Samsung is now being criticized by the owners of Galaxy Note 7. They claim that Samsung is not giving them the proper compensation to overcome the damage caused by their flagship smartphone.
According to a report from The Guardian, at least three individuals who suffered property damage when their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploded is resisting for paying compensation.
John Barwick from Marion, Illinois,a Galaxy Note 7 owner, said that his wife's Note 7 exploded on Sept 8. He was awoken in the middle of the night by the flames of the smartphone on his nightstand. He says that the resulting damaged by the fire, including the furniture, bed, carpet and curtains, in repair bills is around $9,000.
After 45 minutes after the incident, Barwick called the company to report what happened. Samsung said that they'd call back after 24 hours. When they failed to do so, he called them again and also emailed pictures of the burnt Galaxy Note 7.
Eventually, he received a call from Samsung's Insurance Company, Fire and Marine. They told Barwick that they will not pay replacement costs of any damaged items. Instead, Samsung offered to pay a depreciated value of the items.
"It seemed that Samsung's priority was retrieving that phone. I told them I'd be more than happy to allow them to inspect it to ensure the claim was authentic but I wasn't going to give over custody until everything was made good," Barwick said.
Wesley Hartzog, from South California, a firefighter who left his Galaxy Note 7 plugged into an outlet in his garage, found his house burning especially the area where the smartphone is. He blamed his Galaxy Note 7 for damaging his garage and other things such as the water heater and electrical wiring, and for making his motorcycle, lawnmower and bicycles damaged as well.
A Samsung official reportedly promised him to move him into a hotel and bear the expenses for his meals.
"But the next day Samsung Fire & Marine insurance called me and said it wasn't going to happen. I feel that was really unprofessional," he said.
Hartzog said Samsung was now paying him for a temporary condo for his family.
Shawn Minter from Richmond, Virginia, said his Galaxy Note 7 was alone and unplugged on the nightstand. After a while it emitted a red flash and started to burn, sizzle, melt, and smoke. He said the company promised to inspect the device, but no action from Samsung at all.
"They were only interested in retrieving the phone. Once I told them I was giving the phone to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), they went dark," Minter said. He gave his smartphone to the CPSC, after which Samsung referred him to its insurance company.
Meanwhile, CPSC is independently investigating the incident reported regarding the Galaxy Note 7. "That is putting their own safety at risk and just as importantly they are putting the safety of others at risk. This is a serious hazard and they should take it seriously," Scott Wolfson, a CPSC spokesman, said.
