Hey folks,

If your SCD23 camcorder is broken for no apparent reason and all you get is a Black Screen in Camera mode - Samsung is replacing the camcorder with an equivalent replacement model. This is in regards to lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots....of complaints about the defective CCD. I actually found out about this replacement on the last page of another Thread in here called: ATTN SCD23 Owners: Class-Action Lawsuit. I just called Samsung Customer Support at 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864) and used options 2, 1, 3, 5. They tried to get me to do the obvious like "Make sure the lens cover is off" and stuff but I quickly responded that I knew of the recall on this camera and then they started to ask me what the serial number was and where they could mail my replacement camera. Too bad it tookl them this long to address the problem (some threads on this topic in this forum are dated from last year) but at least now they are accepting some responsibility.

Good luck in your return transaction!

-Tom

It has been one week since I shipped the camcorder to CVE (Samsung's repair / evaluation facility). I clicked on the useless Service Request Self Tracking link during the week and have seen NO updates. It turns out that the repair facility (CVE) did indeed receive my scd23 unit a couple of days ago. They told me that they would update my ticket (or transaction #) which would instruct Samsung to mail out the replacement unit. Later today I called Samsung to verify this and they said that the uit would arrive in 7-14 days and that CVE send the units out, not them. I do not know who to believe at this point. I'll update this thread as time goes on....

-Tom

Make sure that you have your UPS tracking number handy when you call both Samsung as well as CVE as you will be asked for it!!!! BTW - the phone number to CVE is 1-800-231-5552.

-Tom

I jsut checked the Samsung Service Request Self Tracking link and I was shocked - it was actually updated with a ship date and tracking number! Woo hoo! The camera should arrive this week. I'll let you all know what they send me once I receive it.

-Tom

Hey tgellert,

I just called customer service at samsung and told them my problem with my scd23. it was the same as everyone that has ever bought one of these...less than 10 hours of recording...and yep you guessed it, the black screen. So I explained this all to the customer service lady and she put me on hold. when she got back on, she said that they were going to take care of it for free(in other words, try to fix it and if they can't then they will replace with something comparable), and that i just had to pay for the shipping. i sent it out today to CVE insured for $300. I also have a tracking number just in case, so i will be anxious to find out what they send me. when I track the order on samsung's website, it says: "Replace" so I am assuming that they are sending me a new camera. I don't want a fixed scd23 since it looks like it will always have problems. I am very anxious to find out what you got, so please post when you get your camera. any other advice as i go through this is appreciated too. thanks.

I just got my new camera! The turn around time was not bad at all on this whole ordeal. I sent the camera from the UPS store on September 8th and I now have in my hands a brand new SC-D365 model. That's a little less than 2 weeks. The new camera is a lot smaller than the scd23 and has some new features as well. I am glad to have a working camera again! Good luck with your return!

-Tom

I called Samsung, and explained my situation. The guy I talked to was very pleasant, (nice change from last time I called). He said to ship it in and they would send me a new model. I asked if it would be comparable to my old, and he said he did not know. I am glad they are taking responsibility, but I hope they do send a model with at least the same features. Did anybody get screwed with the exchange yet?

