Samsung is in a lot of trouble following the mismanagement of the first Galaxy Note 7 recall that lead to the abrupt termination of the hot new phablet. Many “safe” replacements exploded, forcing Samsung to cancel the product well ahead of its time. Samsung is now looking to keep as many customers on board as possible, even if that means buying their loyalty. At the same time, studies show that existing Samsung customers may switch to a different smartphone brand in the future.
Meanwhile, Samsung mobile’s chief, who might ultimately have to pay for all this Galaxy Note 7 scandal, vows to rebuild customer trust.
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Koh Dong-jin said on Wednesday that he “would at any cost find the exact cause (of the faulty Galaxy Note 7) to restore trust of consumers so that they can use Samsung products without any safety concerns.”
Koh apologized for the Galaxy Note 7 crisis, and expressed his gratitude to the Samsung members for their support in tough times, The Korea Herald reports.
Koh lead the mobile division since December 2014, when he replaced outgoing Shin Jong-Kyun, who currently oversees the information technology and mobile communication division.
Koh, who joined Samsung in 1984, is seen as detrimental to the recent success of the Galaxy S6 and S7, and Galaxy Note 7. But he might be ultimately held accountable for the Galaxy Note 7’s demise, the Herald notes.
Samsung hasn’t done a great job at explaining to the public at large what went wrong with the Galaxy Note 7 following the first recall. A report said that Samsung chose to protect itself against future lawsuits, rather than expedite communication between Galaxy Note 7 testers looking to figure out what the problem is.
The cancellation of the Galaxy Note 7 will have other important ramifications. Business Korea notes that some of the research and development projects related to the Galaxy Note 7, including iris recognition, finance, fintech, security, cloud, and electric cars will all be affected.
Accessories made for the Galaxy Note 7 and services created for the tablet will have to be put on hold. Devices like Gear VR and the Gear S3 wearable were mainly targeting Galaxy Note 7 buyers.
Novel features conceived for the Galaxy S8 may also be put on hold, such as foldable display technology to make sure there aren’t any flaws that could affect user experience. The last thing Samsung wants is another scandal affecting its top-of-the-line smartphones.
