topic Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted! in Samsung Shop

Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Rach77 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 07:29:39 GMT

So, after my rant regarding the upgrade programme being scrapped, here's my update

I decided to get the S 24 Ultra and pay for it outright. My husband needed a phone so he got my S 23 ultra.

So now I'll be keeping this phone for a few years which means Samsung will miss out on me owning the next 3 Uktra phones. Seems like the upgrade programme cancellation might cost Samsung future unit sales.

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

youcamesecoundorlast — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 12:59:45 GMT

update...people are happy with my leftovers! upgrade baby

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

keith30 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:07:17 GMT

No wonder why Apple are leading the league of best smartphone providers as quoted a few days ago if this is Samsung's answer. What a farce!

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

GreaterGalaxyUK — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:24:13 GMT

I am not on the Upgrade Program myself, but I do believe there should have been better communication rather than leaving it until launch day when people find out.

Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Rach77 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:27:20 GMT

Yes definitely. Also I want people who are going to buy the ohone through the flex program to know that their term of contract passes the launch dates so they won't be able to get the free gifts and incentives

Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Rach77 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:28:22 GMT

I want to but it's a financial thing because the upgrade programme no longer exists

Re: Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

GreaterGalaxyUK — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:30:30 GMT

That is a shame. I think if people want to pay monthly, then it may just be easier to do it via Klarna separately. That way not tied in to Samsung per se and can upgrade whenever.

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

steve0 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:31:10 GMT

If they are promoting this as the new upgrade programme -- well it ain't. All they are doing is offering to settle the final payment on the phone at the end of 14 months or 26 months if you chose to upgrade - by that time you already paid of most of the credit. With the previous scheme - you upgraded once a year - by which time you would have paid of half the credit- samsung paying of the remaining credit.

There is no upgrade programme - its dead

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

MobileGuru — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:35:04 GMT

I owe Klarna ~£720 compared to trade in of £600.
I have gone with flex (26 months) in order to pay off Klarna.
My reasoning was that I would pay the same on flex over 13 or 26 months (~£26 vs ~£52 per month), and at the end of the contract, Samsung would make a final settlement payment of ~£343). This urks me with the 13 month contract as trade-in will be ~£600 next year).
If I want the S25 ultra next year, I suppose I could get it on a second 26 month flex finance agreement.
Alas, where I was paying ~£38 per month on Samsung Upgrade, I will be paying much more, say £52 per month on Samsung flex.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Rach77 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:41:22 GMT

Yes. Great point. Thanks for that 🙂

Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Rach77 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:41:58 GMT

Exactly 💯

Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Rach77 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:44:40 GMT

Yes. That's exactly the point. So each year you need to make a £600 payment to upgrade. That is if they don't change the trade in values by then

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

keithcoyne — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:47:24 GMT

So what's the best solution for existing upgrade programme customers? Sell the phone and pay off the Klarna balance?

Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

CosmicThomas — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:41:10 GMT

Id think it go with flex 14 months then pay it off early in 12 if you want to upgrade and use it as a trade in?. Maybe saves having to give klarna 720 bucks now and give glow abit less next year.

Me personally I've gone for flex 26 just to get rid of my 23U as it got a nasty scratch last week and wasn't to bummed because I thought I'd be upgrading. I'll take the free watch and skip out next year. See what the 26U brings.

Funny how I was Samsung for life because of the upgrade program and today I'm already watching videos on what Google and apple are doing

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

steve0 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:12:11 GMT

so looking at the terms and conditions- here is an extract

b) you can choose for your Existing Handset to be bought back by a third party company MTR Group Limited (“MTR”) and Samsung, acting as intermediary will make the final settlement payment owed under your credit agreement. The offer to buy back your Existing Handset is only available where your Existing Handset meets the conditions detailed in clauses 9,10 and 11 below and is subject to the provisions detailed in clauses 6 and 7 below regarding the return of your Existing Handset.
3.7 We recommend that you purchase a protective cover for your handset to help ensure that it remains in good working condition.

It is not very well explained , but you could interpret that MTR will buy back the phone at the going rate subject to condition and samsunguses this to settle the credit, and any balance left over, goes towards the next upgrade.

Even if this is the case - it is still a bit of con that you will miss out on any pre-order promotions

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

alanni1 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:46:43 GMT

Maybe I'm just being stupid but all this is incredibly confusing.

I owe Klarna around £700. Is trading the S23 in and having that account settled only possible if paying with Flex with the 14 / 26 month terms.

Or is there a facility to have the Klarna balance settled ( by Samsung ) after sending the S23 back and either paying for an S24 in full or via Samsung / PayPal/ Klarna Finance

Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Rach77 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:00:17 GMT

It's really confusing but I think that Samsung settle the balance for your s23 and then yiu take out a new finance contract with Samsung for their Flex finance. Then you pay monthly for that until you settle your loan or you sens back the phone at the end of the contract and start a fresh flex agreement. What's not clear is how much you pay over the term but it seems that you pay most of the amount and then when you send that phone back Samsung pay the remaining £370 ish final payment and you start all over again with the next phone.
In a nutshell. The upgrade programme was brilliant and fair but the flex programme costs the customer a lot more. Which is why they are changing

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

GreaterGalaxyUK — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:13:36 GMT

The only thing to bear in mind is if you buy via Klarna and then trade the phone in, you will still need to pay Klarna what you owe. So you could be paying for two phones for a while.

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

steve0 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:09:02 GMT

UPDATE

I called samsung finance-- they confirm they only pay the final installment of £343 (s24u). That's it-so if you upgrade with samsung flex they get back an s24U worth £600 or more for £343. We have been short changed by at least £300

Re: Upgrade program customers sharfted!

Saxacat — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 18:01:52 GMT

I was hoping for an option for Samsung to pay off my S23U and for me to by the S24U outright, sadly not there. I did give serious thought to just keeping the S23U (I'm really happy with it, it is a great device), but with the demise of the Upgrade Program, this will likely be my last annual upgrade, so I've ordered an S24U on the longer Flex option and will probably keep it till 2026, and if possible buy outright from then on.