We highlighted several bad experiences that customers have had with Samsung Care+ to show how this inadequate level of after-sales service is making Galaxy customers consider iPhones. This is obviously not an outcome that Samsung would appreciate. Seeing as how Samsung Care+ is an optional service that costs as much as $329, it's ironic that the service is contributing to the iPhone migration.
High-end phones have increasingly become more expensive. Samsung sells some of the most expensive high-end phones on the market, whether it's the flagship Galaxy S Ultra models that start at $1,199 or the Galaxy Z Fold handsets that start at $1,799. These are premium devices in every sense of the word and customers understandably expect a premium after-sales service experience, particularly if they're paying extra for Samsung Care+.
Samsung Care+ is an optional insurance plan for Samsung devices that provides, upon payment of a deductible, unlimited repairs of spills, mechanical issues, and drops. It also offers next-business-day replacements. However, from the experiences that we've heard of so far, these things don't always go as smoothly as customers would like.
For example, one Galaxy Z Fold 4 customer recently shared how they had to wait for weeks to get a replacement for their device that had a broken hinge and screen. Despite the promise of same-day replacement, they had to wait for weeks without a resolution. That's not the kind of customer service that inspires confidence in people who spend nearly $2,000 on a foldable phone.
Customers have also been taking to online platforms like Reddit to share their frustrations with the repair process. One user highlighted how a battery replacement for their Galaxy S22 Ultra, which should have been a very simple process, ended up costing them a lot of money, not to mention the mental agony.
The user booked an appointment at a nearby authorized repair store through Samsung Care+ by filing a claim and paying the $99 deductible. However, upon reaching the store, the workers couldn't find the claim in their system for several hours. Even after they had replaced the battery, they told the customer that they would have to resolve the claim issue with Samsung first before the phone could be released back to them.
Contacting Samsung for a resolution was apparently of no use. The customer was informed by support that there was an unspecified issue which wouldn't be resolved until 24-48 hours, effectively meaning that the phone would remain in the shop until the issue was sorted. The customer chose to cancel their Samsung Care+ claim and pay another $90 out of pocket directly to the shop for the repair.
This wasn't the end of their troubles, though. Apparently the repair shop was required to keep the device until it went through Samsung's ticketing system even if the customer paid out of pocket. Since there were issues with the system, the device wouldn't be released. What was supposed to be an effortless same-day repair ends up being an agonizing experience where Samsung support is unable to sort things out. The customer only got their device back because the manager said they'd need to be charged for the repair again, so that was another $90 out of pocket.
By now, the customer has paid $279 for a repair that shouldn't have taken this long nor should it have been so stressful. Understandably, the customer is quite frustrated with the entire ordeal and is now looking at switching to the iPhone. Yet another horror story in which Samsung Care+ has successfully managed to get people to ditch Samsung for Apple. It's worth noting that this was a diehard Samsung user since the Galaxy S6 but poor customer service is what ultimately forced them to consider switching to the iPhone.
I'm sure we can all agree that simple battery replacements need not be this stressful. It could just be that the service provider that Samsung has outsourced all of this to isn't too concerned about making improvements. It's not like their brand is on the line. Only Samsung gets blamed when they provide inadequate service.
This is precisely why Samsung should be focusing more on improving this, because the actions of its service providers are directly affecting its brand perception. Samsung should be actively striving to ensure that it doesn't end up gaining a reputation of being a company that doesn't really care about the kind of after sales service its customers get, because as things stand, that's exactly what it's looking at.
