Don't Buy Samsung Galaxy S4 until they fix the Screen! Verizon Fails to Support Warranty!

[jmflewis]

I was so happy to find this thread of complaints!  I called the verizon tech support phone line this morning and was told it sounded like my phone had a factory defect and I should take it to where I purchased it from and get a replacement since I have only had it for a week.  When I took it into the store the young man working took an ink pin to pry open the otter box case from the phone and then told me the screen had a very small crack and there was nothing they could do about it.  I called Samsung and he relayed to me that I could send the phone in and pay $200 to have it repaired.  After I informed them (the verizon store) that the screen was probaly broken from the manner the young man had opened the case they refused to do anything about it.  I called another branch of verizon who told me that the store is responsible for the repair of the phone since it was cracked in their posession and to talk to the General Manager (who has not called me back), to call the BBB and if necessary have my lawyer contact them.  I would really rather not go through all of that,  I just want a new phone!  Has anyone been successful in getting a new phone or any assistance at all from Verizon or Samsung?

[JGwiz]

I've had my S4 for a few months and have come to accept that it is a fragile device and has to be treated with kid gloves.  It is designed to be stylish - not durable. 

I will not be buying a Samsung device again.

[DougEH]

I knew the s4 was fragile from the reviews so it was handled extra gently,but nobody can prevent a phone from breaking when it is just sitting on a desk. Verzion and (removed) were no help.This phone was only 3 weeks old and was in new condition.I am (removed).

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Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

[Psychonik]

This just happened to my S4. I sent it to the Samsung Repair Department thinking that they had possibly gotten enough complaints on this issue that they would repair the phone under warranty. Nope they wanted $200 for repairs. After talking to a level 2 representative they said they could discount the repair to $70. I think I'll try my luck with Verizon's customer service then maybe Best Buy Mobile where I bought the phone. I don't mind paying for damage caused by me but this is clearly a manufacturing flaw and I don't feel I should be responsible for a shoddy product that hasn't even lasted me 6 months.

[dr_beard]

This same thing just happened to me. I bought the phone only three weeks ago. I have run into the same problems with Verizon. The employee at the store treated me horribly, but I did get a person who tried to help me on the phone but even when she called Samsung on my behalf, they denied that there is a known problem with these LCD screens. NOT TRUE. I know that HAVE to know about this problem. I am calling them now myself. I say we do the class action suit against them.

Jeannie

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Message was edited by: Admin Moderator

[swinkster]

I wished I had researched and found this forum before buying the S4. I too have have a cracked screen issue. The phone was in a case and never dropped.  I bought this phone the S4 as a replacement to my Motorola Droid phone.  I knew that the S4 was thinner and lighter, so I always used the phone with a case and was always very careful when using it.  After owning the phone for less than two months, I pulled the phone out to answer a phone call.   I noticed that the screen was black, with green streaks.  Several minutes later, there appeared two hair-line cracks on the inside of the screen, not the outside.  This phone had never been dropped or damaged, so I was very surprised to that the screen stopped working.  I contacted Samsung and they said that it would cost $200 to repair.  They did not mention that there is a manufacturing defect nor offer to repair under warranty.  Samsung repair reported that my phone was "abused", however, it did not have any dents, scratches or other visible issues.  They said that they also replaced a "component" but did not say.

When I Googled this issue and there are thousands of similar stories like mine.  All of the stories are the same:  phones are relatively new, in pristine condition (no drops, dents, or scratches), an their screens suddenly appear cracked from the inside, never the outside. 

Those of us already with defective phones will just have to wait until a class action lawsuit is formed to get Samsung to stand by their products.

[swinkster]

My screen look almost exactly like that when it failed due to being defective.

[MgLuvin]

My phone's AMOLED (LED) broke while in my pocket, as I leaned against a museum railing. It cracked along the top 1/3 of the phone, on a horizontal line, similar to the photo below. The glass was not damaged. 

I think it's no secret the S4 is flawed, and the Samsung CSR told me this is a common problem. She admitted it after they revoked my warranty for "Abuse" of the phone, and charged me the $200 for a repair. I don't even see why Samsung has a warranty, because there's no way they are going to admit a defect, since their techs are the judges of that. For a company whose making huge profits off their popular Galaxy, I am surprised they aren't afraid of being sued.

If you open the battery cover you can see the battery occupies the bottom 2/3 of the phone. The top 1/3 is only protected by a weak plastic housing, not strong enough to handle a small amount of pressure. The design weakness causes the cracks to occur at the top part of the screen with even a slight amount of pressure. The rear battery cover is very flimsy as well.

My old Motorola was much stronger, and had metal on it's edges for support and protection.

[hansky84]

My wife is having a similar issue and I would like some sort of a resolution. We bought her Galaxy S4 (blue) from Best Buy late November. Since December, she's had some issues with heat and rebooting randomly on her. I know the phones sometimes heat up, so I haven't really taken it seriously. Eventually, I cleared out some bloat and put some power monitoring apps to help. Since January, she's been dropping calls, phone heating up, freezing randomly, rebooting randomly and NOW the screen cracked as it was sitting on a table!  We were both sitting together so I know she's telling the truth about it. The interesting thing is the crack is not affecting the display at all. If it was pressure crack, then there would be display damage, but nothing.

I am hoping to get her a replacement because she did not physically damage it in any way. In fact, she's been super careful as this was her first "top of the line" smartphone. If any Verizon people are listening, I would appreciate contact.

[dr_beard]

I just got the call from Samsung today and of course they are saying that it is not under warranty. I am seriously thinking about legal action. We can't let them get away with this.

Sent from my iPhone