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I was pretty pleased with Squaretrade when I had my Note 1, as the turnaround was incredibly fast and the repair work was really well done.
Picked up a new warranty for my Note 2 and sadly had to use it rather quickly after getting the phone.
November 27 I filed a claim with Squaretrade for my broken screen. Dumb mistake, set it on my wallet and it eventually hit the kitchen floor. Really didn't seem like much of a drop, but the cracks were there and I figured I might as well file the claim. Now I wish I waited. Had 2 large cracks on the phone and a small chip on the bottom right of the glass.
Everything went off without a hitch, they emailed me the 2nd day UPS label, and off it went. They received it on the 29th with the standard (potentially) "fixed and returned" within 5 days message. It's been 11 days now. I called last week Friday and was told that they were waiting for a digitizer that was to arrive that day and would have my phone out that night. Was pretty happy with that and waited to receive an email with a tracking number. Nothing.
Back on the phone with them today and I'm getting the same story just different ship date. They received the part on Friday, and would hopefully have it repaired and shipped out tonight. It's a cellphone shop and repair depot (Cellular Fantasy in LA, CA), so I'm wondering if they are just backed up with repairs or they don't work weekends? I was also advised that if I want a tracking number I need to call them tonight to ensure it actually went out this time.
So overall I'm probably looking at 13-14 days without my phone. Had I known about the delay, I probably would have waited a month considering the phone actually functioned like normal despite the large cracks.
Anyway, just putting this out there for anyone on the fence about a Squaretrade warranty. I will update with pics of the repaired phone once I finally receive it.
sodomanaz said:
I was pretty pleased with Squaretrade when I had my Note 1, as the turnaround was incredibly fast and the repair work was really well done.
Picked up a new warranty for my Note 2 and sadly had to use it rather quickly after getting the phone.
November 27 I filed a claim with Squaretrade for my broken screen. Dumb mistake, set it on my wallet and it eventually hit the kitchen floor. Really didn't seem like much of a drop, but the cracks were there and I figured I might as well file the claim. Now I wish I waited. Had 2 large cracks on the phone and a small chip on the bottom right of the glass.
Everything went off without a hitch, they emailed me the 2nd day UPS label, and off it went. They received it on the 29th with the standard (potentially) "fixed and returned" within 5 days message. It's been 11 days now. I called last week Friday and was told that they were waiting for a digitizer that was to arrive that day and would have my phone out that night. Was pretty happy with that and waited to receive an email with a tracking number. Nothing.
Back on the phone with them today and I'm getting the same story just different ship date. They received the part on Friday, and would hopefully have it repaired and shipped out tonight. It's a cellphone shop and repair depot (Cellular Fantasy in LA, CA), so I'm wondering if they are just backed up with repairs or they don't work weekends? I was also advised that if I want a tracking number I need to call them tonight to ensure it actually went out this time.
So overall I'm probably looking at 13-14 days without my phone. Had I known about the delay, I probably would have waited a month considering the phone actually functioned like normal despite the large cracks.
Anyway, just putting this out there for anyone on the fence about a Squaretrade warranty. I will update with pics of the repaired phone once I finally receive it.
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I had horror stories with SqureTrade and my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab. There was a well known issue with displays on that device with what looked like wet spots (Newton Ring). Sent back my device a total of three times, and always came back with a replacement screen that had the same exact problem. Wrote Squaretrade corporate of the issue, and they never replied. I am not sure that I will use or recommend SquareTrade again.
I never considered using them for a cell phone, as the turnaround times with no cell phone are not acceptable for me.
Milkman00 said:
I had horror stories with SqureTrade and my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab. There was a well known issue with displays on that device with what looked like wet spots (Newton Ring). Sent back my device a total of three times, and always came back with a replacement screen that had the same exact problem. Wrote Squaretrade corporate of the issue, and they never replied. I am not sure that I will use or recommend SquareTrade again.
I never considered using them for a cell phone, as the turnaround times with no cell phone are not acceptable for me.
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Well, when I did my Note 1 claim, there was an option for waiting for a replacement to be sent and mail back the old phone (though I opted for repair which was quick). Was really hoping this was going to be the case this time, but I understood because this was a new phone that it was going to need servicing rather than replacement. The turn around is pretty unworkable for me with my job and will make me think twice next time. I'm just hoping they do a good job as this wait has been maddening.
For your situation, did you try leaving a review on Reseller Ratings? They seem to respond to complaints there. http://www.resellerratings.com/store/SquareTrade/sort/likes
sodomanaz said:
For your situation, did you try leaving a review on Reseller Ratings? They seem to respond to complaints there. http://www.resellerratings.com/store/SquareTrade/sort/likes
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I would have thought writing corporate would have done it, BUT what the heck, I will give this a shot.
Thanks
Thanks for posting your story, and I'll be interested to hear your updates. I read your original review of Squaretrade, and your story actually motivated me to get coverage of my Note 2. Well, it was also significantly cheaper to insure it through Squaretrade than through AT&T or Best Buy ($90 for 2 years and $100 deductible is reasonable). I know Squaretrade doesn't cover lost or stolen devices, but that's not why I wanted insurance.
When I first bought coverage, the Note 2 wasn't an option on the website yet. I called customer service and was connected to a well-spoken rep within 30 seconds. He was extremely helpful and recorded my device info and confirmed coverage right on the spot and sent a confirmation email. This was far better customer service than I've ever had when dealing with AT&T.
In the end though I hope to never need to use the insurance *fingers crossed*
Couple questions: Now that you're having your Note II repaired, do you need to purchase coverage again, or do you continue to have coverage but would need to pay another $100 deductible if you file another claim in the future? Also, how stingy are they with the name on the purchase receipt? Although I bought my Note 2 with my debit card, the name on the email receipt was the primary account holder on my family's wireless plan (my father, same last name). I wonder if this may be an issue if I ever file a claim.
