Note 7 Recall

[rgang50]

Is there any truth to the latest press going around that Samsung is recalling all Note 7 owing to battery burning/exploding? Has Verizon voiced any opinion or position on this matter. Appears Samsung has halted all further shipments and deliveries of Note 7 (Is this true?).

[1179NISHA]

I read somewhere on of the other carriers is not only refunding for the phone but all accessories as well. Is this something Verizon is going to do? I mean there's no need for the accessories if you don't have the phone; especially if it's to no fault of your own.

[Yomat]

So far only T-Mobile is doing this, and that's only accessories people purchased through T-Mobile.

[1179NISHA]

I knew I read it somewhere but will that be the case with the big red as well?

[PHIBON33]

So Verizon will waive the restock fee if returned/exchanged for another phone by 9/30.  But what if I want to exchange for a verified 'good' new Note7 when those become available?  If new production with quality control confirmation resumes, and Verizon will restock and exchange for 'good' phones, I'd rather wait for a Note7 swap then exchange for some other phone.  It'd be nice to know if Verizon would honor that type of exchange beyond 9/30, when the good Note7 is available.

[1179NISHA]

id rather do that too.

[NLR80]

I called Verizon today, 9/02/2016 at 1:20PM (PST) and yes, Verizon will replace your current Note7, in-store for a cell phone of your choice; equal value or less with NO additional charges. I also asked if I waited out till the Note7 replacement phones are released by Samsung; could I do this as well. As of right now, yes; Verizon will still honer the recall and will except the exchange once the new Note7's have been released and received by Verizon.

Verizon is not certain if it will be mail-in or in-store once these replacement phones are released and sent to Verizon. Most likely will be excepted in-store.

If you are like me; planing on keeping the phone till more guidance is given and the replacements are released (hopefully - a week or two), just keep mind-full while charging your Note7. I advise maybe charge your phone in hour charges and not wait till the phone's battery is dead.

I waited out on my time to be able to exchange my Galaxy S6 for this Note7, and I'm not about to give it up!

Good luck everyone!

-Nick

[JOHHAM55]

Those are my thoughts exactly! I waited for this phone and i would like to trade it for another Note 7

[wayne88]

After talking to Verizon on the phone, I was told that we could return the phones (by mail or at corporate store) and the restocking fee would be waived. You can either exchange the phone for a lesser phone (all are lesser at this point.....I assume for lesser monthly payments). Not mentioned, is the possibility of returning the Note 7 and using a device that you already have. In that way I don't have to pay the monthly cost of a slightly less expensive phone like the S7 Edge. It also makes me and those like me free agents with no device payments until the Note 7 is corrected. This gives us the chance to go back to other carriers or stay with Verizon. This also gives those of us who missed out on the Buy One Get One promotions (Best Buy or Costco for example) a second crack at it.

[Fashionmaverick]

I spoke to a Verizon rep on yesterday 9/13/16 to receive more clarification concerning note 7 exchanges/replacements.  He said Verizon wasn't offering loaner phones and once you executed an exchange for another device till the new and improved note 7s arrived... You would be entering into another agreement and would be paying full retail value because you had already exchanged the device prior.   So he recommended I do what was in my best interest,  whether if be continue using the device despite the recommendation of CSPC,  Samsung & Verizon to shut off devices or find and old phone to reactivate on my account.   The rep was nice,  but vague.   I also,  inquired about the $25 gift card or bill credit for a courtesy of being inconvenience or good faith stated on Samsung's official site and he said Verizon wasn't participating in that either.   The rep stated Verizon was ONLY waiving the nonstocking fee you mentioned in your post until 9/30 and he did express they could possibly extend the date (but that wasn't written in stone).   I spoke to this individual for a while about the latest updates and posts concerning note 7.  He also,  advised me that they had no knowledge or dates when the replacement 7s would be available.   He gave me hypotheticals of possibly the end of the month or maybe next month.  I left the conversation still perplexed on how long I will be waiting to replace my device and not having an option of a loaner/backup device like other rival providers are offering their customers til this debacle is rectified.  Good luck!

[rcschnoor]

Others have reported that they have been successful in getting a loaner phone from Verizon. You may try another store or CS rep and get a different response than what you have already gotten.

Fashionmaverick wrote:

So he recommended I do what was in my best interest, whether if be continue using the device despite the recommendation of CSPC, Samsung & Verizon to shut off devices or find and old phone to reactivate on my account.

I'm not sure how using a phone which could possibly explode when using it could be in ANYONE's best interest, but that is just my opinion.

[jimmyzoso]

Just got off the phone with Samsung and Verizon. Verizon's stock is sold out and honestly, I wouldn't have trusted that these were the 'good' ones unless if they were able to trace a date code concerning the defective batteries. In the supply chain world, those units were already done a long time ago.

Both are clueless regarding this recall, eg the cause, how to determine a defective phone, when replacements will be available, the $25 gift card and who will cover what including accessories.

The initial call was with Samsung who then pointed me to Verizon. Verizon said they were out of stock and the only option was to exchange for a different phone. Or I wait because Samsung has not advised when/ if replacements will be provided.

TMobile's offer seems to be the best and on par with Samsung's. Verizon has the least to offer with only an exchange. So tired of Verizon being the most expensive with always the least to offer. I've been on the fence of going to Tmobile for a while, anyhow not relevant to go more into this here.

