Suck It Samsung!

'Ello 'Ello, 

So after constant phone calls to Samsung Head Office's every day of the last fortnight pretty much, it would seem we have some progress. You see a while back I wrote about my first few days being on holiday in Lanzarote with Miss Tweedle-Dee and Miss Tweedle-Dumb entitled "The Chinese Man Stole My Change & Other Tales of Brits Abroad!" In it I described what was to be the beginning of nearly four months worth of issues with my mobile-phone maker - Samsung. 

Issues with my phone started on the Monday in late June, just days before I flew out to Lanzarote, and after completing a very simple system/software update on my beloved Samsung Galaxy Note4, upgrading the operating system from Android Lollipop to Android Marshmallow it decided to knock out all my contacts leaving me unable to access my address book, call log, or even my key pad to call 999 for emergencies. As worryingly frustrating as this is I also lost all my contact names so if I was able to make any texts, which was difficult as the system would just crash after a few seconds of being in my messages, I couldn't know for sure who I was texting as my names-to-numbers had been lost. Annoyingly after several calls to Samsung, over ten-hours (the night before my holiday was due to begin) in total backing up all my phones data, one factory reset and an unsuccessful restore of data my phone was still broken. 

Sitting at work on the morning of my half-day holiday, I was less than six-hours from boarding the plane and yet my phone was still not fixed. Explaining in full to Samsung my issues and the fact I had attempted to back my data up on my phones unsuccessfully the night before the gentleman helped me through yet another factory reset and a half restore of my phone's data. Unable to complete the restore I was told someone would have to remote onto my phone the following day and that it would be OK to do even if overseas as all I would need was a strong internet connection my end and a strong internet connection back here in the UK call centre. Needing nothing more I left work and headed to the station with my half-fixed phone, boarded my plane and begin to try and relax on a well earned holiday with my Tweedles. 

The following day Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I headed to the beach to feel the sand between our toes on our first full day in the beating sunshine. It wasn't long before I had a phone call although due to my phones problems I was unable to answer it so hoped and prayed someone would try calling back later, which, a few hours later they did. Speaking to the gentleman that called he asked me to open my Laptop. I explained that I did not have it with me as I was out for the day and was told I did not need to be near it for the remote session with an engineer to commence. This was apparently incorrect information and as such I would need to be near my Laptop in order to perform the data restore to my Samsung Galaxy Note4. Explaining that the following day would be a pool day at the hotel and I could be near my Laptop most the afternoon if needs be I was promised a phone call back the following afternoon, but as I am sure you can expect, no phone call came. 


Continuing my holiday as normal as I could with limited access to my phone, I struggled to relax and enjoy myself. Attempting to take photos, videos, send messages back home or even use the calculator to split the bill for dinner was an increasely hard uphill struggle. By our last night on the Spanish island, not only was my phone shutting down, restart and freeze automatically on its own, but it also was conducting a full factory reset without authorisation which, in turn, deleted everything including all my music, contacts, Apps and holiday photos. Everything. Gone. 

Getting home in the very small hours of the following Friday I had a driving lesson and sat for a further two hours on the phone to Samsung in an attempt to get it resolved. Due to the fact that my phone was now shutting down, restart and freeze automatically on its own with no prior warning I was told I would need to bring it into the
Samsung store in Milton Keynes. So, scrapping all prior plans I had with Mr. Warehouse and others, my other half and I headed over to Milton Keynes bright and early on Saturday morning to get some results. After all I was told during my hundred-and-twenty-minute phone call that if they could not fix it in store then they would send it away externally for fixing and I would be able to make use of a replacement phone which was already waiting for me in the Samsung store. Although on arrival into store this was far from the case and after attempting their own repairs for the phone it was clear it would need to be sent away. 

"So how do I go about getting this replacement phone then to see me through until mine comes back then?" I asked. 
"I am not sure what you are on about Miss? We sometimes have devices we can allow customers to use whilst their's is in for repair but we dont have any in stock at the moment, Sorry." The kindly sales person said. Enraged I blathered on about what I was now meant to do and after travelling to Milton Keynes and wasting my entire day I was certainly far from a happy customer. Blowing up I poured out about the issues I had constantly had with Samsung and their frankly shockingly poor levels of customer service. I left the store that day unhappy and unable to 'simply go and buy a replacement phone' as the patronising sales person had told me to do. Upset I channelled it through on Monday morning as I penned a five page letter explaining all the issues and problems I had encountered. 

