Has anybody had experience with same sung trade-ins? Ie.:
Do they actually collect the old items?
Do they apply the trade-in discount/boost at time of purchase or time after assessing the item?
I'm looking to trade in a vacuum cleaner, but wondering what will happen if it doesn't meet the description…
Thanks!
Here is my experience. I traded in an iPad and they deducted $10 as they said IMEI number is not correct. But when I was trying to enter serial number on Samsung it wouldn't accept it for some reason, so I had to use another IMEI from another phone.
I refused to accept $10 deduction as my iPad was in a very good condition. Anyway, now they are saying the adjustment is because of the bad battery and bent device. Totally BS! I told them I took a video of it before sending it in.
SO MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A VIDEO OF YOUR DEVICE BEFORE YOU SEND IT IN AS PROOF IN CASE ANYTHING GOES WRONG.
I had the same issue, Samsung website wouldn't accept the full 12 characters of iPad serial number, so I only put in the first 11 characters and they docked me $10 for mismatched serial number. Ended up just taking the L because the worst thing they could do is send it back and I'd be on the hook for $620 ($170 trade-in + 450 boost). Definitely left a bad taste in my mouth though.
Oh I didn't think of that, surely they will tell me first if they are going to send my iPad back to me? I just keep my Amex card LOCKED so they can't take any money from it. It's not about the money but the principle. They just seem to come up with any BS excuses to deduct the value.
Just as an update, I recently had my last afterpay payment go through and never had to pay the $10 deduction. I assume they either realised their mistake or Samsung doesn't bother chasing up small amounts like this (or maybe using afterpay makes it too difficult).
How do they charge you the difference? Because when you buy off Samsung online they give you the expected trade in value discount upfront. Say if you send your phone and it's not valued what they offered you, do they try to claw it back from you?
I assume they can charge the card I paid my purchase with. I have kept my Amex card locked until hear back from them. So far no reply…
Traded in my S23 U for a S24 U as part of the whole UPGRADES deal. I got a reminder email saying to send my phone even though I had sent it. Emailed them challenging this and they confirmed phone had been received. 6 weeks later I get charged $1150 which was the trade in credit amount! Any idea who to chase for my money back?!
Samsung trade in experiences are notoriously bad with people being charged for items "not arriving" (when they clearly have), being deducted for "damaged items" (when items are in perfect conditions), and various other fraudulent activities.
Reddit had a lot of these experiences documented to the point that people are advising those doing trade in's to video EVERYTHING. From boxing the unit, handing it to the courier, and making note of tracking numbers that show the weight of the box leaving.
It's crazy and unnecessary, but if Samsung want to be dodgy then it's the battle we must face.
I am so glad I took your advice and did a video on my iPad before sending it.
Jumping in this thread to confirm that Assurant is an absolute prick to deal with. I sent in a very busted Pink 256gb S22 and they claimed I sent them a 128gb cream S22. The trade-in difference is between $41 and $46 so I won't bother fighting it, but I can imagine if you sent in a pristine phone, this would be a total balls ache. I recorded everything just incase they tried to claim they never received it.
Similar thing happened to me. There is not much you can do about it apparently. But since there is so many cases, maybe it would be worth it to report it somewhere?
Commerce Commission - see this post https://www.cheapies.nz/comment/248705/redir
It'll take a number of complaints to do anything but the more who do the more likely it is they'll have to change/get rapped over the knuckles.
My trade in phone was delivered on 27 August and I have sent numerous emails following up. They confirmed they received my phone and it's in the queue to be assessed. Today I got an email saying I have been charged the balance of the money I owe from the trade in $1065 as I did not send the phone in! Wtf can I do they have taken my phone and charged me the $1065!!
Same thing has happened to me. Be interested to see how many people have had this issue. I've sent 3 emails now to multiple accounts so lets see what happens
Any response yet for you?
Same thing happened to me. They also reduced the value of my device because of their dysfunctional system and basically told me there is nothing I can do about it.
Do you have the track number? Type it in on nz post website and it should show when it was delivered. Take a screenshot and email to ask for your money back.
Yes I even had them confirm in an email ages ago that they received my phone at the warehouse and it's in queue to be assessed. I'm actually waiting to hear back from another incorrect charge they did for my other phone back in June and I still haven't heard anything back. They just don't respond!
