Q: I participated in the Samsung Galaxy S8 trade-in program last summer. The terms were to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S8 and trade in an eligible device to receive a $200 discount.
I traded in a working, older Samsung Galaxy in good condition. In fact, I went ahead and purchased a new battery for the phone as well. I called Samsung and verified that my trade-in would be eligible for the $200 discount.
Unfortunately, much to my disappointment, I received an email in September that my order will be charged $175 because: “The following condition was not met: Not Blacklisted.”
Samsung gave me only $25 for my trade-in.
I called Samsung’s customer-service department. After a 45-minute hold, I spoke with a representative, who told me that this was a known computer error. She created a ticket number and promised it would be “escalated” to a supervisor.
Still, the charge showed up on my credit card bill. I called Samsung again and a representative promised a call back from a supervisor. Needless to say, no one has called me back. This is quite disappointing, and I am upset that no one is getting back to me. Can you help?
— Jay Makda, Chicago
A: If Samsung promised you a refund and you met all of its requirements, you should have received one.
But did you meet all of its requirements? I reviewed the terms of your trade-in, and it was pretty specific. The returned phone had to be in “good” condition, which it defines as powering on, holding a charge, having a functioning display, no breaks or cracks, and is not on “a black list of any kind.” A blacklisted phone is one that’s reported lost or stolen.
Apparently, Samsung thought yours was on a blacklist, thanks to a glitch of some kind. Except, you were the rightful owner.
A phone call should have cleared this up. Instead, Samsung left you on “hold” for almost an hour, bounced you around between representatives and then ignored you. I don’t see how this would “inspire the world” or “create the future,” in line with Samsung’s vision statement. Quite the opposite, actually. It’s dispiriting, and paints a dark picture of the future where promises can be made and broken.
You could have contacted one of Samsung’s customer-service executives. I list their names, numbers and email addresses on my consumer-advocacy site: elliott.org/company-contacts/samsung
Your case seemed to get lost along with hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of others like it. On a separate note, I’m concerned that Samsung would just keep a phone it suspected of being stolen. Why not turn you over to law enforcement if it suspected your gadget was blacklisted?
It took a while, but after I contacted Samsung on your behalf, it issued the full $175 refund.
