Phone Carriers Are Now Accepting Exchanges of Replacement Galaxy Note 7 Devices

Following a recent report of a replacement Galaxy Note 7 device explosion on a domestic Southwest airplane, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are now accepting exchanges of replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices.

Sprint provided a statement saying, “Sprint is working collaboratively with Samsung to better understand the most recent concerns regarding replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.”

Sprint added that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently investigating the Note 7 replacement device. “If a Sprint customer with a replacement Note 7 has any concerns regarding their device, we will exchange it for any other device at any Sprint retail store during the investigation window.” Sprint also plans on providing additional information as soon as the investigation is complete.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are following in the footsteps of Sprint. If you currently own a Note 7, they will allow you to exchange for any other device they sell. All you have to do is visit one of their retail locations.

On October 5th, a replacement Galaxy Note 7 caused passengers and crew members on a Southwest flight departing from Louisville, Kentucky to evacuate. During the boarding process, Note 7 owner, Brian Green, was asked by flight attendants to turn off his cell phone, then his smartphone began to catch fire.

As the phone was powering down, the Note 7 began to smoke, at which point Green dropped the phone on the ground. Green said the phone was letting out a “grey-green angry smoke.” A friend of Green went back on to the flight to grab his belongings and was able to capture a photo of the device as it was burning a hole through the airplane’s carpet. The flight was canceled and Southwest rebooked all of the passengers for later flights.

Samsung issued a statement regarding the Galaxy Note 7 explosion saying that they are currently investigating the issue. “We cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7. We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause.”

Last September, Samsung announced a global recall of the Note 7 along with stopping all future sales of the device following reports of battery explosions. Every Note 7 sold before September 15th is effected by the recall and must either be returned or replaced. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said owners of affected Note 7s should power off their cell phones and return them. In addition, the FAA has advised against using or charging the Note 7 while on flights.

Once the recall was announced, Samsung issued an official statement on the recall saying that the issue is related to the type of batteries used in some Note 7s. Low-quality battery cells have a history of overheating when overcharged or used frequently. A report by South Korean manufacturing regulators showed that “an error in production that placed pressure on plates contained within battery cells. That in turn brought negative and positive poles into contact, triggering excessive heat.”

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