The mysterious case of a cracked Samsung Galaxy S3

I have just requested that Samsung return my Galaxy S 3 l t e after they decided that my screen had cracked through miss-use .I am not prepared to pay £125 for a piece of glass that has broken through a design fault . I have spoken to a number of people on this issue who have experienced the same problem . One of those people manages a mobile phone shop and has stated that he has never known so many disappointed Samsung galaxy S 3 owners and is constantly approached by customers with broken screen problems . When I contacted Samsung directly to inquire about my screen I was told they have never received a complaint . Personally I think they need to wake up to what could end up being a costly problem . The phone shop manager told me that they are aware of the problem and that they try and steer their customers towards I phones or the new Nokia . He feels that if Samsung own up to the problem the floodgates will open . Personally ,I am going back to an I phone and the S 3 can go in the bin . My wife also runs a Galaxy ( not the s 3 ) but on termination of her contract she too will be changing manufacturers .The phone itself is a really decent unit but it is by no means perfect . Mine was kept in a leather case and as a 63 year old feel that I have been totally responsible during my ownership . I also have a 3 year old” I ” phone 3 g s which is in mint condition and going back into service . Take a look on e bay and see how many people are selling s 3″s with broken glass screens. My fault started with a small discolouration on the bottom of the screen and every time I picked the phone up to use it another crack appeared until eventually the whole screen was cracked just about everywhere . Get your act together Samsung and sort this out !!!!!!!

I agree that consumers need to know their rights. They also need to have the courage to face up to sales assistants and managers who may try to deny that they have rights. I don’t often shop in Currys but I can give several examples of unsatisfactory treatment regarding recently purchased products. My personal favourite was when I was told that the Sale of Goods Act did not apply to them. 🙂 On another occasion Currys would not accept the return of a Miele vacuum and insisted that I contacted the manufacturer. I did and received excellent treatment, knowing well that it was the responsibility of Currys to sort out the problem. My only success with Currys has been to get a different manager to swap a mobile, after their repeated failure to fix a problem on a phone that I had first returned within a few weeks of purchase and had been kept for emergency use in the glove box of my car.

As I see it, the consumer effectively has a hassle-free guarantee for six months and many retailers will deal with problems for a full year or however long the guarantee lasts for. After that, the chance of having a faulty product repaired or replaced is very slim, from what I have been told by friends and my own observations.

Which? often mentions the Sale of Goods Act but I have not seen any advice on how to get an expert’s report to provide evidence that a fault was present at the time of manufacture, and how much an expert’s report is likely to cost. In many cases the fault will not have been present at the time of manufacture but due to fragile construction (that could apply to the Galaxy S3) or overheating (a likely cause of screen problems with thin Sony TVs).

The best way to protect the consumer is to push for longer warranties and to promote companies that offer them. The best way to protect the manufacturer is to incorporate abuse detectors in their products. For example, moisture detectors have been included in mobile phones for years.

I don’t know about the Snake game. My mobile is probably not advanced enough. 🙂

Thanks for this information, Florence. I will keep a note of it for future reference.

I have never tried to get an expert opinion and I don’t know anyone who has. Even getting electronic goods repaired is very difficult. I had a TV with an intermittent fault and eventually found a local repairer. They had my TV for nine months, apart from short periods when I was given it back with the same fault. I even discovered that they had not replaced a part mentioned on their invoice, which they claimed was ‘a mistake’. I still had to pay about £35 for their inspection, but got most of my money back. Trading Standards was not interested because they did not have other complaints about the company. I did what almost everyone else does and bought a new TV and had the old one recycled.

If I can’t get someone to fix a TV, I wonder where I could get an expert to provide evidence that something like a Samsung Galaxy S3 has a design fault. If they decided I had damaged the phone, it would be a very expensive way of finding out.

I don’t believe that the Sale of Goods Act is affording us the protection we need.

Thanks for your post i have successfully had t-mobile replace a cracked screen samsung galaxy note 2 with a brand new handset. All reading this do use your rights as it really helps. I got a note 2 3 months ago and omled screen cracked & words wrote in here i used and now t-mobile is replace all kit got free.

Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, any product you buy from a retailer has to be of satisfactory quality and if the fault develops within six months the law assumes that the fault was inherent in the phone unless the retailer can actually prove otherwise. The retailer can choose whether to give you a replacement, arrange for a repair or refund you, but they have a duty to do one of these. Often retailers will try to pass the buck but it pays to be persistent.

If you are having a problem with the retailer, I would suggest you write to them and say you are exercising your right to have the faulty phone repaired or replaced – http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/letter-to-complain-about-a-faulty-mobile-phone-/

Another possible option is to claim under your credit card provider if you paid by credit card. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Acct the credit card provider is jointly liable with the retailer so you can write to the credit card provider outlining the fault.