NOTE: This is to emphasize that the battery cell issue only applies to units of Galaxy Note 7 which are sold to the US before Sept.15.
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“Consumers should immediately stop using and power down the recalled Galaxy Note7 devices”, the commission said. The new Note 7 will be in most stores no later than september 21, Samsung said Thursday. In the meantime, Samsung’s market value plummeted by billions of dollars. The scale of the recall is unprecedented for Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker.
Samsung has been warning Galaxy Note 7 users for a couple weeks to exchange their potentially explosive devices, but so far, only a small percentage has responded. Multiple government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urged Note 7 users to stop using the device.
One family in St. Petersburg, Florida, said a Galaxy Note 7 left charging in their Jeep had caught fire, destroying the vehicle.
The CPSC says there are 92 reported cases of batteries overheating in the U.S., including 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage.
Verizon is offering the following, according to its website: “Through September 30, 2016, we are waiving the restocking fee for any customer who purchased a Galaxy Note 7 and wishes to return or exchange it”, the website shows. Incidents have occurred while devices were being charged but also during normal use.
The South Korean tech giant had already launched a voluntary recall after user complaints about “exploding” phones. Consumers can determine whether their Note7 phone has been recalled by checking the IMEI number on the back of the phone or the packaging, and entering the IMEI number into an online registration site on Samsung’s website or calling the company.
Customers who exchange a Note7 device for another Samsung product will also receive a $25 gift card, in-store credit, in-store accessory credit or bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets.
In the coming week as more people get the Galaxy Note 7 it will be important to know that you have a new model, and not one of the initial batch that were shipped around the globe.
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If so, consumers can take the device back to Samsung or to the phone carrier that sold it. It announced the painful recall just a few days before Apple’s iPhone 7 event, effectively putting a temporary halt to sales.
