Fresh from exploding incidents, Samsung responds swiftly to smoking TV

SINGAPORE - Samsung may have made the news recently for all the wrong reasons with its exploding smartphones and washing machines.

Which is why it seemed like deja vu when a video clip of a Samsung TV set emitting smoke in a Singapore household was posted on the Samsung Singapore's Facebook page last Friday (Nov 11) night.

According to Facebook user Yeo Yen Leng, smoke was wafting from her Samsung TV after the main power supply was switched on.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/yeo.y.leng.1/videos/10154137652506819/[/embed]

"If we had left the TV on standby mode, I dread to think of the consequences give the recent cases of exploding and burning Samsung devices," Ms Yeo posted on the page.

A representative from the company responded to the post in 15 minutes, and within an hour, a team from Samsung Singapore was at her house to investigate the incident.

The South Korean electronics giant later followed up with a comment on the post on Nov 13, explaining that the TV was bought four years ago. It said that the incident was likely to be caused by "a worn component due to regular wear and tear."

"Special thanks to Mr Low and his team for rushing over to my place in less than an hour's time to investigate the matter," Ms Yeo later posted.

However, the video prompted many Samsung electronics appliance owners to voice concerns about leaving their devices on standby mode.

Emphasising that it is a matter of preference for users to shut down their devices or to leave it in standby mode, Samsung reminded users not to overload their power outlets to prevent power surges.

grongloh@sph.com.sg