Samsung attempts to snatch victory from jaws of melting Note7 defeat

You’ve got to give Samsung top marks for sheer gall. Less than a month after the Note7 debacle the company is claiming a win from the fact that most people accepted a replacement device.

In other words Samsung is attempting to steer the story from a catastrophic component failure to a statement of customer devotion and loyalty. Apparently 90% Galaxy Note7 users have accepted a replacement one with a less volatile battery. On the flip side, Samsung has lost 10% of its Note7 customer base, which amounts to hundreds of thousands of punters.

“We are humbled by our customers’ loyalty to the Galaxy Note7 device,” said DJ Koh, President of the Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is why we want them to take advantage of their local replacement program so that they can continue to feel confident and excited every time they reach for their Galaxy Note7 device.”

They were feeling excited before, but probably not in the way Samsung had intended. There’s nothing like that rush of adrenaline you get from not knowing if the device in your pocket is going to spontaneously combust.

The recall programme seems to be going well, with 60% of all recalled devices in the US and Korea already replaced. Samsung eventually did the right thing in conducting a total recall, but it might just be pushing its luck a bit with this latest PR manoeuvre. It’s probably time to just quietly move on and put the whole harrowing experience behind it. Sh*t happens Samsung – get over it.