S7 case back peeling off

[DJMC]

My S7 back is peeling off, as below...

This problem is reported in many places, for example:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4542628/Samsung-hit-lawsuits-claiming-devices-explod...

https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Galaxy-S-Phones/Galaxy-S7-Edge-battery-swelling-and-getting-hot/...

https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Galaxy-S-Phones/Galaxy-S7-Back-Peeling-Off/td-p/136180

I have spoken to my legal adviser and am told that due to the vast amount of similar issues this is obviously a manufacturing defect and that in the UK I am protected by S.23 Consumer Protection Act 2015 in that the retailer must repair or replace the handset within a reasonable time at no cost to me.

The phone was purchased 30 June 2016 and I am protected for six years by the statute of limitations in the UK so well within time. Due to the widespread occurance of this issue my recourse in law is different from a one-off breakdown or fault where the one year UK warranty or two year EU warranty would be more relevant and an out of warranty claim more tricky to pursue.

The problem seems to be caused by the battery expanding and forcing the back away. In view of the recall for the S7 Note due to fires in 2016 (which also assists my case), the Daily Mail article, and Dale Holzworth's USA class action when his S7 Edge burst into flames I am naturally concerned about the battery getting hot and expanding as I am aware of the issue of thermal runaway with these battery types.

I took it to Carphone Warhouse (the retailer) yesterday and the manager said he'd never seen this before and made notes on my account to assist when contacting CPW to make a complaint.

I shall update here on my progress.

Has anyone alse had the same issue with the S7, and what was the resolution?

A free repair or replacement?

An upgrade to S8?

Or did you have to pay for a repair?

Is Samsung trying to hide away from the issues reported with various handsets in the Daily Mail article above?

Perhaps a recall for all these handsets would bancrupt them? But then so would a downed airliner as almost happened with the Note (see: https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/5/13175000/samsung-galaxy-note-7-fire-replacement-plane-battery-sou... )

[ChrisM]

Hi @DJMC 

This isn't what we like to hear. We'd like to look into this further for you. Would you be able to send me a private message so we can discuss further?

[DJMC]

Being new to this forum, I'm not sure how to PM you Chris, or what your standing is with Samsung?

Could you please advise? Many thanks. David

[ChrisM]

No problem David. I'm one of the Community Moderators on here. You can send me a message by clicking on my name and then select the  'Send a Message' option.

[DJMC]

PM sent.

[DJMC]

With Chris' help, Samsung have been in touch and seem genuinely concerned at what they agree is a swollen battery pushing the back away. They don't think there's a danger of it catching fire as the battery is designed to expand if it overheats.

They will collect the handset, charger, and cable tomorrow for inspection with a view to identifying the issue, discovering if there may be a more widespread problem with this model, repair and return FOC, hopefully next week.

So far exemplary service, but I'll keep you posted with the outcome.

[DJMC]

The good news:

Samsung collected the phone week before last and phoned me Sunday 30th June to say they battery had indeed expanded, due to a manufacturing fault, and it would be replaced FOC. They are also replacing the screen FOC due to some burn-in. The phone would be back with me middle of last week.

The not so good:

The phone's not back. Phoning today I spoke to Rachel who advised the battery was out of stock so they'd had to order one in. She's going to get back to me later with an update.

I wonder how many other S7 handsets have the same "manufacturing fault" and how similar a fault  it is to the infamous S7 Note? 

Or... am I the one in ten million?: 

"With more than a billion mobile phones and computers used in the world every day, the number of accidents is small. By comparison, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that your chance of being struck by lightning in the course of a lifetime is about 1 in 13,000. Lithium-ion batteries have a failure rate that is less than one in a million. The failure rate of a quality Li-ion cell is better than 1 in 10 million."

Quote from: https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_concerns_with_li_ion

[DJMC]

Well... nobody has phoned me back from Samsung...

[Snuffalo]

My S7 Edge had the same issue a while ago and contacted Samsung UK.

They asked for the handset to be returned to them for investigation, providing it was a "blown battery" the repair would be carried out free of charge.

My handset has been fine since .

[lippylip]

GOSH