Saturday, Sep 24, 2016

Dubai: Samsung Gulf Electronics has announced the availability of exchange programme for Galaxy Note7 owners in the region.

This programme is in response to the recent announcement regarding isolated battery cell issue of the Galaxy Note7 devices.

“Samsung has started replacing the recalled Galaxy Note7 devices from Thursday and the Samsung call centre is calling on customers to let them know about the exchange programme,” sources close to the company told Gulf News.

The Korean smartphone leader issued a global recall of Galaxy Note7 following reports in the US, Taiwan, Australia, China and South Korea of the phone exploding during or after charging.

Samsung sold around 2.5 million Note7s globally and around 19,000 in the UAE.

“Samsung is taking a proactive approach to address customer needs around the Note7,” said Esmail Yoon, president of Samsung Gulf Electronics.

“We are encouraging customers to replace their Note7 by taking advantage of our replacement programme. The safety and satisfaction of our customers is Samsung’s top priority.”

For customers, who have the Galaxy Note7 device, Samsung will voluntarily exchange their current device to a new Galaxy Note7 over the coming weeks till December 31, 2016, at multiple locations in the UAE. Customers have the option of getting a full refund or another Samsung smartphone.

There will also be a separate hall at the Dubai World Trade Centre, during Gitex Shopper, from October 1 to 8.

The source said that the phones were available last week but was waiting for the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the UAE and Department of Economic Development (DED) approvals.

Both the approvals were obtained from the TRA and DED and the exchange programme has started.

“The exchange is for a new Note7 — exchange a Note7 for a Galaxy S7 Edge or refund the full amount. We exchanged around 2,000 units so far. More stocks will land in the UAE on Saturday,” a source said.

The new Samsung Note7 box will have ‘S’ sign and the battery charging colour on the status bar will be green instead of the usual white colour.

“Some people refused to return their recalled Samsung Galaxy Note7, so the company has limited the charging capacity to 60 per cent to force the users to exchange the device. Around 85 per cent of the customers want a replacement Note7 and only 15 per cent opted for another device or refund,” the source said.

Strategy Analytics said the Korean company may sell fewer than 10 million Note7s this year compared with its previous estimate of 14 million globally. The combined cost of the recall would erase $5 billion off its smartphone revenue this year and cut smartphone profit margin by 1.5 per cent.

Ian Fogg, head of mobile analysis at IHS Technology, told Gulf News that the impact of the Samsung Note7 recall depends on how quickly Samsung can fix the problem and move on.

“The competitor smartphone makers who stand to benefit the most will be Samsung’s nearest rivals in the premium segment — Apple in particular, Huawei across Europe and most regions. Therefore, the main companies to benefit will be Huawei and Apple,” he said.

By Naushad K. Cherrayil Staff Reporter

Gulf News 2016. All rights reserved.