Consumer Reports Welcomes Official Recall by CPSC, Company
Thursday, September 15, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced a recall of about one million Samsung Galaxy Note7 phones that can overheat and catch fire, posing a burn hazard to consumers. Samsung faced criticism from Consumer Reports and others for not informing U.S. regulators when the first fires were reported in late August, and for failing to initiate a formal recall process.
“We welcome this action by the CPSC and Samsung,” says Maria Rerecich, the head of electronics testing at Consumer Reports. “These phones represent a serious risk, and we urge consumers to participate in the recall as quickly as possible.”
U.S. law requires companies to inform the CPSC quickly after discovering that a product may pose a significant safety risk. However, Samsung announced its own program without involving regulators. CPSC officials have not said when they were first contacted by the company, but CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye said today that companies that think they can adequately handle a safety issue without involving the CPSC “need more than their phones checked.”
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Contact: David Butler, dbutler@consumer
Consumers Union is the policy and mobilization arm of Consumer Reports. Consumers Union works for health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other consumer issues in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace. Consumer Reports is the world’s largest independent product-testing organization. Using its more than 50 labs, auto test center, and survey research center, the nonprofit rates thousands of products and services annually. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has over 8 million subscribers to its magazine, website, and other publications.