Originally Posted By tiggertoo I am frustrated beyond belief right now. In Dec. 2005, I purchased a Samsung SCD6040 camcorder/digital camera which at the time cost close to $600 (still about the same actually). However, within 3 months, I started to have mechanical trouble with it. I contacted Samsung technical support in April and they said that parts were still under warrantee for that purchase and that within ten days they would send out a UPS ticket to have it repaired. They instructed me in how to package it, label it, etc… which I did of course…but the ticket never came. After perhaps 15 calls over the course of 6 months and apology after apology for the “inconvenience,†they sent this situation to a supervisor, who sent the ticket out personally, which I finally received. The unit was sent out a couple weeks later in October 2006. A couple months go by without any contact whatsoever. I finally called to receive a report the status of the unit. The lady at the repair center tells me the repairs have been completed and that they would be sending it out soon. A month and a half later and no camcorder in my possession, I call again. Now they tell me they are still waiting for the part. What?!?! Becoming quite frustrated with these inconsistencies, I call a couple weeks later to find out what the heck is going on. Nobody knew and the repair center wasn’t answering their phones. Finally, in late May I receive a call informing me that they could not find the part needed to fix the machine and that they would offer me a refund/exchange for an upgraded machine. Fine….whatever. At this point I just wanted to be done with this whole situation. They tell me that an exchange department rep will contact me soon. In June, I received that call. Now here’s the kicker…In exchange for the $600, combo camcorder/digital camera, they are offering me a crappy $200 camcorder without the digital camera utility as an exchange OR a prorated refund subtracting the cost since the purchase one year and a half ago. I was flabbergasted. I only had the camcorder in working order for three months. For the remaining 15 months, it’s been in a box waiting for the ticket or in their possession presumably being repairs. My Achilles Heels in this case is that at some point during this period, the receipt has disappeared. But when I explained this to the initial service rep, they said that this wouldn’t be a problem as they already had a purchase card (or something along those lines) on hand, nor has any one of the multitudes of reps I’ve spoken with ever asked for the receipt for warrantee proposes. So now, 15 months later and after so much runaround from the people, they are going to try to pull this on me. I missed my wife’s department to the Middle East and her return (the main reasons I bought the camcorder in the first place). IF she didn’t come back, I wanted to capture these final moments. But not, only was there service horrendous, they are robbing me of $400 in product...which by their admission was under warrantee. So, I need to know what I should do—what kind of a legal case (if any) I might have here. I want to speak with a lawyer (Air Force legal perhaps), but having never actually filed any form of a lawsuit, I wouldn’t know where to begin or if it is even worth my time/money/pain. Thanks for your time. Gary K.
Originally Posted By Schmitty Good Vibes I sure can't give you legal advice, but here's what I'd do: Get your local TV station involved with this. They love this kind of story and are usually effective with companies that want to keep a good reputation, like Samsung. You wouldn't necessarily do so well with a fly-by-night business. Be sure to lay it on thick and heavy about why you wanted those pictures. If you live in California, this is a Small Claims Court case, so attourneys may not help much. There are a lot of small offices that can give legal advise without having to see a lawyer. Look up Legal Clinics in your yellow pages. Good luck, I think you'll eventually come out on top.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains I had simular problems with Samsung over a cell phone - I had to throw a temper tantrum at my local sprint store to get a new phone - my cell phone was only 6 weeks old when it quit!!! I agree with SGV if your local station will tackle this it would be a great way to get it resolved - Samsung will more than likely bend over backwards to please you - rather than look bad on TV!!
