MORNING-03
recall.>
overheat. Dozens of phones have reportedly caught fire since its release
last month. The company put out a voluntary recall two weeks ago. The
government says, Samsung has not done enough.>
About one million of the smartphones in the U.S. are now under recall. Samsung`s has a battery defect. It could cause the device to overheat. Dozens of phones have reportedly caught fire since its release last month. The company put out a voluntary recall two weeks ago. The government says, Samsung has not done enough. Kris Van Cleave is inside the Consumer Product Safety Commission in Bethesda, Maryland. Kris, good morning.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE (CBS News Correspondent): Good morning. There are at least ninety-two reports of the battery inside this phone overheating that`s resulted in twenty-six cases of burn injuries and fifty-five reports of property damage that includes fires. The message this morning, turn this phone off.
(Begin VT)
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: As this demonstration shows, even a small lithium-ion battering can cause blistering flames if it malfunctions. The Consumer Product Safety Commission`s Elliot Kaye.
ELLIOT KAYE: If it starts charring or it gets overheated, step away from the phone.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: The government`s consumer watchdog calls the Samsung Galaxy note 7 phone a serious fire hazard.
TIM BAXTER (Samsung Electronics America President and CEO): Please, please power it down and return it.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: Samsung`s U.S. president apologized Thursday.
TIM BAXTER: We did not meet the standard of excellence that you expect and deserve. For that, we apologize.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: The FAA says the only way to fly with the phone is by turning it off, keeping it unplugged on board and out of checked baggage.
DAN ACKERMAN: I`ve never seen a single product singled out like this as do not turn this phone on a plane. We strongly, you know, suggest this or if we`re an airline we`re not going to let you use this phone on our plane.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: Dan Ackerman is senior editor at CNET. He says Samsung fumbled and strung-out in a crucial recall.
DAN ACKERMAN: Well the recall process really took a lot longer than anybody thought because Samsung kind of tried to do it by themselves at first.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: Kaye from the CPSC agrees. He said Samsung should have brought in the government right away to handle the recall.
ELLIOT KAYE: It`s not a recipe for a successful recall for a company to go out on its own. And that, in my mind, anybody who thinks that a company going on its own is going to provide the best recall for that company and, more importantly, for the consumer, needs to have more than their phone checked.
(End VT)
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: Strong words there. Ninety-seven percent of these phones that were sold in the United States and about a million or so have been sold in the U.S. have the defective battery. So far only about a hundred and thirty thousand have been brought in for a refund or exchange for a fixed phone and there are reports the CPSC is looking into other Samsung devices that have had fire issues. Gayle.
GAYLE KING: Oh, boy. Thank you very much, Kris.
END
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