Samsung Galaxy S4 Bulging Battery issue

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Ultimate Geek
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# 963488 8-Jan-2014 19:39

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NikT: I've heard an anecdote (I think from the TradeMe forums) that someone with this issue was able to go directly to Samsung in Auckland & get a replacement battery on the spot. Hopefully with this clearly being a known fault (Colleague had the same issue, so did Murphy), the process is streamlined considerably. Good argument for user-replaceable batteries, I suppose.

The following was in the Vodafone Community Forum, posted on 30/12.

The battery had a bit of swelling over Xmas period and earlier this morning called up Samsung Service Centre up in North Shore and explained the issue to the rep. The rep said to come over and swap out the batteries. Turns out to be the batteries which were made in china were defective. The whole process took about 15 mins and so far there hasn't been a boot loop with the newer battery. http://community.vodafone.co.nz/t5/Android/Samsung-Galaxy-S4-4-3-Update/td-p/109748/page/6

old3eyes

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# 963672 9-Jan-2014 08:39

As I can't read the serial number on my mother-in-laws new SGS4 as it seems to be in about 6 pt font and I don't have a magnifying glass at her place and she bought a new S4 on Monday, how long does this effect take to start showing??

Regards,

Old3eyes

Talkiet

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# 963726 9-Jan-2014 10:40

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Update: battery still not arrived in Chch... Disappointing on the seocnd morning AFTER being told it was about to be urgently dispatched.

It would appear that the process is lovely and smooth if you are prepared to be without the use of your phone for up to a week. If however you want to get an advance replacement even when the issue is due to a KNOWN MANUFACTURING FAULT, Samsung NZ WILL NOT DO THIS.

They just very clearly confirmed this to me on the phone. Even for an item with a known manufacturing fault, and even where there is strong visual evidence that the battery is bulging and it is within the affected serial number range, they have no process for providing an advance replacement and require the battery to be sent in before they will send a replacement to you.

What a completely customer hateful policy.

Is it any wonder that Samsung NZ don't have a Twitter account and their Facebook page won't take comments?

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Talkiet

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# 963744 9-Jan-2014 10:51

Update: Battery not even dispatched.

Let's see if AirNZ is at all concerned about many faulty, bulging Li-Ion batteries flying around and the manufacturer not caring enough to make replacement easy.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Talkiet

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# 964005 9-Jan-2014 17:41

Well, I got a call from Samsung this afternoon and they said they had managed to find me a battery and it was waiting at the same store I was previously sent to.

It was there, and the person even said that they had been asked to break a retail phone package to get it out for me and Samsung would replace the battery in the next few days.

So the problem for ME is solved, but the systemic issue around Samsung's support for a known fault with one of their premium devices remains.

See other thread for question about non Samsung alternatives :-)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Daff

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# 964985 11-Jan-2014 01:22

Talkiet: Update: Battery not even dispatched.

Let's see if AirNZ is at all concerned about many faulty, bulging Li-Ion batteries flying around and the manufacturer not caring enough to make replacement easy.

Cheers - N

What about the other airlines, you ringing them?

Batman

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# 964987 11-Jan-2014 02:13

Talkiet: Well, I got a call from Samsung this afternoon and they said they had managed to find me a battery and it was waiting at the same store I was previously sent to.

It was there, and the person even said that they had been asked to break a retail phone package to get it out for me and Samsung would replace the battery in the next few days.

So the problem for ME is solved, but the systemic issue around Samsung's support for a known fault with one of their premium devices remains.

See other thread for question about non Samsung alternatives :-)

Cheers - N

ah i totally get your frustrations now ...

alas what can a sole customer do when other android manufacturers miss the point (about SD slot)

good luck

Swype on iOS is detrimental to accurate typing. Apologies in advance.

tehgerbil

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Ultimate Geek
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# 965015 11-Jan-2014 08:30

In this instance Talkiet you shouldn't have let your retailer fob you off to Samsung, as they are the supplier of the goods, the buck stops with them completely.

They know the law, they know it very well. They will fob you off whenever possible. If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

For anyone else who reads this, a bulging battery = potential third degree burns, and any retailer which attempts to fob you off to Samsung should be ashamed of themselves.

I've had Samsung technicians lie directly to my face (over the phone) about a faulty phone repair - They forgot to remove the camera module protective cover... and basically said it was my fault. I complained to Noelleemings and eventually a Samsung manager phoned me to apologise. Anway, I digress.

uglyb0b

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# 965030 11-Jan-2014 09:52

tehgerbil:If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

How do you know they haven't escalated the issue? I know from experience that Samsung (or any OEM for that matter) are very difficult to deal with in terms of taking ownership for anything at all. In fact, every single customer service experience I have had with Samsung has been terrible, except, ironically, for the issue I had with my swollen battery.

networkn

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# 965168 11-Jan-2014 16:54

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uglyb0b:
tehgerbil:If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

How do you know they haven't escalated the issue? I know from experience that Samsung (or any OEM for that matter) are very difficult to deal with in terms of taking ownership for anything at all. In fact, every single customer service experience I have had with Samsung has been terrible, except, ironically, for the issue I had with my swollen battery.

Despite your perception, Samsung is NOT responsible in this case, his retailer is. His anger is misplaced though I can understand his frustration.

Talkiet

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# 965170 11-Jan-2014 16:55

networkn:
uglyb0b:
tehgerbil:If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

How do you know they haven't escalated the issue? I know from experience that Samsung (or any OEM for that matter) are very difficult to deal with in terms of taking ownership for anything at all. In fact, every single customer service experience I have had with Samsung has been terrible, except, ironically, for the issue I had with my swollen battery.

