Survey Says — Samsung Not Actually Hurt By Recall In U.S. Market

As it turns out, American consumers are somewhat less bothered by flaming phones than one might naturally assume. According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, the global recall of the Galaxy note does not seem to have damaged its relationship with the brand’s American customers.

Samsung smartphone users remain as loyal to their brand as iPhone users are loyal to theirs. And how much one knew about the recall does not seem to be an important detail — people who knew about the recall were as interested in Samsung phones as those who didn’t. Among those aware of the recall, 27 percent would first consider a Samsung smartphone if they were to shop for a phone, the poll showed. Among those who did not know about the recall, 25 percent would look first at a Samsung device.

This breaks with investors expectations — most analysts were concerned that in the wake of the scandal, Samsung users would be sent fleeing into the warm embrace of the iPhone7.  But that is not how it turned out, as Samsung users have developed the same kind of cult-level enthusiasm about their phones that Team Apple seems to have. The poll demonstrates that 91 percent of current Samsung users would likely purchase another Samsung smartphone, and 92 percent of current users would probably buy another Samsung product in general.

As a point of comparison, among current iPhone owners: 92 percent would likely buy another iPhone and 89 percent would likely buy another Apple product.

“Your own personal experience trumps what you read and what people tell you,” noted Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research . Dawson further noted that the recall was mostly limited to early adopters rather than the majority of Samsung’s customer base, which limited negative user experiences.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English in all 50 states. It included 2,375 people who own Samsung phones and 3,158 people who own iPhones.