Samsung confirms that Combase SA, the local subsidiary of a global mobile phone repair company that was previously contracted to Samsung, went into liquidation last week.
This has delayed repairs to over 2 000 Samsung phones that customers had taken to Combase`s Midrand premises, Samsung says.
Chris Kelly, Samsung`s national service manager for mobile phones, says the backlog of phones at Combase`s Johannesburg headquarters have been passed on to Ixia, a local cellphone repair company.
Approximately 1 000 mobile phones have yet to be repaired, while another 1 000 are waiting for collection by their owners, he says.
A customer care consultant from Ixia will contact the mobile phone owners whose handsets were transferred to Ixia to let them know where they should collect their phones, he adds.
New contract
Samsung marketing manager Justin Hume says Samsung signed a service provider contract with Ixia two months ago to expand its repair and maintenance services.
The contract, which was due to take effect on 1 August, was accelerated when it became clear Combase SA was in trouble, he says.
Samsung is also setting up another large service centre in Johannesburg, which is expected to be operational in a month`s time, says Kelly.
ITWeb contacted Combase SA`s branches in Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein, and found that, while owners were aware of the problems at head office, their branches were fully operational. Calls made to Combase`s head office were unanswered.
Kelly says the service branches are independently owned and Samsung plans to sign service provider agreements directly with them in order to ensure continuity.
Mobile phone users whose phones were in for repairs at Combase`s Midrand premises can call the Ixia call centre at 0861 252 2835.
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