The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fiasco is ending soon. The South Korean tech giant failed the public with the overheating and battery explosions of the new premium flagship phone. It has yet to publish the official results of investigations and we’re anticipating to know why the smartphone wasn’t a success. Recalls are still being made and Samsung is busy trying to get people return their units.
Many people have already returned their phones but there’s still a significant number that are out in the wild. Samsung just wants to get them all in so there will be no further reports of the phones catching fire. In the United States, the company announced the recall with the help of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Samsung also reached out to retailers and carriers to assist in this expanded voluntary recall of all Note 7 phones in the country.
Even before the official global recall, Samsung already sent out a notice for consumers to contact their retailers and carriers, as well as, power down the phone. Replacement Galaxy phones can be available or a refund can be given. The U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program is expected to be followed in the USD just like in other countries.
To make things easier, Samsung released a software update that would stop the phone from charging. This means phone will be rendered useless. You can only use it when connected to a power charger but of course, you don’t want that to happen.
Interestingly, one carrier in the US isn’t participating. Verizon released a statement that they will not take part and will not push the update because they don’t want to make contact impossible for people especially during this holiday season. The network already requested the Note 7 user to stop using their phones and have it exchanged. Owners also have the option to use a $100 credit towards purchasing a new Samsung phone.
In Australia, Samsung is also discontinuing network access. It’s an inconvenience but customers are urged to exchange their Note 7 with a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. Until December 22, Australians can also get a refund for the price difference plus another partner offer worth $250.
Meanwhile in the UK, Samsung is still asking for consumers to return their Note 7 devices. Those who haven’t will receive another battery software update that will limit charging. The new maximum charging capacity will only be 30 percent that means you’d have to charge your phone more frequently. It’s going to be a hassle so hopefully, this limitation will make you finally get a replacement and reach out to Samsung.
SOURCE: Samsung US, UK, Australia