Despite your perception, Samsung is NOT responsible in this case, his retailer is. His anger is misplaced though I can understand his frustration.

Although it may not have been clear, I did speak to the retailer first and they were prepared to satisfy their obligations under the CGA. This however was unacceptable to me as it would have resulted in me being without a phone. I then elected to contact Samsung directly as I was sure, since it was a known fault with this batch of batteries, they would have a better solution for me. (I expected them to apologise, take my details and courier me a replacement battery and instructions for discarding the old battery or a return bag to send it back).

However, although accepting they could log the issue and deal with it, Samsung still made a total hash of the situation.

Harvey Norman did NOT tell me I had to deal with Samsung. I chose to because I initially thought it would be a faster process and would result in a replacement battery without having to send my phone away.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

uglyb0b

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Ultimate Geek
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# 965174 11-Jan-2014 17:14

networkn:
uglyb0b:
tehgerbil:If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

How do you know they haven't escalated the issue? I know from experience that Samsung (or any OEM for that matter) are very difficult to deal with in terms of taking ownership for anything at all. In fact, every single customer service experience I have had with Samsung has been terrible, except, ironically, for the issue I had with my swollen battery.

Despite your perception, Samsung is NOT responsible in this case, his retailer is. His anger is misplaced though I can understand his frustration.

Samsung IS responsible in my case as I have dealt with them directly. Both as a customer and during my time working in retail. They make things very difficult for the customer and for retailers. Again, this is not necessarily specific to Samsung, however I have had more trouble dealing with Samsung than any other OEM.

mattwnz

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# 965175 11-Jan-2014 17:15

networkn:
uglyb0b:
tehgerbil:If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

How do you know they haven't escalated the issue? I know from experience that Samsung (or any OEM for that matter) are very difficult to deal with in terms of taking ownership for anything at all. In fact, every single customer service experience I have had with Samsung has been terrible, except, ironically, for the issue I had with my swollen battery.

Despite your perception, Samsung is NOT responsible in this case, his retailer is. His anger is misplaced though I can understand his frustration.

The consumer has the choice to deal with either the retailer or the manufacturer, so if they were dealing with the manufacturer and weren't getting anywhere, then I believe they are responsible.

Paulthagerous

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# 965179 11-Jan-2014 17:41

mattwnz:
networkn:
uglyb0b:
tehgerbil:If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

How do you know they haven't escalated the issue? I know from experience that Samsung (or any OEM for that matter) are very difficult to deal with in terms of taking ownership for anything at all. In fact, every single customer service experience I have had with Samsung has been terrible, except, ironically, for the issue I had with my swollen battery.

Despite your perception, Samsung is NOT responsible in this case, his retailer is. His anger is misplaced though I can understand his frustration.

The consumer has the choice to deal with either the retailer or the manufacturer, so if they were dealing with the manufacturer and weren't getting anywhere, then I believe they are responsible.

Nope. Whoever supplies the product to the customer is the one who is responsible. Here it is HN not Samsung. S16 of the CGA says this, and 'supplier' is defined in Section 2 in such a way to catch the retailer only. This is intentional, to prevent the retailer from trying to pass the buck.

Of course, the consumer could go directly to Samsung themselves, and Samsung COULD fix the issue themselves (the law doesn't prevent this) but they are not OBLIGATED to deal directly with the consumer - that responsibility (legally anyway) falls squarely on HN.

mattwnz

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# 965198 11-Jan-2014 18:17

Paulthagerous:
mattwnz:
networkn:
uglyb0b:
tehgerbil:If they have a backlog of 20 people it's because they haven't escalated the problem to the Samsung rep. Trust me, there are channels they can get this moving if necessary.

How do you know they haven't escalated the issue? I know from experience that Samsung (or any OEM for that matter) are very difficult to deal with in terms of taking ownership for anything at all. In fact, every single customer service experience I have had with Samsung has been terrible, except, ironically, for the issue I had with my swollen battery.

Despite your perception, Samsung is NOT responsible in this case, his retailer is. His anger is misplaced though I can understand his frustration.

The consumer has the choice to deal with either the retailer or the manufacturer, so if they were dealing with the manufacturer and weren't getting anywhere, then I believe they are responsible.

Nope. Whoever supplies the product to the customer is the one who is responsible. Here it is HN not Samsung. S16 of the CGA says this, and 'supplier' is defined in Section 2 in such a way to catch the retailer only. This is intentional, to prevent the retailer from trying to pass the buck.

Of course, the consumer could go directly to Samsung themselves, and Samsung COULD fix the issue themselves (the law doesn't prevent this) but they are not OBLIGATED to deal directly with the consumer - that responsibility (legally anyway) falls squarely on HN.

I was always under the impression the manufacturer was obligated, because what happens if the retailer goes out of business. I wasn't talking about the actual 'supplier' which is another middle man in the process. The manufacturer is the only one left that they can deal with it if a retailer closes down. Also the manufatcurer will often have a dedicated support line, so the retailer will often say that they should contact the manufacturers support line to get it dealt with as quickly as possible. The retailer will often say that we can deal with it, but it will take longer, than dealing with the manufacturer directly. This takes load off the retailer, and means that the consumer is dealing with specialists to deal with any problems, versus a retailer who may know very little about what they are selling.

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