refusal of repair by samsung on my mobile

lynz2504

hi everyone wondering if anyone can advise me of my rights towards a refusal of repair. 3 weeks ago my samsung s6 just froze and stopped working, although it had been doing it for a few weeks since i updated it. i done the usual soft reset, hard reset, reboot, factory settings but to no avail. I contacted 3 my network provider who advised me its not replaceable because i still have 13 months left on my contract but as of the 9/06 i can upgrade early but have a £510 fee to pay,but i need to go to the manufacturer who are samsung to which i did explained it all to them and they told me to send my phone to them. last wednesday i received an email stating that my phone was beyond economical repair and that my phone would be returned not repaired because they saw a bend in my phone that hasnt affected the performance of my phone until this latest update, samsung advised me on the phone before it was sent that its under 2 years warranty so it will be repaired, ive checked online and seen that in their warranty small print nothing is stated about refusing to repair if theres any other damage. so im in a dilemma where i cant afford £500 to upgrade early, i am 11 months into my contract, and having to pay my monthly amount for the phone that isnt working and if i cancel i still have early cancellation fees. Where is my next solution other than the ombudsman.

wealdroam

lynz2504 wrote: »

hi everyone wondering if anyone can advise me of my rights towards a refusal of repair. 3 weeks ago my samsung s6 just froze and stopped working, although it had been doing it for a few weeks since i updated it. i done the usual soft reset, hard reset, reboot, factory settings but to no avail. I contacted 3 my network provider who advised me its not replaceable because i still have 13 months left on my contract but as of the 9/06 i can upgrade early but have a £510 fee to pay,but i need to go to the manufacturer who are samsung to which i did explained it all to them and they told me to send my phone to them. last wednesday i received an email stating that my phone was beyond economical repair and that my phone would be returned not repaired because they saw a bend in my phone that hasnt affected the performance of my phone until this latest update, samsung advised me on the phone before it was sent that its under 2 years warranty so it will be repaired, ive checked online and seen that in their warranty small print nothing is stated about refusing to repair if theres any other damage. so im in a dilemma where i cant afford £500 to upgrade early, i am 11 months into my contract, and having to pay my monthly amount for the phone that isnt working and if i cancel i still have early cancellation fees. Where is my next solution other than the ombudsman.

Most warranties do not cover user damage, and I'm sure Samsung's will be similar.

Perhaps this short extract from MSE's Consumer Rights guide will help you:

Know who's responsible

When returning items, beware shops trying the oldest trick in the book: saying they're not responsible for the shoddy goods and you must call the manufacturer. This is total nonsense!

If a company fobs you off by saying “go to the maker instead”, it's wrong. It's the retailer's job to sort it.

It doesn't matter if it's an iPod from a high street shop or a designer frock from a department store. If something's broken, torn, ripped or faulty, the seller has a legal duty to put it right as your contract is with it.

Even so, the seller is entitled to ask you to prove that the problem is due to an inherent fault, and with the manufacturer apparently saying otherwise, that may be difficult.

saker75

Phones cost £100s and people often treat them as disposable items.

Buy a cheaper phone directly and use that. You can buy smartphones from £20 - £100s - pick your price range and buy one. You may even look after it properly if you actually had to buy it outright.

unholyangel

Are you definitely sure this type of damage is covered by their warranty? It says this on their website.

The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship. The warranty may not apply to consumable items included with or in the product, which may have a reduced or no warranty period.

The warranty card and warranty information included with the product will state specific exclusions to the warranty (e.g. where a defect is caused by misuse or unauthorised repair of the product) which must be checked before requesting service under the warranty.

dekaspace

From my own experience theres 2 Samsung repair centres, one is well known to reject pretty much everything other is really good at repairing.

Sounds like you got the bad one.

My fault was a 4 month old phone stopped getting GPS and intermittent charging problems, they claimed it was water damage (despite having a plastic cover on it at all times) and refused a repair saying it was uneconomical.

I fixed it buy unscrewing the back and tightening it back up and it worked good as new.

So their own "experts" are often just useless.

JJ_Egan

Samsung's warranty is a limited warranty.
From experience they reject for any small amount of damage .A few scratches on the screen and its a reject for their warranty .

As said your rights are against the vendor and some say also the network .

takman

If you think it's the update causing the problem then a quick fix would be to roll back the phone to the previous version. Instructions of how to do this are easy to find online and it may mean you have a phone that you can use again.

lynz2504

thanks for the replies everyone the fault is an internal fault i havent physically damaged or misused the phone im very careful with phones, this is the first major issue ive had at all. im stumped to my next move. i cant afford mega bucks to cancel my contract nor will i continue to pay the contract and the phone is not usable. if i could fix it myself i would. is most replies on this thread with me to keep at them to fix it? or take it further with the proof there is no damage to the phone?

JJ_Egan

Samsung have said its damaged and rejected it under their warranty terms .You have no comeback with that route .

So its SOGA and the vendor .
However you may find that they accept the phone and send it to Samsung who reject it .

Beyond economical repair suggests more than a failed update or a bend in the phone .

I would one try a Factory Reset and if that does not work i would flash the stock firmware via Odin .
Details xda forum and whatever your unknown phone model firmware usually downloaded from sammobile .com or samsung-updates .com .
All at your own risk .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/

wealdroam

lynz2504 wrote: »

thanks for the replies everyone the fault is an internal fault i havent physically damaged or misused the phone im very careful with phones, this is the first major issue ive had at all. im stumped to my next move. i cant afford mega bucks to cancel my contract nor will i continue to pay the contract and the phone is not usable. if i could fix it myself i would. is most replies on this thread with me to keep at them to fix it? or take it further with the proof there is no damage to the phone?

Another option you haven't mentioned is to buy a another phone to continue using your existing contract.
Maybe a second hand phone. Maybe a different make even.

A secondhand Samsung Galaxy S4 is dirt cheap now.

wealdroam

Rainbowgirl84 wrote: »

Like post #3?

Yes, like post #3, but the OP appears not to have noticed that.

Thanks for your help.