Samsung isn't honoring its Galaxy S8 $200 trade-in discounts. Major PR blow to come.

[AustinTech]

That takes money for a lawyer. Who has that? Certainly not anyone trading in a phone. So Samsung or whomever is in charge of this program knows that all too well.

The ONLY way this gets taken care of is if places like Pocketnow, etc. shine a nasty light on it.

I wouldn't hold my breath. A lot of reviewers and tech sites get paid by Samsung and are a part of the problem.

 

[Almeuit]

People wonder why Americans like to buy from carriers directly? This is why.

 

[Aquila]

I wouldn't hold my breath. A lot of reviewers and tech sites get paid by Samsung and are a part of the problem.

Er, what? That's 100% untrue. Why would you even say that?

 

[Adam Frix]

This deserves its own thread. I am really stunned that they could be so incredibly stupid. Yeah, some people would try to take advantage of the 200 trade in offer on the S8's and some did. Loudly so. But rejecting phones that actually do qualify is a bad bad move.

People who sent in good condition, working iPhone 4's, Galaxy S6's, Note 5's ,etc. were rejected and then charged $175. Some documentation here...

Samsung isn't honoring its Galaxy S8 $200 trade-in discount for many, leaving customers frustrated

So let me get this straight:

Samsung (a company with which I will not do business, because they burned me on a Galaxy S3 bad software update and bricked the phone and took zero responsibility for it) said, "Send us a phone. WE COULD GIVE YOU $200 (or we could give you $25, we'll let you know our decision after you send it). Regardless, your phone now belongs to us no matter what happens."

And people DID this???

Did anyone ever see Vegas Vacation, the cheapo casino scene?

https://youtu.be/8c1BQkKUsx0?t=1m25s

This whole thing is the game, "Pick a number between 1 and 10". Honestly, why is anyone expressing outrage over this--besides the fact that you have (a) a keyboard, and (b) time on your hands.

This is how the world works, people. You sent away a perfectly good phone and expected between $200 and $400 to come back to you IF Uncle Sammy decided to?

If all you lost was a dollar, consider yourself lucky. Those of you who sent away a phone you could have sold on Swappa for more than $25, you need to re-think how the world works. Face it: Uncle Sammy told you that if you did something that benefited Uncle Sammy right now, guaranteed, you MIGHT see something in return for yourself. Or you might not.

They laid it out. "YOU MIGHT NOT." What did you think was going to happen here??? Be honest with yourselves.

Please, let this be a lesson learned as you move forward in your lives.

 

[Adam Frix]

This is a terrible situation and I do hope that Pocketnow and other high traffic sites will shine a light on Samsung and what they are doing. I have a perfectly good iPhone 4 sitting here. No cracks. Works perfectly. Been using it as an iPod. But if I send it in and they decide "nah, screw you", well then I will have a nightmare on my hands.

"a nightmare"????

Oh, come on. That's simply not at all reasonable. If you send it in and they decide "nah," you will be out a device that's currently selling in the $35 to $60 range. Uncle Sammy will give you $25 regardless, so worst case you're out $35 that you could have gotten via Swappa. Well, $25, actually, since $10 of that $35 actually goes to Swappa.

$25. You could roll the dice, send the device to Uncle Sammy, and for a $25 risk you might get a $200 reward.

And that's a "nightmare"???????

My God.

 

[Adam Frix]

Samsung is being really short sighted if they play this promo this way. They could lose a lot of customers across all their lines of business. I sure wouldn't buy a Samsung TV or washer or whatever if they defrauded me out of any amount of money.

Samsung's Android update turned my Galaxy S3 into a minimally functioning effective brick, and then denied knowing anything about it--despite it being ALL OVER the interwebs.

I swore of Samsung at that point. Since then I've had a Windows phone, two LG V10s, and now a Blackberry KEYone. My wife just got a Moto G5 Plus.

Oh--and those two LG V10s? The first one I bought (used!) did the bootloop thing. So I bought another one, used. I discovered by trial and error that LG was more than willing to take care of me on the bootloop issue--despite it being used and out of warranty, they paid the freight to and from and fixed the phone free for me (in, repaired, and out the same day). Not only that, a couple months later my second V10 did the bootloop thing--and knowing what I now know, I hit their web site for a repair. Yup, they repaired it FOR FREE for me, despite it being WAY out of warranty and also used with no paperwork.

LG earned my business. When the V30 comes out, I will probably buy it.

Uncle Sammy? No. They earned me going somewhere else. Now the world is seeing why. Uncle Sammy earns every lack of business they've ever gotten.

If you're going to spend that much money on a phone, just buy Apple. They actually know how to take care of people, in addition to having physical locations that can help you.

