Even after receiving reports from Chinese consumers that there have been two Galaxy Note 7 devices that caught fire in China, Samsung dismissed the cases stating that the incidents are due to "external heating." Hence, the company believes it is unnecessary to recall units sold in the country since the batteries were not made by the company but were outsourced to a local supplier.
Samsung's Major Galaxy Note 7 Recall
On Sept. 2, Samsung issued a statement that they will put all Note 7 sales on hold in response to numerous complaints of exploding batteries in its newest flagship device. The South Korean tech company immediately issued a voluntary recall and assured customers that it will repair, refund or replace the defective units. CNET reports that the company has more than 50,000 units to replace in Australia. The recall issued on the same date included 2.5 million phones in select countries excluding China.
Biased Policies On Galaxy Note 7 Replacement
After reports that the units sold in China are not part of the recall despite news that two Note 7 devices exploded in the country, Chinese consumers felt that Samsung is taking them for granted.
In its report, CNBC quoted China Market Research Group representative Ben Cavender who stated that he believes that consumers in China are not happy with Samsung. Being the largest market for smartphones, China is of key importance to manufacturers. Now, with Samsung raising the ire of many consumers in the country, the company may suffer from repercussions due to perceived bias over the recall. Since the company instantly acted on overseas complaints but blames the incidents in China on external heating, customers feel Samsung is not taking them seriously.
Note 7 Explosions In China Caused By External Heating, Not Faulty Batteries
In Samsung's defense, it claims that the batteries in the units sold in China are made by a local manufacturer and thus, not affected by heating issues.
Amperex Technology Ltd. issued a statement that it is highly likely that external issues are the problem, not the battery. This statement is based on Samsung's investigation of the phone from the first incident. However, the company was unable to acquire the phone reported in another incident.
