Samsung discontinued the Galaxy Note 7, about two months after it was officially unveiled. Incidents of flaming Note 7 units have been in the headlines for many days and the decision to permanently stop production and sales has certainly been the best one, in terms of damage control.
US carriers were among the first to announce a halt in sales for the Galaxy Note 7 phone last week and advised their customers to bring in their phones and pick another from their lineup.
The Galaxy Note 7 has been sold in rather large quantities and some carriers even offered customers freebies to sweeten the deal. Now, customers are wondering whether they need to return the freebies when bringing in their Note 7s.
The answer is no for T-Mobile customers. The US carrier announced that owners of Galaxy Note 7 phones are eligible for full refunds, which they can use for purchasing another phone from Verizon’s lineup. In addition, the company is waiving restocking fees.
US carriers are offering $25 credit to be used during billing cycles
T-Mobile offered customers who pre-ordered the Note 7 a free Netflix subscription and Gear Fit or SD card. Now, those customers will be able to keep their freebies and all Note 7 owners will get $25 credit to use on their T-Mobile bill within two cycles.
Sprint also issued a statement on the Galaxy Note 7 exchange program. Customers will be offered the option to exchange their original or replacement Note 7 phones with another device from Sprint’s lineup.
They can also choose to get a Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge and receive a $25 credit that they can use during up to 3 billing cycles. Upgrade, activation and restocking fees are waived. Customers are requested to make an appointment at Sprint’s online website to avoid lines and naturally, walk-in appointments are also available.
Verizon, AT&T and other carriers have yet to make a statement on how the exchange process will be handled, but any Galaxy Note 7 owner can contact the place of purchase and exchange their smartphones for another device.