Hey everyone, I’m reaching out to get some advice and see if anyone has gone through something similar. Today, I had one of the most frustrating experiences with Samsung and their authorized repair center, uBreakiFix, and I’m seriously considering taking legal action. Here’s what happened:
I bought a Samsung S24 Ultra from the UAE, which came with a 2-year Samsung Care+ plan on top of the standard warranty. My phone has always been in pristine condition—no scratches, no drops, and always protected with a tempered glass screen protector. However, out of nowhere, green lines started appearing on my display. Knowing this was likely a manufacturing defect, I immediately contacted Samsung’s helpline. They confirmed that it sounded like a defect and directed me to visit one of their authorized repair centers, uBreakiFix, near my ZIP code. (i am back in my home town in US)
So, I called four different uBreakiFix branches to explain the situation and see if they had the display part available. The first three branches didn’t have the part, but the fourth one, which is a corporate location and a flagship Samsung store, did. Since this place was 1.5 hours away from me, I called them to explain the situation in detail. They assured me that they would inspect the phone and take care of it.
I made the long drive to the repair center, and once there, they took my phone’s IMEI number, checked the warranty status, and confirmed that it was indeed a manufacturing defect. But then, they hit me with a bombshell: because my phone was purchased outside the US, they couldn’t process the warranty claim. However, the technician said he would try to make the claim in their system anyway. To my surprise, the system accepted the claim! He created an order number, printed the receipt, and told me to return in two hours. He also took down my wife’s phone number to contact me since my phone would be with them.
After two hours passed, I called them to check in. They said it would take another hour. Three hours after I initially dropped off the phone, I returned to the store. They told me they were still running some tests and asked me to wait a bit longer. Now, it’s 6:30 PM, and they finally say the repair is done, but there’s a catch: they can’t give me my phone back. Apparently, their system flagged the repair, and now my original warranty was voided. I was in utter shock.
The technician explained that he had created a ticket with Samsung, and they wouldn’t release my phone until Samsung responded to the ticket. At this point, I was frantic. All my work correspondence is on that phone, and without it, I would be completely cut off from my job. I called Samsung from inside the repair center and explained the situation. The Samsung representative on the phone told me that, according to their policy, the repair should be covered. I asked her to speak directly with the technician.
What followed was a heated exchange between the technician and the Samsung rep. The technician dismissed her, saying she didn’t know anything about Samsung’s technical support. They argued back and forth, with the Samsung rep insisting that it was illegal to hold onto my device like this, but the technician wouldn’t budge. The situation escalated when the technician, clearly frustrated, started throwing a tantrum. He said he had to close the store and, in a threatening tone, told me that if I didn’t leave, he’d have to “call someone.”
I was completely confused and didn’t know whether I should call the police or not. In the end, I left the store and made the 1.5-hour drive back home, without my phone.
I’m now left without my phone, my original warranty potentially voided, and a repair receipt from uBreakiFix as my only proof of what happened. I’m considering taking this to small claims court, but I’m unsure if I have a strong case. Has anyone here dealt with something similar? Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.
You should have let them "call somebody" or call the police yourself. They effectively stole your phone. You should also have gotten the name of the Samsung rep you spoke to on the phone to verify what happened. My guess is there is probably a little casual racism going on at that store, as well. You should consider legal action against the store, not Samsung, as it appears Samsung was on your side in this.
i just got a call, from uBreakIfix saying they will reverse the repair, and give me back the device, is this even legal? by samusng, they claim we provide international warranty, then do the repair, then reverse it, and give the phone back ? any advise, ?
this is lack of coherency from Samsunsg's part, on website its written something else, and their repair center does something else. can you imagine that they will go to such length to reverse the repair.
samsung has not been helpful so far, i have done several rounds of calls, one of the agent says. its at their discretion, another one says, to wait for call from supervisor, (which never happend) i have done 4 rounds of calls, each an hour long, and recorded the last phone call, so to summerize:
Samsung says manufaturing defect is covered by international warranty, (the agent said so on the phone, also quoted a line from their Return Policy page (also sent me an email as proof), however Ubreakifix saays they raised a "ticket" with samsung and they are not honoring the warranty, so they will reverse the repair and install the old screen back. should i sue smasung in small claims court? has anyone experienced this before, please advise course of action.
I had a similar situation with my Fold 4. Do a class action. My S24 ultra is the last Samsung phone I'm buying. And I pay cash, no credit programs. The cause of my Fold 4s demise was an update OTA.
