South Korea asks Samsung to extend its Note 7 refund deadline

Samsung Electronics has been asked by the South Korean government to extend its refund period for the Galaxy Note 7 in the country. Originally, Samsung had given consumers until the Monday just passed to claim a complete refund. Any customers who return their phone from now on would only receive a replacement model.

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, the government agency responsible for product safety and recalls, has requested that Samsung communicate how much longer it could extend the refund period for consumers who missed Monday’s deadline. The agency also insists that Samsung should develop an alternative plan to better notify consumers that they can exchange their Note 7 or receive a refund.

The agency has refused to approve Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 recall progam in the country because the company has failed to come up with what it deems to be sufficient measures to remove smartphones already on the market. In other words, the South Korean government believes that Samsung has not done enough to inform consumers about their rights to refund defective Note 7s.

There has not been an official government backed recall in South Korea as a result, but the situation is different in the US. On September 15th, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an official recall, nearly two weeks after Samsung began its global recall. The commission states that consumers are entitled to a refund or replacement device, but gives no mention of a deadline.

Samsung has not commented on the matter.