[Updated] Samsung Galaxy S23 pre-order issues surface as some users unable to make it to checkout; trade-in deals get criticized too

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on February 2, 2023) follows:

Samsung is ready with its Galaxy S23 series which will be available in various colors like cream and green. And one of the best ways you can get your hands on this smartphone is to sell or trade in your old one.

However, a section of users feels that the trade-in values have been significantly reduced by Samsung and aren’t really happy about it.

Samsung Galaxy S23 pre-order trade-in deals awful?

As a result, some potential US buyers (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) have been compelled to describe the Galaxy S23 as awful because of the trade-in offers that Samsung is offering.

How can Samsung offer more for a trade in of an iPhone than for a s22 ultra. Guess they value iPhone users more than us
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The trade-in value sucks, so I don’t think I’m getting the S23 Ultra. My S22+ is really only worth 375 after a year 🤨
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One of the buyers even states that these deals are the worst ones in recent years. According to the report, they were offered a $360 trade-in value for Galaxy S23 in place of Galaxy S22 Ultra.

These offers also show the apparent inconsistencies. If a user trades in their S23 Ultra 512GB, they will receive an $800 value on the Note 20 Ultra. But people who choose the S23 Ultra with 1TB may receive the same phone for a $350 trade-in value.

This is seemingly preventing several users (1,2,3,4,5) from trading their old phones altogether for the newest Galaxy S23.

Owing to the ludicrous trade-in deals, some are hailing Google Fi (1,2) for providing better options for the same.

It appears that the offers seem to be much more appealing in Canada as well, as per a user’s report.

Pre-order trade-in issues

Additionally, when some buyers (1,2,3,4) try to trade in their old phones, the website crashes for them and they frequently get a ‘Keep my existing plan’ error.

Hey @TMobileHelp trying to pre order my S23 Ultra but your site keeps giving a server error. What’s going on?
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Although this problem isn’t carrier specific and is being reported by multiple users, there is something more peculiar about the issues with T-Mobile users (1,2,3,4,5).

Apparently, they are unable to trade in their phones because of their inability to validate the IMEI (1,2,3). The website rather shows a ‘We are unable to validate IMEI with T-Mobile right now. Please try again later’ error.

Reports are also making rounds where T-Mobile users are being asked for an absurd and upfront down payment worth $420.

Trying to order it on the Samsung website and I keep being told I owe a $419.99 down payment for some reason.
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I want the 23 ultra but the down payment is going to be ridiculous
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However, a user suggests contacting T-Force as they seem to be helping people order phones without a downpayment.

Even though people are actively approaching the team but some of them are met with the following response:

Even though Samsung is financing through us, there will be different restrictions on their end. Which is why they may require a down payment and we do not.
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We hope that Samsung takes cognizance of the alleged issues which seem as abysmal as they sound. Hopefully, Galaxy S23 trade-in deals will improve going forward.

We’ll keep tabs on the latest developments and update this article as and when something noteworthy comes up.

11:26 am (IST): One of our readers said that the trade-in deals have further changed on T-Mobile. Users will now need to have a Magenta Max plan to get $1000 trade in discount.

Thanks for the tip: William Leger!

09:28 pm (IST): Here’s a potential solution if you are unable to trade-in your old device while purchasing Galaxy S23 due to IMEI issue.

02:00 pm (IST): According to some buyers, Google-Fi trade-in deals can save you a lot of money and you can get the top-tier Galaxy S23 Ultra for as low as $200.

Note: You can check out our dedicated Samsung Galaxy S23 series update and bugs tracker for related information.

Featured image source: Samsung

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