The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Is Gone For Good

Less than a month after Samsung issued a recall of the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 7 phone, the South Korean company has announced that it will no longer manufacture or sell the problematic model. Despite the recall, reports of replacement phones overheating and exploding continued, forcing Samsung to completely take the defective product off the market before someone was seriously burned or injured.

Samsung began to issue replacement phones about two weeks after the initial recall of 2.5 million phones in September. Customers were encouraged to exchange their original Note 7 for what was supposed to be a safer version. However, last week a passenger on a Southwest flight threw his replacement phone into the aisle of the aircraft when it began to smoke and make a popping noise. He had turned the phone off as the airplane was getting ready for takeoff. Passengers and crew members were evacuated and the phone was recovered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for testing. Additional reports of the defective product smoking and catching fire forced Samsung to take the phones out of consumer’s hands entirely.

The company released a statement that, “For the benefit of consumers’ safety, we stopped sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 and have consequently decided to stop production.” Shortly before the announcement of the halt in production and sales, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint all announced they would not be selling or exchanging the Note 7 until an investigation into the new reports of smoke and fire was complete. The company believes the replacement phones have a different defect than the ones that were part of the initial recall.

Consumers still in possession of an original Galaxy Note 7 are being advised to power down and stop using the phones entirely, even if the phone has been working with no problems. A refund or exchange is available through all four major wireless service carriers. Additional information can be found on Samsung’s website.

Defective products are unfortunately part of our consumer culture. If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of a defective product whether at home or on the job, be sure to contact the knowledgeable and skilled attorneys at Finz & Finz, P.C., to stand up to the companies and corporations who did not make your safety their priority.