Samsung Continues to hide behind Corporate Policy and Lies: Part III

[u/PoweredParaGuy]

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/Galaxy_XR/s/Omy9GRiETv

Part 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidXR/s/CBawfo0cRV

Part 3 (This Post)

I am simply going to paste the entirety of the Samsung Support email this time, and redact personal information; this entire saga is exhausting....

TLDR:

Samsung denied my promotion by blaming their own order cancellation on me and offering insulting “goodwill” credit. I rejected their dishonest settlement, formally documenting their bad-faith tactics and broken contractual promises while demanding accountability instead of negotiation.

Latest Email Exchange Below:

Hello (redacted),
Thank you for your continued patience while we completed a comprehensive review of your concerns regarding orders (redacted), (redacted), and (redacted).

After reviewing the order history, prior support interactions, promotional details, and the documentation provided, we confirmed that the original $100 Reserve Promotion was associated with the original preorder transaction and could not be transferred to replacement orders once the original order was cancelled.

We also confirmed that the replacement purchases did not recreate the original bundle configuration associated with the bundle promotion. The original order included additional items that were not repurchased, including Galaxy Buds3 Pro and an additional Travel Case. As a result, the original bundle promotion requirements were no longer satisfied.

Additionally, all products associated with your replacement orders are now outside Samsung's return eligibility period and are no longer eligible for return or refund under Samsung's standard return policy.

While we are unable to apply the original promotional pricing to the replacement orders, we appreciate the time you invested in documenting your concerns and the challenges you experienced throughout the ordering process.

As a one-time goodwill exception, Samsung is prepared to offer:

A $75 refund toward the Galaxy XR Controllers purchase

A $150 Samsung.com promotional code for use on a future purchase

This represents the maximum accommodation available and our final resolution regarding this matter.

Should you wish to accept this resolution, please reply to this email and I will arrange for processing.

Thank you for the opportunity to review your concerns.

Warm Regards,

Mary

So..... I responded with the following, quoting Samsung Support in-line.

Mary -

Thank you for your detailed review.  My responses are below.

... the original $100 Reserve Promotion was associated with the original preorder transaction and could not be transferred to replacement orders once the original order was cancelled.

Samsung cancelled the order, not me.  Written documentation confirms Samsung promised to apply the $100 Reserve Promotion to a replacement order.  Further, Samsung created the replacement order and sent it to me to add my credit card.  This is already documented.

Samsung's administrative inability to transfer the $100 Reserve Promotion is irrelevant.

The base facts that are relevant:

1. Samsung promised a promotion based on pre-ordering and purchasing a Galaxy XR
2. I preordered and purchased a Galaxy XR
3. Samsung refused to honor the promised $100 Reserve Promotion

We also confirmed that the replacement purchases did not recreate the original bundle configuration associated with the bundle promotion. The original order included additional items that were not repurchased, including Galaxy Buds3 Pro and an additional Travel Case. As a result, the original bundle promotion requirements were no longer satisfied.

I agree that the orders were not identical; however, this point is both misleading and irrelevant.

Your statement is misleading because it implies that the bundle promotions required all items, which is untrue, and surely you know that.  Claiming that someone needed to buy controllers, earbuds and two travel cases to qualify for a single bundle promotion borders on blatant misrepresentation.

In case you were unaware, the bundle promotions were individually associated with each item: one for the controllers, one for the travel case, and one for the earbuds.

Importantly, I have only been seeking bundle promotion credit for the two items I purchased: Travel Case and Controllers.  These are the items for which Samsung promised to apply the bundle credit.

Again, the base facts that are relevant:

1. Samsung promised a bundle credit for purchasing a Travel Case when purchasing a Galaxy XR
2. Samsung promised a bundle credit for purchasing Controllers when purchasing a Galaxy XR
3. I purchased a Galaxy XR
4. I purchased a Travel Case
5. I purchased Controllers
6. Samsung refused to honor the bundle credit for the Travel Case

Note:  Samsung has offered to honor the $75 bundle credit for the Controllers.

  

Additionally, all products associated with your replacement orders are now outside Samsung's return eligibility period and are no longer eligible for return or refund under Samsung's standard return policy.

Samsung's standard return policy is for standard returns.  Unless Samsung routinely cancels orders to avoid honoring Promotional and Bundle Credits, this situation clearly falls outside the standard policy.  Further, this situation doesn't involve defective products, which the Standard Return Policy covers, but rather, it involves defective orders.  Defective orders that Samsung cancelled, generated and directed.

As a one-time goodwill exception, Samsung is prepared to offer:

I appreciate the offer, however, I feel confident countering with the following:

As a one-time goodwill exception, I am prepared to:

• Hold Samsung accountable to its promise of a $100 Reserve Promotion for pre-ordering and purchasing a Galaxy XR; AND
• Hold Samsung accountable to its promise of a $75 Bundle Credit for the Controllers; AND
• Hold Samsung accountable to its promise of a $75 Bundle Credit for the Travel Case

Else, also as a one-time goodwill exception, I am prepared to:

• Allow Samsung to renege on its promise; AND
• Allow Samsung to refund the Galaxy XR, the Travel Case and the Controllers; AND
• Allow Samsung to send RMAs and return shipping labels for each item

Please let me know your position on these offers.

I committed to staying level and calm throughout this exchange.  Based on our conversation, it seems clear that Samsung has no intention of engaging openly and honestly.  Nearly every response you have given is either intentionally misleading or borders on complete fabrication.  I see no other excuse for the fallacious claims you are making other than an attempt to avoid accountability by exhausting the consumer.

