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

[anon(782252)]

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.

And yet, thru August, GM car sales are up 1%, highest of any major car maker. People forgive and or forget very quickly.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

The thing with manufacturing, they strive to stop human error, but the problem is, humans are involved even if robots are used on the line.

Human error is not something that will ever disappear. Now when you talk about negligence, intentional, error but you know and you hide it and cover it up.. That is a different matter.

 

[anon(782252)]

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.

Americans tolerate safety issues in the food we eat on almost a daily basis. If we didn't, we would all be growing our own food.

 

[soldier45]

No issues with mine but will replace just for safety reasons in a week or so. Dedicated lifelong Samsung supporter, they make the best Tvs, phones and SSD hard drives.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

And yet, thru August, GM car sales are up 1%, highest of any major car maker. People forgive and or forget very quickly.

Yeah, some people are more forgiving than others.

But yeah. After all the info got out, it wasn't uncommon to see people laughing and making jokes about GM (and not in a good way)

 

[glenninduluth]

For me, they don't need to do anything to regain my confidence. My N7 has worked perfect from day one. No battery issues, no lag issues, not a single scratch, or anything else. Just like every Samsung phone I have had before (and there have been a lot of them!). I can't say that for any of the HTC phones or even the one iPhone I had. all of them had an issue of some kind. Plus, they are being upfront and tackling this issue (an issue that any electronics maker could have) head on. I'll swap mine out and move on like nothing happened. No lost confidence for me in Samsung or the N7.

 

[Baby_Doc]

Americans tolerate safety issues in the food we eat on almost a daily basis. If we didn't, we would all be growing our own food.

Chipotle still hasn't recovered from the E.Coli that plagued many of their outlets. We do forgive, but it sometimes doesnt happen so quickly.

When it comes to the N7, there will be newer flagship phones becoming available, long before the N7 returns to the marketplace. That will affect future N7 sales in some way. (You just don't crank out 2 million replacement units in a few days or get them back where they need to be in the distribution chain overnight.)

Again, sales numbers will eventually say how quick we are to forgive.

 

[jerrycau123]

I currently own the note 7 and I will wait for the replacement.
I love the note 7! In my opinion this is an amazing phone!
I have the option to switch to another phone but! Apple phones are sooooo boring!...
I though about the perfect phone.. The Nexus P... you know what the letter P stands for, is PERFECT! I heard the camera has issues?..

 

[msm0511]

I'm honestly no more or less confident with Samsung than before I got the Note 7. I've been happy with the device so far and understand problems arise from time to time. This is my first Note and first Samsung smartphone. I was never particularly impressed with Samsung until the Note 7 came out. It seemed like a good overall package so I bought it. If they handle the replacements well I'll be happy. I don't see myself less likely to buy another Samsung phone again. Nor do I think I'd be more likely. When it comes to Android I'm fairly neutral OEM wise.

Now, throwing in Samsung Protection Plus with one free replacement and I'd definitely be more likely to become a regular customer. However, I'm not expecting it or one of those demanding compensation. It'd be a show of good faith though.

 

[trucksmoveamerica#AC]

They don't need to do anything. I've been using Samsung notes since note 2 and my wife has been using the s series since the s3 with no issues. The note 7 had issues with parts they used and they are taking care of it, and giving gift cards/bill credits, most manufactures don't give gift cards for your inconvenience for a recall. What more does anyone want??

 

[sydneycooper1979]

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.

Well sure avoiding error would be preferable. But mistakes happen, and I appreciate Samsung handling it this way.

 

[Tabbiel1989]

I feel like Samsung owning up and putting customer safety above the profits is the best thing they can do.

As long as I can exchange my blue note 7 for a safe blue note 7 I'll be very happy. o

 

[cardboard60]

Oh I wonder if the color choices might get messed up with us and having to take what colors that they have available.
Know they didn't have any Golds one.
Think China got those.
And there was limited Blue ones.

Gonna have to wait and see.

 

[anon(782252)]

Yeah, some people are more forgiving than others.

But yeah. After all the info got out, it wasn't uncommon to see people laughing and making jokes about GM (and not in a good way)

Oh I agree. Plenty of people will and are laughing at Samsung. That's human nature. But just like GM is showing recovery, Samsung will do the same IMO.

