Samsung today has officially declared an end to all sales and exchange programmes for the Galaxy Note 7 globally, following earlier reports that it has temporarily paused production for the device.
In a statement released on its global website, Samsung is taking the unprecedented – though not entirely unexpected – move following reports of supposedly safe replacement devices catching fire and experiencing the same issues that Samsung had supposedly fixed.
The full statement reads:
We are working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.
We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.
This certainly comes as a massive blow to Samsung, who have now appeared to concede that the Galaxy Note 7’s issues have not been identified and fixed as it had thought. A second official global recall is almost imminent, and it may well be that Samsung may end the Note 7’s very limited life entirely to avoid any further damage to its reputation.
For Malaysia, the Galaxy Note 7 was not officially launched, though Samsung Malaysia did do a pre-order campaign with several partners, totalling 8,000 units. A source indicated that Samsung Malaysia Electronics is currently discussing internally on the next step to make. Given that globally, Samsung has indicated that it will refund all purchases, it is expected that Samsung Malaysia will follow suit.
We will be following the issue closely, and provide updates on the matter.
UPDATE 12:41pm:
A Samsung Malaysia representative has stated that all pre-order customers will be contacted personally to address the situation. A call to the Samsung Premium Careline also revealed that the company may share more details on its Facebook page.
However, given that the device was never actually launched in Malaysia, Samsung may choose to be more discreet and personally get in touch with all pre order owners. In the meantime, both the representative and Careline operator urged all Note7 owners to power down their devices and stop using them.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.