Good going SMP! I am glad you have started the process with SAMSUX!
Demand that you recieve the SC-D963! It is closest to the old SC-D23! Although, I am afraid it falls short in my opinion!
~ I just received my replacement cam UPS yesterday! The first thing that upset me when I opened the box; it had NO packing material in it AT ALL, just a box with my cam in it bouncing around loose! This alone shows how much they care! The same defiant and 'could care less' attitude exhibited by SAMSUX towards all of us who are victims of this hidden defect in our cams! A defect which SAMUX has been well aware of for quite some time! The second thing I noticed about the 963 cam is NO MOVIE LIGHT! Even tho their own site shows it has one in the picture of it ! Also the spec sheet on their site has incorrect info! I am sure it is just the same carelessness of SAMSUX that put a picture of an scd365 and bad spec sheet on the page instead of the correct one ! You must go to Camcorderinfo.com's rating site to get an accurate picture and spec sheet! This tells me a lot about how they view these cams: Low quality Dv cams for the poor masses that can't spend big $$ on the ever newest technology! Also I have noticed how noisy the carrier mechanism of this 963 is! Put a tape in and it sounds like an old VCR that has been ridden hard and put up wet! It is so small that it has no mass in your hand and the buttons are too small (obviously not for anyone with large hands!) The button placement is all wrong and conflicting as is the cable interface position! IN THE WAY! THe charge indicator lite is immpossible to see with the charge cable in place! The exact time when you need to be able to see it! the LCD is smaller than my scd23 and the 365! This is supposed to be their top of the line MiniDv cam but it has less zoom than the 365 and will not accept the Sony memory stik cards that I had purchased for my SCD23! I do not like this cam but I dread what I will have to go thru just to return it! I know this sounds like an angry rant against SAMUX but I am afraid they are the ones that have caused my attitude to change about them! I used to think they were one of the best electronic firms around! They had built a reputation that was second to none, even Sony! If you wanted quality, you always had to check out Samsung! I feel now that their behavior trend has shown they are not the company they used to be! They owe all of us an apology, a public apology for their corrupt behavior (SEE POST) and for keeping this recall secret! Not one registered owner has received a notice from Samsux! This site is the only reason most of us have gotten the info and begun interaction with SAMSUX! They owe us an apology For not treating each one of us equally and for also trying to get out on the cheap! They are going to find that their pi$$ poor handling of this chip fiasco is going to cost them much more than they could ever imagine! I am going to hold on to this 963 for the time being, mainly so I can get caught up on my family events and get thru the coming holidays ! However, I guarantee after the first of 2007 when the new models come out, I will be back on the phone and letter writing campaign to SAMSUX for an exchange! If this cam even lasts that long! I noticed that the warranty is only 90 days labor and 1 year parts! Looks like Samsux is really confident in the quality!

Rant Over, 23_SkiDoo

I called Samsung on 1/24/07 to get the ball rolling on repairing/replacing my camcorder for the same problems everyone else has been describing. I purchased my camera from samsclub.com on 11/03/2003. The very first time the camera went "kaput" on me was in August 2006. I turned the camcorder on to video my childrens' very first experience at the beach, and wouldn't you know it, but the screen was black! It was recording audio, but there was no video. After about 30 min of turning it off & on or even mildly shaking it, I finally got it to work for just a little while and for the next 4 months I would experience the same frustration. I did some research & found out that many others were experiencing the very same problem. I figured since my camera was not longer under warranty, i would have to pay out of pocket, which I couldn't afford. I finally came across this website & read thru the threads, and thanks to you (skidoo & tegellert) I found out that Samsung is willing to repair/replace the product even if it was no longer warranteed. I've missed out so much in those "4 months" of my 2 little ones' development. But thankfully, Samsung complied w/ me (didn't even ask me when or where I purchased it) and informed me on where to return it to, etc. I sent it in 1/26/07 to CVE Inc. and will keep posting progress. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and i won't have to wait too long for the return. I will keep on them (SAmsung & CVE) to make sure they don't send me a piece of crap. If you happen to read this reply Skidoo, what have you done about your scd963? You mentioned you would wait until after the holidays to get a better model replacement. I hope they don't try to pull the same crap w/ me. I won't accept a replacement that doesn't have the same features as the scd23. A functioning CCD, nite pix and a light are the features I most need. I've tried to do some research on comparable camcorders & I don't get any results. Some websites will post a totally different photo from other websites on a same model or they will have a partial listing of features related to that particular camcorder I'm researching. Any ideas?
BTW, SKIDOO, Which "company name" did you file a complaint w/? In the bbb.org website, i searched for Samsung & a whole slew of companies w/ that name came up. I'm not sure which one needs to be addressed in regards to the SCD 23 camcorder.

Hey Inegar, sorry it took me so long to get back to you! I filed my complaint under their US division name: Samsung Electronics of America (SEA) From their website:
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA)
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., EC, is comprised of the Consumer Electronics Division (CED), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, and the Information Technology Division (ITD), headquartered in Irvine, CA. The NAHQ (North American Headquarters) organization oversees the North American operations of Samsung Telecommunications America, Samsung Electronics Canada and Samsung Electronics Mexico.

