AT&T Considers Stopping All Samsung Note 7 Sales (bloomberg.com)

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

AT&T Considers Stopping All Samsung Note 7 Sales (bloomberg.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Saturday October 8, 2016 @01:30AM from the when-it-rains-it-pours dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: ATT Inc. is considering stopping all sales of Samsung Electronics Co.'s flagship Galaxy Note 7 over concerns about the smartphone's safety, according to a person familiar with the situation. A final decision will likely come as soon as Friday, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. ATT spokesman Fletcher Cook declined to comment. Like many competitors, the second-largest U.S. wireless carrier is already offering alternative smartphones to people who return Note 7 devices. Samsung started replacing the Note 7 last month because of a flaw in its lithium battery that can lead to overheating and pose a burn hazard to customers. Airlines have banned customers from using the smartphones on flights, and the evacuation of a Southwest Airlines Co. plane earlier this week was blamed on smoke caused by a replacement device. ATT's move would be a further blow to Samsung. The wireless carrier is the third-biggest customer of the South Korean company, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Samsung is already facing a bill that analysts estimate stretching into the billions of dollars for the recall of 2.5 million Note 7 phones that it announced last month. A U.S.-based Samsung spokeswoman didn't immediately have a comment.

54 comments

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

the question is.. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 01:35 · Score: 1

why haven't you greedy fucks quit selling them already?
1. Re: the question is.. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 01:36 · Score: 0
  
  Because it would be racist and/or sexist to stop. Why do you hate minorities?
2. Re:the question is.. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 01:53 · Score: 0
  
  Woah dude. Super racist.
3. Re:the question is.. by sucko · 2016-10-08 05:11 · Score: 0
  
  because they wanted to burn the stores down for the insurance money.
  
  --
  -linux... they can't *give* that shit away.
4. Re:the question is.. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 09:29 · Score: 0
  
  why haven't you greedy fucks quit selling them already?
  Because you stupid fucks keep buying them!
5. Re:the question is.. by thegarbz · 2016-10-08 11:18 · Score: 1
  
  why haven't you greedy fucks quit selling them already?
  Because there's no formal recall and other than 1 odd case the was no reason to suspect the current batch of Note 7s in the shop to have any problem?
  I'm sure you're happy to send me all your money since you consider just standard normal operating practice to = "greedy fucks" and you have something against that right?
Frist Post? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 01:40 · Score: 4, Funny

You are all welcome to keep typing on your slow iPhones, while my note runs burning fast
How relevant is this? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 01:52 · Score: 0

Is buying/leasing a phone from the mobile network company still a big thing in the US?
1. Re:How relevant is this? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 02:09 · Score: 1
  
  Considering how big a PITA it is to bring an unlocked device to the major carriers in the US - yes, yes it is.
  They go out of their way to get you to buy your phones through them. One of the things Apple has been really successful at with the iPhone is taking over that process themselves, but even then, when you buy an iPhone direct from Apple you get one that's carrier-locked. Last I checked the only way to get an unlocked iPhone from Apple in the US is to buy one that's "for T-mobile" because T-mobile is still a German company and therefore under EU regulations.
  And that's just the iPhone - things get even weirder with Android phones. The non-flagship Android phones are frequently ONLY available direct from the carriers in the US. The Note 7 may be an exception but it wouldn't surprise me to discover that the AT&T variant and the Verizon variant of the Note 7 are, in fact, different models. It's fairly standard for phone models sold in the US to have "special" models for each carrier that come with slightly different hardware.
2. Re:How relevant is this? by jon3k · 2016-10-08 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  I never understood why having an unlocked phone in the US mattered. We have two networks worth a shit, AT&T (barely) and Verizon. Most devices don't have radios compatible with both networks. So what will having an unlocked phone get you? Moving from GSM AT&T to T-Mobile? No thanks.
3. Re:How relevant is this? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 02:55 · Score: 0
  
  What are you talking about? It isn't a PITA at all. Buy an unlocked phone and pop a SIM in.
4. Re:How relevant is this? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 03:05 · Score: 0
  
  And yet the SIM doesn't appear to carry configuration information for the network you've got it from, or maybe ting just sucks at setting up their SIMs, since I had to enter all the SMS/MMS/data network configuration myself.
5. Re:How relevant is this? by Lisandro · 2016-10-08 03:05 · Score: 1
  
  Huh? How is it hard? You just buy an unlocked phone (Amazon has them by the truckload), go to your favorite carrier, buy a SIM and pop it in.
6. Re:How relevant is this? by squiggleslash · 2016-10-08 03:18 · Score: 1
  
  This hasn't been necessary in almost a decade. It's been a very long time since I bought an unlocked phone and had to enter any additional information to get the data to work.
  