UCLAKoolman said:
Couple questions: Now that you're having your Note II repaired, do you need to purchase coverage again, or do you continue to have coverage but would need to pay another $100 deductible if you file another claim in the future? Also, how stingy are they with the name on the purchase receipt? Although I bought my Note 2 with my debit card, the name on the email receipt was the primary account holder on my family's wireless plan (my father, same last name). I wonder if this may be an issue if I ever file a claim.
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You still have coverage for a repair, but if they send you a reimbursement check, your warranty is done. As far as I understand, you are covered for up to the cost of the device. So if I'm not mistaken, the cost of repairs is deducted from that price (~$600) and continues to dwindle upon each use. Only problem I can see with that is they determine the pricing and never tell you the costs. So this repair + parts might be $300, so if I really have a bad accident causing the device to die in the future, I might be refunded $300 (really $200 after deductible). And ya, you will have to pay another deductible.
The warranties are easily transferable for the life of the warranty, so I don't think you'll run into any problems with names on receipts and such.
My main reason for going with Squaretrade is just like yours: price. AT&T is $200 or $250 for deductible on top of their $7 a month. That's quite a lot for an item that always drops in value as weeks go by and newer, fancier phones come out.
best buy is $240 for two years ($10/mo)and no deductible. not necessarily $240 either. $240 is only if you have the phone that long. its only $180 if you have it for 18 mos...
UCLAKoolman said:
Thanks for posting your story, and I'll be interested to hear your updates. I read your original review of Squaretrade, and your story actually motivated me to get coverage of my Note 2. Well, it was also significantly cheaper to insure it through Squaretrade than through AT&T or Best Buy ($90 for 2 years and $100 deductible is reasonable). I know Squaretrade doesn't cover lost or stolen devices, but that's not why I wanted insurance.
When I first bought coverage, the Note 2 wasn't an option on the website yet. I called customer service and was connected to a well-spoken rep within 30 seconds. He was extremely helpful and recorded my device info and confirmed coverage right on the spot and sent a confirmation email. This was far better customer service than I've ever had when dealing with AT&T.
In the end though I hope to never need to use the insurance *fingers crossed*
Couple questions: Now that you're having your Note II repaired, do you need to purchase coverage again, or do you continue to have coverage but would need to pay another $100 deductible if you file another claim in the future? Also, how stingy are they with the name on the purchase receipt? Although I bought my Note 2 with my debit card, the name on the email receipt was the primary account holder on my family's wireless plan (my father, same last name). I wonder if this may be an issue if I ever file a claim.
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best buys warranty is $10/month or $170 for 2yrs, does not cover lost or stolen, and No deductible.
If something were to happen within the first 7 months where they wont fix, send refurbished phone, or give you credit towards a new phone. Which has happened to my brother you get the prorated amount back from them. He got back $170 from his Black tie plan and they also let him pick any phone that was the same price of the dell streak ( $600 at that time). So he got new phone and the money he paid for the black tie plan back since you get a discount if you purchase 2yrs upfront. Not bad deal if you ask me and with the note2 it seems to be one of the few phones that will last 2 yrs at least or with how fast these phones are coming out you will be covered through the black tie protection.
It beats AT&T's insurance plan including several other out there right now, besides there is no B&M store to bring your device to when you need warranty service and no one to yell at in person when something isn't right.
It seems that best buy's insurance would be a slightly better deal if you ever need to file a claim. However I would rather only pay $90 for two years and pay the extra $100 if something breaks down the line. Considering I used my last iPhones case less and never had an incident, hopefully the same will go with my Note. $90 for two years peace-of-mind is basically what I bought.
Got my phone back this morning. I called last night for a tracking number and they said I would get an email within an hour with the information. Unfortunately it never came. Went to work this morning a bit annoyed as I didn't get an email, but received a call that I had an overnighted UPS box waiting for me at home.
Looks like new, so I won't bother with pics. They did all sorts of diagnostics and included screenshot proof (3 pages) of each test they ran. Only thing I am curious about is the battery test conclusion. Since the phone was barely in its second week of use, it was graded as Good rather than Excellent. Just curious what they would consider to be excellent since this is pretty damn close to brand new.
Anyway, besides the long wait (due to being a new phone) and lack of communication towards the end, I am pretty happy with the service. Screen protector and case now applied so hopefully I can keep from paying out another deductible.
*edit* Just a fun side story, but I went to AT&T to get a new micro sim set up, and I was asked to browse around as I waited for someone to be available. Was a bit odd since the store was practically empty besides the 9 employees. A plain clothed Samsung rep was at the store and asked if I was buying a Samsung phone as I was looking at the cases. After informing him I was just waiting for a new sim to put in my Note 2 he spent the next 15 minutes showing me all sorts of features of the phone. Must have been bored as I mentioned a few times I already owned one so selling me further on the features wasn't going to do much. Probably wanted to practice his sales pitch.
Back from the dead.
Dropped my phone yesterday while on the treadmill. It fell, got pulled by the aux cable, then fell a full foot from where it detached. I was thinking, "damn, glad I have a screen protector and case on it." Well, the glass is intact, but it's bleeding internally. Screen is getting worse and worse. Another $100 down the drain to squaretrade.
Or so I thought!
I called them and told them I really didn't want to wait as long as I did last time. They told me I had the option of finding a local shop to repair it at no additional deductible. All I have to do is pay for it, fax them the receipt, and I will be reimbursed as long as it doesn't go over $599. Took all day but found a shop that could have the part in by tomorrow and repaired same day for $360. Fingers crossed. Still impressed.
Sounds like you need an Otterbox Defender case.
scitech09 said:
Sounds like you need an Otterbox Defender case.
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Ya, I ordered the Commuter. Don't want to go through this again.
sodomanaz said:
Well, when I did my Note 1 claim, there was an option for waiting for a replacement to be sent and mail back the old phone (though I opted for repair which was quick). Was really hoping this was going to be the case this time, but I understood because this was a new phone that it was going to need servicing rather than replacement. The turn around is pretty unworkable for me with my job and will make me think twice next time. I'm just hoping they do a good job as this wait has been maddening.
