Digital Camera Magazine

On April 18, 2013, while traveling from Amsterdam to Caracas, where I live, I purchased a Galaxy Samsung Camera 16 MP, 21 X, in a store at Shiphol International Airport (The Netherlands). I paid US$ 640,47 for the camera. A few weeks later, (June 20), while in Copenhagen I dropped the camera accidently and after the fall it stopped working.

The following day, I flew to Madrid and there on June 24th, I went to the Samsung Repair Center (Calle Guzmán El Bueno, 1, Madrid, Spain) to have the camera repaired. They did not take the camera and instead gave me a phone number to call and explain the situation. I did and was told they needed to check the camera and would give me a report in 15 days on whether they could fix it or not. I told them that I did not live in Madrid and had to fly back home but that a friend could take the camera to Miami (USA) to have it checked over there, if that seemed like a good idea and they told me that it was the best thing to do.

When I got home to Caracas, Venezuela, I went to the local Samsung Support Center and they told me that they have no technological knowledge of this model (they had not ever seen one like it), and advised me to send the camera to the US. A friend took the camera to Miami, FL where once again they said the model sold in the USA has a different technology, and he was given a phone number in Philadelphia. When I called the phone number, I was told the camera was bought in Amsterdam, made with a different technology, so they gave me the Samsung Customer Support for Europe a phone number in London. The result was the same, this time I was given another phone number in the Netherlands (31 120 9007267864). I called more than 20 times and nobody picked up.

I wrote to the on-line Samsung Customer Support twice, and received the same answer: “ I am sorry but our cameras do not have international warranty and will need to be repaired in the country of purchase”. (Customer reference number: 2115971384).

A few comments:

1) My intention is to pay for the repair. I know that I am not covered by any warranty. I just want the camera REPAIRED by somebody who knows what is to be done. It seems like the makers of the camera don't have a clue about how to repair their products.

2) Why do they sell cameras in airport shops if it will be impossible to get any kind of support for the product outside the country where it was purchased.

3) Had I known this, I would not have spent over $600 on this camera. Why isn't this information disclosed?

4) It is incredible that it has been impossible to get any kind of help in 4 different countries. I have spent hours on this plus a lot of money on international phone calls, and was unable to get any useful information.

5) The people at the London phone number suggested I mail the camera to the Netherlands, but I have not been able to talk to a person yet and this will be very expensive to do( I continue trying). I am not optimistic about this option considering the story so far. I am still working in order to get an address. But the Samsung web page for the Netherlands is only in dutch.

6) At this point it seems I have ran out of options and my brand new camera is still broken.

America Alonzo

Digital Camera Magazine is a well writen magazine and the advice is very helpful. Not a bad price at £3.99 compared to other mags. There are some very good tutorials in it each month so you can advance your Photoshop/Elements skills. However, each month seems to be the same as the last. By that I mean the tutorials are the same but with different images and the same old people writing in. It's a good magazine on the whole but I would flick through it before you buy it.