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AA
Alf A

1 reviews | Active since Oct 2017

01 Oct 2017, 15:05

Cell phone still malfunctioning after 4 attempts to repair it

I have a Samsung S6 on a Vodacom contract since 25th March 2016 so it is still under warrantee until 25th March 2018. Everything was fine until it kept on with this notification that I have to update. Just after I have done this update the battery drained in no time and the charging was extremely slow. It displays that it is on fast charge and it will take say 1hr 15min to charge to full but then it takes 8 hours to charge it to 100%. This update also removed the Smart Manager app and put some DSTV and SuperSport apps on the device that I don’t appreciate at all. On 7th Sep 2017 the battery drained to 0% and the phone died completely and I couldn’t get it going again so I took it in to the Vodacom Repair shop in Menlyn Mall. They got the charging going again and told me that everything is fine with the phone. So it was charging again at this extremely slow charging at approx. 10% / hr. and after the charging it drains the battery from 100% to 20% in approx. 10 hours during the night while the phone is idling the whole time. On 9th Sep 2017 I took it in to Samsung The Grove where they put it through some testing program after which they told me at first that the battery failed and afterwards that everything on this test procedure is passing and there is nothing wrong with the device and the fast draining of the battery could be because of some apps I have downloaded on it. So they removed these apps. Afterwards it was still doing the same slow charging and fast draining of the battery without any of these so-called apps. The next morning, 10th Sep 2017 I took it back to Samsung The Grove. They ran it through these testing procedures again and then told me that the motherboard is faulty and have to be replaced. The phone was then booked in on a Service Order and I waited for 7 days to get it back on 17th Sep 2017. Once again there was no improvement. It was doing exactly the same extremely slow charging and fast draining of the battery. The only good thing was that the Smart Manager app came back on the device. On 18th Sep 2017 I took it back to Samsung The Grove and this time the manager, Acklas helped me and told me that the battery was also damaged and he replaced it. Back at home I realised that now it is charging fast but the draining of the battery didn’t change, it is still draining the battery at this extremely fast rate. On 26th Sep 2017 I phoned in to Samsung The Grove and tried to talk to Acklas but had to leave a message as he was not available. Afterwards at 11:00 a certain Chantelle called me back and requested that I send her an email explaining the problem with the device and she would call me again before 13:30. I sent her the email with screen shots showing the progress of charging and draining of the battery on time increments proofing the poor performance of the device. As she didn’t call me I called her again at approx. 16:00 and she told me that they did some investigation on the matter and requested that I bring the device in again for an assessment to enable them to motivate replacement of the phone. I took it in at 17:30 and was referred to some technicians at a test station and after about four people had the device on three different stations while training each other how to operate the testing station, I was told that they did exactly the same test procedure they did the first time and then told me that it passes all the criteria so according to them there is no fault although they can’t explain this fast draining of the battery. Because I didn’t accept this outcome I eventually landed with Acklas again who tried to convince me that the Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS were all activated on the device and that’s why the battery drained so fast. Truth is that it was not activated when I took it in so these technicians testing it must have activated it. As I claimed that this device is faulty and they are unable to fix it after it had been in their shop already 4 times with the same problem I want it replaced, we reached a deadlock as he claimed that it passes all their tests and he is not in a position to replace it. He then advised me to call Samsung Head Quarters to raise the matter with them. In the mean time I got the same update notification again and after downloading this update the phone now again charges then slow, then fast, then not at all and the draining is still the same fast rate. On 27th Sep 2017 I phoned Samsung Head Quarters and Tumi escalated the matter to the Voice of Customer Division with Reference No. and notification that somebody will phone me within 24 to 48 hours. After 30 hours I followed up telephonically on 28th Sep 2017 and Abraham gave me another Reference No. with the notification that somebody will phone me within 24 hours. It is now already 72 hours and still nobody phoned me in this regard. It is now already the 1st Oct 2017 and I am sitting with a most expensive malfunctioning device. One time you put it on charge it charges fast. The next time it displays it is on fast charging but then it charges extremely slow and the next time you think it is on charge but then it doesn’t charge at all. One time the red light on top doesn’t come on when you put it on charge and the next time it stays on red and doesn’t go green when it reaches 100%. The drainage of the battery is also malfunctioning, then it drains fast and the other time slow. I made videos and screenshots of these phenomena as proof. Apart from that the Whatsapp functioning is also fluctuating. It shows that there are whatsapp messages and after you have opened and read it, it keeps on displaying the sign that there is whatsapp messages. The email functioning is also malfunctioning because sometimes it doesn’t give you any notification that there are emails. When you open the email a couple of emails land in your inbox without prior notification. This phone was in a perfect condition without any scratch, dent or scouring mark until this update damaged it completely and Samsung is unable to repair it. With these opening and closing actions there is now also an irritating mark at the inside of the screen. I reckon that I am entitled to have this faulty device replaced. My concern is that Samsung is now only delaying the whole process to get the warranty expired so that they can use that as an excuse not to replace it. I am not asking for a better or more expensive model, I’m just asking to get it replaced with exactly the same model that’s functioning correctly as it should.