 

[anon(782252)]

Chipotle still hasn't recovered from the E.Coli that plagued many of their outlets. We do forgive, but it sometimes doesnt happen so quickly.

When it comes to the N7, there will be newer flagship phones becoming available, long before the N7 returns to the marketplace. That will affect future N7 sales in some way. (You just don't crank out 2 million replacement units in a few days or get them back where they need to be in the distribution chain overnight.)

Again, sales numbers will eventually say how quick we are to forgive.

Samsung has already revised forecasted sales from 14 million to 12 million units for 2016. They are intimately aware of the short term impact. But the way they are handling it will provide them long term stability.

I wasn't necessarily referring to Chipotle. I was talking about consumable food as a whole. If you don't grow it yourself, then you are inherently taking chances every time you take a bite. Food recalls happen all the time but only the biggest ones actually get media attention.

 

[Almeuit]

Nothing from me. Defects happen sometimes.. They just do. The key thing is how do they fix said defect and how easy do they make it on me?

I signed up with T-Mobile and they'll tell me when a replacement is here. I'll then just go exchange and be good. To me this is simple and easy on me.

 

[chriskwarren]

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.

This.

The recall was all over the news here in Canada.

I was at the dog park yesterday, took out my S7 flat and took a couple of pics. I was complimented on one of the pics I took, and that same person asked me if this was the phone that explodes.

The brand as a whole has been hurt for a little while now I believe. I think the aftermarket value of our phones (all recent Samsung) might be hurt. It's not exactly a good selling point to have to include "does not explode" in your Kijiji or Craigslist ad.

I don't think we will see brand-new units from carriers discounted right away; they will have a hard time meeting the backlogged demand and replacements as it is, but give it a couple of months and I see bloated inventories.

My wife is due for an upgrade, and I have been chomping at the bit to grab a N7...this situation forces me to wait, and I am thinking that I will def wait until December to get one (and I'll avoid the aftermarket options on this phone like the plague).

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Also Samsung Mobile is a drop in the bucket of Samsung products.

If Samsung Mobile closed today, it would be a bump in the road compared to everything else they have.

 

[BustA Groove]

They may end up adding on Samsung Protection Plus when they relaunch Note 7. Wishful thinking and probably depends on how sales trend.

I'm honestly no more or less confident with Samsung than before I got the Note 7. I've been happy with the device so far and understand problems arise from time to time. This is my first Note and first Samsung smartphone. I was never particularly impressed with Samsung until the Note 7 came out. It seemed like a good overall package so I bought it. If they handle the replacements well I'll be happy. I don't see myself less likely to buy another Samsung phone again. Nor do I think I'd be more likely. When it comes to Android I'm fairly neutral OEM wise.

Now, throwing in Samsung Protection Plus with one free replacement and I'd definitely be more likely to become a regular customer. However, I'm not expecting it or one of those demanding compensation. It'd be a show of good faith though.

 

[chrisforpm]

This.

The recall was all over the news here in Canada.

I was at the dog park yesterday, took out my S7 flat and took a couple of pics. I was complimented on one of the pics I took, and that same person asked me if this was the phone that explodes.

The brand as a whole has been hurt for a little while now I believe. I think the aftermarket value of our phones (all recent Samsung) might be hurt. It's not exactly a good selling point to have to include "does not explode" in your Kijiji or Craigslist ad.

I don't think we will see brand-new units from carriers discounted right away; they will have a hard time meeting the backlogged demand and replacements as it is, but give it a couple of months and I see bloated inventories.

My wife is due for an upgrade, and I have been chomping at the bit to grab a N7...this situation forces me to wait, and I am thinking that I will def wait until December to get one (and I'll avoid the aftermarket options on this phone like the plague).

It's the perception more than anything else. The media doesn't help when they post a stock picture of an S7 and then go on to say the Note 7 is the phone actually exploding. A lot of people are visual and they go, hey that's my phone. It's irresponsible of the media and they should be held to account.

I noticed my phone moved from 74 to 65 on the Rogers reso system. It looks like people are cancelling their preorders due to this recall. I guess we will see if this hurts Samsung phone sales over all. I can see Apple, HTC, LG and Motorola all benefiting in the short term from this.