A netizen by the name of Nubela, posted about his experience after buying a Samsung Galaxy Fold, sharing that the screen broke after less than a year due to wear and tear.
He claimed that his warranty was allegedly voided and he was charged $800+ for the repair at a Samsung Service Centre.
Here is what he said
I want to caution everyone based on my experience with Samsung’s customer service. In summary, the inner screen of my device broke in less than a year due to wear and tear.
Samsung voided my warranty, charged me S$800+ for the repair, and still refused to return my phone. I advise against purchasing Samsung products as their customer service has been extremely disappointing.
I am the owner of a Samsung Fold 4. A few weeks ago, the screen protector at the center of the inner screen began to lift. I planned to take it to the service center but kept postponing it until the lifting worsened over time. A tiny black spot then appeared along the folding line of the inner screen.
One morning, I opened the phone to hear a crunching sound, and the entire inner screen became unresponsive, with a thick black bar running through the middle of the screen.
Samsung advertises a Pickup and Delivery Repair Service for Galaxy Z Series. When I called about it, the customer service representative seemed surprised and told me that someone else would call me back to schedule the pickup in the next three days.
Understanding that there would be further delays for the actual pickup, I chose instead to book an in-person appointment at a Samsung Service Center.
Despite arriving on time for my appointment, I had to wait for an hour before being attended to.
The representative at the service center noticed a minor dent at the hinge of my phone and declared my warranty void. She insisted that the repair for the inner screen would cost $800+. However, she assured me that the technician would call me back to confirm the repair, which I agreed to.
After handing over my phone, I began to question the wisdom of fixing a device that seems to malfunction easily, especially given the expensive repair costs and the manufacturer’s questionable warranty terms. So, I decided to purchase a Pixel Fold instead and cancel the repairs when the technician called.
To my surprise, two days after submitting my phone for servicing, I received an SMS notifying me that my phone was ready for collection, even though no technician had called me.
Upon returning to the service center to address this issue, the staff insisted that I had agreed to the repair and would have to pay $800+ to retrieve my phone. The manager clarified that the technician would only call if the repair cost exceeded the initially agreed sum. They refused to ship the phone back to me and insisted that I sign a form stating my consent to the repair. When I refused to sign, the cashier snatched the phone from my hands, claiming that I couldn’t have it back until I signed the form.
Despite having paid for the repairs, I was not allowed to retrieve my phone.
After several emails and phone calls, customer support remained unyielding. They replaced the old parts of the phone and delivered it back to me. However, the phone came back with more damages than before. The stylus digitizer stopped working in certain spots. I ended up giving the faulty phone to my brother.
I recognize that my experience may be localized to the Singapore context, where consumer protection is relatively weak. The most significant action I can take is to share my story publicly and warn others never to trust Samsung.
Furthermore, I advise against relying on Samsung’s warranty. If you need insurance, consider getting actual insurance. I opted for personal device insurance, which costs around $13/month.