NEWS BULLETIN! We interrupt Famous Actress Week here at OPOD to bring you this picture of a Movie Camera from 1920. The thing is, I bet this camera actually worked, as compared to some of the junk they are building today. For example, the Samsung HMX-H300, which I just purchased from Amazon.
I have some exciting events coming up in the next few weeks, so I ordered the camera. It arrived yesterday, and I was very excited to take it out of the box. I plugged it into the computer to charge it up, but the battery would not charge, and after some time the camera just shuts down, and then locks up. Once it locks up there is no way to turn it on. I found that if you took the battery out for a few minutes and then put it back in, it would reset. But, if I then try to charge the battery again, the camera locks up again. Well, I decide to call Samsung, and get a recording that I need to call back during normal business hours. I then try their "live chat" button on their support WEB site. I get a message that they are overwhelmed with requests for help right now and will not be able to chat with me. I try the chat line a few hours later and get someone. Below is the actual transcript with their support group.
I thought the transcript below is pretty funny, and shows the total lack of customer support from places like Samsung today. If you think this is amusing, please share this on facebook, twitter or any other social media you use. You can share this on facebook by clicking the little box after the article with the "f" in it. I hope as many people as possible read the following, and I hope you will help to spread it around.
Transcript of Samsung Technical Support "Chat"
Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond
You are now chatting with 'Raven'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today. Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK564012656XRaven: Hi, thanks for reaching out to Samsung tech support. How can I help you today?
Visitor: My samsung camera shuts off when charging through USB and then will not turn on. I have to take battery out and put back in, and then it will turn on
Raven: May I know the model number of the unit?
Visitor: H300 Long Zoom Full HD
Raven: Thanks for the model number.
Raven: Let me provide you with a link which gives you step by step instructions about how to fix this issue.
Raven: Are you able to access the link?
Visitor: Yes, and I had already read that. It is a new camera, out of box today. When I try and charge it, the charge light never turns green. The camera shuts down, and will not turn on.
Raven: Okay, no problem. Please charge the unit for about hours, then try to power on the unit and check for the result.
Visitor: yes, I have been doing that all afternoon. When I plug the USB cable in, it never shows the unit as charged (orange light stays on). Then the camera locks up and I have to take battery out to reset/restart the camera.
Raven: Please check if the cable is connected firmly at both the ends.
Visitor: I have a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. I know how to connect a cord properly. The camera shuts down when I try and charge it from USB. It then locks up and then I have to take the battery out to restart the camera.
Raven: I understand your concern. The orange LED indicates that it is an issue with the cable. So, I request you to change the cable and check if the issue still persists.
Visitor: Yes, when I initially plugged the cable in, I checked to make sure it was securely plugged in on both ends. I used to design nuclear weapons for a living. I understand the importance of connectors being plugged in properly. It was very important in that line of work. So, I always check the cables carefully, and can assure you they were properly connected.
Raven: Yes, I agree with you that the cables were properly connected. However, the LED (orange) indicates that the cable has gone bad. Please replace the cable to fix this issue.
Visitor: The instructions say an orange light indicates that the battery is "charging", so orange would be normal, but I would not think it should stay orange, it should turn green. Also, I have had it hooked up for the last three hours to the AD adapter charger (different cord, different connection jack). I am sure I have this one plugged in correctly, and still the orange light stays on. Plus, why does the camera "lock up" on me?
Raven: Please allow me to go through the information.
Raven: Thanks for holding.
Raven: Yes, I agree with you.
Raven: May I know if the LED light is flashing light orange color?
Visitor: No, it is a solid orange color.
Raven: Okay, thanks for the confirmation.
Raven: Would you mind holding a few minutes while I gather the required information on your request?
Visitor: I do not mind. I am working on the Amazon Review for this as we speak.
Raven: Thank you.
Raven: Thanks for holding.
