Samsung USA Concedes That CEO's E-Mail Address Is Not A State Secret

By September 12, 2012
photo_ykkima

(Samsung)

UPDATE: Samsung has created an e-mail address that will allow people who have exhausted the regular customer service route to reach the company’s executive customer service team.

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Earlier today, we told you that a rep for Samsung had asked Consumerist to edit a reader’s comment to redact the name and e-mail address for the President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America. Now it looks like the tech giant has seen that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea and has relented.

Here is the text of an e-mail sent to Consumerist by Samsung North America’s Director of Corporate Communications:

I saw your piece on Samsung this afternoon and want you to know – message received.

I do want to point out though that the email address described in your headline – first two initials, last name at samsung.com — is not correct. The correct email address as listed in the consumer’s original post, is ykkim@sea.samsung.com. Would you consider making that correction?

Correction made. Thanks for the clarification.

We have subsequently written back to Samsung asking if the company would be willing to set up a dedicated executive customer service e-mail for customers who have exhausted the usual channels without resolution. Such an address would ideally be monitored by someone with authority to investigate the issue rather than merely dumping it back into the frontline customer service queue.

We are waiting eagerly for their reply.

As always, when sending an Executive E-mail Carpet Bomb, it never hurts to copy tips@consumerist.com on the message. Even if we don’t post your story, the mere inclusion of our e-mail address has helped a number of readers get their issue heard by someone who could actually help them.

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Comments

  1. Blueskylaw says:
    September 12, 2012 at 9:37 pm

    Consumerist – fighting for consumer rights since [redacted].

  2. YouDidWhatNow? says:
    September 12, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    This just in: Samsung has identified a person to handle such emails. Should your find yourself in a customer service predicament, please send your information to Peter.Phils.McCracken@Samsung.com. He’ll look forward to servicing your needs.

  3. Pete the Geek says:
    September 12, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    I like Samsung, I have a lot of Samsung Products, but telling a consumer advocacy website to not bother Samsung executives with consumer complaints after they have exhausted the official channels is a strange error in this extremely competitive economy. How about “we would prefer you not bother Mr. Kim, but you can email your details to xxx.yyy@zzz and we promise to give your issue a fresh look”? Perhaps Samsung management believes that their official customer service is already sufficient… which would explain a few things!

    • euph_22 says:
      September 13, 2012 at 1:48 am

      It’s not unreasonable to assume Samsung’s original request came from an overzealous PR person, and in no way reflects the policies of their management. Certainly if this was the CEO’s home address, personal cell phone number, or private email address the PR person would want that redacted for the sake if the man’s privacy (and I sure the consumerist would respect that).

      And even if the PR person was acting out of an anti-consumer sentiment, the corporate bosses overruled him. THIS, the deliberate publicizing of the address, reflects their corporate philosophy, not the PR guys actions.

  4. RvLeshrac says:
    September 13, 2012 at 12:45 am

    It could, in theory, be considered a trade secret, depending on how far they’d want to try the courts and how openly available Mr. Kim makes his email address.

    I mean, Samsung already has experience with just how retarded the courts are when it comes to determining how open or obvious something is, like say, patenting a rectangle.

  5. KyBash says:
    September 13, 2012 at 2:41 am

    They’ll just give him a new address since this one has been outed.

    I don’t see what the big deal is anyway — I got an ‘executive’ level customer rep, and he demanded I call them (my complaint stated I can’t use a telephone because of my disability), he flat out lied to me repeatedly (this model printer *does* need a special tool if you want to clean the window), and then he refused to answer e-mails.

    I was at a rally last week and asked the hopefully-next-senator what he thought about having the state come down hard on companies that don’t honor warranties. He said it had been on his mind, too, since he was having trouble getting his phone fixed — he pulled it out, and it was a Samsung!

  6. Loias supports harsher punishments against corporations says:
    September 13, 2012 at 9:29 am

    “I saw your piece on Samsung this afternoon and want you to know – message received. ”

    A pretty classy way to say I was wrong.

    • Blueskylaw says:
      September 13, 2012 at 11:36 am

      A pretty classy way to say I was wrong without legally admitting it.

      See kids, word play CAN be fun!!!