Samsung - Not a good month for the company

[Teken]

The last 60 days has proven to be very expensive and a major hit to the massive company known as Samsung Electronics. With the on going recall of their latest Galaxy Note 7 which are literally bursting into flames costing the company an estimated 1-2 billion dollars.

 

The news of the latest finding of washers actually exploding doesn't help their cause. In all my time I have never heard of a washer ever exploding where parts actually came out of the machine and impaled said parts into adjacent walls?!?!?

 

The hub bub around the tech sector for Apple Inc has been filled with glee and joy. Considering the company just recently launched their iPhone 7 during the same week as the Samsung exploding phone came to light.

 

There are those who have said there is never bad PR . . .

 

I would believe in these two cases it directly counters that stupid argument!

 

 

 

Samsung's standing with consumers became all the more tenuous on Wednesday when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned owners of potential "safety issues" related to the company's top-loading washing machines.

Source: CNN

Though an exact model went unspecified by the CPSC, the warning covers certain Samsung washing machines built between March 2011 and April 2016, reports CNN. 

Today's news comes more than a month after a class-action lawsuit was filed against Samsung in New Jersey over "exploding" washing machines. Affected customers living in Texas, Georgia and Indiana claim to have heard a loud boom while washing clothes.

Since early 2015, the CPSC received reports of at least 21 similar occurrences, according to ABC News. 

Some users suggest the problem lies with a rod supporting the machine's internal basket, which spins at high speeds during wash, rinse and spin dry cycles. One owner in Texas said her unit "exploded with such ferocity that it penetrated the interior wall of her garage," court filings reveal.

To alleviate potential stresses that could lead to malfunction, the CPSC suggests using a delicate cycle when washing bedding and water-resistant and bulky items as the practice "lessens the risk of impact injuries or property damage due to the washing machine becoming dislodged."

Samsung said much the same in a statement posted to its official website. The company is working with regulators to address potential safety issues

In rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant items.

Samsung is recommending that consumers with affected models use the lower speed delicate cycle when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant materials. There have been no reported incidents when using this cycle.

Samsung's washing machine woes come amidst the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. Shortly after the first Galaxy Note 7 handsets hit store shelves in August, customers began to complain of battery fires. Photos and video of exploding handsets surfaced online at troubling rates, suggesting the issue was endemic to a vast number of shipped units. Problems progressed to the point where airlines banned the phone from being turned on or charged during flight, or restricted the device altogether. 

As the scope of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 plight became clear, the company issued a global recallthought to cost the company between $1 billion and $2 billion.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

In the aero biz, we call that an uncontained failure. Sammy fridges are no better.

[Teken]

In the aero biz, we call that an uncontained failure. Sammy fridges are no better.

 

True, but in this case *uncontained* could have resulted in some serious harm to the end user if they were next to the machine. What are some of the issue with their fridges besides adding in silly features that 1% of the population would ever buy? Specifically adding in cameras so a person doesn't need to open the fridge to determine what they have or want.

 

The only thing that comes to mind is the main board for their fridges which just affirms having computers in a common appliance is just asking for trouble and reduces long term service life. I know people that have fridges still in operation since the 1950's ignoring the fact they are huge energy hogs.

 

But the proof in the pudding is they still operate because they didn't include all manner of electronic and sensitive computers which really has no place in a fridge / freezer.

[elvisimprsntr]

My parents bought a Frigidaire in 1978 and it still works today, 38 years later! Sure they had to fix it once or twice. What is the expected useful life of a modern appliance?

[Teken]

My parents bought a Frigidaire in 1978 and it still works today, 38 years later! Sure they had to fix it once or twice. What is the expected useful life of a modern appliance?

 

Sadly, depending upon model and maker you will be lucky to see five years these days. My view has changed quite a bit over the years because older expectations of things just lasting forever isn't very common these days. If something lasts five years now I am truly surprised and happy.

 

If something lasts 10 years or more - again I am truly happy and amazed because many common appliances don't incorporate a high level of engineering and tolerances for component selection which would ensure long service life. Perfect example was buying a Cuisinart grinder coffee machine about eight years ago.

 

Our household doesn't drink very much coffee but when we do being able to grind fresh beans for that one off cup of coffee is just pure pleasure. Besides hosting a few yearly parties and making a handful of pots of coffee my conservative estimation is that machine made less than 100 pots of coffee.

