Samsung forum: Another Samsung Victim

We received a Samsung Ultra Series 5 computer, model # NP520U4C-A01UB for Christmas. My brother had purchased the computer at a Best Buy in Wisconsin. During New Year's weekend, I took the computer out of the box and turned it on. After entering the number to access my router, the computer began to download Windows. After just a few minutes, the computer crashed. I restarted it and began the process again. After the Windows down load was finished, I downloaded a popular, reputable security software.

After a couple of days of light use, the computer began to act up. We contacted Samsung customer service. The phone reception with the Samsung agent was very bad although the hold music was clear as a bell. The lady "remoted" the computer and after a while of tinkering with it, it stopped responding to her. It was dead as a nail. She stated there was something seriously wrong with the unit and that we should send it back. She would send a UPS label via e-mail which we accessed on another computer. My wife was exhausted as she was on the phone nearly the entire day with Samsung. She had called them five times.

About a week later (1/15/13) the UPS label finally arrived. To our dismay, we had to drop it off at a UPS store which (considering our rural location) was a great distance away. According to the instructions, in order to ensure the warranty was not voided, we had to box the unit up as we received it including the instruction manual. We did so and Samsung received the unit on 1/22. On 1/24 they sent me an e-mail reporting that they could find nothing wrong with the unit.

We received the unit after a couple of weeks and it appeared to work fine the first day, but then the ability to move the up-down slider bar stopped working on all software. I went to grab the owner manual and realized that Samsung had returned the unit to us with no box or owner manual. We contacted Samsung and received a lecture that they do not return the box or manuals. We then received another lecture that Windows 8 was fairly new and that we should be weekly downloading patches as new software often requires updates. We explained that we had not been able to use the computer long enough for a week to have passed.

A Samsung representative walked us through a 3rd recovery, but despite being plugged in, the unit would not turn on or respond in any way. They recommended that we send the unit back to them. After another long wait, the 2nd UPS label arrived and we once again had to pay a visit to the UPS store. Samsung received the unit on 2/15 and reported on 2/21 that there were no issues found. They mailed it back to us.

On 2/25, I happened to be on my front porch when the UPS guy arrived. I was excited and immediately took the computer into the house. I plugged the computer in and turned it on. A little rotating circle appeared and then a warning that the unit did not have Windows. I wondered how the Samsung repair guy could say there was nothing wrong with the unit when it didn't even have Windows software.

I contacted Samsung customer service and endured a conversation with a guy that spoke poorly and there was a tremendous amount of interference on the line. Every other word he spoke cut out. Despite my complaints regarding not hearing him, he continued to speak occasionally putting me on hold. Again, the hold music was as clear as a bell. Hold music was something I had become used to with Samsung and I pointed out that it was odd I could hear the music with no interference, but when I spoke to a representative, the reception was poor.

After struggling with the guy who spook poorly, I was transferred to a woman and I voiced my frustration with the computer and told them about the poor phone communication. She asked me for a receipt and I mentioned that my brother had it, but lived in Wisconsin. She asked me to take it back to Wisconsin which is about a day's journey away. I mentioned there was a Best Buy 25 miles away and that I would prefer to return the unit there. She said she would submit my request and that we would get a response within three days. A week later, we received no e-mails, or response. We called on 3/5 twice with no decision.

On 3/6 we called again and we were told that we would be receiving another UPS label to return the computer and that we would receive a new computer. We were told the UPS label would arrive within 3 to 5 days. Seven days later, we still received no word. So, on 3/13/13 we contacted Samsung and they stated they had no idea what we were talking about regarding the UPS label since they could do nothing with us until we e-mailed or faxed them a receipt.

It has been nearly over two months and we still have no functioning computer.