What legal basis would Samsung or any carrier use to remotely disable a phone that they do not own (for those of us who paid full price and not on some payment plan/lease plan with a carrier). Sure, a carrier could block the use of the device based on the IMEI number. But to actually do anything to physically damage the ability to use the device or blacklist it says major lawsuit. All this fear mongering about what Samsung or a carrier will do to disable the Note 7 is total nonsense. Maybe in some other country, like South Korea, with no constitutional rights afforded to their citizens, but it is not going to happen here in the USA. I dare a carrier like AT&T to try and do such a thing, which they won't because they could care less what phone I use on their network provided the service is paid for.
I am hanging on to my N7 for now, even though I am using another phone as well (iPhone 7+). No rush to turn mine in. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. A $1000 for a phone is no big deal to me. I am mainly interested in finding out more what the actual defect (if any really exists) of the N7. I am just not one who takes the advice of some unqualified bureaucrats at the CPSC. If Samsung has not been able to replicate the supposed defect with the phone, then does it really even exist at all? Eventually I may turn my phone in only because something else better will be available.