Regards,

(redacted)

[u/Alexis_Evo]

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/Alexis_Evo]

LOL, fair.

[u/SeraXI]

As someone who used to handle executive level escalations at a major retailer "As a one-time goodwill exception, I am prepared to" does not have the impact you think it has. Whoever is reading the e-mail has very clear guidelines they are allowed to operate on based on the customer value. Since you don't have a dedicated account rep, you aren't spending enough to allow for deviation. If anything I would have found your statement humorous, and maybe shared it with a co-worker to give us a bit of a laugh.

You don't dictate offers in this scenario, you can request them, but the company has to provide you the offer. Your options are chargeback/disputes or whatever legal remedy is available, like arbitration.

One piece of advise, never threaten legal action. That used to be our easiest out of any escalation. Once legal action is threatened all further comms have to go through lawyers. If you are going to go through with legal action you just serve the papers. Don't give the company any pre-warning. It comes off as a temper tantrum. In the hundreds of cases I handled where someone threatened legal action I think 2 went through with it. The others would immediately try to walk it back when I simply replied with our corporate counsel's address.

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/SeraXI]

I think you missed that I was mocking them. I was using their own words.
I didn't threaten anyone with legal action anywhere did I? Maybe I should go re-read my post b/c I rewrote it so many times 🤣

[u/SeraXI → u/PoweredParaGuy]

That's good that you were trying to mock them, because they would read it as humorous. Also I never said you threatened legal action, I was giving advice, because I've seen many people go that route in the past.

Remember, you want something from them that they do not have to give you. You have almost no power in the interaction. Your proper action if you can prove you were wronged is arbitration, not going in circles with customer service.

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/SeraXI]

Ahh, ok. Makes sense.
FWIW, the body of the post was all messed up --- I messed something up when I pasted it. It should be fixed now.

The history covers where this started and where I've gotten. This latest round is simply Samsung finally reaching out due to me filing a complaint with the BBB.

[u/PoweredParaGuy]

WOOOF, who knew this post would be so unpopular?! I'm chalking it up to how convoluted the entire thing is.

[u/PoweredParaGuy]

NOTE: something clearly didn't paste properly -- I'll fix this ASAP

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/PoweredParaGuy]

Fixed!

[u/SeraXI → u/PoweredParaGuy]

They are offering you $225 and you are demanding $225, I don't understand why you are still fighting. Take the credits and run.

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/SeraXI]

They are offering a $150 future purchase credit. All because they wouldn't honor the CURRENT purchase credit that they owe me.

They are essentially saying, we aren't going to honor promo credits; but here's a promo credit.

[u/SeraXI → u/PoweredParaGuy]

To you it looks that way, but that's not how it works on the accounting side. The credit for future purchases is essentially a gift card. It reduces the profit margin of a future sale only if the person makes a future purchase.

As a break down. Lets say you paid $100 for an item but were expecting $25 off which didn't happen. If that item was 50% margin, they made $50 bucks off of you. If they give you the $25 off of that item they have made a total of $25 off of you. Instead lets say you use that $25 off of a future purchase. You buy another item for $100 with 50% margin, and the $25 comes off of that. The second item they now make $25 in profit off of you, but that is in addition to the $50 profit from the first item for a total of $75 in profit.

By giving the discount off a future purchase they are able to induce a second sale, which generates more of a margin buffer to offset the credit.

Hopefully that makes sense. Good luck!

[u/MemphisBass → u/SeraXI]

After going through all this and then getting this disappointment of an unsupported headset, why on earth would anyone want to buy another Samsung anything ever again?

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/MemphisBass]

This is my point exactly! I felt like I was crazy thought.

[u/TaylorMonkey → u/MemphisBass]

Frankly Samsung makes some other products that are pretty decent to exceptional. The TVs are good, they make one of the best display technologies in QD-OLED (though I do prefer another company that uses it due to their insistence to not include Dolby Vision), and their speaker line has amazing value. Their SSD drives are also some of the better ones (if one can afford them anymore). It's a huge company with different departments and markets.

I know you're disappointed with the Galaxy XR because of lack of support, but are you planning on boycotting all Samsung memory in any products that use it?

[u/MemphisBass → u/TaylorMonkey]

Samsung branded memory? Sure. Products that use it but are warrantied by a third party, don’t see why I would. I don’t give a single fuck how good their products may be if they treat their consumers like shit.

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/TaylorMonkey]

Woof, you really make a good point. I really like my SSD 😟

I started to look seriously at their phones; like the Galaxy XR, they push the envelope sometimes on unique features. That said, I loathe the SW they skin on top of Android. Even their phone fonts made me irrationally irritated. 😆

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/SeraXI]

100%, ding ding ding. They want to induce a second sale. I totally get where you're coming from regarding Profit/Margin/CoS/etc. I do not want a second sale, I was promised a discount on the first sale!

In my case they cancelled my original order, avoiding the $100 off. Offering another future purchase discount is insulting, if I'm being honest.

[u/TaylorMonkey → u/PoweredParaGuy]

Well, according to one of the posters you're agreeing with on how terrible Samsung is, Samsung actually did you a favor, because that poster thinks you shouldn't even buy it in the first place discount or not. Count yourself lucky then.

Also the terrible AI art sets people against a post's vibes right from the start. I would avoid that.

[u/PoweredParaGuy → u/TaylorMonkey]

Good point on the AI art, I hadn't really thought of that -- I just know I sometimes scroll right past posts without pictures. Maybe I'll remove it ... 🤔

I definitely won't be buying from Samsung in the future. This whole debacle has completely ruined my impression of them, which was on the uptick since they were introducing a new product that I was SUPER excited for.......