For your situation, did you try leaving a review on Reseller Ratings? They seem to respond to complaints there. http://www.resellerratings.com/store/SquareTrade/sort/likes
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sodomanaz. I wanted to let you know that I finally got around to posting on resellerratings, and THAT seemed to get their attention. They seem to be wanting to resolve my problem now.
Thanks for the advice.
Milkman00 said:
sodomanaz. I wanted to let you know that I finally got around to posting on resellerratings, and THAT seemed to get their attention. They seem to be wanting to resolve my problem now.
Thanks for the advice.
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That's awesome.
For me I just got my phone back today from a local shop. He fried the first screen and had to order another so I had to wait another few days. Shop has sworn never to touch another note 2 though haha. Works flawlessly now and with the commuter, though huge, feels secure like it did when I had one on my note 1.
Anyway submitting my receipt today for reimbursement. Fingers crossed it goes smooth. Gotta say that this warranty has paid for itself multiple times and the lack of deductible on this fix was over the top.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
I am just extremely frustrated with Best Buy for this Note 4 preorder business. I placed my preoder on 10/9. They said when it is here and ready to pick up, we will send you an email. I have not received an email yet, but it has almost been a full week since preorders have been out. (This is specifically in regards to NYC). It baffles me they are not receiving any Sprint Note 4's (regardless if you ordered the black or white version), but they have all the other carriers (with the exception of Verizon). I've been calling Best Buy on the daily to get an understanding as to why the phone has not arrived yet. Everyday is a different answer. I've had one rep tell me it's Samsung's fault because they haven't shipped them out to us. Another rep told me that they do have some coming in but their delivery days into the store are Wed and Fri. Another rep told me we will get them when we get them and just look out for our email.
What is the point of preordering a phone when it doesn't come in and it is already released to the rest of the market? And how do you not give a customer a valid reason as to why the phone is not yet in your store but rather say oh this is a city wide issue? Shouldn't you try to find out as to what is going with the shipment seeing how this is a FLAGSHIP PHONE for Samsung and why is it only the SPRINT version with no delivery? The sad thing is that I used to work for Best Buy about a decade ago, and the service that we gave was better.
Anyone else running into this issue with Best Buy?
Yep. Same issue here with my wife's white sprint phone. I even preordered both the same day as you, the 9th, but I got my black one release day, hers, I get the same exact run around you are getting. It really sucks.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
I preordered mine the day preorders opened up and got an email may Thursday night that my phone had arrived and I could pick it up
I placed my pre-order on 09/26/2014 with the ship to home option to avoid the short shipped supplies to the stores. It finally came on Wednesday and I activated it after work. When I went into the store for my price match (I was billed at $349.99 but they dropped it to $299.99), the store manager told me he can't do anything for me because it was an online order. When I asked for my $200 pre-order/rebate via Samsung, he told me that the promotion was changed and it had to be the phone that was on the line that got the upgrade. I told him that when I placed my pre-order, that was not the case and I expect the promotion listed at the time of my pre-order honored. He again told me that he couldn't do anything for me. After several attempts at calling 888-best-buy and remaining on hold for 15+ minutes each time, I just sent an email off to customer service. It's ridiculous how they really screwed the pooch on this whole pre-order process and now are trying to cheat me out of $250! Definitely the last time I pre-order anything from WORSTbuy, maybe last purchase period....
Pre-ordered mine on 10/15, called BestBuy about 30-35 times (from 17 to 22) and as result they change my "expedite" shipping to "express" shipping. Enough for me to receive phone on evening of 22nd.
Every time I called them I heard same crap "tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow" and on 21st I was told that my delivery will be on 20th??? Yes, day before which already passed. WOW, what a service, they deliver into "past time". I exploded and got mine on 22nd as mentioned earlier.
I believe this might be my last pre-order with best buy ever...
i preordered mine the week preorders came available. when i checked on my preorder i found out i don't really have a preorder and have to wait to see if any extra's show up. I have given up calling as that is useless. Im just gonna sit back and wait to see if i can get one if not i guess i just won't upgrade to a new phone. Lesson learned i will never preorder from best buy again i don't care if they give me a million dollars off my upgrade it just isn't worth it.
I'm so fed up with this crap. I suggest contacting your favorite android news sites and imploring them to give this issue more coverage. Maybe then the higher-ups at these multibillion dollar corporations will finally have something to say about why those who preordered still don't have their devices, or even a rough ETA.
I'm in the same boat, as the rest of you.
I've called the store, and the customer service line, every day. It is definitely Best Buys fault. They try to put the blame on Sprint, but I know several people on AT&T, with the same problem. In the AT&T forums, Best Buy, told them them it was AT&Ts fault.
So, as I said a couple of days ago, either AT&T and Sprint, are working together, to sell less phones, and get less people locked into two year contracts, or Best Buy is responsible for this mess.
LMMT said:
So, as I said a couple of days ago, either AT&T and Sprint, are working together, to sell less phones, and get less people locked into two year contracts, or Best Buy is responsible for this mess.
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Why would Sprint not want me to renew my contract? Even if they do away with unlimited data they can still affect that change regardless of my contract renewal, so I'm confused why you're saying that.
ffolkes said:
Why would Sprint not want me to renew my contract? Even if they do away with unlimited data they can still affect that change regardless of my contract renewal, so I'm confused why you're saying that.
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I'm agreeing with you. I'm just giving two possible scenarios. One ridiculous possibility, where Sprint and AT&T, are working together, in a conspiracy to sell less phones, and less two year contracts. The other (real) scenario is, it's ALL BBs fault. (BB blames Sprint, when talking to Sprint customers, and AT&T, when talking to AT&T customers). They refuse to acknowledge their incompetence.
I'm in the same boat. And this will DEFINITELY be the last thing. I ever purchase from best buy.
I think they don't want to honor the 200 credit on ****ty phones. The credit is suppose to end Next saturday.