Raven: Since we have tried all the possible troubleshooting and are unable to resolve the issue, we need to file a service request to have the device serviced. Please provide the following information to create the request for this issue:
Raven: 1. Full name:
Raven: 2. e-mail address:
Raven: 3. Model code & Serial number of the unit :
Raven: 4. Mailing address:
Raven: 5. Phone number:
Visitor: How does service work? Would I have to pay postage to mail it in? How long would repair take? I have some very important things to videotape in the next few weeks.
Raven: May I know the date of purchase of the unit?
Visitor: I received it in the mail today from Amazon. They gave me $50 off coupon to buy it. I ordered it a few days ago. I am getting nervous about the "coupon" maybe they knew something I did not about this camera.
Raven: Okay, no problem. Thanks for the information.
Raven: May I know if you have the purchase receipt handy?
Visitor: Yes, it is in front of me
Raven: Okay, no problem. Thanks for the information.
Raven: May I know if you have registered the unit on the Samsung website?
Visitor: No, I have spent the day making sure the cable was plugged in correctly, and trying to get the camera to charge. I have not had a chance to register the camera.
Raven: Okay, no problem. Thanks for the information.
Raven: Please provide the following information to create the request for this issue:
Raven: 1. Full name:
Raven: 2. e-mail address:
Raven: 3. Model code & Serial number of the unit :
Raven: 4. Mailing address:
Raven: 5. Phone number:
Visitor: I need to understand if I have to pay shipping to return the camera to you. How long the repair will take and whether I am better off just submitting my amazon review now, and returning camera to them. They pay postage if I just return it and cancel the order.
Raven: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Visitor: This is the amazon review I have so far:
Visitor: I ordered this camera because Amazon sent me a $50 off coupon, and the original price seemed reasonable. I had been wanting a new camcorder, and this one had decent reviews, so it appeared to be just the ticket. When I received the camera, the battery appeared to be charged, so I popped a memory card in and started taking videos. Overall, I was very disappointed. I have peacocks, so went out and videotaped the peacocks strutting around doing their thing. As you know peacocks have vibrant, brilliant colors, and so was expecting the video to be vivid. My first surprise was that the screen was useless in bright sunlight. You could not see what you were filming at all. You point towards the subject, and hope you are getting it. Since there is not an optical viewfinder, the camera is next to useless outdoors. I was very surprised at how "dull" the video looked. The colors were not vibrant at all. It had an overall gray look to it, and very low contrast and low saturation. Almost like the images were shot through a smudged lens. The second surprise was the lack of sharpness in the video. The video was made in bright light, and high contrast scene. The focus was very "soft" with details lost. This combined with the low contrast and saturation mentioned earlier results in an unacceptable picture quality, even for a low end camera. The overall video quality from this camera is more like what you get from a phone. In fact, given the quality from this camera, you would likely just leave it at home and use your phone camera. The quality of video from this camera is lower than from previous generation entry/low end video cameras. Overall this camera was a huge disappointment. I did initially decide to keep it because with a large memory card, you can record a long event. I purchased it for an upcoming event so decided to keep it. Then I went to charge it up with the USB cable. The instructions say that as the battery is charging via USB, the small indicator light will be orange. When the battery is charged, it will turn green. What happened when I tried to charge is is that the light remained orange, and would not turn green. The camera would then "shut down" where it would not turn on, and would not be seen by the computer through the USB. Taking the battery out and putting it back in appears to "reset" the camera and allow you to turn the thing back on. As this appeared to be a hardware problem, I tried to call Samsung customer support. I got a recording to call back during normal business hours. I then went to the WEB site and tried to connect to them via the live chat button. I got a response that due to overwhelming help requests, they would be unable to provide live chat support to me. The sound quality is poor as well. There is a noticeable "hum", and the sound of the autofocus and the zoom is pronounced. There is no jack for an external microphone. I also ordered the recommended extra battery. It has a different form factor than the one on the camera, and does not fit nicely.
Raven: Please allow me to go through it.
Visitor: I am actually giving up on you offering me any help.
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