SINGAPORE: A dissatisfied Samsung customer took to social media to display what a software update did to two of his mobile phones.
Like many others around the world, including Singapore, he said the vertical lines appeared on the screens of his Samsung S21+ units after the update.
And since the warranties on his phones have expired, the repair on his unit was quoted to cost “a few hundred each.”
“Totally disappointed with their after-sales. No more Samsung phone for me if my other S23 Ultra also has this issue!” wrote a Facebook user who goes by Chris Shady on the platform in a post on the Complaint Singapore group page on Monday (Oct 29).
Singaporeans began to report about the same problem early last year, posting photos of their phone screens marked with a green vertical line.
In Feb 2023, after one woman wrote that Samsung said repairing the issue would cost S$398, other Singaporeans also said they had experienced the same problem.
In October, another woman posted on social media that she had been charged more than S$300 for the repair.
And while The Independent Singapore (TISG) has repeatedly requested a comment from Samsung regarding the matter, our requests have gone unanswered.
TISG has also reached out to the post author for comment.
Judging from the number of videos and online articles about Samsung’s “green line after updating problem,” many people in different countries have had the same experience.
However, in Chris Shady’s post, some commenters reported that they’ve had success in getting the issue fixed by Samsung free of charge or at a low price.
One woman wrote that last year, “when there was an influx of such issue”, even though the warranty on her phone had expired, not only did Samsung fix the issue, but she was also given a new battery.
She added that until December last year, repairs for this issue were done for free. “However, I am not sure if they still do. Do go try your luck,” she encouraged the post author.
Another woman who responded to her comment said her phone had similarly been repaired for free, claiming that Samsung would do so “as long as the phone has not been repaired before.”
The post author also replied to her, saying he had been told this was no longer the case.
A group member posted a link to a do-it-yourself repair that had worked for him.
Another wrote that for the repair of his Note 20, Samsung asked for a labour charge of S$54.
Other commenters, however, noting how common the green line issue is, encouraged the post author to switch to other brands, such as iPhone and Xiaomi, in the future. /TISG
Read also: Customer says bad experience with Samsung’s quality & service has led him to iPhone