'I couldn't believe my eyes': Man says Samsung phone started smoking and crackling

A Regina man says Samsung should have taken his safety concerns more seriously when he tried to get a refund or replacement for a phone that started smoking from the charging port.

Last month, Salman Anwar noticed smoke coming from his Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge when he plugged it in to charge.

"It wasn't necessarily, like, tons of smoke coming out but I definitely sort of felt the phone overheating and then I saw vapours coming out," said Anwar.

"At first I couldn't believe my eyes, and then I hear crackling sounds coming from the charging port and then the smoke got a little bit worse. That's when I quickly unplugged it."

Anwar said he usually charges his phone at night, next to his pillow.

"Had I not charged it earlier that day and that happened at night, I don't know if that could have progressed to something worse."

Anwar, who is a medical student, said he often charges his phone while working at the hospital as well.

Note 7 issue heightens concern: Anwar

In a series of chat messages, emails and phone calls with Samsung, Anwar demanded a refund or a new, replacement phone, which he planned to sell and replace with a different brand of phone.

For a tech giant to give me so much trouble in replacing one single phone, given their history, just doesn't seem right.- Salman Anwar

​Samsung offered to repair his phone and send it back to him, or provide an exchange with another refurbished phone, said Anwar.

But he said he didn't want another Samsung phone because he had lost trust in the brand.

"I told her that ... accepting a repair of that particular device was totally out of the question for me," he said.

"I said that I wanted a complete refund for the device and that I was going to switch over to a different brand."

He added that his concerns were heightened by the well-publicized fire issue with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled in October 2016 after numerous reports that the devices had ignited. Those phones are now banned on all U.S. and Canadian flights.

• Samsung halts sales of Galaxy Note 7 after more reports of fire
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 banned from Canadian and U.S. flights

Anwar said he was frustrated that the company had initially refused to provide a new phone, saying the company should have taken the complaint more seriously in light of the Note 7 issue.

Samsung changes stance

But in an emailed response to questions, Samsung said on Monday it had offered to replace Anwar's phone with a new device.

"Customer safety and satisfaction remains our highest priority and we are committed to working with anyone who has experienced an issue with a Samsung product," wrote a Samsung Canada spokesperson.

Anwar said he received the offer on Monday morning, after previously being told that receiving a new device would not be possible.  

He replied to refuse the offer, having already switched to an iPhone.

"For a tech giant to give me so much trouble in replacing one single phone, given their history, just doesn't seem right," he said.