Lets see what happens then. If they extend it or just let it expire then. If the shortage is so bad. Why do other stores
have plenty of stock? It Bestbuy is just screwing us.
Had no problem here with a black Note 4 preorder. They even held it 2 extra days for me while I was at the BABBQ. Not only that but they let me trade in 2 old phones and gave me $200 each, which paid for the 2 years insurance too!!!
Bestbuy screwed up on this one definitely. I ordered my Note 4 on 10-16 and it started off rough. Found out the associate did not update my email address and told me my phone would be available the 17th. I had to gain access to the account called the store and the customer service line friday sat and sun to run around, i dont knows and our next shipments. Finally i got fed up and sent a letter to a corporate member of Bestbuy with my experience and telling them I more than likely would not be buying another phone from them. Its one thing to tell customers hey your phone won't be available until next week up front. Cool i know how it works and backordering can suck. But to tell people paying their money that you just have to wait, we dont know and be patient is unacceptable. Explained the customers are there first priority and are the reason they are successful and deserve communication regardless. Basically, the end story is i'll be getting a gift card in the mail. I also got a call promptly the next morning that my phone was available. Smh.
See i thought this was just me, same issue of pre-ordering on 10/9 except the employee was new and didnt even do the preorder it correctly for me, just charged me for a $50 gift card, found out when i went 10/17 to get phone, have called every day since and nothing now i was reading the $200 trade in is only valid till 11/1?
wineguy said:
I placed my pre-order on 09/26/2014 with the ship to home option to avoid the short shipped supplies to the stores. It finally came on Wednesday and I activated it after work. When I went into the store for my price match (I was billed at $349.99 but they dropped it to $299.99), the store manager told me he can't do anything for me because it was an online order. When I asked for my $200 pre-order/rebate via Samsung, he told me that the promotion was changed and it had to be the phone that was on the line that got the upgrade. Definitely the last time I pre-order anything from WORSTbuy, maybe last purchase period....
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Samsung promotion had nothing to do with Bestbuy preorder.
Update - So I got an email yesterday morning that my phone was ready to pick-up. You basically have a 24 hour WINDOW to pick up your phone after they email you. How does one set a capped window period to pick up a new phone when the preorders are LATE to begin with? I mean we are waiting and waiting but we could not even be in town when this email comes. I think there is something wrong with that whole system. Anyways, I was lucky that I had a Best Buy Mobile Manager taking care of me. They did honor the $200 credit (after I had to remind him). Purchase Price = $126 (after $200 trade-in) plus some change. The phone itself is a beast (everything from the screen to the materials is awesome). In terms of accessories, I would suggest you guys buy all your **** before and have it ready because Best Buy does not really have many accessories in store. Also, there were issues with activation while in store. The manager called Sprint and they had said that their provisioning services were down nationwide so I had no service for about 4-6 hours. All in all, don't preorder from Best Buy unless you want the hassle. LESSON LEARNED
A while back, just after the Samsung promotion was announced, I fired off an email to Samsung asking them to do something better with an offer at Best Buy. An instant trade in credit on any working smart phone and $50 upgrade bonus on top of that should satisfy most US buyers and leave a lot of others not so fortunate, envious. Had the phones been broadly and readily available and Best Buy chains fully aware of the policies, this would have been a hit that many would have been happy with and look to replicate with repeated patronage. My local BB got it right with some pre-launch dialogue and not so good broad communication on the terms of any working smart phone looked up as $0/recycle. The word was put out to other mobile assistants while I was there, the third person in line. They seemed to have stock and were even trying to get customers the color they preferred. Mileage varies; sorry not everyone got the same or better experience. But to me this was a win and would pre-order there again. I don't think it was all Best Buy's fault. Ample and broad stock may have made this much better of an experience for most. Add it's good to hear that Best Buy is honoring the terms for those in-store pre-orders that were late. Some stores also made exception before hand on terms to satisfy those made online to home delivery because the pre-orders were longer being taken. Cheers and congrats to all who got the terms right. Regards to those that didn't or weren't eligible.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Pretty sure this whole thing is due to best buy overselling the 200 trade in credit. It runs until 11/1. Guaranteed on 11/2, note 4 's will be available for people walking in. Every sprint store in the area has them readily available. This is not just sprint either, best buy has no stock for any carrier and still has not full filled their preorders. At least within 100 mile radius of costa mesa ca. Bummer it was a good deal. Also if your pre order comes in after 11/1 supposedly the 200 trade in deal is out the window, said my local store.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Free mobile app
That's my thought. That's why I picked it up at the sprint store.
urbanlink said:
Also if your pre order comes in after 11/1 supposedly the 200 trade in deal is out the window, said my local store.
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Best Buy's semi-official stance is that they will be honoring trade in's for all preorders, as mentioned here.
While I don't hesitate to think poorly of Best Buy, this was a multi-million dollar ad campaign - my local stores were slathered in banners, signs, stands, displays, etc touting the $200 trade in FOR PREORDERS ONLY, not to mention the press spreading word (blogs, etc). I can't see how Best Buy could just renege on the the core and only aspect of their advertising, especially after money has already changed hands. Now on the other hand, I think anyone wanting to buy within the extended offer period (non-preorder) will be out of luck, as incoming stock is going to preorders instead and by the time that equalizes the promotion will be over.
I recently had warranty service on my Note 4 through AT&T. The process turned out to be considerably more difficult - and potentially financially risky - than I expected. There are a lot of things that I know now, that I wish I had known at the beginning of the process. Therefore, I'm writing this summary to help prepare other AT&T customers who need service for their Samsung (and probably other) products.
If you don't care about the back story, just scan for the bolded TAKEAWAY lines below, or skip to the SUMMARY section at the end.
THE ISSUE
I bought a new (not refurbished) Note 4 a few months ago. From the moment I got it home, away from the blazing fluorescent lights and full screen brightness in the AT&T store, I noticed the dreaded pink tinted screen issue. The effect was minor at first, but grew in intensity over the subsequent weeks. It was bad enough within just a couple of days that I couldn't see the right-most digit of my alarm clock app at all when I had the brightness turned way down for nighttime (this would be at the top of the screen, they way it sits horizontally on my stand).
