicated he would personnaly get this problem resolved and a credit issue. On 1/10/2018, I received a letter in the mail from TD Bank that a credit could not be issue because Samsung indicated they returned the phone to me on 11/14/2017. I called TD Bank and got them straighten out with the facts. The bank reopened the dispute for another 90 days. Since then, I called (not emailed) Samsung Customer support / E Commerce 2/6/2018, 2/14/2018, 3/27/2018. 4/23/2018, 5/10/2018, and 5/11/2018. Each time was different agents and 2 more different supervisors all apologizing, cannot believe the history, promises to get the problem resolved with a credit to my account, and escalations to upper management advising the need for a credit. To date, the problem is still open with no credit, nor any signs for the bad phone being returned, or a FEDEX tracking number provided to show the phone was returned per 11/14/2017 Samsung email.
Samsung E Commerce and customer support is the worse and I will never buy another cell phone from them. The countless hold times and hours invested by me and Samsung resources with no resoution is absolutely the worse support any company could provide to a client. If Samsung reads this, all the information is in case #444759. Therer were other case numbers but the majority of the info is in the case I indicated. I also have all the documentation with FEDEX tracking numbers, dates of calls and emails. Any other retailer, would have taken the phone back the first day and provided another phone. Samsung.... Shame on you! I am going to the BBB and start posting on Facebook, Yahoo, Yelp and any other site I can find to save customers from a potential bad experience with Samsung Customer support and E Commerce that I had to endure!
Tim
Bradenton,#2Author of original report
Mon, June 11, 2018
June 11,2018
Three more calls and an email to TD Babk that is Samsung finance partner. More promises from Samsung and TD Bank investigating but no results. Again, this problem has been going on since September 2017. It does not take this long for Samsung to issue credit or return the old cell phone. Help!