Jen Brar of Brampton was excited about getting her new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smart phone delivered last month. But just weeks after she began using the device, she was dismayed to find out it was linked to battery fires.
“I was speechless,” Brar told Global News. “I saw pictures of phones black and burned out, it was very scary.”
In early September, Samsung acknowledged battery issues with the Note 7 could cause fires.
READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall: What Canadian consumers need to know
Airlines advised passengers about the potential dangers of taking the device on aircraft.
Transport Canada said in a statement it is “advising air operators, passengers and crew of this safety risk and recommends that Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices be carried in the cabin, where an incident can be immediately mitigated, and not in checked baggage.”
Brar, 26, learned through media reports that Samsung was recalling the Note 7.
READ MORE: Samsung recalls Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to exploding batteries
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A Health Canada recall was issued Sept. 12 followed by a recall by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Sept. 15.
Brar followed instructions to register online with Samsung to have her device replaced, but she says the process involved reporting her device to the company and registering for a new one, which was unpleasant and time consuming.
“Horrendous is the best way to put it,” she said. “It was the most frustrating experience I’ve had in a long time.”
READ MORE: Samsung urges consumers globally to stop using Galaxy Note 7
Brar says one agent hung up on her, while another took down all of her information and promised to follow up — but didn’t.
She says another Samsung agent then berated her over the phone.
“She was blaming me for a problem that’s not my fault at all,” Brar said.
READ MORE: Samsung Canada recalls Galaxy Note 7, urges consumers to turn phone off
After several failed attempts to find out whether she would be receiving a replacement phone, Brar turned to Twitter.
Contacted by Global News, a Samsung spokesperson said Brar’s “shipment is on the way.”
READ MORE: Samsung recalls Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to exploding batteries
About 90 per cent of Canadian Samsung Galaxy 7 Note customers have registered their phone for an exchange, the spokesperson said.
Samsung has already exchanged about 700,000 Galaxy Note 7 units in Korea and North America.
READ MORE: U.S. aviation officials warn passengers not to use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones on flights
However, complaints persist about the replacement device, which some consumers say is not holding a full charge and is overheating.
About 22,000 defective Galaxy Note 7 smart phones were sold in Canada, according to Health Canada.
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