After 10 months of a beautiful, productive relationship, my Samsung NX3000 dies on me. Like completely spazzes out, and kicks the proverbial bucket, right in the middle of dinner. Now, you might say, “But it’s under a year old! Just get it fixed under warranty!” And you’d be right.
See, when the NX3000 first came out, it wasn’t available in Australia, so I took the gamble and bought the camera in Singapore, from a reputable store. I knew that the warranty wasn’t applicable in Australia, but I figure that I could at least pay to get it serviced here, right?
I didn’t know how wrong I’d be.
My camera has had its sensitive moments, but in all, its death came suddenly. It gave me a full on, heart pounding anxiety attack – in the short time we’ve known each other, my camera has become so indispensable to me that even my DSLR has been relegated to backup status. It really was like we were made for each other – the NX3000 had great colour, great lenses, a large sensor, lightweight, and a great price point…what else could I have asked for?
Well, my nightmare really started to feel real the moment I walked into the Samsung Experience Store in the Sydney CBD. I tried to ask about service options, and it turns out, I CAN’T EVEN PAY to get it fixed. See, if your camera wasn’t bought in Australia, Samsung service will refuse to touch it. It made no sense to me – wouldn’t Samsung be the supplier of the parts anyway? Why wouldn’t they want to service their own product?
Then came the real kicker. I had discussed with Sam the possibility of having to pay to replace the camera with one bought in Australia, and I was quite happy to take the hit on the chin. They didn’t have the same white model in stock, which is fine, but when they went to check, I found out that it was an End of Life product, meaning that they aren’t going to continue with the product line any more. Well, is there anything that’s going to replace it?
Yes, it seems, but it’s going to cost twice as much. Oh, and check this: the salesperson tried to close the sale by telling me that the new camera line has better iOS management. No, it’s not a typo or a freudian slip. He repeated it a few times. Yes. I’ll let that sink in.
I was really reeling in shock. This was just not cool. It felt like I tried so hard to stay a loyal customer to Samsung, but I was just pushed back every single time. I needed a working camera, and even if it comes back to life, I feel now that I can no longer trust Samsung to provide me with solutions.
Technology purchases can be a very hard area to navigate – with so many parts and variables, you’re essentially taking a bet on whether your device is going to fail. The risks are weighed up against the history of the company, workmanship, product type, price…and that all dictates whether you’re going to take the plunge. In this case, the Samsung NX3000 wasn’t even available in Australia when I wanted to get it, which led me to the decision of buying it in Singapore.
Even if Samsung to me was a company with a fantastic reputation, I’ve learnt that it’s more important than every to find out my aftercare options as part of my initial research. I would still have been happy taking that risk, if only they would let me pay to get my camera fixed here. I guess, the more familiar you are with your product of choice, the more calculated risks you can take. I’ve bought quite a few cameras overseas that have all far outlasted their warranty, and never had an issue before this.
So now, I’m the proud owner of an Olympus EM10, which has been performing beautifully so far. The Samsung will still get sent back to Singapore to get fixed, but after this experience, it’s unfortunately no longer a reliable option for me.
Do you have an aftercare horror story to share? I’d love to hear all about it, and we can be in the support group together. Just leave me a comment below!