Samsung customer service sucks! (very long, read at your own risk!)

There is probably a more suitable place to put this thread, or to merge it with something else, so please do forgive me.

Just wanted to share my recent experience with Samsung customer service and after some Internet digging, I have come to a conclusion that Samsung doesn't care about its customers, but to shift numbers... So see this as a friendly warning if your Samsung products experience any problems, go back to the shop where you got them from, don't deal with Samsung directly. Obviously, I am very angry now, so any positive experiences with them, I am all ears. So here goes the timeline:

25/7 - I logged a service call with Samsung directly after a tablet charger became faulty. I explored all options - bring back to the shop which I was quoted 2 weeks turnaround time, called a couple of Samsung repair centres in London, they can't deal with it. Samsung at Gateshead quoted a week's turnaround time from the day their received the unit. That all seem reasonable. I was also promised to be given updates as it progressed.

1/8 - I had heard nothing, called them and was told they still hadn't received the unit, alarm bell started to ring, but they told me they don't have a step by step update on their system, so they probably haven received the unit, but the technicians haven't gotten round testing it yet, hence the lack of updates. I was told them turnaround time is usually 15 working days, so give it another week.

8/8 - I called again, primarily wanted to find out if they have any updates, as I was worried they charger might be lost in the post. I was told they still haven't received anything. I was advised to email in a proof of postage so they could locate the package and if it's lost, they can come to come compromise. I started to get quite annoyed.

13/8 - I called again to see if they have received my email. I was told they did but it's a proof of postage, not a proof of purchase as this is what is needed for a replacement charger to be sent out. I said I was told to send in the proof of postage not purchase... had a long and hot heated debate with them. They wouldn't back down but insisted to see a proof of purchase and my case has been marked as urgent and a charger will be sent out as soon as I send in the proof. I emailed them what they need right away.

16/8 (today) - haven't heard nothing, all the promises of email / phone call from Samsung, nothing. I called again and only to be told they never received my email of the proof of purchase and they gave me a lecture of what a proof of purchase is, and all that I sent in was a proof of postage etc. They also accused me of swearing at them, when I merely said I don't think Samsung doesn't give a shit. I demended to speak to a senior person, I was told nobody is available, I then asked to speak to the complaint department, I was initially told nobody was available and was later put on hold for over 5 mintues. I hung up and called again, without disclosing the previously debates, I was put through the the complaint department right away. And all of a sudden, they have received my email with the proof of purchase and that my charger will be sent out today (I will believe it when I see it). I also wanted to make a complaint about the stinky attitude of the advisors but they were taking none of it, instead of being diplomatic and say we will look into this and that, they started getting all defensive and insisted nothing has gone wrong throughout the entire process. It was literally like "computer says no..."

Bottom line is, I don't have a problem waiting for 3 weeks if I am kept in the loop of what's going on, like Apple always does. What annoys me the most is there has been no communication from Samsung whatsoever and we are really just talking about a charger that probably cost them pennies to make.

Maybe I have had years of top notch customer service from Apple so my expectations are unrealistic, I don't know. But in this day and age, is 3 weeks + really acceptable for (not) resolving something so simple and minor?

I'm not really sure why other people don't have iPads and iPhones.

I do happen to have both. Apple fan and all that. The Samsung device concerned isn't even mine... Now having had some comparison, Apple's customer service really is second to none.

Simple solution. Buy an iPad from Amazon. You will kill the high street, the Royal Mail, independent businessmen, the NHS by depriving it of tax, some 3rd world labourers and a river in China but the customer service if anything goes wrong will be exceptional.