Maybe it depends on the agent & medium you're dealing with? I've had 2 or 3 experiences with their post-sales team over the phone and they seem pretty helpful, but via email was a bit hit or miss. Worth a try calling in..
@Liger Zero: Is it the ones based in the call centre in Philippines? I get nowhere with every one of them. All say I'll get a call back in ,24 hours.
I sent in a completely broken s10, base trade-in value initially $0 before bonuses but I was honest on the form that nothing worked. Got an email last week saying the trade in value was wrong and they were giving me $14 for it. Wasn't gonna say no to that…
I traded in a near perfect condition S21+ (had a case and screen protector on the whole time I owned it). Dropped it off at the post office on 27th Nov and got the notification yesterday (5th Dec) that they inspected my phone and the trade-in has been completed. Was fairly seamless to me. The only thing that I could think could be improved is Assurant/Samsung's tracking system, which is terrible and only updated once everything was completed.
When I checked NZ post's tracking system on 2nd Dec, the courier had just delivered it to Assurant. But when I checked each of the following days, Samsung's system still showed as awaiting shipment. Nothing changed until they completed my trade-in.
Overall, I would definitely trade-in again.
Anddddd here we go… updated my phone from s23 to s24, sent it (which they have recieved it) then they tried charging my card $915..
Just an update, on my experience… my trade in value was $0, but I got an email invoice with no itemisation saying that $150 was charged (my account confirmed this).
Support have been helpless to deal with, so I'm pretty close to going through the small claims court on principle.
I've had a similar experience with my trade-in discount being reclaimed. I've sent numerous emails to support, but they have yet to provide any assistance.
Since I made the purchase with a credit card, I may just dispute the charge.
How long after the trade-in was accepted did you receive the other email about the reclaim? Both of you.
It was in the same email in my case. The subject line was 'Trade-in Chargeback Order Completed,' and in the body of the email, they mentioned 'Trade-in Discount Reclaimed' with no explanation.
And did you get a trade-in complete/assessment complete email prior to that?
I received the assessment complete email, just wondering how long after this the reclaim email may take to come or can I breathe knowing its all done.
@vorman: The email I received prior to this stated, "Your trade-in is being processed." However, this was due to accepting a trade-in adjustment for an IMEI/Serial mismatch, which I don't agree with but chose to let slide.
I assume you should be in the clear now.
@Bargain-Hunter: I had the exact same emails as Bargain-Hunter by the sound of it. There were a day apart for me.
That is a good idea to dispute the charge. Ive threatened to go through the small claims tribunal, which I absolutely will do if needed, but the credit card dispute might be easier…
What a deceitful business model they are operating here, invoicing people via a pre-authorisation without explanation in breach of their terms when people dont expect it…
@vorman: Hi, they received my trade-in a week ago, but the status has not changed so far. How long did it take for you to get updates on the status/ complete email after delivered?
@Lipesousa: for me, my tracking details says they received it on 31st dec. Then I got the trade-in complete email on 7th Jan.
The status hasn't changed until they completed the assessment.
@Lipesousa: I dropped it at post office on 20 December.
Only delivered on 30 December - it failed the first time - I assume they were closed for a few days over that period.
Received email on 10 January saying its complete. No other emails in between and the status did not change on their system during the postage.
When I read this post I was worried that I’d get the same thing… and I did. I received an email saying trade in value has been reclaimed on Friday. I’ve enquired assurant but if it doesn’t get resolved, would it be okay if I reach out to you for some advice?
Ordered S25 Ultra by trading in S23 Ultra. Never got any details how to ship the old phone back to them and just now they reclaimed the trade-in discount.
All the Assurant emails went to spam - I get like ~15 spam emails a day so it's pretty hard to notice legit ones.
I was expecting an email from Samsung not a third party.
If I ever do a trade in with Samsung, I'll be using a disposable CC (including the process of filming everything that involves sending it away). Too many horror stories.
Purchased a Watch 7 and traded in my watch 4
They discounted the purchase by the trade in amount and sent a courier label a few days before the delivery of the new item
They got the item back and confirmed the trade in
It does say they will bill u if they find damage but I am fairly sure they ewaste/dispose of them
S22 trade-in on s24u. They sent an email with a courier ticket, and i had to package the phone up and print the ticket then send it off.
