Samsung Electronics Service pilots cash-free service centers

Samsung Electronics Service announced Thursday that it will pilot "cash-free service centers" at 16 locations starting Sept. 17. The move is expected to simplify billing operations and shorten wait times for visiting customers.

The pilot program will run at the Yeouido, Dogok and Hangdong Knowledge Industry centers in Seoul, along with three locations in Gyeonggi Province and one in Daejeon. Centers will operate in two locations in South Chungcheong Province, one in Gwangju, one in South Jeolla Province, two in Daegu, one in North Gyeongsang Province and two in Ulsan.

The company made the decision as cash use has been consistently declining. In practice, the share of customers paying with cash for parts or service fees at Samsung Electronics service centers has fallen below 5 percent this year. This continues a yearly downward trend.

After the trial run, Samsung Electronics Service plans to expand the cash-free system to all of its service centers nationwide, incorporating customer feedback along the way.

The company has also signed an MOU with the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute on the Carbon Neutral Point Program. It is also actively participating in the issuance of electronic receipts.

When customers request service, Samsung Electronics Service issues electronic receipts to the mobile phone number they provide, minimizing paper receipts that would otherwise be discarded.

Over the past two years, more than 70 percent of all receipts issued have been electronic. Customers can also receive incentive benefits of up to 70,000 won ($52) a year by signing up for the Carbon Neutral Point green lifestyle program.

To make it easier for customers to check their electronic receipts, Samsung Electronics Service also offers a lookup function on its website.

According to the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, issuing electronic receipts can save about 120,000 trees and reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 tons annually.

Samsung Electronics Service is also promoting resource circulation through its "single-part smartphone display repair" service, which replaces only the damaged component rather than the entire display.