topic Re: Upgrade Program Review in Samsung Shop

Upgrade Program Review

Notamech — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 13:12:59 GMT

Hi All,

Just thought id do a review for the samsung upgrade program as I couldnt find any reviews for it when I was planning to opt for it.

Overall: So far I am really happy with samsung, their communication regarding the order, delivery and the products I have received but that doesnt mean blind loyalty. Samsung will have to continue to deliver to this standard to retain my business. Another thing to note is Chinese competitors are just getting so much better by the day and i could easily switch if they offer something as compelling; a phone that does everything, in the years to come.

Background: This was end of 2017/early2018, I had an LG phone and went back and forth between the V20 and G6. Overall i loved these phones, they were the only ones with the wide angle cam and quad DAC and i needed a phone that did good photos, music and they had to have an excellent screen as i watched a lot of Netflix/Youtube on my phone and do some photo editing etc. While the phones delivered in most areas, there were major quality issues with the screen. While colours were punchy and crisp there were blotches on the display (both phones) which could be seen on lighter colours. Frustrated i decided it was time to switch. The last samsung i owned and still do was the S2 and i thought maybe its time to try them out again but ***** their phones were expensive, was it worth spending £800 + on a phone that is going to be outdated in 2 years but then i seen this scheme on the Samsung site and they were offering the Note 8 at 0% interest, a downpayment of around £89 and around £32 every month. I am on a sim only contract and pay another £11 for the network so overall my monthly expenditure on the phone would be £43, much cheaper than getting the note 8 from a carrier and no network lock when traveling abroad or deciding to switch. And knowing myself, i would end up spending close to the same amount on phones over a two year period anyway given how I get bored with them pretty soon. So why buy a mid range phone for £400 when you can own the latest and greatest. Plus they would offer me the option to upgrage a year later. So I thought might as well go for it and evaluate a year down the line whether the upgrade is worth it. The note 8 arrived next day. Everything was perfect and like I wanted. The DAC on the note 8 was sufficient for my consumer grade earphones (uisii t8 dual driver), adaptive sound just made things so much better and the cameras were stellar! The screen again was awesome. The battery on the other hand started of as average and towards the end of my time with the phone was quite bad. I was charging my phone twice a day. So when the note 9 launched i decided to upgrade as this seemed like an iterative upgrade that fixed problems with the note 8.

How: I received a mail in October inviting me to upgrade which stated that i was eligible for an 'early upgrade', which i found strange as i still had 3 months to go before I completed a year. When i tried to click on the link and upgrage, I was taken to the upgrage lounge where I was told that I couldnt upgrade until the end of December (when i complete paying 11 installments). Eventually in december I was able to upgrade. I was also given a £50 discount on the acutal price on the samsung site. However, if one did decide to purchase it at full price from the site (not via the upgrade scheme), there were freebies thrown in, so it works out to the same id say.

