Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it is sending fire-resistant packages to its customers in the U.S. as a precaution against possible fires or explosions from Galaxy Note 7s they return to retailers.
READ MORE: Samsung permanently ends production of Galaxy Note 7
Samsung is offering prepaid shipping boxes as an option for U.S. consumers who purchased the phones on its website, Samsung.com. It said consumers who purchased their Note 7 phones from mobile carriers should visit the carriers’ websites for recall instructions.
WATCH: Home security camera footage captures Samsung Galaxy Note 7 catching fire in woman’s hand
On Tuesday, Samsung said it was discontinuing the Note 7 phones just two months after their launch, after two recalls and many reports of fires. Samsung must now deal with receiving back more than 1.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones, both the original ones and those issued as replacements. Most were sold in the U.S. and South Korea.
READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall ranks among the largest product failures
A video on YouTube dated Tuesday shows a man it says is at the XDA Developers office in the U.S., unpacking a kit containing a static shield bag, thermally insulated boxes, gloves and instructions for ground shipping only.
“We have just received this crazy Galaxy Note 7 return kit,” the person said in the video.
According to the XDA Developers forum, Samsung’s packing instructions say the Note 7 should be put in the static shield bag and then in a box labeled “OEM Replacement” to be put inside an “Inner Box” and a “Recovery Box.” Shipping companies reportedly had complained they did not want to handle Note 7 returns because of fire concerns.
Samsung said the packaging kits conform with U.S. requirements for shipping lithium-ion batteries or devices containing them that are subject to a recall.
READ MORE: Why lithium-ion smartphone batteries keep exploding
Samsung shares plunged as much as 8 per cent in Seoul, their biggest one-day drop since the 2008 financial crisis, after announcing they would stop production of the Note 7.
WATCH: Analyst calls halt of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 a ‘disaster’ for tech giant
While analysts warn the company will suffer a “big setback” thanks to the massive recall, many more have expressed concerns about the brand’s identity after being accused of poor handling of the entire debacle.
But social media was quick to poke fun at Samsung and it’s fireproof boxes.
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