S10 Preorder Nightmare

I’d like to share what has been the worst consumer experience of my adult life in regards to purchasing, or trying to purchase, a Galaxy S10 via a timeline of events that predated my order:

1. The end of 2018 and early 2019 – I haven’t upgraded my phone in quite some time by phone upgrade standards (I’m currently using a LG V30) and instantly fell into “I HAVE to buy the Galaxy S10” after spending hours upon hours reading about leaks and potential specs. I have used LG phones for the last 3 years with no issue, but something about the S10 had me very excited.
2. February 20, 2019 – I take a half day from work to watch the Samsung Unpacked event and after I CAN’T wait to place my order. I set my alarm to wake up when I would usually be sleeping to place my order (and to ensure I’m one of the first that orders so I can take advantage of the free Galaxy Buds promotion). I order my Galaxy S10 and my Galaxy Buds on Samsung.com as AT&T approves my AT&T Next agreement (I also get a charging pad and black silicone case free due to a $50 accessory credit) and am excited so it’s tough to fall back asleep.
3. February 21, 2019 – I get an e-mail my order is confirmed! I spend the next day’s checking my order status daily waiting for the S10 to ship. My finance agreement with AT&T shows up on my account and I am charged an activation fee on my bill (this is later removed by an AT&T rep).
4. March 2, 2019 – I’m on a weekend trip and get an e-mail my order has been cancelled as AT&T did not approve the order. I think there is no way this can be and call Samsung. The Samsung representative is of little help and advises I must call AT&T. I call AT&T and they advise they did not cancel the order and still show it pending. I go back and forth with Samsung and AT&T 3 times with each side pointing the finger back at the other but decide to stop as I’m on a trip and don’t want to waste more than the 3 hours I have wasted.
5. March 4, 2019 – I spend 5 hours on the phone between AT&T and Samsung (I’m still out of town on my trip). AT&T advises they still show a pending order and can’t do anything about it until Samsung sends them the cancellation. I contact Samsung back and am advised by a representative that the order has been cancelled and AT&T has been notified. I call AT&T back and advised that they don’t show any cancellation and advise they can’t accept any e-mails when I advise I can send them all the cancellation documents from Samsung. After a nearly 3 hour call an AT&T rep gives me 2 options: Go to a retail store or they can start a case for further research. I explain I am out of town and due to work/upcoming vacation can’t get to a retail location, so I set up a case number.
6. March 5, 2019 – I am frustrated beyond belief and have asked AT&T to just cancel my finance agreement, so I can re-order the phone at another time, but am advised that Samsung has not sent a cancellation to AT&T, so this cannot be done (I have the cancellation documents from Samsung!). I wanted the device at launch as I am taking my yearly vacation shortly after the launch date and couldn’t wait to use the upgraded camera set, but now it looks as if I will be traveling with my LG V30.

As you can read this has been a nightmare after a period of great excitement from my end. So far, I have lost: 1. Having the phone I desperately wanted to use on my vacation, 2. Galaxy Buds, 3. My desired phone case, 4. Nearly 9 hours of my weekend/trip. I hope others haven’t had to deal with this issue and subsequent hold music purgatory and they get to enjoy their new device as I use my LG V30 to capture my vacation. I’d love to revert everything back to how it was when I thought I’d have my phone on launch day, but this seems to have passed and I think my interest in Samsung and AT&T has as well.