A sad Samsung Focus owner recently took to AT&T’s online forum with a tale of woe that could spell trouble for AT&T and Samsung. With pictures as evidence, the man alleges that his Samsung smartphone overheated while charging and burned both the charger port and the cable connector. He claims that his handset began repeatedly sounding a charging chime, even when it was not plugged into the charger. The man plugged his phone in to see if it might stop the chimes and within 30 seconds he says he smelled the delightful aroma of burning electronics. A power surge could have been a possible explanation, but the plot then thickened; several other Focus owners have since reported symptoms similar to those that lead up to the meltdown, though none have reported fiery finales at this point. The story doesn’t quite have the same flare as news of an iPhone 4 owner whose device recently exploded and burned his hand, but we’re sure this former Focus fan didn’t mind escaping unscathed. What he did mind, however, is AT&T store reps’ less-than-helpful response to the man’s predicament. Rather than swapping the phone out on the spot, they’re making him jump through warranty claim hoops in order to replace his fricasseed phone. Hit the break for two more images of the damaged Focus.
