You may remember reader Rob, whose story we featured here a few weeks ago. Rob bought a smart TV from Groupon Goods. and then ended up plunged in a bizarre chain of events involving an imaginary warranty, four different countries, and some very odd claims about how Samsung products have no warranty when they’re sold online. We have good news to report: He’s been issued a refund. By Groupon.

When Rob tried to make a warranty claim on his TV, which was supposed to have a manufacturer’s warranty, he was told that it had no warranty because it was made for the Mexican market. Or maybe Canada. Possibly Panama. Samsung forwarded him around to their subsidiaries in all of these countries, none of which were able to support his TV, let alone explain why Groupon would have been selling “secretly Mexican” electronics in the first place. Finally, someone at Samsung informed him that Samsung items sold online––anywhere online––don’t carry warranties. He finally turned to us.

As you may have guessed, Samsung did not step up in this case. Samsung wouldn’t answer our queries, and they stopped talking to Rob, too. That story ran on September 19. It’s just now, on October 9, that he finally has his refund in hand. “A day after the article was published, Groupon got in contact with us again,” he wrote to us. Why the delay? Groupon had some trouble getting the refund to him.

Well done, Groupon! Finally, someone took responsibility for this situation, but it shouldn’t have taken phone calls to multiple Samsung subsidiaries and finally a Consumerist post to make it happen. We would still rather solve the mystery of the Secretly Mexican Televisions, but will settle for a resolution for Rob. For now.

What we’re worried about is that the other people who also bought those televisions, which may or may not be gray market merchandise, try to use their warranties and encounter the same problem. They shouldn’t have to start from scratch to deal with the issue…but they probably will.

PREVIOUSLY:
Samsung Says My New TV From Groupon Is Secretly Mexican

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