Article Replacing the Samsung Galaxy SII I9100G (underpowered) with the Original I9100 (original model)

So in the latest of the tech travails that have befallen me.. the one with Samsung customer care has been arguably interesting.

Many of you might be aware that Samsung released a variation of the Original Galaxy SII I9100 in India and a few other markets - the I9100G. Not that it was unusual, except for the fact that they did it rather surreptiously. They sold the I9100G handsets in the I9100 Packaging and Boxing without clearly stating so. So the box packing and the branding remained I9100 in plain and clear, but the model inside was the I9100G.

The I9100G sports a lower spec TI-OMAP processor with a different chipset. The advantages being better battery life and better Sound Quality compared to the original I9100. It also fared better than the I9100 with little or no heating issues at all. The drawbacks meant that the I9100G was noticeably slower (and even more so after the latest ICS 4 update) and of course did not enjoy mass popularity for custom ROM's etc.

Coming back to my experience, thankfully when i purchased it - i did so from Croma with an official bill and naturally that came with a valid warranty. Luckily I retained the original copy of the bill and credit card swipe print (i have a rather uncanny idiotic ability to lose bills of my purchases). When i got back.. i noticed the handset said I9100G on startup. Quickly googling i realised the folly Samsung had committed (i'm sure they did it unintentionally ) I immediately proceeded to contact Samsung Customer Care, where as usual at that time (this was Nov'11) they said it was perfectly ok and fully supported model by Samsung etc.

As time passed, Samsung eventually faced massive criticism of their handling of the I9100G fiasco and started replacing them with the I9100. What they didnt make particularly easy... was how to go about it.

Initial attempts to contact Samsung India via their site failed - they had an old email address/and the email address they gave on twitter seemingly is never attended to in earnest. Infact they use a - hold your breath - GMAIL email address!!

Various attempts to contact them for support on twitter drew no great help at all. Eventually i resorted to using their "website integrated" email support after speaking to their reps on the phone. I was told there was a "separate" unit dealing with these replacement requests and that i was required to send in some "proof" on their email system with attachments.

The proofs required were :-
1. Snapshot of the back of the phone under the battery - for the serial nr/IMEI etc
2. Snapshots of the Original Box and Packaging.
3. Scan of the bill/invoice/chargeslip === I was \0/ and relieved to see i had rather sensibly retained it! lol

On submitting it - i contacted the helpline again to verify they received the email. After a rather abrupt hold.. they confirmed they received it and gave me a ref no. I was told they'd contact me after verifying the details. Eventually they did .. after 48hrs.

I got a call from one of their partner coordinators and also an email asking me to submit and physically produce the above proofs at a choice of service outlets, as well as carry an ID proof. I did that yesterday and visited the closest outlet to my residence.

They proceeded to fill out a service request, verify the handset, clicked photographs of the phone/box and scanned the purchase proof. They then gave me a printout of the job card and took my signature for the records (and gave me a copy of it). They then took a signature on a statement that said ---- if they didnt have a replacement in stock or could not give me the original model.. they'd refund my entire purchase amount paid! Till then i can continue to use the phone.

So now i wait.. for them to get their act in shape and let me know about the replacement.

In short - i hope this serves as a guide for anyone looking to replace their I9100G for the original I9100.

Secondly --- a good lesson learnt --- always buy original (unless you have really great contacts for grey market support) --- & always always always retain copies of the bill!


UPDATE 10/07/2012 : After a protracted process.. i was finally given a brand new sealed box packed GT-I9100!!! YAY!!........ which i have proceeded to promptly put up for sale!

So if anyone's interested... you can have a brand new Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 for only 24,000 (negotiable) with a full 5 months warranty left!!

which reminds me.. MODS----> is the sale section open for us to post our trade threads??


All in all.. alls well that ends well........ but not after putting up a fight and a lot of patience with Samsung Customer Care. Lesson learnt. I AM NEVER GOING TO BUY A SAMSUNG Mobile Phone AGAIN!

 

Yes ! it is sad but the practice followed by companies while they provide service or RMA is rather unnerving and long..
I sure wish that with today's tech penetration and online platforms they get their act together or when we go LIVE ( means RAID101 ) we will help in kicking their backsides !!

 

Well.. Samsung goofed initially by palming off the I9100G in the original I9100 boxes in an attempt to improve the I9100's issues with battery life etc. But they chose the wrong way to do it by not officially launching the "B" option of the I9100.

Eventually i believe they corrected it with a proper packing/boxing etc but not after severe flak from many customers. So the proper way to tell is by looking at the sticker that has the IMEI/Product Bar code etc which will have the I9100G badging... again this needs a trained eye and someone who is aware of the issue in the first place!

Regarding the thread title : Suggest a change I just typed it up as a suggestion for whoever was looking about how to go about it. I know a lot of I9100G guys were unaware of how to get a replacement from Samsung

 

If you're talking about buying a new one.. i think Samsung now clearly specifies it along the side of the box with the lettering "GT-I9100G".​

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If you're talking about a phone that's already with you... simply check on booting up.. it will display the model GT-I9100G. You can also check in the Settings>About Phone>Model Number.​

edit: if you were refering to thread title.. will edit it

edit#2 : It appears users cant edit the thread title // if there is a way, let me know

 

Anything you think best.

 

I changed the title again...

 

Updated it.... got my brand new sealed replacement today! & I'm putting it up for sale!!