Samsung Says Replacement Galaxy Note 7s Will Be Available Wednesday
September 20 2016 - 7:30PM
Dow Jones News
Samsung Electronics Co. said replacements for half of the one
million Galaxy Note 7 phones recalled in the U.S. last week will be
available in stores by Wednesday, falling short of expectations and
potentially further damaging the company's reputation with
consumers and retailers.
When Samsung announced the formal recall of its high-end device
last week, following explosions caused by faulty lithium-ion
batteries, the company said consumers could get a replacement phone
"no later than September 21," according to a company statement.
U.S. safety authorities said one million phones in the U.S. were
affected by the recall.
On Tuesday, Samsung warned that the stock of replacement phones
is limited to 500,000.
"We are delivering as promised and moving quickly to educate
consumers about the recall and make new Note 7s available," Tim
Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America, said in a
statement.
Samsung declined to say when the remaining devices will be
available.
The company also issued a software update Tuesday that will
alert users if they are using a recalled device when they plug it
into a charger. The update will change the battery symbol in the
top right corner to green from white if it is a new Note 7
device.
Samsung, working with wireless carriers and retailers, initiated
a formal exchange program in conjunction with U.S. safety
authorities last Thursday that allowed customers to receive a new
Note 7, a refund or a different Samsung phone. Customers had
returned 130,000 affected devices before the formal recall
launched, the company said.
A retail associate manager at T-Mobile US Inc. store in downtown
San Francisco said the store started receiving shipments of the new
Note 7 devices Tuesday morning. A spokeswoman for Verizon
Communications Inc. said some customers were able to get
replacements on Tuesday. Representatives for other carriers—Sprint
Corp. and AT&T Inc.—said they expect to have the shipments by
Wednesday.
Samsung said it is up to the retailers to determine how they
distribute the phones to consumers.
Samsung first instructed consumers to stop using the new Galaxy
Note 7 three weeks ago. The recall has been marred by
miscommunication ever since.
A longtime Samsung customer, Eric Myers, said he tried
exchanging his recalled Note 7 for another model at a Verizon store
in Vallejo, Calif., late last week, but was turned away because he
didn't have the original box or adapter that the phone came
with.
"They sent me home with a phone that could potentially blow up,"
Mr. Myers, 25 years old, said. "It's not like I can't not charge it
because I use it for work."
The Verizon spokeswoman said consumers should be able to return
the phones even without the box or accessories.
Wesley Hartzog said the origin of a fire that razed his garage
about two weeks ago was traced to where his new Note 7 was plugged
into the wall. He traded in his scorched phone for an Apple Inc.
iPhone.
Samsung offered him a loaner phone, he said, but he declined.
Samsung didn't respond to a request for comment.
"I'm not too excited about having another Samsung product in my
home," the 33-year-old said.
Write to Trisha Thadani at trisha.thadani@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 20, 2016 19:15 ET (23:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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