Samsung has acknowledged that a percentage of their new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones are prone to catch fire. The issue is so severe that the federal government has gotten involved in a major recall.
Ahead of a formal replacement program, Samsung and the U.S. government are warning consumers that their Galaxy Note 7’s, which only hit the market last month, may catch fire due to faulty batteries. Over 30 phones have reportedly caught fire in recent weeks, leaving some of the phones to look like this:
In Florida, a man’s Jeep was destroyed when his Note 7, which was charging in his car, caught on fire.
“We are advising that you power down your Note7 and exchange it now, as part of our U.S. Product Exchange Program for all Galaxy Note7 owners,” Samsung says in a statement. “We strongly advise all customers to use this exchange program because your safety is our top priority.”
The U.S. government issued a statement of their own, telling owners to “shut it off and keep it off” due to the fire risk.
Samsung is still working on a new batch of Note 7’s that are absolutely safe, but in the mean time, consumers can return their Note 7 and receive a temporary Samsung J Series loaner phone. They will also receive a $25 gift card for the inconvenience.
“Until a replacement device is provided, Samsung asks all customers with a Galaxy Note 7 smartphone to power down your device and return it to its place of purchase at your earliest opportunity,” the statement added.
The dangerous issue has caused airlines to get involved as well — for example, travel advisories on the websites of Virgin America and United warn consumers to not turn on their Note 7’s while on their planes, and to not put the phones into any checked baggage.
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