Warranty Issues with Samsung Galaxy S5

CheapBrah on 23/09/2015 - 17:50
Last edited 23/09/2015 - 18:10 by 1 other user

So I had an issue with my Galaxy s5 phone in that it would overheat and lose charge very quickly, took it into the Samsung store and they apparently repaired it, but the problem continued after I got it back. In the meantime, I dropped the phone and cracked the screen (mainly in the bezel section so not too bad). Anyway, I took it back to Samsung to have the overheating/battery issue looked at, and was told they would have to repair the screen at my cost as part of the process involved in repairing the overheating issue. Now the issue is that I'm not bothered by the cracked screen and the cost to repair a screen on Samsung is quite high as some of you may know. I just want the overheating and battery drain issue fixed because that is actually impacting my use of the phone while the cracked screen isn't an issue. I tried the 'contact CEO' thing on the Samsung website and got the same response, that the screen would need to be replaced at my cost to conduct the repair on the overheating issue which is at Samsung's cost.

I'm interested in people's thoughts on whether this is reasonable and how this scenario corresponds with the consumer laws. If I wanted the screen repaired, then it's a fair enough situation. But I don't want the screen repaired and frankly I don't see what the screen has to do with the overheating and battery drain issue that was occurring before the screen was cracked. It seems to me to be a way for Samsung to avoid their responsibilities of fixing a fault under warranty (as having the screen repaired at my cost is uneconomical since a second hand s5 can be bought for not much more than the cost of a screen repair, so they know I will not go down this route and they avoid fixing the overheating issue).

Honestly I could probably have this whole thing resolved quickly if I tried to get the repair done through Telstra, got told the same thing, and then complained to the TIO (have gone down this route previously with success), but I'd rather avoid that and deal directly with Samsung for now.

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Samsung

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  nocure on 23/09/2015 - 17:56

  Some light reading

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  saty1296 on 23/09/2015 - 20:10

  Going through Telstra may help you better than the no help and arrogant attitude you are getting from Samsung. Samsung will shy away from their responsibility in whichever possible way they can.

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  wombok2 on 24/09/2015 - 00:00

  Once there's any physical damage on the phone its very hard to do any sort of warranty repair as obviously they will find things to doubt on. Eg cracked screen = drop/impact on the phone causing the board/cables to be lose/damaged will be how Samsung will see it. Too late now as you should've returned the phone asap since it starting having issues.

  Tbh forget contacting the CEO as the email will most likely never reach him/her, even if it does it'll just be redirected to the Service Centre.

  In regards to consumer laws, I'm not sure how you'll go with this one as again your phone already has physical damaging allowing Samsung to blame it on that first.

  Have you tried doing a full software update then factory reset and leaving to see if it still overheats? Overheating is usually caused by apps, since you probably just reinstalled everything back on the phone after getting it back, you have only just re-created the problem again. Try using the phone with just bare essential apps before reloading everything back on.

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    iridiumstem on 24/09/2015 - 00:39

    Do the reinstall with KIES 3.0 or download firmware and do it via Odin, I think that may help more than just doing it via phone (I think doing it via phone do not change anything to the system files, from what I've seen with Kingroot files not being removed from just doing phone reset via recovery).

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    CheapBrah on 24/09/2015 - 01:09

    I think if the problem started after I dropped my phone than that's a valid point, but since I had taken it in too Samsung previously, which is documented, and they attempted to fix it once already, shows that it's an ongoing problem which started before the drop.

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  iridiumstem on 24/09/2015 - 00:44

  The reason why they might be refusing to fix it (or at least the excuse they might be using) is after the screen cracks, it's hard to remove the screen without damaging it further. At least s5 looks like you cannot take it apart without removing the screen.

  https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+S5+Teardown/2…

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    CheapBrah on 24/09/2015 - 01:08

    That is pretty much the reason given, that they won't do the repair without also doing a paid repair of the screen because then they could be liable for any extra damage done to the screen during repair.

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      iridiumstem on 24/09/2015 - 01:25

      the screen would need to be replaced at my cost to conduct the repair on the overheating issue which is at Samsung's cost.

      Isn't asking for the screen to be replaced reasonable then? If they were to fix something and the only way to get to it is by removing the screen, I personally don't think it's unreasonable for them to refuse fixing it unless the screen is replaced. They will be the one who's going to risk damaging the screen further by trying to fix the device.

