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PK Agarwal's new Samsung dryer is damaged during the delivery. But the company refuses to replace it. Find out why -- and how you can avoid a similar problem.
Q: I recently ordered a Samsung dryer and also paid for installation. Samsung delivered the appliance a few weeks later and supposedly installed the dryer.
I say "supposedly" because when I got around to using the dryer a few weeks later, I discovered it makes a loud, clunky sound.
I contacted Samsung support on the same day I discovered the problem, and Samsung dispatched a service professional to fix it. Samsung determined that the dryer had physical damage, rendering it irreparable.
I spent two hours with the warranty repair team and an additional hour with the eCommerce team trying to resolve the matter. The representatives say that since I reported the issue outside their two-week return/replacement window, they were unable to assist me further. It appears that the damage was done in transit when someone stacked a rather heavy load on top of the dryer.
Can you help me? -- PK Agarwal, Sacramento, Calif.
A: Samsung should have stood behind its appliance and the installation for which you paid. Telling you that you're past a two-week window -- which is Samsung's policy -- is just bad customer service.
Samsung's two-week window isn't prominently disclosed -- the company only revealed it to you after you went past the deadline.
But Samsung has a point. If something is wrong with your appliance, you should find out immediately. You argued that since you purchased Samsung's installation service, it had to test the appliance for you. Its site even promises that it will plug in the product "to confirm that the product is fully functional."
You say the technician who installed the dryer did not bother to turn it on as is Samsung policy. I checked the Samsung deliverables, and I don't think it means that the technician will confirm that the product works correctly. In the context in which Samsung makes the promise, it seems the company is simply saying it will plug in the appliance and turn it on to make sure it's getting power.
Still, you want to make sure any appliance is working correctly while the technician is still there. Don't let the employee leave until you are certain that your dryer or stove or dishwasher is functioning as advertised. You assumed that your dryer worked when it didn't. You don't want to make any assumptions when it comes to an $1,100 appliance.
You might have reached out to one of the executives at Samsung. A brief, polite email to one of the Samsung customer service managers listed on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org, might have helped. I furnished you with the names, and you sent several emails to the executives.
Finally, four months after you took delivery of your dryer, Samsung agreed to replace it.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/
