T-Mobile is second US carrier to halt Galaxy Note 7 sales, giving $25 credit to affected customers

T-Mobile is halting sales of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 after a number of the supposedly "safe" replacement phones caught fire this week, according to a company spokesperson who spoke to The Verge. It will also give any customers who return their Note 7 a $25 credit on their bill. It makes T-Mobile the second major US carrier, after AT&T, to cease selling the product. T-Mobile also issued a statement addressing the situation:

While Samsung investigates multiple reports of issues, T-Mobile is suspending all sales of the new Note7 and exchanges for replacement Note7 devices.

Customers can still bring their recalled Note7 or the new replacement Note7, along with accessories they purchased from T-Mobile, to a T-Mobile store for a full refund and choose from any device in T-Mobile’s inventory. We’ll waive any restocking charges, and customers who purchased during pre-order can keep the free Netflix subscription and Gear Fit or SD card they received.

Customers should visit a T-Mobile retail store to begin the return process. For additional questions, customers can call our customer care line at 1-844-275-9309.

Again, we encourage customers to stop using and power down their recalled devices and return them to T-Mobile.

To help offset any additional costs our customers may have incurred throughout this process, anyone who returns their recalled Note7 will automatically receive a one-time $25 credit on their T-Mobile bill within two bill cycles

Samsung says it is "working diligently" with authorities to investigate the fires, which number at least five to this point in the US alone. A leaked memo from Australia’s largest carrier suggests the company has ceased shipments of the Note 7 entirely.

We have reached out to Samsung for comment.

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 you should immediately stop using it and return it for a refund — all the major US carriers will exchange the phone, regardless of purchase date. We don’t know why Samsung hasn’t been more forthcoming about what’s going on with these replacement devices, but it doesn’t really matter. Until we get more information, the simplest explanation is the best one: The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a fundamentally defective product and it should be pulled from the market without delay.