Samsung is sending fireproof boxes to people who need to return their Galaxy Note 7s
Samsung Electronics on Wednesday slashed its profit forecast for the quarter and said it would send fire-resistant packages to its customers in the U.S. as a precaution against possible fires or explosions from Galaxy Note 7s they return to retailers.
Samsung is offering prepaid shipping boxes as an option for U.S. consumers who purchased the phones on its website, Samsung.com. It said consumers who purchased their Note 7 phones from mobile carriers should visit the carriers’ websites for recall instructions.
Samsung said Tuesday it was discontinuing the Note 7 phones just two months after their launch, after two recalls and many reports of fires. Samsung shares plunged as much as 8% in Seoul, their biggest one-day drop since the 2008 financial crisis, after the company apologized for halting sales of the Note 7.
The firm reduced its forecast for third-quarter profit to 5.2 trillion won ($4.6 billion), down from the 7.8 trillion won estimate it released Friday. If Samsung’s full financial results due later this month are in line with that forecast, Samsung will log its lowest quarterly profit in two years.
Samsung must now deal with the return of more than 1.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones, both the original ones and those issued as replacements. Most were sold in the U.S. and South Korea.
A video on YouTube dated Tuesday shows a man it says is at the XDA Developers office in the U.S., unpacking a kit containing a static shield bag, thermally insulated boxes, gloves and instructions for ground shipping only.
“We have just received this crazy Galaxy Note 7 return kit,” the person said in the video.
According to the XDA Developers forum, Samsung’s packing instructions say the Note 7 should be put in the static shield bag and then in a box labeled “OEM Replacement” to be put inside an “Inner Box” and a “Recovery Box.” Shipping companies reportedly had complained they did not want to handle Note 7 returns because of fire concerns.
Samsung said the packaging kits conform with U.S. requirements for shipping lithium-ion batteries or devices containing them that are subject to a recall.
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UPDATES:
1:55 p.m.: This article was updated to mention Samsung’s move to revise its quarterly financial forecast.
This article was originally published at 6:55 a.m.
