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Buyer Beware Samsung S8 Carries on The Bad Battery Tradition


 
Call me a fool, I have continued to use Samsung phones for years in spite of my S4 having had multiple swollen batteries back in 2016.  I had no issues with my S7.   However, my S8 battery was so swollen it pushed both the protective case back off and the glued on back of the phone itself.   Ironically this happened on January 3,2020.   That is three days after the phone was paid off on the two year payment plan.   I tried contacting Samsung but after being disconnected several times I gave up and went out to purchase a new phone.   I would have pursued Samsung but the 3rd was a Friday and I was leaving on a trip the following day and needed a phone to be able to get transportation. (Uber).

Upon arrival at the Comcast store and showing my phone to one of their representatives, I was very emotionally asked to get that phone out of the store, with the admonishment that it could explode or catch fire.   I was unaware of my danger up to that point.   The Comcast rep told me it was a known issue but Samsung claimed to have finally solved it and then he promptly sold me a new S10+.   Which I am using and I like.

The following Monday January 6th a Samsung rep called me, apologized and said they would send me a box to ship back the phone.   She also told me that pending evaluation they might be able to pay for my new phone.   

After returning from my trip, I sent in the S8.   It was returned to me for no charge but  I think it was a new unit not a repaired unit.   The packing slip/repair order stated it was an LCD and charging failure.   Interesting that the defective battery was not mentioned.   I googled Samsung battery issues and discovered a number of class action suits filed against Samsung for their defective batteries.   It appears people suffered both physical and property damage due to the defective battery problem.  

Samsung seems to claim that the battery issue was fixed prior to the release of the S8.  Look at my photos to see if you agree, I don’t.

I appreciate getting my S8 “repaired” but I don’t appreciate being locked into two years of payment to buy the S10+ when I did not WANT a new phone.  

Avoid this Cup
Buy Another Brand of Phone
I have appealed to Samsung and have been escalated to a person who said there was no one else I could talk to nor did I have any recourse.   My only recourse is my story.

So BUYER BEWARE you can escape being as FOOLISH as I have been by purchasing some other brand of phone with a more savory tradition.   Samsung's unsavory tradition of bulging batteries, that they are trying to hide, is one to avoid.   

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