Last week, I wrote a post lambasting how the Hong Kong and Singapore legs of Samsung have been handling the so-called "global recall" of the Galaxy Note 7. My complaint wasn't of the nitpicky variety -- it was about those branches giving out delayed, sometimes inaccurate information. I titled the post "Samsung's Note 7 Recall Process Has been Great In the U.S., But Terrible In Asia," because U.S. phone carriers and big chain stores like Best Buy seem to be offering a lot more details and options for customers in the states (for example, AT&T is giving customers the option of getting a full refund or exchange for another phone right now, with the option to go back to the Note 7 later when the new batch arrives). Turns out, I was wrong for making the assumption that the U.S. process has "great" all around, because plenty of readers pointed out that Verizon in the U.S. is also giving them the same treatment we're getting in Asia: no loaner phone options while they wait for the new Note 7s, and a bunch of misinformation.
The biggest problem, however, remains the fact that Samsung is, according to hundreds of accounts from all around the world, segregating its exchange process by country. If you own a Singapore variant of the Note 7 in London, Samsung UK isn't going to let you swap the phone for a safe one. The same applies to people with U.S Note 7s in Hong Kong, or Taiwan Note 7s in Malaysia. Basically, if you imported your device, or if you purchased your device while traveling and are now back in your home country -- you're stuck with the phone unless you're willing to pay to have the phone shipped back to its country of origin (and even then, you'd need to have someone in that country to handle the exchange for you). On XDA forums, owners of international Note 7s have been repeatedly shunned by Samsung's U.S branch, and Samsung Hong Kong wouldn't accept my Singaporean Note 7.
I understand that's to be expected for typical exchanges. If I, for example, purchase a PlayStation at a mall in Malaysia and the controller button broke while I'm in Sydney, I wouldn't expect to walk into a Sony store and get an exchange. But this Note 7 problem is no ordinary malfunction. This is an increasingly dangerous problem that's affecting the lives of not just Note 7 owners, but everyone else around them. Reports are popping up left and right of exploding Note 7s causing house fires and injuring a child. Airlines are (rightfully) freaking out over people bringing the Note 7 onto flights.
@MikeIsaac yup. Same on American this morning. Never heard anything like that.
— Beau Colburn (@beaucolburn) September 11, 2016
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners just got scolded by the Lufthansa captain on this flight. #DENMUC
— Karthik Sridhar (@AntarYaami) September 9, 2016
Some airlines and aviation authorities have outright banned the phone. Even Samsung headquarters is now telling all Note 7 owners worldwide to stop using the phone (this is a change of tone from the initial recall announcement, which downplayed the potential for danger).
If the problem is this severe, then Samsung needs to suck it up and just exchange Note 7s regardless of where the phone came from. We live in a globalized, increasingly connected world, and the idea of imposing barriers between region-specific devices is an outdated one. Yes, I know this will cost Samsung a lot of money (the company generated $6.4 billion in profits last quarter alone, by the way), and the logistics will be a nightmare. But this problem is entirely the fault of the company, and they have to own up to it.
Do the right thing, Samsung. Take the L and open up your exchange program worldwide. Let anyone with a Note 7 walk into a store and walk out with a new, safe one.