Having had a similar, but more severe, screen issue that rendered my Galaxy S4 unusable, I was particularly sensitive to screen quality and resolved to get this fixed.
MY OPTIONS
I had two primary options for fixing the problem (probably in addition to purchase protection on my business credit card):
1. Samsung warranty: Covers manufacturer defects for one year
2. AT&T insurance policy (well, 3rd party policy that AT&T sells): Covers virtually any kind of defect, damage, or loss, after paying the deductible
I decided to pursue Option 1, for two reasons. Firstly, the problem was clearly (to me, at least) a manufacturing defect. Secondly, the insurance policy had a $200 deductible. So, I stopped by the AT&T store in my local mall to get the phone fixed under warranty. No problem, right? I mean, my parents have had like a half-dozen iPhones fixed or replaced at the Apple store in their mall just by walking in off the street...
AT&T'S PROCESS
I learned my first lesson in the threshold of the door to the AT&T store:
TAKEAWAY 1: AT&T RETAIL STORES DON'T PROVIDE WARRANTY SERVICE FOR THE DEVICES THEY SELL
Huh? Given the aforementioned problem with my S4, I was shrewd enough to ask about the warranty before buying the Note 4. The AT&T person told me that it had a 1-year, manufacturer warranty. This was entirely correct. My mistake was interpreting this to mean that I could go back to the store where I had just bought the phone a few weeks prior and have it fixed under warranty. That's not the case. Instead, the person at the store handed me a business card with the toll-free number for AT&T Wireless support.
I went back home and called the number on the card. The person who helped me was prompt and professional. She logged the details of my issue, and explained the next steps to me as follows:
AT&T sends a new phone body
I swap my battery, SIM card, S Pen, and back cover to the new phone
I repackage my old phone body in the same box and mail it back to AT&T, postage pre-paid
So far, so good. But...
An AT&T person receives and evaluates the old phone
If the problem is deemed to be a manufacturer defect, the process ends for me here, and AT&T ships the broken unit back to Samsung
If the problem is deemed to be caused by physical damage, AT&T ships the old phone back to me, charges me the full retail price of the replacement phone, and I keep both phones!
Say what?! I asked what would happen in the unlikely case that the phone left my hands undamaged, but was damaged during shipping. She confirmed that AT&T would send the broken phone back to me and that I'd be stuck with both the old and new phones - and would have to pay for the new phone.
Dumbfounded, I asked for a way to mitigate the risk of my getting stuck with two phones. She recommended that I go back to my local store and have an AT&T employee inspect the phone, and add notes to my account stating that the phone is not physically damaged. Then, if it arrived damaged at the warranty center, they'd know that it had to have been damaged in shipping. She said that she'd leave my case open in her computer system, and that the next person I spoke with could complete the process after I returned from the store.
That sounded reasonable (enough). So, I went back to the retail store, an AT&T person looked at the phone, concluded that it was not physically damaged, and annotated my account accordingly.
I returned home, called the toll-free number again, and picked up where I left off. The person I spoke with this time reiterated the process to me, and confirmed that if the old phone arrived damaged, AT&T would send it back to me and I'd be stuck with it, stuck with the new phone, and charged for the new phone. "Except in this case", I added, "because the notes in my account said that the phone isn't damaged, right?"
Wrong.
If the old phone arrives damaged, I own both phones. "Why did I just go to the [email protected]#$ing store then?" He said that I shouldn't have, and that the previous customer service rep shouldn't have told me to do so. He said that I might damage the phone after leaving the store, before I ship it back to them, and therefore that the notes in my account meant nothing. He's right, of course.
After a spirited discussion, he made another good point - the warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T. AT&T provides warranty service as a "courtesy" to its customers. For phones with defects, AT&T can send them back to Samsung and get reimbursed. For physical damage, though, Samsung won't accept the phone under warranty. Therefore, AT&T needs some way to guard against getting stuck with a broken phone. Before proceeding, let's pause for another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 2: AT&T DOES NOT WARRANTY SAMSUNG PHONES, SAMSUNG WARRANTIES SAMSUNG PHONES
This makes perfect sense, and I definitely see the problem from AT&T's point of view. Still, the original unresolved issue persists. So, I asked the guy what I could do to protect myself against the possibility of the old phone getting damaged in shipping. He offered that perhaps the manager at my local AT&T retail store could pack and ship the old phone for me. I agreed to that, and asked what would happen if it arrived broken due to shipping damage. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
Flabbergasted, I stated that I was willing to assume the risk of damage during shipping, and changed topics.
Next I asked what would happen if the phone arrived at the AT&T service center intact, but that the person assessing the problem concluded that the pink screen problem was due to damage, rather than a manufacturing defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
I asked how to determine, definitively, whether the issue was manufacturing-related or damage-related, prior to sending the phone back to the AT&T service center and starting the inexorable process that may lead to me getting stuck with two phones. After all, the person in the retail store who annotated my account said that it was a manufacturing defect? He said that AT&T retail employees are not qualified to distinguish between manufacturer defects and physical damage. Another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 3: AT&T RETAIL STORE EMPLOYEES ARE NOT QUALIFIED/TRAINED/AUTHORIZED TO ASSESS WARRANTY-RELATED ISSUES
(Makes all you AT&T store employees out there feel valued by your employer, eh?)
Fortunately, the guy on the phone was trained to make these types of assessments. Based on our call so far - and never having seen my phone in person - he says that the pink screen was most likely due to physical damage. With steam coming out of my ears, I told him that I wasn't even going to debate whether the issue with the handset was a defect or damage, but rather would stick to trying to understand the Kafkaesque service process.
Specifically, I said that the previous phone rep who I spoke to said that she thought the issue was due to a defect. So, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, the dilemma is that two different AT&T people made two different assessments about the root cause of my phone's problem. In one case, I could get it fixed for free. In another case, I end up spending over $1,500 for two phones, one of which is broken.
