What will Samsung Need to do to regain customer confidence in the N7?

[theshaz]

I get the impression that there are two types in this Note 7 forum.

1) People who generally like the phone and are planning too do the swap when the stock is available.

2) People that do not like the device and are having their jollies over this recall situation.

Samsung is in my opinion doing the best it can with this unfortunate and expensive situation. I also have to mention my carrier T-MOBILE they are onboard with the recall and have given me the option to wait till the stock is replenished. Seriously, what more do you want from them?

 

[TylerLV76]

Im on the fence at this point. I love the features of the phone but hate the company. At this point theres nothing out that has everything I want in a phone besides the Note 7 and until the V20 is out, nothing really stacks up to the Note 7.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

What Samsung needs to do in my eyes is to replace the units that are already out there with a new one that's going to have much better QC compared to the last ones along with extra peace-of-mind that the battery is much less likely to go into a thermal runaway, whether that's due to a failed voltage regulator or metal impurities. And they are doing just that.

Of course, Samsung could also compensate affected customers with something like extended warranty, or a credit.

But really, in my eyes, in order to regain consumer confidence, Samsung should just replace affected units with new ones that have better QC in a way that doesn't make it inconvenient for the customers.

IF Samsung handles this well, then I'm sure quite a number of customers will remain loyal to Sammy. But that's a big IF.

 

[JeromeM]

I'm perfectly fine with a new replacement from factory, no sending it in for battery replacement that I would not be ok with but sounds like we will get replacement devices. I think they were really good with pre order gifts so I'm not really expecting anything extra from them. Carriers will likely offer to exchange for a different device as well so people will have options.

If some people expect to get a replacement device + Icon X + Gear VR etc because of the inconvenience I think they are setting wrong expectations for Samsung.

Some will use this as an excuse to ditch and get a different device which is fine, my N7 has great performance and battery life.

 

[Mike Dee]

Re: My Samsung Confidence is at an All Time Low

I agree, it was a small number to begin with it not like they are exploding all over the place. They are doing this for our safety and it's probably costing them a lot of money to do so

They are not doing it for your safety. They are doing to prevent lawsuits in case someone gets hurt and for damage control to save their name.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Re: My Samsung Confidence is at an All Time Low

They are not doing it for your safety. They are doing to prevent lawsuits in case someone gets hurt and for damage control to save their name.

I'm sorry, but while lawsuit possibility always play into business decisions, customer safety most certainly does also with reputable companies.

Samsung is a reputable company.

 

[chrisforpm]

I could see pricing come down, I think it's hurt their brand overall. I was talking to a friend who just went from iPhone to the GS7. She was in a panic thinking her phone was going to explode. I had to explain that it's not all Samsung phones, just the N7. The vast majority of consumers aren't as informed as us here on AC.

Second, although I don't know how long it will take to replace the current phones, I'm guessing it's gonna be in the neighbourhood of 4 weeks before most replacements are in the hands of current owners. That means we are a month away from the back orders getting filled. I ordered a blue coral just before the recall and was quoted 3-4 weeks by my carrier. Now that means I most likely won't receive my back order for 8 weeks. I'm thinking it'll be at least 10 weeks before we see these in any supply at retail outlets.

So Samsung has two problems, availability and perception. Can they charge full price for a phone that will be 2.5-3 months old by the time it's widely available? Second there will be the perception in the average person's mind that hey, there is Samsung's exploding phone. I think overall this will hurt them, not with Note fans but with the average consumer. I see big discounts coming before Christmas to clear out a lot of aging stock.

 

[Baby_Doc]

I get the impression that there are two types in this Note 7 forum.

1) People who generally like the phone and are planning too do the swap when the stock is available.

2) People that do not like the device and are having their jollies over this recall situation.

Samsung is in my opinion doing the best it can with this unfortunate and expensive situation. I also have to mention my carrier T-MOBILE they are onboard with the recall and have given me the option to wait till the stock is replenished. Seriously, what more do you want from them?

There is a bigger group of people that you didn't mention. This group is the group of people who haven't yet bought the N7. Remember that the N7 just came out a couple of weeks ago. A lot of people don't immediately buy a new model flagship phone the minute it becomes available. They wait for the reviews and early user reports, before making their purchases. I am one of those people.

I love my N3, particularly because of its Amoled display and great battery life. Yet it is time to get a new phone because it no longer is being supported with security and operating system updates. The N7 was the first phone on my new phone shopping list, but for the reasons I love my N3, I have concerns about the N7. Sure, the N7 has a great higher res display, but what good is it, if I constantly need to worry about breaking or scratching it. ( I have yet to do either to my N3.) The N7 3500 mah battery is bigger than the 3200 mah battery that came with my N3, but I never did I worry about my N3 catching fire. Furthermore, I could easily replace the battery with a larger capacity battery if I needed to do it for any reason.

So I am in a group of Samsung Note users that want a new phone without new problems. I don't own a N7, and I do not hate Samsung products. I only wish the N7 for all its improvements over my N3, particularly it's wonderful camera, didn't have deal breaking quality and durability issues.

I am not getting my jollies over these issues. In fact, unless Samsung can convince me that I shouldn't worry about these early production problems, I will probably need to wait another year for the N8. That wait doesn't make me in the least bit happy or jolly.

 

[cardboard60]

Samsung don't need to do nothing for me but replace my phone.

Across the board. Everybody has had problems with Lithium batteries.
Lithium battery technology is new. And constantly changing.

