Before Tom Moran buys his 58″ Samsung Smart TV, he asks a representative if the unit is compatible with the MLB app. Samsung says it is — but it isn’t. Does he deserve a refund?
Question
I went on Samsung’s website in November 2020 and requested a recommendation from their salesperson for a television that is compatible with the MLB app. I have a copy of the chat. I purchased a 58″ Class TU7000 Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV based on the company’s written recommendation.
I could not test the television until April 2021, when the baseball season started. And when I did, the app didn’t work.
I have copies of all e-mails between Samsung and me. First, Samsung said the TV was past the return deadline. Then they promised they would give me an in-warranty repair. But the problem with that is you can’t make a television compatible with the MLB app with a simple repair.
Then, in another email, they claimed there is no fault with the television and there’s nothing they can do.
I believe Samsung should take responsibility for its mistake. They sold me the wrong television. I’d like to return the TV and get a refund of $385. I hope you can help me with this. — Tom Moran, Naples, Fla.
Answer
Samsung should have given you the correct advice. The TV you ordered is not compatible with the MLB app. But you wouldn’t discover this until the baseball season started, months after your purchase, and that complicated matters.
I’m not sure what the representatives meant when they said your TV was past the return window. For your TV, you had a one-year warranty that didn’t apply to this situation. The monitor worked fine, but not as promised. (Here’s how to fix your own consumer problem.)
I’m in awe of the paper trail you kept. Not only did you save the online chat between you and Samsung — the one where they said the monitor would work with the MLB app — but you also have an email in which Samsung promises to accept the return of the TV. That’s all you needed to resolve this case. (Related: The MLB app doesn’t work on this Samsung TV! Can I get a refund?)
Or was it? Well, when I reviewed Samsung’s paper trail, it appeared to backtrack, telling you it had no record of a promise made about compatibility, claiming the TV was out of warranty when it technically never was “in” warranty, and then pivoting and agreeing to an in-warranty repair, which was doomed to fail. Wow, what a mess.
You could have appealed this home run of a case to Samsung’s executives using the proven Elliott Method. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of Samsung’s customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
I contacted Samsung on your behalf. It refunded the purchase price of your TV, as promised.