0
Replies (5)
Samsung South Africa
Samsung South Africa's reply01 Oct 2017, 17:02
Official

This is to acknowledge receipt of your complaint.

Kindly note your query has been escalated to our voice of customer team under reference number: ***

A senior customer service executive will contact you with further advise on this matter.

Regards

SamsungSA

AA
Alf A's update03 Oct 2017, 11:28
Reviewer Update
It is now already nearly another 48 hours since Samsung responded with this reply with reference number and all on my review and still nobody contacted me at all let alone a Senior customer service executive. So far I now already have 3 reference numbers where my complaint is escalated to this so-called Voice of customer team with the same story that they will contact me regarding my complaint and from the first one on 27 September 2017 up to now the 3rd October 2017 still nobody contacted me. So it seams they just dish out reference numbers to put you on hold and forget about the rest until your warranty expired so they can chase you away.
AA
Alf A's update04 Oct 2017, 22:46
Reviewer Update
So Lorrein Zitha from Samsung phoned me yesterday, 3 October 2017 at 16:59 requesting me to send my phone in to another Samsung Service centre for a second opinion. I told her that I am not prepared to do that because Samsung The Grove already had the device 4 times for the same fault and could not resolve the problem so why do I have to go through this inconvenience and be without a phone again for another week or two or three or longer, I want the device to be replaced. She stated that I am not qualifying for a device replacement due to the fact that there is only one Service Order No. so according to her that count for only one repair effort and Samsung’s procedure states that the device has to be booked in for 3 times for the same fault before they will consider replacing it. I explained to her that Samsung The Grove only re-opened the same Service Order every time I took the device back for the same fault that was not resolved and didn’t issue a new Service order No. every time. So if that is a problem she has to take it up with them to get the other service order numbers for the second, third and fourth time it has been in for the same fault. She kept on with this argument that I have to book the device in again at another Samsung service centre before I can qualify for a replacement should they also be unable to resolve the problem and I refused because this device was in a perfect condition without any scratches, dents or marks and now it already has a mark on the inside of the screen due to this multiple opening of the device because I saw how rough the technicians handle the device and do training with it as they have no respect for my property. Apart from that I am already battling with this issue for a whole month and cannot afford to be without my phone for another length of time. Eventually she said that she will get some advice and notify me of the outcome by email the next day. On her request I provide my email address and told her that if she can’t resolve this matter in a proper manner I want a manager with higher authority who can resolve it to contact me as I am extremely frustrated and fed up with the way Samsung is handling this complaint. As from my side I did follow the Samsung procedure and I am convinced that I am entitled to have this device replaced with a new device of exactly the same model and colour, still sealed in a box to ensure that it was not mishandled. This afternoon, 4 Oct 2017 I received an email from Lorrein with an unsigned “Feedback Closure” letter from the Customer Escalation Desk attached that states the following: (quote) We refer to your escalation. Please see the information with regards to your query. • • We have confirmed that your unit has been assessed by our Accredited (Pandodox The Groove Samsung repair center) • • Defect description (Short operation time/short battery life) Mainboard was replaced on the unit. • • To qualify for exchange within warranty unit must be fixed more 3 times with a same fault. Unfortunately, Samsung cannot assist by means of an exchange/refund. Kindly take your device to your nearest repair center for assessment. (unquote) That mean they didn’t even read my review and didn’t listen to my telephonic explanations at all that Samsung the Grove opened only this one Service Order with the second visit to the service centre when they replaced the motherboard and just re-opened it with the 2 comebacks after that. In other words I did take the device in already not 3 but 4 times with the same fault and they couldn’t fix it. Therefore I’m in the right and Samsung is in the wrong and this case is far from closed. The irony is that Lorrein requested that I must take the device to another service centre for a second opinion (implying that they do not trust the competency of The Grove centre) and now they are telling me to take it to my nearest repair centre while Samsung The Grove is in fact my nearest repair centre and I already took it to them lastly for an assessment but they still didn’t know how to fix it as I indicated in my review.
AA
Alf A's update04 Oct 2017, 22:46
Reviewer Update
So Lorrein Zitha from Samsung phoned me yesterday, 3 October 2017 at 16:59 requesting me to send my phone in to another Samsung Service centre for a second opinion. I told her that I am not prepared to do that because Samsung The Grove already had the device 4 times for the same fault and could not resolve the problem so why do I have to go through this inconvenience and be without a phone again for another week or two or three or longer, I want the device to be replaced. She stated that I am not qualifying for a device replacement due to the fact that there is only one Service Order No. so according to her that count for only one repair effort and Samsung’s procedure states that the device has to be booked in for 3 times for the same fault before they will consider replacing it. I explained to her that Samsung The Grove only re-opened the same Service Order every time I took the device back for the same fault that was not resolved and didn’t issue a new Service order No. every time. So if that is a problem she has to take it up with them to get the other service order numbers for the second, third and fourth time it has been in for the same fault. She kept on with this argument that I have to book the device in again at another Samsung service centre before I can qualify for a replacement should