My washer/dryer is a few features short — do I deserve a partial refund?

January 10, 2013

Question: I bought a Samsung washer/dryer by phone recently, but I used the Samsung website to research the specs. The Samsung website clearly stated that the dryer I chose has steam-dry technology, which detects the moisture level in the load and adjusts the drying time to save time and money.

Well, the dryer arrived yesterday, and it didn’t have the steam functionality it promised.

Samsung said the website is apparently in error and this model does not have steam-dry technology. A Samsung representative told me that after reviewing the notes on my account and reviewing the page that I referenced when I made the purchase, they were not bound by what was on the site. He noted that at the bottom of the page, under “overview and features,” it says, “Features and specifications are subject to change without prior notification.”

Samsung apologized for the confusion and the experience, but beyond that, it offered nothing more.

My take is that I bought a dryer in good faith that had certain features. Samsung did not deliver those features. It works just fine; it is just not what they told me I would be buying. It’s a good washer/dryer, but I would like Samsung to offer me a price differential. Should I just fold my tent and slink away, or is there a way to pursue this? — Carol Blue, Ladys Island SC

Answer: Samsung should have sold you the washer/dryer you purchased when you called the company. I think its apology is meaningless if it doesn’t do something to fix the problem.

A meaningful apology can include saying you’re sorry, promising to update the website, or offering a price difference between the model you thought you bought and the one you ended up with. But as far as I can tell, Samsung did none of those things.

Unfortunately, almost all of the communication with the company had been by phone, so the only proof you had was a link to the Samsung site with the washer/dryer that had the erroneous features.

I asked you to contact the company by email, and it responded quickly by asking you to call it. When you did, it just repeated its denial. Very tricky, and a great way to avoid creating a paper trail.

At that point, I decided to get involved. Now, some of my readers with long memories are probably thinking, “Wait a second … isn’t this like one of those airfare errors that Chris is always telling us to avoid?”

Not really. This isn’t like those erroneous $1 fares to Hong Kong that get published on Flyertalk, and which entitled elites steal by the dozen. Oh, did I say “steal”? Sure did.

Your motives matter. You didn’t buy this washer/dryer for $1 or even $100. The price difference was only about $150, and you didn’t have a clue that Samsung had made a mistake. Also, you didn’t buy a truckload of these dryers, hoping to capitalize on Samsung’s error. In your case, you just thought you’d found a good price on a machine. That was a reasonable assumption.

I’m also troubled by Samsung’s reaction. It just said, “tough luck” without promising to fix the site. So it’s possible you aren’t the first, nor will you be the last, to be disappointed. I don’t think that’s right.

I contacted Samsung. A representative called you, apologized again, and offered you a $150 American Express gift card, which you accepted.

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Jeanne_in_NE

And by day, you’re mild mannered Tony A. – Travel Consultant. :)
TonyA_says

Exactly. Samsung’s guilty of having a confusing website.
Does anyone need an ombudsman to point it out and fix it?
I pity the call center employee on the other end.
They usually deal with repairs and not website issues.
Sometimes people who complsin ther are being screwed are just confused.
I suspect this is the case here.
emanon256

Good call, thanks. I usually check it regularly, but its been a few months.
http://twitter.com/suzdp Suzanne De Pee

What Samsung really should have done was offer to have the incorrectly represented item picked up, delivering the model WITH those features that were missing–if that would satisfy the customer. Cash back or not, the buyer still does not have the machine features he/she thought they were getting or wanted. If buyer chose the refund in the form of an AN gift card, then the solution was fine. Give the buyer the choice.
Miami510

If they persist in their defending misrepresentation by claiming defense of a notice at the bottom of the page, I”d suggest taking them to small claims court. Give them back the washer and then go out and buy one that you wanted in the first place.
bodega3

She bought this online? Did she shop it locally first to see what she was going to purchase? Washer and dryers have become so complicated and their panels look like that of a aircraft’s dash. I would certainly be more diligent in checking around, asking questions on an appllance like this and not buy it site unseen, especially if purchasing it online. Most appliance stores price match and to have someone local to call is worth it.
TonyA_says

She wrote that she researched it online but phoned to buy.
She obviously was confused with the features of each model and what the features do.
To me this could be a frivolous complaint. We have not heard the dealer’s nor Samsung’s side of the story.Note she was asking for a price differential but could not identify the models that would be compared.
bodega3

I recently bought a new Bosch double oven. I wasn’t looking for this particular model but say it at Lowe’s, got a price, came home and researched it online. I went back to Lowe’s twice when what the Lowe’s salesperson told me and the online site didn’t match. I then when to a REAL applicance store who also sells the same product and found out the correct information. They price matched Lowe’s, so no brainer on how I would make my purchase. These purchases are just to expensive to trust online if particulars are important to you.
Dave Champagne

Once again, did she PAY with AE Gift cards? If not, give her back what she paid in!!!!
When will someone in the know (legal people) make a LAW to this effect?
TonyA_says

