Positive case

This is the first letter sent to Maxi Quartz Ltd last November 14:

I write to express my disgust at the service provided by your company regarding the repair of refrigerators and freezers. Last April I purchased one Samsung SS-22 Side by Side for the price of €1,979.97 (Lm850). The fridge was delivered on December 7, 2004, and commissioned in July 2005, when I moved house.

Problems with the fridge started after a few months, when no water would come out of the water dispenser. Your technician called a couple of times and, ludicrous as it might sound, on both occasions asked me for a hair dryer.

Needless to say, the use of the hair dryer only solved the problem temporarily until the next build-up of ice. Subsequently, a part was replaced and the water dispenser was back in use.

Since then the fridge and freezer have been taking turns at 'playing up', and on one occasion your technician turns up to repair the fridge and the freezer. Parts and sensors have been replaced both in the fridge and freezer. As recently as this summer, there was a build-up of ice in the freezer and, once again, the hair dryer was brought out of the locker and put to good use.

The problems with this fridge seem to be never-ending and I now have a fridge with water and ice dispensers which, yet again, do not work and where food stored in the top shelves of the freezer is thawed. In October, I called to report the fault and specifically told the person who took my details to ask the technician to call me before he came so as to give me enough time to leave work and return home.

Sure enough, the next day, your technician called me and told me he would be coming over. However, he never showed up and did not even have the decency to call.

In November, I called Maxi Quartz again. Needless to say I was angry and upset and, to her credit, the person I spoke to was helpful and understanding. She assured me that the technician would come that same day, which he did. He took a look at the freezer, wrote down some notes, told me he would be contacting Samsung to explain the problem and that he would contact me the following day (November 6).

On November 14, I am still waiting for him to contact me. In the meantime, the water and ice dispensers are still out of order and my freezer is half empty, since I had to throw away whatever I had stored on the top two shelves.

I have now run out of patience both with the fridge and your service. At this point I want my fridge replaced...

It is unfortunate that your after-sales and customer service are so shambolic. You should be ashamed at the way you treat customers. I would like to know what Samsung would have to say about this. I find it incomprehensible that in this day and age customers are treated with such disdain and contempt.

I would like to bring to the attention of the many hapless customers who, like me, were enticed to buy Samsung by sweet sales talk, just what they can expect if anything should go wrong with their product. (Jennifer Piccinino)

Last November, I asked Maxi Quartz Ltd for their comments, to no avail. In December, I sent Maxi Quartz Ltd another letter, asking for their comments, but still to no avail. Subsequently, I received another letter from Ms Piccinino:

I would like to keep you posted about the developments to date.

A few weeks after I sent my November 14 letter, I received a phone call from Charlene whom, I must say, was very understanding. I explained to her that I had had enough of the refrigerator and her company's dismal service and did not want any further repairs but a replacement. She said this was not possible.

After further altercations, I agreed to let the technicians repair the refrigerator one last time on the understanding that if it developed the same or any other fault it would be replaced. Charlene gave me her verbal assurance that she would write to Samsung about my problem and promised to replace the refrigerator if it developed the same or any other fault, irrespective of whether or not the three-year guarantee (which is due to expire shortly) has expired.

I accepted her assurances and allowed the technicians to come and repair the refrigerator. I am pleased to say that it was repaired and is in good working order. (Ms Piccinino)

I thank Charlene for her verbal assurance that she would write to Samsung about the problem and her promise to replace the refrigerator if it developed the same or any other fault.