Samsung has told Australian Galaxy Note 7 owners to turn off their phones and return them to stores after reports the phone’s batteries caught fire or exploded while charging.
About 51,000 phones were voluntarily recalled in Australia on Monday by Samsung Electronics Australia, following similar moves overseas, citing “isolated battery cell issues”.
The company said Samsung customers could receive replacements or full refunds and courtesy devices would be available on Wednesday for those who had to return their phones.
The phone was first released in selected markets including Korea and the US. Samsung suspended sales of its new device on Friday and initiated a voluntary recall in the US, after 35 confirmed explosions led to a fault being identified within batteries.
Consumer groups in the US have called for a full official recall of the devices in markets where they were shipped with the potentially faulty batteries. It has already sold more than 1m.
The Australian recall follows a similar pattern to the US, where the company said it would “voluntarily replace” any devices that had been bought with a new one “over the coming weeks”.
Consumer group Choice said Australian customers who had bought a phone outright should seek an immediate refund.
“A dangerous phone like this is considered to have a major failure under consumer law, which means the consumer decides what remedy – a repair, replacement or refund – is right for them,” it said in a statement.
“If you have purchased one of these phones outright, your best option is to get an immediate refund from Samsung or the place of purchase.
“It’s a different story if the phone comes as part of a contract for service with a telco. In this instance, if the service can no longer be provided because the phone is dangerous, you might have a right under the guarantees within consumer law to cancel the service.”
