Exchange a water-damaged Samsung Galaxy S7 Active

[disturbd1]

See the following link - AT&T/Samsung have (finally) officially acknowledged a correlation between minimal water exposure and device failure. To the extent that they (AT&T) will replace under warranty from Samsung https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1114489?partner=LinkShare&siteId=JAF5WzpxbKM-Jj6AIrBnJkQWFIlF54ZC9w

Just posting as a courtesy, in case anyone has had to undergo the nightmare that is customer service from either side. I read several cases documented on AT&T forums as well as a Consumer Reports article.

Note - this phone may have the rating, but it does not hold up to the standard. Not even close. Don't get it wet.

 

[disturbd1]

It's also worth noting the Samsung directly touts this as a feature, specifically on the S7 Active: here

 

[pickupman66]

at our local ATT store, they had a cute little displa of hte S7 active and when you pushed a button, it would flood the device in the box. did all but the very top of the phone. Sounds to me like they feel it is water proof.

 

[disturbd1]

at our local ATT store, they had a cute little displa of hte S7 active and when you pushed a button, it would flood the device in the box. did all but the very top of the phone. Sounds to me like they feel it is water proof.

I saw this, too, when I went into a store yesterday to get a better idea of the look and feel of the device. I don't own it yet (it is arriving today as a warranty replacement for another device of mine that died), but it's pretty clear there are one or more batches that don't even come close to the water-resistance rating they advertise.

Also, it would make sense that the demo model in the store only fills to a point. Most scenarios I've read about involved a "splash near a pool" or the like. After which, the camera lens was visibly affected by water, and subsequently (presumably by entry through the top somehow) the screen would exhibit green lines, shorting, or just go black.

 

[pickupman66]

Im anxious to see how well it works. I have the S5 currently. I have dropped it 4 feed deep in the river, used it while sitting in the hot tub, held it under water in the creek to take photos, dropped it face down in the mud (first week I had it) and many other damp situations. never had a single issue with mine. my wife had the HTC M8 for 2 years and she left it on the porch and the sprinkler soaked it. She is also a swim coach and is around the pool every day. I sure hope this one is as good as my S5 in the water.

 

[Miami_Son]

My less than a month old S4A spent over 45 minutes on the ocean floor in 5-6 feet of water while we frantically searched for it. Never had a single problem with it until I dropped it face down on a rock garden and smashed the glass. My S5A performed flawlessly for me through all kinds of wet adventures. I expect the fully sealed S7A to do equally as well.

 

[gqukyo]

All actives manufactured after they "fixed" the manufacturing issue should be rated correctly. The rest of the us are basically rolling the dice until it gets water logged. Sucks that they won't do a warranty exchange for those who already bought the phone. God forbid, ours get water damaged right after the warranty period... lol

 

[disturbd1]

I must admit I had high expectations for the durability and impervious nature of the device, given that I've never sought an Active model in the past. I personally won't be putting it to the test, as my lifestyle isn't demanding of a rugged phone, but to have the forewarning is a relief.

 

[diego97yey]

So if i didnt purchase the s7 active directly from att i will not be able to get a replacement?

 

[gqukyo]

Probably not from Att but you may get lucky with Samsung

 

[disturbd1]

So if i didnt purchase the s7 active directly from att i will not be able to get a replacement?

If you didn't purchase the device from AT&T or an authorized dealer, then you would not be eligible for a warranty replacement directly through AT&T.

 

[gqukyo]

You can get lucky. Most of the times I did warranty for tech devices, the companies never did ask for proof of purchase even though they state it's a requirement. Doesn't hurt to try if you need to.

 

[bugity]

OK, so I just went through heck today while trying to get my S7A replaced at ATT today. None of the representatives I spoke to (8 of them) had heard of the memo and were all accusing me of trying to scam them and told me to directly contact Samsung. Finally I reached an intelligent rep who called the store and demanded they swap my phone out in the store (a device service center store). Here is the internal memo number that will point other clueless Att reps to the correct information and hopefully make your process much more painless. Internal Memo #493258 . They will know what that means.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using XDA-Developers mobile app

 

[disturbd1]

OK, so I just went through heck today while trying to get my S7A replaced at ATT today. None of the representatives I spoke to (8 of them) had heard of the memo and were all accusing me of trying to scam them and told me to directly contact Samsung. Finally I reached an intelligent rep who called the store and demanded they swap my phone out in the store (a device service center store). Here is the internal memo number that will point other clueless Att reps to the correct information and hopefully make your process much more painless. Internal Memo #493258 . They will know what that means.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using XDA-Developers mobile app

Thanks for posting. It's a shame the communication internally is so terrible. Though, even without this, one need only point them to the document hosted on the customer-facing AT&T site that directly promises this (assuming a failed device from water damage).

 

[bugity]

Thanks for posting. It's a shame the communication internally is so terrible. Though, even without this, one need only point them to the document hosted on the customer-facing AT&T site that directly promises this (assuming a failed device from water damage).

I actually pulled the website up in the store but to them they interpreted "Samsung is offering a warranty exchange for customers who have experienced water damage issues with their Galaxy S7 active. Learn how to exchange your device." As let Samsung deal with it, not us. Believe me, that was the first thing I did haha

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using XDA-Developers mobile app