Samsung has been the world’s largest brand of smartphones, televisions and home appliances for years. Despite increasing competition from several brands, it has remained firmly in its place for most of this period. Thanks to the trust it has built over the years, many consumers prefer to buy a Samsung device rather than products from most Chinese brands.
The quality and support of the South Korean company’s software has improved significantly over the past few years and has had a positive impact on consumer mindset. However, we have noticed an increase in complaints about Samsung products over the past few months, particularly from Indian consumers.
Samsung’s after-sales service and quality of repairs need to be improved, especially in India
Many people in India have complained about broken devices over the past few months, but it is not these issues that concern them the most but the quality of Samsung’s after-sales service. Looking at all the complaints from Galaxy users in India on social media platforms like Reddit and Twitterit seems Samsung lacks proper communication when it comes to support and after-sales service.
Many people have been experiencing delayed orders and there is no clear communication from the company regarding the reason for the delay or a suitable shipping date. When it comes to repairs, people complain that Samsung’s response is too late or that they are stuck in a loop where they have to explain the problem several times before fixing it.
Many consumers complain that the Super AMOLED screen of their Galaxy smartphone has developed a green/pink line without physical damage. Since many Samsung phones are facing the green/pink line issue, it was reported a few months ago that Samsung had informed all its service centers in India to replace faulty screens for free. However, not all service centers track these communications and charge consumers for screen repairs, even if the problem is caused by faulty screen panels. Only after reporting these issues to higher authorities or spreading the word on social media, service centers agree to replace defective screens or other parts free of charge.
Samsung must send clear instructions to all its authorized service centers when such problems arise and when customers are eligible for free repairs. There are several cases every day where Indian consumers have contacted us to intervene because they couldn’t repair their device even though it wasn’t their fault. We have spoken with several people in recent months who have complained about the quality of Samsung’s after-sales service. Some people have reported that their phone came back from a repair with faulty buttons (no longer clicking), glue coming out of the seams, and damaged gaskets.
And these problems don’t just concern smartphones. The quality of Samsung’s after-sales service for TVs and home appliances has deteriorated in recent years. I have direct experience in this regard. When my Samsung soundbar was repaired, the service technician damaged the optical audio port and is no longer working. When my out-of-warranty Samsung AC needed repair, I had to wait over a month before the fault was identified and repaired. Initial repair attempts were ineffective and the problem was not resolved. After several repair requests and follow-ups, the issue was resolved but introduced completely different issues. The air conditioner was reinstalled defectively because the service engineer permanently damaged the wall hanging plate and resorted to drilling screws in the wrong places to hold the air conditioner in place.
Repair and replacement costs are quite high
Sometimes Samsung flatly denies free repairs even if the customer is not at fault. And if consumers agree to pay for repairs, the repair/replacement costs of some parts are quite high. It is well known that Samsung smartphones quickly lose their value within a few months of their launch. So when the screen replacement cost is high and the phone has already lost more than half of its original price, those high repair/replacement prices become even harder to swallow. For example, I decided to just throw away my Galaxy Watch Active 2 because repairing it was more expensive than buying a new one. And I wasn’t the only one at the service center facing the exact same problem.
If Samsung wants to maintain customer trust and loyalty, it must ensure that the quality and speed of its after-sales service improves compared to the current state. It is also evident that it needs to improve its communication with consumers regarding repairs, shipping and other after-sales service issues. If the company does not provide world-class service and support, it risks losing customer trust and ultimately its sales and business. We’re not here to teach Samsung how to do its job, but we wanted to point out a lot of issues Samsung users are facing.
