Up until this point Samsung has remained silent regarding the recent reports that the alleged replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices have exploded. But actions speak louder than words, especially in this case.
Samsung pulled the plug on production of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after two new incidents that involved replacement devices catching fire were reported.
The first incident occurred last Wednesday, Oct. 5 when allegedly a replacement Note 7 exploded on a Southwest Airlines flight before it took off. The aircraft was evacuated, and the Federal Aviation Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission immediately opened investigations to reveal the cause and if the smartphone is to blame.
As a result, Sprint decided to allow customers to trade in their replacement devices in exchange for another smartphone.
Then reports surfaced about a Kentucky man who alleges his replacement Note 7 exploded and caused his entire bedroom to fill up with smoke on Tuesday, Oct. 4. After the incident, the Note 7 owner Michael Klering went to the hospital and was diagnosed with acute bronchitis caused by the smoke inhalation.
Klering reported that he had the replacement for just over a week and it was not plugged in when the incident occurred.
What happened next is a a bit shady on Samsung's part. The company asked Klering to hand over the device, but he refused. Instead, Samsung paid to have the smartphone X-rayed in an attempt to uncover the cause. A rep from the company then allegedly mistakenly sent a text to Klering that was not meant for him to read.
"Just now got this. I can try and slow him down if we think it will matter, or we just let him do what he keeps threatening to do and see if he does it," the message read.
AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and Sprint then began offering full refunds or exchanges to customers with the Note 7. However, all three major carriers besides Sprint decided to now suspend sales on the Note 7 pending the investigations into the reported incidents.
While this is the case in the United States, carriers in Australia and the Netherlands have also stopped Note 7 sales and postponed preorders on the device indefinitely.
This leads many to wonder will Samsung have a recall on the recall?
While Samsung has stayed silent on the matter up until this point, a spokesperson told Android Authority on Monday, Oct. 10 that the company is "adjusting" the smartphone's production schedule to "ensure quality and safety matters."
And now the company is officially suspending production of the Note 7 as it investigates report of "heat damage issues."
While this means there is just a halt in production, if the investigations do find that the replacements in fact caught fire, there is a good chance that Samsung will have no choice but to recall the replacement Galaxy Note 7s. Samsung originally recalled 2.5 million units from the original batch of Note 7s because of battery issues that caused some to catch fire in September.
For now, customers just have to wait until these investigations wrap up, but are encouraged to exchange the smartphone for a different model to prevent an incident happening to them.
If the company does have to issue yet another recall, it could do major damage to its brand. Who would trust buying a Samsung again? However, the damage may already be done.
