Lack of durability leads Galaxy Fold, Flip customers to consider class action suit against Samsung

Samsung could end up as the defendant in a class action suit being contemplated in Poland by some consumers in the country who bought phones in the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip series. 1,100 of these unhappy customers have posted their complaints on Facebook, according to SamMobile.

One of the major problems that these customers are having is the deterioration of the protective film on top of the foldable display. The breakdown of this covering can happen over time. The second issue, which is in large part related to the first one, is that Sammy's repair centers in the country aren't eager to fix the problem with the protective film unless pressured to do so through social media posts.

The report notes that in the Netherlands, similar problems have taken place with the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip units. And if you can find a Samsung repair center willing to fix your device, it could take days for the repair to be made. Hope you can handle that period of time without having a phone because Samsung will not offer you a replacement in that country. Oh, did we tell you that you also have to wipe the data off of your foldable before having it repaired by Samsung? That might not be unusual punishment, but it is cruel.

Samsung says that in Poland, if the protective film starts to detach from the foldable display or is damaged, "we ask customers to immediately go to one of our authorized service centers and replace it free of charge under and during the warranty period." But this isn't always the case as some Galaxy Z Fold and Flip owners have been turned down for a free repair.

Part of the problem is that buyers of the earlier Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip models have had their one-year warranty lapse leaving them with an expensive phone that they spent more than $1,000 for (nearly $2,000 in some cases) falling apart. The report also notes that even those who managed to get a free repair from Samsung were left with a bad taste in their mouths and are looking to unload their foldable. For many of these customers, a new foldable is out of the question and Samsung shouldn't count on them remaining loyal to the brand.

Samsung wants half of its smartphone revenues to come from foldables by 2025. It's hard to say whether that is an overly ambitious or reasonable goal. Pricing is one issue that will need to get resolved because at current prices, thinking of foldables as being mainstream seems out of the question. Samsung's development of a lower-priced Galaxy A version of the Fold and Flip will be a big help in this quest.

The other major problem is durability. As for those unlucky Galaxy Z Fold and Flip owners in Poland, they will have to decide whether or not to proceed with a class action suit. These can take years to resolve and often the amount paid to each member of the class is a mere pittance. In fact, among those involved in such a legal action, typically it is only the lawyers involved that get paid anything substantial.

More likely is the possibility that Samsung reaches a settlement with these Fold and Flip owners in Poland. Such an agreement would probably lead Samsung to issue coupons to the plaintiffs giving them a small, token discount on the latest Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. Members of the class will still have the option to opt-out of a settlement if they want to continue to pursue a legal remedy on their own dime.