Samsung s7 edge cracked during charging

[DWhitfield84]

Evening all.
Just posted this on my facebook and wanted your opinions...

Samsung have outdone themselves with this one ladies and gents....

I purchased a Galaxy S7 edge about 6 weeks ago. Loved the phone, quick, looks smart etc, I was very pleased I'd gone for this and not an iPhone which was my other choice. Until this happened...

After having the phone for 2 weeks, after a quick charge (30 mins), the back of the phone cracked top to bottom. My initial thoughts were that it overheated or the battery expanded.
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I phoned Samsung hoping for some help, to be told, it's damaged and is now out of warranty, and if it needs fixing would be a chargeable repair.

Thinking Samsung wouldn't help further, I used the phone for 4 or 5 more weeks, but then decided to once again ring them. I rang them the day they started recalling their other device, the note7 due to overheating problems. This time they agreed to let me send the phone in for inspection.

Last Friday they contacted me to tell me the phone would not be repaired unless I paid. This is due to there being dust and moisture in the charging port which is potentially what caused it to overheat and crack. Their testing showed no evidence of overheating.

At this point I'd like to point out the phone is marketed as water resistant (the fella on the advert drops his phone in the sink) and the Samsung site has a video of the phone submerged in water and working still. They also state on their site that the phone is water resistant to an IP68 rating. This means the phone is both water AND dust resistant and can be submerged in up to 5ft of water for up to 30 mins.

I'd also say that If it was moisture that cracked the phone, the crack happened 5 weeks ago. Surely the moisture in the phone would have dried by now? The heat of every day use and daily charges should have evaporated said moisture and wouldn't have been there for the Samsung engineer to see? So if there is moisture in there, it must have been from only a day or so before it was returned and simply through daily use of the phone.

I'd like to remind everyone that Samsung are refusing to fix my IP68 water and dust resistant phone because there is moisture and dust in the charging port. The phone hasn't been submerged in water and hasn't been used in the rain.

I'm in the middle of a formal complaint with Samsung but If this fails then I can only see trading standards being the next port of call. How the hell am I supposed to stand a chance against a huge organisation such as Samsung? Feels like I'm wasting my time.

Never been more annoyed about something and seriously regretting purchasing this phone now.

Would anyone else feel annoyed at this? Am I wrong to expect a free repair or replacement given the phone is nearly brand new and costs £600+, not to mention the fact the reason for it breaking is one of their unique selling points of the phone?

Now I'm not one to do this normally, but if people want to share this post as much as possible, hopefully Samsung will be shamed into replacing or fixing my phone. I just want a device that works as it should do and does what the product is advertised to do.

 

[srkmagnus]

Getting the device fixed by Samsung free of charge is likely out of the question based on the information you have provided. If you need the device fixed I would suggest paying for them to repair it, or going through a third-party repair company to have them fix it for you.

 

[DWhitfield84]

I suppose my grievance is that I know they're not going to repair it. They've said on the phone the engineers decision is final and they won't overturn it. But have I not got a case to say that dust and moisture in the charging port caused the issue, when the phone is supposed to be dust and water proof?

 

[anon(5719825)]

I suppose my grievance is that I know they're not going to repair it. They've said on the phone the engineers decision is final and they won't overturn it. But have I not got a case to say that dust and moisture in the charging port caused the issue, when the phone is supposed to be dust and water proof?

It's not water proof, water resistant. This is why they can claim there is moisture damage.

 

[DWhitfield84]

Sorry I meant to say water resistant. In fact I've been very careful in my correspondence with them so far to not use the words water proof.
My argument still stands though that the phone is IP68 water and dust resistant and can withstand being submerged for up to 30 mins in 5 ft of water (this is stated on the official s7 edge page), and also dust resistant. Yet the cause of the over heating is moisture and dust in the charging port? If you bought a water resistant watch and it's got splashed doing the washing up and stopped working , you'd be taking it back for s replacement. Well it's the same theory but with something that costs alot more. Yet I've not splashed it with water! You can't advertise and sell a product as water and dust resistant and then use that as a reason not to fix something can you?

 

[chanchan05]

The device is water resistant. That does not mean it doesn't get wet. The charging port is an open hole. If you plug it in while there is debris in there, it could indeed cause overheat especially if there is moisture. If the liquid it was submerged in has impurities, it fan leave behind residue as it dries. To use your example, I'm sure you notice from time to time some residue on your waterproof watch. The difference is, your water proof watch does not have an electronic contact point that may cause problems if you let a current flow through it in the presence of residue. A watch is completely sealed. Compare that to your open charging port. As I see it, part of the problem lies in your not sending it in immediately. The device integrity has already been compromised, yet you still waited 5 weeks. The moisture could have gotten in therr during that time.