As soon as I have time I will be posting much pertinent info about the corruption at Samsung! I, for one will be doing much research in the future about any company I am thinking about doing biz with ! I am sick and tired of my hard earned money going to corrupt organizations that have no respect for me or the USA and have no interest in running an honest org ! I am all for free enterprise and capitalism but They are truly only concerned about profit at our expense! Later All! 23SkiDoo

I shipped my scd23 & was received by CVE on 1/31/07. I called them on 2/6/07 to confirm they had received it & she told me they had & that she was making a notation on my account for Samsung to ship my replacement camcorder....an scd 363! I said absolutely not! She told me I needed to take that up w/ Samsung so she gave me the number to Exec. Cust. Relations Dept. (800-522-7341). I was on hold forever, so I hung up to call 800-522-2946; once I got thru to someone, he told me to hold while he connected me to the right dept; when he transferred me I "mysteriously" got disconnected. I tried that # number again and after punching a few buttons to reach the right dept., I just got disconnected. Maybe my home number was "recorded" by their system to automatically disconnect me when i tried calling them, I don't know. The same thing happened when dialing 800-SAMSUNG. So I called the 800-522-7341 number again & after holding for exactly 19 min 58 sec, "Grace" answered the line. I told her how frustrated I was w/ their phone system & that I spoke w/ someone over at CVE about my replacement camera, which I am completely unhappy about (I was very nice about it, though). "Grace" then offered me the SCDC 164 (mini dvd camcorder) as a replacement or my other option would be a pro-rated refund, provided I send her a copy of my receipt. The pro-rated amount would have been about $180, (I didn't tell her this, but i don't have the receipt....just a copy of the packing slip. I'm sure if I really wanted to, I could hunt down a credit card bill to show the transaction purchase amount matched the packing slip info). I really don't know what I could do w/ $180 if I chose to do that. Anyway, I asked her about the 365 or the 963 & she said she didn't have either in stock, nor would she be receiving any. All she showed in stock was the 363 & the scdc164. She told me to think about it & to call her back. So I called back later to let them ship me the mini dvd camcorder. I at least have 90 days after receiving it to try it out. I'm not sure what else to do..........Anybody have suggestions????

DON'T DO IT INEGAR!!!! THE scdc164 was and is a piece of junk! For one it records directly onto a dvd! Quality sux! Second, the one they will send you is REBUILT!! It will have an XAA suffix on the part #! Don't do it unless you are willing to settle for the low quality and do not let them charge you one dime! If you decide to take it it should be an equal trade!! yours for that one ! I wouldn't do it! You may have to settle for a scd363(if you want a minidv tape cam) because they are trying to get out of the minidv cam line altogether! Samsung SUX!!

Just Google Samsung followed by any and all of these words: corrupt, price fixing, political scandals, arrested, subpeona, suicide( Samsung's head CEO's daughter commited suicide after he was issued a subpeona to testify in Korea about the corruption!!) Alot of interesting reading! You'll see why we can't get our cams fixed or replaced! Keep filing BBB & Atty General complaints!!! It takes time but it will eventually get results! There is only strength in numbers! 23 SkiDoo

They aren't gonna charge me. It would be an even trade, even though I would have been happier if they had fixed my scd23 & shipped it back to me. The $180 had to do w/ issuing me a refund if I chose to accept that instead of a replacement. So, at this point, I guess it's better than sitting here at home with no options & a broken camcorder.

I at least have 90 days to try the scdc164 out. Will keep posting.

Hi I went to all the process of calling and everything and they said that they would send me the scd 365 model.After I sended my camcoder I called again and they said again that they would send me the scd 365. What happens is that after a month I get the package and they sended me a scd 363 when I call samsung they thats was the model I was supposed to get. I tell them that they said more that 3 times I was supposed to get a scd 365 and the guy kept denying everything I told him I was aware that people were getting scd 365 as replacements camcorders the guy was like ohhh well I dont know my superiors told me that replacements are 363 I kept talking to the guy but it was no use. Iam very mad at this situation I dont know what to do can anybody help?

Sent mine in recently. Will hope to hear something soon.