  --
  You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
7. Re:How relevant is this? by murdocj · 2016-10-08 03:35 · Score: 2
  
  Sure made sense for me... I bought my phone thru US Cell and lowered my bill to $35/mo. Why wouldn't I do that?
8. Re:How relevant is this? by Karlt1 · 2016-10-08 04:25 · Score: 1
  
  Considering how big a PITA it is to bring an unlocked device to the major carriers in the US - yes, yes it is.
  I just bought my son a cheap unlocked GSM phone, bought a t-mobile sim and called them and had them activate it to my plan. Years ago, I had a GSM iPhone 4 that was originally locked to AT&T. I went online, had AT&T unlock the phone and went into a T-mobile's store and they activated it.
  
  They go out of their way to get you to buy your phones through them.
  "How do they go out of their way? Of course they would rather you buy a phone from them but if you choose one of the GSM carriers -- AT&T or T-Mobile, you can easily bring them your own phone
  
  One of the things Apple has been really successful at with the iPhone is taking over that process themselves, but even then, when you buy an iPhone direct from Apple you get one that's carrier-locked. Last I checked the only way to get an unlocked iPhone from Apple in the US is to buy one that's "for T-mobile" because T-mobile is still a German company and therefore under EU regulations.
  Apple's usual m.o. is to first sell phones that are specific to a carrier before they "officially" start selling unlocked phones. Right now, for the 6s/6s+ on Apple.com you have five choices for the U.S. -- the four major carriers and "unlocked". For the 7, you have four choices -- the three major carriers + an unlocked phone with a t-mobile sim. It seems to be a semantic difference that may be caused by carrier contracts.
  
  And that's just the iPhone - things get even weirder with Android phones. The non-flagship Android phones are frequently ONLY available direct from the carriers in the US.
  For CDMA phones, it doesn't make sense to try to sell "unlocked phones". They are making them for a specific carrier and are probably getting marketing help from the carriers. Besides, only Apple has the retail presence to both market and provide support for their own phones.
  
  The Note 7 may be an exception but it wouldn't surprise me to discover that the AT&T variant and the Verizon variant of the Note 7 are, in fact, different models. It's fairly standard for phone models sold in the US to have "special" models for each carrier that come with slightly different hardware.
  You act as if this is a conspiracy. It is possible to create a phone that works with both GSM (almost everyone( and CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) and support all of the various LTE bands that different carriers support, but it's probably cheaper to exclude the CDMA specific hardware for the GSM phones. Even Apple has some GSM/CDMA models and some GSM only.
9. Re:How relevant is this? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 04:57 · Score: 0
  
  Some people don't live under rocks like you and actually travel outside their own backyard.
  It's not hard to understand things when you're not a xenophobic idiot.
10. Re:How relevant is this? by Whorelander · 2016-10-08 05:45 · Score: 2
  
  Unlocked phones cost less in the long run than financing a device, you really own it, and it gives you a better selection of devices to choose from IMO.
  
  What's with your comment on T-Mobile? If it's about the network, when I don't have coverage -- which is rare -- I'm on AT&Ts towers and that's included in the plan. I was on AT&T and moved over to T-Mobile and I couldn't be happier. I'm paying less for the "same" coverage.
  
  And now I'm considering Ting, since they now use all of T-Mobile and AT&T's towers, but my phone bill will go down to less than 25 bucks a month for two phones. I have friends and family on Ting and I've seen their bills and they've never not had any coverage issues... And since my phone is unlocked, I just have to buy their SIM. Unlocked phones cost less and you're not locked to any one carrier. There are several GSM option in the US and of course it's pretty much the rest of the world.
11. Re:How relevant is this? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 05:53 · Score: 0
  
  very big. it's how nearly all cellular customers get their devices.
  carriers sign "exclusive" deals to funnel customers looking for a particular phone to them (example: iphone was initially an at&t exclusive).
  they also use the opportunity to offer a "discount" in exchange to locking customers in for two years. it's not really a discount, you pay for it, and then some, via the inflated monthly charges.
  and networks aren't necessarily compatible with one another. elsewhere in the world there is only gsm so its relatively simple to switch carriers. here there is cdma (verizon, us cellular, sprint) and gsm (at&t, tmobile). gsm has little, if any, coverage in rural parts of the country while cdma covers most of it. so it's not like a good one-third of us have much of a choice on carrier... even in hicksville sprint doesn't provide local phone numbers as their native network is actually pretty small focused on larger cities, only verizon (and us cellular in their much smaller native coverage area) does.
  resellers are trying to change things, but even then most of them lock you into their devices in some way, and they still operate at the whim of the major carriers. but if ting ever got access to verizon's network (their cdma coverage uses sprint.. voice roams but data doesn't).. it would be game over for the status quo.
  here, we are locked into verizon via a grandfathered alltel plan. if we switch plans or switch carriers, our bill goes up at least 60 dollars a month for a similar plan. so we have no choice. try as you may, verizon, but FUCK YOU we aren't dumping our quota and throttle-free unlimited data plan. EVER. we do not care that it only works in two states (otherwise we 'roam'), we never go anywhere else anyway.
12. Re:How relevant is this? by known_coward_69 · 2016-10-08 07:35 · Score: 1
  
