L. Ken LENNAN

Fax: email ken.lennan@village.uunet.be (Home)
or: fa061269@skynet.be Kenneth.Lennan@ec.europa.eu (Office)
322. 646.00.66 (Home) 322. 299.34.22 (Office) 322. 298.08.02 (Office)
Rue de la Chasse Royale 39, Auderghem, 1160 Brussels, BELGIUM
8 November 2006 Subject: Continuing difficulties regarding a Samsung washing machine in Belgium Dear Chairman, Firstly I would like to apologize for taking up your valuable time and for not being able to address you in the Korean language. However, I find myself in a vicious circle regarding a Samsung washing machine purchased on 14 September and delivered on 23 September. The machine was chosen by my wife on the basis of positive experiences with the Samsung brand (our existing TV and video recorder), its 7 kg capacity, but, more importantly, the time taken to complete a basic white or coloured wash. The machine has never functioned as specified. There have been two separate visits of technicians sent by Samsung service on the 6th (two technicians) and 27th October (a different one). In both cases, since both myself and my wife work, I have had to take two separate half days of my annual holidays to wait for a technician (technicians in Belgium do not work at weekends and cannot seemingly specify the time of their visit - only whether it will be morning or afternoon but this is not specifically a Samsung problem, except when the proposal of sending technicians becomes excessive, as it has by now become in this case). Looked at in terms of my salary foregone waiting for technicians, the two half days leave taken (at my particular salary rate) would have just about paid for an equivalent replacement machine! As of today the problem has not been resolved in fact the machine has recently started wandering around the room (see photos attached) and my wife is getting extremely angry. She now positively does not want this defective washing machine in the house. The only possibility seemingly being offered by Samsung is a third, undoubtedly fruitless visit, of another technician and a further drain on my holiday entitlement. At this stage, I am afraid I want the machine removed and to be reimbursed.
Mr. Kun - Hee Lee, Chairman & CEO, Samsung Main Building, 250 Taepyung-ro 2-ka, Chung-ku, Seoul, 100-742, Korea
I would remark in passing that there are some suggestions which might prove helpful for your company's operations in white goods specifically and in Belgium more generally. Design of washing machines: The led display on the washing machine giving time to completion is very nice, but it has the disadvantage for the manufacturer of demonstrating that this time is never achieved. One only has to see the washing machine regularly (no matter what the load or type of fabric, as I understand that cycle time may depend on the load) saying 8 minutes for 10 minutes in a row! Contacting Samsung (Belgium): Obviously for the company it is preferable to use a web form rather than giving an email address to contact, since the form is able to specify the information that may be required. However if one looks at the Samsung Belgian site (in French or Dutch) you will find "Household appliances", with the options "Refrigerators, "Microwaves", "Vacuum cleaners", but no "Washing machines". On the international site web site you will find washing machines, but not the model number sold in Belgium. The only contact option seems to be "Others" on the form. This seems to throw the system into disarray since I end up as a different person with different repair numbers and client numbers. Neither does there appear to be any means of receiving a copy, for my file, of the communication sent to Samsung, other than by cutting and pasting what I put into the form and saving it separately. It might also be helpful to have an actual address for written correspondence to Samsung Belgium. I have spent an hour on the Belgian, Dutch and global sites without finding the mailing address of Samsung in Vilvoorde or Samsung in Delft. I attach, for your information the various items of correspondence concerning the washing machine with summaries in English. The references to my particular case are: Washing machine: Samsung WFJ1454V 7kg Purchased Krefel(Brussels): 14 September 2006 Delivered & installed: 23 September 2006 Client number (Samsung): 2800433701 + 2800448587 Repair Number (Samsung): 3003485046 (one of probably some duplicates)

Yours sincerely,

L. Ken Lennan