Samsung has issued a second recall of the Galaxy Note7 smartphone in as many months while the company investigates the latest incidents with the troubled device.
Loyal customers who opted for a replacement of their Note7 device instead of a refund have now been asked to return the unit for a second time.
Samsung has already instructed telco partners and retailers to stop selling the device until further notice.
Customers who still have the original or replacement Galaxy Note7 have been asked to power down the devices and stop using them.
Samsung says customers can request a refund or a different handset until the issue is resolved.
Here is Samsung Australia’s latest statement:
“As reported globally, Samsung Electronics is currently investigating the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. As a precautionary measure, we recommend that customers power down their Note 7 device and take advantage of the remedies available whilst these investigations are taking place.
“Customers in Australia who have a Galaxy Note7, both an original device purchased before 5 September 2016 or a new replacement device, should power down their phone and contact their original place of purchase.
“Samsung Australia is working with all its partners to ensure all customers can receive an exchange – including a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge – or full refund for their Galaxy Note7.
“Before returning their Galaxy Note7, customers should back-up their data, complete a factory reset to delete personal information and power down their device.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our Australian customers and thank them for their patience.”
The move comes after five incidents in the US where replacement Note7 smartphones, deemed safe by Samsung, caught fire.
#Samsung warns customers to turn off all Galaxy Note 7’s, in case they catch fire. #TenNews https://t.co/gEM8WIt0xS
— TEN Eyewitness News (@channeltennews) October 11, 2016
These incidents appear to bear similarities to the faults with the original devices that were found to have battery cell issues.
But Samsung, after conducting a thorough investigation in early September, had reportedly identified the fault and fixed it before commencing Note7 manufacturing again.
The company also went as far as giving customers a way to identify the safe replacement devices with markings on the packaging and a green battery icon (the battery icon was originally white).
But now sales and production has been halted until Samsung works out why the replacement devices exploded.
The timing of the Note7 drama couldn’t have come at a worse time for Samsung with the launch of Apple’s latest iPhone 7 and Google’s new Pixel smartphones both taking place while the Korean electronics giant was processing refunds and organising replacement devices.
Samsung is still the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer with about a 30 per cent share of the global market.
The latest incidents with the Galaxy Note7 will surely test customer loyalty and the strength of the company’s brand and reputation.
