Samsung’s bricked soundbar chaos is descending into a cluster f*** of epic proportions, with customers being told there’s no alternative but to ship their expensive products to a specialist to have them repaired – but apparently its tech support teams haven’t got the message.
We first reported on the news that some of the company’s best and most expensive soundbars had been rendered inoperable by a firmware update last week. The faulty software transformed high-end models like the Samsung HW0Q990D soundbar into useless hunks of plastic that freeze the moment they’re powered on, and no one has been able to fix them.
Samsung reassured customers last week that it was investigating the problem as a matter of urgency, but it seems there’s no simple fix in sight. In a statement to Digital Trends this week, the company said it had indeed identified a software update error as the cause of the “operational issues” affecting some of its 2024 soundbar models.
It went on to explain that it’s taking “immediate action” to resolve the problems, and will provide free repairs to every affected soundbar, regardless of the customer’s warranty status.
While the company deserves credit for that, the solution is far from ideal. To get them repaired, customers are going to have to ship their soundbars to one of Samsung’s tech support centers, which are operated by third parties rather than the company itself. Shipping such a hefty device is no easy feat, requiring a trip to the post office or a courier firm, and perhaps even more hassle for customers who didn’t keep the box it came in.
Then of course, there’s the length of time it will take for the repairs to be carried out. It means customers will potentially have to put up with subpar audio for several weeks.
Worse still, it seems that Samsung is having trouble communicating its plan to its tech support providers.
Over on Reddit, a number of Samsung soundbar owners have expressed frustration at the “debacle”, and there are numerous complaints about the support tech specialists who are supposed to be providing the repairs free of charge. One user commented that he or she was offered only “free parts” but would have to pay for the shipping and labour costs associated with the repair.
Samsung’s community forums are littered with similar complaints, with a user called ApocalypseRogue7122 claiming that one of Samsung’s authorised U.K. repair centres, Mint Group FX, refused to even accept the soundbar. He later reported that Samsung called back to say that their device requires a new motherboard, and that they’ll have to wait a while for it. Apparently, its support partners have been so overwhelmed with customers seeking repairs and its partners that it doesn’t have enough parts on hand, and so they have to wait for them to be delivered to the repair centre first.
The only good news is that Samsung will likely want to get on top of these issues fast, because if customers are facing major hassles and uncertain delays before they can get their soundbars fixed or replaced, it’s going to do some serious damage to its reputation.
