The official Hazard states, “The lithium-ion battery in the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones can overheat and catch fire, posing a serious burn hazard to consumers”.
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While Samsung hammered out its formal recall plan with USA regulators, the FAA told airline passengers to turn off the phones when flying due to the safety risk. In its home market of South Korea, the company says it will debut a new “battery-problem-free” Note 7 phones on Monday.
The Galaxy Note 7 is a hugely important product for Samsung. That was out of about 2.5 million phones sold.
Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America, then apologised to consumers.
In addition to the option of a replacement or refund, customers there are being offered a US$25 (NZ$34) gift voucher if they choose to replace the phone with an alternative Samsung product.
Samsung’s statements left many customers confused, said Tuong Nguyen, a tech industry analyst with Gartner, “and that might have an impact on overall consumer confidence, especially since we’re talking about a high-end device, their flagship phone”.
Consumers who bought the phone through a wireless carrier or retailer such as Best Buy should contact the merchant directly.
DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said it had issued a special permit to Samsung that outlines the requirements retailers must follow when shipping the recalled devices.
“I am urging all consumers to take advantage of this recall right away”, a CPSC official said at a press conference.
Go to the US Galaxy Note 7 Safety Recall website and enter the IMEI or serial number of your phone without spaces into the box on the site.
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Under the remedy announced on the CPSC website, customers will receive refunds for Note7 phones sold before Thursday or replacement without charge with a new Note7 with a different battery, which Samsung Electronics said would be available not later than September 21. It states approximately 22,000 of the recalled phones were sold in Canada.