 

[anon(5630457)]

As a current owner of the S8, I'd say stick with Apple. They have better customer support while Samsung's is almost non-existent.

 

[Adam Frix]

Have you ever bought with swappa? Just in case you haven't, only go with well rated sellers and you'll be good.

Swappa took care of me once recently on a sketchy seller. They really back the buyer. It works well.

You can go with any seller and be confident you won't get ripped off.

 

[Adam Frix]

People wonder why Americans like to buy from carriers directly? This is why.

No, not at all. It's not "buying from carriers" that solves the problem; it's buying from anyone face to face that solves the problem.

 

[Almeuit]

No, not at all. It's not "buying from carriers" that solves the problem; it's buying from anyone face to face that solves the problem.

Yes and that is solved by .. going to their carrier .

 

[Adam Frix]

That's one way. There are also other vendors you can actually trust, like Amazon. Or you can walk into a Best Buy, and talk face to face and get the news right away.

This idea of blindly sending a device to someone who SAYS EXPLICITLY that "we may give you $200, we may give you $25, we'll let you know, either way your device will be gone" just blows my mind. Who on either side of the fence thought this was a good idea?

Samsung did it because they knew they could get away with it. Only greedy people can be conned.

 

[TylerLV76]

So let me get this straight:

Samsung (a company with which I will not do business, because they burned me on a Galaxy S3 bad software update and bricked the phone and took zero responsibility for it) said, "Send us a phone. WE COULD GIVE YOU $200 (or we could give you $25, we'll let you know our decision after you send it). Regardless, your phone now belongs to us no matter what happens."

And people DID this???

Did anyone ever see Vegas Vacation, the cheapo casino scene?

https://youtu.be/8c1BQkKUsx0?t=1m25s

This whole thing is the game, "Pick a number between 1 and 10". Honestly, why is anyone expressing outrage over this--besides the fact that you have (a) a keyboard, and (b) time on your hands.

This is how the world works, people. You sent away a perfectly good phone and expected between $200 and $400 to come back to you IF Uncle Sammy decided to?

If all you lost was a dollar, consider yourself lucky. Those of you who sent away a phone you could have sold on Swappa for more than $25, you need to re-think how the world works. Face it: Uncle Sammy told you that if you did something that benefited Uncle Sammy right now, guaranteed, you MIGHT see something in return for yourself. Or you might not.

They laid it out. "YOU MIGHT NOT." What did you think was going to happen here??? Be honest with yourselves.

Please, let this be a lesson learned as you move forward in your lives.

Everything you said was incorrect, literally everything. In the terms they never stated you "may" only get $25. What they actually stated, had you read anything, was you would get a minimum of $200 for any working phone in good condition. Any working phone in good condition for $200.

People are being denied for BRAND NEW phones.

But hey you feel better telling people how it is right?

 

[Adam Frix]

Everything you said was incorrect, literally everything. In the terms they never stated you "may" only get $25. What they actually stated, had you read anything, was you would get a minimum of $200 for any working phone in good condition. Any working phone, for $200.

But hey you feel better telling people how it is right?

And they said that "if the phone doesn't meet the requirements, we'll give you $25 for it".

So yes, they did say "we'll give you either $200 or $25". They also said, "We'll let you know"--which is the equivalent of the "pick a number" game, or "the check is in the mail". They left it OPEN for them to give you only the $25. Not your device back, not $200, and no recourse for you to dispute the outcome.

Why don't you go out and acquire a car under an open ended lease agreement. Look that up, and tell us your opinion on open ended agreements where one party can say or do what he wants.

This is Samsung. Anyone who is surprised by this, simply hasn't had the Samsung treatment YET.

If they had said, "we'll send you either $200 or your device back," that would have been a different matter. But to send your device to a black hole under Uncle Sammy's STATED conditions? That's the definition of insanity.

 

[TylerLV76]

And they said that "if the phone doesn't meet the requirements, we'll give you $25 for it".

So yes, they did say "we'll give you either $200 or $25". They also said, "We'll let you know"--which is the equivalent of the "pick a number" game, or "the check is in the mail". They left it OPEN for them to give you only the $25. Not your device back, not $200, and no recourse for you to dispute the outcome.

Why don't you go out and acquire a car under an open ended lease agreement. Look that up, and tell us your opinion on open ended agreements where one party can say or do what he wants.

This is Samsung. Anyone who is surprised by this, simply hasn't had the Samsung treatment YET.

If they had said, "we'll send you either $200 or your device back," that would have been a different matter. But to send your device to a black hole under Uncle Sammy's STATED conditions? That's the definition of insanity.

Read it again...

