One of the biggest hassles for consumers is dealing with customer service. I’m sure that we have all been frustrated with the automated answer machines that don’t understand a single word we say and that we have all had to sit on hold while terribly recorded elevator music plays endlessly. Samsung has attempted to remove the inconvenience of customer service for those who are willing to pay $11.99 per month for it, through its Samsung Premium Care service. While $144 per year may seem a bit steep for phone insurance and help that you may never need, in this very busy society dependent on cell phones, having your phone out of commission for even just one day is too much and may be worth the monthly investment. Moreover, this plan is significantly cheaper than mobile protection insurance from carriers. So, for people who might be technologically challenged or who might have a tendency to drop their phones, this may be very beneficial.
Samsung advertises this new product offering on Twitter, showing happy customers and helpful IT support working in non-traditional locations, such as a metro stop or a cafe. This new program comes at a very opportune time when Apple consumers have complained that “Apple Stores are hell on earth” and “worse than the DMV”. When consumers complain that your service is worse than that of a bureaucratic government agency, you know that you have a problem. Samsung has clearly taken note of consumer complaints and is trying to solve the problem ahead of its competitors. While Apple has a similar service AppleCare+, none of the solutions provide service now. Customers could either send their device to Apple to fix or replace and send back or they can schedule an appointment at an Apple Store. The problem with the Apple Store, however, is that they is typically a wait of at least a couple days. Additionally, customers have to go out of their way to the Apple Store only to end up waiting there despite their appointment. Furthermore, the problem with both of those options is that consumers lose the use of their phone for several days, something that is unacceptable for our lives, dependent on cell phones. As a result, Samsung is attempting to win over consumers through its differentiated service offerings, just as the main competitor is having issues.
Would you purchase this service? Would you switch phones because of this service?