A few weeks later I received a snotty and frankly rude reply explaining that regardless of my medical situation of the time and needing a phone to contact doctors or hospitals should I need their services I would not be able to get a replacement device as promised by the previous call handler. I was pissed. Calling the number on the bottom of the letter I spoke with Mr. Samsung who was dealing with my case since the person who had originally wrote to me was since sunning her own self on a holiday of her own. Promising to help me he arranged for me to go into the Samsung store in Milton Keynes and collect a replacement device to use whilst mine was in for repair, although this was after some weeks of fighting for it and explaining many different times that it was important I had a phone to make contact with people should I become severely ill. 

Smoothly I went into the Samsung store in Milton Keynes and handed in my phone at the beginning of August. A week later I called for an update, since I had not had one from Mr. Samsung at Head Office. I was told by the store girl that my phone was sent away as promised although they were unable to fix it so were sending a replacement back in the form of either a new or refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note4. Another week passed and so after two-and-a-half weeks of it being with Samsung I decided to call again for another update. Only this time no-one answered the phone. Ringing and ringing and ringingand ringingand ringing. Six hours in total I spent trying to contact the Samsung store in Milton Keynes. No answer. So I got on the blower to Mr. Samsung at Head Office again and ripped him a nice new anus, explaining yet again my troubles with the poxy company who prides itself on being "market leaders" in innovation?!

Day after day after day I wouldMr. Samsung at Head Office call Mr. Samsung at Head Office just to hear what excuse he may have this time for where my phone is and why the Milton Keynes store was not answering their phones. On the brink of giving up and with my phone being in apparent transit for nearly three weeks I was subsequently told that actually it had only been in transit for four days and that an estimated time of arrival back to store would not be possible. 

Last Friday was my last straw and after being constantly pushed from pillar to post, told silly excuses and pointless reasons as to where my phone was and why it was not yet with me I was growing tired. Demanding a satisfactory development by three O'clock I warned that failure to do so would result in me taking it higher be it to the CEO or the Press but I wanted results and I wanted them today. Three O'clock soon loomed over my desk from the clock above it and just as I was about the angry phonecall to my dearest Mr. SamsungSamsung I received an incoming call from an unknown number. Answering the call I heard a familiar voice. It was Mr. SamsungSamsung. He had a soloutionresult for me. For some unknown reason, of which I have still not been told fully, Samsung, along with Carphone Warehouse (whom carried out my repair and who have supposedly still have my phone) would credit my account with £450.00 to buy a brand new phone with. Sceptical at the prospects of buying a like-for-like brand new phone for that price, I obliged and proceeded to spend my Friday night browsing Samsung online, relucant to buy a phone, or anything else for that matter from them ever again. 

The following morning I woke and made the trip yet again to the Samsung store in Milton Keynes. Walking into branch at the crack of opening time I approached one of the sales girls and explained "How she could help". Sure as to be there was not phone that was in the Samsung store under that value which as a result lead to me calling Carphone Warehouse and asking them to transfer the money. I just wanted the money, to cut my losses and leave store with either cash or in the knowledge that the bank transfer was completed. I was denied this although was told I could go to any Carphone Warehouse store and select any phone or accessories to the tune of my "voucher". Five minutes later I am in the Carphone Warehouse store in Milton Keynes and choosing my new phone - A Huawei (pronounced Wah-Way) P9 and I am in love. Although I did need to go to another store over twenty-minutes away from the city centre to collect it. With it being close to closing time, raining and with only two young and fairly unprofessionally mannered store people I wanted to get in an out and home. Successfully spending all of my "credit" on my new phone, in-car charger, spare cable, screen protector, GooglePlay voucher, in-car holster, a starter pack and a set of headphones. 

At present I have had not a single problem with my new  Huawei P9. I love it and am so glad my problems with Samsung are now finally over - Funnily enough I haven't heard from my friend Mr. Samsung?! Wonder why?

 'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx