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Help... Samsung access program won't help me. Broken phone for a year.

(Topic created on: 12-02-2023 03:48 AM)
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Granatman
Apprentice
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I got the Samsung access program -s21ultra in March of 21... Went fine. But months later I received a notice I hadn't paid... Contacted Samsung and apparently they never sent my invite emails with all the information on my phone payment details nor the Microsoft 360 1tb storage nor the Samsung care plus. All I bought through Samsung access. You pay 50$ total and get all 3. The phone is just 33.63$ per month MS 360 is $3.33 and care plus is $9.06. after tax it's exactly 50$. So after setting up all the things 3 months later after hours on the phone trying to explain a program Samsung sells that none of the support people had ever even heard of... I would frequently ask them to Google it and learn about something they offer. I finally got all the coded necessary to setup my included cloud storage. And the bank drafts and credit card autopays for the other 2. Everything was fine until I needed a replacement phone. All good, I have insurance, I'll just pay the deductible and that's that. Wrong. They couldn't help me file a claim. Because I had moved during the process and not anyone there knew about this program. I was told to update my address online but I couldn't gain access to my account because it wasn't exactly samsung, it was Samsung access. After a couple weeks talking to different people and explaining ad nauseam... I finally found someone that help me get logged into an account. But now I had basically 2 separate half accounts because I must've used a Gmail to initially install stuff on my phone and I used a Yahoo to purchase the phone. So there was some conflicting information and to this day no matter what I do I can't update my address. Even when I'm on the phone with Samsung and they confirm it's been updated. Even after emails confirming the update. I can't. Literally 150 hours on the phone. More than that if you include the times I've given up and had my girlfriend try... Because it's that kind of anger that is so frustrating you almost want to laugh and cry... Just no matter what I do I can't get anyone from samsung or assurion (they handle Samsung care plus) to help. So after many hours I get assurion  to send me a new phone... The unlocked version 256gb black s 21 ultra... Confirmed multiple times. So happy the day it showed up probably 3 months of using a malfunctioning phone by that point (screen was never broken, one day the colors went a shade of green and flickered and went to dim to do anything until I realized if I cover the light sensor and turned off auto dim, it was usable albeit garbage). Tried to setup the phone... Not the unlocked version, so my SIM card wouldn't work. Almost lost it. Called asurion and they apologized and said when they get that phone back they'll send another... So no big deal just keep using my busted phone. Surely next time they will send the right phone... Wrong about 8 business days later the exact same thing. And when you call they send you to tech support because they think you're just not doing something right... And after bouncing around and explaining soooooo much to different people I'm told by tech support that they sent me the wrong phone which I new because I googled the error message after inserting my unlocked sim card. So again, I'm told to send it back and they'll send the right phone when they receive the locked one they just sent... Like, what else can go wrong. All the while I'm still paying $50 a month for a broken phone with insurance that is on a program from Samsung that Samsung has never heard of. Sounds insane. I didn't want to wait for them to get the phone they sent me for them to send another... I explained as much as possible. Didn't matter. Reluctantly I sent it back and was just gonna have to wait. I have the tracking number of the phone I sent back and I watch that ***** thing several times per day. Well, after about a week I call and ask if they can send my new phone. They haven't received the old one yet. I'm still using a broken phone at that point. So I'm told to wait and they'll call me as soon as they receive it. I ask if they can just send it since they can see it's in transit. Nope. Fine. I wait another week, still in transit... After a month of still in transit, I'm livid. How can this possibly happen. After explaining this all to asurion many more times and btw each time you're told there is a record and you won't have to explain... Bullshit. You will. They either lose only my records or they just don't care to read them because it was never any help to me. So, I'm them told they won't ship me another phone until I update my address with samsung.com. I explained they had sent 2 phones already to my current address... My billing address... And that I had changed my address on Samsung many times. They apparently pull the address directly from Samsung.... Since then, about 6 months ago I've basically given up. A few days after that I ordered the samsung s22 ultra through googlefi this time... I never should've given any more money to Samsung... I know and I agree. I'm actually still paying 50$ per month to Samsung... Well, some to asurion and some to Microsoft but it all shows as Samsung on my statement. And to make matters worse a while back I got a email from Microsoft saying I was losing my 360 because I hadn't paid... And guess what, they never heard of the Samsung access program either. Because they're Microsoft... I'm going insane. So, now I lost access to all my cloud storage. Even sending screenshots of my Samsung purchases every month of Microsoft 360 didn't help. And at this point, hand to God, I have to between my girlfriend and I spent well over 150 hours on the phone, between texting on websites, emails, and the worst of all being on hold... Or hung up on and having to start all over. I'm in absolute disbelief and I'm shocked and appalled this can happen... So in the last year I've spent $600 on a broken phone and lost days of my life trying to get it fixed, not to mention the stress of it all. If I try to cancel my Samsung access program I'm told the phone has to be sent back and it has to be in good working condition, so if it's not then I need to file a claim and get it fixed first... Holy dammit... Just tried to do that before writing this. Now assurion, says I don't have insurance through them... So I messaged support online and they see it... And gave me a number to call that told me to go online and then hung up. I pleaded with the guy on the online chat and explained please get a supervisor or someone to help... He just said for me to call and file it manually and there's a record of our chat so it'll be fine. Well, it's not fine. I mean at least after I think only 1 or 2 more months of these payments for this broken phone they'll stop robbing me.... Maybe. Honestly at this point nothing would surprise me. Can anyone in this interwebs world help?? 

