I'm not buying another Samsung product

prowla

I ordered a part for my Samsung TV from the Samsung store at Westfield (London) on June 7th; they don't stock it in-store so it had to be delivered to my address with an ETA of June 10th.

It didn't arrive, so I called Samsung on June 14th and found out that the courier company (DPD) failed to deliver it and it was returned to Samsung on June 10th; I asked if they had another delivery service, but they said no, so I requested a refund.

I checked my account on June 26th, June 30th, July 16th, but he refund did not materialise, so I decided I'd given them enough time.

I called Samsung on July 16th and was told they would action it.

I checked on August 3rd and found I'd only received a partial refund (minus the postage), so I called to point out the missing amount and was told I'd get a call back.

I didn't get a call back, so I called again on August 5th; the first person I spoke to put me on hold for 20 min, so I hung up and called again. The second person told me they'd escalated the issue to fiinance and said I'd get a call back in 24-48 rours.

I didn't receive the callback by 7th August.

I've been told things which aren't true and given the run-around by Samsung, so I've lost faith in the company and simply don't trust them anymore.

As a result of the above I've decided that I will avoid Samsung products in future:

• My current phone is a Samsung, but my next one won't be.
• My TV is a Samsung, but my next one won't be.
• I've previously had Samsung kitchen white goods, but will exclude the brand from future considerations (I need a new fridge and freezer).
• I'd ordered a Samsung air-conditioning system from an installer in May, but they had supply issues and couldn't meet the June install date, nor confirm for July, so we agreed to cancel and revisit in the future. I'm now at that point, but I'll be excluding Samsung from my considerations.

All because they're being difficult in issuing a full refund for an item they've failed to deliver.

Jemma01

That's a long time for a refund. We ordered similar time (06/06), DPD, it arrived on the 11th (I chose the day online). I must say that DPD driver was exceptionally wonderful.

I guess you only know who you're dealing with when things go wrong.

oldernonethewiser

Wonder why DPD failed to deliver?

Agree that any company that treats you poorly is not deserving of any more money from you.

twopenny

That's a long way from the way their customer service used to be.

Back in the day I bought a Samsung laptop, camera and phone because when you rang with a query they would apologise if it took longer than 2 mins to answer. That was their aim. And the response was excellent.

That always kept me investing in them.

Seems like most companies now they are so far distanced from their customers that they only answer to a financial spreadsheet. Shame!

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82096925#Comment_82096925

There is also customer habits that have changed.

It didn't arrive, so I called Samsung on June 14th and found out that the courier company (DPD) failed to deliver it and it was returned to Samsung on June 10th; I asked if they had another delivery service, but they said no, so I requested a refund.

Why cancel when a part is required? but they only use one delivery co?

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82096925#Comment_82096925

Seems like most companies now they are so far distanced from their customers that they only answer to a financial spreadsheet. Shame

I do not think there has ever been a time when companies were not driven by the bottom line.

The difference is more that some companies take a strategic decision to invest in good customer service, as a way of increasing customer retention, loyalty etc so as to improve profits.

Whilst others take a strategic decision to offer minimal customer service, to save money and improve profits.

The primary motivation of all private companies is to make money, even the apparently nice ones.

Exodi

The bit about delivery seems to be glossed over - what was the delivery issue?

You say it was due to be delivered on the 10th, and it was also returned to Samsung on the 10th - so did DPD try to deliver it but failed for some reason? Do you know why it failed? I thought DPD tried two delivery attempts before RTS, do you know why it was seemingly immediately sent back? Was the address wrong, was it a large part (e.g. the screen) being requested to the top floor of a 10-storey flat (as I understand they and many other couriers only agree to deliver to the ground floor), etc? I guess what I'm getting at is do you have any responsibility in any way for the failed delivery (which could explain the part refund)? Out of interest, why did you also immediately insist on another courier or refund, instead of a re-delivery? Presumably you need the part?

It's unfortunate you would boycott Samsung over this, but as I always say to someone insisting they're going to never deal with X company ever again - don't cut your nose off to spite your face.

It is unfortunate that you've had an issue dealing with Samsung's customer service, but there's no reason to believe that every other company's customer service is perfect or would have handled it any better or differently…

My current phone is a Samsung, but my next one won't be.

The alternatives, e.g. Apple- let's just say aren't best known for their pro-consumer practices!

My TV is a Samsung, but my next one won't be.

OK let's look at Samsung on TrustPilot: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.samsung.com/uk

4.2, for Shame Samsung, however "Reviewers also commend the helpful customer service"

I know LG is arguably the best brands for OLED TV's (expensive too), so surely they have the best customer service out there, let's check them out: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/lg.co.uk

Oh 1.2… "Many found the customer service unhelpful, difficult to contact, and often characterized by language barriers, leading to prolonged unresolved problems.".

OK maybe I was unlucky picking LG, what about Sony:

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.sony.co.uk

1.3… an improvement I guess… "Many people found the customer service to be poor, unresponsive, or non-existent, often struggling to get issues resolved or receive proper communication."

Maybe TCL, they're up and coming?

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.tcl.eu

1.4… (I guess it's going up though)… "customer service was frequently described as unhelpful and difficult to reach, often failing to resolve product problems or honor warranty claims."

I think you get the point I'm trying to make.

FWIW I've only ever had positive experiences with Samsung, included the occasions I've had to engage with the customer service team. Clearly based on the reviews this is the typical experience, unfortunately you have had a bad experience, but it would look to be an outlier.

I'd be mindful about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire if customer service is your sole purchasing driver.

Peter999_2

I had a Samsung Galaxy S6 that they completely messed up the repair for and couldn't care less. I've not bought a Samsung phone ever since - still annoys me to think about it.

I have had a Google Pixel 7, 8, 10 - all very cheap and had to get a repair done to the 7 and it went very well. I'm now hoping to keep the 10 until at least 2030.

Stubod

..problem these days is that pretty much everybody's "customer care" is total cr @ p…..no supplier seems to give you access to a human to talk to when things go wrong, and if they do, they never return calls or follow things up.

Unfortunately the days of suppliers caring about their customers is long gone.. :(

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82097322#Comment_82097322

Most likely is that globalisation and buying online, has meant that prices and profit margins have come down, so customer service becomes an unaffordable luxury.

So consumer gets lower prices, but poorer service. You can't have your cake and eat it as the saying goes.

prowla

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82097022#Comment_82097022

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82097079#Comment_82097079

It's not the first time I've had an issue with that courier; I asked if they had another option and they said no but I could have a refund, so I requested the refund.

It's two months on and despite multiple phone calls they still owe me my money.

On the matter of extrapolation, of course CS is not my "sole purchasing driver", but I've no desire to give further custom to a company I can't trust; that's just learning from (my) experience.

As for future product purchases: there are plenty of options in the given market areas, so I've just crossed Samsung off the list for future consideration when making a selection.