 

One day it just stopped working . . .

 

After searching the Interwebs it was noted this specific model had a IC that was prone to failure. Shame on me for not doing more research on a freaking coffee machine. Shame on me in believing having any kind of computer in a common appliance like a coffee machine was going to last.

 

As a younger lad I always laughed at my dad and others that had all of these really old school items. Fast forward many years later I am that old guy using all manner of *Old School* hardware because it just works!

 

This must be one of those circle of life things only a person learns as they get older!

 

Ha . . . 

[Xathros]

 

 

This must be one of those circle of life things only a person learns as they get older!

 

 

 

Amen!

 

-Xathros

[G W]

My parents bought a Frigidaire in 1978 and it still works today, 38 years later! Sure they had to fix it once or twice. What is the expected useful life of a modern appliance?

I buy the high quality appliances and they last longer than I need them to. I have never gotten less than 20 years on an appliance.

 

Short and to the point.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[larryllix]

I bought Fords and Chevrolets and they lasted almost 5 years for one and usually at least 8 years before they fall apart.

 

Wait! Are those appliances? They cost a lot more, so I thought they were the best.

[Teken]

Its safe to say every major company has seen a recall or had hardware related issues. None of the American big 3 are unaccustomed to failures. For the longest time it just seemed they built defective products for the consumers. When in reality it was just a cheap SOB (Bean Counter) finding a way to save a nickle!

 

The biggest crime from them and many others is placing a dollar value on a life.

 

Meaning, they literally calculated how much they needed to bleed in terms of law suites before it made a difference to their bottom line.

 

The fact any company thinks this way is sad and despicable - But sadly American's aren't the only ones as the Japs, Germans, and every other company in the free world holds this warped ideology.

 

Sad, so very sad .  . . 

[G W]

 

 

None of the American big 3 are unaccustomed to failures.

Amazon, Google and Microsoft.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[Teken]

Well played . . .

[jtara92101]

And it's just gotten even worse... a REPLACEMENT Galaxy Note 7 caught fire on an airplane this morning, and burned a hole through the carpet.

 

http://www.wlky.com/article/plane-evacuated-at-louisville-international-airport-after-report-of-smoke-in-cabin/4527244

 

A good time to remind everybody to check your devices for bulges - especially if they are getting a bit long in the tooth.

 

A friend complained that his iPhone 5S screen was becoming non-responsive in spots. He took it to some fix-it kiosk in a mall, and they charged him $60 for a partial fix, but didn't really solve the problem. I urged him to make an appointment and take it to the Apple Store. They found that the battery was bulging, and pressing on the back-side of the screen. They agreed to give him a new (I presume refurbished) iPhone 5S for $75.

 

And don't leave your devices on-charge beyond what is needed! Yes, the chargers are supposed to cut-off once charged. But I had an AR-Drone battery pop while on the charger. I didn't see it, just noticed one day the battery looked "funny", and there was some soot on the wall! The little foil packets inside the battery casing had expanded, sufficiently to break the plastic housing and expose the packets. Well, now I know how those batteries are made!

 

Have also had a third-party macbook battery bulge, got rid of it before it got worse. Now I only use genuine Apple batteries. (Though from my friend's experience, not impervious to trouble...)

 

Time for me to break-up my "stack o' devices" that I use for testing!

[Teken]

LOL - That's awesome.

[Teken]

Production of this model has now been officially halted and the company is facing more than 3.2 - 4.1 billions in monetary losses. As the company had decided to push forward to offering not only a full refund but offer anywhere from $25 - 100.00 on top of the exchange / refund process.

 

Those I've spoke in the Apple camp are simply whirling around doing the happy dance.

 

NYT: Samsung engineers can't replicate Galaxy Note 7 problems

 

The manufacturer doesn't seem to know why its phones keep catching fire.

 

Even though Galaxy Note 7 production has shut down and the phones should be on their way back to Samsung in fireproof boxes, the question of how everything went so wrong has yet to be answered. When it initiated a recall on September 2nd, the company said that "we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue." However, today when it announced a permanent end to manufacturing, there was no word on the problem. A report by the New York Times indicates that despite assigning "hundreds" of employees, they have not been able to reproduce the spontaneously smoky, blazing hot phones too many customers have experienced.

