While many people have refused to return the hazardous Note 7 smartphone, Samsung has begun cutting the phone’s connection to cell towers today to encourage the return of the product.  

After reports of the smartphones catching fire in late August, Samsung began recall of the product on September 2 in hopes of detecting the problem and fixing it.

New phones were issued, but those recalled continued to overheat, smoke, or catch on fire.

The South Korean tech company made one last attempt to save its failing product by issuing a software update that would prevent the battery from fully charging, which would in theory prevent overheating.

After the failures of the new phones and the software, Samsung decided on October 11 it would no longer produce the Note 7, saying the safety of the customers was its highest priority.

Not everyone was turned away by the reports, however. Junior Albert Walberg continued to use his Note 7 for over a month after recall began.

Although Walberg was impressed by the phone’s features, it still worried him.

“It was a safety concern,” said Walburg. “It was a worry because some of the phones had lit on fire.”

Walberg said he did not experience any major problems with his phone, but it did heat up about once a week and that scared him. He even carried the phone in a protective box in case in lit on fire in his backpack, and he did not keep it in his room while it was charging.

Due to the safety concerns surrounding the smartphone, it is now considered “a forbidden hazardous material under the Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations,” meaning it will not be allowed on airplanes or in checked bags.

Authorities made this classification following an October 5 incident, in which a Southwest Airlines flight was evacuated when a passagener’s Note 7 started smoking.

All of the occurrences caused huge problems for Samsung, who lost $18 billion in company value. While Samsung shares plummeted, Apple shares rose 1.74%.

Although cuts to cell connections have only taken place in a few markets, Samsung plans to continue the process to ensure that all dangerous phones are returned safely.

While many people across the country continue to use the dangerous product, Samsung is working frantically to prevent any further damage and save the company from complete disaster.