SINGAPORE: Upset that her Samsung washer-dryer shredded some of her clothes, a woman took to social media to air her complaint, saying she was also dissatisfied with how the company handled her complaint.
Ms Janice Oh, who goes by MB Neo on Facebook, wrote on the COMPLAINT SINGAPORE page on Tuesday (Oct 3), “My Samsung 2-in-1 washer shredded my clothes on random washes.”
When a technician from the company came to check on her washer-dryer, he said that the drum on the machine was in “perfect condition” and was unable to explain the reason for the shredded clothing.
Moreover, Ms Oh added that Samsung’s Customer Service said they have “received about 4 cases before” hers.
She was also told by the technician not to buy clothes in this material and to put all laundry “all the way into the machine so that it cannot be shredded.”
Puzzled, she asked, “Won’t my clothes move with the drum??? I have been using washing machines for 25 years and every piece of clothing moved around as it washed.”
Ms Oh wrote in her post that the Samsung technician finally told her, “You unlucky.”
When The Independent Singapore reached out to Ms Oh for further comment or update, she told us that her washer-dryer is only three and a half years old.
The incident, she told us, “was something new to me,” adding ironically that her “clothing turned out like art pieces.”
She also shared with us her correspondence with Samsung, whom she began reaching out to in late August. On a call with the company’s call centre, she was told by an agent, Fitri, that the problem might be a wear and tear issue or a sharp object under the drum causing the shredding of her clothes.
Saying that her machine has been well-maintained, Ms Oh also asked to speak with the product development team to understand the shredding issue better.
The technician, Junjie, came to her home on Sept 5 and shocked Ms Oh when he told her that “2-in-1 machines are bound to be faulty within 5 years.”
She said, however, that she barely uses the dryer function on her machine, only when the weather is bad, and her clothes aren’t dry 24 hours after washing. Also, she never uses the dryer immediately after the wash cycle but hangs them up.
But the real shock came when the dryer mechanism was opened.
“What was presented was a vent filled with soap suds hardened to fossil-like condition. I asked how was this possible? The explanation was that when the machine is on dryer mode, the fan will suck the soap suds up from the washing cycles and blow it around the machine, and thus these get stuck onto the dryer vent/outlet.
I am a layman who knows simple use of washing machines but this explanation on how the machine works in a tornado drying way is ridiculous! Any company designing such a machine should not even have it out in the market. If 2-in-1 are built this way, does it mean all such machines are bound to get faulty in a matter of time?” wrote Ms Oh.
Among other advice, the technician advised her to use only liquid detergent, which was never indicated.
Also, she was told to buy a new washer, but not a 2-in-1.
“The last and most interesting point suggested by Tech as to why these issues are happening even with proper care of the machine is that I was unlucky to get such a set. Frankly, I was speechless to have such honesty from Samsung’s Tech,” added Ms Oh.
Since then, however, she’s had no update on the report status in her case, even if she has repeatedly followed up with different staff.
Ms Oh is still hoping and waiting for Samsung to call her.
“PS: If a Samsung washer gets such huge wear and tear issue after less than 5 years since its make, why bother giving a 11 year warranty on its motor? The motor will be just powering a faulty machine which cannot function properly,” she wrote.
The Independent Singapore has also reached out to Samsung and will update this case when we receive a response. /TISG
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