An Auckland woman is demanding answers from Samsung after her Galaxy S7 phone caught fire on her bed overnight.
Rizza Lumampao, 21, was asleep in her family home in Manuwera with her phone charging at the end of her bed. She says she woke up at around 3am to "an odd smell" and a strange heat on her foot.
Her phone was melting onto the bed covers, right above her feet.
"It was pretty scary," Ms Lumampao told Newshub.
In photos taken of the bedspread, the fabric has been singed and melted plastic from the phone has fused onto the fabric.
Samsung came under fire last year when several Galaxy Note 7 smartphones worldwide exploded while charging. They issued a global recall of its Galaxy Note 7 and prepared replacement devices for phones already sold.
Interestingly, some of those replacement devices were the same Galaxy S7 which caught fire on Ms Lumampao's bed.
Samsung have responded to the incident in a statement today to Newshub. A spokesperson said that customer safety is "the highest priority" of the company.
"Earlier today, we contacted a family member of the customer to apologise and offer support," they said.
"[We] are making arrangements to retrieve the device from the customer to investigate the matter further."
Ms Lumampao's stepdad Ray Matthews was also in the house at the time. He said he contacted someone from Samsung, who said the phone should be returned to the store from which it was purchased, so Ms Lumampao could be given a temporary replacement.
Mr Matthews told Newsub they want "a full investigation".
"We have two of these phones in the house. What if something else happens?"
He says they're choosing to hold on to the damaged Galaxy S7 in the meantime, so the matter couldn't be swept under the rug.
Newshub.
