Could Samsung start deactivating Note 7 handsets if they’re not returned?

We should’t have to tell you at this point, but Samsung is pretty serious about you returning those recently launched Galaxy Note 7 handsets.

After being banned from use on aircrafts and literally tearing through a jeep over the past week, reports have circled the web indicating that the tech giant could start deactivating the combustible devices, after widespread reports of problems with overheating batteries.

The Note 7 phone’s return policy has recently been clarified, with Samsung officially issuing a recall over the weekend urging its customers to stop using their phones and “immediately participate” in the exchange programme.

While you might think everyone with a potentially explodable phone would trade it in for a non-explodable phone, people can always surprise you. And now according to Phandroid any stubborn Note 7 users out there could see non-returned phones deactivated from use towards the end of September.

But according to Trusted Reviews, Sammy has labelled those reports as “inaccurate”, reiterating that its “complete guidance” is for Note 7 owners in Europe to “power down their device and return it to its place of purchase” as soon as possible.

Either way, the entire situation is a nightmare for the South Korean company, with each day seemingly bringing another high-profile, fiery incident.

This, coupled with Apple’s recent iPhone 7 launch, mean that this could go down as the roughest launch period in tech history.