Hongkongers who purchased Galaxy Note 7 can get full refund from Samsung
But South Korean company, which suspended phone sales after reports of the device exploding, will make the transaction only upon customers’ requests
Consumer Council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-Han, after discussions with Samsung’s Hong Kong office since last Saturday, said the company has promised to “manage requests flexibly” and was willing to give a full refund to Note 7 purchasers, other than only offering phone replacements as stated on the official website.
The South Korean technology giant has suspended sales of its new 5.7-inch pen-based smartphone on September 2 – just two weeks after the flagship phone’s launch – after 35 cases of phones catching fire while charging in the United States and Australia were reported. No explosion cases have been reported in China and Hong Kong.
A total of fewer than 500 Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that were sold in Hong Kong and Macau between 26 August and September 1 were identified by Samsung to contain batteries supplied by the same manufacturer that produced the problematic component. But the company insisted that “Note 7 smartphones purchased from Hong Kong and Macau since September 2 are not affected”.
But Wong noted: “We are aware that there are media reports saying even non-affected Note 7s have overheated battery problems, so we have raised the concern to Samsung.”
Samsung said on Wednesday night that of the 500 sold in Hong Kong and Macau, they are still waiting for 162 phones to be returned through the replacement programme.
For Galaxy Note7 devices purchased in Hong Kong or Macau on or after September 2, an optional software update will be available as soon as possible to reassure consumers that their devices do not need to be replaced, the company said.