  yes, because if there is no pay up front discount then you are stupid for paying upfront and not stretching the payments out over 24-30 months
13. Re:How relevant is this? by known_coward_69 · 2016-10-08 07:37 · Score: 1
  
  at&t they will send an APN file to your phone. ting is your problem
14. Re:How relevant is this? by murdocj · 2016-10-08 08:59 · Score: 1
  
  And by the way, it's a prepaid plan... so i could leave tomorrow if I want to. Not locked into anything.
15. Re:How relevant is this? by Joe_Dragon · 2016-10-08 12:16 · Score: 1
  
  so you like roaming at $15 a meg?
16. Re:How relevant is this? by jon3k · 2016-10-09 01:54 · Score: 1
  
  What roaming? I travel all over the east half of the US, never had an issue with roaming.
17. Re:How relevant is this? by Joe_Dragon · 2016-10-09 06:51 · Score: 1
  
  when you go out side of the usa and you can't use an local sim.
Now this... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 02:20 · Score: 0

Must be a wet dream for Apple.
50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 03:04 · Score: 0

with the reactions coming from the U.S. policy makers, it's becoming clear that this is nothing but letting the hammer fall on a large foreign competitor in a lucrative market.
1. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by hcs_$reboot · 2016-10-08 03:11 · Score: 1
  
  How many iPhones exploded during the same time?
  
  --
  Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
2. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 03:52 · Score: 0
  
  I don't know. The 50-60 Samsung batteries are what's claimed, we don't know how many are for real yet, since it's been clear that several Americans have been band-wagoning in the hopes of getting paid, if you've read the news. The point is that this was a relatively small issue, but an opportunity to blow it up extremely, to curb sales of a foreign competitor, and, possibly, increase the sales of U.S makers. You just have to put everything into context to see how the present situation has been manufactured.
3. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by hcs_$reboot · 2016-10-08 04:09 · Score: 1
  
  Well, at least a significant number exploded, and Samsung agreed there is a problem with their phone. No set-up on the horizon.
  
  --
  Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
4. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by mindwhip · 2016-10-08 04:27 · Score: 2
  
  If you disregard the first release of phones with the acknowledged fault that everyone should replace after being told to do so... and being brutal its their own fault if they haven't by now given the suppliers all have the stock sitting waiting.
  In the second release we have 1 case (possible, no actual proof/acknowledgement that it was a replacement phone or if the fault was the battery or something else, and the phone wasn't tampered with which it might have been given the suspicious timing of the fault occurring) out of about 1.5 mil (given current worldwide replacement progress).
  Seems like anything post-recall is just overreaction, possibly driven by some agenda other than safety.
  To be honest the real indicator that there are other things than safety at play is the fact that the US (who tend to play fairly loose when it comes to consumer safety) have been all over Samsung while the EU states (who tend to be ultra consumer safety driven) have been quite happy to let Samsung sort it out without intervention.
  
  --
  [The Universe] has gone offline.
5. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by GerryGilmore · 2016-10-08 10:31 · Score: 1
  
  Can we please STOP saying "exploded"? A normal electronic failure - that releases the magic smoke upon which all computers really work - while it releases heat and smoke, is NOT an "explosion". (Really, folks - this is /. where we start with real terms with real meanings. Right? Right?)
6. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by thegarbz · 2016-10-08 11:19 · Score: 1
  
  a) that's a frigging large number
  b) there was a documented problem with the devices
  c) they were subject to a voluntary worldwide recall by the manufacturer.
  But yes I can see how this looks like some grand US conspiracy to someone who has no clue.
7. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by DraconPern · 2016-10-08 13:38 · Score: 1
  
  There is no recall in the EU because it is not even for sale in the EU until end of October. It was suppose to be on sale on September 2, but they didn't because they announced the recall on the same day.
8. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by eionmac · 2016-10-09 20:49 · Score: 1
  
  EU. News reports fix the fault as consumers in EU stop buying.
  
  --
  Regards Eion MacDonald
9. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by Maritz · 2016-10-09 22:38 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry what? You could mean any of about four different things with that.
  
  --
  I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
10. Re:50-60 batteries, out of 2 millions sold by Maritz · 2016-10-09 22:39 · Score: 1
  
  "explosion" gets more eyeballs and clicks, so "explosion" it is.
  
