S24 Ultra Nightmare

Good day,

I had recently purchased a Samsung S24 Ultra but it has turned out to be a complete nightmare.

I have purchased a Samsung S24 Ultra from Vodacom in Port Elizabeth on the 15th of March 2024. I set up the phone on the 18th. However, upon doing so, there were a few inconsistencies when compared to my husband's phone. (He also purchased the S24 Ultra when it was launched.)

The next day, I took the phone back to the store of purchase. In order to assist Vodacom to speed up the process, I also obtained a diagnostic report a Samsung accredited repair store in Port Elizabeth (This store is listed on Samsung's website). The report showed that only 5 of the 9 components tested had passed.

One of the Samsung consultants whom I had spoken to advised that the phone would need to be replaced if it's an Out Of Box Failure (OBF). Another of the consultants had escalated the matter to Voice of Customer. (On being called back a few days later by a consultant from Voice of Customer, I felt that I was still unhelpful as the message I got was that it was purchased at Vodacom and so the issue lies with them.)

However, because I have had to follow Vodacom's protocol, the phone was booked in for repairs on the 20th of March 2024 and sent to ARC in Johannesburg.

To follow up on the outcome, I went back to the store where the phone was booked in for repairs, only to learn that the OBF was rejected as no faults were found. This was clearly in stark contrast to the diagnostic report. I queried the outcome. The store manager assisted with a basic in-store diagnostic, which showed issues with the sensors of phone.

The phone was then booked in a second time and sent to ARC in Johannesburg. This was on the 8th April 2024.

At this point, which marked 3 weeks, I contacted the Samsung platform "email to CEO" in the hope of further assistance. They responded via email saying that the matter has been escalated to Voice of Customer and gave me a reference number. I rep**** to this saying that I had already utilised this avenue and felt unhelped, to which they responded that Voice of Customer will still handle the matter. To date, I have still not heard anything or been contacted with regards to a way forward in the matter. These email communications were on the 9th of April 2024.

Today marks a month since I had given the phone in for repairs initially. I have also been informed that the escalation and second assessment report as per ARC is that there are no faults found with the phone.

As a customer, I am inclined to trust a diagnostic report issued by a Samsung-accredited technician, as the product in question is made by Samsung. What also is quite unusual to me is that the different diagnostic systems used or different diagnostic reports issued are showing different issues with the phone. Why are there these inconsistencies? Surely if the phone is 100% functional, all reports should be reporting the same findings.

With all of this transpiring, I have payed the monthly charges for the contract - all whilst I do not have the phone.

I also went back to the Vodacom store where the phone was purchased to cancel the contract, only to find out that they are unable to assist me as it is past the 30 days. My question here is: why has no one advised me on alternative ways to deal with this situation, as at the 3 week mark, they knew that I was still unhappy with the phone.

I feel that it is extremely unfair to me as a loyal customer of Samsung. Not only has a flagship phone not performed as expected, the diagnostic report shows that there is clearly something wrong, and I am being given the same phone back. Based on the report, to me, the phone is faulty and seeing as though these issues have arisen just when the phone was opened, I am concerned about the possibility of future issues arising and feel that the phone needs to be replaced with a brand new, fully functioning phone, as this is what I've paid for.

I feel that the service when dealing with these multiple entities has been sub-par. I also feel that as a customer I have done more than my fair share at contacting people and getting the initial report. I am now caught up between the nitty gritty details of 2 massive corporations and what exactly is going on here, all the while whilst I am paying, financially and otherwise, for a phone that is damaged and that I feel that I am being forced to take. If I do cancel the contract, then I am liable for the cancellation fees. The cancellation will cost the price of a brand new phone.

To summarise: 1. The multiple diagnostic reports do not concur. There is no explanation offered for the inconsistencies. 2. During the whole dilemma, I have been calling and following up on avenues who I thought could assist me. All the responses were of a similar nature. We apologise. An apology is not fixing the situation. 3. I am bearing the brunt for an issue that is not my fault. I am forced to take a phone that a report clearly shows is not working optimally and if I do not want to, I have to cancel the contract and pay a price equivalent to a new phone.

It is terribly disappointing to know that this is the case from reputable companies.

Despite being a loyal Samsung customer, this experience has ensured that I do not want a Samsung product ever, nor do I want to deal with Vodacom ever.

What was supposed to be a new and exciting time, turned out to be a hellish nightmare.