I saw an online ad from du on getting a new Samsung Note 7, along with subscribing to a package with extra data. As soon as I put in the details, I got an email for confirmation as well as a call from a du representative who came to my house to get the contract signed on the same day. I was very happy with the service and within two days I got the device as well.
Now when I opened the device, only after using it for 10 minutes, it went dead! I immediately called the customer service and they asked me to visit any of the du stores. The next morning I visited a store and waited for an hour and, to my surprise, they asked why I came there and that they can’t help me since I have not bought the device from them. Samsung has this policy that if any problem occurs with the device within seven days, the same gets replaced with new one.
I called the customer service again and they apologised for wrongly guiding me to go to the store. I asked them to put a complaint against the customer service agent who sent me to the store and the representative put me on hold for 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes he checked at least 10 times if I was still on the call since he wanted me to hang up, but I didn’t.
Now after the complaint has setup, he asked me to go to Axiom with the device. I told them that I bought this device from du, so why are they treating me like this? It was all in vain. I also told him that this device has an Eros sticker on it, so why are they asking me to go to Axiom, but to the agent’s insistence, I needed to go to Axiom. I went to Axiom and they asked me why I was there and said that I needed to go to Eros as they couldn’t do anything about it.
I had left my house at 10am and it was about 2pm when I left Axiom. I called up the Samsung helpline and they told me that there is an Eros service centre in Deira and that I needed to go there. I reached there and they took the device with no commitment whatsoever of when they would give me the replacement.
My biggest mistake was that I got the device through a courier. I should have taken it from a store, at least the store would have owned up to it. In my case everybody at du at different levels disowned it completely.
Du has already charged me for the plan with the device. I don’t have the device with me and I don’t even know when I will get it. What right does du have to charge me for the device and the plan?
I wrote an email regarding this and the reply was funny. For cancellation, I have to pay a penalty of Dh125 per month for the number of months left on my contract, which is 24. I have to pay Dh3,000. I don’t have the device and I pay the penalty? Du says since the device was delivered, whether it was good or bad, they have all the right to charge me.
Is this right?
Then, I read an article in Gulf News that Samsung has given a couple of options for Note 7 users. Since I was not getting any solution from du, I decided to call the Samsung helpline.
The first thing I asked was for a refund, but the customer service representatives refused the refund and said that this wasn’t their policy and that I have to wait for the replacement.
Second, I asked for a loan device. I told them that I have already submitted the device to Eros customer service in Deira. They asked me to go to either Mall of the Emirates Samsung or Dubai Mall Samsung and get it. I went there and the response, which I got from them was expectedly disappointing. They told me that they can’t help me as I don’t have the device. I told them that the customer service guided me to go there.
I called the customer service again and now they tell me to go to Eros service centre in Deira and get the bad device from them so that I can come back to give them the bad device and get the loan device.
This has become a headache for me, and I am so disappointed that I will pay that money to du and get out of the deal.
From Mr Rahman Afzal
Dubai
The management of du responds:
In response to the query from Mr Rahman Afzal, we can confirm that Samsung has already started the process of exchanging the Samsung Note7 smartphone, and we will be notifying all our affected customers through SMS about this. Moreover, the customer’s current plan with du will not be affected, and if a customer wishes to change or cancel the plan then he can get in touch with our customer care centre.
Mr Afzal responds:
Thank you so much for the help, Gulf News. I have received the exchanged device from Samsung, but have not heard from du directly and my complaint was closed in their system without being resolved. My point was that since I don’t have the device, how can they charge me for the plan?
The management of du responds:
In response to the query from Mr Afzal, we can confirm that our team spoke to the customer and settled for an amicable solution. The case is closed from our side.
Mr Afzal responds:
Thank you so much for the intervention. Yes, I got a call from du and we reached an amicable solution.
(Process initiation: September 20. Response from organisation: September 27. Reader confirmation: October 9).
Editor’s note: Do you have similar issues that you would like to raise with us? You can write to us at readers@gulfnews.com.
