14 DAY TRIAL // Reports of exploding Galaxy Note 7 phones are no longer making the rounds these days, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that Samsung can forget about the entire fiasco.
Customers whose phones exploded are now trying to obtain financial damages not only for their devices but also for the damages caused by the fire, smoke, or chemicals resulted from the devices bursting into flames.
The Guardian is pointing to three different cases, all of which are now hitting roadblocks because Samsung is allegedly trying to avoid paying for property damages and covers phone costs exclusively.
“Samsung is only interested in getting the phone”
The first such claim comes from John Barwick, a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owner from Illinois whose phone exploded and caused what he described as “a meter-long flame” in his house. He claims the bed, the mattress, curtains, and carpets were all destroyed when the phone caught fire, causing damages estimated at $9,000. According to the report, he already contacted Samsung and was then redirected to South Koreans’ insurance company called Samsung Fire & Marine.
The insurance firm, however, is refusing to pay for the property damages, but only for the damaged phone, the man says.
“We’re not seeking a great amount of money to get rich off this. We just want to be made whole. It seemed that Samsung’s priority was retrieving that phone,” he explains. “I told them I’d be more than happy to allow them to inspect it to ensure the claim was authentic, but I wasn’t going to give over custody until everything was made good.”
Similar complaints come from Richmond, Virginia, where Shawn Minter’s Note 7 burst into flames and burned his nightstand, causing damages that Samsung’s insurance company does not agree to cover. “They were only interested in retrieving the phone,” the man was quoted as saying.
And then, it’s the suspicious case of Wesley Hartzog from South Carolina who claims that his garage caught fire exactly when the Note 7 was charging inside, so he blames the phone for all damages. He’s now seeking financial damages from Samsung for his phone, his home, but also for the nights he spent at a hotel with his family.
Samsung hasn’t issued an official statement on this claims, but given the fact that damage payments are handled by its insurance firm, more details will probably be provided when all cases are settled.