Naturally, I asked what my recourse was if the AT&T warranty center person determined that the issue was due to physical damage, but that I still thought it was a defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before. I asked if there was an appeals process. No, there isn't. Next takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 4: IF AT&T SENDS YOU A NEW PHONE UNDER WARRANTY AND YOU SEND THE OLD ONE BACK TO THEM, THE PROCESS WILL RESULT IN ONE OF TWO OUTCOMES, AT AT&T'S SOLE DISCRETION:
A) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE TO BE A DEFECT, AND YOU KEEP THE REPLACEMENT PHONE FOR FREE
B) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE IS DUE TO DAMAGE, THEY SEND YOU YOUR OLD PHONE BACK, CHARGE YOU FOR THE NEW PHONE, AND YOU KEEP BOTH.
Period. End of story. No appeal. No recourse. Just roll the dice and pray that the AT&T warranty person who you've never met and never get to talk to ends up looking at the phone and coming to the same conclusion as you.
Unconvinced that a company as big and mature as AT&T didn't have some reasonable solution, I inquired, yet again, about options. There were two remaining:
1. Send the phone to Samsung for warranty service by mail
2. Take the phone to an AT&T Device Support Center for in-person service
The first option would leave me without a phone for a week or two. But, Samsung wouldn't stick me with an extra phone the way AT&T would.
TAKEAWAY 5: YOU CAN SEND YOUR PHONE DIRECTLY TO SAMSUNG FOR WARRANTY SERVICE, WITHOUT INVOLVING AT&T IN THE PROCESS
I don't know how easy or hard it is do work with Samsung, or what their process is if you think there's a defect and they think there's damage, etc... I'll leave that for someone else to explain.
But, this second option sounds good - an AT&T Device Service Center. As it turns out, this is what I was looking for all along! It's a real building, with real AT&T employees, who are qualified to assess warranty issues, and able to repair/replace defective phones. Perfect! The closest one to me is 225 miles away (which took the phone rep 10 minutes to find, because their system is only set up to offer this option if the Center is within 50 miles), but I GLADLY drove down there to get my phone fixed. The person there looked at my phone, immediately judged the issue to be a defect that was covered by warranty, and in 2 minutes had me set up on another Note 4 with a spectacular screen. So:
TAKEAWAY 6: YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PHONE TO AN AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTER FOR IN-PERSON WARRANTY SERVICE
TAKEAWAY 7: THERE ARE VERY FEW AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTERS, SO YOU MAY NEED TO TRAVEL A LONG DISTANCE TO GET TO ONE
SUMMARY
To summarize the preceding dissertation, AT&T customers with Samsung (and possibly other) phones who need warranty service should know:
The phone's warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T
AT&T provides in-person warranty service, on behalf of Samsung, through Device Service Centers only, not through retail stores
AT&T Device Service Centers are few and far between, so be prepared to travel
Warranty service by mail through AT&T is not a viable option, because you can get stuck paying for two phones, at AT&T's sole discretion, and have no recourse
Oh, and two more:
The pink screen issue is for real - and really obvious when it happens; folks who are adamant that it's imaginary, that we're looking at our screens crookedly, or that we're otherwise obsessing over something minor are just lucky enough to have units with good screens
A good Note 4 screen is AMAZINGLY good - if you have the pink screen issue, go through the hassle to get it replaced; you won't regret it
Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store. And a one year manufactures warranty is just that, the manufacturer is responsible for the warranty, so you can go through samsung or you can go through att except for Apple products, anything past the 4s is handled by Apple exclusively. With that being said as long as you don't send a device with signs of phisical or water damage you won't be charged for warranty by either company. The nice thing if you're close to a service center is you can get a new phone same day, regardless of which way you go, att or sammy, if you mail it out expect to wait for a phone. Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults. The only phones att takes responsibility for are the unbranded att phones we sell l, but again that's not in store, unless it's a service center, otherwise there is too much overhead to hold that much inventory reserved for warranty issues.
Here is a link where you can find device service centers for AT&T, its near lower down on the page and will list places by state http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB91429
It will download a pdf with the locations
thanitos said:
Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store.
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QUESTION: Is this second store considered a "Device Service Center", or is it just a regular, retail AT&T storefront?
According to 1) the guy at my retail store 2) the first customer service phone rep and 3) the second customer service phone rep, only the Device Service Centers are able to do warranty service. Perhaps some are co-located with retail stores, but they were pretty clear to me that retail stores, per se, couldn't service warranty issues.
thanitos said:
Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults.
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Understood. But, when I buy a drill from Home Depot, they don't send me to Hitachi for service when it breaks. They don't make me drive three states away to an authorized Home Depot service center to have it fixed. I go to the store where I bought it, with my receipt, and they fix or replace it. Same with my tablet from Best Buy, auto recall at the car dealer, rotten fruit from the grocery store, everything I buy from Amazon, even stuff from eBay where I haven't reached an amicable settlement with the seller. They all honor the manufacturers' warranties in-house, or provide equivalent service for the products they sell in the infrequent cases that they prove to be defective.
My concern with AT&T is that they don't have my back - especially as a small business owner. I buy a new phone - the most expensive phone that they had in the store, mind you - and as soon as they swipe my card, that store is out of the picture. Subsequently, I have to follow this Rube Goldberg process to fix the problem if something goes wrong 5 minutes later.
I re-read the insurance policy during this whole process, as well, and I have the same concerns there. I haven't been through the insurance claim process, so I can't say first-hand whether it's easy or hard. But, the language definitely doesn't give me the impression that I can just walk into the store where I bought the phone, pay my deductible, and walk out with a new one. Maybe I'm wrong; if you know how the insurance claim process works, I'd be interested in hearing about your first-hand experiences as an AT&T employee.
