I’m a fiscal conservative who prefers to buy only what I need. Growing up in a large family and settling for hand-me-down everythings conditioned me this way. So I am not frivolous with my money, and rarely do I indulge myself.
Don’t get me wrong. I do live in a fantastic home that we built (it’s in a hoity-toity neighborhood that is so not me) and I have nice flat screen LCD televisions and a recently-purchased multi-core computer. I occasionally add items to my wardrobe, though not often enough for my daughters’ likings.
When it comes time to upgrade or replace a big ticket item, I am very thorough in my research. I look for the brands in my price range that are known for quality and reliability and narrow my choices down to two or three. I then I shop around for the best deal. I expect this product to last up to a decade or longer.
So imagine my dismay when my 40” Samsung LCD television, purchased in mid-2007, began acting wonky a few months ago. I’d fire it up via remote and rather than come right on, it would seem to hang. I’d hear clicking and see a little red light blinking, but no picture. Between 30 and 40 seconds later, the picture would finally appear. This problem only worsened and now it takes two and a half minutes for the picture to appear. Literally. I timed it.
I had to take action. I called 1-800-SAMSUNG and the recording said the wait time was infinity. I’m a patient man, but that’s too long, so I did as the digital voice encouraged and went to their website to initiate a chat session with a Samsung agent. I had never done a chat session for a customer service issue, so I didn’t know what to expect. I can tell you I didn’t expect what I got. Let’s just say it didn’t go well.
Here’s the almost completely unedited script of the chat session (I did change the agent’s name and neutered telephone numbers and email addresses. That’s fair, right?)
Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Chevette'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today.
Your Issue ID for this chat is XXXXXXXX
Chevette: Hi, thanks for reaching out to Samsung tech support. How can I help you today?
Brian: TFT-LCD Television, 40" model from 2007 is taking 2 mins. 30 seconds to power on. This has been escalating for months.
Brian: I've researched this issue and see it is a common problem with the capacitor on the main power board.
Chevette: I’m sorry to hear that. Let me help you with the issue.
Chevette: Let me know the Samsung TV complete and exact model code you have. You can find the model code on the label attached on the right side edge of the TV.
Brian: Model # LN-T4061F
Chevette: Could you let me know since when you're experiencing this issue with the TV?
Brian: Ah, for several months. I'm a patient individual...to a fault.
Chevette: Please confirm, whether the TV is connected to the surge protector or any other device for power?
Brian: No power supply or surge protector.
Chevette: I recommend you turn Off the TV and unplug the TV from the power outlet wait for a minute or so and then re-plug it back directly into the power outlet on the wall and power on the unit and check whether the same issue persists.
Brian: I've done this dozens of times. Problem still exists.
Chevette: Let me know once you are done with the above procedure.
Chevette: Have you also tried connecting the TV to different power outlets and checked?
Brian: Yes.
Chevette: Have you registered the TV online with Samsung?
Brian: I may have...don't recall.
Chevette: Please provide me with the e-mail address and the phone number you've provided for registering the TV online with Samsung.
Brian: Just confirmed that I did register the TV.
Brian: briancurabitur@ligula.arar.com 555-555-1234
Chevette: Let me check for the details and provide you with the information.
Brian: I need to update the telephone number...I disconnected that number.
Chevette: Please provide me with the new contact number.
Brian: 555-555-5432
Chevette: Let me know the exact date of purchase of the TV.
Brian: I'll try to dig that up in my files. I know it was four years ago at Best Buy and I'm fairly confident it was in August...going to my files now.
Chevette: Sure, go ahead.
Brian: Found the receipt: August 5, 2007.
Chevette: Thanks for providing the information. (pause)
Chevette: Thank you for holding. (longer pause)
Chevette: I'm sorry to make you wait. (even longer pause)
Brian: I'm still here...
Chevette: Based on the information provided, your TV needs to be examined by a professional service technician to fix the issue.
Chevette: You need to file an online service request for the TV using the link below to get it serviced:
Chevette: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/service/request
Chevette: Can I help you with anything else?
Brian: Okay. I'll submit the request. Anticipating that this is the capacitor, I trust Samsung is going to cover the service call and the cost of the part?
Chevette: Not really, as the TV is out of warranty you'll be charged for service.
Chevette: Do you have any other questions for me?
Brian: Not cool. This is a known product quality issue. I've seen this problem discussed in forums all over the Internet. If Samsung won't replace a part that failed on a massive scale at your cost, I can promise you I won't be purchasing a Samsung product again.
Chevette: Samsung aims to consistently deliver a professional products and services to it's customers. As Samsung would stand behind it's products, it is providing one time free service for few TV models with power issues and you TV does not qualifies for this free service.
Brian: Not a customer retention policy. Consider me a lost customer. When I replace my 3 Samsung TVs, they'll have a different brand name.
Chevette: I’m sorry to hear that. However, I don't have the option you're referring to, being a Live Chat agent these are my options.
Chevette: Is there anything else I can assist you with?
Brian: No. We're done.
Really? Samsung decided my TV didn’t qualify for a free repair? I was shocked. Angry and shocked. I did not expect to be stonewalled. It was incomprehensible.
I decided to walk away from this for a while and then review the chat script in a more calm state of mind.
There it is. I believe the chat agent gave me a clue to my next play. Chevette wrote: “I’m sorry to hear that. However, I don't have the option you're referring to, being a Live Chat agent these are my options.”
She’s telling me Live Chat agents don’t have much authority. Her hands are tied. Without explicitly saying so, I think she was encouraging me to take another route.
Excuse me. I believe I need to make a phone call. A long wait will not deter me. As Buzz said; “To infinity and beyond!” Wish me luck.
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