Originally Posted By Tinkerbell819 I'm just agreeing with the first two responses...I called one of our local news stations consumer depts. when I was having a similar situation with a brand new GE regrigerator that needed repairs about every other week. I got so exasperated dealing with them and one call to the station got me a new fridge. (which didn't work either, but that's beside the point!) lol
Originally Posted By sherrytodd I've always found that a good embarrassing screaming rant at a local office, the place of purchase, or at a call center supervisor usually gets me results. Disclaimer: The above is not meant to be construed as legal advice. Any actions resulting from the above said advice are not the resposibility of sherrytodd. Actual mileage may vary. The opinions expressed by sherrytodd do not necessarily reflect the opinions expressed by sherrytodd tomorrow. Parental guidence is suggested.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains <<Parental guidence is suggested>> Does this mean we can take the kiddies in and have them throw an equally annoying tantrum too?!?!?
Originally Posted By BeautysBeast Where did u buy this camcorder?And was this piece of equipment new or used?Best bet is to keep going back to place of purchase and request to see that section's manager and ask why your purchase isnt under any kind of manufacturers warrenty if it is a new piece of equipment.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Email your story to tips@consumerist.com. They usually have pretty good advice about resolving stuff like this. Be sure to check out their website <a href="http://www.consumerist.com" target="_blank">http://www.consumerist.com</a> You can reach Samsung's customer care line at 1-800-747-5618 If that doesn't work, the next level up is their Executive Customer Relations line at 1-800-522-7341
Originally Posted By BeautysBeast Also contact your local Better Business Bureau..im just ranting here but if u boughtIf u from a reputable dealer you shouldent be having this issue.If u purchased it from a friend or relative..well then they saw u coming a mile away and ur SOL..
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I think Tom and Schmitty have the best approach. If you're in California, Small Claims now goes up to $5K, so you'd have to be able to say you've suffered damages over that amount. In the unfortunate event your wife doesn't return, you might be able to do something. But since I don't practice that kind of law, you would of course be better off consulting one who did.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd Oh, never underestimate the power of a letter to the President or CEO. This has been my dad's practice for years and he has gotten most of his problems quickly resolved and usually a little then some with some extra freebies.
Originally Posted By tiggertoo Sorry for not responding sooner. I had to run out of town on emergency. Thank you everyone for all your advice. I plan to implement all of them as soon as I return from Disneyland next week. But I’m not sure what approach I should take with the Samsung Customer Care. Should I inform them I am (or will be) pursuing a legal avenue as well as media publicity for this case, then see if they sweeten deal? Or should I just surprise them with paperwork, etc… and let the chips fall as they may? To answer a couple questions…the unit was purchase from AAFES which the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. They are a retail distributor like any other department store but exclusively for military employed personnel and their dependents and guests. Everything they sell is brand new like in any Best Buy or Target. Again, many thanks for everyone’s input. It is truly appreciated. And also thanks for overlooking my plethora of typos. Some of you understand how it feels (…cough…SPP…cough).
Originally Posted By BeautysBeast Since u bought it on a base i presume cant u contact the supply officer?Using the chain of command if your active service.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer "But I’m not sure what approach I should take with the Samsung Customer Care." <a href="http://consumerist.com/consumer/complaints/complain-to-win-7-stages-of-escalation-228303.php" target="_blank">http://consumerist.com/consume r/complaints/complain-to-win-7-stages-of-escalation-228303.php</a> Your expectations were not met. Now you want them to fix the product, redo the service, or give you a credit. Here's seven general stages of complaint escalation to follow. 1. Ladle on the honey. Contact Customer Service and ask for what you want really nicely. 2. Focus on fixers. Hone in on solutions to the problem, not how bad it makes you feel. 3. Cut to the chase. Say, 'I expect you or your manager to take ownership of this right now. I'm not going to be put on hold." 4. Enlist a referee. Volunteer mediators at places like Call For Action are like have an extra teammate. If your city supports it, 311 is a good place to start. 5. Bring in the big guns. Complaint to the relevant licensing bureaus or the States Attorney. 6. Plead your own case. Take it to small claims court. 7. File a civil lawsuit. Find a lawyer versed in your type of case. Visit FindLegalHelp.org. I wouldn't start off telling them you're going to file against them. You've each got a problem here, and it's time to at least begin speaking respectfully. See if there's some mutually beneficial arrangement that can be reached. If not, ramp it up with a certified letter to a VP or above. Don't get angry, don't lose your temper. Be polite, short, and to the point. The trick is you want to keep them on your side - the second you begin sounding oppositional, the battle lines are drawn and the walls go up. This is a problem that both you and Samsung want resolved. If you explain - politely - your story, the executive level people are not going to be happy with how their company is performing.