To conclude, don't take my preceding comments the wrong way. I'm not some hater; on the contrary, I've been an outspoken advocate of AT&T because they've treated me so well. I've had generally excellent experiences with AT&T over the years and, consequently, I've recommended AT&T to many, many friends, family, and colleagues. Based on this experience, though, I'm looking at switching carriers - certainly when my current AT&T NEXT term is up, and possibly before (U.S. Cellular has a deal right now where they'll pay off my existing contract. I had them previously and loved them as a carrier). Having a cool new phone and lots of LTE coverage is great, but what's most important to me is the security of knowing that when something goes wrong, it'll get fixed promptly. That wasn't the case this time, and I don't have confidence that AT&T will be there for me the next time.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback. Have a good day.
If you need to file a claim for insurance, it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.
I've done lots of warranty exchanges by mail with att over the last 13 years and I've never had an issue.
Honestly, I have AT&T and have had my a Note 4 replaced 2 times already. One due to charging just stopping at 35% and the other was a combo of the pink tinted screen and dead pixel in the top left. I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing. I went out and picked up a cheap ass Go Phone and activated that while Samsung had my devices. They even offer over night shipping if you want to pay for it. AT&T is just a horrible provider and I've only stuck with them since they were Cingular because they ALWAYS got the top brand phones. Now it seems T-Mobile and Sprint are getting the top brand phones more and more now so after this contract its time to say goodbye.
TL;DL
Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.
DamageSource said:
I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing...Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.
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I'm glad to hear that Samsung is this good about supporting their hardware. They're definitely not interested in hearing what customers have to say about their software (I have a thread on that topic somewhere around here). If this new Note 4 needs warranty service, I'll definitely call Samsung, in addition to AT&T, to see who has the better support option at that point in time. Honestly, I didn't even really consider calling Samsung for support this time around, because the phone was so new and I just assumed that AT&T would support the products that they sold in their stores.
From looking at the Samsung support site, they only have seven service centers in the whole U.S. I thought AT&T Device Support Centers were sparse, but I'd have to get on a plane to get to a Samsung one. All else being equal, I'd prefer to have in-person service for my devices. Especially for something like the pink screen issue - which drove me crazy, but that my wife could care less about - I think it's important to be able to demonstrate the problem to the service person face-to-face and explain how/why it impacts me. To that end:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
I'm asking about service per the manufacturer warranty, not the type of paid extended warranty that Best Buy typically offers on their electronics (though the latter might be an alternative to the AT&T insurance). I'd actually stopped by the local BB to shop for the Note 4, but they said that they couldn't add it to my AT&T business account (despite my having called BB customer service first and confirming that my local store did service AT&T business accounts. Sigh...). Back to the point, I'd be interested in buying from a real store, with real product in-stock, who is willing to provide warranty service right from the retail location.
Anyway, I'm going to be upgrading another phone on this account soon, and I'm open to recommendations about where to buy the hardware (even if it means switching carriers). It probably won't be another Samsung, given the quality control issues I've had with both of my Galaxy products. But it might be. I'm open to alternatives. Thanks for your feedback.
mcmannion said:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
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My brother only buys from Best Buy and he says that they replace the unit in store right there if it's in stock and if not you can go to an alternative location and pick it up if it's close by for you.
it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.
I can tell you from experience that Costco does replace phones. It is a 3rd party company that runs the phone kiosks in Costco warehouses and Costco themselves paid for a phone exchange for me because when I exchanged my S3 it was not on sale at the price it was on a Black Friday when I purchased it.
I have had AT&T phones for over 10 years & have exchanged defective units by phone/mail through AT&T too & never had a problem. AT&T normally sends a refurb rather than a new unit but as long as it works I'm satisfied.
A sad day for all in the N7 family. Just received a text from Sprint:
Sprint: Samsung's Note7 disabling update is underway. Software updates & notices will remain active indefinitely for all Note7 devices. Return or exchange the recalled Note7 by Friday 1/20. Waived fee & Samsung credit OFFER EXPIRE JAN 20. Make an appointment! http://sprint.us/pEhZg
At this point, I guess it makes sense to turn it in if you have another phone to fall back on. 6 months of a free phone is cool in my book. Moving back to my Galaxy S5 until something better comes along.
Its kind of cool in a way with Verizon call forward all calls except 911 from note 7 to customer service.
http://fortune.com/2017/01/17/samsung-galaxy-note-7-verizon/
Verizon may bill holdouts for the remaining price of the phone... Not cool at all.
How did u have a free phone for 6 months? I'm on Sprint and they still charge me monthly
Sent from my SM-N930P using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I would think if you keep the phone, you pay full price. This seems normal to me. One of the reasons I returned mine was because I wasn't going to be paying for a potentially dangerous phone with bad reputation.
BubZX said:
How did u have a free phone for 6 months? I'm on Sprint and they still charge me monthly
Sent from my SM-N930P using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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I'm about to find out tomorrow, but from what I read, Sprint must issue a full refund, + $100 if I switch to a Samsung phone, or +$25 if I switch to a non-Samsung phone. This would include refunding what you paid into the phone already. Hence 6 months of a free phone, assuming they refund the 6 months I already paid.
emike09 said:
A sad day for all in the N7 family. Just received a text from Sprint:
Sprint: Samsung's Note7 disabling update is underway. Software updates & notices will remain active indefinitely for all Note7 devices. Return or exchange the recalled Note7 by Friday 1/20. Waived fee & Samsung credit OFFER EXPIRE JAN 20. Make an appointment! http://sprint.us/pEhZg
At this point, I guess it makes sense to turn it in if you have another phone to fall back on. 6 months of a free phone is cool in my book. Moving back to my Galaxy S5 until something better comes along.
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Good luck Sprint with that "OFFER EXPIRE" crap. You cannot legally sell someone something, maliciously and deliberately break it and then refuse to give them their money back. Doing so would be illegal in all western territories.
