When South Korean manufacturer Samsung released its Android phone Galaxy Note7 in August 2016, consumer demand was so high that releases in some markets were delayed due to shortages, but within weeks the company was already having to respond to widespread reports of explosions and fires apparently caused by the phone’s defective battery. Although Samsung took steps to address the issue by replacing the batteries with those from a different supplier, but, even with the replacement batteries, consumers continued to report more explosions and fires caused by the Samsung phones. By October – two months after the phone’s release – Samsung suspended sales of the phone, after consumers had spent over $800 per unit for a defective phone and wasted time and money on an unusable phone. To address this injustice against consumers, McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP has filed a class action on behalf of consumers to recover the unreimbursed monthly costs associated with owning an unusable phone.
The Monthly Costs Endured by Galaxy Note7 Users
After at least 35 reports of dangerously overheating batteries were made in the first few weeks after the phone’s release, both Samsung officials and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission advised owners of the phone to immediately power down their phones and stop using them until replacements could be provided in coming weeks.
Replacement phones were not provided in many cases until weeks later, during which time users were nevertheless were charged the monthly costs associated with the phone while being deprived of the normal use of the smartphone they had just purchased.
Making matters worse, almost as soon as consumers received replacement phones, reports of dangerously malfunctioning replacement phones were made, including one phone that caused the evacuation of an airplane, which led to a Department of Transportation ban on bringing the Galaxy Note7 on planes as either carry-on or checked cargo. Thus, consumers continued to be denied access to the use of the phones they had purchased while still paying for the monthly costs of owning the phone.
Although Samsung has taken efforts to replace the phones, these additional costs of owning an unusable phone have continued to be shouldered by the unsuspecting consumers who bought the Galaxy Note7 phones.
Find out If You Are Eligible to Join the Samsung Galaxy Note7 Class Action
The complex litigation attorneys at McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP have extensive experience in investigating consumer fraud and bringing litigation to obtain justice for defrauded consumers, having recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of consumers in just the past several years. To learn more about your eligibility to join the McCune Wright Arevalo class action against Samsung over unreimbursed costs related to the Samsung Galaxy Note7, contact us today at (909) 345-8110.