Wireless Carriers Allow Exchange Of Galaxy Note 7 Amid Investigation On ‘Safe’ Unit That Canceled A Southwest Airlines Flight

Following the Galaxy Note 7 fire incident that canceled a Southwest Airlines flight on Wednesday, wireless carriers have now decided to allow their customers to switch to a different smartphone as precaution to the risks of Samsung’s faulty phablet.

According to Business Insider, wireless carriers Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are now open to allowing customers return their Note 7 handsets in exchange for different smartphones. Their decision to allow the big switch comes just two days after the fire incident involving a Note 7 that was bought on Sept. 21.

Speaking with Recode, a Sprint representative has confirmed that the carrier is indeed open to replacing Galaxy Note 7 handsets should customers request for an exchange over certain concerns. “If a Sprint customer with a replacement Note 7 has any concerns regarding their device, we will exchange it for any other device at any Sprint retail store during the investigation window,” the representative was quoted as saying.

As for T-Mobile, it is accepting what it considers as a “remorse return” from customers who want to get a full refund and buy a different device within 14 days that they purchased their Samsung phablet. After this period, they may trade-in their device, but this would mean that the value of their Note 7 has depreciated. Hence, they may need to add in some cash if they are looking to get a more expensive handset next.

CNET reports Sprint has the better exchange program than T-Mobile, since it generously extends the trade-in period throughout the investigation period on the Galaxy Note 7 devices that were supposed to be “safe” following the global recall of the flagship device amid reports that it is at risk of catching fire and exploding.

Meanwhile, an AT&T spokesperson has spoken with Business Insider, saying that the carrier now allows the exchange of the Note 7 replacement units with any device. On the other hand, Verizon hasn’t said anything, but it does allow owners to have their Note 7 exchanged.

Samsung has yet to comment on these exchange programs, but it has already addressed the fire incident saying that it has yet to confirm if the Note 7 that emitted smoke on the Southwest Airlines flight was indeed a “safe” replacement unit. An investigation on the incident is still ongoing.