A B.C. man says a cellphone that exploded earlier this year injured him and has rendered him unable to work.
Ethan Ahlin says he contacted the phone manufacturer following the incident this summer, but instead of getting a helping hand, he’s getting no insurance assistance at all.
In fact, the Merritt resident claims that Samsung says he tampered with the phone, which he adamantly denies.
Ahlin says it all started when he lent his new Samsung Galaxy A70 to his daughter so she could play a game on it, but that she later came back saying it was too hot to touch.
“So I started to try to turn it off,” he continued of the July 23 incident, two days after purchasing the phone. “I did everything I could to try to reset it and it started to spark at my hand, leaving marks on my hand.
“I panicked. I threw it on the floor. It caught fire, it started to catch on fire on the back, the back actually melted off.”
Saying he was wearing sandals at the time, Ahlin said he tried to step on it, which is when “it blew up under me.”
The Merritt resident claims the explosion caused soft-tissue damage, nerve damage and bruising on the bone, adding “it knocked me to the floor.”
Since then, he claims he’s been off work, saying the explosion has caused health issues, including anxiety. Ahlin says he’s a filmmaker and now he can’t do that because he can’t walk much and needs to use a crutch.
Ahlin said he contacted Samsung, which gave him a replacement phone, but then asked for the damaged phone two weeks later.
“Never once did they say anything about me tampering with it,” said Ahlin, “until later when the adjuster came forward, saying ‘you tampered with it.’”
Ahlin said Samsung asked how his foot was doing, and that his reply was, “I guess it’s OK because I was still in shock with it all. But then I started to notice visible scarring and bruising started to come after that.”
In an email to Global News, Samsung said it “takes customer safety very seriously and we stand behind the quality of Galaxy devices in use in Canada.
“Our initial examination has revealed signs of external damage to the device. While we are continuing to investigate the circumstances around this matter, we strongly advise that consumers follow the care instructions for their device and avoid damaging their device by removing or disassembling internal components.”
Ahlin claims his doctor says he needs physio and massage, and that he suffers from pain while walking.
Asked what his reaction was upon being denied a claim from an insurance adjuster, Ahlin said, “I was angry, because they acted like … they weren’t taking it serious.
“They’re giving me false hope the entire time, saying it was going to be taken care of, and here I am, getting worse in my medical condition and I’ve got two kids to take care of, and I can’t take care of them.”
Ahlin added he’s getting kicked out of his house because he can’t pay his rent due to not being able to work.
Ultimately, Ahlin said he hopes Samsung will provide some medical attention and a settlement, because he claims he’s going to be out of work for months.
Notably, Ahlin says he loves his replacement phone, Samsung’s S9-Plus, “as I loved the A70. I never wanted to damage that thing.”