Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it is stopping production of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones permanently. This comes after reports that the batteries could catch fire.
The South Korean company said in a regulatory filing that it decided to stop manufacturing Note 7s for the sake of consumer safety.
After an earlier recall, the company said it had identified a manufacturing defect in the batteries of its smartphone. It started shipping new Note 7 phones that were supposed to be safer. But reports that even the replacements were catching fire led Samsung to announce it was stopping sales of the devices.
Local customers shared their concerns with 41 Action News.
"I have six new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones and can't get a hold of the person that I bought them from on Craigslist, and now I am out of thousands of dollars," said Steve Webb, owner of Quest Wireless.
Last month, Steve and Irina Boswell spoke to the 41 Action News investigators after Irina's Note 7 was recalled, yet their provider wouldn't replace it with a safe device unless they paid to fix the crack on the screen.
After battling it out for a new phone and eventually having one sent to them, they're now frustrated that they're dealing with another recall.
"We're back to square one," Steve Boswell said. "I'm kind of done with Samsung."
Samsung issued this statement on its website:
Samsung is working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. While the investigation is taking place, Samsung is asking all carrier and retail partners here and around the globe to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7. Since the affected devices can overheat and pose a safety risk, we are asking consumers with an original Galaxy Note7 or a replacement Galaxy Note7 to power it down and contact the carrier or retail outlet where you purchased your Galaxy Note7. If you bought your Galaxy Note7 from Samsung.com or have questions, you should contact us at 1-844-365-6197 and we can help you.
Samsung is offering its customers two options:
- Exchange your current Galaxy Note 7 for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge and replacement of any Galaxy Note 7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices.
- Contact your point of purchase to obtain a full refund.
If you have a Galaxy Note 7, Samsung urges you to keep the phone shut off and contact them here.
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Alyson Bruner can be reached at alyson.bruner@kshb.com.
