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Samsung Says Stop Using Galaxy Note 7 Now And Get A Replacement

By Samir Makwana
Published on: 21:46 PST, Sep 10, 2016

Following multiple reports about the Galaxy Note 7 exploding, Samsung has issued a statement urging its customers to exchange their existing Galaxy Note 7 immediately by participating in the replacement program. Launched in early August, Samsung announced an unprecedented recall of over 2.5 million units after some reports of the phone catching fire and exploding emerged in the past few weeks.

Samsung has paused the sale of Galaxy Note 7 after acknowledging 35 cases of the phone catching fire. Post investigation, the cause of the problem was the rechargeable lithium batteries from one of the component suppliers. Samsung then announced to “voluntarily” replace the current Galaxy Note 7 with a new one.

Over the weekend, the civil aviation authorities of different countries banned passengers from using or charging the Galaxy Note 7 over concerns about potential fire. According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung lost $10 billion worth of market value. The company shares dipped after the air safety regulators deemed the Galaxy Note 7 a potential fire hazard on flights.

Samsung quickly issued a statement asking users to switch off their Galaxy Note 7 and exchange them as early as possible.

“Our number one priority is the safety of our customers. We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7s and exchange them as soon as possible.”

Last week, Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung’s mobile division, said that the Galaxy Note 7 owners could get their phones exchanged in approximately two weeks. In a new statement, Koh stated that Samsung is trying to speed up the process.

“We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible and in compliance with related regulations. We sincerely thank our customers for their understanding and patience.”

Today, Samsung has made the official global recall of Galaxy Note 7 and confirmed it’s working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a U.S. government agency, to commission the exchange program smoothly.

Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America, requested that existing customers power down their Galaxy Note 7s and exchange them immediately.

“New Note 7 replacement devices will be issued to exchange program participants upon completion of the CPSC process. In the interim, consumers can return their Note 7 for another device.”

Under the U.S. Galaxy Note 7 replacement program, the users get two options – Trade-in and Replacement. Under the trade-in program, customers can exchange their current Note 7 for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge and receive the price difference as a refund.

Those who want a replacement will get one after CPSC approves Samsung’s new batch of Galaxy Note 7 units. In the meantime, select mobile operators and retailers will hand over a loaner phone in the exchange of current Note 7 phones.

To sweeten this process, Samsung is offering either a $25 gift card or bill credit, but only from select carriers and retail outlets.

A few users are not happy with the option of the loaner phones.

Samsung is yet to specify the carriers and retailers who will be participating in the exchange program. Meanwhile, the company is sharing the replacement stock dates for the other countries.

Samsung Portugal expects the Galaxy Note 7 replacement units by September 19, according to GSMArena. Whereas, the Australians can expect the Galaxy Note 7 replacement stocks on September 21.

Considering the U.S. is Samsung’s biggest smartphone market, the company wants its customers to replace their existing potentially faulty units. However, the company needs CPSC’s approval first before handing out the new Galaxy Note 7 replacement units.

But what if the existing unsold units are passed on or exported to other countries for sale via unofficial channels? Thankfully, Samsung has addressed that by adding new details on the box.

Samsung says that new Galaxy Note 7 replacement units will have some identifiers. On the box, there will be a white sticker with a blue letter “S” and the barcode label with the small black square. Also, Samsung will put up a new database of the replacement units only. You simply have to feed in the 15-digit IMEI number on Samsung’s website to check whether it matches with one of the new Galaxy Note 7 units with a different battery.

The China market has the Galaxy Note 7 units with a battery from a different manufacturer, which is not affected by the issue. Hence, the Chinese folks are safe. For India, Samsung promises to bundle a free Samsung Gear VR (first generation) headset and $50 Oculus content voucher to those who pre-booked the phone, reported Gear.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 replacement batch can be expected to roll out in late September and through October in the U.S. market. If you don’t wish to wait until then, then check the Inquisitr’s iPhone 7 Plus vs. Galaxy Note 7 comparison to make up your mind. In any case, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available from September 19 onwards.

[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]

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