South Korea’s government is asking Samsung Electronics to extend the refund period for its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that have been subject to an unprecedented recall. It believes the issue only impacts 0.1% of Note 7s, but is recalling all devices. The agency also asked Samsung to extend its refund deadline to the end of this month.
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It is said that the latest battery problems of the exchanged Note 7 handsets are related to defects in circuits inside the smartphone.
Nam said the agency made the request because “the plan to remove hazards in the markets is insufficient”. Samsung earlier started a global recall process.
“We need more measures to actively inform consumers”, Nam said. With consumers reporting that the high-end phones were overheating and catching fire, Samsung stopped sales on September 2, just two weeks its launch, and recalled 2.5 million units citing a battery manufacturing error.
Samsung Electronics did not answer emails on Thursday seeking comment. It received 92 reports of the batteries overheating in the US alone, including 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage, including fires in cars and a garage.
The exchange program appears to have advanced after 500,000 new, non-exploding versions of the Note 7 devices became available in the US on Wednesday.
Mobile carriers say the replacements are smoothly progressing and Note 7 owners are recommended to exchange their devices as soon as possible for user safety.
Since new and old Galaxy Note 7s will look identical from the outside, Samsung is tweaking the software to let people know they have a safe device.
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Even when the new Note 7 was charging, the battery quickly drained.
