I’ve been highly impressed with Samsung this year. It recovered mightily well from the Note 7 debacle and released my favorite phones of the year so far. The Galaxy S8/S8+ combo is easily my favorite devices of 2017, with the Note 8 making a great impression on me in just over a week of usage. There’s very little to complain about with the devices, heck, even software updates and TouchWiz have been spectacular. However, I’ve been dealing with wireless charging issues on my Galaxy S8 and tried to get it fixed using Samsung’s online chat support.
Upon entering chat, which connected very quickly, I was greeted kindly. I explained that my unlocked Galaxy S8 not charging on the $90 official Samsung Convertible Charger, and after spending almost two hours of online support (three different sessions) I was prompted to send in my device for evaluation. Two hours of waiting for the technician to read through their manuals in some other country with very little knowledge of the Galaxy S8. One of the reps gave me incorrect instructions for putting the clearing the system cache in the phone boot menu. He told me to hold down the volume up button and home button while I powered on the device. If he had any clue what device he was talking about, he would know the S8 doesn’t have a home button. Once I asked him to clarify, he got back to me in three minutes and said to hold down the Bixby button.
I have nothing against support centers based in countries like India, because there are very capable ones I have dealt with (AT&T for example.) This support center is what gives other countries bad reputations for. It’s clearly a low-cost support center with a lack of talent and training.
It became very clear to me after following the steps of asking me if I damaged the phone to cause this, testing the charging in Safe Mode, clearing the system cache, and testing the wireless charger with other devices (the representative asked me this question three times throughout our conversation) that the fault lied with the device itself. The rep then told me he would file a return ticket for me which would create a shipping label, and he also instructed me that I would be without a phone for two full weeks. He said AT&T would provide me with a loaner phone, even though I told him several times that I had purchased the device unlocked. Only after I repeated myself did he confirm I would be without a phone for two weeks and he was sorry for the inconvenience. Mind you, my phone is literally 35 days old with no damage to it whatsoever. Luckily I’m a tech writer and have access to other devices, but most others like you don’t have that luxury. He offered no other solution to my problem, and told me I’m out of luck. That’s pretty bad service for a device that is just over a month old and costs $850.
In a time of improved customer service, especially with companies like Google repairing and replacing devices free, even after warranties have expired, or Apple with its incredible in-store support, and Amazon’s unmatched “put the customer first” in every aspect of the company, Samsung’s customer service is an abomination in this day in age. While its products are fantastic and sell themselves, the customer service is one area that Samsung could use some help in. It might even benefit from opening legitimate customer service centers. I live in San Diego, and you’d think there’d be at least one center for repair, but there is not.
Samsung has improved its mobile devices in countless ways, but its lack of customer service will drive many consumers to Apple where its customer service is unmatched by mobile phone makers. I’m not the only one who has experienced issues with wireless charging. You’d think Samsung would have an answer to this since the phone has been out for five months now.
Do you have a similar experience with Samsung support? If so, or if you’ve had great support, let us know what your story in the comments section below.