Samsung halts global sales of Galaxy Note 7
LONDON, October 11, 2016
Samsung has withdrawn all of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from sale globally after a spate of fires involving “safe” replacements.
In a statement issued late on Monday, Samsung said consumers with original Note 7 devices or replacements they obtained after the recall should turn off the power and seek a refund or exchange them for different phones, according to The Guardian.
South Korean authorities said they had found a new product defect in the Note 7 – Samsung’s most popular smartphone – and also asked consumers to power them down or to exchange them. The statement did not identify the defect.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission said it is continuing to investigate at least five incidents of fire or overheating reported since a formal recall was announced on September 15.
“No one should have to be concerned their phone will endanger them, their family or their property,” Elliot Kaye, chairman of the safety commission, said in a statement.
He called Samsung’s decision to suspend all sales “the right move” in light of “ongoing safety concerns”.
The announcement follows several new incidents of overheating last week and deals a further blow to the world’s largest smartphone company.
Leading wireless carriers have already said they would stop distributing new Note 7 phones as replacements for the earlier recall.