This is an inconvenience, but it has just officially been announced and they need to iron out the details. Though from the first incident, they've had plenty of time to figure this out while they were investingating the root cause.

The part that infuriated me was Samsung's and Verizon's irresponsibility of the process. Samsung did not go through a standard recall process, ie US Consumer Safety Product Commission. This requires we, consumers, 1. first know about this recall and 2. why/ cause & effect and what to do.

I found out from Verizon's customer service rep that Verizon does not intend to email/ notify customers with this device. I got lucky that a friend notified me and I've been following this since yesterday.

SAMSUNG and VERIZON: even though this is about a 0.1% occurrence (~35 devices reported), this is a critical one - causing harm or injury to a person. A notice should be going out to owners immediately so there is awareness and transparency of the issue. Couple this with the issues of defective USB-C cables (of multiple companies, haven't heard of Samsung having this issue), and you may have more unnecessary occurrences that may lead to injury or fire.

As a person who's extensive experience is in product development, this is disappointing and being executed poorly. This isn't something I would have expected from two giant corporations as these.

If safety is truly your concern, awareness is first.

At this point, there has been no extensive outreach from either Samsung or Verizon, no explanation of the root cause, or date codes or serial numbers that can help those figure out if they have a defective device.

And Verizon, to have a rep say there will be no email or letter going out to customers who own the device and that it will only be mentioned on the website is ridiculous due to the potential harm this may do to a person carrying the phone, one's home, or to one's children. There's not even a mention of it on your home page.

[pherson]

Ok, let's be rational here. Any device has the capability to get hot/explode/etcetera. I'll just leave that here. I don't see any irrational acts on any of the companies. They found the flaw, it takes to work on a fix; but they ARE fixing it.

As far as notification, no one has to send you an email. What about those who choose NOT to opt in to emails from companies? This has been talked about online and it's on the news now. It's no need to do an "we interrupt this broadcast for a special report." People would panic and be in mass hysteria, over.....a....phone.

Each company is handling it differently. All are allowing returns and exchanges, and honestly there may be nothing wrong with yours. It's gonna take time for a replacement. You even can activate an older device if you feel THAT strongly about it.

Its an electronic device. Goodness.

[jimmyzoso]

It's an electronic device with a known defect that can potentially explode.

Yes, any LiIon powered device can explode depending on the design and safety mechanisms in the circuit, however the known occurrences are due to an acknowledged battery defect, announced by Samsung.

There are standard processes, for example the airbag recall from Honda, where the company makes an asserted effort to notify customers. With the official attempt as a letter to the customer, not an email.

You should Google cell phone battery injury to see the extent of the harm these devices can cause. I am not stating that these phones will cause these injuries, but I'm saying the potential harm should not be taken lightly, either.

Companies can track the BOM via serial numbers and should be able to identify which units have the defective battery.

I'm not promoting hysteria. I'm pointing out that the potential harm one of these devices can do should not be under-estimated and these companies should be more proactive on bringing awareness. Again I did not know until a friend reached out to me. Thank goodness for the press.

Unfortunately I do not own my older device as it was part of the tradein deal.

FYI, Sprint is offering a similar device (borrower phone) until replacements arrive.

[pherson]

Well, you're with Verizon. Each company has the right to come up with their own way of attack. And by the way, Sprint would do that as they are desperate to keep the existing customers they have.

[jimmyzoso]

Each company has their right, for sure, not arguing that. Am I disappointed that Verizon is offering the least? Yes, but as a customer I have the right to state my opinion along with changing providers. Consumers primarily vote with their dollars, anyways.

Yea, sorry Sprint but still not going there...

[pherson]

I'm not sure how or why you think it's the least. A full brand new replacement is awesome. Samsung has not said you need to return the free accesories. And any accessories you bought through Verizon and not a third party I'm sure would be included. So, what is this "least"?

[jimmyzoso]

If you check out the recode link I just posted, it gives a comparison. Samsung's official exchange policy is even better than Verizon's. The rep said only a restock/ refund was available since they could not offer a replacement, which is the least of what the major carriers are offering. Perhaps this will change in the coming days.

Samsung Establishes U.S. Product Exchange Program for Galaxy Note7 - Samsung Newsroom

[pherson]

Considering Verizon did not make manufacture or have a hand in the building components as well as the sales of the device affects samsungs bottom line, it is only FITTING that Samsung would do the most.

[jimmyzoso]

My point is Verizon is offering the least of the carriers.

They absolutely do have a hand in sales. Their logo is stamped on the back. There is Verizon bloatware. Customers got an email to preorder. Their stores had it on display. Why don't you think they don't have any skin in the game?

[Yomat]

People are getting mixed results with Sprint atm.  It seems many are being told it's S7 or S7E only (to trade in for) and many are also being told that after 14 days it is permanent.  They can't guarantee the Note 7 replacements will be available within those 14 days.

[jimmyzoso]

Yea, I've heard that too. Supposedly by next week Samsung is to have replacements ready, but that's not guaranteed.

Here's the latest and official from Sprint:

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/sprint-update-on-samsung-galaxy-note-7-exchange.htm

Regarding the loaner, here's one of the sources:

What to do if you own a Galaxy Note 7, the phone Samsung just recalled - Recode