I tried some of this stuff. I went to Best Buy but their sales reps are basically disconnected from corporate, they are retail people assigned to Best Buy. I tried to get a Samsung contact from them but I got nowhere. I called PL again today to ask for one more conversation with a supervisor, someone who may be willing to explain what happened and do actual research. It may take 5 business days to hear back. When the last super told me location code reject she did not explain how she knew this, just said it, just like the rep who answered the phone said it because that was the water cooler conversation of the day so it seemed. Just like 2 days prior when I called, it was oh, they ran out so we swapped it. So what is the real truth? The rep today said Samsung audits all orders when they go to fulfillment and that day it is decided what you get, PL has no control over it. If they really did an extra audit like they told me before, I am not convinced this was the one done on 4/20 when my order was placed with fulfillment. Otherwise they are saying it is common practice NOT to audit all orders at time of fulfillment, so which is it? It just seems fishy.
Yes I bought through xfinity portal but the purchase was made at verizon wireless online. There is proof of this on my register receipt and my credit card statement. I was not billed by comcast for the phone tax, I was billed by verizon. Thus in my opinion I qualify based on the T&C. That may not be what Samsung intended but even more to the point, why would they care if I got an extra promotion doing it this way? It doesn't come out of their pocket. I think when it comes down to it, Samsung just never got this location code because it is a verizon sales office but at a location not at verizon (my receipt says verizon wireless at one comcast way). I didn't submit this receipt though, I submitted the one in the box that didn't say where I bought it from. Not sure that would have made a difference since they seem to only look at location code. But then how did PL know it was a verizon online purchase to begin with that resulted in me passing all their initial audit levels? They must have thought where I bought it from was valid for the S2 based on their interpretation of the T&C (IMO). What else would lead them to see I bought it online at all then? That confuses me too. Unless they really did have the location code database to look my code up in. But on the phone with me they have to defend Samsung's rejection because they represent Samsung, not my interest. If they rejected it, they must have had a reason and there's nothing PL can do about it. And sorry you have no way to speak to anyone at Samsung about why this is, it just is so deal with it.
I'm also extra annoyed because I called PL BEFORE I placed my order, with the location code even. I explained how I was going to order it, he seemed to understand and assured me he made a note with my email address that he told me this would work and if I had problems later it would be documented. He either lied to me or the note got lost because PL can't find it. If I was told then and there it wouldn't work, or he wasn't sure it would be up to Samsung in the end, I may or may not have proceeded down that path but at least I would have had valid information to go by.
I am more annoyed as a matter of principle. For all I know, all of us who ordered through the verizon-xfinity partnership and was fulfilled around the same time actually got swapped due to lack of inventory and not due to location code. I will only believe that if they can tell me how they know my location code was rejected, I never got that explanation. I'd still love to know if anyone with code E184001 actually got an S2.