The Process: In the upgrade lounge once you check out, you need to make the down payment and apply for a loan from close brothers retail finance again, exactly like you would when you purchase a phone new on finance. There is a form to fill out online to assess your eligibility etc. Once you are done and your order is confirmed, you get an email to notify you of their acceptance of the order. I also received a mail from them stating that i would get a 'return kit' in the mail and to use that to send back the old phone, not to use the return label that comes with the new phone. I placed my order on a saturday and spent the weekend wondering if they would ship over the weekend or if they would on Monday which meant i would have to wait till wednesday (given that tuesday was a public holiday) to have the phone in hand. Surprisingly they did ship it out on Sunday night. I received a mail from DPD at 8:30 in the morning on monday stating that my order would be with me between 10:20-11:20. Unfortunately i woke up at 10:21 and seen a message on my phone that they missed me and that i would have to re-schedule the delivery or pick it up from their depot. Man i was so upset that i missed the delivery by 1 minute! But anyway i couldnt wait and scheduled to go pick it up from their depot that same evening. Collected it, unboxed it, everything fine, everything working well so far. Two days later i received a regular business letter sized envelope in the mail which had the instructions I needed to follow along with a Royal Mail 48h tracked return label and a plastic shipping bag. Apparently the handset is not shipped back to samsung but to a 3rd party company that buys used phones. One thing that was strange here is that Samsung on the instruction leaflet states that it is my responsibility to ensure that the mobile is safely shipped back to the address. But they are the ones providing the label and it is not a guranteed delivery service, and i am unaware if they have insurance on the 48h tracked service should the package get lost in the mail. The instructions also stated that i needed to remove my google and samsung accounts and reset my phone. It is important that you remove your account as apparently there are security features from google and samsung that prevent an unauthorised phone reset. No accessories are required to be shipped back, just the handset and they suggest doing it in the original box if possible. Fortunately I had the note 8 box with me still and shipped it back in that. Once they received the phone, i received a mail from close brothers retail the immediate next day stating that my previous loan account with them has been settled and thats it. Everything went quite smoothly and took less than two weeks for the whole to complete. I generally tend to keep my phones in good condition with cases and screen protectors, so my phone pretty much looked like the day i unboxed it so no issues or discrepencies on the condition of the phone.

Will i upgrade again? Pretty much depends on what the Note 10 brings to the table. I am not a fan of the leaked punch hole cameras of the s10, if the note 10 follows suit I might give it a miss. I might just stick to the note 9 for the next 2 years and jump ship after that or see what else is in the market at that time. I could also potentially sell the phone on ebay a year later and pay off the loan but i doubt the phone will fetch half its price on ebay, with unofficial sealed boxes and sealed unwanted upgrades going for a similar price.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

ChrisM — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 18:21:07 GMT

Thanks for the review, @Notamech! It made for some interesting reading!

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Maesyronen — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:07:50 GMT

Hi,

I am a 2018 upgrade program user and I'd like to point to my experience trying to upgrade now that the S10 has been announced. In short I cannot. The 'upgrade lounge' is marked as 'coming soon' and meanwhile the model I wanted has sold out. I would warn those considering this program as a way to get a new phone on release date that my experience points to it not being at all appropriate.

Also, a thread discussing the issue has been deleted without explanation.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Katie3 — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:31:26 GMT

I cant even find the link to get to my upgrade programme account...how do you do this?

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Notamech — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 15:21:32 GMT

You should have received an email with the link to the upgrade lounge. When you enter you are asked for your loan agreement no (this number is also typically in the mail) and your surname. Maybe search your inbox for mail from samsung. Also the upgrade window is typically 1 month (30 days) from you completing a year..if you've deleted the mail or passed your 30 day window maybe get in touch with samsung. In any case here is the link but you will need other details to proceed.

https://shop.samsung.com/uk/multistore/ukupgradechannel/ukupgradelounge/registration

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Azher_Ahmed — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 09:06:14 GMT

Thanks for the info, i'm considering joing the upgrade programme for the S10. One question I have is that when/if one decides to upgrade, do samsung over a trade in for the old device?

Say I do go ahead and get the S10 on the programme and say 2 years down the line the S12 (or whatever name they'll decide on) is launched, will Samsung over me a trade in value for my S10 against the new S12? Or, is it a case that I must return the S10 and start a new loan agreement for the new phone.

At the momment I have an S8+ that Samsung are prepared to offer £250 as a trade in which brings the cost of the S10 down to £550 @ £20 a month (which is a steal in my opinion). However, if I do not have a trade in for the next upgrade, the monthly cost will increase (i'm guessing to arend £35 a month).

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Notamech — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 09:56:42 GMT

@Azher_Ahmed wrote:
Thanks for the info, i'm considering joing the upgrade programme for the S10. One question I have is that when/if one decides to upgrade, do samsung over a trade in for the old device?

