14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this month, many US carriers made the decision to push out a software update that would prevent Galaxy Note 7 phones from charging. The software update came after Samsung took a similar measure for unlocked phones last year.
US carriers waited for the holidays to end before pushing the update that would compel customers to return all of the remaining Galaxy Note 7 smartphones. However, it seems that some Verizon customers have kept their units and even managed to avoid the automatic software update.
A Verizon spokeswoman recently told Fortune that “In spite of our best efforts, there are still customers using the recalled phones who have not returned or exchanged their Note 7 to the point of purchase.”
She added that “The recalled Note 7s pose a safety risk to our customers and those around them.” Indeed, the Galaxy Note 7 was part of one of the biggest tech failures, as Samsung was forced to issue a recall and discontinue the phone after reports of several units catching fire.
Note 7 outgoing calls might be directed to customer service
To make sure that its customers don’t put themselves in danger, Verizon intends to take things further and place the phone in a special category. The US carrier wants all outgoing calls to connect to customer service directly, not to the 911 emergency service.
Galaxy Note 7 customers who returned their units last year were already reimbursed for the device’s cost. However, Verizon might be planning to bill those who are still holding on to their Note 7 phones, for the full retail cost of the device. But until the measure is officially announced, Note 7 owners can still get a bill credit of up to $100 and a waived upgrade fee for returning the phone.
Samsung is expected to announce the results of its investigation on January 23. The company will soon disclose the reasons why the Note 7 units caught fire and the measures that it wants to take in order to avoid similar incidents with upcoming phones.