How much Trade in did you get for the S22 ? Was it the base model ? (the 6.1" ? Half considering trading the Mrs up to the 24 from her base 22…
We upgraded this exact situation yesterday on the trade in deal. It was $310 for a 256gb S22 then another $500 boost at the moment. All up like for like replacement was about $350 until 11am if there's any stock left.
S22 256GB -> S24U 512GB
Upgrade cost was $1203 incl 25W charger, silicon case and 2x screen protectors (it was $1621 discount on rrp of $2800 odd)
The s24u price has come down a bit since then.
If the item doesn't meet the description (damage) then they have charge you for the difference. I've traded in phones though, not vacuums.
How strict are they on the condition/description? The most ambigous is 'physical damage'. Does this mean cracks/chips? Actual broken parts on the phone? Or is even a tiny scratch on the screen 'physical damage' even if the phone is otherwise perfect?
From my days working for Vodafone, 'physical damage' had to be enough to void the warranty, but no idea what threshold Samsung are applying.
Their after sales service has been average to date too. If it were not for such huge discounts I would doubt they would get the sales they do!
Did you end up finding anything on this? I have some scuffing/scratches at the top of my phone on the metal and wondering if that's gonna count as physical damage?
Paid within a week, no questions asked.
Not sure what the standard is, but mine was in very good condition, just not 'mint'.
Thanks for sharing your experiences people, appreciate the info!
Yes I have, purchased a TV off Samsung a few months back with a TV trade in deal. As it's a bulkier item, bit difficult to get a return courier label.. They were meant to pick up the trade in TV at the time they delivered my new TV.. But Mainfreight (who delivered the TV) didn't know anything about picking up the trade in - even though I asked them. Got a call a couple of weeks later asking about the trade in TV and scheduled a pick up for the next service run. They didn't care/check the trade in TV, just picked it up and left. Although in saying that, I didn't specify a brand of TV as there was an option for "other". I don't know where it got sent to, but I can't see them going straight to Samsung for inspection… Seems like an admin nightmare.
I've also claimed a trade in deal for the vacuum cleaner.. I expect a similar process above.. for my trade in I said it wasn't working, so I would expect they'd just pick it up and take it to the recyclers/tip….
Cheers Blurtie, yeah I figure its most likely a means of slowly increasing their market share by removing other brands from circulation, and they probably do want to keep the admin to a minimum!
For Samsung they a too big to bother with this so they outsource it to a third party "Assurant" that specialized with this, they claim to repurpose it for developing countries or recycle electronics.
International market: https://www.assurant.com/
Nz market: https://www.assurant.nz/our-story/who-we-are
Personally I recommend been honest with the tradeins……
The 'Assurant' address appears to go to https://serviceplus.co.nz/contact/ at least for mobile phone trade ins in NZ as that's who Samsung ask you to post them to.
@thermite81 did you get the vacuum yet? How did they do the trade in? Just wondering as I'm waiting to get mine as well
I ordered a vacuum too (Jet 95) but ended up cancelling the order. Got a call from Samsung about a week ago saying it was going to be delayed for a couple of weeks as they were waiting for a shipment to arrive…
In the end I purchased a Bespoke Jet plus as I wanted the all in one clean station to go with the vacuum. Cost wise it worked out to be about the same as purchasing the Jet 95 and separate Clean Station with a compatible dust bin - see below - but with less flaff. Purchased via EPP with a couple of promo codes and Amex cashback - so paid $420 all up for it.
Just a tip for others with the Jet 95 - the separate clean station (VCA-SAE903) you can purchase is NOT compatible with the Jet 95.. The clean station comes with a separate dust bin (which has a latch on the bottom so it can empty into it) is only compatible with the Jet 70/90 models. So dumb. But wait, there's more. The motor/vacuum of the Jet 95 is the same as the Bespoke jet models - so if you can get your hands on a Bespoke Jet dustbin (which includes the required latch part), then that will fit the Jet 95 and work with the clean station.
Cheers for the share. I got the Jet95 (still waiting to be delivered, as like you, got a call that it's going to be end of the month) for $280 with trade up and 50% discount so dont mind the waiting.
I am aware of the clean station but decided to not go with it because: 1. the 50% discount only applies to the Jet95 2. would require dustbag for the clean station.
Probably a good idea like you said to get a Bespoke Jet dustbin for easy disposal with the latch part to go with it.
