Photo via Crushader CC-BY
Rushing is never something any of us wants to do, and doing so can lead to numerous negative outcomes as focus shifts from speed to safety. If you rush your prep work for dinner, you may end up with a little less skin on your finger. If you rush to work, perhaps you’ll earn yourself a nice new speeding ticket or, even worse, a court date. Those are minor issues compared to what Samsung is dealing with after rushing to release their newest phone, the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung had hoped to beat Apple’s iPhone 7 to market, but their misguided haste resulted in major losses and a severely damaged reputation.
The Galaxy Note 7 does all the things you’d expect a phone to do. It makes calls, it messages, it takes pictures, and can make use of all the latest and greatest from the app world; but the most explosive (and unfortunate) new feature is that – well – it explodes. Soon after release, consumers started reporting that the batteries installed in the Galaxy Note 7 were overheating, sometimes resulting in fires and explosions.
Dangerous Consequences
Most of us treat our phones like an extra limb, and keep it either on our person or close by as much as possible. Most of us even sleep with it sitting right next to our heads every single night, keeping it close for emergencies while also using it as an alarm clock. Samsung’s issues with Galaxy Note 7 meant that customers essentially had a fire hazard (or even worse, a bomb) next to them at all times without them even knowing it.
As such, other companies and agencies are treating it less like a phone and more like a dangerous weapon. Certain insurance companies are issuing warnings that owning a Galaxy Note 7 may invalidate their home insurance policies. Numerous airlines have moved from restrictions to outright bans on the phone in an effort to avoid a potentially disastrous incident on their flights. Samsung has recalled the Note 7 twice and since shut down production completely. It’s an unprecedented move, and only the company is to blame.
Speed and Greed
Samsung’s desire to beat Apple’s release of the newest iPhone model may have played a part in this disaster. Battery testing for the Galaxy Note 7 was handled in-house and not by a third-party operation overseas, so Samsung only has itself to blame. Clearly, the level of testing performed by the company on its new model’s batteries was substandard, likely because of an internal rush that prioritized getting the Note 7 at the expense of thorough testing to ensure the safety of its consumers.
The result of this misguided attempt to rush production is that Samsung has already incurred billions of dollars in losses. The company is issuing credits for customers to switch to other Samsung models, but many are insisting that they’ll be switching to a competitor. The loss of profits and the loss of current and future customers is being topped off by a class-action lawsuit over the Galaxy Note 7, the first of many that will likely be filed against the company.
There are lessons to be learned from Samsung, though. Take care in the production of your product, even if it means you might have to push back a release date. Rushing things along can lead to any number of unintended consequences, from basic disappointment for a faulty product to injuries, or maybe even death. Don’t let pressure talk you into cutting corners, because the risks of doing so could be disastrous.
Rushes Aren’t Always Bad
Debacles aside, we understand that sometimes a rush is necessary. That’s why we offer 24-hour rush production on many of our top-selling products. We’ve even combined come of these products into convenient kits to hasten your shopping experience even more. Check out our rush kits by clicking the image below and start saving time and money today!
