Restart of Galaxy Note 7 sales delayed in South Korea

Now that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall is well underway, talk is turning to when safe handset stock will return to store shelves. Unfortunately, the restart of sales in South Korea has been delayed by three days.

Samsung said on Sunday that it would be delaying the restart of sales in the country by three days until October 1st. The reason is apparently that the company needs more time and stock to speed up the completion of the recall in the country. The problem also seems to be compounded by the fact that Samsung believes the return of regular sales will cause a decline in the number of customers returning their phones.

“The recall rate will likely fall sharply should new sales have resumed on September 28,” – Samsung

South Korean customers seem particularly reluctant to return their potentially dangerous Galaxy Note 7s. Data suggests that only about 200,000 customers have returned their handsets in the country so far, which Samsung says represents only half the number of customers asked to return their phones. The company says that the recall pace in Korea is proving to be much slower than in other markets, such as Singapore and the United States. Sales are expected to recommence in the these regions in October, with Europe seeing a slightly longer delay until November.

As well as a large number of handsets still due for recall sitting in consumer hands, Samsung has also been asked by the national government to extend its refund policy. On Monday, consumers were no longer entitled to refunds in South Korea and would instead only be offered a handset exchange if they returned their Note 7.

Samsung has apologised for the delay and confusion, and says that it will do its best to resolve the situation with the Galaxy Note 7 as quickly as possible.