A new report from Korea says that Samsung may be considering a bold marketing move for the upcoming Galaxy S8: unconditional refunds after up to three months of use.
That’s certainly unusual for any product, and especially an Android smartphone. In the three months that will follow the Galaxy S8’s launch, various other Android handsets will hit stores. An unconditional money-back guarantee may convince some buyers to ditch the Galaxy S8 and go for something else. Not to mention that, if you buy a Galaxy S8 this summer with this money-back guarantee, you’d be able to switch to the iPhone 8 in fall without taking any losses on the Galaxy S8.
The concept, first reported by Chosun Biz, according to The Investor, would address two concerns. First of all, the Bixby assistant will launch in a limited form on the Galaxy S8. Samsung is expected to release a software upgrade in the first half of the year, that will bring more functionality to the new AI assistant.
Moreover, the extended money-back guarantee is meant to prove Samsung’s confidence in the phone’s quality. The Galaxy S8 is going to be the first major smartphone launch for Samsung, following the Galaxy Note 7 disaster.
The report doesn’t say whether Samsung would offer such a perk to all its international buyers, or whether it’s a local marketing trick for the Korean market.
However, The Investor does say that such a refund program for the Galaxy S8 would be tricky for Samsung. Not only would it have to find a way to handle the returned phones, but Samsung would also have to worry about the incoming iPhone 8.