Well I didn't get $100 for switching back to my S5, according to Best Buy, the incentive only applies when buying a new phone. Took two hours for BB employees to finish the return due to complications and misunderstandings related to the first recall. Verified that the lease installments I'd paid on the phone were refunded with Sprint as well. Now to wait for the S8 series to see if I want to go that route vs the LG V20 or another flagship device.
I purchased my note 7 thru a 3rd party sprint store back in august, returned it in Dec and im still waiting on SPRINT to return my money, its been at a warehouse since Dec 22nd and they said 15 days for a refun, well its almost a month and still no refund or credit to my account. Good luck with the returns
urirx98 said:
I purchased my note 7 thru a 3rd party sprint store back in august, returned it in Dec and im still waiting on SPRINT to return my money, its been at a warehouse since Dec 22nd and they said 15 days for a refun, well its almost a month and still no refund or credit to my account. Good luck with the returns
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... which is one of my biggest concerns.
My main concerns however are,
1. There isn't another phone on the market that I actually like enough to want to swap to, and
2. (This is my biggest worry), I have zero confidence in the returns process here in the UK and that they will not **** it up and I will lose my number, which I have had for 17 years. I've been told so many different stories by people at Samsung and Carphone warehouse about what the correct procedure is, I am very worried they will get it wrong. Some say I need a PAC code before I bring the phone in and should port my number out before I do the return. Some have said no I must not do that, I must cancel in store. Some have said I don't need a PAC code if I am staying with Vodafone, others have said if I want to stay with Vodafone, I need to port out to another provider and then port back in again! It's a total mess and I am NOT risking losing my number due to a balls up by the people doing it.
Thankfully I have a friend at Sprint that has been helping me with the case, he actually called and pushed them along and TODAY over 1 month after my phone arrived at the warehouse ( who knows where this warehouse is) I got email from sprint that the 424 i paid in full ( 2 year agreement ) is going back to my credit card within the next 5 days. teh sprint website is having errors today and i will update this thread when money goes back on card.
Chippy_boy said:
... which is one of my biggest concerns.
My main concerns however are,
1. There isn't another phone on the market that I actually like enough to want to swap to, and
2. (This is my biggest worry), I have zero confidence in the returns process here in the UK and that they will not **** it up and I will lose my number, which I have had for 17 years. I've been told so many different stories by people at Samsung and Carphone warehouse about what the correct procedure is, I am very worried they will get it wrong. Some say I need a PAC code before I bring the phone in and should port my number out before I do the return. Some have said no I must not do that, I must cancel in store. Some have said I don't need a PAC code if I am staying with Vodafone, others have said if I want to stay with Vodafone, I need to port out to another provider and then port back in again! It's a total mess and I am NOT risking losing my number due to a balls up by the people doing it.
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Anyone remember part of the pre-order offer where one of the things we got was a once a year free screen replacement? I distinctly remember this being part of the pre-order offer, yet I am having a hard time finding this info online. I AM finding info that there was going to be such an offer - this was in the various media articles telling us what the pre-order offers would be. But I can't find anywhere where someone has actually used this service which was supposed to be there if you preordered either the S8 or S8+ (I actually got both).
Yes, I dropped my phone and for the first time in about 4 years I have a device with a broken screen. It hit on the bottom of the curved edge on the right side - the absolute worst place to hit, on the curved edge. I had it in a pretty stout case, full wrap around flip cover case that covered the entire display, front back and sides. Still wasn't enough and the fall was about 3'....
Anyway, I contacted Samsung and they seem to acknowledge that there was such an offering, but that it was through Verizon and I needed to contact them. I contacted Verizon, and they also seemed to acknowledge that there was such a pre-order offer, but that I needed to go into a Verizon location to get it taken care of. I emailed copies of both chat sessions to myself just in case.
I feel that in the Verizon chat session the person was trying fairly hard not to come right out and say my phone would be covered for such a replacement (I realize they would probably just send a refurb instead of fix my S8+) phone. I do have assurian through VZ, but the deductible of $150 bites. So if anyone else can chime in that has used this once a year free display replacement and/or give further info/evidence that I can bring in to VZ when I visit them today that would be a GREAT help!
TIA!
I don't remember anything specific to screen replacement for the S8 preorder, although I believe you got one free month of Samsung premium care, which is pretty much insurance through samsung with a deductible and all (I believe the actual servicer of it is also Asurant). It is also possible that you are mixing Samsung up with other phones, as I believe HTC had the program you are mentioning.
Either way let us know how it goes.
Thanks for the reply!
I am not mixing this up for offers on other phones. First of all, I have not looked into pre ordering any other phones, ever, except for the Note 7 and the S8+. I did talk to a VZ rep on the phone in person before pre-ordering, and they told me about that added benefit of the once a year display replacement with the pre-order offer and gave me a web link where I then also saw the offer (that pre-order web link is long gone, I have looked for it). It was actually this part of the pre-order offer that made me pull the trigger - getting a free display replacement once a year. I am simply trying to have my ducks in a row before I go in to a VZ store to get this handled as they will likely try to make me use my insurance (which is ridiculously overpriced) and the $150 deductible to boot. And yes, I am aware of the one month free of samsung premium care, this was a different coverage than samsung premium care.
I will update how this goes once I go in to a VZ store. Was going to go today but don't have all the info in hand that I want to have when I go in.
Thanks again for your reply!
Update - neither VZ nor Samsung would honor the pre order offer. Samsung DID acknowledge that it was part of the pre order offer but said the carrier has to honor it, not Samsung. Seems wrong, but I am tired of haggling over it. So I did the Asurion warranty replacement routine - but of course the S8+ is out of stock.... good thing my phone still works!
On a side note, I went ahead and pre ordered the Note 8. Since I was a Note 7 owner (still am actually) I took advantage of the $425 discount off the total for the Note 8. I got the 256gb micro SD and wireless charging dock bundle as my pre order gift. So the Note 8 will cost me $535 on a 24 month zero interest payment plan. I also signed up for Samsung premium care. It is a couple dollars more a month than Asurion, but overall I feel it is a better insurance coverage. The first two months are free with the pre order also.