The Note 7 recall is already costing Samsung a massive $1Bn — which BTW — in Samsung’s own words, is a ‘heartbreaking amount’. That however, isn’t just it. The Korean electronics giant is now looking at multiple Government warnings/bans (including one from India), regarding usage of the Note 7.
In light of these recent turn of events, Indian aviation regulator DGCA has also issued a warning that bans airline passengers from using or charging their Samsung Note 7 phones during flights. It states that passengers are not allowed to either check-in the phone with their baggage nor switch it on the flight for safety purposes.
The notice follows pursuit to a similar warning that has been issued by U.S authorities for the safety of on-board passengers and the flight experience. The notice released by the DGCA(Directorate General of Civil Aviation) reads:
In light of the recent incidents involving battery issue with Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices globally, travelling public and airlines are advised to ensure the following for the safety of aircraft operations and its occupants,
1) Not to turn on or charge Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phone on board the aircraft.
2) Not to stow them in any checked-in baggage.
These notices and orders could not only hurt Samsung’s sales but also its long-standing brand image. This event tarnishes the users trust in the brand, who might believe that competition has blinded the company to produce sub-standard smartphones that might blow up in their faces.
Commenting on the ban of the use and check-in of the smartphone on airplanes, a Samsung India spokesperson told FactorDaily,
We are aware of the DGCA notice. Consumer safety and peace of mind are our top priority. Galaxy Note 7 sales have not started in India, and we have delayed sales to alleviate any safety concerns. We plan to expedite new shipments of Galaxy Note 7 soon to reduce any inconvenience for our customers.
The multinational giant has also issued a statement saying that it has received over 35 battery explosion reports globally. It adds that it has thoroughly investigated the issue at hand and found an issue with the battery cell of the Galaxy Note 7. The overheating and blowing up of the smartphone, it believes, is being caused due to a very rare manufacturing process error where the anode and cathode are coming in contact.
Samsung has currently issued a total recall for all their Galaxy Note 7 devices, and are voluntarily replacing the devices with a new one. And this recall is estimated to run them a humongous bill of $1 billion.
In the statement, it also adds,
We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.
The India launch of the Samsung Note 7 which was earlier slated for September 2nd, has now been delayed in wake of recent unfortunate events. The company was betting on the Note 7 to better their sales in this quarter(and half), but this put it back under scrutiny by the masses. While the iPhone 7 lineup which has been released a couple days ago could be a good alternative(and sell like Apples, lol).
