forum threadphoinix | Staff posted Today 05:05 PM
Item 1 of 3
Item 1 of 3
forum threadphoinix | Staff posted Today 05:05 PM
$847.99 | Samsung Q-Series HW-Q990F 11.1.4 Ch Soundbar + Subwoofer + Rear Speakers at Woot!
$848
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This is because there are two main circuit boards which need replacing: the subwoofer and the main sound bar. Replacing both boards requires you to pack the unit back up and send it to the Samsung repair center (I'm in Colorado Springs, so the closest one for me was Denver. And no you can't drive it up there and drop it off, it has to be shipped).
And only items purchased directly from Samsung can be returned to Samsung. I purchased mine directly from Samsung a few weeks before Christmas. When I went to open the box and set it up on New Year's Eve, nothing worked. Samsung's "chat" technical support walked me through multiple troubleshooting tries. None worked. They finally said it needed to be shipped back for board replacements.
I own a regulatory compliance engineering company, so I have access to a lot of test reports and databases. It's clear after investigating this that there are defects in the boards related to the over the air updates - that's why they need to replace the boards.
The problem is Samsung knows about these defects, and instead of fixing them on their existing stock, they sell them as is (or off load the on Woot) and then require you the buyer to deal with the replacement process. Nope, not for me. I'll just return it (so I thought)...
The next problem is Samsung's warranty: their warranty states that for certain large heavy items like this (and televisions), an on-site repair program is available. The problem is none of the third-party repair services want to work with Samsung, as the reimbursement rate is so low.
By the way this is the reason not to buy any Samsung appliances like washers and dryers and refrigerators - it's not that their appliances break often - although in this case you can see what happened, it's that no one but Samsung will repair anything for you. And your extended warranty through a third-party is gonna run into the same problems. My investigation shows major appliance repairs of Samsung appliances often takes 4 to 6 months.
The only option for on-site repair is Samsung's internal repair department, which is understandably overloaded because none of the third-party repair places are doing any work for them. Therefore Samsung will tell you "unfortunately our on-site repair program is not available for you, and you must ship the unit to a samsung repair center"
So I contacted Samsung and said that I wanted to return the unit. This thing gets interesting...
Samsung has two return dates (see below, and see attached screen grabs), after which they will no longer accept returns. The first is based on the purchase date (understandable), but the second is based on the installation date. They include this second return date because often there is a delay in purchasing and receiving a large product like the sound bars and TVs, and the actual installation date which is often performed by an outside professional several weeks after the initial purchase.
When I requested an RMA number to return the sound bar, they would not give me one, stating "this is beyond the warranty return period". I pointed out that there were two dates from which the return period begins, and I was clearly within the second return period. They still refused.
So, I initiated a charge back against my credit card, which Samsung disputed. I resubmitted it with links directly to Samsung's site showing both return date provisions, and that my request to return it was well within the second date (remember I only opened the box to install it on New Year's Eve, and I had the chat records to show the technical support problems and the date time stamps).
Today is April 17, and while I have been given a provisional credit for the purchase on my credit card, Samsung is still fighting me on this. I expect that it will rule in my favor, as the return language and dates are quite clear.
I've attached some screen grabs below so you can see what you're facing if you purchase one of these units.
By the way that's why they've moved onto the new models just announced: they don't want to fix these while they're out in the distribution centers
...and they definitely will not honor the warranty for a Canadian product in the US.
Here is Samsung's return and refund webpage:
https://order-help.us.samsung
After careful reading of Samsung's return policy, there are two deadlines for requesting a product return (please see link above, and screen capture from Samsung website below):
1. Deadline #1: "Items shipped from Samsung.com or the Shop Samsung App can be returned within the Return Window. The standard Return Window is within 15 days of delivery and can be viewed on the My Orders page. Once a return is requested, there are an additional 15 days to return the product(s) to us."
2. Deadline #2: "Please note: Anything received damaged, defective, or otherwise non-functioning must be reported within 5 days of the delivery or 2 days after installation (whichever is later) to be eligible for return under this return policy. The Return Window for Samsung.com or Shop Samsung App purchases will begin once delivery, or installation, is complete."
Note that this policy ("…after installation…") seems to be created in order to cover hidden damage or defective products that might not be apparent when just examining the shipping carton, but would be noted during installation.
Caveat emptor
- John
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