Why Samsung needs to kill the Galaxy Note 7 before someone gets really hurt

Samsung continues to bungle its response to exploding Galaxy Note 7 phones, weeks after it issued a recall.

Amidst reports that replacement devices purchased after the recall are overheating and causing property damage, injuries, and at least one plane evacuation, the company refuses to definitively pull the products from store shelves, issue another recall, or cancel the product entirely.

That's not just ignorant. It's dangerous. Samsung should do what's best for its customers and cancel the Galaxy Note 7 line altogether. There's no question anymore that the Note 7 is a horribly broken product that no one should buy.

Yet Samsung continues to sell the phone, offering little more than promises to look into the recent overheating reports. So far, The Verge has documented at least five cases where replacement Note 7 phones have overheated. In a statement to Business Insider, a Samsung spokesperson said the company continues to investigate the latest reports and is working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on next steps. In the meantime, the company issticking to its claim that replacement Note 7 phones are safe to charge.

Doing what Samsung won't

Luckily, all the major US carriers are doing the responsible thing that Samsung won't, by offering exchanges for replacement Note 7s and halting sales of the device until further notice. Best Buy and some other retailers around the globe have also said they'll stop selling the Note 7.

Somehow, all of Samsung's most important retail partners realize the danger to customers here, but Samsung does not.

There are some reports that Samsung has halted production of the Note 7, but the company's official line is that it's only "adjusting" production following the latest overheating reports.

It doesn't matter either way. Even if production has stopped, Samsung is still selling a potentially dangerous phone, and as of this writing, its official stance is that the device is safe to use despite the growing number of reports stating the opposite.

The only appropriate action for Samsung to take is to immediately halt sales and production, and to work with the authorities to recall the Note 7 for good.

Unfortunately, Samsung isn't doing that, which puts the burden on you. If you own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, you should exchange it immediately.