 

 

This video obtained by the Associated Press shows a woman in Honolulu with her Galaxy Note 7 as it began to smoke Sunday morning. The initial recall focused on phones with batteries built by Samsung's SDI subsidiary and came alongside a software update to limit charging, but that has clearly not solved the problem. While some speculation has centered around USB-C cables or quick charging, there's still no indication of exactly what is wrong.

 

In an interview with the Times, Park Chul-wan, the former director of the Center for Advanced Batteries at the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, said that based on a review of regulatory documents and speaking to engineers "I think there was nothing wrong with them (batteries) or that they were not the main problem."

 

That news may be bittersweet for another company: TDK. The Financial Times writes that it was contracted to provide batteries for the replacement models, and the decision to scrap the devices entirely may put a hold on any suggestion that its batteries were to blame. In response to the NYT report, Samsung pointed to its earlier statement about cancelling production, we will keep you updated if there are any new developments in this story.

 

[G W]

There are three issues. 1 was a defective battery. 2 was s replacement battery that was slightly over sized and damaged upon placement. 3 was the SOC code that caused the battery to be wrongly charged.

 

S.A.T.T.P.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[Teken]

Other reports indicate the battery is not the issue but a mechanism with in the unit. In the big picture its good the product is being recalled as having a device that can light on fire spontaneously as seen in a few videos while powered off and not being charged is quite frightening.  

[jratliff]

I'm still using mine.

Were there any fires between the time of the first two weeks the original was released up until the replacements came out? It seems the problems came up rather quickly then didn't hear much til second round. I'm sure lots of people still were / are using the original like me until the replacements came out.

 

I've been curious to find out if they figured out the actual causes.

 

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

[G W]

The problem with the very first batch is a defect in manufacturing the battery.

 

Another problem is in the code that charges the battery. If yours works you can take the chance. But be aware it's banned on all aircraft and may soon be banned in all government buildings.

 

S.A.T.T.P.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[jratliff]

Thanks Gary. Yeah I was debating keeping it a while til something else I wanted comes out. I've flown once in my life but something to be aware of.

 

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

[G W]

Thanks Gary. Yeah I was debating keeping it a while til something else I wanted comes out. I've flown once in my life but something to be aware of.

 

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

Never charge it at night while you are sleeping. If if ever gets hot move it to a place where it can't burn anything. I suggest you exchange it for the S7 Edge and get your payoff money.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[jratliff]

I tried to overheat it when the first incidents came up by charging outside in a blanket only got up to 97 degrees lol. I normally wireless charge. I'll probably go back to the note 5.

 

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

[TheFallenAngel]

I am f***ing loving my Note 7 and I can't find anything worth replacing it with

 

Anyway - sadly the recall is mandatory, we can't chose to keep them (otherwise I totally would)! When it's marked mandatory (not volunteerly) they would actually remotely brick it with a software update..

 

Cheers,

Alex

[G W]

I am xxxxxxx loving my Note 7 and I can't find anything worth replacing it with

 

Anyway - sadly the recall is mandatory, we can't chose to keep them (otherwise I totally would)! When it's marked mandatory (not volunteerly) they would actually remotely brick it with a software update..

 

Cheers,

Alex

If you don't want to return then don't. Just don't install any updates. Someday it may be worth more than what you paid for it.

 

I'm guessing the Note 8 might be out early next year.

 

And is it necessary to use bad language here? You know Michel finds that disrespectful.

 

S.A.T.T.P.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[cyberk]

It's going to taken Samsung a while to recover, but if GM and Firestone can do it, they will too. I'm sure the lawsuit they lost yet again to Apple isn't helping them either, lol

 

Not to speak for Michel, but I don't think he has the time nor the inclination to act as the potty mouth police.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheFallenAngel]

If you don't want to return then don't. Just don't install any updates. Someday it may be worth more than what you paid for it.

 

I'm guessing the Note 8 might be out early next year.

 

And is it necessary to use bad language here? You know Michel finds that disrespectful.

 

S.A.T.T.P.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

Oh I've been binge watching Dexter and Deb is just getting under my skin Besides when you add "f***ing" to "love" - it's no a bad thing

 

Cheers,

Alex