"Only phones in "good condition" are eligible for the discount, and anything else will only take $25 off your S8 purchase. Good condition means the phone has to turn on and hold a charge, have a functioning display, and not have any damage beyond "normal wear and tear" (like breaks or cracks). Your phone also cannot be on a blacklist of any kind, and can't have any anti-theft protection enabled."

Show me where they say they decide if it's going to be $25. Good condition is laid out very clearly. People meeting that requirement got denied.

Nowhere did they state that you stood a chance of getting $25 for a "good condition" phone, especially a brand new phone from walmart.

 

[Adam Frix]

"Only phones in what we decide are in "good condition" count". That's how it turned out, and frankly anyone who's been around more than a few years would have expected it to come out that way.

So:

* Samsung gets to decide "good condition" or not

* once you send it off, Samsung's decision is final--you have no right to appeal

* once you send it off, Samsung keeps your device--there's no going back and changing your mind after hearing their decision

It sure looks like the reality is, they decide if you're going to get $25 or $200. No real surprise here.

Look, accept the fact that the world is broken. Maybe you expected perfection out of this program; I'd say your expectations are out of whack. Send the device in with the very real risk that they could decide it DOESN'T conform to the program, and receive only $25 in the end? That's insane.

The only way it's not insane is if the world worked perfectly. Well, it doesn't. Never has.

Driving to Best Buy to take advantage of a trade-in program? A risk--but a low risk one. You can walk away, with your device, and at most you've risked an hour of your time. Putting your device into what you know to be a black hole with zero chance of getting it back, under the assumption that Big Corp on the other end somewhere--who knows where--actually works and will do the right thing and give you the $200 and not just the $25? HUGE risk.

Life is about (a) understanding risk, and (b) mitigating risk. Doing things Uncle Sammy's way was one major risk, and it should be no surprise to anyone that things came out the way they did.

 

[TylerLV76]

"Only phones in what we decide are in "good condition" count".

Again, not what they said. That's what you said, but that's not what they clearly laid out in the terms is it?

"Only phones in "good condition" are eligible for the discount, and anything else will only take $25 off your S8 purchase. Good condition means the phone has to turn on and hold a charge, have a functioning display, and not have any damage beyond "normal wear and tear" (like breaks or cracks). Your phone also cannot be on a blacklist of any kind, and can't have any anti-theft protection enabled."

 

[Adam Frix]

It starts with understanding risk.

From the terms they provided, the risk that you never see your device again AND never see the $200 is plainly very real--because the world is NOT a perfect place, and because Samsung is Big Corp.

So Samsung said some things. Big deal. Understand that the world is not a perfect place, and that Samsung is Big Corp, and you understand the risk of sending your device away without a chance of ever getting it back under any circumstances.

And that's the kicker, isn't it--you have to accept, blindly, that the world will work perfectly. The ONLY way you get that $200 is a perfectly working world. If anything goes wrong, you can't back out. You don't get your device back. You throw everything into that black hole, and know that the only way you come out ahead is if Big Corp works perfectly.

My, my.

That it doesn't work perfectly, is no surprise to me. I wouldn't have taken up Samsung on this piece of garbage "offer" if you put a gun to my head. I understand the risk.

 

[TylerLV76]

It starts with understanding risk.

From the terms they provided, the risk that you never see your device again AND never see the $200 is plainly very real--because the world is NOT a perfect place, and because Samsung is Big Corp.

So Samsung said some things. Big deal. Understand that the world is not a perfect place, and that Samsung is Big Corp, and you understand the risk of sending your device away without a chance of ever getting it back under any circumstances.

And that's the kicker, isn't it--you have to accept, blindly, that the world will work perfectly. The ONLY way you get that $200 is a perfectly working world. If anything goes wrong, you can't back out. You don't get your device back. You throw everything into that black hole, and know that the only way you come out ahead is if Big Corp works perfectly.

My, my.

That it doesn't work perfectly, is no surprise to me. I wouldn't have taken up Samsung on this piece of garbage "offer" if you put a gun to my head. I understand the risk.

So like I said, your original post was completely incorrect.

You came to a forum for a phone you don't have, from a company you won't buy from, to complain about people complaining. Seems pretty silly.

You could have said "I'm not surprised Samsung changed the rules", but instead you told everyone how ridiculous they were for not reading the rules when in fact they did read them, and followed them.

 

[Doug Moffat]

Time to remind ourselves that Samsung is a predatory octopus w/some superior products. Apple is no better.

 

[TylerLV76]

Time to remind ourselves that Samsung is a predatory octopus w/some superior products. Apple is no better.

Apple's customer service is pretty darn good though. Samsung would sooner tell you to drop dead than honor their agreements. Last year with the S7 Active they told all of us with faulty phones to **** off until the stories hit national media headlines. That's the only reason they helped anyone and even then it was like pulling teeth.