Update: Samsung Officially Halts All Note7 Sales & Exchanges, Now Recalling All Devices
by Matt Humrick on October 13, 2016 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Samsung
- Mobile
- Galaxy Note7
Update 10/13: After earlier asking customers to stop using the Note7, today the company has expanded the matter to a full recall in the United States. All Note7s, originals and replacements, are now being recalled by the company. As most users are expected to want to swap to another phone, the actual processing of the recall is being handled by both Samsung (for direct sales customers), and retailers/carriers for remaining customers.
Meanwhile, along with the refunds/partial rebates being offered by retailers to either cover the cost of the phone or the price difference between it and its replacement, Samsung has also announced that they are expanding their US bill credit program. In short, customers who stay with Samsung will receive a $100 bill credit, while customers who replace their Note7 with another manufacturer's phone or opt for a full refund will receive a $25 bill credit.
U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program
Under the terms of the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program, you have the following choices and can take these next steps beginning October 13, 2016 at 3pm ET:
- Exchange your current Galaxy Note7 for any Samsung smartphone and replacement of any Galaxy Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices
- Obtain a refund at your point of purchase
In addition, you may be eligible for additional incentives described below:
What if I want to exchange my Galaxy Note7 for another Samsung smartphone?
As a sign of our appreciation for your patience and loyalty, we are offering up to a $100 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets if you exchange your Galaxy Note7 for another Samsung smartphone, less any incentive credits already received.
What if I already exchanged my Galaxy Note7 for another Samsung smartphone?
If you already exchanged your Galaxy Note7 device for another Samsung smartphone, you will receive up to a $75 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets in addition to the $25 you previously received.
What if I want a refund for my Galaxy Note7?
If you choose to obtain a refund, you will receive up to a $25 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets as a token of our appreciation and acknowledgement of your inconvenience, less any incentive credits already received.
What if I want to exchange my Galaxy Note7 for another brand of smartphone?
If you choose to exchange your Galaxy Note7 for another brand of smartphone, you will receive up to a $25 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets as a token of our appreciation and acknowledgement of your inconvenience, less any incentive credits already received.
Update 10/12: Seemingly set to put an end to this saga, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Samsung has informed South Korean regulators that it intends to permanently cease production of the phone. Given the issues Samsung has experienced, it goes without saying that this is not surprising, and this will mean that the Note7 will not get a third shot in the market.
Samsung made it official today that it is suspending all sales and exchanges of its beleaguered Galaxy Note7 smartphone, and it is also asking all partners to do the same.
After reports of several phones catching on fire after it initially went on sale, Samsung initiated a global recall while it investigated the source of the problem, which traced the issue to defective batteries from a specific supplier (Samsung sources batteries from more than one supplier). With the problem seemingly solved, Samsung initiated an exchange program where customers could trade in their defective Note7s for new, supposedly safe, ones or a new Galaxy S7 or S7 edge instead.
Unfortunately, it did not take long for fresh reports of battery fires to surface. Several of the replacement Note7s have caught fire too, including one that forced a Southwest Airlines flight in Louisville, Kentucky to be evacuated on October 5th. Another replacement Note7 caught fire in a Farmington, Minnesota girl’s hand on October 7th.
Here's Samsung's official statement:
We are working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.We remain committed to working diligently with the CPSC, carriers and our retail partners to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 should power down and take advantage of the remedies available, including a refund at their place of purchase. For more information, consumers should visit samsung.com/us/note7recall or contact 1-844-365-6197.
These new incidents suggest that the Note7’s issue is not limited to a single battery supplier like Samsung first thought. The Note7 is clearly a safety risk at this point, and we recommend that anyone that currently owns a Note7 heed Samsung’s advice and immediately power down the device and store it in a fire-safe location until it can be returned or exchanged.
Source: Samsung
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Pneumothorax - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link
In the RC Heli/Airplane world we use LiPo batteries without a casing (just like cell phones). They all puff a bit as you cycle them. If Samsung didn't engineer room enough for expansion in the ridiculous 'pursuit of thinness' then that would cause a serious issue in time.vladx - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link
Sounds like the best explanation to me, good job.Samus - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link
So that explains why there is a huge gap around the iPhone battery. At least it makes it easy to pry out when I replace them...mkozakewich - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link
And iPhones.lilmoe - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
They handled this like utter crap. I'm seriously disappointed. The best flagship of the year was tarnished by messed up management and unprofessional staff. What is wrong with these guys?They should have recalled all the phones FIRST, performed more sound investigations (including possibilities of manufacturing errors other than the battery), submitted official documents to authorities with the findings, fixed the error(s), THEN get formal approval of product retail in stores/carriers.
Let this be a lesson to learn for the future. One that would cost them more than just money; reputation.
serendip - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
Korean style management - never do a recall unless a regulator puts a gun to your head and never apologize to customers. Sounds a bit like American-style management at big Fortune 500 firms, actually.Samsung should have been proactive and recalled all Note 7 units worldwide after the first battery fire cases popped up. Now they look incredibly stupid by doing a limited recall, then doing a recall on that recall with a global recall. An engineering problem can be handled well with good PR but in this case, bad engineering and bad PR means a black eye for Samsung.
Gigaplex - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
Nobody does a global recall based on a few early reports, as it could easily be an isolated incident. Global recalls are a last resort, and can only be done with sufficient data. The problem is, hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to say now that it should have recalled immediately, but back then there wasn't sufficient data.serendip - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
They knew a batch was bad. Thorough testing of other batches with different battery vendors would have revealed if it was a battery fault or a design fault. Maybe they didn't do enough testing and rushed the product through.You know you have serious problems when airports and airlines call out Note 7 owners specifically to keep their phones switched off. A mid-air battery fire could be catastrophic.
lilmoe - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
This Note 7 wasn't "rushed" by any means, since it shares most of its components with the GS7e. Stop parroting what you hear on Bloomberg.This is either a design or a manufacturing flaw (or both), and a whole lot of management fail. Too many heads scrambled to "save face" disregarding the best interest of the company as a whole.
serendip - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
If they indeed used a battery that was too big for the phone casing and didn't test it enough to account for thermal expansion during charging, then I'd consider that a rushed product. The Note 7 shares most of the internals as the S7 Edge but the curved casing is totally different. Maybe that's where Samsung engineers went wrong.