Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 recall is a massive headache for the company. Even though Samsung is replacing some 2.5 million units that might house faulty batteries, reports of exploding Galaxy Note 7 units continue to pop up on an almost daily basis. And the incidents aren’t pretty.
Samsung has even somewhat acknowledged that it went about the recall the wrong way, at least in the US, but that’s changing. The US government is urging all owners to stop using the phone and take it back. Samsung, meanwhile, released a new announcement telling buyers to ditch their Galaxy Note 7 immediately. But Samsung won’t remotely disable your Galaxy Note 7 if you don’t bring it in, as had been rumored.
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“Our number one priority is the safety of our customers. We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note7s and exchange them as soon as possible,” Samsung President of Mobile Communications Business DJ Koh said. “We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible and in compliance with related regulations. We sincerely thank our customers for their understanding and patience.”
The company also stresses the fact that there “have been only a small number of reported incidents,” without updating the number it released more than a week ago. Samsung initially said it recalled the Galaxy Note 7 after 35 reported incidents. Since then, many more Galaxy Note 7 units have exploded.
What Samsung did not say in its press release is that it could remotely deactivate existing Galaxy Note 7 units that aren’t brought in. That would be one way to handle the mess, although consumers would have to suffer even more.
A French Galaxy Note 7 owner took to Reddit to say that the recalled Galaxy Note 7 units will be deactivated by Samsung after September 30th, so that no potentially harmful devices would be used after that date. Samsung, meanwhile, told Android Central that a remote deactivation isn’t something that’s happening or something that the company has stated.
Samsung’s latest official announcement on the matter follows:
Samsung Urges Galaxy Note7 Users to Immediately Participate in The Replacement Program
Just over a week ago, Samsung Electronics announced a global replacement program for the Galaxy Note7 as a precautionary measure due to a battery cell issue. Since then, we have been working hard to expedite product shipments in order to fulfill that exchange program and reduce any inconvenience for our customers. During the past week, we understand that there are concerns from our customers and we wish to emphasize the importance of exchanging the product.
“Our number one priority is the safety of our customers. We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note7s and exchange them as soon as possible,” says DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible and in compliance with related regulations. We sincerely thank our customers for their understanding and patience.”
Although there have been only a small number of reported incidents, Samsung is taking great care to provide customers with necessary support. Samsung has identified the affected inventory and stopped sales and shipments of those devices. We are also collaborating with national regulatory bodies.
Customers who have Galaxy Note7 devices can replace their current device with a new device based on local availability. We encourage Galaxy Note7 customers to contact their place of purchase or call the designated call center locally as soon as possible.
