Another Galaxy Note 7 caught on fire. AT&T Inc. stopped selling the phones of Samsung Electronics Co. over concerns about the smartphone's safety.
The Verge reported that Daniel Franks was having lunch with his daughter and wife in Houston, Texas when his Samsung Galaxy Note 7 replacement caught fire while it was on the table. He said that his daughter regularly plays the Minecraft game on the cellphone and was concerned if the phone caught fire while it was at her daughter's hands.
"Based on recent reports, we're no longer exchanging new Note 7s at this time, pending further investigation of these reported incidents," AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook said in an e-mailed statement on Sunday. "We still encourage customers with a recalled Note 7 to visit an AT&T location to exchange that device for another Samsung smartphone or other smartphone of their choice," Cook added.
Samsung is investigating the fires to determine whether a product safety issue exists. Samsung was criticized because it failed to bring its Samsung Note 7 product recall in CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission). With the latest incident, it is possible that U.S. regulators will take the lead on the investigation.
"We are working diligently with authorities and third party experts and will share findings when we have completed the investigation," said a Samsung spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. "Even though there are a limited number of reports, we want to reassure customers that we are taking every report seriously. If we determine a product safety issue exists, Samsung will take immediate steps approved by the CPSC to resolve the situation," the company said.
Samsung started replacing its Note 7 last month. Its lithium battery overheats, causing burn hazard to customers. The phone is also banned in airplanes after Southwest Airlines Co. needed to evacuate its passengers due to smoke caused by the defective device.
Note 7 Battery Explosion!! CAUGHT LIVE ON CAMERA!!
