A screenshot from Sina Weibo shows damaged Samsung Note 7 smartphone. (Photo/Sina Weibo)
(ECNS) -- Chinese vendors may cut prices even further on Samsung Note 7 smartphones after a third one reportedly exploded on the Chinese mainland, Beijing News reported on Tuesday.
On Sunday, "@aima", a user of Sina Weibo, said his friend "Mr.Feather" had put a mainland version of the Note 7—purchased on the online platform of China's retail giant Suning—into his pocket, only to have smoke suddenly rise from it as he was walking.
Samsung had a meeting with the owner on Monday but did not mention the issue of compensation or ask for further examination, and the owner still had the phone, the paper reported, adding that "Mr.Feather" declined its interview request.
An executive with Samsung said the company is investigating the case. Suning.com has halted all its self-operated retailing of Note 7 phones while third-party vendors are still selling the phones on the platform. JD.com, another online retail site, has seen it sales of the Note 7 unaffected by the explosion incidents.
The explosions did have an impact on consumer confidence. A user who had bought a Note 7 from JD.com on Sept. 3 said he returned the new phone on Sept. 20 due to concerns about its quality.
Wang Peng, a Beijing-based Samsung vendor, was selling the Note 7 for more than 5,000 yuan ($750), but has slashed prices by 200 to 300 yuan in order to move the remaining 20-plus Note 7 phones in his inventory.
"If I can't sell them before Oct. 1, I might ax prices by 500 yuan, which means I'll have to suffer a great loss."
