A woman recently went viral on TikTok after sharing her frustrating experience with Samsung over a warranty issue with her Galaxy Flip phone.
After several previous videos in which she recounts the events, TikTok user Carmen (@mamichulamadness) took to TikTok to share her “last ditch effort” to have her issue resolved after her Galaxy Flip phone cracked just a month after purchase.
In her video, which has amassed over 473,900 views at the time of writing, she documents her journey from excitement to disappointment speaking directly to the company.
What happened with her Samsung?
“This video is for Samsung,” Carmen begins.
“Hi Samsung, on Sept. 14 this year, I purchased this phone,” she says, holding up a box with the Samsung Z Flip. “This was my first Android phone. I was excited.”
Carmen explains that she switched from being a loyal iPhone user after 17 years, drawn to the nostalgia and unique design of the Flip phone.
“I liked that it was nice and small and compact, and it was different,” she shares.
Despite warnings from others about the phone’s tendency to crack, Carmen decided to take a chance.
“I just really wanted this to work out,” she says. “I wanted to enjoy my Android experience, but I also wanted to enjoy my Samsung Flip 6 experience.”
However, by October her phone had cracked, and she contacted Samsung’s customer care.
What followed was a series of frustrating encounters. “I called customer care. They told me to go to a store. Went to the store. First employee was like, ‘Yeah, this is a known issue,’” she says.
The situation worsens
But things took a turn when the technician voided her warranty due to “unintentional minor impressions” on the pre-installed screen protector.
Carmen points out that these impressions didn’t cause the damage and weren’t even visible to the naked eye.
“You acknowledge that the problem is there, that it has nothing to do with [the impressions], but it doesn’t matter. The warranty is now voided because of these minor impressions,” she says.
Carmen details her attempts to escalate the issue, including speaking to a supervisor and the legal department, both of whom refused to override the technician’s decision.
“I asked [the legal rep] to tell me where on the screen you could see this damage that warranted voiding the warranty. She wouldn’t answer it,” Carmen recounts. “You can’t even feel it with your finger. So how can that be enough damage to void a warranty on a one-month-old phone?”
The video ends with Carmen asking Samsung to take the phone back. “I want to return this phone to you,” she says. “So I’m asking if I can please get an address where I can ship this phone back so you can process my refund and the return.”
She finally gets a resolution from Samsung
Following her saga of viral posts, Carmen shared some good news.
Referring to her relationship with the company as “toxic,” the TikToker revealed that Samsung reached out and offered to fix her phone.
At first, she wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable keeping the device. However, she ultimately stated she wasn’t ready to part with her Samsung Z Flip, revealing her decision in a follow-up video.
From her latest videos, it seems she’s fully embracing her Android journey. She frequently shares tutorials, tips, and showcases colorful cases for others with the Flip to try out.
Samsung responds
In an email to The Daily Dot, Samsung stated the company has performed several durability improvements for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, including a redesigned hinge to absorb shocks more effectively, a thicker glass layer for added resistance to impact, and enhanced testing protocols, such as folding the device up to 200,000 times.
“Samsung’s latest Z series lineup, Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6, are engineered to offer peace of mind that meets the high standards of Galaxy users,” a Samsung spokesperson told the Daily Dot.
They further added, “Through our continuous fine-tuning of features and functionality over six generations, we’ve made improvements across four key areas including the hinge, screen crease, exterior and rigorous testing protocols that have led these to be our most durable Z series devices yet.”
“We encourage any customer with a question about their device to contact us directly at 1-800-Samsung for immediate assistance,” they concluded.
Viewers react
In the comments of her initial video, before the update came around, viewers gathered to help Carmen resolve her issue. Some expressed immense frustration over her situation.
“Tag Samsung chain below,” said one user, prompting 106 people to do so.
“Samsung is missing an opportunity to show people can move from Apple to android…and that they will be there if something goes wrong,” remarked another. “I have a S24 ultra which I love….but Samsung needs to do better in this case.”
“I was seriously considering switching from my iPhone,” wrote a third. “This tells me I shouldn’t do it. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Carmen via TikTok comment and Samsung via email.
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