I also found out that manufacturers put a slightly different part number for the warehouses (i.e. Costco, home depot, etc.) and will have some features missing.
It is very difficult to compare without a spec sheet.
Right now I am looking to upgrade my rice cooker. For just one brand, zojirushi, there are so many models. And that is only a rice cooker.
bodega3

Mattresses, carpet, refrigerators are three that I have found to make it very difficult to price shop as the manufacturer and the store have special products that can only be purchased at that particular store. Walmart is doing this, as well as Target. It isn’t just applicances, as I am finding this with food products, too. There is one major food staple product that I can get for less at Target and is also a larger size, so more for your money, that no other grocery store around here is selling. Things are achanging!
Adam_The_Man

Dude, an AE Gift Card is as good as cash. Its safer than sending cash. And I am guessing she paid by credit card, and she got refunded by credit card. Also Samsung can’t refund her original form of payment since she bought it from a retailer.
Adam_The_Man

Total Scam. Samsung is hiding behind their disclaimer and marketing more than they are selling. Glad to see she got the price difference back. If I were her, I woudl have held out for the actual dryer I ordered.
http://www.facebook.com/linda.bator Linda Bator

Said they booked directly with them over the phone. So no backup!
Raven_Altosk

Yeah, that’s what confused me about this article. It sounds like OP has her features mixed up.
y_p_w

Just try comparing mattresses. They’re the most customized product that I can think of. Most mattresses are actually made to order, and every retailer sells a slightly different model such that it’s impossible to do a true price comparison.

I once bought a mattress directly from a sale at our local Spring Air factory. I got to see the factory floor from a window in the showroom. The parts are basically selected individually and they piece them together. There are literally thousands of different combinations that can be applied, including spring type, coil count, padding type/thickness, cover design, cover material, etc. The “models” that they were selling for this special event were probably combinations that were set up specifically for this event.

The one thing that ticks me off is that consumer mattresses are only one-sided now. Hotels can still order double-sided mattresses. A properly turned two-sided mattress can last 20 years. A properly turned single-sided mattress might last 7 years because it can’t be flipped.
y_p_w

Don’t know where else to pose this question, but what happened to the “Search” feature?
y_p_w

Wal-Mart was famous for having Vlasic make a special 1 gallon jar of pickles, and threatened to stop carrying their products if Vlasic stopped pricing to Wal-Mart so they could sell them at $2.97.

http://www.fastcompany.com/47593/wal-mart-you-dont-know

The unintended consequence was that it was eating into supermarket sales of their smaller jars that were actually sold at a higher margin and was threatening to put them out of business. Eventually they were allowed to reduce the size, but still declared bankruptcy.
TonyA_says

While the call center employee might have been an idiot, a quick scan of Samsung’s website will reveal the (probable) problem and it suggests a different set of “facts”

On the Samsumd Dryers Webpage http://www.samsung.com/us/appliances/dryers there is only one model where there is a discrepancy. Model DV476.

On the white color, http://www.samsung.com/us/appliances/washers-dryers/DV476ETHAWR/A1
note that the Product Features highlights and the Specifications do NOT match.
The Features talks about Steam Dry, whereas the Specifications mentions Sensor Dry.
This model’s MSRP is $1099. The OP likely paid this price.
If she believed she was fooled by Samsung, then the CORRECT model (of the same body type) that has the steam dry is DV484. It also costs $1099.
From what I can tell, they are exactly the same dryer but one does not have steam dry. So I have no idea why the OP says the steam dry model costs $150 more.

There is no other dryer on the Samsung webpage that has this discrepancy between the features and specification pages.
Of the model costing about $1K or more only the DV476 and DV456 do NOT have steam dry. Of these 2 only the DV476 website is “feature mislabeled”. But remember, the SPECIFICATIONS are correct.
In other words, the OP was probably not over-billed for what she bought.
And is she had wanted STEAM DRY, all she had to do is order the other model DV484 for the same exact price.

For most of Elliott’s articles, you need to dig more facts so you can understand the issues better.
TonyA_says

Emanon, I remember talking to Maytag about Sensor Dry many moons ago because I complained of the same issue – it was not completely dry when it stopped.

They told me that is made like that by design.
When you use Sensor Dry, the first time it stops the clothes are still humid. The reason is that they give you the opportunity to take out clothes that might shrink. So you need to remove them and hang them. Then you can start the dryer again with the rest of the clothes and they will come out completely dry on the next “ding” (stop).
Mine has a setting that says MORE DRY. If I set it to that, the clothes are dry on the first stop.
Hope this explains the confusion.
TonyA_says

Picture of discrepancy between Features and Specifications
Joe_D_Messina

She got the dryer she ordered.
DebbieC

My father also had a difficult experience with his Samsung refrigerator. It took a lot of persistence to get them to replace it.
Joshua

Well, you’d think that the customer service department, in that case, would complain to the website department and say, “Hey, we’re out $150 because you guys messed up. You need to fix the web site before any other consumers start demanding refunds for the problem you caused.”
TonyA_says

I cannot find where the $150 is coming from in the Samsung website. Yes there is an error (or a confusing section) in the website. But the price of the units are the same.
backprop

Are you a bot? That’s all you ever say. This is not a refund; it is a token of making amends.

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