When a Canadian user’s Samsung Galaxy S4 caught fire, what should the manufacturer do? To Samsung, they wanted to keep the customer quiet, in the form of a signed agreement. That’s what happened to YouTube user ghostlyrich who, in response to Samsung requesting a proof video, posted a video (found below) last week showing the damage done to his GS4’s charging port, which obviously appears as though it caught fire. Samsung’s response was a bit surprising.
Proof Video
Reaction Video
The signed agreement states that:
- ghostlyrich would have to not only remove his video, but refrain from ever mentioning this situation again,
- cannot sue Samsung,
- cannot help others in a similar situation,
- cannot get further replacements, and
- all of this would then be held confidential.
Of course, that’s only if anyone agrees to what the document said.
Did Samsung handle this situation correctly? Most would have to say that they didn’t, and should rather fully acknowledge the problem, in hopes to get it resolved. Sure, electronic devices are bound to have problems, with a few rare cases like this one, but to keep someone as quiet as possible about it isn’t right, and it ultimately backfired on Samsung.
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