DOT Permit Revision ‘Not Related’ to Note7 Recall, Says Supplier of 'Return Kits'

Americase, which is supplying the thermally lined “return kits” for consumers to ground ship their recalled Samsung Galaxy Note7s back to where they bought their devices (see 1610130044), is “precluded from disclosing any information related to Samsung’s recall,” CEO Robby Kinsala emailed us Saturday. But the “DOT-SP 16011" special permit revision that Americase was granted Oct. 5 from the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration was “not related to Samsung in any way,” Kinsala said. The revision, the fourth such agency revision authorizing Americase to distribute specially designed boxes to consumers for safely ground-shipping damaged or defective lithium-ion batteries, was “only a clerical revision by PHMSA," he said. The revision "did not affect the operational conditions of the special permit nor did it change anything” about the Sept. 15 recall of the original Note7s that “was already underway,” or the recall of the replacement Note7s, which wasn't announced until Oct. 13, he said. “Americase was granted the special permit by PHMSA before the Note 7 issues started, therefore the thermal boxes were already authorized for distribution to consumers for the ground transport of damaged or defective lithium ion batteries,” he said. “This is not the first time these thermal boxes have been utilized for a recall. And no, I can’t mention who the other recalls were for.” A copy of the DOT-SP 16011 special permit, printed on PHMSA letterhead, sealed inside a plastic sleeve and affixed to the return kit's outermost Americase "recovery box," is plainly visible in the video Samsung released Oct. 13 instructing consumers how to pack and ground ship their recalled Note7s to their place of purchase.