Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Recall News and Updates: Unreturned Units to be Remotely Deactivated?
In light of the recent battery recall issue of the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung will reportedly deactivate unreturned units for exchange after September 30.
Remote Deactivation
Safety of the consumer, more than anything else, will always be at the forefront of every business venture. This has been what Samsung is adhering to when they recalled millions of Galaxy Note 7 units worldwide.
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The Korean tech giant has imposed the recall effective on September 2. All retailers, stores, and even those who have already bought the device were ordered to return their units. Various exchange programs, made possible both by Samsung and the consumers' respective carriers, are also available.
However, reports say that those who would not return their units on or before September 30 will have their devices remotely deactivated by Samsung. This is in line with the company's advisory to immediately power down the device and participate in the exchange program.
The similar report says that the new replacement units for the Galaxy Note 7 will arrive on September 19 in the European region. The United States market will have to wait a little longer though, due to market differences.
Hours later after the report on remote deactivation of Note 7 devices circulated, Samsung released a statement. They said that the move is not something that the company has officially stated. They then added that all official guidelines will be published on its website, so that consumers could check the proper and authorized channels. The company, however, did not directly respond to the news, so the remote deactivation may still be a possibility.
The Recall Fiasco
The global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 was taken into effect after 35 cases of devices catching fire were reported. The smartphones were charging at the time of the explosions, meaning that their battery packs were mainly at fault. Samsung outsourced a percentage of their battery manufacturers to a Chinese company, and has since intended to replace them through the recall.
Some government, state, and private institutions have also stepped in. Several airlines have already advised passengers to power down their Galaxy Note 7 devices mid-flight, with some even completely banning them. A while back, there was also a report of a man's vehicle that caught fire due to an exploding Note 7.
Samsung is projected to lose somewhere between $1 billion and $10 billion in total revenues due to the fiasco. Several exchange and refund programs are already in place, although some users remain unconcerned as the case percentage was pretty low. Samsung strongly urges all Galaxy Note 7 owners to have their units replaced.
