Fire-Prone Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Replacement Program Plagued by Horrendous Mismanagement

Samsung’s recall of its Galaxy Note 7 is not going as smooth as the company probably hopes.

It’s been around two weeks since the Korean-based firm recalled its latest phablet due to the risk of batteries exploding, but the device is still being used just as much, according to The Verge.

In fact, according to data from mobile use analytics company Apteligent, the usage rate among existing users of the phone has remained almost exactly the same since the day Samsung officially began its recall. And on Thursday, Sept. 15, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has officially issued a government recall of the device. The recall will include around 1 million units of the Galaxy Note 7 due to “serious fire and burn hazards,” according to USA Today.

Samsung said it will issue replacement devices for faulty Galaxy Note 7’s no later than Sept. 21. And users will be able to tell replacement devices from those at risk of exploding by a special blue S on the box, The Verge reported. Additionally, some sources are saying that installing a new battery into an affected Note 7 would render it safe to use.

But the advice coming from the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission is confusing. Samsung said users could exchange their current Note 7 for a new device, pending CPSC approval — but has given no timeframe as to exactly when that would be. In addition, there have been numerous reports of Samsung’s failure in coordinating properly with the CPSC. The New York Times called the recall process “anything but smooth,” and the Wall Street Journal said it was “dogged with conflicting information.”

Current users of the Note 7 could also choose to trade in their device for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, along with a refund for the price difference. Or, they could opt for a full refund of the purchase price.

The exploding battery risk applies to some Galaxy Note 7’s purchased between August and Sept. 15. According to USA Today, the culprit has been theorized to be batteries originating from a certain supplier. In the U.S. alone, Samsung has received 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage due to overheating batteries.

While recalling over 2.5 million smartphones is not an easy task, The Verge points out that the lack of coordination with the CPSC and the overall mismanagement of this recall process is sure to hurt Samsung’s brand image — and the longer the process takes, the more the company’s image will suffer.

Users can find out whether or not a phone is subject to a replacement or refund by entering the phone’s serial number into Samsung’s recall program webpage.