Friday, April 24, 2015

Hello, Samsung? An Update…

I’ve been going to write this for several months but kept putting it off because of other awesome ideas that popped into my head. What other ideas, you ask? Read my blogs. Ok, maybe not so great but they were crowding my thinking process and needed to be set free. Digressing here…

If you read below, you will find my original blog that details the troubles I had with my Samsung dryer and how I was treated by customer service when I called for help. Well, it’s been quite a while since posting my original blog and I thought I’d give you an update on the assistance…or lack thereof…I received from Samsung.

Basically, after months of trying to get someone at Samsung to listen to me, I gave up. But I took some business of theirs with me when I did so. Quite a few people I heard from online were shopping for either a washer or dryer and decided not to purchase a Samsung after reading my blog, not only because of what happened to my dryer but because I was shown such disrespect by customer service, along with their lack of concern and refusal to investigate my problem.

Not only did I reach people via my blog, but also in person as I made the rounds at the local appliance sales type places in search of a new…and more reliable…dryer unit. Every time I saw a person considering a Samsung washer or dryer, I related my story to them. And gained a few new readers as well. Most of them changed their mind about what brand to buy and thanked me for my input.

As for me, I made a purchase. A Maytag Duet (Can it be called a duet when I only bought the dryer or does the washer have to be included I wonder?) and I’m so totally satisfied with my choice. It not only was on sale for much less than the Samsung brand but has a better warranty and, amazingly enough, the customer service representative that I spoke to when I called with a question was not only helpful, he treated me with the respect I was due as a Maytag customer.

So my advice to the Samsung Powers-That-Be would be to remember who pays your light bill. Train your people to be a little more courteous and a lot less high and mighty. I may not have bankrupted your company but I took a little bit out of your wallet. A lot more than you would have spent fixing my dryer.

Original Blog Posted 9/30/14…

When we moved to Louisiana in 2011, my daughter, grandson and I basically came with nothing more than our personal belongings. We filled up my Honda CRV, leaving a small nook in the back for the boy, and what didn't fit, didn't come. No furniture, no television and no washer or dryer. We rented an apartment two weeks after arriving but it looked really empty due to our trip with next to nothing. So we went shopping.

One of the first things I looked into purchasing was a washer and dryer. With a 2-year-old that needed his clothes changed twenty times a day, it was a must.  I picked a great time to buy them as it was right after Thanksgiving. Christmas saving doesn't always have to include toys and clothes and Lowe’s had a great deal on a Samsung set…front loader washer and dryer, $1,200 for the pair.  I researched and found excellent reviews on the brand. I bought them thinking I wouldn't have to replace them for at least ten to fifteen years. They were here and installed within a week.

Fast forward to July 2014. I’m drying a load of clothes in my Samsung DV350AEW/XXA (I’m giving you the model number in case you own one of these babies and want to keep an eye out for what happened to me). After about twenty minutes, the dryer stopped. No warning. Not a sound. It just quit. I’m thinking that maybe a breaker tripped. Yeah, I’m not an electrician but what else could have happened? Well, look at the picture below and you will see exactly what made my dryer stop.

                
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgNi0Crivf1Wxg4Hy28gZGp17kJH8wHaSuTTmhoM3OvwE2gLIpubm6MckL5Zz7Da5Y7CC8k45PtQq_SxWx8c-kIu7-NhQLJJVJx29F2xV32GmyYsRQokOQG-nEVjJVmgoMJlWL0nD47U/s1600/Dryer.jpg


Imagine my shock when I opened it up, removed my clothes and saw this. A crack. In my drum. I’m not even going to mention the clothes that were ruined because they were stuck inside the crack (the black marks below the crack are the result of those clothes).

Now I want to first point out that only myself and my daughter have ever used this dryer. We wash our clothes and the boy’s. No uniforms, heavy items, shoes or the like have ever seen the inside of this thing. I work in an office so my things are basic office wear. Small child things. My girlie's workout gear. Just normal clothes. It was not abused in any way, shape or form.

I immediately went to the Samsung website to find out who to contact about this thing and there’s really no information. To get a phone number to call, you need to fill out a “Two Thousand” transaction so that those in charge can figure out (I’m guessing here) if your problem warrants their attention. I did this, got a ticket number (I’m figuring I was deemed worthy of such an honor) and the golden phone number I was seeking. Good deal, I thought, as I dialed the phone. I’m in like Flynn…whoever he is.

My optimism came too quickly as I had approximately two billion callers ahead of me. I put in my blue tooth and took a walk while listening to the same strange ditty over and over. Walked about six miles, came home and made lunch, same ditty is playing. Ate said lunch and did the dishes, same ditty. Took a nap, knitted an afghan…ok, so not really but you get the point.

Finally my call was answered…by someone who spoke very little English. What he said to me, I will most likely never know. I’m sure he was a very nice man but after being on hold for what seemed like a week, my level of frustration rose with every passing minute. My end of the conversation consisted of “Excuse me?” and “I’m sorry?”(repeated ad nauseam) and finally with gritted teeth, “Can you please put someone else on the line? I can’t understand you.” And, oh pennies from heaven, I was transferred!!!

My jubilation came too quickly. He transferred me to Tai (ID #86092), a very competent, pleasant sort. Or so I thought. Oh, she was pleasant but the kind of pleasant that made you want to pull your eyes out through your ears. The kind that tells you she thinks she is superior and you are an idiot. She was “reasonable”. She was an Executive Level Agent. With attitude. The following is the result of my conversation with the executive level of Samsung service:

-My dryer was out of warranty. Duh, I knew that but circumstances, I believed, warranted a second look at this issue. A not quite three-year-old appliance with such a major failure? Could it possibly be a factory defect?

