A poster board in a shopping mall shows the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is still on sale in China. (Photo/Shanghai TV screenshot)

Samsung's fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 smartphones are still on sale in the Chinese mainland, with existing owners facing confusion on how to seek a refund or replacement, China Central Television (CCTV) reports.

Samsung earlier made an apology to Chinese consumers over its faulty product and promised it would recall all 190,984 Note 7s sold in the Chinese mainland and pull it from sale starting Oct. 11.

But a Beijing-based vendor was still selling the Note 7 at 5,400 yuan on Wednesday, saying it had not received any notice on the recall, according to the report.

A Samsung aftersales clerk also told CCTV that consumers seeking a refund or replacement have to wait until the company announces specific measures on the recall.

A man surnamed Zhao told Beijing Times that a friend bought him a Note 7 as a gift from a vendor in Beijing's Zhongguancun hi-tech area in September.

When he contacted Samsung's aftersales service on Wednesday, he was told that he had to wait for specific measures from the company about the recall before he could ask for a refund from a vendor. He added that Samsung's official website is not responsible for handling requests for refunds or replacements.

But Zhao does not know which vendor sold the phone and he has no sales invoice, the paper said. The aftersales clerk then advised him to turn off the phone and keep a close watch on information carried by the company's official website.

Samsung's official aftersales service said the company would release specific rules on the recall within the next couple of days.

China Consumers Association said on Wednesday that it would keep a close watch on the recall and that Samsung should not reject consumer requests for a refund or replacement due to a damaged phone, incomplete or damaged packaging or accessories, or lack of a sales invoice.