Samsung had to make the painful and costly decision of discontinuing the Galaxy Note 7 merely weeks after it was released because battery fires forced the first recall and the fix didn't work so it had to issue a second recall and end production. The entire debacle has harmed Samsung's reputation and cost it billions of dollars. Samsung is still working to determine what caused the safe Galaxy Note 7 units to catch fire as well.
An interesting report has emerged from South Korea today. Citing unnamed sources, a local publication has claimed that Samsung is going to start selling refurbished units of the Galaxy Note 7 starting next year. An industry source quoted in the report claims that while Samsung hasn't made a final decision yet, the refurbished units are likely to be sold in emerging markets like India and Vietnam.
The report doesn't say how Samsung is going to ensure that the refurbished units don't end up catching fire as well. Samsung is still going through a very lengthy process of getting Galaxy Note 7 handsets off the streets, it doesn't make sense for the company to put its reputation on the line once again by selling refurbished units of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.
I'm not ready to believe this as I don't think Samsung will be stupid enough to do this. It has already taken the financial hit so it's not like the company can reverse its fortunes by selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7s at a lower price. I expect Samsung may refute this report soon, but if it doesn't, do you think it would be wise for the company to do this? Let us know in the comments below.
