Samsung Galaxy S4 warped battery

[Mellington]

My 2 month old Samsung Galaxy S4 has started getting hot and turning itself off when I use it.  The battery is swollen and is pushing the back cover out.  Having done some searching on here and other places online, I have found out that it is a very common problem, and Samsung are replacing batteries of affected devices free of charge, as they have admitted the fault.

I have contacted Samsung directly and been told I will have to make the 3 hour round journey to my nearest 'Service Centre' or wait 5 days for a prepaid envelope to be sent out so that I can send my whole phone to them and wait 10 more working days to get it back.  As I explained to them, I cannot manage without a phone - I am a Social Work Masters student, currently on placement.  Going on home visits to my service users alone with no means of contacting anyone would make me extremely vulnerable, and I would not be allowed to do it.  I have reluctantly decided that getting a new battery even though it means a long, expensive journey will be the better option...

I have called the mobitech shop in Kendal today as I would have been able to make the trip tomorrow (having taken a day off to do so!) - they say that it is an extremely common problem, that the batteries are out of stock, and that they may get some in some time next week, but cannot guarantee it.  The next closest Service Centre to me would be Manchester - over 300 mile round trip!

Is there anything at all that Vodafone can offer to help me out?  I am paying for a phone that I cannot use for more than about 2 minutes at a time before it cuts out.  On top of this, Vodafone has been down on and off in my home postcode since November and I have also been paying for my contract all that time too.  I only upgraded and stayed with Vodafone in January because I was assured that the problems in this area were fully resolved!  No one is able to tell me when or even if the fault on the network will ever be fixed.  Even right from ordering this phone there were problems - the order wasn't 'put through' properly on your systems, resulting in me waiting in a day (after waiting a week for a day I could be home all day) and had to wait even longer and go out of my way to store to collect it in the end.

Please can someone get back to me about this.  I have tried to wait patiently for the above issues but it just feels like one thing after the next with no real support, understanding or compensation for anything from Vodafone and now Samsung too.

Obviously I have no way of phoning anyone to complain, if this doesn't get anywhere I will have to go out of my way again to go to my nearest store (40 mile round trip again) to speak to someone in person.

Melissa.

[Pinkylouloubell]

Hi,

Why don't you order a new battery and have it delivered to you.
By the time you pay out for petrol or travel it would be more beneficial.
Then next time you are near a service centre, pop your faulty battery in.

[hrym]

You shouldn't even have to pay for the battery.  Contact Samsung via their website and they should send you a replacement.  This is a known issue, though I thought it had been sorted longer ago than 2 months.  Either you've got one of the older (faulty) batch of batteries or it's rearing its ugly head again.

Vodafone will also replace the battery, but they don't carry a large stock, so there may be a delay.  You need to get this done as soon as possible as overheating is not good.

[Mellington]

I have contacted Samsung directly and the options they have given me are wait 5 working days for the jiffy bag to arrive and post off the whole phone and wait 10 more working days for it to come back or travel to a service centre. The closest is Kendal - which is an unacceptable distance as far as I am concerned, I have no other reason to go there and haven't been there for about 20 years. It's not at all convenient for me to make the 300 mile round trip to Manchester either.

I don't see why I should have to pay up front to try to then go massively out of my way to get the money back. Everywhere seems to be out of stock anyway. A bit of searching around on the internet tells me that a lot of people are now having problems from buying replacement batteries online which have turned out not to be genuine.

This is all on top of the other issues mentioned above that I have had with my phone and network recently. Someone needs to offer me a sensible and practical solution without costing me more money!

Melissa

[hrym]

There were problems with replacement when the issue initially as Samsung had to re-source and there was also heavy demand.  It should be easier now,though.  At the last round, I understood that most people were being sent new batteries straight off, but this may have changed if it's not now regarded as a regular problem.  I think I'd try talking to them again as you shouldn't need to send off the whole phone unless they suspect it's a hard ware fault rather than just the battery.

I've also heard of Carphone Warehouse replacing batteries under warranty, so it might be worth trying them if you can.  Also, hang on for the forum team here to pick up your post as they may be able to help.  There's very little demand for replacement batteries these days (which is partly why a lot of phones are sealed), so no-one carries much stock, especially in-store.  Online is the best source, but I agree it can be difficult to know whether you're getting the genuine article (allowing for the fact that amnufacturers only brand something they're bought in).

Personally, if you need something in a hurry, I'd simply buy a replacement and ask for a refund.  Vodafone have done this in the past and it's something else the forum people will be able to confirm.  Expect to pay between £12 and £25 for something ostensibly genuine.  Certainly don't go for the cheapest option and choose a UK seller with good feedback.  I know you have to bear the initial cost, but it's not large and will be the quickest way of getting back up and running again.

[Mellington]

So if I were to try Carphone Warehouse in Carlisle and they swapped it over for me, it wouldn't affect my warrenty or anything, even though Samsung have not recommended them?  Same with buying one online from somewhere?

If someone from Vodafone can confirm that they will refund the cost of a new battery plus and postage and packing incurred then I think that sounds like the best way to go.

Thanks for your response.

Melissa.

[hrym]

As far as I'm aware, replacing the battery doesn't affact your warranty.  If damage was caused by a non-genuine one, it could be an issue, but you'd have a case against Carphone Warehouse in that instance.  And, as I said, even "genuine" Samsung batteries are bought-in.

[DaveCD]

Hi Mellington.

We' be happy to take as look at this in our Repair Centre and look at the options available.

To find out what you need to do in order to get this sorted take a look at our Vodafone Repairs Thread. This can be found here.

You also mention the coverage in your area; try the steps in our Network Troubleshooting thread.

If you are still experiencing the issue after completing these steps, post the template with your answers here and I'll have a member of the team get back to you ASAP.

Thanks

DaveCD

[Mellington]

Thanks for your response.  I would really like to try to get this sorted without having to send the phone off, as so many other people on here say they were able to do so.  I will try and get to the Vodafone store in Carlisle tomorrow, see what they say. I'm still waiting on another reply from Samsung as well.

I have been through that troubleshooting thing about the network coverage more than once - there is a whole thread about it somewhere.  It has been passed onto the engineers apparently.  Your network coverage checker is still saying -

"We're trying to fix a network issue which might be affecting call coverage. There are some challenging circumstances - so it's taking us longer than usual to get to the bottom of things. We'll update this page as soon as we know more."

- But it has been saying that on and off since November.  Really fed up with it now, been paying full price every month for a phone I can't use at home more often that not, and now the battery problems on top, so can't use it out and about now either as it has to be connected to a charger at all times... trying to be patient still but the situation is rediculous.

Anyway like I said, thanks for the response. 

Melissa.

[hrym]

Good luck.  Don't be surprised if the store doesn't have any batteries, though.  Apart from the known issue, there's really very little demand for them. I am also, tbh, a little concerned that this has shown up apparently outside the previous issue.  I suspect the reason that you're being asked to send off the whole device is that the engineers think it may be more than just the battery - but that may be simply because they regard the earlier problem as settled.

If you want to hang onto your phone (and why wouldn't you?), the quick solution may be to buy a battery and see if that solves the problem.  If it does, pursue a refund.  If it doesn't, you can put the original battery back and go down the repair route.  I'd also have a word with Carphone Warehouse as well, just to get a second opinion.