By Rosa Marchitelli, CBC News Posted: Dec
08, 2014 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Dec 10, 2014 9:43 AM ET
Hope Casserly, a fourth year computer science student at the University of Guelph in Canada claims her Samsung phone exploded while she was sleeping next to it.
According
to the CBC Casserly said, "My back was to the phone and
ah — I saw a light going across my shoulder, which would be the
inside of the battery on fire. It hit the wall and fell onto my bed."
Casserly
had left her phone on her night table screen-side up before falling asleep
and it was not plugged in. All of sudden, the phone battery and its battery
cover went flying in two different directions, causing two sets of
fires. Luckily she was able to put them out just using a pillow.
A
Samsung spokesperson told CBC that the company had reviewed Casserly's phone
and discovered she was using an unauthorized battery. However, Casserly
maintains she never switched out the battery that came originally with the
phone packaging when she purchased it from a Virgin Mobile kiosk.
Casserly
demands Samsung to compensate her damaged mattress and bedding. She estimates
the fire cost her just over $1,000.
Samsung
notified Casserly that they will pay for all the cost, but she has not received
a dollar yet.
There
are still many similar stories in the news from many parts of the world
involving another Samsung phone - Galaxy S4. In the U.K, a 25-year-old woman
was almost seriously injured after she found her smartphone had caught fire
while charging. Another story from the U.S. is a 13-year-old girl's phone
slipped under her pillow while she was asleep and it caught fire.
“Covering
the device with bedding, your body, thick clothing or any other materials that
significantly affect air flow may affect the performance of the device and
poses a possible risk of fire or explosion, which could lead to serious bodily
injuries or damage to property.”
Although
Samsung replaced Casserly's phone, she would not use the replacement anytime
soon because she is afraid if same thing occur again
My Thoughts...
After
I saw this news, as users of a Samsung phone I realized I could be one of victims
on the news.
My
Samsung Galaxy S4 heats up very often
When
I surf internet for a while or watch Youtube videos, the back of my phone where
battery is located heats up in high temperature. The heat is enough to be
unpleasant to grip on.
Similar
to many stories of other users around the world, my phone becomes a hand warmer
while charging.
Before
knowing this news I did not think heat issue is a big problem for phones, but
after seeing Galaxy phones users from all over the world are threatened by explosions
and significantly increasing number of defects of device started to grab my
attention. This incident taught me to be aware of phone safety manuals and
depends on the user, a phone can be a great smart device or it could be a time
bomb.
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