Samsung Galaxy S4 Battery Swelling.. Samsung are being very stubborn!

[Anonymous]

I posted a thread about this a good few months ago, and a few weeks ago I finally managed to get my S4 sent off to a repair centre as I've been travelling a lot.

Basically, I was using my S4 more so as a back up phone at this time (it's still under contract for another 4 months), when I went to take it out my drawer to use it I was shocked to see that the screen had come away a little and the home button was completely detached but more shockingly when I picked it up there was a massive bulge at the back - so I managed to take the back case off and seen that the battery had expanded and swelled. I looked it up and seen this was a known issue.

I rang O2 and they said as the battery is no longer under warrenty with O2 I'd have to contact Samsung, so I did. They sent me the packaging to send the phone back to them. I finally got an email a few days ago saying as there was 'physical damage' (the screen and home button) I'd need to pay to get it fixed, which came to just under £110. I was surprised as I made a note saying this is what I found - the battery had clearly expanded and had pushed into the phone and pushed the screen slightly off (the glue has come away) and pushed the home button off - the screen is perfectly intact, no cracks or anything.

I've been on and off the phone with Samsung but they're just not budging, basically the engineer doesn't believe the screen/home button damage was caused by the battery. 

What else can I do? I don't see why I have to pay when the reason the screen and home button are damaged is because of their faulty battery..? I'd be a mug to pay it. 

I've been referred to their complaints department, also. 

[Anonymous]

Yeah I do see your point, the back screen was bent a bit as well, the bottom half of the screen was detached with the home button just sitting detached. The screen itself isn't damaged at all, what else in Samsung's eyes could've happened to it? Obviously there was a lot of force involved so if I would've dropped it surely the screen would of at least been cracked? They agree that the screen is perfectly fine.

[MI5]

Honestly I dunno - It's really weird and a hell of a lot of damage....

[Anonymous]

This is exactly what my dad who's an engineer himself has said.

[viridis]

I'm firmly in the camp of:
It is because of the battery pushing the display off.
But I also understand Samsung's dispute because of the home button detaching while not inside the pressure area.
I believe the glass pinged it off as it flexed back to being straight from being bent as pushed our the frame.

[Anonymous]

My dad is on the phone to Samsung right now and is getting so much conflicting information! Samsung are saying the decision IS the repair centre's and they can't do anything about it...

I've also emailed that exec office email too.

[Anonymous]

Nope, there's nothing else Samsung can/will do as the decision has been made. 

[gindygoo]

Do not stand for it mate, honestly I'd tell them you're going public. Get on their social media as I suggested before. It's amazing what they'll do, especially if you get your mates to retweet or share!

Keep us informed.

[Anonymous]

I've just been on Facebook talking to Samsung UK and they've said that they can see this has been investigated and that the device was not damaged due to the battery swelling so they can't take it any further... 

Brilliant! Seems like I'm running out of options... 

[MI5]

Is it at all possible that anything else could have happened to it?

[Anonymous]

Nope! The phone at the time was sitting in a drawer all by itself, I was using it as a back up phone as I had an iPhone aswell, I just went to the drawer to take it out and use it when I was going away for a few weeks and seen it in the state I've described.