cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
1

Ask

2

Reply

3

Solution

Samsung Galaxy S4 Battery Fault

murkr
4: Newbie

I purchased a new phone earlier in the year and after a few months I found the battey would not last half a day. I am having to put it on charge 2 or 3 times a day and considering I'm at work 8 of those hours and hardly use the phone, it is evident something is wrong.

 

I reset the phone, but this did not help. I called customer services a few weeks ago and they said they could not sent a replacement battery but I could go into a shop and buy one then claim it back, although slightly annoying as that would incurr extra costs to me with charges and petrol, which would cost nearly as much as a battery I accepted this.

 

However, this is no longer an option as I was involved in a car crash and have trouble getting about at the moment, and especially at this time I need my phone to be reliable, which it is not. It started doing this about 6 months after having the phone and getting worse all the time, I have to use the phone fully dimmed in power saving mode to get a few hours of life out of my phone.

 

The phone is still in warranty and would therefore ask for one to be mailed to be as I shouldn't have to go through all of the trouble of arranging one myself if I am paying a contract and the phone is in warranty.

 

I look forward to hearing from someone.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Vodafone (and other) shops tend not to stock batteries because of the huge variety around and the general lack of demand.  The advice to buy your own and get a refund is the quickest option.

 

I wouldn't waste your time on the high street as you're very unlikely to find a battery in stock.  Go online.   It's hard to tell whether you're getting a genuine one but, if you pay around £10 to £12 and stick to a UK-based supplier you'll probably be OK.  "Genuine" is relative, of course, as Samsung buy their batteries in and simply brand them anyway.

 

The advice to contact Samsung and see if they'll send you one is sound.   You can get in touch via the Support tab on their UK website.   You probably won't be asked to take the phone into a service centre in person.  If they do want to see it, they also offer a mail-order service.

 

I'm sure that if you hang on long enough and insist hard enough, you may be able to persuade Vodafone to source a battery for you, but you'll be without a functioning phone while you wait.  If it was me, I'd go for the quickest option.

View solution in original position

8 REPLIES 8

drey_p
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Hi there

 

The phone itself is in warranty, but the battery may not be as there is a different warranty on batteries. Take a look at the battery - is it swollen at all?  If so, that could indicate it was part of a faulty batch.

 

Your best bet is to go into your nearest Samsung Repair Centre and they will be able to take a look at the phone and provide you with a replacement battery. I've found them to be very helpful in the past. Alternatively, call Samsung directly and see if they will be able to ship a battery to you.

PWIAC

I have had the handset for less than 12 months, so it will be in warranty. There is nothing wrong visually with the battery and taking it to my nearest Samsung centre is not an option, it is around a 30 mile round trip, which will cost me more than a battery.

 

I will wait for a reply from a Vodafone rep, thank you.

drey_p
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

@murkr wrote:

taking it to my nearest Samsung centre is not an option, it is around a 30 mile round trip, which will cost me more than a battery.


Which is why I suggested contacting Samsung and seeing if they would ship you one - it does state on their website that they will. All Vodafone will do is tell you that you need to purchase your own battery and arrange to be reimbursed as you have been previously told.

 


@murkr wrote:

I have had the handset for less than 12 months, so it will be in warranty. 


I'm afraid that isn't always the case. As stated previously, batteries are often covered by a different warranty.  If you take a look here, you'll see that Samsung offer a 6 month warranty on batteries. 

PWIAC

Ok well as previously mentioned this has been discussed by Vodafone, and have agreed to have the battery replaced.

 

Regardless of the fault, my phone is in warranty, whether this be the battery or the phone. For me the unit as a whole is not doing the job as advertised and therefore as a paying customer I would expect this to be resolved regardless of the fault, when within warranty.

 

I have been a Vodafone customer for many years, and an account manager at my workplace and deal with phone faults on a daily basis. Never have I heard of me having to go into a random store (I was told I couldn't go into a Vodafone store) to buy a battery and then be out of pocket until it is credited onto my account.

 

Thank you for your attempt to help but as mentioned after a car crash I will first of all A not drive from Southampton to Bournemouth and back to be seen by a Samsung centre, and B need my phone urgently at the moment due to my circumstances and due to mobility being an issue at present cannot go shopping into my local town centre to search around for a battery.

 

As previously mentioned I will await for a Vodafone rep.

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Vodafone (and other) shops tend not to stock batteries because of the huge variety around and the general lack of demand.  The advice to buy your own and get a refund is the quickest option.

 

I wouldn't waste your time on the high street as you're very unlikely to find a battery in stock.  Go online.   It's hard to tell whether you're getting a genuine one but, if you pay around £10 to £12 and stick to a UK-based supplier you'll probably be OK.  "Genuine" is relative, of course, as Samsung buy their batteries in and simply brand them anyway.

 

The advice to contact Samsung and see if they'll send you one is sound.   You can get in touch via the Support tab on their UK website.   You probably won't be asked to take the phone into a service centre in person.  If they do want to see it, they also offer a mail-order service.

 

I'm sure that if you hang on long enough and insist hard enough, you may be able to persuade Vodafone to source a battery for you, but you'll be without a functioning phone while you wait.  If it was me, I'd go for the quickest option.

drey_p
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

@murkr wrote:

Ok well as previously mentioned this has been discussed by Vodafone, and have agreed to have the battery replaced.


That is fine - so what you need to do is get your own battery and claim back the money as has been previously explained.  Perhaps there is a family member or friend that can assist you with this?

 


@murkr wrote:

Regardless of the fault, my phone is in warranty, whether this be the battery or the phone. For me the unit as a whole is not doing the job as advertised and therefore as a paying customer I would expect this to be resolved regardless of the fault, when within warranty.


But, that is where you are wrong.  A battery is regarded as a wear and tear / consumable item which is why it has a different warranty from the device it is used in (and no, the device warranty doesn't cover the battery). Samsung will only fix a fault with a battery within 6 months as evidenced in the link provided.  This is the same across all manufacturers and isn't specific to mobile phones.  Although, as there have been some problems with the batteries on the S4, I would imagine they would assist you anyway.

 


@murkr wrote:

Thank you for your attempt to help but as mentioned after a car crash I will first of all A not drive from Southampton to Bournemouth and back to be seen by a Samsung centre, and B need my phone urgently at the moment due to my circumstances and due to mobility being an issue at present cannot go shopping into my local town centre to search around for a battery.


I guess you missed the bit where I recommended that you should try contacting Samsung to see if they will ship you a battery.  To clarify, by contacting, I meant call them, not visit them in person (that was one option).  The reason I suggest this is because, according to the warranty link I provided, they can do a postal exchange.  That would mean that you don't have to go driving around!  They can be contacted on 0330 SAMSUNG (726 7864). Give them a call and see what they will do for you!

PWIAC

Do you work for Vodafone?

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Neither of us does, but we have experience of these boards and of likely solutions to a variety of problems.   There's nothing whatever to stop you asserting your consumer rights with Vodafone and, if that's more important to you than having a working phone as quickly as possible, you're more than welcome to go ahead.