Say I do go ahead and get the S10 on the programme and say 2 years down the line the S12 (or whatever name they'll decide on) is launched, will Samsung over me a trade in value for my S10 against the new S12? Or, is it a case that I must return the S10 and start a new loan agreement for the new phone.

At the momment I have an S8+ that Samsung are prepared to offer £250 as a trade in which brings the cost of the S10 down to £550 @ £20 a month (which is a steal in my opinion). However, if I do not have a trade in for the next upgrade, the monthly cost will increase (i'm guessing to arend £35 a month).

Hi. From what I understand the upgrade program is valid only if you go from the S10 to the S11 a year down the line. So a year into owning the S10 you have to return your device and the remainder of your loan is paid off automatically as you are returning the device and you start a new two year loan on the S11. I dont think its valid 2 years down the line once your loan is paid off. In that case you will have to do a trade in if they're offering it on the S12 or whatever they have then.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

JB1350 — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 14:12:33 GMT

Having just spent best part of an hour dealing with Samsung live chat I was eventually told that membership of the Upgrade Programme is cancelled if you DON'T upgrade every 12 months. This means that using my situation I purchased an S8+ in September 2017, didn't upgrade to an S9 in 2018, and now can't upgrade to an S10 without selling my phone privately, paying off the outstanding 6 months credit and then reapplying for a new agreement.

Hardly tempting, and having re-read my initial paperwork I can't find that requirement anywhere.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Notamech — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 14:56:51 GMT

@JB1350 wrote:
Having just spent best part of an hour dealing with Samsung live chat I was eventually told that membership of the Upgrade Programme is cancelled if you DON'T upgrade every 12 months. This means that using my situation I purchased an S8+ in September 2017, didn't upgrade to an S9 in 2018, and now can't upgrade to an S10 without selling my phone privately, paying off the outstanding 6 months credit and then reapplying for a new agreement.
Hardly tempting, and having re-read my initial paperwork I can't find that requirement anywhere.

Yes exactly. You either sell privately or use the 'trade in' option on the samsung site if they have that scheme for the phone you want to buy. See where you think you can get a better return. Also, the documentation you would have received when you purchased the S8 will only pertain to your loan agreement with the finance company. The terms of the upgrade program will be somewhere on the samsung site and you probably agreed to the terms during purchase by ticking a box.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Azher_Ahmed — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 14:48:32 GMT

I dont think that devices purchased using the Upgrade Programme can be used as part of the Trade In. I recall reading the T&Cs where it mentions as such.

I still think its a good scheme tbh (in my opinion), 0% interest over 24 months with no obligation to have to upgrade after 12months....

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Notamech — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:06:12 GMT

@Azher_Ahmed wrote:
I dont think that devices purchased using the Upgrade Programme can be used as part of the Trade In. I recall reading the T&Cs where it mentions as such.

I still think its a good scheme tbh (in my opinion), 0% interest over 24 months with no obligation to have to upgrade after 12months....

Really? Id be surprised if they have that as a condition. As long as you pay off your old loan its not their problem what you do with the device.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Azher_Ahmed — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:29:42 GMT

That was my thought exactly, after the agreement ends, the phone will be mine, however, below is what the T&Cs say:

3.5 Please note that existing Upgrade Programme members who are part way through the term of their Upgrade Programme membership may not trade an Existing Handset which was purchased through the Upgrade Programme to take part in the Trade In Programme. It is a requirement of the Upgrade Programme membership that you return your original Existing Handset at the point when you upgrade.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Notamech — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:40:15 GMT

@Azher_Ahmed wrote:
That was my thought exactly, after the agreement ends, the phone will be mine, however, below is what the T&Cs say:

3.5 Please note that existing Upgrade Programme members who are part way through the term of their Upgrade Programme membership may not trade an Existing Handset which was purchased through the Upgrade Programme to take part in the Trade In Programme. It is a requirement of the Upgrade Programme membership that you return your original Existing Handset at the point when you upgrade.