  --
  I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
What makes the note 7 battery different? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 03:23 · Score: 0

Isn't it more or less the same battery used in every smart device? Why is this one different and having issues?
1. Re:What makes the note 7 battery different? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 12:37 · Score: 0
  
  its not the battery its the management
To Soon? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 03:31 · Score: 0

They should sell their remaining stock with EXPLOSIVE deals!
I hope I can still find one in the by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 03:43 · Score: 0

fire sale.
iPhones also explode: by Whorelander · 2016-10-08 05:31 · Score: 1

iPhone 7 exploded in transit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple...

iPhone 6 exploded in user's pocket:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...
1. Re:iPhones also explode: by thegarbz · 2016-10-08 11:25 · Score: 1
  
  Apple has sold 232million iPhone 6 units and so far you've shown a link that 1 has exploded.
  Samsung has sold 2million Note 7 and 60 have exploded.
  At this point I would like to introduce you to the concept of the order of magnitude. It will help for your understanding of why your comment is utterly stupid.
Hint for Samsung... by emil · 2016-10-08 05:35 · Score: 1

Next time, use removable batteries.
As long as you are making design changes, include an sd-card slot, and keep that bootloader unlocked as if your market share and stock price depended on it.
(Which it does, as I'm not touching another one of your products while you lack these features.)
1. Re:Hint for Samsung... by Whorelander · 2016-10-08 06:19 · Score: 1
  
  They brought back the SD-card slot with the 7 line of their phones. I will not buy a phone without one and I'm also with you on the removable battery -- which I've never had to change, but I always want that option.
2. Re:Hint for Samsung... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 07:34 · Score: 0
  
  Provide some technical proof that a hatch design on the 7 would have made a single iota of difference. I don't want your word on it, I want a technical cite that explains the problem with some level of detail and shows why being able to remove the battery would make a difference in how the phone was either serviced as a defective or would have prevent the issue completely.
  I've asked for this a couple times around here and none of you have ever come back with anything meaningful. Your desire to have a replaceable battery isn't the same as the idea that a replaceable battery would have made this less of an issue for Samsung.
3. Re:Hint for Samsung... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 17:23 · Score: 1
  
  Samsung believed the issue was isolated to a single battery supplier, so they recalled the phones to replace the batteries. Instead of taking back the entire phone, they could have just told customers to return the defective battery and give them a new one. Having a non-removable battery greatly complicated the recall process. Now the customers have to wait for replacement phones to be available, then bring it to the store and give up their old phone and then set up an entirely new one. It's more of a hassle for the customer and vastly more expensive for Samsung to handle it this way. Sure, the phones that actually blew up would not have benefited from having a removable battery, but all of the other 2.5 million customers could have had replacement batteries installed in their phones already, either from Samsung or from the aftermarket. Fewer phones would have had the opportunity to explode and do cause damage (both to customers' property and to Samsung's reputation) if the batteries could have been replaced more quickly and more easily.
4. Re:Hint for Samsung... by zentigger · 2016-10-14 06:41 · Score: 1
  
  Except that it doesn't appear to be the battery itself that is the problem so much as the controller, or a fundamental design problem with heat dissipation.
  
  --
  the above is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect that of the little voices in my head
Getting name-checked in every airport by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 07:22 · Score: 0

I've taken several flights for business reasons recently and every single time, there's been an announcement during boarding: "per FAA regulations, if you have a Samsung Note 7 device you must not charge it or power it on during the flight"
Really tests the old Wildean aphorism "the only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about". PR nightmare for Samsung.
1. Re:Getting name-checked in every airport by jezwel · 2016-10-08 21:03 · Score: 1
  
  Yep - airlines are spending 30+ seconds each and every flight talking about the Note 7 and how it cannot be charged or turned on during flight. That's a lot of bad publicity, repeated to hundreds of people each and every flight.
  The phone needs to be removed from sale entirely.
2. Re:Getting name-checked in every airport by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 22:12 · Score: 0
  
  They say any publicity is good publicity. Any time a flight attendant utters the words "Galaxy Note" it makes people think about Samsung, and while they might not buy a Note 7, they might buy any of the hundreds of other samsung phones/tablets littering store shelves.
  Samsung should be the one paying them to talk about the Galaxy Note.
Not good enough. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-08 13:31 · Score: 0

They need to stop all android phones sales too.
1. Re:Not good enough. by Angeret · 2016-10-09 00:15 · Score: 1
  
  As long as that includes all products with a potentially dangerous lithium ion battery, I'm right behind you.
2. Re:Not good enough. by Maritz · 2016-10-09 22:50 · Score: 1
  
  I thought you were dead, Steve.
  
  --
  I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.