Samsung: Nearly all Galaxy Note 7s replaced, but washing machine woes emerge

THE Samsung saga continues, just a month after reports of its explosive Note 7 first came in.

According to a company spokesperson, Samsung’s product recall is going well as “nearly 85 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices have been replaced through the ‘U.S Note 7 Refund and Exchange Program’, with the majority of the participants opting to receive another Samsung phone”.

It would seem that Samsung’s users are loyal enough to the brand to request a replacement phone, despite the device being potentially dangerous to have around. Some people are so attached to their Note 7s that in fact, that they have yet to return their phone to Samsung.

Throwback! My favourite smartphone of 2016, The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ? #RIP pic.twitter.com/uqoCDWJgMf

— Safwan Ahmedmia (@SuperSaf) November 4, 2016

And it’s precisely these phones that are still roaming around in the wild that causes hilarity to ensue as in response, Samsung will be using passive-aggressive means to forcibly reel those devices in. As reported by TechCrunch, devices in the U.S. will be receiving a software update which will “limit the phone’s ability to charge beyond 60 percent”.

The software update, which should have reached phones by today, will notify users to return the phone every time the device is turned on or being charged. These “friendly reminders” are designed to annoy hold out users enough to turn their phones in. Meanwhile in New Zealand, Samsung will be cutting mobile services for the handset.

It may be too soon for Samsung to celebrate the almost-completed recall of its ill-fated Note 7, as another major product issue threatens yet again to drag its name through the mud. Since September, there’s been reports of more malfunctioning products, as Samsung’s top-loading washing machine has been – you guessed it – exploding. To be more precise, the vibration from high-speed cycles have caused the machine’s top unit to detach rather violently.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and Washing Machines being brought back to the Samsung factory. pic.twitter.com/jiT5cxnStU

— Gautam Trivedi (@Gotham3) November 7, 2016

To date, there have been nine injury reports, including one broken jaw, and one woman in Texas who said her washer “exploded with such ferocity that it penetrated the interior wall of her garage.”

It would look as if the situation has not resolved since then, as the company recently issued a voluntary recall for 2.8 million washing machines that were manufactured after March 2011, with over 700 reports of malfunctioning units. Samsung seemingly cannot catch a break, but it also leads us to wonder – who’s handling their product quality assurance?

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