The company has received approval for its exchange program and announced a formal U.S. voluntary recall of the Galaxy Note7, sold from August 2016 through September 15, 2016, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety CommISSion.
Advertisement
Samsung has received 92 reports of batteries overheating in the United States alone, including 26 reports of burns and 55 cases of property damage. But it seems the recall has not really been successful. For users who made a decision to continue using the device despite the recall notice, Samsung plans to launch a software update, which would prevent the smartphones from overheating by limiting the maximum charge. According to data from Apteligent, the “usage rate of the phone among existing users has been nearly the exact same since the day of the recall”.
“Every time I charge my phone, I wind up reaching over and touching it to see if it’s getting warm”, Note 7 user Andy Shannon told CNNMoney on Thursday.
The US CPSC website has toll-free helpline number from Samsung (844-365-6197), which customers can call to get details on how to go about the exchange.
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.
A refund can be obtained at your point of purchase.
Samsung had announced a global recall of Galaxy Note 7 handsets last week, due to the potential explosive batteries of the handsets.
The smartphones cause such a serious fire hazard that the CPSC is urging all consumers to immediately take advantage of the recall. The smartphone bears some upgrades compared to the Samsung Galaxy A9, thus the “Pro” moniker, sporting 4GB of RAM, a 5000mAh, and a 16-megapixel camera instead of 3GB of RAM, a 4000mAh battery, and a 13-megapixel camera.
Advertisement
Shortly after the CPSC’s announcement, Samsung put up a statement detailing its US Note 7 Exchange Program. Note: The battery cell issue applies only to the Galaxy Note7 sold in the USA before September 15, 2016.
