Alright so as part of the return to my Samsung Fam, I wanted to personally share my experience in going through the Trade in/ Trade up Program from Samsung. This is rather important especially for those who are considering of going through the program.
So just for added context, Including this recent Trade-In that I've done, I've also experienced undergoing the Trade-in/Trade up program in store and trust me, the experience is different in every store that I've been to.
Just so every would have an idea on what I've been through throughout this experience, I'll be enumerating each event that I was successful in proceeding with the trade-in as well as the failed trade-in in different stores.
Samsung Galaxy S21/ S21 Ultra
1. Ayala Feliz
Much like any consumer, before you actually dive in, book a grab and go to random malls to check availability, I called stores from home. After talking to the store clerk/manager and had confirmed the available units, literally after my shift ended, grabbed a car and drove all the way to Feliz, which was approximately 1-2 hours due to the traffic.
Upon reaching the destination, without going anywhere else, went straight to the store itself and I'm not going to sugar-coat this, but this was the worst experience ever.
- No air-condition
- The staff was so dependent on the app that they basically didn't know how to diagnose the device to give a proper appraisal
- Made up silly remarks that didn't make sense just to justify the concept of having to lower the price to the extent that it wasn't reasonable anymore
Conclusion: Left, as the results of the diagnostics was just too unnerving that I would end up basically paying almost full price just for the base model
2. Gateway Mall
This was a rather quick experience however, the transaction wasn't a success either. Although they were able to diagnose/ appraise the devices wherein the rate provided was MUCH acceptable, no units were available and ended up being referred to the SM Cubao branch.
3. SM Cubao Branch
Because this was more of an endorsement, and that when they found out that I was getting two devices, despite the mall closing, I was still assisted till the very end, so I and my partner went home happy, as we got our preferred color variants, along with a few freebies to go along with it.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
1. SM Cubao
Yes I skipped the S22 series as I was still recovering from the expenses from the previous year, so fast forward to the S23 Ultra, I went to SM Cubao once more and inquired about the availability and the colors, sadly no units were available. I ended up inquiring in some 3rd party store called "Fonestyle". Although they did assist me and was even upping their game with the freebies by adding a Bluetooth speaker, a power bank, free case and a free screen protector on top of the other freebies that came with the S23 Ultra, there was a bit of a "miscommunication" with the token for the trade-in.
So because this miscommunication wasn't sorted out, I ended up not pushing through on that day.
Come the next day, I contacted the person who assisted me in Samsung SM Cubao branch and they confirmed and verified the price, token, and availability and was able to successfully grab my hands on the S23 Ultra which to this day, despite the curve glass is still one of my favorites.
Samsung Galaxy S24
Fast forward to the present time, here we are again, reaching that point of boredom with the smartphone I was using at the time that came with a logo of a fruit. Don't get me wrong, the device itself worked well as it was part of the ecosystem which made things super convenient for me, however, it is because of that basic feels that I personally can't swallow the idea that I paid that much for a smartphone that operates in a basic manner.
However, after I've inquired a few times (literally every weekend, different Samsung stores) there wasn't any freebies that were mentioned, only the device and a token.
For those who aren't aware the term "Token" is used as a means of a discount that would be included with the final appraisal that can potentially lower the cost of the product being traded in.
Then one day, while working, I was just browsing the Samsung Philippines website and decided to chat with the online chat agents. After a series of exchanges, given that I've never really purchased anything online before (through a website not an app) I decided to take a chance and see how the experience actually goes.
So in Chronological Order:
1. Clicked the S24 256 GB Variant
2. Selected my preferred color
3. Clicked the trade in option and answered the form
4. Added to cart
5. and Checked out
The order was placed on the 3rd of September.
While waiting, just like any consumer, I decided to check out accessories, checked out cases (even if there was a free case) the usual stuff a consumer would do in getting a new smartphone.
Then came the 5th of September, where I received a text message from a courier that my S24 Onyx Black would be delivered the following day (6/09/2024).
Order placed: Sept 3
Order processed: Sept 4-5
Order for dispatch: Sept 6
Delivery Day
Although I was happy and excited, there was a very slight "off" experience with the delivery, wherein someone sent me a text message at 8 AM (wherein I would normally wake up at 11AM) stating that the courier was on his way.
The courier didn't arrive till almost 11am, so yes, I should've trusted my gut in going back to bed, but I was also afraid I might not wake up if the courier calls, so I endured it.
Once the courier arrived, just like the in-store experience, he checked the device while having another form to validate my answers during the online transaction and everything went well, in a matter of minutes I'm now a proud owner of the Galaxy S24 base model Onyx Black 😀.
Conclusion:
If there's anything that I'm 100% certain off, and this applies to all establishments, the trade in experience will always be different depending on the people running the store, time, day, and so on.
Though this is not really the ideal case, because as a store, if you have customers who are respectful and nice and is wanting to buy something that is expensive reaching thousands even if it is just an entry level device, if it is a "Concept store" the treatment should be memorable in a good way.
My experience buying online was okay, the ladies who were chatting with me through the Samsung Philippines website, not sure if these are their real names:
" Hanna, Mai, Lenie ", they were amazing. They provided me the information I needed, answered all my inquiries without the need of building rapport, everything was straight to the point.
So my recommendation to anyone, should you consider buying a new product from Samsung Philippines, do your research and order it online. There's no need to wait for someone to assist you in-store, the transaction is pretty quick and the wait time for delivery (despite the fact that there was a storm recently).
I'm very much impressed with the overall experience.
Cheers! 😀
