Verizon Wireless is prepared to take another drastic step in order to convince thousands of customers still holding onto the Samsung Galaxy Note7 that it’s time to return the phone.
“In spite of our best efforts, there are still customers using the recalled phones who have not returned or exchanged their Note 7 to the point of purchase,” said a Verizon spokesperson to Fortune. “The recalled Note 7s pose a safety risk to our customers and those around them.”
Verizon is prepared to put the handsets into a special category on its system that will allow them to call only 911 or Verizon customer service. Moreover, Verizon notes that in some cases the customers have already been reimbursed for the phone so Verizon might bill those customers the full retail cost.
Verizon has already updated its variant of the Galaxy Note7 so the phone cannot be charged and is useless as mobile device. Samsung recalled the Note7 in September after a number of units overheated and caught fire.
