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Verizon Cracking Down on Customers Still Using Faulty Galaxy Note 7 Devices

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Though Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 has been discontinued for several months because of battery issues, there are still "thousands" of Verizon customers who are continuing to use the devices against the company's advice.

To put a stop to the rogue Note 7 users, Verizon tells Fortune that it's prepared to take more extreme steps to disable the devices. Verizon has already issued a carrier update that stops the Galaxy Note 7 from working, but some customers have been able to avoid installing it.

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Verizon plans to make it so calls placed on remaining Galaxy Note 7 devices will only connect to the company's customer service representatives, with the exception of 911 calls. Verizon is also considering charging customers who continue to use the Note 7 for the full retail price of the device, as it has sent out refunds.
"In spite of our best efforts, there are still customers using the recalled phones who have not returned or exchanged their Note 7 to the point of purchase," a Verizon spokeswoman tells Fortune. "The recalled Note 7s pose a safety risk to our customers and those around them."
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Verizon customers who return a Note 7 device to the company continue to be eligible for a $100 bill credit and no upgrade fee as an incentive to choose a new smartphone.

Samsung has not officially announced the results of an internal investigation it conducted on the Galaxy Note 7, but company sources yesterday told Reuters that Samsung has concluded the battery was the reason behind the fires. Samsung was able to replicate the fires during its investigation, though the cause was not able to be explained by hardware design or software.

Samsung's official results will be shared on January 23, and the company is also expected to share details on measures it will take to prevent similar battery issues in the future.

Article Link: Verizon Cracking Down on Customers Still Using Faulty Galaxy Note 7 Devices
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/17/verizon-cracking-down-on-note-7-users/
They will upgrade the first time they try to fly with those phones. Every Flight I have taken this year ( and there has been a lot of them) they have announced that the Galaxy Note S7 is not allowed on the aircraft.
 
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Good. It's irresponsible for people to be continuing the use of these phones. If the risks only affected the users themselves I'd say let them be, but this potentially affects the safety of others (like the Verizon spokeswoman mentions in the quote), so it's not ok.
 
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Umm, last I heard, Verizon did not send out refunds, they simply provided a refund if the device was returned. If Verizon sent out refunds, they should have sent prepaid packaging as well and said if the device is not returned within 30 days, they will charge them full price.
 
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Flood123 said:
They will upgrade the first time they try to fly with those phones. Every Flight I have taken this year ( and there has been a lot of them) they have announced that the Galaxy Note S7 is not allowed on the aircraft.
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That has been lifted by the FAA.
 
Flood123 said:
They will upgrade the first time they try to fly with those phones. Every Flight I have taken this year ( and there has been a lot of them) they have announced that the Galaxy Note S7 is not allowed on the aircraft.
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I have heard that announcement so many times. On my flight last week the flight crew said "and for any of you proud owners of a Galaxy Note 7....."

It caught me off guard and I literally laughed out loud.
 
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tann said:
Sorry but I don't get why this is still relevant for Macrumors, there will be people using this phone until they die. They're idiots but why does it matter to us anymore.
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Whenever one thinks the bar for being dumb cannot be lowered, there always will be people who manage to still crawl under that.
 
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I guessing that the people that are somehow still using the Note 7 are die-hard Samsung fanboys, or people that, somehow, still haven't heard the news.
 
cmwade77 said:
Umm, last I heard, Verizon did not send out refunds, they simply provided a refund if the device was returned. If Verizon sent out refunds, they should have sent prepaid packaging as well and said if the device is not returned within 30 days, they will charge them full price.
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Uhmm.... you work for Verizon? Cuz I do and when I pulled up customers accounts that have or had the note 7... the upgrade was reversed on the account... basically they were getting the refund for the device for those that did the dpp or 2 year. So In Verizon's terms refund meant that their upgrade was reversed. So everyone that has a note 7 now on Verizon.... they still have the phone but they have an upgrade available.
 
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So the software update wasn't forced for the user to download or they bypassed it somehow. In any case, I agree any measures need to be end the usage of the Note 7 and the customers still using the Note, very well know the ramifications, they just don't care. I would be curious to see an exact number of how many Note's remain unclaimed.
 
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