(And, to Samsung Galaxy users, the announcement that Best Buy had not done a 911 hangup; they’d hung up. Because Best Buy, which accounts for 20 per cent of all US electronics retail sales, has decided that it no longer wants to be an authorised service provider, or ASP, for Galaxy smartphones, ending the era of Galaxy sales and service at stores like the one where Jessica works.)
For years, Best Buy has been the place to go to fix your Samsung Galaxy, thanks to its status as an ASP, or ‘authorised service provider.’ Galaxies needing some tender loving care can be taken to select Best Buy locations for servicing instead of sending them back to Samsung. While this arrangement might not always be the fastest way to get your phone working again, it was the most reliable, but now, according to recent reports, the best of times are nearing an end.
The details surrounding why the partnership ended are still unclear. Neither Samsung nor Best Buy have supplied an official explanation for the shift. But several sources have speculated that a primary motivation behind the move was streamlining, getting rid of a lucrative side-business in order to bring the company’s focus back to its most profitable opportunities. It’s part of a trend in the industry around repair policies and partnerships: iFixit, in May, announced that it ended its relationship with Samsung for similar reasons.
Best Buy’s decision to discontinue Galaxy repairs means that Samsung users must find service and support elsewhere. This could bring new difficulties, especially for users who depended on Best Buy’s services for their smartphones.
Samsung claims to offer ‘multiple repair options to conveniently support’ customers, such as mail-in services. There’s another in-person alternative with hundreds of stores: UBreakiFix, which repairs smartphones and other technology and has nearly 700 locations in the United States. ‘Find nearest UKF,’ the Galaxy advertisements encourage the phone’s owners, referencing the company’s partner in customer service.
Despite quitting their service partnership, Best Buy and Samsung seem positioned to continue their relationship in other forms: the gradual expansion of Samsungs to Best Buys nationwide reflects a tight alliance between the two, if one that is evolving.
We might hope this shift will open the door for Samsung to improve its repair services – perhaps to more efficient, consumer-friendly solutions. Galaxy customers, too, can discover other repair options such as mail-in services or one of the many locations of UBreakiFix.
As the repair landscape changes, we think Galaxy owners could benefit at this moment by reassessing their choices. Buyers of new devices might shop for models with reputations for resilience and robust support, and they might invest in comprehensive service contracts at time of purchase. Yes, it might be a hassle to customise our smart phone purchases. But it’s a small price for freedom of choice when our fleeting devices fail.
And for those contemplating an upgrade or change, there is no shortage of alternatives in an ever-richer tech market: upcoming models from a number of brands promise innovation and value, making now a great time to consider the next generation of smartphones.
When it comes to innovation and quality smartphones and tablets and other electronic products, there’s one company that’s always had its finger on the pulse of the tech market: Samsung. Now that its three-year repair partnership with Best Buy is ending, it’s a reminder that the tech industry is constantly moving and changing and sometimes companies need to keep up with their customers.
As a Samsung Galaxy user, you have a chance to participate in those changes, through alternative sources of support and service that help your device to keep on ticking. While the relationship between Samsung and its customers might sometimes be under severe strain, in this particular case, through alternative repair and with more development, that relationship could at least maintain the tendency for support and innovation to go together.
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