Think if you bought a new electric car.
Do you not think it will have some kind of lithium battery in it.
And think that lithium batteries get older and weaker after time and need to be replaced ?
And have you heard of the cost of replacing the batteries in cars and having them disposed off ?
And do you not think the batteries in the cars could explode if you was in a wreck and they took a hard impact.
And that they couldn't catch on fire.
Like dropping a phone on the concrete and thinking it should be able to withstand it.

Better wake up to the world of batteries.
We couldn't exist in our world without batteries. And the way our daily lives revolves around them.

 

[sydneycooper1979]

Replacing all Note 7s is the right thing to do and my confidence in Samsung shot way up.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Replacing all Note 7s is the right thing to do and my confidence in Samsung shot way up.

Yeah I'm still angry with Samsung, they have promised me a lot and not yet come through yet.. Which there are good reasons for that. However the way they are handling this is seriously impressive and no one will ever see an issue handled this way in any industry.

 

[anon(749368)]

They don't need to do anything to regain confidence of the customers. These things happen and if I were in the market for a Note 7, I would get it.

 

[Baby_Doc]

Replacing all Note 7s is the right thing to do and my confidence in Samsung shot way up.

Wouldn't you have had even more confidence in Samsung, had they not had this problem to begin with? I can't see how having such a serious safety problem can help Samsung's image, no matter how quickly they attempt to fix the problem.

Any cell phone is a potential time bomb because of lithium batteries. A first priority is to be sure all safeguards are present and working correctly, before putting these phones in the consumer's hands. IMO, more people will think Samsung slipped up here with quality safeguards than have a higher opinion of them for owning up to the problem.

We'll see which opinion prevails by how sales of this phone is effected.

 

[jamesrick80]

Give us complimentary 6 gb ram...i will forever stay silent

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Wouldn't you have had even more confidence in Samsung, had they not had this problem to begin with? I can't see how having such a serious safety problem can help Samsung's image, no matter how quickly they attempt to fix the problem.

Any cell phone is a potential time bomb because of lithium batteries. A first priority is to be sure all safeguards are present and working correctly, before putting these phones in the consumer's hands. IMO, more people will think Samsung slipped up here with quality safeguards than have a higher opinion of them for owning up to the problem.

We'll see which opinion prevails by how sales of this phone is effected.

A contractor, that employees humans, screwed up.

That happens.

 

[Baby_Doc]

A contractor, that employees humans, screwed up.

That happens.

Yes it does. Would you tolerate that it just happens, if it was the seat belts or airbags in our cars that were defective? Safety is a priority for cars and phones and should be expected, beyond any beyond bell or whistle.

It remains to be seen if just the battery contractor was at fault. Many are suggesting that the protective circuitry may also be faulty. If any of these faults resulted in our personal injury, I doubt we would just say that these things just happen. We would complain there was negligence, if we could.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Wouldn't you have had even more confidence in Samsung, had they not had this problem to begin with? I can't see how having such a serious safety problem can help Samsung's image, no matter how quickly they attempt to fix the problem.

Any cell phone is a potential time bomb because of lithium batteries. A first priority is to be sure all safeguards are present and working correctly, before putting these phones in the consumer's hands. IMO, more people will think Samsung slipped up here with quality safeguards than have a higher opinion of them for owning up to the problem.

We'll see which opinion prevails by how sales of this phone is effected.

Only thing I can say is that at some point, companies will have to endure this nightmare in some shape or form.

I hold Samsung to a high standard in terms of quality, so seeing this happen is disappointing to me. However, the way Samsung has handled it has actually alleviated quite a bit of my concerns.

Sure, they could have done so for the interest of their reputation and to avoid big lawsuits and whatnot, but the thing is, they did the right thing. They acknowledged that something is seriously wrong with their phone that could pose a safety hazard to users and stopped selling the device. They could have just blamed it on bad cables or they could've just recalled suspect units, but they didn't. It's not really the action, but how soon they responded that I think should be given credit. They didn't wait for government intervention. They did so voluntarily.

Eventually, a company will have to conduct either product updates or recalls at some point. It's their response to such matters that really show a company's true image.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Yes it does. Would you tolerate that it just happens, if it was the seat belts or airbags in our cars that were defective? Safety is a priority for cars and phones and should be expected, beyond any beyond bell or whistle.

It remains to be seen if just the battery contractor was at fault. Many are suggesting that the protective circuitry may also be faulty. If any of these faults resulted in our personal injury, I doubt we would just say that these things just happen. We would complain there was negligence, if we could.

We have tolerated airbags and seat belts and even brakes and they fix it.

 

[theshaz]

You're good to go.
We'll let you know when a replacement Samsung Galaxy Note7
is available

I am all set. I will continue to use and enjoy the Note 7 I have and will swap out when T Mobile has the new ones in stock.

Kudoes to Samsung & T-Mobile, as painless as possible.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

I thought I'd throw this out.

Remember the recall GM did recently when it came to faulty ignition switches? When people found out that GM actually did know all about the issue for years but never recalled them until much later (when fatalities have already occurred), GM's public image was pretty much a goner at that point. Sure, some of GM's recent cars are appealing (I want that 'Vette Z06), but in the public eye, GM's public image has already been tarnished, far beyond what it would've been if they recalled them way earlier when they first knew about it.

Will Samsung's image be shaken by this recall? Absolutely, but it could have been a lot worse had they not do what they have done. If Samsung just ignored it and had more Notes blow up out there, even causing some harm, Samsung would be hit with much more than just some doubt and a loss in market value.