Samsung Sends Gloves and Fireproof Packaging for Note 7 Returns

Samsung Electronics Co. said on its website that it was sending fireproof packaging and gloves to customers who had purchased the Galaxy Note 7 so they could return the devices safely. After a recall of 2.5 million units of its smartphone, Samsung had sent out replacements, but reports had come in that showed that even the replaced units were emitting smoke and going up in flames. On Wednesday, the South Korean company said in a statement that government regulations dictate that devices containing lithium ion battery, which are being recalled are subject to some rules. These special boxes being issued by the company are outlined in these regulations.

On Tuesday, Samsung had taken the decision to permanently put a stop to the production of Galaxy Note 7 and it announced that it was also setting up appointments with users in order to pick up the affected unit. Less than two months after the launch of its flagship Note 7, the South Korean handset maker was forced to halt production of the device after reports surfaced that the batteries were catching fire. In the previous month, it had to recall the devices to sort out the problem and its failure to do so and the eventual scrapping off the device is a major blow to its financial outlook and brand image as well.

A video was uploaded on YouTube, which showed the ‘return kit’ that Samsung has sent out along with a set of instructions. This kit included gloves for handling the device and a fireproof box, which is ‘forbidden for transport via aircraft’. The outer box is thermally insulated and boasts ceramic fiber paper lining. It comprises of a static shielding bag and two smaller boxes. A customer care representative of the company said that in the United States, the UPS shipping service and U.S. Postal Service should be used by customers for returning their Note 7 devices in the fireproof box.

A spokeswoman of the U.S. Postal Service stated that they were only using their ground transportation service for shipping Galaxy Note 7 units as this is required under its rules pertaining to transportation of recalled or damaged lithium ion batteries. Fedex and UPS didn’t respond to request for a comment. On Wednesday, the operator of the primary postal service in Britain, Royal Mail Plc said that they had banned the delivery of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones via its network due to safety reasons. This had made it immensely difficult for some of the Britons to return the recalled devices.

Samsung announced the decision of putting a stop to the production of the Galaxy Note 7 only a day after it had said that production was ongoing as per schedule. The company had assured customers that problems within the phone were fixed and there would be no risk of explosion anymore. However, this didn’t pan out as reports came in of replacement devices emitting smoke or catching fire. In one case, a plane had to be evacuated as a passenger’s Note 7 began to smoke.