The South Korean company said in a statement it would take around two weeks to prepare replacement devices.
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Bell has reacted swiftly to the recall of the explosion-prone Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and stopped sales of the device effective immediately, according to an internal document obtained by MobileSyrup. Out of 35 reported cases, it seems that 24 on a scale of 1 million were actually affected by faulty batteries that caused them to catch fire.
The global recall was a setback for Samsung and somewhat happy news for Apple as it prepared to launch iPhone 7 (on September 7), experts said.
The fire-risk concerns would deal a blow to Samsung’s reputation as it marks the first recall of its smartphones in the company’s history.
Digicel will be making contact with all Samsung Note 7 customers on Monday to discuss their options.
Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung’s mobile business, has stated a investigation found the source of the problem to be one of the two batteries used on the devices. The phones can reportedly catch fire while charging. Customers are also allowed to swap their Galaxy Note 7 for any device T-Mobile offers.
According to the company, the Note 7 has only been released in 10 countries so far, but with different battery suppliers – most of the reported cases appear to have come from the US and South Korea.
In a statement, Samsung said it would issue replacements to those customers who had already bought one for free, while announcing it was stopping new sales.
At this point, the number of bad batteries remains small, but the potential impact on Samsung’s brand remains to be seen.
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There are still no details as to how Note 7 owners can return their phones and receive a new, safer unit. Experts believe the company might solve the current issue before it enters the fourth quarter. “I would expect at least a slight loss in consumer confidence”.
