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SAMSUNG PLANS TO issue a software update for its recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that will limit battery recharges to 60%, and prevent them from overheating.
The front page of the Seoul Shinmun, a South Korean newspaper, carried a Samsung advertisement on Tuesday announcing the software update for any users of the Note 7 who may be disregarding its recall notice and continuing to use the smartphone.
“It is a measure to put consumer safety first but we apologize for causing inconvenience,” the advertisement by Samsung said. The update for South Korean users will start 20 Sept, it said.
South Korean media earlier reported the software update plan, citing Samsung.
It was not clear when the update may be issued overseas. Also unclear was whether it would be forced on existing Note 7 phones regardless of user consent. Yonhap News Agency reported that Samsung is in talks with mobile carriers to deliver the same update to keep battery power at 60% or below at all times.
From bad to worse
The planned update is the latest action Samsung has taken as it deals with faulty batteries in certain Note 7 devices. Numerous reports of the Note 7′s batteries exploding and catching fire have surfaced, including one incident which saw a six-year-old end up with burns to his body after using it.
Concerns were so great that a number of aviation companies told passengers not to charge or turn on their Note 7 while flying.
Samsung recalled 2.5 million of the devices just two weeks after their launch, saying the problem stems from a manufacturing glitch in the batteries.
The company did not say how many more battery fires in the Note 7 have been reported since 1 Sept when 35 cases were confirmed. In announcing its recall, the Canadian government said one case was confirmed in Canada while Samsung received more than 70 reported cases in the United States alone.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering an official product recall.
Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone maker, and analysts said the recall might leave a larger impact on its brand than earlier estimated. The problem saw it lose $26 billion (€23.13 billion) in value despite strong sales with the S7 and S7 Edge this year.
The company has urged consumers to immediately turn off the phones and get them replaced with the new Note 7. It has also started marking safe Note 7 devices with a blue ‘S’ so consumers know it’s not hazardous.
But implementing such a large-scale recall is a challenge. Consumers have to visit Samsung service centers or retailers twice – once to get a replacement phone – not a Galaxy Note 7 – and have a safety check of their existing Note 7, and a second time to get a new Note 7.
The exchange of Note 7 devices for Irish customers will begin from 19 September.
(Additional reporting by Quinton O’Reilly)
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Does this mean our insurance premiums will keep rising?
as long as insurers make big profits and pay fat executive salaries then yes
Who do you think is going to foot the bill for this payout to board hold.. I’m mean policy holders
That’s good news. Those with policies are lucky to get payments.
It’s one less player in the market.. So probably yes.
I didn’t get refund when setanta collapsed. Just paid out 670 then it collapsed following week and had to insure myself again. Nightmare it was
I thought all the insurance companies were supposed to be gouging massive profits from people? This doesn’t suit the narrative……..
This isn’t about suiting any “narrative”. It’s concrete fact that car insurance companies are “gouging massive profits from people” and to suggest otherwise is lying as it’s a very personal impact considering people know exactly how much they’re paying…
Apparently most insurers are running a loss on car insurance. They have to make it up with home insurance etc. The fact that people are suing when any kind of accident happens and the courts hand out ridiculously high settlements, is what is driving (excuse the pun) our premiums up.
Insurance companies should change their underwriting criteria. They should load judges policies with €65,000 per annum to cover loses from ridiculously high settlements for bogus claims
insurance companies are tidying up nicely, but they want you to think differently
Nice to see somebody getting money we had Setanta Insurance for one month when it went bust and nothing back even though we done it through a broker
I was in the same boat Donal…Great to see the policy holders with Enterprise are getting a refund..
I’ve 3 weeks left on my policy. I wonder what that’s worth.
21/366th of your original premium
Roughly €23. Huge inconvenience though.
have your say