FAA Weighs Potential Galaxy Note7 Ban As Reports Of Exploding Phones Continue
Samsung’s unofficial recall could have some more wide-reaching effects for those looking to board airplanes with their Galaxy Note7. According to Gizmodo, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering a ban on the smartphone for obvious reasons — an exploding smartphone aboard a passenger aircraft loaded with potentially hundreds of people onboard is a nightmare waiting to happen.
No final decision has been made at this point, but the FAA issued the following statement:
The FAA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are working on guidance related to this issue. If the device is recalled by the manufacturer, airline crew and passengers will not be able to bring recalled batteries or electronics that contain recalled batteries in the cabin of an aircraft, or in carry-on and checked baggage.
This is what happens when companies decide to coordinate recalls on their own instead of going through the proper channels. Everyone is left scrambling trying to come up with a proper way to handle what could potentially be a very serious issue. But even if a ban was placed on just the Galaxy Note7, how would that even work? Imagine the hassle (and long lines) as TSA workers try deciphering what Samsung device you have and if its serial number is part of the recalled batch of smartphones.
While the recall program is definitely customer friendly — giving users the option to swap out their Galaxy Note7 for a brand new model in addition to receiving a $25 “I’m Sorry” credit — Samsung is already coming under fire for its actions. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is upset, because routing the recall through its office would have presented customers with their rights in a situation like this, properly relayed recall information to consumers via multiple channels, and immediately made the sale of the devices illegal with the United States.
Consumer Reports even chimed in, stating, "Samsung should immediately initiate an official recall with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, given the serious nature of the safety problem it identified with the Galaxy Note 7."
In other explosive Galaxy Note7 news, one Australian reddit poster claims that his smartphone caught fire while charging overnight in a hotel room. According to Crushader, the phone was “completely fried” and “charred the hotel room bed sheet and the carpet when I whacked it down to the floor.” The resulting fire reportedly cost just under $1,400 in damage to the hotel room.
Crushader, who has since been identified as Tham Hua, says that Samsung provided him with a replacement device and has offered to pay for the damage to the hotel room.
