The Samsung Galaxy Fold is set to finally start shipping to customers this month, but it looks like customers who pre-ordered the Galaxy Fold prior to its original release date will need to order the device again. According to emails being sent out to some Galaxy Fold customers, Samsung is canceling existing Galaxy Fold pre-orders, leaving those who want the device to have to order the phone again once it becomes available in the U.S. The news was first picked up by Tizenhelp.com, a Samsung blog, and later confirmed with Samsung by Digital Trends.
Thankfully, Samsung isn’t totally leaving customers out to dry — the company is offering those who did pre-order the phone a $250 Samsung gift card, which is redeemable for anything at Samsung.com.
“Ensuring that you have the best possible experience with this revolutionary new technology is our top priority. We are taking the time to rethink the entire customer experience — from purchase to unboxing to post-purchase service — so in the meantime, we have, regrettably, decided to cancel your existing pre-order,” said Samsung in the email. “While not an easy decision to make, we believe that this is the right thing to do.”
While it is nice that Samsung is giving customers a $250 gift card, it hardly replaces actually giving them what they wanted — the Galaxy Fold. It’s also important to note that customers will be refunded the money they paid for pre-ordering the device.
Still, this news doesn’t necessarily mean that customers won’t be able to get their hands on the device at all — it just means that they have lost their place in line. The device is expected to go up for pre-order in the U.S. again on September 27, though that date has yet to be confirmed by Samsung. Either way, Samsung has said that the device will be available in September.
The Galaxy Fold first launched earlier this year, but reviewers quickly found a number of issues with the device — many of which caused the screen to break. As a result, Samsung postponed the official launch and recalled all review units that had been sent out. Now, the revised version of the device is set to ship — and it will hopefully be much stronger than the original.
