Despite Note7 Disaster, Consumers Still Love Samsung

The infamous Galaxy Note7 safety recall does not seem to have put much of a dent in Samsung’s standing with customers. A new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that Samsung smartphone users were as loyal to their brand as Apple iPhone users. Furthermore, the Note7 safety recall made no difference to consumers’ overall opinion of the company.

In early September, Samsung issued a worldwide safety recall for the Galaxy Note7 smartphone due to a battery fault that caused some models to burst into flames. Then, the same thing started happening to the replacement units it was sending out to customers.

Needless to say, it was a colossal setback for the company which was forced to permanently discontinue one of its flagship phones. The Note7 recall and associated profit losses are expected to cost Samsung billions of dollars and long-lasting damage to its reputation.

Well, it appears the latter is nowhere near as dire as many analysts thought. According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey of 2375 Samsung phone users in the US, a whopping 91 percent said they would likely purchase another Samsung smartphone.

Interestingly, Samsung customers who were aware of the Note7 safety recall shared markedly similar opinions to customers who knew nothing about it. Of respondents who had no prior knowledge of the recall, 27 percent said they would consider Samsung first when shopping for a phone. This compares to 25 percent of people who knew about the recall – a difference of just two per cent.

While a two per cent drop in customer loyalty is not insignificant, it’s far from the disastrous mass exodus that many had predicted. In short, the vast majority of Samsung users remain fans of the company.

[Via Reuters]