14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung is said to have stopped production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone following numerous reports of replaced units catching fire in the US, Taiwan, and South Korea. Major US carriers have announced that they stopped sales of the Note 7.
T-Mobile issued a statement saying that it’s temporarily suspending all sales of the Note 7 and exchanges for replacement Note 7 devices. Customers can still bring in recalled or replaced Galaxy Note 7 smartphones and receive a full refund or get any device in T-Mobile’s lineup. The US carrier is waving restocking charges for the Note 7. Owners of recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphones can get $25 credit on their T-Mobile bill within two bill cycles.
T-Mobile isn’t the only company to implement this measure, as AT&T has also discontinued sales of the Galaxy Note 7. The company has announced that recalled units won’t be replaced with “safe” Note 7 smartphones, instead customers can choose a different device made by Samsung or other manufacturers.
Verizon also stopped sales of the Note 7, Sprint expected to follow suit
The third US carrier to stop sales during the investigation conducted by the CPSC is Verizon. The US carrier “is suspending the exchange of replacement Note7 smartphones,” as reported by SamMobile.
Verizon customers who own a replaced Galaxy Note 7 smartphone can pick another phone in the company’s lineup.
At this moment, Sprint continues to sell the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on its website, but all color variants of the device seem to be out of stock. The company will most likely discontinue sales as well.
At this point, it’s unclear when CPSC will complete its investigation on replaced Note 7 smartphones catching fire. Samsung’s financial situation and reputation as a smartphone maker depend on the results of this investigation. If CPSC determines that replaced Note 7 smartphones have a battery issue, then the South Korean company might be forced to issue a second recall.
Reports of Note 7 devices catching fire have been surfacing on a daily basis, and the latest involved a replaced Note 7 that caught fire in Houston, Texas. Some incidents resulted in physical harm, as the owner of a Note 7 phone was forced to seek immediate medical care after he was intoxicated with smoke and fumes emitted by the flaming device.