they also be unable to resolve the problem and I refused because this device was in a perfect condition without any scratches, dents or marks and now it already has a mark on the inside of the screen due to this multiple opening of the device because I saw how rough the technicians handle the device and do training with it as they have no respect for my property. Apart from that I am already battling with this issue for a whole month and cannot afford to be without my phone for another length of time. Eventually she said that she will get some advice and notify me of the outcome by email the next day. On her request I provide my email address and told her that if she can’t resolve this matter in a proper manner I want a manager with higher authority who can resolve it to contact me as I am extremely frustrated and fed up with the way Samsung is handling this complaint. As from my side I did follow the Samsung procedure and I am convinced that I am entitled to have this device replaced with a new device of exactly the same model and colour, still sealed in a box to ensure that it was not mishandled. This afternoon, 4 Oct 2017 I received an email from Lorrein with an unsigned “Feedback Closure” letter from the Customer Escalation Desk attached that states the following: (quote) We refer to your escalation. Please see the information with regards to your query. • • We have confirmed that your unit has been assessed by our Accredited (Pandodox The Groove Samsung repair center) • • Defect description (Short operation time/short battery life) Mainboard was replaced on the unit. • • To qualify for exchange within warranty unit must be fixed more 3 times with a same fault. Unfortunately, Samsung cannot assist by means of an exchange/refund. Kindly take your device to your nearest repair center for assessment. (unquote) That mean they didn’t even read my review and didn’t listen to my telephonic explanations at all that Samsung the Grove opened only this one Service Order with the second visit to the service centre when they replaced the motherboard and just re-opened it with the 2 comebacks after that. In other words I did take the device in already not 3 but 4 times with the same fault and they couldn’t fix it. Therefore I’m in the right and Samsung is in the wrong and this case is far from closed. The irony is that Lorrein requested that I must take the device to another service centre for a second opinion (implying that they do not trust the competency of The Grove centre) and now they are telling me to take it to my nearest repair centre while Samsung The Grove is in fact my nearest repair centre and I already took it to them lastly for an assessment but they still didn’t know how to fix it as I indicated in my review.
AA
Alf A's update11 Oct 2017, 22:41
Reviewer Update
On the 5th Oct 2017 I received an email from another VOC-Senior Customer Service Executive by the name of Khanyi Gumede with an attached letter with another reference number from the Samsung Customer Escalations Desk stating the following: (Quote) Samsung Electronics Southern Africa would like to confirm that we have received your query. The matter has been directed to a Senior Customer Services Executive. At Samsung Electronics, we value our customers and pride ourselves in offering a superior customer experience. (Unquote) On the 9th Oct 2017 I became aware that she tried to phone me from 16:46 to 16:57 about 6 times but on the wrong cell phone number 14 minutes before her knock off time. On the 10th Oct 2017 I phoned her back and she informed me that they have only one Service Order Number when I booked the device in for the motherboard replacement and the Samsung procedure requires that the device had to be booked in for repair three times for the same fault to qualify for a replacement of the device. I tried to discuss the following points that she didn’t want to take any note of: 1. I took the device in to the accredited Samsung Service centre (Pandodox at The Grove mall) 4 times but they opened only one Service Order Sheet that they recalled every time I took the device back for the same fault. 2. I didn’t just handed it in at different staff members there, I dealt directly with the manager named Acklas. As an accredited Service Centre manager he should have known the Samsung procedures. Therefor he should rectify his non-conformance and provide the required documentation to verify the come-back services for which they didn’t open new service orders. Why is it now my responsibility to get the required documentation from him. 3. I am the consumer suffering from the consequences of a Samsung enforced update that damaged the device I am paying thousands of rands for and now I am treated as the ******** because their accredited service centre is not following their procedures. 4. If they want proof that I did hand the device in 4 times they can watch their service centre’s CCTV camera footage on the dates I provided to verify that I did sit for hours with Acklas who was working on my device. Today I got a written response email with a letter from the Consumer Escalations Desk stating the following: (Quote) We refer to your escalation. Please see the information with regards to your query. We confirm that the above Samsung unit has been repaired by a Samsung Accredited Service Centre (PANDODOX PTY LTD). Samsung cannot assist by means of an exchange/refund. Your Samsung phone needs to be repaired as it is out of the 6 months return policy as stated in Section 56 of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Our Samsung Returns Policy further states that a credit/exchange can only be authorised when: The parts to repair the unit are not available which will lead to service delay. No service centre coverage in the area. The unit has been repaired more than three times for the same fault(multiple repairs). The unit is deemed irreparable. The unit is within six months of purchase and is faulty. (Unquote) That means that nobody listened to my version of the matter, nor did they read my statements set out in my complaint. To Samsung the customer is wrong and their Service Centre is right in spite of their Service centre’s non-conformance not to follow their procedures. No effort is made by Samsung’s Senior personnel to resolve a complaint. It is just thrown back to the customer to resolve it himself. SO BE AWARE!! IF YOU WANT AFTER SALES SERVICE, STAY FAR AWAY FROM ANY SAMSUNG PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEIR AFTER SALE SERVICE IS NON EXISTENT!!!