      If they make you pay for the replacement of the motherboard, I will say that it's bloody unfair and you should take it to the ACCC on the basis that the problem was there before the damage (not sure whether you will win against them since Samsung will try to squirm out of it, but I'd genuinely agree that it's unfair).

      That said, try doing complete reset with KIES 3.0 or Smart Switch (I am not sure which one S5 uses). It downloads entire firmware (1GB~2GB). It'd actually replace the system files and such, which might be the cause of the problem.

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        CheapBrah on 24/09/2015 - 12:39

        I think it is, I shouldnt have to pay to limit their liability or because their design or repair process does not allow onw part to be repaired without the other.

        Considering taking the matter to VCAT after getting no joy from Samsung. it's a bit of effort but it would also be a bit of an experience to learn the VCAT process which might come in handy in the future as well.

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        iridiumstem on 24/09/2015 - 13:01

        @CheapBrah: They should've made it so that it can be fixed without removing the screen sounds too much like doesn't sound reasonable to me. It's a practice that's not unheard of. I guess you could tell VCAT that it having a removable back cover made you believe that such practice is possible, but does that seriously sound reasonable to you?

        ACCC does provide a consumer guarantee on these conditions.

        Can you prove these are not met:
        Products must be of acceptable quality, that is:

        safe, lasting, with no faults
        look acceptable
        do all the things someone would normally expect them to do.

        Acceptable quality takes into account what would normally be expected for the type of product and cost.

        Products must also:

        match descriptions made by the salesperson, on packaging and labels, and in promotions or advertising
        match any demonstration model or sample you asked for
        be fit for the purpose the business told you it would be fit for and for any purpose that you made known to the business before purchasing
        come with full title and ownership
        not carry any hidden debts or extra charges
        come with undisturbed possession, so no one has a right to take the goods away or prevent you from using them
        meet any extra promises made about performance, condition and quality, such as life time guarantees and money back offers
        have spare parts and repair facilities available for a reasonable time after purchase unless you were told otherwise.

        If they are offering free repairs on your overheating issues (I assume they'd replace the motherboard), I don't think their reaction is unreasonable.
        They are remedying what should've been guaranteed.

        I don't think it's unreasonable for them to refuse to fix it on the basis that you've damaged the screen. They will have to replace your screen with a new one if they mess up. Even if they don't mess up, removing a cracked screen without damaging the screen would be harder than removing a non-cracked screen. Not to mention, refusing service on the basis of physical service is fairly common. So I don't think it's a major design flaw (it's an annoying one, but not a major catastrophic one)

        I frankly think you do not stand a chance unless you could prove that the problem was there after it was serviced and before you've dropped it. They could easily claim that it is from you dropping it (it's unfair, but I think that happens a lot). As ACCC states that exceptions to consumer guarantee can be made if "misused a product in any way that caused the problem", I think they could easily reject fixing the throttling issues on the basis of physical damages to the phone.

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        CheapBrah on 24/09/2015 - 14:17

        @Oversimplified: Just to clarify, my point is that if replacing the screen is part of the repair process (which I believe it is) then that is just part of repairing the overheating issue and should be covered. My understanding is that actually even if the screen isn't damaged it still needs to be replaced (or at the very least removed and put back in place), IIRC this was on my repair receipt last time (that the screen had been replaced).

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        iridiumstem on 24/09/2015 - 14:48

        @CheapBrah: They remove the screen and reuse the screen after fixing it IIRC from what I've read. I frankly think you have no chance with ACCC or VCAT, they can easily squirm out of doing it by saying you've damaged your phone physically and therefore consumer guarantee on your product is nullified.

        Also, I frankly think them asking you to pay for the replacement of the screen is not unreasonable. You've dropped it and made it harder to fix it without damaging the phone, possibly damaging internal as well. I get that you think they should've made it easy to fix, but it's not what they advertise nor uncommon in the industry.

        The logic I see it is something similiar to this. If screws on my laptop's broken from how I've used it and they need to replace it, I don't think it's unreasonable for them to ask me to pay for it. If the screws were crap quality (i.e. it's a known issue), I'd be pissed. That said, I don't think I've heard people replacing the glasses on the S5 more than other smartphones (therefore it's likely to be not a design flaw). I wouldn't think they were at fault just because they used screws for them (i.e. in your case, requiring to remove screen to fix the device), because I think that's not uncommonly used in the industry.

        If I were you, I'd just accept it and move on. That said, how much are they asking you to pay for the screen? Are they asking you to replace the entire screen (including the AMOLED etc etc) or are they asking you to just change the glasses on it?

        This is just my 2c.