Aaah..what they mean is that before you complete 1 year you shouldnt use the same handset on another trade in scheme because at the end of 1 year, if you want to upgrade you need to give back the origial handset you received. But if you are past that 1 year mark you are out of the upgrade scheme anyway and cant upgrade. After that point what you do with the phone should be your choice as long as you keep paying the old loan.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

XFSPortfolio — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 23:22:24 GMT

I upgraded last year from a S7 Edge to the S9+ and now I've received an email from Samsung saying that I can upgrade to the S10 or S10+ etc. Although I feel that the £350 trade in value of the S9+ is not what it is worth as mine is totally mint condition. My question is, as I have 1 year of finance left to pay on the S9+, if I upgrade to the S10+ do I have to pay off the remaining 12 months on the S9+ as well as the new finance payments on the S10+ or how does it work?

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Notamech — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 10:10:40 GMT

@XFSPortfolio wrote:
I upgraded last year from a S7 Edge to the S9+ and now I've received an email from Samsung saying that I can upgrade to the S10 or S10+ etc. Although I feel that the £350 trade in value of the S9+ is not what it is worth as mine is totally mint condition. My question is, as I have 1 year of finance left to pay on the S9+, if I upgrade to the S10+ do I have to pay off the remaining 12 months on the S9+ as well as the new finance payments on the S10+ or how does it work?

Hi please dont confuse the upgrade scheme and the trade in scheme theyre both separate.

In the trade in scheme they will evaluate the price of the device you want to trade in and take that much off the price of the new phone. For example if the new phone is for 800 and they value ur old phone for 300. You will pay 500 at check out. This can be done even after you have owned your current phone for 2 even 3 years.

The upgrade scheme on the other hand is totally different. You will be invited every 12 months to upgrade to Samsung's latest handset and to do so you have to return your old handset. So if you buy your handset for 800 you keep paying your loan for a year (which will be roughly 400) then when you are invited to upgrade you have to return the same handset and take out a new 2 year loan on the new phone. Your old loan will automatically be paid off as you are returning your old phone. If you choose not to upgrade after a year you continue to pay the remaining loan and you're free to sell or trade in or do whatever you please with it.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

APS1 — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 07:18:39 GMT

I am trying to upgrade early, I joined the upgrade program a couple of years ago but joined in May/June as at that time I had not heard about the upgrade program. I now have S9+ but wish to change my plan so that I can upgrade whenever the new handsets come out (S10+) currently I have to wait until May/June to be offered the upgrade. I have offered to pay for months that I would have paid but I am still being told I can't meaning I am locked into this May/June plan. I can't see why there is an issue the S9+ should be worth more today than in 3 months and I will pay for the 3 months early upgrade, the finance compainy (Close bros) said if sansung authorise then there shouldn't be a problem but samsung won't even though I am very loyal to samsung I currently have 4 samsung TV's, 3 samsung mobiles and 2 samsung tablets but I am very frustrated that this can't be resolved. I would only have to do this early upgrade once as after that I would get the new handset whenever they come out.

tonypsimm@sky.com

Re: Upgrade Program Review

Bobdabuilda — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 00:35:11 GMT

I was offered a £50 off code with my upgrade program but when I try to apply it it says the following:

The code you entered did not affect your order. Please note, codes may only be valid for certain items or in certain conditions.

Come on Samsung sort out your deals for existing customers in the upgrade program or I'll give up on Samsung and goto Huawei

Re: Upgrade Program Review

APS1 — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 08:16:03 GMT

I am very frustrated with Samsung I have been very loyal with TVs, tablets, phones I even have the new Galaxy Watch. I just want to upgrade early this one time.

Re: Upgrade Program Review

fuzzy21uk — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 00:03:38 GMT

me too

Re: Upgrade Program Review

fuzzy21uk — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 00:04:34 GMT

ME TOO MINES IS EXACTLY SAME SITUATION , called samsung & CLOSE BROS numerous times, samsung said no, have to wait ill may and wait for the email