What is going to be a problem I think is the battery. $270 for the spare ones which inevitably going to need one in say 3 years is going to sting. My dyson V6 lasted 8 years and 3 batteries free due to their warranty. Will see if Samsung is as good or not.. .
Refurb dyson v15 is a great deal.
@ace310: Still a bit reluctant spending $1000 on vacuum. Only jumping on this Samsung one as it ended up <$300 for it but perhaps I'm paying for this down the line
Yeah that's fair. I was only keen on the clean station after seeing it on clearance at my local Harvey Norman in palmy for $99.. It was pretty dumb to find out the dustbins weren't compatible..
I've got a Dyson too, got 1 battery free under warranty.. tried again recently - but no dice.. that pissed me off a bit as I'd heard how great their customer service/support were, but not for me. Hence the switch!
@blurtie: So the only difference between the Jet95 and the Bespoke Jet is the clean station? How often do you need replace the dust bag?
Did you do a trade-up purchase with your Bespoke Jet?
Just wondering what do I do with the old vacuum as I got text notification of the delivery but there was no mention of what to do with the old vacuum. Contacted Customer support and just got the standard I can't help you. .
Yep I did. It arrived today and they picked up the trade in vacuum at the same time.. I got a text and a voicemail from Fliway on Friday about the delivery and trade in - the guy thought it was a TV, but I guess it showed that they knew they were picking something up as well as delivering. The guy picking it up didn't seem to really check the make/model of the vacuum, just loaded it up in the truck and left.
From your situation - it sounds like the same situation as my earlier comment in relation to the TV. They might not know about the trade in, so will just deliver your VC. If it's not on their system, they won't pick it up even if you tell them about it. Don't be surprised if you get a call a week or so later asking about the trade in pick up - they'll just arrange a day/time to come by again and get it.
@blurtie: Have just been delivered. Courier picked up the vacuum, not checking or anything and just took the old item back.
Reading @sunshinenz comment below though, I'd keep an eye on my CC statement for rough charges. Have a photo of the guy taking the old item back for my backup if asked though
@spam: Good to hear they picked up your trade in at the same time.
Yea, good call re checking CC statement, but I'm not overly worried based on my past TV trade in experience. Even more so with this VC trade in as I said it wasn't working. I've already got the invoice/email confirming the order with includes the trade in discount.
@blurtie and @spam: Samsung only list 8 brands of old vacuum cleaners for trading in. Was your old vacuum from any of those 8? Has anyone tried trading in an old vacuum from another brand? Thanks.
I trade in a hoover that I bought off FB for $20.
Not sure if another brand is accepted. You could try asking by emailing or perhaps do the live chat?
How long it takes for them to acknowledge that they received the package? I can see it got delivered on 16th Aug, but the status page is not even showing it shipped. It is telling me awaiting shipment. But the courier tracking number says it's delivered.
My recent one only updated once they had reviewed it. I wouldn't worry about it. I think they took a little over a week to check mine.
Ok Thanks. Was concerned just because it said awaiting shipment when actually the phone is delivered to them.
Yeah its so dumb they have the awaiting shipment and stuff when it's not even tracked. Like whats the point of it 🤦♂️
@Huntakillaz: Never ending Samsung tech issues lol. Here is the response from them
We sincerely apologise for the enconvenience this may have caused, please be advised that we are currently having a system issue, rest assured that we are already working on it and we'll update the portal as soon as possible, kindly disregard the email notification asking you to send the device back to us.
@ace310: Same issue with mine. Showing "no orders placed" on tracking my order but chat says it's in their system.
@Huntakillaz: Do you have any updates?
I am getting same stupid auto-generated email responses. Doesn't matter what I write in the email though.
Thank you for reaching out to us.
We sincerely apologise for the delay on updating your portal, and for the enconvenice this may have caused. Please be informed that we are currently having system maintenance and we're doing our best to get it resolved.
Rest assured that we will update the portal as soon as possible.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you need other assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
With kind regards,
Joscelle
Assurant NZ Trade-in Support
Last year I sent in tradein in late November, a few days after I received my new phone. In early January they charged my credit card the tradein value + boost because they claimed tradein hadn't been received. Took a few emails showing tracking details for them to reverse the charge.
Oh wow. Looks like I need to start nagging.