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RXM
Troubleshooter
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That's a painful read and I can relate to what you've said 100%. One of the biggest downsides to having a Samsung product is if something goes wrong that's not A++ in simplicity it's almost a waste of time trying. I've had so many excruciating experiences from Samsung support over the past few years, it's not fit for purpose and I don't know how it can possibly be so bad, it shouldn't be humanly possible. The most unusual one that happened to me was when I messaged about a discount code! that I had that wouldn't work (was told I had already used it on a product that was ineligible for a discount. Codes don't attach if the item your purchasing is ineligible, it didn't show anything on the invoice, something similar with codes has happened 3 times with me... but anyway) the issue of the discount code wasn't the problem. When emailing them I signed off using my full name at the end, my email address is basically just my full name too and the email address I used is my Samsung account email. I get a reply "Hi (insert ex girlfriends name). I had broke up with this person at least a year before and I have no idea how it's possible that this happened and still don't know because believe it or not after around a dozen more emails from my end EVERY SINGLE reply bar 1 email replied back with Hi 'Ex Girlfriend', even though I told them to stop multiple times, enquired how it was possible for her name to be attached to my account and the potential implications around privacy I remember clear as day the utter frustration and disbelief when one of the last emails arrived in my inbox with no change at all and a new reference number from a new support member (the 5th reference number at that point for the same issue) caused me to have a legit breakdown, which sounds pathetic I know but I was under immense work stress at the time and my sister was extremely ill. I got an £80 voucher as complimentary compensation even though I said I didn't want money or anything multiple times, I just wanted them to sort the issue. Bizzare situation where I'm offered £30 and told that it's the maximum they can offer and I said I don't want a voucher then next email offered £50, told was maximum they can offer start I start to lose the plot as they are not listening to a word im saying then exact same email word for word after that but with £80 and at that I was done, took the voucher and I've not spoken to them since. For that 1 issue I was given 5 different reference numbers, what would happen is someone new would reply, give me a new reference number and it was like you were back to square 1.

Another time my S Pen Pro nibs, over the span of several months, all snapped and left the stem inside. I was told to send an email to uk.parts@samsung.com, put my invoice number in the subject line and add a photo showing the problem and I would have my issue resolved. 13 months has passed and I'm still waiting for a reply.

Just after that email I then made 3 consecutive attempts (45 or so minutes of waiting in the chat queue) to speak with customer service on Samsung Shop and each time my conversation was just closed. Each time I waited roughly 15-18 minutes before abruptly having the conversation closed. I was logged into my account, using the Galaxy Shop app. I screenshoted my final attempt before I gave up.

Before that a totally misleading popup appeared on Samsung Shop, up top in a banner for a 20% off code for the S7 tablets I believe. No terms shown. Have the screenshot still. Just prior to my sister's birthday I attempted to use it, didn't work. Email to find out that you need to buy a Z Flip/Fold 3 alongside to get the code to work. I then offloaded a handful of other issues in frustration and was told that management would personally phone me. Still waiting 2 years later.

Rereading the email threads just there to double check some info and some of it got me a bit choked up. Bad times, no customer should have to be subject to such chaotic incompetence.
TessM
Mastermind
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Hi @Granatman ,

 

that is really unfortunate. I can see that you've got a non EU model phone. With Samsung support being localised and this being a European forum (the English language part is supported by the Samsung UK & Ireland team, for example), we're limited in what we can do for you in terms of direct support.

 

Have you been in touch with Samsung in your area to get this looked at? You can find their available contact details here: SAMSUNG | Samsung UK

Granatman
Apprentice
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Well... I totally didn't realize that. Thank you very much. I reposted this in us forums. Hopefully they're as helpful as you. 

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Granatman
Apprentice
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Wow. Seems like we have the same kind of luck... Hahah. Thanks for making me feel a little better...