Sprint is letting customers with second thoughts about using a replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exchange the device for another type of smartphone.
The move comes as federal regulators and Samsung are investigating an incident Wednesday in which a Southwest Airlines flight was canceled after a passenger’s Note 7 — allegedly a replacement model — ignited before takeoff.
Samsung said it is looking into the issue, while the federal agency handling the original recall, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said it “is moving expeditiously to investigate” whether there are any issues with the replacement devices it had previously approved.
Sales of the original Note 7 were halted Sept. 2 after multiple reports of fires, including some causing injury. Samsung said it traced the problem to a battery issue and last month began shipping replacement units.
The agency has not said whether or not it continues to believe the replacement units are safe.
As for Sprint, a representative told Recode the carrier “is working collaboratively with Samsung to better understand the most recent concerns regarding replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.”
“If a Sprint customer with a replacement Note 7 has any concerns regarding their device, we will exchange it for any other device at any Sprint retail store during the investigation window,” the Sprint representative said.
T-Mobile, which had just resumed sales of Note 7 devices to new customers on Wednesday, said it continues to sell it. However, it said customers with a replacement device or new Note 7 could exchange it under the company’s standard “remorse” policy that lets customers return devices within 14 days.
An AT&T representative was not immediately available for comment, while a Verizon company representative declined to comment.
All carriers are still offering ability to exchange an original Note 7 for a refund or credit toward another device, and as part of the official recall, any owner of the recalled Note can get a refund.
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