Yeah taking screenshots and emailing them asap
One more merry-go round email response, after all the details provided including nzpost tracking delivered status.
Hi team,
Kindly please assist the customer and provide the update for the trade in status.
We appreciate your response.
Did you email:
If you require support from our team please email [email protected]
Here's thier response:
Thank you for reaching us.
Please be advised that having a system issue, rest assured that we are already working on it, rest assured that we will notify you as soon as we received an >update from our team.
We appreciate your patience and understanding on this matter.
With kind regards,
Assurant NZ Trade-in Support
@Huntakillaz: Yes. I sent to that email.
Lol. That was another response from them last week. So kind of alternately between 2 templates now. Haha.
@ace310: Well at least there's email proof I'll try once more next week and then if they don't I'll just leave it, if they charge have proof to depute it.
Plus I sent a brand new phone in so they cant ding me on anything anyways.
@Huntakillaz: Finally updated it today and sent an email saying:
Good news! We’ve received your device and inspected it. Your trade-in is complete.
Device and Trade-in Value Details
Make: Samsung
Model: SM-A045F/DS GALAXY A04 32GB - GENERIC
Serial Number:
Trade-in Value: $5.00
What’s next?
No further action is required of you. Thank you for participating in the Samsung Trade-in program.
This is interesting. So you can buy the phone at discounted value? And then send in the phone later, and if they do not accept it, they will charge your credit card the trade in value? Seems strange. You can almost then just cancel your credit card to avoid the charge.
@sunshinenz Hi, just checking what email did you contact them regarding this? Was it the email support contact form on Samsung NZ website? The same thing just happed with me, purchased early August 2024, sent the device immediately after receiving the new phone, tracking shows it has been delivered, after couple weeks after reading all the trade-in experience, I emailed Assurant about the status, received all of above auto-generated response, had been emailing for update each week since then, they confirmed they had received the device and said will update soon, just last week when I didn't follow up and dang I got charged for the trade-in and boost value, the day before today (i.e. Friday 27/09) and received email with subject 'Trade-in Charge back Order completed' with no explanation, and now the assurant trade-in status shows 'Offer Expired'. I also had the amex card locked, but apparently it unlocks after 7 days (which happened) and also that is only for in-store purchases, meaning pre-auth transaction and online transaction will go through like this charge back.
@sunshinenz: Thanks @sunshinenz. On what time frame was it resolved?
That is the same email I was following up every week too.
After a phone support, they gave me a reference number and said to raise a support ticket via email support with all the tracking details, charge back email screenshot and my followup thread.
I also emailed on the same thread I was following up. I have now received a separate email from [email protected] asking for order and old device details saying they with contact their trade in team, and, also a reply from Assurant on the same thread I had been contacting.
"Thank you for your email.
We have reached out to our team to confirm receipt of the device. Rest assured we will keep you posted."
@ks123: I'm in the same boat as you. Phone was delivered 27 August, they confirmed receipt of phone but said rest assured it will be assessed and trade in processed soon. Got charged $1065 from Samsung today for not sending in my phone what a bloody joke!
@marmitesammy: I did not so sent a follow-up email to both [email protected] and [email protected] thread. Got the reply from assurant only saying they have escalated bla bla email. What about yours, any luck yet?
@marmitesammy: File a complaint to the Commerce Commission for breaching the Fair Trading Act. Email the Samsung CEO (option on the website).
@sunshinenz: I've just done both. Noted the complaint to the Commerce Commission in the email to the CEO so lets see if that triggers any escalation flags…..
@cureforanitchCC: I think it's also worth emailing places like consumer.org.nz and moneyhub. If lots of people have the same issue they will probably contact Samsung, and Samsung will probably be obliged to respond with something other than 'Rest assured that we will notify you promptly once we receive an update from them'. (Assurant and Estore are very good at passing the ball between each other.)
For anyone struggling to get a response from Samsung regarding incorrectly charged back trade ins try emailing Lakish Narayan ([email protected]), Pankaj Sokhal ([email protected] - apparently in a 'Customer Experience' role) and most importantly Cc the Commerce Comission [email protected]. I got a phone call within 2hrs once I did that. Their customer service is atrocious when their systems/processes don't work correctly. They always say someone will ring you in 24hrs and it never happens - at least that's my experience after trying multiple options to get a response.