-It was not a factory defect. Because, says Ms. Executive Level Agent, there has never been a report of it happening before. My response? There has to be a first time. Perhaps mine was it? She pooh-poohed that idea out the window. Apparently first times never happen.

-The “Executive Level Agent” in charge of parts was consulted to see if they could, at the very least, provide replacement parts for free. His decision? Oh. Hell. No. My response? Unprintable. Actually, I said nothing to this because by this time, I expected nothing, but the response in my head was definitely unprintable.

-Most Samsung appliances have a life expectancy of approximately ten to twelve years. Your comment makes no sense, I say. Ten years but mine didn't even last three? And who wrote the good reviews of the product that I read when I was considering my purchase, Samsung ad execs? Well maybe I should have purchased a Maytag. The Maytag washer/dryer set that I left with my ex was almost fifteen years old and still going strong. Tai, ID #86092, had no answers to my questions.

-The Executive Level is the highest level I could go for help with Samsung. There was no one else to take my complaint to. Oh, that is where she was so wrong. So very wrong. I’m a blogger. I’m active in social networking. I may not reach too many people but I will reach some. Maybe no one at Samsung will listen but I have others who will. They can’t help me but they will shake their heads in disbelief at the callousness of those who are to be obeyed at Samsung. They will there there me with sympathy. It won’t dry my clothes but I’ll feel a little better.

Anyway, the end result? I got nothing. My gently-used, almost new dryer is not fixed. I am taking my clothes to the laundry to dry them.  I was pleasant and respectful, at least until her pompous attitude made me feel like a lower class citizen and a fool. Someone trying to cheat Samsung into fixing my dryer for nothing. Listen, I’m not trying to get something I don’t deserve. I paid a lot of money for an appliance that did not operate as it should have, for as long as it should have. I honestly feel that my dryer had a factory defect and to that end, I contacted them. I've spent a lot of my time since my phone call doing more research but have come up with nothing that will help me. But at least I tried.


My next step, after posting my blog, is to take my worthless, broken, piece-of-crap Samsung dryer out to the trash with a huge sign that says “THIS PRODUCT SUCKS & I DON’T WANT IT ANYMORE!” After doing so, I will make tee shirts for all my friends, neighbors and co-workers that say “Samsung Service = Not”…


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Things To Do When The Boss Is Gone For Office Personnel

You know we all do it. The boss takes a vacation or develops typhoid and needs a week off and we don’t show up for work. At least not mentally. We may be sitting at our desks, but we’re definitely not “there”. What has to be done is done but, unless it is critical in nature, the rest falls by the wayside. Just for a day or two. Or five. And since this is something most will do, I thought I’d give you some ideas…

You can play games. On the computer or your phone, doesn’t matter. Card games, poker, popping bubbles. It’s easy to find one to peak your interest since they are everywhere. And they’re free!!!

You can surf the internet. Always something to look for on there. New thoughts for decorating your sunporch or stalk your old boyfriend. Dinner ideas. Ways to keep your toddler from driving you nuts. It’s all available for the asking.

Watch a movie. Bring in a DVD (or a Blu Ray Disc, if you’re lucky enough to have an employer that buys only the best). Because who has the opportunity to watch a good movie any other time? Too much to do at home. Children to take care of, house to clean, dinner to make.

You can sleep. Yeah, get caught up on your rest when the kids keep you up late. Or when Jimmy had someone fascinating on the night before that you just couldn’t miss.

Talk on the phone. To someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Actually being able to do it without having a child rattling on in the background is just a bonus. And if they’re boss is out at the same time, you can have a long conversation.

You can doodle. Just grab a stack of printer paper and your favorite pen. I’m a big doodler. I get a lot of phone calls where people on the other line drone on and on. And on. About basically nothing. So I fill my notebook with silly little pictures. It’s actually quite relaxing.

You can have gab sessions. Umhmm,  sit and talk to your co-workers about issues at work or at home. Complain about the boss, the schedule or the job itself. Your kids are a great topic of discussion as well. I actually used to have one on a daily basis at one of my last companies. I was an early bird and so was a lady I worked with. We sat most mornings (when the boss didn’t come in early) and had coffee, cookies and a very heartwarming discussion about whatever was on our minds. Some of the best days started off with this.

If you’re a blogger, write away. Put your headphones on, turn up your IPod and let the ideas just filter in. Jot them down and post away. Because if you’re like me, when you sit down to blog on purpose, your mind is a wasteland. But if you do it when you aren’t supposed to be doing it, the words will just flow from your imagination to your fingertips to the keyboard. NOTE: I know that a lot of you think my mind is a wasteland anyway but please be kind.

A ninety minute lunch? Sure, why not? Sometimes you just need to eat a little slower and digest. A lot easier on your system than the typical 30 to 45 minute grab and run.

You can … amazingly enough … do your job. I’m one of those who feels guilty if my work falls behind and since our department is one of the busiest, it’s a real possibility that could happen if I took a minute off. So I work. And so should everyone.

Honestly, I’m not one to skip on my work. Well maybe a little bit longer for lunch but since my boss is rarely, if ever, gone…I miss out on the opportunity to be naughty. The guilt would drive me crazy anyway.


Author’s note: The information contained herein are suggestions, not advice, and may actually result in job loss. Contact your Human Resources professional for further information.