Nothing like great service is there

[DaveM]

3 years last month I purchased a Samsung side by side fridge freezer. A month back the freezer started icing up so after 5 visits by the agent for this fridge and replacing 3 door seals and still no joy I sent Samsung this email today.

Hi on the 06/02/2008 I purchased this fridge. A few month back the freezer started icing up so I contacted your agency in Port Elizabeth. They have now replaced the seal on the door three times and I am still having it ice up. It would seem that the seals are not thick enough to close the gap between the door and the unit. They have tried heating it up with a hair dryer and then manually making sure it is sealed. I have left it like this for 24 hours and as soon as I open and close the door it does not seal again. They have tried using hot water to do the same and they same result after I open the door. This fridge has not been moved around at all since it was delivered on purchase.

And I get this reply from them

Dear Sir

Thank-you for contacting Samsung Electronics
.
Your reference number for your enquiry is: 2104811656

Kindly note that we will gladly assist you with your query. You can take it to a service centre but now that your unit is out of warranty u will be liable for the payment..


If you would like any further information or assistance, please feel
free to contact us on 0860-SAMSUNG (726-7864) or click on the contact us
link at the bottom of this e-mail.

Kind Regards
Samsung Electronics
**Please note that this e-mail has come from an outbound response
system. Any direct response to this e-mail will not reach the customer
care inbox. If you do need to contact us again please click on the
“Contact Us†Link or copy the address into your browser:
Contact Us:
http://www.samsung.com/za/info/contactus.html#

what can I say

 

[CarlS]

Planned obsolescence? But it should last at least five years.

 

[The Seeker]

Does the fact that you had a service technician come 5 months after buying it (to no avail) matter at all?

 

[DaveM]

Lol that was 5 times in the last 5 weeks but clearly they never took the time to read my mail

 

[dazco]

Some companies just don't care because they can get away with it. Others build thier rep on good service. Too bad you couldn't know which are which B4 U buy. Don't let them off the hook till theres just no use any more....keep on em.

 

[DaveM]

The process is one of those online ticket system and they send you a no reply mail back. So I made out a new ticket copied my original one and the reply and asked them what part of the agent replacing the part 3 times in my previous mail was not that clear to them. Also these units don't come cheap and now I am looking at having to buy a new one after only 3 years

 

[Rocky]

We recently had a Sears technician come and look at a clothes washer that was leaking. It was 12 years old and had seen a lot of service so I wasn't surprised that it was cheaper to buy a new one than to try and fix the old one. We wanted to upgrade anyway so it was sort of a blessing in disguise.
As we were talking he confided that the appliances being made today are not quite junk, but very poorly made with a short life expectancy.
Refrigerators in particular don't last like they did in the old days. He said that as manufacturers strive to make enviro-friendly products they are cutting corners and the electrical components in them are poor quality too so don't expect appliances these days to last more than a few years.

 

[CarlS]

I have heard that too. It might pay to have an old one fixed rather than buy a new one.

 

[otherwise]

We had a 3 year old Samsung LCD TV and it developed a very small black line across the screen, I could hardly see it. They gave us a new and much larger LED replacement for free, no questions asked then offered for $100 an additional 3 years warranty.
My mum, mother in law, son and daughter have all purchased Samsung products on the strength of our good service.

 

[CarlS]

Now that is great service!

 

[keystiger]

It is sad. The products put on the market now do not come close. I have a magnavox console record/radio that is 40 years old and still sounds great. Yes other units I have purchased are land fill fodder now.
My mother still has a Maytag washer and Dryer (in olive green--remember those) from the 60's. On the other hand I have gone through 3.5 sets (including self repairs and "spit and twine" to buy more time) in 20 years.......

And -----sort of off topic--but have you noticed new or nearly new cars running around with headlights and tail lights out.....some less than a year old or so. I did a little research and found they are using cheaper bulbs .....in cars that cost 3-5 times more than a new car 20-30 years ago. Really?!?!?!?!? So I buy a 40,000.00 new car, and have to replace bulbs in 6-15 months?
WHat next thinner brake pads...plexiglass instead of real glass? I guess that car will be 50,000.00.

 

[CarlS]

It all about the almighty dollar - and meeting federal regulations.

 

[The Seeker]

Ummmmm.....my own Maytag washer and dryer date from the 1960's also.

I have replaced some parts over the years, but they keep running, and running, and running, and running.........

My GE refrigerator stills works perfectly, bought in 1979.

 

[DaveM]

Well my previous fridge freezer was also around 25 years old and working great when I upgraded to this one. In fact it is still working great as I gave it to a friend of mine. So now to see what they will do about this one as it has now become a bit frustrating when you see they clearly never even read my first mail when replying to me.

 

[DaveM]

Just a bit of an update on my fridge. I got hold of the email address of the Customer Service Manager and sent him a long mail outlining step by step what occurred on each of the 5 visits the service department did at my house. I have had the following reply from him

Hi Caren,

Reference Number 7111555619

Please contact the customer and arrange a visit to repair the fridge under warranty. Samsung will authorize the repair.

Many Thanks,

Kind Regards,


Jack Osher – Customer Service Manager – RHQ CS Support: Samsung Electronics SA (Pty) Ltd
Tel: +27 11 549 1728 | Cell: +27 82 370 3307 | Fax: +27 86 548 0177
E-mail: [email protected] | Web: http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/

Samsung APPS: http://www.samsungapps.com/
Africa Citizenship: http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/africacitizenship.html
Samsung Brand Store: http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/brand/Samsung_brand.html

 

[otherwise]

Sounds like they tried the old trick on you of always refusing to pay first time around. Some will always accept the rejection and that's money saved.
Second time around, "hmmm who do we actually have to pay?"

 

[CarlS]

Kevin is right; persistence pays!

 

[Rocky]

Relating to the reply regarding old appliances; there was an old GE fridge in my island cottage that was at least 50 years old. I'm certain it dated back to the 1950's.
It worked perfectly, but of course it was only in use for six months of the year.
However, it became too small for our modern needs and we replaced it with a much larger GE.
We had it trucked to the lake in the winter, put it on a large sled, and hauled it over to the island by hand on the ice.
That was five years ago and it will be interesting to se how long it lasts compared to the old one.

 

[DaveM]

I must admit I did not mind paying for it to get fixed but I just wanted it fixed

 

[Gromit]

Dave - I swear, some karma ran over your dogma at some stage. You have such bad luck! Post it on Hello Peter and see whether they come back at ya!