Samsung Focuses on Customer Care in Recall Effort

“Although there have been only a small number of reported incidents, Samsung is taking great care to provide customers with necessary support.”

Samsung is urging users of its Galaxy Note7 smartphone to start trading in their devices for replacements.

It’s a safety issue. Samsung announced a recall of the devices—all 2.5 million of the units already sold—when it began to receive reports that some units were exploding when being charged. As of last week’s recalled announcement, the company had only confirmed 35 such cases, but it’s understandably seeking to take precautions.

In a new statement refreshing the call for customers to participate in the exchange program, the company notes that “[a]lthough there have been only a small number of reported incidents, Samsung is taking great care to provide customers with necessary support.” The emphasis on customer care may be seen as a savvy approach to what otherwise could have amounted to a PR disaster.

Of course, it isn’t yet clear what impact the recall will have on consumer interest in the new device, which was boosted by the Note7’s pioneering inclusion of an iris scanner. But even if Note7 sales plummet—not necessarily a likely scenario—Samsung’s commitment to further exploring such cutting-edge technology could help it to regain its footing with future devices.