How to return your recalled Galaxy Note 7 to Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint
Samsung has initiated a recall for the Note 7, but all you care about is your interaction with your carrier.
Since a majority of us in the U.S. still buy our phones from the big four carriers, we don't really care about the process of returning our still-new recalled Galaxy Note 7 elsewhere — we want to know how to get it done here. Well, it turns out that one of the benefits of buying your phone from a carrier is that it handles a bit of the responsibility. In this case, that means you get to turn over your recalled Note 7 to the carrier you bought from, and it in turn figures out how to get it back to Samsung.
It took a little bit of scrambling, but the major carriers in the U.S. have all devised the same basic plan with various little wrinkles to let customers return or exchange their faulty Note 7. Here's how everything breaks down at Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint.
Returning a Note 7 to Verizon
Like every carrier below, Verizon has stopped selling new Note 7s while Samsung restocks things with new units. In the meantime, those with a Note 7 from the carrier can return their phone until September 30, which gives you nearly a full month. As you would expect, Verizon is waiving the restocking fee for anyone who returns a phone. You can exchange it for another phone, or just get your money back.
The best route for this is to simply head in to your nearest Verizon store — but perhaps call ahead of time to make sure they're aware of the situation.
Returning a Note 7 to AT&T
AT&T took a little while to figure out exactly what it would do with the exchanges, but has settled on something similar to the others. Take your Galaxy Note 7 into an AT&T store, and they'll let you exchange it for any other smartphone — if you choose to exchange for a Galaxy S7, S7 edge or S7 Active, you'll get a $25 bill credit. You can also return any Note 7 accessories you bought with the phone.
Here's the kicker: AT&T will also let you bring back that exchanged device to get a new Note 7 when the recall has finished and new devices are available. That's a good deal.
Returning a Note 7 to T-Mobile
T-Mobile will let you return your Note 7 to any store by September 30, or call 1-800-937-8997 to initiate the process. You can return the phone for a complete refund, or choose to put that money toward a new phone if you wish. Like AT&T, you can also get a refund for any Note 7 accessories you may have purchased. If you pre-ordered the Note 7 and received incentives like the free Netflix subscription, SD card or Gear Fit 2, you can keep them even when you return the phone.
If you want to stick with the Note 7, T-Mobile is offering a straight swap for a new unit as soon as stock becomes available.
Returning a Note 7 to Sprint
Sprint Note 7 customers can return their device to any Sprint store or initiate the process by calling 1-800-SPRINT1. If you want to move to a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, Sprint will move you to the new phone and refund you the difference in price, while also letting you return any Note 7 accessories you purchased. You can also put the cost of the Note 7 toward any smartphone of your choosing.
If you prefer to move to a new Note 7 when the recall is finished, Sprint will let you do a straight swap for a new device when they become available to the carriers.
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