Do note trade in with Samsung

AdamCole

I'm compelled to write this story as I'm so frustrated at the Samsung care. As a long-term buyer of their products, I followed up to exchange my wife's phone and my own. They went through their usual trading procedure having a discounted purchase price subject to me returning my old phones to them in good condition.

I applied and my new phones arrived on Christmas Eve. Within the box it said that I would receive details on how to return the phones to them and I waited my email and letter.  I transferred over information from my old phone to my new phone following their procedures and wiped my old phone. After the long Christmas break which included 7 days of Post Office closure, their details and packaging arrived.

Unfortunately we were legally required to quarantine after New Year,  and I sent a quick note to Samsung, which was not responded too, to advise.  The Post Office had been closed through Sundays and Bank Holidays and Christmas for 8 of the 14 days allowed. I didn’t receive a response. On the 10th day of January, we were allowed to leave our premises, so the first call was to the post office to post the packages to Samsung. We obtained receipts for the posting.

By that evening, our phones were locked and we have since been able to unblock them despite them acknowledging that the phones have arrived with them. I have gone through 4 different phone calls with Samsung to try and resolve and the best thing they could offer me was to sell me a new phone which I could use until my other things weren't blocked.  You cannot imagine the stress that this is caused and the complete incompetence and lack of care that these people have provided towards someone in a vulnerable position such as myself. I am not a young person, I rely on my telephone for doctors information, support and so many other things. My elderly father has an alarm system that triggers on my phone to tell me he is ok or not. I have to take specific health readings each day and update the Doctor. We have no way of ringing out for help.  I am still awaiting the phones to be switched on and  I will be surprised if I get any further with their help team who has simply passed me on and back between departments.

Just to be clear, I have listed the vulnerable position Samsung have placed me in by locking my phone despite the Christmas break and legal quarantining.

 

·         Unable to reach Doctors by telephone or NHS app

·         Unable to take ECG reading as required by Doctors Daily

·         Unable to take blood pressure readings as required by Doctor

·         Unable to update health settings

·         Unable to receive text messages from my fathers alarm system to check on his wellbeing.

·         Unable to receive medicine reminders, or to provide Covid pass.

·         Unable to contact bank

·         Unable to make food orders – receive food

·         Unable to work from home

·         Unable to make any phone calls

·         Unable to receive text messages

·         Unable to use automated parking when going out to buy food

·         Unable to ring GP

Unable to make any teams or google meetings

As you will see this is an incredibly insensitive, uncaring, bullying attitude towards a customer. They have failed to protect me and failed to provide any customer care. They have put me and my family in danger.

No form of compensation with suffice for a loss of life. I hold them 100% responsible and ask for your guidance on a resolve.

AdamCole

Should read -
since been unable to unblock them

flaneurs_lobster

Does this type of phone blocking / locking (you use both terms) mean that the phone loses all functionality? Would you be able to transfer your details to a third phone if you had one? Your Google account should enable most information to be transferred to another mobile (spare? borrowed? cheap 2nd hand?). 

Sounds like pretty !!!!!! service from Samsung and good luck getting some resolution with them. Personally I would not have tried to upgrade both phones at the same time, being needed for essential communication and services, over the longest holiday period of the year during a pandemic. 

[Deleted User]

It sounds like it is still with them to resolve, so I would leave that with them, as least for a little longer..

Was your phone really the only device you used to work from home on? Do you not have any other technology in the home to get you through your immediate concerns? Or a landline in the house, or laptop?

Have you advised your doctor of your current issue (you can visit them or put a note through the letterbox if need be) so that alternative arrangements can be made?

AdamCole

Yes the phone loses all function. I could go and buy another phone if affordable but I have just spent £1000 with Samsung. The upgrades were an Christmas present, so the timing was crucial. Why would I have not gone ahead, its a simple process and they made no indication of locking my phone. 

flaneurs_lobster

I think you've just dropped a grand on a trade-in deal with Samsung and you are rightly p*ssed that it hasn't gone well. Trying to conflate all the perceived consequential damages with this doesn't really help. If I had a failed upgrade with Samsung that left me with a bricked phone I'd be very annoyed too even if I only used it for Spotify and playing PUBG. 

You could have sorted out the lack of essential handset by spending not much at Argos or Tesco.

Getting new handsets in time for Christmas is not "crucial", its a nice-to-have.

flaneurs_lobster

AdamCole said:

.... and they made no indication of locking my phone. 

From https://www.samsung.com/uk/trade-in/ FAQ:

What will happen if I don't return my device to Samsung?

If you do not return your old device to Samsung within the timelines stipulated, then unless you return your new device, you will be liable to pay a surcharge equal to the discount you received, which will be deducted from your payment card. If we are unable to recover the trade-in value from your original method of payment, we reserve the right to remotely lock your new device.

eDicky

Put your SIM in a spare or retired handset from a friend, neighbor or family member, to use until sorted with Samsung.

AdamCole

Wow interesting feedback on here. Thank you for your solutions, however, I think the point is being missed here that Samsung will block a phone despite the requirement of user. They promote the use of watches, meds reminders and interaction with health support as well as alarm services. What makes it reasonable to stop those facilities, without some thought to the vulnerability of the user? Not everyone is trying to rip them off. They are uncontactable to resolve and you must wait. As it happens they have written today and apologised offering me £50 towards my next purchase, so all is well? I dont think so.

flaneurs_lobster

Samsung will block a phone, in accordance with with the terms and conditions entered into by both parties, if the purchaser defaults on the trade-in deal. Did they inform you after seven days of their intent? Did they try to take payment in lieu of trade-in prior to phone blockage? That's what the T&C say they should have done. 

Neil49

AdamCole said:

Wow interesting feedback on here. Thank you for your solutions, however, I think the point is being missed here that Samsung will block a phone despite the requirement of user. They promote the use of watches, meds reminders and interaction with health support as well as alarm services. What makes it reasonable to stop those facilities, without some thought to the vulnerability of the user? Not everyone is trying to rip them off. They are uncontactable to resolve and you must wait. As it happens they have written today and apologised offering me £50 towards my next purchase, so all is well? I dont think so.

I appreciate your specific situation but you are expecting a multinational company to adopt an approach assuming the majority of their customers become vulnerable due to their action (as per the list in your original post).

In reality, they are obliged to go down the phone locking route because so many people try to rip them off. It wasn't their fault that you had to isolate and the choice of purchase date (which resulted in lost postal days due to the holiday period) was yours.

I think to say that you "sent them a quick note" and expected them to leap into action was a bit ambitious to say the least.