Stolen phone

[chamomiami]

The day the pre-sale started I bought an S26 Plus for my wife and an S26 Ultra for me. I received both phones on the 6th and on the 11th which ended the pre-sale Samsung improved the offers, so I talked to Samsung to return the S26 Plus and buy another ultra but the 1tb one, they accepted the return and the next day I went and left the phone at FedEx, the package arrived yesterday and I received an email from Samsung saying that they would not give me the refund because the phone was not in the box.

They sent me a video of the opening of the door where you can see that the phone was not there but there are two coasts that I noticed in the video, first the tape at the bottom of the box was the original one where the phone came, which is like brown paper tape, in the video you can see that it had a clear plastic tape, Second, when they took everything out, the paper of the authorization of the return was missing.

Google the issue and there are plenty of complaints about theft when using FedEx to ship cell phones.

Beware of returns and trade in shipments to Samsung.

 

[jamezr]

The day the pre-sale started I bought an S26 Plus for my wife and an S26 Ultra for me. I received both phones on the 6th and on the 11th which ended the pre-sale Samsung improved the offers, so I talked to Samsung to return the S26 Plus and buy another ultra but the 1tb one, they accepted the return and the next day I went and left the phone at FedEx, the package arrived yesterday and I received an email from Samsung saying that they would not give me the refund because the phone was not in the box.

They sent me a video of the opening of the door where you can see that the phone was not there but there are two coasts that I noticed in the video, first the tape at the bottom of the box was the original one where the phone came, which is like brown paper tape, in the video you can see that it had a clear plastic tape, Second, when they took everything out, the paper of the authorization of the return was missing.

Google the issue and there are plenty of complaints about theft when using FedEx to ship cell phones.

Beware of returns and trade in shipments to Samsung.

I would push back and escalate with them. I have seen them reverse themselves and give people credit for the return after they investigate. I would also open a case with FedEx for the theft. This could help Samsung decide to give you the credit for the phone.

 

[chamomiami]

I would push back and escalate with them. I have seen them reverse themselves and give people credit for the return after they investigate. I would also open a case with FedEx for the theft. This could help Samsung decide to give you the credit for the phone.

I have already opened a case with Samsung in two different departments, and I cannot go to fedex because I did not send anything Samsung is the one who paid for the shipping and they are the ones who can make the claim with fedex, on the other hand I have a history with Samsung for several purchases tablets watches phones and I hope that helps.

 

[bhatech]

I had the exact same issue when I returned one of the Fold versions a couple of years ago. It was FedEx the culprit who stole the phone and put an old, beat-up Fold inside the box instead.

Samsung sent me a video showing the unboxing. The box showed clear signs of tampering and was retaped over. I explained the situation and told them I had photos and videos of me boxing. They didn't ask for them and said they'd open a case to investigate.

Within a day or two, they replied and refunded the entire money part of the Fold return. In addition, they also sent me that beat-up Fold back to me .

Luckily, they have been using UPS more recently. I'm surprised that they had you ship with FedEx. Hopefully, it's resolved soon for you and you get your refund.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

First step, register the IMEI as stolen to all providers. Send one email (use Gemini or GPT provide all emails) with all the US carriers in the TO field.

Next call Samsung and FedEx informing them that you'll be filing a police report (which you should) to pressure them. Then file a police report.

From there keep pushing



Trade-ins really should have consumers reset the phone and lock it with a code or phrase they provide. Sure there may be FRP bypasses but it will possibly deter thieves if they know they have to do work beyond steal the item.

 

[PsychDoc]

What I don't understand is what the thief intends to do with the phone. As soon as it's reported stolen either the manufacturer or the carrier bricks it so that it cannot be activated. So all these idiots get is an expensive paperweight.

 

[bembol]

FedEx doesn't seem to give AF.

I don't think I can bother ordering online and would avoid using FedEx, UPS, etc. as much as possible.

This is why I recorded by S25+ when I shipped it back to Samsung. They use Purolator up here. I was worried because this is the first time I traded a phone of high value.

Not even 24 hours I get an email saying it's completed.

Good luck OP.

 

[bembol]

What I don't understand is what the thief intends to do with the phone. As soon as it's reported stolen either the manufacturer or the carrier bricks it so that it cannot be activated. So all these idiots get is an expensive paperweight.

As far as I know it will work in Asia, my friend bought a used Samsung A32 off Facebook and was blacklisted. He gave it to me so I gave it to my girl's sister in the Philippines.

 

[mustang7757]

As far as I know it will work in Asia, my friend bought a used Samsung A32 off Facebook and was blacklisted. He gave it to me so I gave it to my girl's sister in the Philippines.

That's how you recycle phones

 

[bearone2]

s25+: that's part of the fun of an unlocked phone purchase with a trade going back to samsung with fedex or any other freight forwarder!!

go ahead, laugh at me with my locked verizon 25+, when i dropped my trade at verizon store,
where i p/u 25+.

i walked out with phone + receipt for trade-in phone.

 

[B. Diddy]

It's so discouraging to see this kind of thread always crop up whenever it's time to do trade-ins for a new phone. It's been suggested multiple times before, but it bears repeating here: when sending a device for trade-in via any shipping service, make sure to take photos (or preferably videos) of the device (powered on to show it's been completely factory reset), and the process of packing and sealing it into the shipping box (with the shipping label clearly visible). That way, if the receiving company claims you never sent the device or didn't reset it properly, you can show them proof that you did.

In addition, when sending the device, make sure to bring it to the actual shipping company so that you can request a receipt that includes the weight of the box. You can also use that to support the fact that you did pack the device in there.

If you're doing a trade-in with your carrier, then try to do it in-store if at all possible. That way, once you hand your old phone to the agent there, it becomes their responsibility -- no need to worry about it getting lost in transit.