It's time for Samsung to step up its support game
We need more brick-and-mortar Galaxy Stores.
Samsung recently announced a new partnership with Assurant that will bring 300 new places to have your Galaxy product repaired. That's good news, and any move toward more and better customer service after the sale is great to see. But Samsung can do so much better.
Nine months of every year, Samsung is the largest electronics retailer in the world; second-place Apple can only best its numbers the month after a new iPhone is announced. Samsung is the world's biggest consumer electronics manufacturer. There is no reason it shouldn't offer the best customer service, too.
There is an easy-to-follow formula here; if you guessed the Apple Store, you're right. You might not want to read this, but Samsung could build just a few models of Galaxy phones and sell support contracts that include friendly, helpful people employed by the company in a Galaxy store who are trained to fix any issue. If you have trouble with your Galaxy phone, watch, tablet, laptop, or earbuds, bring them to the nearest one and get them fixed or replaced while waiting. This works in the West, and we know it works because we can see it.
Samsung could continue to offer its full portfolio of products without the Galaxy branding for people who aren't looking to spend $1,000 or more instead of considering a new "luxury" brand name like it is rumored to be doing. This would let the Galaxy name mean more, not less.
Many people think Samsung builds some of the finest consumer electronics available. I'm one of them. The materials, build quality, fit and finish, and overall package of a Samsung phone or tablet are second to none. The company is taking the time and resources to improve its software offerings and has turned itself around from being a laughing stock just a few years ago to building something people love. The next logical move is to treat its customers to the same A+ level of support, and one way to do that is by opening more physical stores customers could just walk into when they need help.
Samsung has some flagship stores in a few cities in the United States, but my guess is that many of you probably haven't seen a Samsung store or would know where to find one.
I think it would be a good move and a lucrative one at that. I'll be blunt — "poor" people don't buy Galaxy S Ultras or Galaxy Z Folds. Poor people aren't buying iPhone 16 Pro Max phones, either. You don't have to be rich to afford Samsung's latest and greatest, but you are going to have a certain level of disposable income. If you're reading this, you probably fall into this category.
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With so much invested into a product, paying $10 a month or $100 a year for top-tier support isn't a bad idea. People are paying it now, only to be left to deal with over-the-phone support or third-party stores where walking out with a solution an hour later isn't a guarantee. If this idea didn't make money, Apple wouldn't be doing it. Apple doesn't operate any area of its business at a loss.
You may not be willing to pay for this "privilege," but I'll bet plenty of people would. A Galaxy Store in all the places where you would find an Apple store would make perfect sense, and not just big flagship stores in a few big cities across the country. Even smaller stores in malls where there's a good amount of traffic would make sense, and Samsung could even put them right across from Apple stores just to piss them off.
I'm not trying to claim Samsung could ever have the ... rabid ... fandom that Apple has, where people would line up around the block to buy the new Galaxy phone. I'm saying that isn't what keeps an Apple Store profitable; product sales and paid customer service throughout the year are where the money is. Samsung can try to get its share of that money while offering us the level of customer support we deserve when we pay for it.
Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Threads.
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notforhire I'm fortunate to have a Samsung store about 15 minutes from the house. Often that is where I pick up my Samsung purchases. I've never had to use them for repairs but see them working in an area behind the service desk. Yes, an Apple Store is a fair comparison. Instead of farming it out to Assurant, vertically integrate...at least to some more significant degree.Reply -
Mech986 The biggest problem if you open a Samsung Store is not that it won’t be shiny, smart and useful, but that it will not be limited to Samsung Electronics unless Samsung specifically makes it electronics only. Because Samsung makes so many different things, like refrigerators, washers, dryers, TV’s, monitors, laptops, computers, computer SSD’s, memory chips, and then smartphone of all price tiers, what is the store going to support or repair? Or how will they deal with people who want to discuss their broken or not yet repaired appliances (of which there are many many reports of)? What about tablets, Wearabkes, and accessories?Reply
If Samsung does limit the store to electronics only, and does repairs, which models will get repair and support options? What will it be like to tell owners of A, J, M series models their repair options are limited, moderately expensive, parts limited, or non-existent without a support warranty or expense? Or will they be referred to a customer service number or website?
Or will support only be available to Galaxy S class and Z class of a certain age? And how will customers react to being told its hundreds of dollars, or just buy a new one?
Admirable ambition but they better follow through.