FOLD 4 WARRANTY VOID because of tiny scratches on the hinge.

[jlrw]

I bought Fold 4 last year and have used it for less than a year now. Starting last week, it suddenly blacked out as long as I folded the phone. Even when the phone is not folded, it can be switched on but from time to time it will still shut off intermittently.

I checked online with my purchase of the Fold 4 and thankfully realized it is still under warranty. I booked an appointment with Samsung at the Westgate level 2 outlet to have my phone repaired. After reaching the place and feeling relieved that my phone is still under warranty and Samsung should be able to take care of it. To my horror, the staff took several minutes looking at my Fold 4 and then told me that even though it is still under warranty, it is now void since there are scratches on the hinge of the phone. I shockingly asked how is minor cosmetic damage such as scratches on the hinge will cause any major issue to the internals of the phone, the staff simply told me it is written on the terms and conditions that for any sort of damage (including scratches) to the hinge will entirely void the warranty, and that I will have to pay over $700 to have it repaired.

(I even purchased the Fold 4 original cover to protect the phone the moment I purchased the phone. Funny, if Samsung deem the hinge of Fold 4 is so fragile and should be 999% protected at all times, why is the Fold 4 original cover protectors design not protecting the hinge at all? So full of Bul*s**t, smh.)

Come on Samsung, even if minor scratches on the hinge can cause major damage to the internals of the phone, then it is only your fault to have designed such an absurdly low-quality phone. And not simply push the responsibility to your customer to pay to have it repaired while it is still under warranty. I have been a Samsung phone user since the early 2010s, I have always recognized Samsung phones are more durable than iPhones (except for the battery lifespan). However, Fold 4 is a complete failure, having been using it just for less than a year and it started malfunctioning without dropping it before.

At the same time at the Westgate Samsung Centre, I saw another customer was told by the staff the same thing. His warranty for his Fold 4/5 was also void due to the scratches on the hinge. Same as me, he had to leave the Centre disappointed unless willing to pay over $700 to have it repaired. Obviously, unless there is important data stored on the phone, most people would rather use that amount of repair fee to purchase a brand-new phone. Is that Samsung's strategy to "force" their customers to purchase a new phone from them?

I am so going to boycott Samsung from now on. Booooo....

[JP19]

Hi, if possible, visit another service centre. Every service centre differs in standard. If u meet a customer service officer who doesn't care much about the condition of the phone and only focuses on the main problem, u will likely get to replace at no cost.

[jlrw]

I highly doubt that will happen. After learning how horrible and unreasonable the terms and conditions Samsung have set for the warranty of Fold 4, I searched online and saw there are actually many customers that faced the same problem. I am just too late to find out this is a known issue.

There is also an article from another Fold 4/5 user who had their warranty void due to scratches on the hinge at the Causeway Samsung outlet, while mine was at Westgate.

I then also recalled a friend told me about this warranty void experience that happened to his Fold phone a couple of months back when he saw me using Fold 4.

I don't think it will worth the time to endlessly book appointments with different outlets across the country and travel all over possibly in the span of months to find out which outlet will accept the warranty of my Fold 4. :(

But thank you for your kind advise!

[JP19]

Aw.. that's a waste. Actually for my case, my wifi and mobile hotspot stopped working for my Z Fold 3 in Apr and I had mine repaired at Westgate branch. They didn't really look at the aesthetics of the phone (probably they do behind the scene) and didn't say much and agreed to replace my LCD at no charge.

For ur case, if ur screen is in perfect condition and the screen protector is still intact, technically there should be no reason for them to relate the damage to the cosmetic damage on the hinge. But u didn't purchase the 2nd year Care+ coverage, right? Cos that Care+ can cover the repair cost at $100 for the first time.

[jlrw]

That's so good for you.

Yep, my screens are in perfect conditions. No, I did not pay for additional coverage, I am still within the 1st year original warranty which unfortunately has been void by them.

Apparently, from other cases surfaced on the Internet, their phone suffered a complete loss of WiFi and speaker functions. Mine is auto turn off, or crashed, as long as I fold the phone. We all got our warranty void because of the tiny scratches on the hinge.

I'm not sure if I will violate any rules here if I send the news url link here of other similar cases.

Whatever the problem is, Samsung will void the warranty as long as there is any scratches on the hinge.

[JP19]

Hi, nope u won't violate the rules here. U are free to share info that is not false. Yes the cosmetic damage on the hinge to be honest has no relation to the screen damage. They should compare apple to apple (screen to screen). If the screen has no damages, can confirm that there is no foul play involved and should drill down to the main problem of some inner component that is faulty and needs replacement.

[jlrw]

Sure. Below are just a couple of cases. Samsung would simply void the warranty unreasonably, backing themself by shutting the customers up with the warranty "terms and conditions".

https://mustsharenews.com/samsung-fold-flip-warranty/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/354198726403087/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_per...

I'm just pasting 2 cases and there are so many more.

[JP19]

That's sad to hear about it. Sometimes, Samsung needs to be flexible in such cases. If the hinge damage is visibly seen to reach to the screen, then it's logical for Samsung to reject the repair, however if the tiny scratches at the hinge are micro scratches and the screen is still in perfect condition (screen protector), then it's illogical for Samsung to reject ur case. Anyway, I would suggest to bring this up to their Facebook page, since they hardly reply here and see what their reply is.

[FrankGPani]

Sorry to hear this. As you had mentioned, this is unfortunately a known issue.

Z Fold3 and Z Fold4 have their respective design flaws. From your photo, it will frankly be difficult to argue that it was not dropped. The Z Fold4's hinge is particularly susceptible to drop damage. Samsung is well aware of that, hence their reluctants to honour the warranty. The Z Fold3 seems to be more sturdy but has flex cable degradation problem over time. More details here on the latter.
https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-z/s-pen-dead-zones-on-z-fold-main-inner-screen/td-p/22596...
You can read more about the Z Fold4 hinge issues here.
https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-z/z-fold-4-can-t-open-fully/td-p/21914571?src=ShareByUser...
Here's also how I used to protect the hinge on my Z Fold3. It does interfere with the Fold slightly.
https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-z/fold-hinge-protection/td-p/18594801?src=ShareByUserCM

If it is any consolidation, so far so good with my experience of the Z Fold5. No issues to date. One hopes Samsung has learnt from their past design mistakes. I accept that this is fragile device but I am not going back to non-folding phones. The difference is too great. I am on 2yr Samsung Care+. Haven't dropped my Z Fold5 yet, although had some close calls. Cheers.

[Alvin532]

Hi maybe you can try at causeway point service center