Products - 8/10
Firmware - 1/10
Service - 3/10
Samsung TV - 6/10 Can't use functions that well
Samsung Laptop - 5/10 Battery dies within 1 hr. Brand new...
Samsung Galaxy S - 1/10 What a load of crap the firmware is.
Samsung Monitor - 7/10 It works....
This company is so frustrating.
I'm going back to Sony...
Samsung 17" Monitor: More than 4 yrs and still working without any issues.
Samsung Galaxy S: Installed CyanogenMod (ICS 4) and enjoying every bit of its performance.
Samsung Galaxy Note: Needless to say, a complete entertainment smartphone with amazing hardware specs.
I never came across any situation where in I need any support/warranty from them so I cant comment on their after-sales service. However, the fact that I never had to visit to their service center is a symbol of excellence towards their products.
Talking about their Galaxy series smartphones, the best part is that they provide the phones with factory unlocked bootloaders. This gives me complete freedom on what ROM/theme/modem/kernel, etc. I want on my phone. All my friends have either Galaxy S, Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Note, all with wonderful hardware.
I see your experience with them is bad but I am a happy Samsung user and would prefer Samsung for all electronics in future.
Regards,
Dinesh.
Samsung 37" LED HDTV: Two years without a problem, setting up the network and SmartTV was a doddle.
Samsung BluRay DVD player: Two years without a problem and a great piece of kit at a great price and no problems.
Samsung GT-5830 Smartphone: It prints to my HP printer from anywhere in the world, has some great Apps and functions well.
Sony Vaio laptop: Two years and can't wait until it breaks down for good. High price, high spec, but low speed and poor performance.
Final result: Samsung 3 Sony 0 :)
A lemon I can understand, a bad customer experience from the company not standing behind the product, that is what I have issues with.
On my Sony tv, these things were notorious for developing a bad optical block, resulting in a green colored blob on the screen. I called Sony, they said we have to have a technician come out (you must pay the $100 fee) to have TV looked at. If technician does diagnose as bad optical block, we will replace the part free of charge, but you will have to pay a 2nd service charge of $100 for the installation of the part. All in all, a $200 bill for around a $1500 issue isn't too bad. Sony knew the make and model # of my TV, had the serial number, etc.
So, I paid and had guy come out. He diagnosed it as the bad optical block. He said Sony would replace free of charge. Later he calls me and says, Sony won't pay because my TV is a 2003 model and they aren't covering the issue on the 2003 model only the 2004 model. But he tells me to call them and fight them on the issue because it's the EXACT same problem, and the EXACT same part, and the EXACT same procedure to fix it. And he told me, they hadn't changed the part at all and the problem would most likely return at some point in the future.
I called Sony livid, as they knew I had a 2003 model year TV before they sent the guy. I paid the $100 to have it looked at and now they want me to pay the $1400 for the parts, I don't think so. I fight and argue with them and they finally agree to pay for $700 of my repair, leaving me with a grand total of over $800 out of pocket to fix it. Had I purchased my TV just 61 days later in 2004, they would have paid for the part completely and it would have been $200 to fix it.
So, instead of paying another $700 to Sony, I said FU sony and put $999 into my 50" Panasonic Plasma instead and have been happy ever since. If there is an alternative to a Sony product, I will now take the alternative.
Samsung 17" Monitor: More than 4 yrs and still working without any issues.
Samsung Galaxy S: Installed CyanogenMod (ICS 4) and enjoying every bit of its performance.
Samsung Galaxy Note: Needless to say, a complete entertainment smartphone with amazing hardware specs.
I never came across any situation where in I need any support/warranty from them so I cant comment on their after-sales service. However, the fact that I never had to visit to their service center is a symbol of excellence towards their products.
Talking about their Galaxy series smartphones, the best part is that they provide the phones with factory unlocked bootloaders. This gives me complete freedom on what ROM/theme/modem/kernel, etc. I want on my phone. All my friends have either Galaxy S, Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Note, all with wonderful hardware.
I see your experience with them is bad but I am a happy Samsung user and would prefer Samsung for all electronics in future.
Regards,
Dinesh.
India usually gets it's products after they have been tried and tested. So I can't agree with you Dinesh.
Not to mention that Sony may be soon completely out of the TV business so if you buy one now you may have no service at all in a year or two anyway :/
I've had ok to good experience with Samsung. Only one monitor had a premature CFL failure, after a couple years, but Galaxy S4g and several 24 in monitors and other home electronics have been decent. I doubt anyone is better overall frankly. (LG I'm not so hot on myself though so...)
The ghods own truth is that they all suck, every company making home electronics today. They are all SO cheap and SO overly complex and SO under tested. Were at a crossroads of crap. There is so little market for paying a premium price for a quality product these days it can be hard to impossible to buy a quality item of any kind
fseal,
On the electronics front I think you are right. We have a 4 year old refrigerator at home that has had about 5 significant repairs since we bought it. Icemaker crapped out, control board went nuts and wouldn't run defrost cycle right, door hinge broke off on inside and we had to have entire door replaced, various fans have quit working, etc. It's a GE, and I'm 1000% glad we bought the extended warranty on it, it's paid for itself about 10x over already.
As consumers, we have so much technology, and we demand such low prices that nothing is made to last anymore.
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