The UAE Ministry of Economy is instructing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners to return their phones to retail outlets and get their money back.
A statement from the Ministry of Economy said that they have a deal with the South Korean Company after the company announced on Tuesday that it was ending production of the Galaxy Note 7.
The statement said: “People shouldn’t use their Galaxy Note 7 phones and shut it down and returned it to the shops. They need to have a bill in order to return their money.”
7DAYS contacted the ministry’s customer care department and they said that all phones must be returned back to the shop where it was bought.
A spokesman said: “If the shop owner refuses to return the money and collect the phone back, then people can contact consumers right department and register a complaint.”
Samsung said in a regulatory filing that it decided to stop manufacturing Note 7s for the sake of consumer safety.
Samsung is struggling to regain consumer trust after a first round of recalls that prompted criticism both for the faulty devices and for the company’s handling of the problem.
After the earlier recall, the company said it had identified a manufacturing defect in the batteries of its top-of-the-line smartphone
It started shipping new Note 7 phones that were supposed to be safer. But reports that even the replacements were catching fire led Samsung to announce it was stopping sales of the devices.
Authorities in the US and South Korea are still investigating why even the replacement Note 7 phones that Samsung equipped with a safer battery are catching fire. An official at the South Korean safety agency said the replacement phones may have a defect that is different from the problem with the original Note 7s.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, China’s product safety regulator said Samsung will recall all Galaxy Note 7 smartphones sold in mainland China, amounting to around 191,000 units.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said it was investigating for defects in the devices
Samsung will either provide a full refund at the original price or replace Note 7 units with any other model of Samsung phone, and give refunds of the difference in prices, along with a 300 yuan ($45) voucher.
Back when the recall was first announced there were numerous newspaper articles claiming that it was possible to get a refund for your note 7. I followed all the possible steps to get my money back. I first contacted consumer rights (Department of Economic Development) they asked me for the receipt and gave me a case number. After 3 days they said nothing could be done and that I should file a complaint with the UAE Ministry of Economy. I went ahead and file the complaint with MOE, once again I got a case number and nothing was done. They don't actually force Samsung to go give the money back but rather ask "pretty please" if they can do it, which they didn't. After that Samsung called me and explained the exchange process. I again called MOE to get an explanation and after reaching to the Manager of consumer protection he told me as per UAE law is NOT mandatory for Samsung to give money back only to REPLACE IT. I had no choice but to exchange for another note 7 and was forced to sign a voluntary exchange form which means Samsung gets covered against any legal action since I "Voluntarily" exchange my device. Now that the exchanged note 7 are catching fire again they will most likely give you an S7 Edge which costs like 1000dhs less. I for one will never buy a Samsung product again. It has been nothing but trouble and worries with this phone. Do share your experiences and comments below.
