Two Samsung Note7 phones
The phones, which include a lot of useful accessibility features and have been a popular choice in Australia for those people with a disability, were recalled and a replacement program put in place due to multiple cases of exploding batteries and spontaneous combustion. Yet the problems continue.
The phones have been banned from use on planes, and major wireless carriers in the US, including AT&T, are allowing customers to switch from the Note7 to alternative handsets, while Samsung continues its efforts to replace faulty devices with fixed ones. Yet with three known cases of replacement Galaxy Note7s catching fire in the US in a single week, there are now doubts as to whether the supposedly fixed phones are actually any safer than the recalled originals.
These latest mishaps come after Samsung won a highly uncoveted ‘Shonky Award’ from Choice. The awards were staged in early October and put the spotlight on the "worst of the worst" consumer products of 2016. “We think it’s time for Samsung to put consumer safety ahead of brand protection,” the consumer advocacy group stated on its website.
Perhaps the South Korean company was listening. Australia's ABC Online reported on 11 October that Samsung made a regulatory filing stating it has decided to stop manufacturing Note7s with immediate effect, for the sake of consumer safety. In an official statement the company urges all owners of its Galaxy Note7 smartphones to power them down and stop using them. We'll keep you posted as to refunds and/or compensation when more details come to hand.
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