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.
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”…
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