Samsung's Galaxy S8 trade-in program leaves many customers in the lurch

Samsung ran a great deal last month which stated that any device in "good condition" can be traded in for a new Galaxy S8 or S8+ on AT&T, US Cellular and Verizon between June 2nd and June 25th. This would entitle the customer to get a US$200 discount off the price of the new Samsung device. If the device didn't happen to qualify for the trade-in, Samsung would charge US$175 and would not return the device as the agreement explicitly indicates that the title and ownership of the device would be transferred to Samsung when shipped for the trade-in.

Reports have started coming in that Samsung's enticing US$200 trade-in for users wishing to purchase the Galaxy S8 or S8+ is not being honored despite meeting the eligibility criteria. To add insult to injury, Samsung was found to cite false reasons for not honoring the trade-in despite the traded handsets being perfectly fine.

Taking advantage of the offer, users started trading in new cheap phones in hopes of getting an easy $200 rebate. With the rebate price going up to as much as $350 for an S7 edge, people were naturally enticed with the offer. While some of the claims were honored by Samsung, many trade-ins were rejected. The "good condition" clause meant that the phone would turn on, hold charge, be physically intact and have a working display. Buyers claim that despite meeting all the criteria, Samsung decided to charge $175 from their original payment. People who traded in fairly modern devices such as the iPhone 4S or even the Galaxy Note 5, which still command a good price in the market, were only compensated $25. The reasons ranged from having a defective screen to IMEI blacklisting when clearly that wasn't the case.

With no clarity on neither the exact models eligible for the trade-in nor in the fineprint, some of the users who wished to make good use of the offer have been left in the mire. While a clarity is awaited from Samsung, it is advised customers exercise due diligence before sending devices for the trade-in.

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