Originally Posted By JeffG The advice given in this thread so far is good. I do have a few other suggestions, though. Note that I'm not an attorney or anything like that. I'm just someone that has bought a lot of consumer electronics and had to deal with customer service on a lot of occasions. First of all, I would definitely advise making at least one more significant attempt at resolving the issue directly before pursuing legal action or involving the press or consumer advocacy groups. Certainly, direct negotiation, if successful, is going to get you the result you want most quickly and with the least amount of additional headaches. The next step you should do is sit down and write up some extensive notes. Ideally, this should take the form of a time line, outlining the entire life of the camcorder. The notes should cover when you bought it, when the first problem occurred, each phone call or other communications that you had with Samsung, etc. Be as detailed as possible with this. You should also document the dates and specific details of the events that you had hoped to capture with the camcorder and missed out on. It doesn't hurt to play up your wife's military service a bit, but keep in mind that you are probably talking with overseas call centers, so playing to patriotism might not be overly effective. Rehearse your spoken narrative a couple times before you try to make the call. Next, you should get yourself ready for a phone call that is going to likely be something of an endurance test. Set aside a couple hours for the call and be prepared to spend a fair amount of time on hold. If you don't already have a speakerphone, I'd highly recommend getting one. You can pick up a cheap one at Radio Shack for around $20. Prepare yourself for a call that is likely going to be rather frustrating. It is absolutely essential that you remain calm and to the point throughout, so do whatever you need to in order to get yourself ready for that. Don't get drunk or anything, but don't hesitate to prepare with a glass of wine or something if that might help calm you... Once you make the call, the basic procedure you are going to want to take is to tell the rehearsed narrative of the story precisely and calmly to whomever you get on the phone. End it by explaining what you expect (an equal value replacement or refund of your purchase price) and if they don't agree to an acceptable solution, politely ask the person to escalate to his/her supervisor. Make sure that you take down the name, employee number (if you can get one), and the date/time that you spoke to each person you talk to. Once the next person comes on the line, repeat the process. Eventually, you might reach a point where they tell you that there is nobody else to escalate to. That would be the point where you politely inform them that you have no choice but to pursue other routes to achieving an acceptable solution. At that point, you should feel free to indicate an intent to file a small claims court case against them or to contact a news outlet or consumer organization. Follow the other suggestions in this thread and pre-research your options. Don't be broadly threatening here, but instead be specific about what your next course of action will be. This should not be an idle threat, but instead a simple statement of what you really do plan to do. Throughout the entire call, it is absolutely essential to remain completely calm and polite. The second you become hostile, angry, abusive, or anything, you probably will end up losing and you might even get hung up on. Your goal is to make them understand that you are right and that is not likely to happen if you put them on the defensive. Good luck! Hopefully you will get it worked out. -Jeff
Originally Posted By tiggertoo Wow, Tom and Jeff. Your yeoman’s advice is most useful and very much appreciated. Thank you very much! Thus far, I’ve been very patient and polite with the many Customer Care Representatives I’ve spoken with; I suppose too much so given that I’ve allowed this whole ordeal to drag on for almost 16 months now. But, c’est la vie. The problem is that since I’ve called so many times, it’s difficult to distinguish which calls were made when and what the outcomes of each call were. I suppose I could write a general itinerary of sorts, but if I try to get too specific, it might bite me in the end if it comes to litigation. What would you advise? Is there any way to access the call records from some entity (Samsung Customer Care, AT&T)? Am I entitled to such information? I’ll keep you all updated as events unfold? For now, I’m going on vacation and to the Happiest Place on Earth…again without a camcorder of course….grrrr.
