Is it better to buy directly from Samsung.com, or BestBuy. com?

[LilSweetLin]

From my experience I had best battery life on tmobile and unlocked phones

Great to hear, thanks.

 

[mustang7757]

Great to hear, thanks.

Your welcome

 

[frederickdawg]

Congratulations

 

[jcp007]

I actually went into a Best Buy store and got my GS10+ with absolutely no problem. I ended up going to Best Buy because six AT&T company stores where I usually get my phones since 1994. I actually enjoyed the in-store Best Buy experience so much so that I may shop there going forward.

 

[Almeuit]

Maybe it's because of the whole merger with Sprint limbo? Otherwise, good question. Speaking of which, I wonder if people on T-Mobile are experiencing connection issues with their unlocked phones.

Nope. T-Mobile stopped allowing retailers to sell their stuff a long while before the Sprint merger was ever even thought of.

 

[Mr Segundus]

I actually went into a Best Buy store and got my GS10+ with absolutely no problem. I ended up going to Best Buy because six AT&T company stores where I usually get my phones since 1994. I actually enjoyed the in-store Best Buy experience so much so that I may shop there going forward.

I didn't mind getting my phones at Best Buy either, but if you return a phone after purchasing it at full price, they may block you from returning anything else at their stores for a whole year. It happened to me a couple of years ago and I'll never buy a phone there again. YMMV, of course, but carrier retail stores don't ban you from returning phones if there's issues with them. They'll just take your $35 restocking fee and be okay with it.

 

[Mike Dee]

I didn't mind getting my phones at Best Buy either, but if you return a phone after purchasing it at full price, they may block you from returning anything else at their stores for a whole year. It happened to me a couple of years ago and I'll never buy a phone there again. YMMV, of course, but carrier retail stores don't ban you from returning phones if there's issues with them. They'll just take your $35 restocking fee and be okay with it.

I returned a Nexus 6P with no ban

 

[Rose4uKY]

I have been loving going to Best Buy too and I went there over Samsung because my husband did Samsung and only one trade in per household. We did Samsung with our Note 8's and I did Best Buy with my 9 plus and some earlier HTC's way back. Only problem I had was my phone was B/O for a couple weeks and I didn't get it till like 3/22 and release date was 3/8. I was the only one who ordered a Flamingo Pink Unlocked and it was either a popular color or they didn't think it would sell many in that color and they didn't have enough who knows. But I liked my experience with the store and the guys at the Samsung Experience were very friendly and helped us re-flash our phones and I would shop there again too.

 

[LilSweetLin]

Hello from my S10+, folks. Thanks for all the help leading up to my purchase. The punch hole cut out is no bother at all, and the fingerprint scanner takes some getting used to, but will come with muscle memory. So far, it's all good.

 

[Adam Frix]

I keep seeing people say how Samsung's customer service is basically trash and they aren't very helpful at all. I know Best Buy is an authorized retailer, and was told on the Best Buy sub Reddit that they restock often, with a 14 day return period and a $35/45 restock fee if not happy. In terms of getting phones with more recent build dates like those manufactured this month, wouldn't it therefore be better to order through them? Given Samsung's less than stellar rep with customer service, who's to say I don't get sent a lemon? Obviously authorized retailers get their stock from Samsung, but what's the best way to avoid getting a phone with issues? For reference, I'll be paying through PayPal, so I doubt actually going to a store wouldn't help. Any thoughts or advice?

Your core assumption, that a "later build date" somehow equals "best way to avoid getting a phone with issues," is completely faulty.

 

[frederickdawg]

Your core assumption, that a "later build date" somehow equals "best way to avoid getting a phone with issues," is completely faulty.

A bit like buying an American car.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Samsung.com screwed me of a promotion they had advertised last black Friday and customer service did nothing to remedy it. Personally never buying direct from Samsung again but we all have our own experiences.

 

[LilSweetLin]

Although I love the phone so far, I did neglect to mention that once I removed the Fed Ex packaging, I noticed that the seal on my box wasn't the same as the seal I've seen on retail boxes in unboxing videos. It was just a regular piece of tape, and it was broken. Should I take the phone back for an exchange and eat the $35 fee? The IMEI of the phone does check out, but I hate to think my phone was opened. Did Best Buy send me an already used open box phone? The phone has an April 1, 2019 build date, too, so it's not exactly hot off the assembly line.

 

[tadpoles]

Although I love the phone so far, I did neglect to mention that once I removed the Fed Ex packaging, I noticed that the seal on my box wasn't the same as the seal I've seen on retail boxes in unboxing videos. It was just a regular piece of tape, and it was broken. Should I take the phone back for an exchange and eat the $35 fee? The IMEI of the phone does check out, but I hate to think my phone was opened. Did Best Buy send me an already used open box phone? The phone has an April 1, 2019 build date, too, so it's not exactly hot off the assembly line.

Unless you're experiencing some problem I wouldn't take/send it back.

 

[Mike Dee]

Although I love the phone so far, I did neglect to mention that once I removed the Fed Ex packaging, I noticed that the seal on my box wasn't the same as the seal I've seen on retail boxes in unboxing videos. It was just a regular piece of tape, and it was broken. Should I take the phone back for an exchange and eat the $35 fee? The IMEI of the phone does check out, but I hate to think my phone was opened. Did Best Buy send me an already used open box phone? The phone has an April 1, 2019 build date, too, so it's not exactly hot off the assembly line.

Mine was a Verizon unit and no seal at all. The only consistency in packaging has been inconsistency. As long as the phone had all of it protective coverings you should be OK