AT&T stops Samsung phone exchanges after new fire reports

A&T will stop exchanging Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones because of reports that some of the replacement phones are catching fire, just as the original phones did before they were recalled last month.

"We're no longer exchanging new Note 7s at this time, pending further investigation of these reported incidents," A&T said. AT&T, a major seller of the phones, encouraged customers with Note 7 phones to exchange them for other products.

Samsung announced a global recall of the phone in mid-September after incidents in which the batteries overheated or caught fire. It said its replacements were safe, but several people have said those phones caught fire. Last week, a Southwest Airlines flight was evacuated because of a phone that was smoking and making "popping" noises after it was turned off.